Chapter 69
The men followed her line of sight.
The waterfall pounded into the pool with enough force to bruise even the bones.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Logan muttered.
The corner of Liam’s mouth twitched despite himself.
Ares didn’t hesitate.
“We’re entering the cave p>
No debate. No complaint. It was final.
The waterfall roared, but Lara still heard the urgency beneath his calm.
Shay. That was all that mattered to him right now.
He had replayed every worst-case scenario in his head on the way here. Her injured and captured. Her—
He shut the thought down.
But then, he saw Lara crouching there, gutting a rabbit. He knew then that Shay was safe.
Lara watched as Ares stripped off his jacket and handed it to one of the guards. Liam followed without a word. Logan sighed dramatically.
“If I drown,” Logan said, glaring at Lara, “I’m haunting you p>
“You’d have to die first,” she replied.
’Was she always this calm?’ Logan asked silently as he moved toward the edge. And she’s issuing these instructions like she was the commander.
Ares stepped into the plunge pool first.
The water swallowed him up to the waist instantly, the force of the current tugging hard at his balance. He pushed forward without hesitation, disappearing into the white curtain of falling water.
Liam followed, jaw tight, muscles straining against the drag. Sound distorted. Perfect ambush terrain.
Logan cursed loudly as the freezing water hit him. “This better be worth it p>
Two bodyguards went in after them. The rest stayed at the rim, weapons drawn, scanning the tree line.
Lara didn’t wait.
Instead of following them into the water, she moved along the boulders to the narrow crack hidden behind a jut of stone.
A slit in the rock. Barely visible unless you knew it was there.
She turned sideways and slipped in with practiced ease.
Inside, the noise of the waterfall dulled into a deep, distant rumble.
The air shifted—cooler, heavier. The cavern walls glistened with moisture. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, each drop echoing in the hollow dark.
She moved carefully through the tight passage until it widened into the main cavern.
This was where she’d left them.
This was where Shay had been sitting, stubborn and brave, refusing to let fear show in front of Sandro.
Lara stepped fully inside,
— and was met by silence.
No excited greetings from Shay. No innocent commentary. No, Sandro quietly accompanies her.
Just the distant rumble of falling water and the slow drip of stone tears.
Her stomach tightened.
No.
“Shay?” she called, her voice echoing too loudly against the cavern walls.
Nothing.
“Sandro p>
Her pulse quickened despite her control.
She stepped farther in, sneakers crunching over millions of years of silt, dirt, and minerals that layered the cave floors.
“Shay! Sandro p>
This time her voice carried a sharp edge.
Behind the waterfall, Ares fought through the blinding cascade and stumbled into the hidden opening, drenched and breathing hard. Liam came in right behind him, eyes adjusting quickly to the dimness.
They heard her voice. Not panicked, but something dangerously close.
Fear. Desperation.
Ares’ chest tightened.
That’s not the tone of someone who sees her friend safe.
He moved forward fast. “Lara, where is Shay p>
She turned toward the sound of his voice.
And for the first time since they’d arrived—
There was no control in her eyes. Only the cold realization creeping in.
Were Shay and Sandro taken?
The thought didn’t just cross Lara’s mind — it gripped her throat.
Was there another entrance to the cave she hadn’t seen?
No. Impossible.
She had walked every tunnel, traced every jagged wall with her palm, studied every shadow like it was an enemy waiting to breathe. There were no other exits. She was certain.
And she had been gone less than an hour.
“Shay!” Her voice tore through the cavern, ricocheting off stone and darkness.
“Shay, baby!” This time, it was Ares’ voice that thundered behind her — deep, commanding, powerful enough to shake the air itself. The cave answered him with a violent echo.
Too violent.
A sharp crack split through the ceiling.
A stalactite above them fractured.
Time slowed.
The stone spear broke free.
“Sis, watch out!” Logan shouted.
He and Liam lunged at the same time, boots scraping across the cave floor.
But Ares moved like instinct — like a man who’d already lost too much in this world to lose anything else.
His arm wrapped around Lara’s waist, yanking her back just as the stalactite crashed down where she’d been standing. Dust exploded. Stone shattered.
He lost his footing.
They hit the cave floor hard.
Ares landed flat on his back, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Something jagged dug into his back, pain shooting up his ribs.
But he barely felt it.
Because Lara was on top of him.
Warm. Soft. Breathing.
For one suspended second, the world narrowed to the weight of her against him, her hair brushing his jaw, the scent of stone and something faintly sweet clinging to her skin.
“Sis, are you alright? Here — let me help you up p>
Logan’s voice cut through it.
The warmth lifted.
Liam hauled Ares to his feet.
“Thank you, Ares,” Lara said, steady again, but her eyes were sharp. Alert. Calculating. “We’re disturbing the balance in this cave. We need to leave p>
Before anyone could respond—
“Mommy! Mommy p>
The small voice bounced between clusters of rock shaped like three frozen horses mid-gallop.
Lara spun.
Shay burst from behind the stone formation, Sandro close behind her, quiet but vigilant.
“Shay!” Ares opened his arms wide, relief flooding his chest so hard it almost hurt.
But Shay ran past him.
Straight to Lara. She wrapped her arms around her legs, clutching tight.
“Mommy, I was scared,” she whispered. “We heard voices. Sandro told me to hide p>
Lara crouched, brushing Shay’s hair back gently.
“Sweetie… don’t you recognize them? That’s your dad. And Uncle Liam. And Uncle Logan p>
The cave light was dim, but Shay had grown used to it. She squinted, took another look.
Recognition dawned.
“Dad!” She ran to Ares this time, tugging at him with tiny hands. “What took you so long? I was so scared. It was good that Mommy followed and accompanied me p>
Ares felt his chest tighten.
He dropped to one knee and pulled her into his arms, holding her like he was anchoring himself to something solid.