The Maze (ATCOM) Page 11

  Ouch. That barb drove clean through. She would mourn Noah the agent, not Noah the man.

  “Like Seth,” he said.

  Attie drew back as if he had slapped her, her eyes growing frigid. The temp in the room dropped ten degrees as she withdrew from him.

  “You have no right to compare yourself to him,” she said, her voice rising. “He was a good agent.”

  “I didn’t say he wasn’t. Seth was damn good at what he did.”

  She trembled visibly. From anger, or had he pushed too hard? His head was pounding like a jackhammer and, truth be told, he didn’t want to go back to what happened a year ago right now.

  “Time out. This isn’t getting us anywhere,” he said rubbing his forehead. “Where does this tunnel lead?”

  Attie drew in a deep breath and shot to her feet, tension in every muscle.

  “Nowhere. It’s a dead end.”

  “There was a way in, so there has to be a way out.”

  “Yeah, well, I couldn’t find it. You’re welcome to try.”

  He ignored her incensed tone and leaned his head back against the wall. He wished the drug would wear off; it clouded his thoughts.

  “In a minute,” he said, closing his eyes.

  “In a—is the drug still affecting you?”

  Noah didn’t answer. He needed a couple minutes to regroup. He heard Attie move beside him and knew he wasn’t going to get that couple minutes.

  “Open your eyes, Kincaid.”

  He obeyed and looked straight into her eyes. She crouched beside him, looking angry and concerned. He stared at the marks on her cheek, trying to figure out how she’d gotten them. She wouldn’t talk about it, but he needed to know. They weren’t very deep, but something had put them there.

  She studied him for a moment before shaking her head. “Your pupils are dilated.”

  “Gathered that.”

  “Well you’re no good to me like this.”

  Noah ignored the dig and closed his eyes.

  Attie started pacing.

  He opened an eye to watch her, got dizzy and closed it again. She needed to get rid of her nervous energy.

  Moments later Attie muttered, “What’s he waiting for?”

  He didn’t answer. This was all part of Santiago’s game. He was watching and probably enjoying Attie’s anxiety, drawing it out until she was close to her breaking point. He wanted her on the edge. Little did he know, she wasn’t going to break. She had an amazingly strong will to live and knowing her brother was here somewhere would motivate her to succeed. Santiago didn’t stand a chance.

  Then again, Attie wasn’t exactly on solid ground when it came to Santiago. He was the one man who could evoke fear in her. Noah had seen it more than once since their arrival. That was Santiago’s wild card. And he was Attie’s.

  After five minutes he couldn’t take it anymore. “Sit down, Attie. Conserve your energy.”

  “I have plenty enough for both of us.”

  “Yeah, I see that.”

  “I hate this. Why can’t we get on with it?”

  “He’s watching you squirm.”

  The scuff of her boots stopped. “I am not squirming. What do you mean he’s watching?”

  “There’s been a camera in every room since we arrived. It only makes sense there would be one in here too. Besides, there’s one above your head.”

  He watched her frown, look up and search for the hidden camera. “That sneaky—I missed it. Clever, concealing it in a rock like that. You can’t focus yet, how did you see it?”

  Closing his eyes again and willing the pulsing in his head to stop, he drawled, “Talent. Pure talent.”

  Attie scoffed. “Whatever.”

  “I’m a man of many.”

  “Arrogant jerk,” she muttered, dropping down beside him.

  “You’re just figuring this out?” he asked with a small tilt of his lips.

  “No. Open your eyes.”

  He did. She peered closer. “Your eyes are glazed and the pupils still dilated.”

  “Should wear off soon.”

  “It should have worn off by now.”

  “It was a strong dose. Hell, I don’t know. If you just give me a minute of peace I’ll be good as new.”

  Her hand slapped onto his forehead. “No fever,” she said.

  “Are you worried about me, Devayne?” he mused.

  “For clinical purposes, Kincaid. I need you clear headed.”

  “I’ve functioned under worse conditions.”

  “Do you have a headache?”

  Stubborn woman.

  “Yes, and getting worse by the minute,” he muttered.

  “Where?”

  “Where what?”

  “Where does it hurt?”

  “Temples.”

  She reached out and began to massage his temples.

  He could only stare at her. Her touch was sheer magic. Her fingers were firm and smooth as they moved in slow circles on each temple. It felt so good he closed his eyes and let her work her charm as little by little his headache subsided. Who was he to argue? She wasn’t going to listen and besides, this was better than the pacing. May as well let her release some pent-up energy on him.

  His head slowly began to clear, each stroke easing the tension until nothing remained but a dull throb. He didn’t tell Attie she could stop, simply enjoyed her touch.

  Her hands stilled. “Hear that?”

  Noah opened his eyes and cocked his head. The roar wasn’t in his head; it came from above them.

  “Sounds like running water.”

  Attie removed her hands and looked up. “Running how? Through pipes?”

  “Maybe.”

  They both looked up at the ceiling, not really sure what to make of the noise. It was growing louder as water rushed overhead.

  “Where do you think it’s going?” Attie asked.

  “Good question. It’s directly above us now.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  A door opened in the ceiling and water poured down on top of them.

  Noah grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. He spun in a circle in search of a door as water began to fill the cave.

  * * * *

  “He’s flooding the cave,” Attie cried. “I was blindfolded when I came in. Where’s the door?”

  “Don’t panic. It’ll be just like drown-proofing at the academy, remember?”

  He gripped her shoulders and forced her to stand still, holding her gaze steady with his.

  Attie nodded, remembering how her teammates had struggled when Noah tossed them with their hands tied behind their back into a pool of water. She had never been afraid of the water, having grown up swimming in the frigid mountain lakes near her uncle’s ranch so she had passed with flying colors. Not to mention having grown up with a devil of a brother who used to hold her head under the water and think it was fun when she came up spluttering.

  “Be prepared to take off your boots just in case,” Noah cautioned as water began to swirl around their feet. Boots could be used as a flotation device when tied together around the neck.

  “Won’t help if Carlos fills the place.”

  Water rose quickly to their ankles, then their knees.

  “He wants us alive to play his game, remember? He didn’t go to this trouble and expense to have us drown in the first round.”

  “Your pupils aren’t dilated anymore.” She tilted her chin up as water rushed toward her neck.

  “My headache’s gone too,” he replied with a slow grin.

  “I didn’t rub your temples for your pleasure, Kincaid.” She swallowed a bit of water on the last word and coughed.

  “Felt good all the same. Remind me to return the favor someday. Deep breath.”

  Attie drew in a deep breath as water rose over her chin in an angry swell. Noah took a breath and went down with her. The entire cave was flooded and they were trapped without a way out, at the mercy of a madman.

  * * * *

  Noah
swam toward Attie where she circled and searched for an opening. If a door didn’t open soon, then he had seriously misjudged Santiago and his intentions. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him. Mounting panic widened her eyes. Her lungs were burning from lack of oxygen. He’d been there, knew what it felt like.

  He gripped her shoulders, gliding closer to her so their bodies were aligned, forcing her to be still. Silently he sent her a message. Stay calm, you’ve done this before.

  She nodded and pointed to her throat.

  He nodded in understanding. Her lungs held half the capacity of what his did. She wouldn’t last much longer.

  Her eyes closed as tension strained the lines of her face. She fought for control against a losing battle. If Santiago didn’t open the door soon, she would drown.

  Her nails dug into his forearm. She was running out of time. He could hold his breath for another two minutes before he needed to come up for air, so he did the only thing he could think of and crushed his mouth to hers.

  Attie went rigid against him and her mouth snapped open in dismay. When she started to pull away, Noah delivered the air from his lungs into her mouth. She clung to him as her lungs filled with air.

  His life-saving technique turned into something more sensual. The water carried them in a slow, lazy circle. Her arms found their way around his neck as his tightened around her waist.

  His tongue slipped inside her mouth, exploring its softness and tasting her. The kiss was nothing more than a continuation of what they had started the night before.

  The water rippled around them like a cloud of silk, gliding over their bodies and increasing the erotic sensations. Their legs entwined, bodies straining to get closer. Noah caught her moan in his mouth and deepened the kiss, aware they were drifting toward the end of the tunnel.

  Suddenly, the water around them dropped, tearing them apart and sweeping them down. As quickly as the water came, it left, taking them with it. Like on a water slide, they slipped and slid feet-first toward the end that had opened up enough to let them out.

  Noah could see the top of Attie’s head as she plummeted down ahead of him and then disappeared. He barely had time to right himself before he plunged down after her and was free-falling through the air. Attie landed with a splash in a pool of water.

  He immediately followed, took a deep breath and went under, then began swimming toward the surface.

  Taking a couple deep breaths, he treaded water and searched for Attie. The pool was deep enough to break their fall without injury, so she shouldn’t have been hurt in the fall. Looking up, he saw that the drop was at least fifty feet. Water dribbled out the opening.

  Noah shook his head. He certainly hadn’t expected anything like this when he signed on to rescue Brendan. Santiago had gone to a lot of trouble to build this maze. They’d gone from one cave into another, only this one was bigger than the last and filled with jungle fauna. Lush greenery and warm, humid temperatures. This room wasn’t what it appeared.

  He wouldn’t underestimate Santiago again. They had been dropped into this room for a reason and Noah was going to be prepared for anything.

  Where was Attie?

  Turning in a circle he searched the water for her. Just as he was preparing to go down after her, she surfaced with a gasp and slipped back under again. Diving for her, he grabbed hold of her arms and pulled her to the surface.

  Coughing, she allowed him to float her to the edge of the pool and haul her out. He deposited her on the edge and lifted himself out beside her. When he crouched beside her, she was still taking deep, gulping breaths of air. Her chest heaved with each one.

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “Slow, deep breaths.”

  Attie started coughing and turned away to spit out a mouthful of water. She remained bent over, trying to catch her breath. Noah absently rubbed her shoulder until she straightened and shrugged it away.

  “I’m fine,” she choked and coughed again.

  Noah gave her a minute to regroup, and scanned the area around them. Artificial rock walls surrounded the pool and wild orchids of all colors grew around it. If not for the walls surrounding them on all four sides and the cameras in the corners, he’d almost believe he was in South America. He had to hand it Santiago—he paid attention to detail. Well thought out, whatever it was. A couple screeching monkeys and birdcalls would make it authentic.

  Attie got up and moved away from him, her boots squishing on the cement. He glanced over to see her muttering to herself and touching her lips. Could she still taste him there? With a certain amount of male arrogance he believed she could. He could still taste her, and damn if he didn’t want to kiss her again.

  He could see the turmoil on her face as she studied the area around them, probably thinking the same thing he was. What waited for them in this room?

  Noah rose to his feet and looked up at the camera in the corner. Attie suddenly spun around and stalked over to him. “What’s he waiting for?” she whispered. “And what was with that kiss? Carlos doesn’t expect us to carry on this charade, so you can stop kissing me whenever you please.”

  She was angry. Good. She wasn’t as immune as she pretended. Attie Devayne had erected walls between them, but she was having trouble keeping them from crumbling. He intended to storm every one until none were left. He didn’t expect to succeed without a few battle scars of his own, but she was worth it.

  “It wasn’t a charade,” he said.

  “What are you grinning about? This isn’t a game, Kincaid, remember that.”

  Her eyes were brilliant when she was angry. “I’m well aware of what this is, Attie.”

  “Then keep to yourself.”

  “Okay.”

  Infuriated, she narrowed her eyes to slits. “You do this on purpose, don’t you? Just to get a rise out of me.”

  “Not a difficult task, but, no I don’t. You take things too seriously.” Wasn’t that what Camron was always telling him?

  “The situation warrants it, I’d say,” she said, her voice rising.

  “Agreed, but no need to add to the tension with overreactions.”

  Her mouth snapped open, then shut. Her eyes aimed darts at him. “I do not overreact.”

  “Okay.”

  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Okay?” she repeated.

  Noah nodded. “How about a truce for now?”

  Warily she studied his face. “A truce?”

  “You’re starting to sound like a parrot,” he said mildly.

  She stepped back. “Fine.”

  With that settled, they began searching for a way out. They had nothing else to do and talking didn’t seem to get them anywhere except in a fight. Attie was upset because she didn’t like not being in control. Carlos had taken that away from her. Hell, he didn’t like it any better. It proved once again that Carlos Santiago was a sick bastard who needed control.

  So what did he have in store for them next?

  Chapter 11

  Attie had once underestimated Carlos Santiago. Looking around her now, she realized the extent of his anger toward her. He was going to make her suffer.

  And it scared her. The admission wasn’t easy, but now that she said it maybe she could deal with it.

  She knew what he was capable of and God help them all. Especially Brendan, who was alone in this…maze. What else could she call it? So far they’d gone from a cave into a room that reminded her of South America.

  The large-leafed plants, colorful orchids and humidity resembled the jungle she’d lived in for almost six months. Six long, tormented months. Had she really spent that much time with Carlos on his estate? Somehow it had seemed much, much longer.

  So far everything was familiar. Carlos, the gowns, the necklace, the extravagant rooms and meals, the armed guards. Carlos wielded his money and power like weapons, and they had hurt plenty of people. She had witnessed his ruthlessness when he brandished that power. The memories would stay with her forever. At that time she hadn’t
been able to do anything about it. This time she could. She wasn’t in the position she had been then.

  Something brushed against her leg. Attie froze and looked down slowly, not knowing what to expect. Vegetation. Frowning, she glanced around and saw Noah studying the cameras mounted on the ceiling from across the room.

  What were they doing here? What waited for them in the bushes? She hated the waiting Carlos seemed to enjoy. He liked to play with his prey like a cat with a mouse. Noah didn’t seem to be bothered by it and that only made it worse. Nothing bothered him.

  His ironclad control had wavered last night when he told her she scared the hell out of him. She’d never seen him show that kind of emotion. She couldn’t deny a small part of her wanted to see him lose control. To be the one he lost it with.

  Letting out a long breath, she continued on. Her imagination was working overtime. Nothing in here. A leaf brushed against her leg, that’s all.

  “Attie, over here.”

  At the sound of Noah’s voice she followed a path through the vegetation to the other side of the room where he crouched near a tall plant with man sized leaves.

  “What?”

  “Look at this.”

  She leaned over his shoulder and peered at the long, thin…

  “Snake skin?”

  “Looks like it.”

  She followed the length of it where it disappeared beneath the vegetation.

  “How long is it?”

  Noah slowly pulled it out. Attie’s eyes widened.

  “It must be ten feet long!” A chill ran down her spine. The last time she had seen a snake that long was in South America in a cage on Carlos’s estate. With a sharp, indrawn breath she straightened and glanced around her.

  “Oh no,” she breathed.

  Noah glanced at her over his shoulder. “No.”

  “Yes,” Attie said, backing up.

  Noah rose to his feet.

  “Anaconda,” Attie breathed, searching frantically around her for it. “Carlos raised them as pets.”

  Noah took a step back, too.

  “Carlos used to starve his snakes so that when one of his employees got out of line he could feed them to his pets and make everyone else watch as the snake swallowed them whole. It was a slow, agonizing process that taught everyone a very valuable lesson.”