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Inda tapped Lucas on the shoulder, put a finger to her lips, then pointed back to the car. The moment he turned toward it, Selma started firing in that direction. Time for Plan B. And he was pretty confident Inda had a Plan C in mind already just in case.
As anticipated, Inda spun fast, pushing Lucas forward, and they jogged through the underbrush as quietly as possible. But it was impossible to avoid the inevitable snapping of twigs and rustling of branches as they hurried forward in the opposite direction from their vehicle. They would have to circle around to get back to the SUV safely. He had no idea if Selma would follow them, but he wasn’t hanging around to find out.
Without warning, the treeline abruptly ended and they nearly ran off the edge of a cliff. Lucas’ feet slid across loose rocks and his arms windmilled before Inda grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him back. A quick glance told him there was nowhere to go.
Nowhere except down, and he wasn’t in the mood to jump to his death.
“Now what?” he hissed, looking back over his shoulder. He cocked his head, listening for Selma, and heard her tramping through the woods behind them, following the path they must’ve left.
“We go down,” Inda said, moving to the edge of the cliff, sure footed and confident.
Lucas’ face screwed up, not quite sure he heard her right. That was definitely not the plan he was hoping for. “Are you crazy? That’s a sheer drop off.”
She peered over the edge then turned and lowered herself onto her knees. “Nah. Easy climbing. Just do what I do, okay? Step where I step, find your grips. It’s just like bouldering in a gym.”
Holy fuck.She was actually serious. “I’ve never bouldered in a gym,” he told her, wondering if he should try to hide instead. But that ship sailed when another bullet fired, this one tearing through a tree branch near his head.
Lucas dropped down, stretching out on his belly beside Inda. He was on the verge of regurgitating his earlier meal when his feet met empty air. But then he looked over, and her steady gaze, calm and capable, helped settle his nerves. His gut knew she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him.
“Slide over the edge with me,” Inda said quietly, appearing completely unflappable. “Slow and careful. Let your feet find a crevice. Then I’ll go first and you’ll follow right behind me, using the same hand and footholds. I’ll guide us right down to the nearest ledge. I saw an overhang and we can hide under it.”
“You make it sound so easy.” His heart beat so hard it felt like it was going to rip out of his chest. Or, maybe stop beating altogether.
“Hey.” He met her fierce, caramel gaze. “You can do this. People go bouldering all the time without ropes or harnesses.”
“Yeah, over safety mats.”
“I won’t let you fall, Lucas. Do you trust me?”
“You? Sure. My feet? No.”
The sound of Selma approaching, almost upon them, propelled them into action. They slid over the side of the mountain—because to Lucas that’s exactly what it felt like, a goddamn mountain of epic proportions—and his fingers dug into the rock as his feet slid down. For a panicked moment, he couldn’t find a hold and the tips of his shoes tore gravel loose. Cursing, he made the mistake of looking down. The sheer, rocky side of the cliff looked treacherously steep and impossible to actually climb down.
Before panic could completely take hold, a hand grabbed his ankle and shoved his foot forward, stopping him from slipping further, and wedging his toes into a crevice.
“You’ve got your toehold,” Inda whispered. “Now watch me, doexactlywhat I do, and don’t look at the ground.”
Pulling in a deep breath, Lucas kept his eyes on Inda’s descent, forcing himself to focus on where she was putting her hands and feet versus the death-defying drop below.Pay attention, Sheridan.Otherwise, all it would take was one slip and he’d be done, his body landing beside Marcus Santiago on the rocks far below.
Very slowly, he followed in her footsteps, literally, as they climbed down the side of the cliff. Earlier when she’d mentioned a ledge, he’d had no idea what she was talking about, but now he saw it. They were heading straight for an outcropping of rock, and right beneath it, a ledge jutted out. He just hoped it was stable and there was enough room for them both to hide under it.
“You’re doing great, Sheridan,” she whispered, encouraging him on. Hell, she was moving down the rock wall like a damn mountain goat. He couldn’t help but admire her skill, strength and the way she patiently guided him. Because the truth was, she could’ve left him in the dust to fend for himself.
Remembering to breathe, he dug his toes into his foothold and waited for her to move down again. They were so close to the ledge, but it was still too far away for his liking.
Almost. You’re almost there. Keep moving.
The moment the thought went through his head, Selma looked over the edge and his gaze met hers. As far as he knew, she had no idea who he was or what Cipher looked like, so he wasn’t worried she’d recognize him. He was, however, concerned about the gun she pointed down at him and fired.
“Fuck!” Pieces of rock shattered where the bullet struck and pelted him.
“Hurry!” Inda hissed beneath him, tugging at his ankle. He hadn’t realized he’d frozen up and he started moving again, but much more quickly and haphazardly. Gunfire had a way of lighting a fire under your ass, and right now the one under Lucas’ was flaming hot.
Selma yelled down from the edge directly above them, but he wasn’t listening to her. More popping filled the air, echoing all around them, and he hoped to God her aim continued to suck. He might be able to survive a bullet wound, but if he accidentally let go or stepped wrong, there was no surviving the fall that awaited him.
Pulse thundering in his ears, he tried to focus, tried to ignore the bullets whizzing by his head, but it was impossible. At least he was blocking Inda with his body by being positioned above her. The chance of her getting hit was slim to none. He’d be the one to go down. If his taking a bullet saved her, then so be it.
Below him, he saw Inda swinging her body and then she gracefully leaped, landing on the ledge and disappearing beneath the overhang. Damn, she was magnificent.
