A Kiss in the Dark (15 page)

“Do you want to tell the others?”

The sheriff sighed. “Guess I better get them prepared.” He heaved himself to his feet, and Lacey watched, her heart in her throat, as he slowly gathered the family members away from the rest of the crowd.

“Ms. Delaney.” Harlan’s voice echoed through the headphones. “Carr and Cole and the medics are going in to check on the boys. I’ll go in so you can see for yourself what’s happening.”

Mesmerized, Lacey watched as Carr wormed his way into the small hole until only his lower legs and boots were visible. Then he was gone.

Cole and Skeeter carefully picked their way up the incline of loose rubble until they reached the small opening near the top. Cole glanced back at Harlan, and before he vanished through the small opening, he looked directly into the camera and winked. Two of the four paramedics went next, but the hole wasn’t large enough to permit the stretchers to go through.

“Okay, we’ll have to work on opening this up a little more,” Harlan said. He directed his gaze back toward the rockfall, and on the monitor, Lacey saw Cole poke his head back through.

“We found all three boys, and they’re all alive,” he called down to Harlan. “One of them is trapped beneath the rock, and the other two are injured, but if we can get them out quickly, I think they’ll pull through.”

Lacey tore the headphones off and leaped up. “They found them and they’re all alive!”

She found herself grabbed in an enormous bear hug as those nearby simultaneously cheered and cried. Lacey didn’t know the woman embracing her, but she hugged her back with equal enthusiasm.

When she was finally freed, she turned back to the monitor and put the headphones on, unable to contain her foolish grin. They had done it. They had found the boys. Even Sam was being embraced by complete strangers, and he looked as happy as Lacey felt.
Now, please, God, let them all come out quickly and safely.
She wanted Cole back aboveground; wanted to touch him and reassure herself of his safety. But more than anything, she wanted to tell him she had been wrong in thinking she could walk away from him. She knew now she didn’t want to live without him.

As if to mock her silent prayer, she heard Harlan swear.

“Goddamn it, MacKinnon! Let’s move! It’s coming down!”

He turned his head, and Lacey saw the timber posts along the side of the tunnel begin to bow under the tremendous burden of earth. At the same time, she became aware of an odd noise, like a deep groaning. In dismay, she realized it was the walls of the tunnel beginning to creak and pop.

“Oh, my God,” she breathed. “The mine is collapsing.”

She was hardly aware of the press of people around her as they stared in horrified fascination at the small screen, or that she was gripping Sam’s hand so tightly that her knuckles were white. When Harlan tilted his head back and looked up, Lacey saw the steel roofing bolts begin to snap and shoot to the floor with a metallic
ping.
The groaning noise was louder now, and Harlan was shouting at the other men, telling them to run.

“Get out! Get out!” Lacey was only distantly aware of somebody yelling to the team, and then realized it was her.

Harlan started to run toward the pile of rubble and the opening where Cole and the boys were, but then the camera angle altered sharply, as if he had abruptly changed direction, or somebody had grabbed him and spun him around.

She caught a glimpse of the other rescue workers fleeing back down the tunnel. There was a tremendous roaring noise, like a locomotive, and a swift blur of movement on the monitor.

Before Lacey’s horrified eyes, the small screen went black, and the headphones grew silent.

15

R
OCKS
RAINED
DOWN
on him. Choking dust filled his nostrils and mouth. The pitch-black cave was filled with suffocating silt, but at least the terrible roaring noise of the cave-in had subsided. Dust filled his lungs. He coughed, spat and coughed again.

Beneath him, the boy whose body he protected with his own shifted and groaned. Cautiously, Cole lifted his head. Swirling clouds of dust made visibility nonexistent, but he thought he heard a voice to his left. He’d heard the telltale sounds of the impending collapse and had only precious seconds to warn the others and corral them into the far corner of the small cavern where they’d discovered the boys before the roof had let go.

“You okay, son?” He pushed himself away from the boy, shaking the loose rock and debris from his body. His headlamp was broken, and now he groped in the darkness for the boy, his hands moving swiftly over him, checking for injury.

“I—I’m okay,” the boy croaked.

Cole knew the kid had suffered a broken arm and possibly several broken ribs from the previous rockfall, but it seemed this one had at least spared him further injury.

“What’s your name?” he asked the boy.

“Devin.”

“Okay, Devin, I’m going to leave you here for just a minute while I go and check on your buddies. Can you tell me their names?”

“Jack and Ryan.”

Cole patted the child’s face. “You’ll be fine, okay? You’ll still be able to hear me, because we’re going to keep on talking. Can you do that?”

“Sure. My arm really hurts.”

“I know it does, and you’re going to have a real impressive cast once you get out of here.” Cole had already moved away from Devin toward the spot where he’d heard the voices. “The girls will love it.”

“Ew, gross.”

“Not into girls, huh?” Cole groped his way across the rock and rubble that littered the floor, gratified when he touched a denim-clad leg. “That’ll change. Who’s this?”

“Hey, Cole.” It was Skeeter. “I’ve got one of the boys here with me. He’s breathing, but still unconscious from when we found him.”

Cole dropped his head and breathed a silent thank-you for their safety. “Okay, what about Carr and the paramedics and the third kid?”

“Dunno.”

“I’m over here,” called a disembodied voice. “It’s Joe Green. I’ve got the third boy over here.”

“I’m coming,” Cole called to him.

The dust had begun to subside, and Cole saw Skeeter’s headlamp glowing dimly in the darkness. It was as if a thick, black fog had descended over them.

“Hey, Devin, how’re you doing over there? Can you still hear me?” Cole called to the first boy.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good boy. Stay where you are. I’ll be back in a minute.” He patted Skeeter’s leg. “Let me borrow your headlamp. I’m going to check out the rockfall and try to locate the others.”

They exchanged hard hats, and Cole made his way gingerly over the uneven floor of the cavern. The boys had worked their way through the tunnels until they had come up against a dead end, the result of a previous cave-in. Cole knew that sometimes it took no more than the vibration of a raised voice to cause a rockfall in an area already compromised. In this case, the boys had been lucky that they’d been trapped in a small area between the two cave-ins. They could have been crushed. His headlamp picked out a boot and then a leg, and he realized it was one of the paramedics.

“Joe Green?” he called.

“I’m still here.” The voice was close, but it didn’t come from the body in front of him.

“I think I found your partner.” The man’s body was almost completely buried beneath rubble. Working quickly, Cole cleared the debris away and was rewarded when the man rolled to his side and began coughing.

Cole sat back and wiped the sweat from his face. The dust had settled to the point where he could more or less see the entire cavern. Swiftly, he scanned the small chamber, looking for Carr. He could just make out Skeeter and the boy who lay limp in his arms on the far side. Several feet away, Devin had pushed himself to a sitting position and sat huddled, cradling his injured arm.

Joe Green was several feet behind him, still working to free the boy who had been trapped by the first rockfall.

“What’s your name, son?” Joe asked.

“Ryan.” The boy groaned softly as Joe tried to work his foot free from where it was pinned beneath a slab of shale.

“Where the hell is Carr?” Cole muttered, and then froze. Protruding from the pile of rubble was a man’s head, shoulders and arm. He was so completely covered with dust and small rocks that Cole had missed him at first glance. “Skeeter, give me a hand over here.”

They scrambled over to where Carr was half-buried under the rocks, finally managing to pull him free. He was unconscious.

“His pulse is thready,” Skeeter said. “No telling what kind of internal injuries he might have.”

“Okay, let’s make him comfortable, and then let’s get that boy dug out.”

It took them more than an hour before they were able to free Ryan’s foot. It was badly broken. They moved him over to join the other two boys. Carr and the injured paramedic lay side by side. Skeeter, Joe and Cole sat with their backs against the cold sable wall, each lost in their own thoughts.

They were all alive, which was a miracle in itself, to Cole’s thinking. He fervently hoped Harlan and the rescue team had fared as well on the other side of the rockfall.

“I’m going to see how bad the cave-in was,” he told the others, and clambered over to where the opening had been. It didn’t take long for him to realize the new rockfall had completely buried the opening to the tunnel. There wasn’t the slightest hint of air movement, light or noise where the hole had once been. He had a bad feeling about the fate of Harlan and the others. He didn’t believe they could have moved away in time to avoid being crushed beneath the falling torrent of shale and rock. As he surveyed their small cavern, he realized it might very well become a tomb. It could take rescue workers hours, maybe days, to dig through the new rockfall to reach them. He suspected they would run out of oxygen long before then. He thought of Lacey’s father, who had died under similar circumstances. The last thing he wanted was for her to endure another tragedy.

“Okay, let’s take an inventory of our supplies,” he said, picking his way back down into the chamber. “If we’re conservative and keep only one headlamp on at a time, and ration our water and oxygen, I think we can make it until a rescue team arrives.”

“Can we dig ourselves out?” Skeeter asked.

“I don’t think so. We’re pretty well buried, and exerting ourselves would only deplete our air and water. I think our best bet is to sit tight and wait for help.”

“You don’t sound too nervous,” observed Joe.

Cole looked at the other men. “I’m not. You see, I happen to know there’s a lady up there with a very sophisticated piece of equipment, who can pinpoint our exact location. They’ll be down here to pull us out before you know it.” He ruffled Devin’s hair. “You wait and see. In a few hours, you’ll be safe at home.”

They fell silent once more.

Hours slipped by, and both Devin and Ryan fell into a fitful sleep. Cole and Skeeter monitored the two injured men and the unconscious boy, and rationed out sips of the water they had with them. The air quality was poor, and Cole knew the sleepiness he felt was a direct result of the dwindling oxygen. Despite what he had said about Lacey and her equipment, inwardly he was scared to death—scared the rescue team he knew was on its way might not reach them in time. He didn’t want to think about that; didn’t want to think about never seeing Lacey again, of not being able to tell her how much he loved her.

With a deep sigh, he tilted his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He could see her in his mind’s eye, with her ginger hair and luminous eyes, smiling at him. God, he wanted to be with her. He knew she must be terrified, wondering if he was alive or dead. She wasn’t as tough as she liked to pretend. She was soft and vulnerable, and completely head over heels in love with him, even if she couldn’t admit it.

Which was why he intended to survive.

“Hey, Cole,” murmured Skeeter, “you feel that?”

Cole stilled. It was a deep, distant rumble that caused the wall at his back to vibrate.

“Come here, son,” he commanded softly, and dragged the nearest boy closer, keeping his eyes on the overhead ceiling. He hunkered over the child, using his body as a shield against this new menace.

A shower of small rocks rained down on them. The vibration increased to a rumble.

“Jesus,” Cole whispered, watching the shower of dust and debris continue to fall.

Suddenly, even his headlamp failed to penetrate the thick, choking dust that blossomed around them as overhead the roof exploded inward.

16

D
AWN
WAS
STILL
several hours away. The first fingers of light hadn’t yet begun to filter over the distant horizon. Lacey could scarcely believe it had been more than forty hours since Cole had first disappeared into the mines. Of course, you’d hardly know it was dark outside with all the floodlights that had been brought to the site.

They had moved the rescue operation to a spot in an open field, directly over the cavern where Cole and the boys were believed to be trapped. Even now, an enormous machine was drilling down through five hundred feet of earth to reach them. If the coordinates on Lacey’s equipment were correct, they had penetrated the roof of the cavern more than ten hours ago. Warm air was being pumped through a pipe to keep any survivors comfortable. They were working on enlarging the shaft enough to lift them out.

When they had first broken through to the cavern, they had heard what they believed were the survivors tapping on the pipes. But that had been more than eight hours ago. Sheriff Hathaway had suggested the noise from the drilling might have drowned out attempts at communication. Lacey wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t shake the fear that overrode every rational argument presented, and lingered despite the sheriff’s assurances. She knew the feeling wouldn’t subside until Cole was safe in her arms. Her stomach felt hollow. She was restless with anxiety.

The sheriff had sent an additional dozen men into the mines to determine the extent of this new cave-in, and to determine if Harlan and the others had survived. Bitterly, Lacey wondered how many more men would be sacrificed to the greedy belly of the mines. Even now, law enforcement officials and rescue teams continued to arrive from neighboring communities to help bring the victims out.

“How are you holding up?”

Lacey turned to see Sam and the sheriff standing beside her. The rescue effort was taking its toll on Sam, as well. His face was haggard and his eyes were red-rimmed and weary. She shrugged and tried to smile.

“As well as can be expected, I guess. I just wish—I just wish I knew if he was okay.” Her voice broke. She turned swiftly away and pressed her fingers against her eyes, willing herself not to cry. She felt the sheriff’s hand, large and comforting, on her shoulder.

“It’ll be okay, gal. You’re sure about the coordinates for their location, eh?”

Lacey blinked back the tears that threatened to spill, and turned back to the sheriff, smiling. “Yes. It’s the only thing I am sure of. I went over those coordinates a dozen times.”

“You know if you’re wrong…”

“She’s not wrong,” Sam asserted. “This unit is operating beautifully.”

“But if she is…” the sheriff persisted.

“I know. A miscalculation of even a few feet, and we waste precious time by drilling in the wrong spot.” She met the sheriff’s narrowed gaze. “But I’m not wrong. I trust my equipment, and I trust what I saw in those last seconds before I lost visual contact. Harlan was running away from the cave-in. Whether he was…killed, or if he just lost his hard hat, the GPS indicates the transmitter is just outside the spot where Cole was last seen. I’ve adjusted the coordinates to take that into account. I’m certain we’ve got the right spot.”

A thirty-inch-diameter drill had arrived from West Virginia before nightfall to drill a shaft wide enough to drop a rescue cage down and pull the victims to the surface. Drilling was expected to last at least twelve hours. Lacey didn’t think she could stand the suspense. She’d go crazy.

Her gaze drifted over the people who had gathered to wait. Sheriff Hathaway and the rest of the rescue team had thought of everything. Ambulances waited to bring the victims to the nearest hospitals. Several helicopters stood ready in case the severity of the injuries required the victims to be air-lifted out. The family members of those who were trapped or missing had been notified, and although most of them had gathered at the local school, there were still others who insisted on remaining at the rescue site. The only person who was conspicuously absent was Buck Rogan.

Lacey had recognized Cole’s siblings, distinctive because of their blue eyes. Her heart had nearly exploded out of her chest when she caught her first glimpse of his younger brother Garrick. She had been just steps away from flying into his arms before she realized it wasn’t Cole. Garrick had been amused. Apparently it wasn’t the first time he had been mistaken for his older brother. He had introduced her to his siblings, but Lacey found herself consumed by a sudden shyness. Cole’s family had regarded her with cautious politeness, but Lacey could see they were curious as to her relationship with their brother.

“You should go back to Cole’s place and try to get some rest,” Sam advised her. “I’ll be here, and I’ll call you if there are any new developments.”

Lacey smiled wanly. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep, knowing he’s down there. Thanks, but I’ll stay.”

She sat down at the table where she had set up STAR. The blank monitor stared dully back at her. She picked up the headphones for what seemed like the hundredth time and put them on, but there was only silence. She checked the GPS display, but the blinking light that indicated the location of the transmitter hadn’t moved.

“Please, God,” she prayed silently, “let Cole and the others be okay. Let them all be okay.”

She removed the headphones and set them aside, and then laid her head down on her forearms. Behind her, the noise of the enormous drill was deafening. She would close her eyes, just for a moment. Maybe, if she was lucky, she would open them to find it had all been no more than a terrible dream.

* * *

“L
ACEY
,
GAL
,
WAKE
UP
!”
A hand shook her shoulder.

Lacey raised her head, feeling bemused and bleary-eyed. Her back and neck were stiff from having slept half-sprawled across the table. Her mouth was cottony and her eyes felt swollen.

“What? What is it?” She pushed the hair back from her face, and looked up at Sheriff Hathaway. It was still dark, but Lacey could see the barest shimmer of red-gold on the distant horizon, heralding the arrival of morning.

“How long did I sleep? Why didn’t you wake me? What if Cole needs me?”

“Hush, gal. Harlan and the others just came out of the mine on the elevator.”

“What? Harlan? Oh, thank goodness.” Lacey ran her hands over her face. “Is he okay?”

“He and the others are a little banged up, but otherwise they’re fine. They managed to dodge the cave-in, but Harlan lost his hard-hat. That’s what the transmitter was attached to, so that’s what we’ve been tracking on the GPS unit.”

“Where are they now? Can I speak to Harlan? Maybe he knows something.”

“They’ve been taken to the hospital for a checkup.” He indicated the machinery behind them. An enormous crane was positioned directly over the hole that had been drilled overnight. “But I didn’t think you’d want to miss this. They’re getting ready to lower the cage to bring the boys up.”

Lacey leaped to her feet, but was prevented from sprinting forward by Sheriff Hathaway’s strong arm.

“Best stay back here. We’ll know soon enough how your young man is.”

Lacey searched the crowd that surrounded the area. Sam stood with several of the rescue crew, but as if sensing her scrutiny, he turned and met her gaze. He gave her a subtle thumbs-up. She spotted Cole’s family standing together, their attention riveted on the hole. Throngs of rescue workers swarmed across the site. Pulsating beams of red, yellow and blue strobe lights from the nearby emergency vehicles flashed across the faces of the crowd, lending an eeriness to the already tense atmosphere. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted Buck Rogan on the edge of the crowd. He was flanked by two sheriff’s deputies.

Then, as she watched in utter fascination, the cage slowly rose out of the hole. A small figure was strapped securely inside, and before the cage had completely cleared the hole, eager hands reached for it and pulled it to safety. The crowd erupted into jubilant cheers. Lacey watched, her heart in her throat, as the first of the injured boys was rushed to a waiting ambulance. His mother clung to his stretcher, her face streaming with grateful tears.

It was another twenty minutes before the next boy was lifted out of the hole, and then the next. Lacey’s heart beat hard against her ribs as the fourth trip brought up a man. He was so covered in dust she couldn’t determine his identity. She surged forward with the rest of the crowd, and this time the sheriff didn’t try to stop her.

It was Carr, barely conscious. Lacey had no opportunity to get near him before he was transferred to a stretcher, and then to a waiting ambulance.

The cage was lowered once more into the shaft.

The two paramedics came out next, then Skeeter. Lacey’s throat constricted with happiness as he stepped nimbly out of the cage and waved to the cheering crowd.

The cage descended for the last time. It seemed an eternity passed before the hydraulic winch began raising the cage to the earth’s surface. Lacey clutched Sheriff Hathaway’s arm in a near death-grip. She could hardly breathe. Her chest felt tight with dread and anticipation. The cage slowly rose into view, and Lacey would have recognized the lean, hard body inside anywhere.

She released the sheriff’s arm and moved forward through the crowd, pushing past the throngs of rescue workers and reporters, nearly blinded by the glaring lights that had been set up around the perimeter. The cage opened, and Cole stepped out. He was immediately surrounded by emergency personnel and well-wishers, and for a moment, Lacey lost sight of him.

In the next instant, he pushed free of the surrounding crowd. Lacey saw him search the crowd of people. His face was completely black with coal dust, making the brilliance of his eyes all the more startling. His clothes were torn and filthy. But when he finally found her, he grinned, his teeth white against the blackness of his face.

She saw his lips form her name, and then she was running toward him as the crowd parted. He opened his arms, and she flung herself at him, hardly aware of the cheers of approval that roared around them. She was in Cole’s arms, crushed against his hard body as he held her fiercely. She could hear him laughing.

“I love you,” she said raggedly, choking on tears of happiness. “I couldn’t stand that I didn’t tell you, and now you have to know. I love you so much.”

“I know, baby, I know.” His hands buried themselves in her hair as he tipped her face back, and then his lips claimed hers in a kiss that was both fiercely possessive and heart-wrenchingly tender.

“Oh, Cole,” she gasped, when he finally lifted his head. “I’ve been so scared…not knowing if you were okay. Don’t ever do that to me again!”

“Sweetheart,” he murmured against her lips, “that was nothing compared to the scare I had not knowing if I’d ever see you again.”

She stroked a hand along one lean, dusty cheek. “I want to stay here with you. Is your offer still open?”

“Well, I’m going to look like one hell of an idiot if I don’t, seeing as how the entire town seems to know that I’m crazy about you.” His eyes crinkled in tender amusement. Copper had squirmed his way through the crowd and now he pushed at Cole’s legs, demanding his attention. Bending down, Cole gave the dog a hug, and laughed as Copper lapped his face.

Lacey couldn’t help it. She began to cry. She thought she’d lost everything, and now it seemed she was being given a second chance. She didn’t deserve to be so happy.

“Hey now, don’t do that,” Cole admonished, and pulled her into his arms.

Lacey laughed through her tears, and pressed the palm of his hand against her cheek. “They’re happy tears. I’m happy.”

Cole hooked an arm around her shoulders and tucked her against his side. “In a few minutes,” he murmured against her temple, as he began to make his way through the crowd to his siblings, “we’re going home, and you’re going to come into the shower and help me wash this coal dust off, and then I’m going to make you happier still.” He slanted a mischievous glance down at her. “Deal?”

Lacey smiled, her heart accelerating at the implicit promise in his voice. “Deal.” On the outer perimeter of the crowd, she saw Buck Rogan being led to one of the police cruisers. “What’s going to happen to him?”

“There’ll be an investigation, and he’ll be cited for illegal mining practices and a whole slew of safety violations. They’ll close all the Black River mines temporarily until they’re up to standards, and then they’ll reopen again.”

“Will Buck still be the operator?”

“Well, not if I have anything to say about it, but I guess that’s up to the Feds. Quite frankly, I just don’t care what happens to him.”

“Me, either. I have you, and that’s all I care about.”

She kissed him, uncaring of the cameras and lights and onlookers.

She was home.