Dangerous Mating (A.L.F.A., #3)(35)

She laughed and pushed back. “All right, lover boy. More when we get out of here.”

He raised his brows. “Promise?”

“How about an entire week? Honeymoon style.” Heat infused her eyes. Her arousal scented the air. Good god, he couldn’t wait. He was ready to plow through rock walls right now. “But first, we get out of here.” She turned back to the puzzle. Below the row of drawings were two holes with a rope dangling from each. Above each hole was a word. “I bet those say yes and no, right?” she asked.

“Sharp as a tack, I’ll tell you,” he joked. She grinned and moved her hand to the “no” rope. He grabbed her arm. “Wait. Even though Germany lost the war, they didn’t know that when they stashed the stuff. So to them, the answer would’ve been yes, don’t you think?”

She stood back and chewed on her lip. First time he’d ever felt jealous of a body part.

“You’re right.” Kari grabbed the “yes” rope and pulled.

From deep inside the walls, a low rumble vibrated. Similar to the water room, but different. To his sensitive ears, the sound was coming closer.

“Bryon, do you feel that?” Her voice wavered. The ground shook, dust fell from the ceiling. They had to run, but he didn’t know to where. It sounded from all around. His instincts screamed to get away. But which way?





Chapter Twenty-four




Kari stared at the ceiling and walls around them. An earthquake shook everything. She looked for an opening in the rock, somewhere they could go. The dead-end wall was still a dead end. Hopefully not literally.

She whipped her head around to see the wall and ceiling from the turn in the path to where they stood disappear under tons of boulders and dirt. Bryon tackled her, keeping her away from the deadly pileup.

“What?” she yelled. “I can’t believe they would’ve answered no to that.” She pushed him off her and sprang to her feet. There was simply no way Nazi soldiers would’ve thought they’d lose the war. Maybe she’d interpreted it wrong. She grabbed the “no” rope and pulled. She wanted to see what would happen. Nothing? Was it a trick?

“Kari, don’t.” Bryon was airborne in a heartbeat, yanking her arm toward him as the ceiling above her gave way to more boulders. She screamed and ducked her head, landing on a soft body. Dust coated her throat and she coughed, her hand waving away the particles from her face.

“Those bastards cheated,” she said. “Both options were bad. Good thing they lost the damn war.” She stood in the small space between the second dump of rock and the dead-end wall and dusted her pants off. “Now what?”

The powder floating in the air swirled where there should be no breeze or movement. “Bryon?” she said.

He stood behind her and faced the wall. “I see it. Hold on a second.” He picked up the one torch that had survived the landslide and blew on the dying embers to reignite the flames. He held it in front of the wall and watched the smoke waft to the side. He handed the torch to her and put his hands on the wall. Bracing his feet against the floor, he shoved against one side.

The wall/door pivoted so quickly, the far side of the door whipped around and smacked him in the ass, throwing him into a new part of the tunnels. She almost peed her pants laughing so hard.

“I see now,” she started, “why both ropes were sabotaged. They didn’t have to solve it to make the door move. You just had to push it. Lightly.”

Bryon picked himself up off the floor and wiped his hands on his pants. “From your position, I can see this being funny. But not really from mine.” She laughed more and walked through the cleared doorway. She reached for his hand and continued forward.

“I hope this ends soon,” she said. “I’m so tired of this stupid tunnel. I want sunshine and fresh air.”

“Me, too, love. I’d really like a bed to take you in.” His brows slipped up and down. She laughed.

“Is that all you think about? Sex?” she teased.

He lifted her against the wall and she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Until you pass out screaming my name, it is. You got a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” she said and kissed him.

Needing air, they parted, each panting. “We can do it right here on the floor,” she said.

“I don’t want to bruise your back or knees. It’ll have to wait until I can lick you from head to toe and eat your creamy center before making you come.”

Damn. She shivered from the image of that in her mind. Her legs unlocked from around him. “Let’s get going, then. Time’s a wastin’.” When he set her feet on the ground, she slapped his ass. “On your toes, soldier. Get me the hell outta here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He laughed, grabbing her hand. Despite the levity in their conversation, she knew he was careful of traps and surprises waiting for them. They turned a corner and were met with another dead-end wall. But this end sported designs different than any they’d seen. The rock was even different than the sidewalls. The ground was covered with dirt and sand. It looked much . . . newer.

Bryon held up the torch to the newest obstacle. From top to bottom, side to side, twelve circles lined up. “Well, damn,” she said, “yet another death-defying escape required. I’m so over this shit.”