Blood is Thicker Than Water

Chapter Twelve

Luke and I started along the cavern, this time slower to prevent noise. I could feel his breath on my neck, and my senses heightened. Slowly, we crept through the darkness. I groped at the cave walls, trying to gauge our location. From the feel of it, we were about a mile from my house. I could still hear shouting and curses coming from behind us, but they sounded distant, as if the traffickers were slipping further away. We had lost them.

"That was really something." Luke muttered.

I released a breath I didn't even realize I had been holding. "That's an understatement."

We continued in silence, too afraid of drawing attention to risk communication. As we moved, Luke removed his pocket knife and gently took my wrists. Gingerly, he tugged the barbed wire away from my bloody skin, cursing quietly. I winced, but refused to cry out. I couldn't risk being heard.

Luke pulled the wire away and thrust it into his backpack. With any luck, the police might get DNA off of it. A small smile tugged at my lips at the thought. The only thing between me and Ella has discovering the identity of the bastards who had her.

"Luke?" I whispered as I rubbed my wrists.

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear what they were saying about Ella back there? Before we fell into the cave?"

"They were? No, I didn't catch that. What were they saying?"

I stumbled over a small rock. Luke caught me. "They...They were talking about selling her, Luke. Said she wouldn't make much money. They said...They said they didn't even know why the ring leader ordered them to take her."

"Did you catch a name? A phone number, an address?" He asked.

I strained to remember. "At...Atlas? No, it wasn't that. A...what was that famous poet's name? It starts with an A."

"You mean Atticus?"

I nodded, grateful for my cousin's literacy knowledge. "Yeah. That. That's the name they mentioned."

Luke started to respond, but just then a small flash of light caught my eye. I looked up. We were at the cave mouth. He gently tugged me aside, then stepped ahead. I watched as he pushed against the light, durable cover we had placed over the entrance last summer.

With one strong, swift tug, Luke had displaced the cover. He jumped out, then extended his hand to me. I grasped his wrist and allowed him to pull me out of the hellhole we had been in for the last two hours. Relief flooded my heart as I felt the familiar warmth of the sun on my skin. I sighed, tilting my head toward the sky and closing my eyes.

Luke replaced the cover and moved to stand beside me. "It's a big change, right?"

"Right."

With an exchanged glance, we turned toward my house and moved toward the back porch. I cast a quick glance at my watch. Fifteen after one. My parents should still be at the sheriff's office. Thank God.

Luke and I stumbled into the house. A rush of cool air greeted us as I leaned against the wall, sinking to the ground and burying my head in my hands.

"Kay?" Luke knelt in front of me and placed his hand on my knee.

I looked up. "I'm okay."

He reached up to gently touch my cheek, where that bastard had pistolwhipped me earlier.

"You're hurt."

I shrugged, but didn't speak even though it hurt like heck. Luke forced a smile and pulled me to my feet. "Let's get you cleaned up."

He walked me to my bedroom and had me sit down. I sighed as I eased myself onto the edge of my bed. Luke dabbed a washcloth in cold water and gently brushed the blood off my face. I winced. "I'm sorry," He apologized as he dabbed at my wounds. "Just try to hold still."

I nodded. In spite of the gravity of the situation, I couldn't resist a jab. "Hey, look on the bright side. You weren't the problem for once."

"If you weren't hurt right now, I'd slap you for that."

I laughed. "We both know you wouldn't."

Luke's eyes softened as he finished wiping the blood from my face. He got to his feet and sat down beside me. I lay my head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around me. Tears welled up in my eyes. "Luke, I really thought..."

"So did I, Kay," He interrupted, stroking my hair softly. "So did I."

"So what now?"

He pulled back and looked into my eyes. I'd never seen such intensity, such dedication. It was like I was looking at a different person.

"We find Ella."