AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"That's right. But the canyon wall is thinner over here."
"Honestly, I don't care how you did this. I'm just glad we have another way out besides holding our breath to swim back to Munro."
I lean out the opening and shout, "Surprise, Munro! Come and see what I've done."
The crunching of Munro's shoes tells us he is indeed coming over here to see what I've accomplished. When my cousin halts a few yards from the new doorway, he affects an air of disinterest. Maybe it's not affectation. Maybe he genuinely is unimpressed, but I rather doubt that. Everyone expresses awe, and occasionally a wee bit of fear, when they see my handiwork.
"Congratulations," Munro says. "Ye managed to blow up a wall without killing yourself or Ashley."
"I made it easier to access the cavern. You could try being slightly impressed."
Munro grunts, as he often does. "I'll be impressed if the roof doesn't cave in before we leave."
He's in a sour mood, isn't he? I wonder why, but we shouldn't waste any time. If someone really is following us, we need to find the treasure as quickly as possible. The longer we stay in here, where we can't see who might be coming after us, the worse things could get for us. But I'll keep that to myself. I suspect Munro has realized the same thing, so that might be the cause of his bad mood.
We retrieve our packs from outside and bring them into the cavern, but we still have no bloody idea how to access the hoard. Kincaid claimed to have done that. I'd told Ashley earlier that the entrance might have caved in, but I don't see anything that looks like a demolished section of the wall.
Ashley curls her arm around mine. "Something's wrong. What is it?"
"How do you know something's wrong?"
"Because I've gotten to know your moods and your expressions over the past few days. Well, I started to learn that long before now. But spending every day and night with you has accelerated my learning curve."
Aye, she is a clever lass. Of course she understands me. I think she probably knew that before this expedition.
"I can't see anything that looks like a collapsed section of the wall," I say. "Maybe this isn't the right place after all, or maybe the treasure never existed."
"Oh no, you don't get to give up on me now." She presses her body into me. "We've come too far to call it quits. Now, let's hash out the problem together."
"While we're naked? That's when I do my best thinking."
She glances at Munro, who's kneeling several yards away and seems to be playing with rocks. "I don't get naked in front of company. But I'd be happy to whisper dirty things in your ear if that would help jump-start your brain."
"Best not. If you do that, I'll be shagging you on the rock floor in thirty seconds flat."
"Plan B, then." She folds her arms over those bonnie tits and surveys the wall. "I wonder if there's a secret latch or something that will open a hidden door. Or is that too Indiana Jones-ish?"
"My whole professional life has been like an Indiana Jones movie, except without the Nazis and the women salivating over me."
"You wouldn't want women to do that." She goes back to studying the wall. "What might a secret doorway look like?"
I consider the section of rock wall in front of us. "We should look for a seam. It wouldn't be obvious, which means we need to examine every inch of the wall with a fine-tooth comb. Well, not literally. I don't think an actual comb would help."
"Thanks for the clarification. I was about to get out my comb."
"You've gotten much more sarcastic lately. I love it."
She bumps her shoulder into me. "It's your fault I'm more sarcastic. But I'm glad you like it, because I like the new me too."
"It's not new. I think you were hiding your true self because you were afraid other people might think you're barmy. Now you're free to be yourself."
Ashley waves a finger toward the wall. "Guess we better get up close and personal with a big slab of rock."
We approach the wall and, without even discussing our strategy, Ashley kneels to explore the lower portion while I examine the higher sections. I can honestly say I have never felt up a wall before, and neither have I hunted for a secret panel in a cavern. So aye, I've never experienced the sort of thrill I'm getting right now, though that might have more to do with the bonnie lass kneeling beneath me with her erse raised.
Peripherally, I notice Munro watching us with his forehead wrinkled and his head tipped slightly to the side. But I ignore him, and Ashley's erse, to focus on the wall. Must be a seam here somewhere. If I were an ancient person from an unknown culture who wanted to hide a collection of mismatched artifacts, where would I put the seam in my secret door?
"What are you doing over there?" Munro asks. "Did ye get hypoxia swimming through the flooded passageway?"
