It wasn’t very wide, maybe about two feet, just enough for her shoulders to fit. She’d scrunched her legs up and wedged herself in as tightly as possible after her legs started shaking so bad she knew she’d never be able to continue to crawl the rest of the way down.
She was stuck. She couldn’t go up and she couldn’t do down, at least not without the chance of falling. And the dark was starting to get to her. It was as dark as it had been in the cave, and she was having a hard time controlling her panic.
When the traitor had opened the door high above her head, Avery had thought that was it. She was dead. But instead of hearing shots and feeling the bullets enter the top of her head or shoulders, the door had slammed shut once again.
She’d heard voices above her, but her ears were ringing so loudly, she couldn’t make them out. The man after her was probably talking to himself or threatening her some more.
Then a gunshot had scared the shit out of her, and she’d almost lost her grip.
Several more minutes went by, Avery didn’t know how long, but then she heard her name being called.
“Averyyyyyyy.”
She froze. That had sounded like Cole.
But that was impossible, wasn’t it?
Then she heard it again, and this time she knew it was her man.
“Avery! Where are you? You’re safe, you can come out now.”
Except his voice was getting farther away as he spoke. For a second she considered that maybe it was a ruse. That the traitor was forcing Cole to call out for her. But she dismissed that idea almost as soon as it was formed. Cole wouldn’t go along with something that would put her in danger. She knew that without a doubt.
But if Cole had been in the break room when he’d called her name, it sounded like he was now leaving. If he left, he might not hear her call out for him.
Taking as deep a breath as she could in her cramped position, Avery lifted her chin and screamed out, “I’m heeeere! Cole! I’m here!”
Silence followed—and it took everything within her not to completely panic.
But then she heard Cole answer.
“Where, baby? We can hear you but can’t find you!”
“Here!” she called out a little weaker. Cole had heard. She knew he wouldn’t leave until he’d figured out where she was hiding. “In the chute in the wall!”
It took a few seconds, but then she heard the best sound ever. The creaking of the hinges of the door high above her head. This time she wasn’t scared of it, not knowing Cole was there.
“Avery?” he called out.
She tilted her head and looked up and saw Cole’s face. It reminded her of back in Afghanistan, when she’d seen his silhouette at the entrance of the cave. She’d never been so glad to see someone in her life.
“I’m here!” she told him.
“Shit, I can’t see her,” Cole said, and his face disappeared.
“Don’t leave me!” The words burst forth without thought. And then his face was back.
“I’m not leaving,” he reassured her. “How far down are you? It’s all black from up here.”
No wonder the traitor hadn’t shot her. He couldn’t see her, after all. Avery wanted to laugh, but couldn’t find the energy. “I don’t know. But I don’t think I can hold on for very much longer.”
“Bullshit,” Cole growled. “You can and you will. We’ll get you out of there, but you have to do your part. Understand?”
Avery nodded, even though she knew Cole couldn’t see her.
He turned his head, and she figured he was listening to the rest of his team strategize. Then he called down, “What is this chute? Where does it go? What’s it used for?”
Avery quickly explained that it was a shaft that went from the top floor down to the basement, and that there were trapdoors on each floor.
Cole had another quick conference with his team, then he said, “Okay, baby, Rocco is going down to the third floor and Ace is going to the second floor. You’re probably somewhere between there. Hang on. We’re going to get you out.”
“Cole?”
“Yeah?”
“Is he dead?”
“Yes.”
That was it. One word. But it was all Avery needed to hear. She was going to be all right. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder anymore, she was safe.
But…that also meant Cole didn’t need to babysit her anymore. Their lives could go back to normal.
As she waited to be rescued, Avery made a decision. She’d been an idiot. Life wasn’t guaranteed. But if she wanted to be happy, she had to take a risk. Reach for what was right in front of her.
Another squeak above her made her look up. Avery was startled to see Rocco’s face just feet above her head.
“Hey, Avery. Fancy meeting you here,” Rocco said with a smile. Then he turned and yelled up toward Cole. “Third floor, Rex. Get down here.”
Cole must’ve sprinted the entire way because within a minute, it was his face she was looking at instead of Rocco’s.
“Hey, baby. You look a bit uncomfortable,” Cole said.
Avery chuckled. Leave it to Cole and his team to make jokes in a situation like this.
But then his voice gentled. “You okay? It’s dark in there.”
“I’m okay,” she told him, and realized that she wasn’t lying or just saying that to make him feel better. She really was all right. Yes, she was scared of plunging to the basement three stories below, and she’d had some bad moments flashing back to her time in Afghanistan. But in the back of her mind, she always knew Cole would come for her. That he’d find her.
“Good. Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to lower a rope and you’ll need to fasten it under your arms and around your torso. Then we’ll just lift you up to us. Do you have any issues with that?”
“No,” Avery told him.
Her rescue from the old chute took mere minutes. The rope dug into her skin, but she didn’t complain and didn’t fidget as Cole and his teammates hauled her up. The feel of Cole latching onto her arm was the best thing she’d felt in a very long time.
One second she was inside the claustrophobic chute, and the next she was sitting on the tiles on the third-floor break room in Cole’s arms. He buried his face in her neck, she did the same to him, and they simply held each other.
His teammates gave them a moment, then Phantom said, “I hate to be the wet blanket, but we probably need to get out of here. The building was on fire a while ago, and we should report the dead body on the fourth floor.”
Avery shuddered at Phantom’s dry statement. She lifted her head and Cole framed her face with his hands. They stared at each other for a long moment. Then Avery whispered, “After we debrief, get home, shower, and probably try to eat something, maybe you can kiss me. Really kiss me.”
His pupils immediately dilated. He licked his lips and asked, “Are you sure? It’s not just the adrenaline talking?”
“No. I’m sure.”
“Jeez, you two. You’re talking about a kiss as if it’s a wedding ring or something. Come on, Rex. Pick up your woman and let’s get the fuck out of here,” Bubba badgered.
Avery smiled at Cole. Little did Bubba know, the kind of kiss Cole would give her tonight was almost as good as a wedding ring, and they both knew it.