little girl. She swallowed.
“How is she?” came from James as he rose to his feet. The captain had been keeping a silent vigil near Kyle.
Kyle’s back teeth clenched. Don’t ask that fucking question in front of the kid .
The guy should know better.
“Stable,” Cadence said. “For now, she appears to be stable.”
That was good news, right? Stable sounded real good to Kyle.
A doctor appeared behind Cadence. Called for the family.
As they surrounded him, Cadence headed toward Kyle and James. “They think she’ll recover. Her heartbeat is growing stronger, and her brain activity…” Her voice was low, just for them. “The doctor thinks she’ll wake up.”
“When?” He wanted to know just who had taken Lily. What the bastard had done to her in the darkness.
“Maybe tomorrow. It’s hard to say.” She pushed back her hair. “We need to talk, privately.”
Away from the family rushing toward the ICU doors.
James motioned to the cops who’d been waiting a few feet back. Heather Crenshaw and a bruised Jason Marsh stepped forward. “Stand guard, got me?” James demanded of them.
They nodded. Jason’s gaze cut to Cadence. He looked like he wanted to speak, but Cadence had already stepped away.
She, James, and Kyle slid into an empty hospital room. Cadence shut the door, sealing them inside.
“Preliminary exams are showing there’s no sign of rape,” Cadence said.
Thank Christ.
“She’s got lacerations on her wrists and ankles, no doubt from the ropes, but Lily appears to have no other physical trauma.”
“Except that the bastard drugged her,” James snapped as he ran a hand over his gleaming head. “Tried to kill her.”
“We were close.” Cadence clenched her own hands into small fists. “He didn’t want her making it out of those caverns.”
He hadn’t wanted any of them getting free.
“He set his traps,” Kyle said, and there was rage rumbling in his voice at just how close they’d all come to dying. “He tried to bury us alive.” The trip wire in the Statue of Liberty chamber had been set to bury anyone who’d been lucky enough to find those remains.
He remembered his first glimpse of Lily. Her stark eyes, unblinking.
The darkness. His light had cut through the dark.
Thirteen tally marks .
“As soon as he got clear of the debris, Jason called in backup.” The lines on James’s face were even deeper. He looked as if he’d aged ten years in the last two days. “We couldn’t get through the rocks, and we were trying to find a way to you.”
“You didn’t know about the entrance behind the falls?” Kyle demanded in disbelief. Someone should have known. James had been in that area far too long not to have known.
But James shook his head. “No one goes up to those falls, not since a runaway killed herself there.” He swallowed as a flash of pain appeared in his eyes. “Those falls aren’t good. People stay away—”
“But the entrance—” Cadence interrupted.
“I lived in this town my whole life,” James said flatly, “and I didn’t know you could get to the caverns behind those falls. Death Falls. Hell, that’s what the kids up here call them. If you go too close, they’ll pull you to your death.”
Lily’s abductor had known about that entrance. The killer had known .
“We found remains in those caverns,” Kyle told him. “In the Statue of Liberty chamber.” One body, but there could be more. Eleven more. They had to get Dani to broaden her search. The killer had left those marks on the cave wall for a reason.
Counting off his prey .
“We saw her. When we went searching for you two, we found the—the bones.” James’s Adam’s apple bobbed and sweat beaded his upper lip. “I got a team on the way, coming in from the next county. They’re gonna get her out. We’ll find out who she was.”
Not Maria .
“The geologists are coming up, because—” James paused, sucking in a breath.
“There could be more bodies,” Cadence
“How is she?” came from James as he rose to his feet. The captain had been keeping a silent vigil near Kyle.
Kyle’s back teeth clenched. Don’t ask that fucking question in front of the kid .
The guy should know better.
“Stable,” Cadence said. “For now, she appears to be stable.”
That was good news, right? Stable sounded real good to Kyle.
A doctor appeared behind Cadence. Called for the family.
As they surrounded him, Cadence headed toward Kyle and James. “They think she’ll recover. Her heartbeat is growing stronger, and her brain activity…” Her voice was low, just for them. “The doctor thinks she’ll wake up.”
“When?” He wanted to know just who had taken Lily. What the bastard had done to her in the darkness.
“Maybe tomorrow. It’s hard to say.” She pushed back her hair. “We need to talk, privately.”
Away from the family rushing toward the ICU doors.
James motioned to the cops who’d been waiting a few feet back. Heather Crenshaw and a bruised Jason Marsh stepped forward. “Stand guard, got me?” James demanded of them.
They nodded. Jason’s gaze cut to Cadence. He looked like he wanted to speak, but Cadence had already stepped away.
She, James, and Kyle slid into an empty hospital room. Cadence shut the door, sealing them inside.
“Preliminary exams are showing there’s no sign of rape,” Cadence said.
Thank Christ.
“She’s got lacerations on her wrists and ankles, no doubt from the ropes, but Lily appears to have no other physical trauma.”
“Except that the bastard drugged her,” James snapped as he ran a hand over his gleaming head. “Tried to kill her.”
“We were close.” Cadence clenched her own hands into small fists. “He didn’t want her making it out of those caverns.”
He hadn’t wanted any of them getting free.
“He set his traps,” Kyle said, and there was rage rumbling in his voice at just how close they’d all come to dying. “He tried to bury us alive.” The trip wire in the Statue of Liberty chamber had been set to bury anyone who’d been lucky enough to find those remains.
He remembered his first glimpse of Lily. Her stark eyes, unblinking.
The darkness. His light had cut through the dark.
Thirteen tally marks .
“As soon as he got clear of the debris, Jason called in backup.” The lines on James’s face were even deeper. He looked as if he’d aged ten years in the last two days. “We couldn’t get through the rocks, and we were trying to find a way to you.”
“You didn’t know about the entrance behind the falls?” Kyle demanded in disbelief. Someone should have known. James had been in that area far too long not to have known.
But James shook his head. “No one goes up to those falls, not since a runaway killed herself there.” He swallowed as a flash of pain appeared in his eyes. “Those falls aren’t good. People stay away—”
“But the entrance—” Cadence interrupted.
“I lived in this town my whole life,” James said flatly, “and I didn’t know you could get to the caverns behind those falls. Death Falls. Hell, that’s what the kids up here call them. If you go too close, they’ll pull you to your death.”
Lily’s abductor had known about that entrance. The killer had known .
“We found remains in those caverns,” Kyle told him. “In the Statue of Liberty chamber.” One body, but there could be more. Eleven more. They had to get Dani to broaden her search. The killer had left those marks on the cave wall for a reason.
Counting off his prey .
“We saw her. When we went searching for you two, we found the—the bones.” James’s Adam’s apple bobbed and sweat beaded his upper lip. “I got a team on the way, coming in from the next county. They’re gonna get her out. We’ll find out who she was.”
Not Maria .
“The geologists are coming up, because—” James paused, sucking in a breath.
“There could be more bodies,” Cadence
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