Search Me(58)

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I think we both feel the same way about Jensen.”

“For some reason, it’s hard for me to believe you want to put a bullet between his eyes as much as I do.”

I shuddered at the picture he painted in my mind. “Eesh, well, I don’t know about that.”

Maddox grinned. “I didn’t think so.”

“Trust me, I want to hurt him. A lot. But more than anything, I want him punished—like more of a long, lengthy prison sentence where he doesn’t get to call all the shots. That would kill the control freak.”

Leaning over to hand me the lantern, Maddox asked, “And do you also hope that while he’s in prison, he gets made into some dude’s bitch?”

I couldn’t keep my cheeks from flushing as I ducked my head. “Maybe,” I finally admitted.

Laughter rolled through Maddox as he slung the shovel and a pick axe on his shoulder. “Aren’t you full of surprises?” With his free hand, he cuffed the back of my neck. “Let’s go get the treasure, and then figure out how to castrate Jensen later.”

After I tossed my purse over my neck and shoulder, I gripped the lantern handle tight. We waded through the high grass and weeds that flowed like ocean waves in the breeze. “Watch out for snakes,” Maddox cautioned, and I momentarily froze in fear. But my inner voice screamed, Get it together, Lane. Quit acting like a scared little princess all the time. So I picked one foot up and started again.

Debris blocked the cave’s entrance, illustrating just how long since anyone had been inside. Maddox and I sat the equipment down and started moving the rocks, branches, and tree limbs. After we had cleared enough to get in, along with having an easy getaway, we gathered up our tools and headed inside.

The lantern did little to brighten the way as we stepped into inky darkness. Our steps echoed off the walls, repeating eerily over and over as the sound came back to us. I shivered and stayed practically on top of Maddox’s back. The next thing I knew something sticky started clinging to me. I shrieked and dropped the lantern when I realized we were caught in an intricate weaving of spider webs. Sputtering, I clawed them off of my face and arms while Maddox casually swept them away. When I finally recovered, he shot me an amused look over his shoulder. “Guess you’re not a fan of spiders, huh?”

“You think you’d remember that from when we were younger. I always freaked out and made you kill them.”

He grinned and turned around. “Ah, that’s right. Jeez, you’re such a girlie girl.”

“Oh shut up,” I grumbled, snatching the lantern.

Reaching over, he plucked a blob of something out of my hair. I could only imagine it was more spider webs. “But I like you just the way you are.”

I smiled. “Aren’t you the charmer?”

It was then I turned my attention back to the cave. As I gazed around, my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness. Taking in the desolate surroundings, I tried imagining how it must’ve been for Pretty Fawn, sneaking away from her tribe in the middle of the night to this very cave with Avery Jensen. Plotting and planning with him about their future life once they could run away together. And then how horrible that last time must’ve been for her after he had been killed—the time when she came here to end her life. I also had to wonder when the Jensen family gene pool had gone sour enough to produce someone like our ex-con, attempted murderer, and kidnapper Jensen.

Maddox’s voice caused me to jump. “What are you thinking about?”

“Pretty Fawn and Avery Jensen being here.”

“Hmm, like if they ever got it on while in here?” he asked, wagging his eyebrows up and down.

“No, pervert, that’s not what I was thinking.” Although truth be told, the thought had crossed my mind…more than once. To change the subject, I asked, “So what’s the plan to find the sacred fire location, Captain?”

Maddox rolled his eyes. “Well, smartass, we need to find the center of the cave. According to the Cherokee Lore book, the sacred fire was part of the seven principle directions and always in the center.”

“Wow, you actually read and paid attention. I’m impressed.”

Ignoring me, he said, “Once we’ve semi-located the center, we need to start examining the ground. There has to be some kind of markings—a burned indention in the stone or cut rock—something to show there was once a fire.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

We forged ahead, trying to keep a measure of how far we were going and how far we’d come. It wasn’t easy with only the lantern and a flashlight to see with. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only about twenty minutes, I started to get antsy. The familiar feeling of panic crept into my mind, and I started having a hard time keeping it together. My mind started spinning.

I tried calming myself by drawing in a few cleansing breaths, but anger, along with frustration, started swelling in my chest. For some reason, I’d thought we would waltz into the cave and find some leftover logs or a pile of soot and ash strewn on the ground. How could I have been so stupid? Two hundred years had wiped away any remnants of Pretty Fawn and Avery’s meeting place. I started to feel the frail thread of my sanity snap. “This is just f**king great!”

Maddox’s mouth gaped open at my profanity-laced exclamation. I kicked a stray pebble, sending it scattering across the ground, before cocking my head to glare at him. “Yeah, you heard me. Twenty minutes of searching and nothing. Not even a cracked rock to alert us if we’re close. Just how are we ever supposed to find where the sacred fire was? We can barely see in here!”