Underground 4 (27 page)

There it was again. He strained his hearing. If those were voices it meant he was close. A renewed wave of energy shot through him, he dug his hand into the wall in front of him, pushing it until his shoulder hit the wall and he could go no further.

His fingers seemed to break through something. Was that air on his fingertips? He wiggled them, not feeling dirt. Hope blasted through him as he swore he heard more voices shout.

He dropped his head forward, resting his forehead on the dirt beneath him. Please be real, he prayed with everything he had in him. Please don't let this be a figment of my imagination.

There was more noise from somewhere in front of him. It sounded like earth falling away. He didn't know if it was more of the tunnel collapsing, or a rescue team. Either way, he felt as though all the energy had suddenly washed out of him. If it wasn't help, he didn't know how much more of this he could realistically withstand.

Lying there, surrounded by darkness, Trent kept his head down, letting himself rest for the first time since he'd come to. He continued to wiggle his fingertips, sure that there was nothing around them, as if he'd finally reached the end.

As more sounds seemed to come closer, he let out a breath, until he felt other fingers touch his. He was near the end. Dear God, he was going to make it out. And he swore he recognized the smooth skin of the tiny hand that now gripped his.

Phoenix.

If this was a hallucination, it was the most realistic one he'd ever had.

A loud crack sounded from behind him that had his entire body on alert again, as he heard the sound of earth breaking through his temporary support.

Dirt fell on his legs first, pinning him, right before he felt it pouring down along his back. The weight became crushing just as it buried him completely, filling his mouth and nose. He wiggled his fingers one last time before everything went black

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

They'd been at it for hours. Pete took his shirt off, wiping the sweat and grime from his face. There was so much earth, he didn't know how anyone could have survived this, even someone as strong and stubborn as Trent.

He couldn't lose his brother.

Garrett was in a world of trouble himself, and Pete couldn't lose his other brother on top of that. Grabbing his shovel again, he pushed all his worries away and focused on just digging through. If he kept working, he couldn't imagine the worst.

Though the more they dug, the more he realized just how bad the explosion had been. It didn't bode well.

Glancing behind him, he looked at Phoenix, his heart aching at the lost expression on her face. It wasn't often that the leader of the Archers was even found sitting still, never mind quiet and so serious. He didn't know what was going on between his brother and her, but from the look on her face, he guessed it was more serious than he’d expected.

It was highly likely this situation had forced her to realize what her feelings really were for his brother. Pete knew more than anyone just how devastating it could be to have someone you love in danger, and how that could make you see things you hadn't before.

“Hey! I think we have something here!”

Pete looked over at the guy who had just shouted, his heart skipping a beat.

“Pete! Get over here!” Bastian barked.

Moving fast, he went to the front, his knees almost giving out when he saw the tips of fingers - Trent's fingers. He was in there! As fast as relief hit him, it was replaced with despair just as quickly. But then those fingers moved, wiggling slightly to let them know he was alive.

He was alive.

Dear God.

“Get him out of there!” he shouted. Everyone seemed to break out of their trance, moving in a flurry of activity.

Pete looked over his shoulder at Phoenix who had finally stood, her face optimistic, yet fearful, as though she was scared to even hope for the best.

“He's here, Phoenix,” he said.

Her shoulders shook as she brought a hand up to cover her mouth, tears slipping from her eyes.

“Come, hold his hand,” he said, stepping back.

When she saw his fingers she let out a cry, rushing forward to fall before them. She reached out, gripping them.

“I'm here, Trent,” she whispered. “I'm here.”

Pete moved to start digging, giving her whatever little privacy he could. When he heard the sound of more rocks and dirt falling he assumed it was just from them, until he realized it was coming from the other side of the area they attacked.

His eyes instantly flew to Trent's hand. Phoenix looked up at him in terror.

“He's stopped moving,” she said, panic lacing her voice.

“Dig faster,” he said, his whole body shaking. “Damn it, everyone dig faster!”

For the first time in her life, Phoenix was speechless. It was crazy to her, but as she'd sat there watching the men work, she couldn't do or say anything. Her mind was like an empty hole, with only one word rolling round and round - dig, dig, dig, dig.

She should have been with them, helping, but the fear of what they'd find had kept her at a distance. With every bit of progress they made, her breath would hitch at the thought of them finding a body.

So when they'd first started yelling about something, she had felt all but welded to her spot. Her entire body had gone limp. Hands shaking, she'd gripped the edge of her seat, waiting for that look of sorrow from Pete to turn her way.

But instead he had called her over. And when she saw those fingers she knew so well, moving like that, it had felt like she could breathe for the first time since that moment when she'd heard the explosion go off.

Her happiness hadn't lasted though, as she and everyone else around them, had heard more earth cave in from Trent's side of the wall, and then his hand had suddenly gone limp.

Now Pete had taken up her mantra, urging the others to dig, faster and faster. She knelt where she was, her hands still gripping what little of him was available. She brushed her lips against those fingertips, tears burning down her face, leaving marks in the dust that now coated everything as they worked madly to break through.

When his upper arm came into view, Pete forced her back, while four of them gripped onto him and pulled with all their might. Others continued to dig around him while they pulled. Phoenix stood anxiously to the side, watching with bated breath.

Then his dark blonde locks came through, darkened further by all the dirt in them. He didn't make a sound as his head and shoulders made it out followed by the rest of his body.

From where she stood, she could see his eyes were closed, and one arm was crudely tied with his shirt against his chest. Pete fell back onto the ground, his brother’s head resting in his lap.

He called his name, slapping at his face, but those blue eyes didn't blink open. She didn't know how long she stood there shaking her head. Her heart had stopped, her lungs no longer inhaling air. Was he gone? Were they too late?

Bastian pushed his way to the front, kneeling beside him. “He needs CPR. Give me room,” he said, gesturing everyone back.

Bastian worked on him, breathing then compressing his chest, never once breaking stride as he urged Trent to breathe. Everyone else seemed to be holding their own breath as they watched him work frantically, yet coolly under the pressure. God bless him, he didn't give up, his manner determined.

When she heard that first cough, her knees buckled, sending her straight to the ground. He started to cough some more, but Phoenix couldn't manage to go to him, her nerves too shot to handle her own weight. She buried her face into her hands, crying like she never remembered crying before.

“Jesus, Trent,” she heard Pete say. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Unintentional, I swear,” Trent replied, his voice rough. That sound had her shivering with the realization of just how close she had come to never hearing his voice again.

When she looked up, it was to stare directly into those blue eyes that seemed to see right through her. His were filled with just as much relief as hers were.

“Come here, Princess,” he said, waving her over. “There's no need for those tears.”

She sniffed, crawling over to where he still lay, not sure her legs could support her yet. He held his arm out for her. There was no hesitation as she inserted herself within it, resting her cheek against his bare chest.

“I'm not crying,” she said, wiggling in closer. “I just have some dirt in my eyes.”

He squeezed her, dropping an affectionate kiss on the top of her head that had her taking a deep breath.

“I know,” he said.

The others stood around them, but she didn't give a shit. She'd lie there in his arms all damn day if that's what he wanted. Touching him to assure herself that he was really there - alive.

“We should really get you to a doctor,” Pete said from somewhere. “That arm doesn't look good.”

“In a bit,” Trent said, tucking her in closer. “Let me just lie here for a while.”

She raised her head to look up at him, and saw how content he seemed, lying like this with her. He wasn't bothered by the others witnessing them either, simply happy to take a moment to soak her up.

He looked down at her and smiled, which she returned with her own. God, they really were a stubborn duo. Only they would have to come this close to losing each other for them to realize just how much they needed this. Snuggling back down, she closed her eyes, absorbing the smell and feel of him, her body finally at ease.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

“Aarrrgggh! Jesus Christ, man!” Trent shouted, gritting his teeth. Phoenix grimaced, her eyes going to the doctor and then his shoulder. The popping sound it made when he'd forced it back in the socket was painful in itself to listen to.

“We're all done,” the man said, walking away. “You'll be sore for a few days, so try to have limited movement with it. Unfortunately I don't have much available here in the way of pain medication.”

Trent waved him off. “I'll be fine.”

He hated pain meds. There was nothing worse than being groggy and dopey. The pain was already decreasing to more of a throb than anything.

“I'd be careful about that concussion too. You should probably have someone stay with you tonight and wake you up every couple of hours, just to be safe.”

“I've got that covered,” Phoenix said, winking at him. He smiled, picturing all the ways she could wake him up throughout the night.

“That's not what I meant,” the doctor said disapprovingly. “I was serious when I said limited movement. You need to be taking it easy.”

Trent turned to glare at him. If he thought he'd go another night without having Phoenix, the man was insane. Everyone was lucky he’d lasted even a second once he had woken up and seen her.

That memory still hurt like a punch in the gut. She'd seemed so small and frail, curled up in a ball as her body shook with tears. Tears for him. As happy as it made him to see her blatant concern for him, he never wanted to do that to her again.

All he'd been able to do was hold her, his relief more than he could manage at seeing her alive and healthy. She hadn't suffered the same fate as him, and for that he was eternally grateful. He couldn't even think of what he would have done had he made it out alive, only to find her gone.

But there was no need to think that way, because she stood before him, her eyes bright every time they met his.

“You're done here,” he told the doctor, wanting some privacy with her finally.

He huffed, but didn't say another word as he packed up his things and left.

“Lock the door,” he told Phoenix. As much as he appreciated his friends' concern, and his brother, who had kept checking on him every hour as though he'd expected Trent to suddenly disappear again, what he really needed was some one-on-one time with Phoenix. It was time she knew how he felt and that he wasn't going to let her push him away any longer.

With a little hop in her step, she walked over and locked his door, turning around to press her back against it, staring at him.

He crooked his finger at her. “Come here,” he said.

Surprising the shit out of him, she walked over obediently to him. She stopped just inside his spread legs, looking down at him with more emotion than he'd ever seen from her. It gave him hope that this whole ordeal had opened her eyes.

“You listened,” he said with a smirk.

She shrugged, lacing her hands through the hairs at his neck. “I kind of like it when you get all bossy and domineering.”

Both eyebrows shot up. “Is that so?”

She nodded, her playful smiling slipping. “When I thought I might not have some overbearing asshole ordering me around all the time, I realized how much I'd miss it.”

Her eyes started misting. He pulled her close, wincing at the sharp pinch in his shoulder when he moved.

“Maybe the doctor’s right,” she said, noticing. “Why don't you rest.”

“I'll rest after I've made love to you, and when you're resting with me, inside my arms.” He yanked her down onto his lap. “Now, why don't you tell me what those tears are for?”