Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures) (2 page)

Passing through a dense stand of the oak trees that gave the island its name, she looked out across
an
open space where workmen had, over the years,
stripped
away the native forest. There! Far across the clearing, workers
milled
about, setting up equipment and surveying the area. Pleased that she
’
d been correct about their likely starting point, she picked up the pace. She thought she saw one of the workers, a tall, dark man with long hair, turn and look her way.

Avery felt the ground give
way beneath her feet. She sprang
back a moment too late. Her scream didn
’
t quite drown out t
he muffled snap of rotten wood shattering
.
She reached out, h
er fingers
digging furrows in the
soft earth as she struggled in vain to hold on to the edge of the
abandoned treasure pit
. She caught hold of a thick tuft of grass and,
for one blessed moment, hung motionless
over the void
.

And then, with a tortured, ripping sound, her lifeline tore free. She battered the inside of the shaft as she slid downward, grasping for a handhold.
Sharp pain
lanced through her as jagged rocks sliced her palms and battered her legs. Her ankle caught on a thick root, turning painfully beneath her, but it slowed her fall enough that she was able to grab
hold
and loop one arm
around it.

Frozen with shock, she could only gasp for breath as she gazed up at the circ
le of light far above her. She c
ould have sworn she
’
d fallen a hundred feet, but it was more like twenty. It might as well have been a mile for all the hope she had of climbing back out. She thought of the man who had looked her way. Might he have seen her fall? Maybe, but she couldn
’
t count on it.

“
Help!
”
Her scream was not one of panic, but more a matter of hedging her bets. She didn
’
t know if anyone at the work site could hea
r her from so far away, but it c
ouldn
’
t hurt to try. She considered adding,
“
I
’
ve fallen and I can
’
t get up,
”
but even her morbid sense of humor wouldn
’
t permit it. She shouted again, this time loud enough to send a sharp, stabbing pain through her vocal cords.
“
I fell in a shaft! I need help.
”

She tried to calculate how long it would take for someone to run from the work site to the place she
’
d fallen. Not long. If the guy didn
’
t show soon, she had to figure he hadn
’
t
noticed
her.

Her elbow burned and her shoulder felt like it was about to be wrenched from its socket
as she struggled to hang on
. She managed to take hold of the root with her other arm, giving her a measure of relief. The toes of her shoes slid across the rocky wall of the pit until she found purchase on a tiny protrusion. It wasn
’
t much, but
it eased the pain in her shoulder
.

What to do now? Instinct told her no one was on the way to help her. Climbing up was out of the question. Could she climb
deeper
? It was a crazy idea, but maybe there was a place lower down where she could safely wait for help. Twisting her head around, she took a look down into the depths of the pit.

Big mistake.

“
Oh God! Oh no!
”
Her head swam as she gazed down at the small circle of light reflected on the water far below her. There was nothing between her and the bottom that she could hope to
stand on
, and she
’
d never survive such a fall. She closed her eyes and too
k
three deep, cleansing breaths. The whirlpool in her head slowed to a
n eddy and she opened her eyes again.

Cold, harsh reality slapped her back into focus. She
’
d set off for the island without letting anyone know where she was going or when she
’
d return, not to mention she hadn
’
t obtained permission to even be on the island in the first place. No one knew she was here.

Then she remembered her cell phone.
How had she forgotten her lifeline to the rest of the world? If she could manage to get a signal down here, and she wasn
’
t that far below the surface, she could call for help.

She let go of the root with her right hand and her body slid downward for one sickening moment, but she kept her toehold and her grip with her other arm. Fishing into the pocket of her jeans, she worked her phone free and tried to position it so she could see the screen.

Damn!
It
was locked. Cursing her ch
oice of phone, she balanced it o
n her palm and tapped in the numbers with her thumb. 1... 7... 0... 1... Unlocked! Still working one-handed, she began to tap in the number. 9... 1...

Her foothold
suddenly
gave way and she screamed as she fell, scarcely
clinging
to the root that was now the only link between her and survival. Her cries quickly melded into a stream of curses as her cell phone slipped from her grasp. She watched
its luminescent screen
as
it
tumbled through the air, landing with a pitiful splash in the water below.

Now, to quote her father, she was screwed like a Phillips head.

“
Drop something?
”

The voice caught her off guard and she almost lost her grip. Down below, a diver
smiled up at her
. He had short
, blond hair, blue eyes, and an easy smile.
She recognized him immediately. So this was the famous Dane Maddock. It certainly wasn
’
t the way she
’
d planned on meeting up with him. Nothing like making a good first impression.

“
What are you doing down there?
”
Despite her predicament, Avery couldn
’
t keep a tone of annoyance from her voice. Couldn
’
t he see
she was holding on for dear life
?

“
My friend and I were exploring a channel
under
the island when this fell in front of me.
”
He held up her phone.

At that moment, another diver surfaced. This man had a shaved head and skin the color o
f dark chocolate. He looked at Maddock,
who pointed up at her.

“
Hey girl, w
hat
’
s up?
”

“
Me, obviously,
”
she snapped.

“
Well, you ought to know the water is only about five feet deep here and the bottom is solid rock. You definitely don
’
t want to let go.
”

“
No, really?
”

“
Sorry,
”
Maddock
said.
“
Willis loves to state the obvious. How are you doing up there?
”

“
Hanging in there.
”
Just then, the root gave a little, dropping her a few inches. Her cocky
façade dissolv
ed in a girly shriek that, as soon as she realized she wasn
’
t plummeting to her death
, at
least not yet
,
turned her face scarlet.

“
I
’
m com
ing up to help you,
”
Maddock said
.
“
Don
’
t you let go.
”

Avery gave her head a tiny shake, fearful that greater movement would dislodge her for good.

“
You
can
’
t climb that!
”
Willis protested.

“
Sure I can. You just get back as quick as you can and bring Bones with some rope. I radioed as soon as I saw her, but I doubt they got the message.
”
Maddock had removed his air tank and was already feeling the wall for handholds as he gave instructions.

Avery wondered if
“
bones
”
was some sort of climbing gear or rescue device. She couldn
’
t think of any reason for Willis to bring actual bones, unless they were going to rescue her with some weird voodoo magic.

“
Yeah, I heard it.
”
Willis tapped his mask.
“
Sweetheart!
”
he called up to her.
“
You know how to do a cannonball?
”

“
Yes.
”
Avery
’
s voice was so small she doubted he could hear her.

“
Cool. If you slip, and I ain
’
t saying you
’
re going to, do a cannonball. Whatever you do, don
’
t straighten your body out. Got me?
”

Avery nodded, not wanting to consider the possibility that she might fall, but grateful for the advice. She stole another glance down and saw that Maddock had already covered a good ten feet of the wall.

“
What are you? Some kind of spider?
”

“
Nope, just a SEAL.
”
Cord
s
of muscle stood out on his
shoulders and arms, showing
the strain of the climb, but his expression and voice were
relaxed
.
“
So, how does a nice girl like you find herself hanging around in a place like this?
”

“
I just felt like dropping in,
”
Avery grunted. It was crazy to be bandying words with this guy like they were clever college kids, but it kept the fear and discomfort at bay. Her muscles
cramped
and she was losing feeling in her hands. She
couldn
’
t hang on much longer.

“
Did Crazy Charlie hire you?
”
Maddock asked as
he hooked his fingers in a cleft
in the stone so shallow Avery couldn
’
t even see it.

“
I don
’
t know anyone by that name. I was actually coming to...
”
The root slipped again, this time accompanied by a cracking sound. Avery was too frightened to cry out. She just hung there,
gasping for breath
. Her foot found a tiny
fissure
and
she pressed her toe into it, more for the comfort it afforded her than the weight it bore.

“
I
’
m almost there.
”
Maddock was maybe ten feet away now, but he looked like he was moving in slow motion. He was never going to get to her in time.

The sound of her
rapidly beating heart pounded in
Avery
’
s ears. She was keenly aware of the sensation of abrade
d flesh against smooth wood,
cold sweat runnin
g down the back of her neck,
the smell of brine in the damp pit, and the
crack
of
the root giving way
.

And then Maddock was there. He drew a sinister looking knife and jammed it into
a crevice
just as the root finally snapped.

Avery felt only a momentary lurch and then a strong arm had her around the waist. She looked into Maddock
’
s eyes, so like the sea, and her panic subsided.

“
I
’
ve got you
.
But if you can get your fingers into that crack right there, it would help.
”

She looked up and realized
his knife bore
most of their weight, though he still had small footholds. She couldn
’
t believe he
’
d made it up here, but time to marvel would come later.