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"Okay." Annie took the leash. "Cupcake, it's okay," she said. "I'll be your big pillow. Mama's my big pillow. And Jacob. And Bella. And Lucas. We have lots of big pillows."
Phoebe smiled as Annie reassured Cupcake.
Bella turned on her phone flashlight, casting the cave into welcome illumination. "Look how cool this place is," Bella said. "I'm thinking of making it a girls-only club house. What do you think?"
"Whoa," Annie breathed, stopping in place as she stared around in awe.
Phoebe did the same, sucking in her breath. "It's magical." The ceiling of the cave stretched high now, and wide. The rock looked like it had once been a waterfall, forever preserved in rock. Stalactites hung down from the ceiling, and crevices whispered of stories and adventures long forgotten.
"What is this place?" Phoebe asked.
"Oregon is famous for its caves, but we found this one on our property. It goes for miles." Bella grinned. "Come on, there's a cool tunnel on the right that leads to another cavern."
"Wow! Is there gold? I bet there's gold. Mama, hold Cupcake!" Annie thrust the leash in Phoebe's hand. "I bet there's water in that little stream!" She ran across the rocks like a parkour expert, and Bella and Phoebe had to scramble after her.
Annie jumped in the stream, which came only up to her ankles, and then started sloshing upstream. "Where does it go?"
"To the tunnel, I told you about," Bella whispered. "I'll race you!"
"I win!" Annie took off, and Phoebe, Bella, and Cupcake splashed along behind her. It was so beautiful, and so magical, but the fact they were running was a grim reminder that they weren't here for fun. That somewhere out there, something was happening, and Jacob was in the middle of it.
Bella touched her arm. "They're fine. My brothers are excellent at hide and seek."
Phoebe looked at her, but couldn't clear the clog in her throat to answer.
Instead, she splashed after her daughter, continually looking over her shoulder to make sure no one had appeared in the cavern they were leaving behind.
But the only light was theirs, and nothing moved.
For now.
"Keep moving," Bella said. "The next cavern is the coolest one!"
They kept moving, going farther and farther into the recesses of the maze of caves, farther and farther from the danger, and farther and farther from the brothers who were risking their lives for her and Annie.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Jacob and Lucas ran out of the waterfall, his focus in full battle mode as he burst free. He whistled for Freedom, who immediately spun around from his napping spot on the bank and galloped toward him through the water, his ears flat back as he raced toward Jacob.
Lucas whistled for his mount, who did the same.
Jacob gripped the pommel of his saddle and swung up on Freedom as his horse raced by, not even slowing down. Lucas did the same, and then the two brothers were galloping toward the butte where Colin and Tristan were.
They reached the top, and reined their horses to a halt. "What's up?" Jacob asked as he patted Freedom's neck, soothing the jazzed horse.
Colin was already on his belly, stretched out on the sand, his sniper rifle set up, tracking their approach. "South and north."
Jacob saw three pickup trucks heading toward them from the south, and another one from the north. They were moving fast, bouncing over the rough terrain. "Not our trucks."
"Nope. I told Dylan to check the cameras."
Jacob understood. Colin hadn't wanted to take his gaze off their visitors long enough to scroll through camera footage to figure out where they had come from and who was driving.
Dylan called and Jacob answered his phone. "The ones on the south came through the woods on the east side," Dylan said. "I couldn't see who was driving."
"Fuck." Jacob and his brothers all pulled out their guns, watching as the trucks approached. Was it his dad? Annie's bio dad? Either way, someone had tracked them out into the middle of their ranch, at a river. What the hell? He'd taken precautions, but he hadn't really believed he needed them. He'd thought they were safe here. He truly had. Why hadn't his security system warned him of their breach?
"If it's my dad," Jacob said, "he doesn't want to kill me. He wants me to give him money, so I'm safe."
