The Unseen (17 page)

Once Kent wrapped up his conversation with David, he started unpacking the climbing gear.

Rich strode toward him. “Kent, I got Ray on the line. He’ll arrive here with Roberta at oh-nine-hundred.”

“Great—thank you for lining that up,” said Kent.

Worry lines etched Rich’s forehead. He pulled a bandana from his pants pocket and mopped dirt and sweat from his face. “But I also wanted you to know another call came through while I was on the line—from Bunny’s last location—I tried to put Ray on hold and transfer, but the call got dropped. Once I finished talking to Ray, I re-dialed the number but got no answer.”

Kent wasn’t sure whether to worry or not. “That’s strange. Maybe when no one answered, Bunny left to shop for more makeup or some new platform shoes. I made her leave those behind.”

Rich laughed and his lips curled up in a sardonic smile “Hmm, well she sounds way too high maintenance for a caving expedition.”

Kent sighed. “That’s the understatement of the year. But bottom line is I feel responsible for everyone here and would like to see her safe.”

“We’ll probably reach her in a minute. I already configured the phone to redial every five minutes until she picks up. Now why don’t you take your crew down below and we’ll set up camp. You can radio me when you’re settled, okay?”

“Will do. And thanks for all you’ve done for us so far, Rich. We never could have gotten this far without you.”

Rich’s subtle nod with his head and upper torso resembled the bow local people made to show respect. “Assisting Edward’s son is an honor, sir.”

“Thank you.” Kent reached out and shook Rich’s hand. He’d rarely encountered people he admired, but he couldn’t remember having ever met anyone who impressed him this much, other than his father.

Clearly his father’s leadership had made a permanent impression on Rich and his men—all of them spoke about his dad in a way that showed deep respect.

“Having you here means a lot to us. There’s plenty of extra climbing gear here for Roberta, the archaeologist, and for the rest of you, if you need to descend for any reason.” He turned toward Rebecca, Amanda, and Tom. “Come on guys. We need to be on our way. Let’s get our climbing gear on.”

Even though they’d done it before, the three-hundred-foot descent wasn’t a trivial endeavor. The long downward rappel required a dangerous transfer of ropes, so Kent required that each climber wear two rappel racks.

Kent reminded Rebecca and Amanda to ensure their carabineers were locked when making the transfer from one rappel rack to the other one so they were always attached to a secure line. “I’ll go down first to make sure everything’s in good order. I’ll radio when I’m down.”

Kent peered over the edge into the dark hole beneath him. Cool air wafted up from the depths and fog obscured his few of the enormous stalagmites that jutted up from below.

In a matter of minutes, the temperature would drop thirty degrees and the blue sky and lush greenery would transform into a rocky world of perpetual night. As he made his grueling, careful descent, water trickled on Kent’s helmet. Once he broke through the layer of underground cloud, he had a clear view of the chamber filled with enormous phallic-shaped stalagmites.

Kent greeted David and the others before radioing the surface. “Let’s have Bec followed by Amanda and Tom,” he said.

Rich responded, explaining that Rebecca had just clipped her rappel rack to the rope and was about to descend.

Kent shifted uneasily on his feet, waiting for Rebecca to appear. Time felt like it had screeched to a halt.
What’s taking her so long?
He glanced at his watch and realized only ten minutes had passed. It would likely take her at least twice that long to get down.

She’d shown herself to be a cautious and conservative climber, but they were all running on empty after walking most of the night.
Foggy brains can translate into accidents . . .
He knew he had to stop worrying about her all the time. If she planned to travel the world with him from now on, he’d have to get used to her risk taking or lose his mind.

He puffed out a relieved exhale when the ropes above him bounced and Rebecca’s legs and hips, supported by the harness, swung below a ledge of limestone thirty or so feet above the cave room floor.

When she dropped to the floor, he smiled. He unhooked her rappel rack from the rope and hugged her in close, pressing her up against a wall. He loved the way they fit together—her curves conformed so well to all his hard edges. “I’m glad you made it.”

“Of course I made it. You have to stop worrying so much.” Rebecca brushed her sensual lips over his, sending an electric current straight to his groin.

Worry faded from his mind as his body’s impulses stepped into the foreground. His cock stiffened as her pert nipples and warm curves pressed in closer. He ached to have her naked.

Unfortunately, he knew sating their desires would have to wait until bedtime. “Sometimes I can’t help it—I just love you so much, that’s all. And right now, I want to make love to you over and over again until neither of us can walk.”

As she stepped back, her gaze dropped to the bulge in his pants. “Yes, I can see that. A little kiss did that to you? Or was it my squeezed gluteus maximus in the rappelling harness?”

“Hmm. I’d have to say a little of both.”

“Well I guess we’ll have to wait awhile to resolve your big problem.”

Kent heard an uncomfortable
ahem
and looked toward David, Phan, and Andrew—one of his friends he’d recruited for the trip—but they were huddled in conversation a distance away, apparently focused on something else. Suddenly the three men burst out laughing and looked his way. Kent released his hold on Rebecca and threw up his hands. “What is it?”

“According to Rich, your finger or another part of your body depressed your radio button and he’s hearing your whole romantic fantasy loud and clear.”

“That’s just great.” Heat rushed to Kent’s face.

Rebecca’s cheeks flared pink and she covered her face with her hand. “That’s really awkward. How will I ever look that man in the face again?”

Kent reached for her hand, weaving his fingers through hers. “Don’t worry—it was my fault. He’ll get over it. I guess I better apologize, though.”

He snatched the radio from his pocket. “Sorry about that, Rich.” He hammered the button with his finger until it seemed disinclined to stick in the
on
position.

“No problem. At least I had confirmation the lady safely arrived.”

“Uh, yes. Well, can you bring me up to date on Amanda’s progress?” Kent frowned when David and the others burst out laughing again. Feeling awkward, he waved them away with his hand. “Don’t you people have work to do?”

Once Amanda and Tom finished descending the jagged limestone walls, Kent showed the group what remained of the invisibility powder. The three men leaned in for a closer look. He poured a few grams into a container and mashed it into a tablet. He inserted the sample into a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer he’d stored on a shelf of rock.

All the analytical equipment he’d been using ran off of portable generators. “It will take a few minutes for the scan to go through, but then we should know a little more about the composition of this powder. David and I will finish with the analysis here. In the meantime, I’d like the rest of you to walk this level with lights and see if you can find any unusual bluish-colored rocks. I’m not really expecting to find them in this area, but it won’t hurt to check anyway. We’ll reconvene for dinner in one hour.”

Once the analysis finished, Kent pulled up the data on the computer monitor to see which elements were evident in the powder. “Kent, are you there?” Rich’s voice projected over the radio, echoing in the enormous chamber. Distress registered in his voice.

Kent plucked his radio from his pocket. “Go ahead, Rich, I’m reading you. Is something the matter?”

“We’ve had no luck contacting Bunny. We’re starting to suspect the phone line might be dead. I’m wondering if you want me to send some men back with Ray in the morning to check on her. We never told her about the invisibility powder, either, so she could be in for a surprise attack.”

Kent admired Rich’s astute reasoning. If the men snuck up on her unexpectedly, it would be over before she knew what was happening. “Yes, Rich, I think that’s a good call. But how will you find her?”

“I matched an address to the phone number. The owner is a Winston Blakely—his house is in the middle of nowhere on Nhat Le Beach.”

Kent hoped they wouldn’t be too late. Bunny would have to survive the night on her own. But maybe they could trim the fat from the schedule . . . “Great—let’s go for it. Will you please contact Ray and Roberta and ask them to fly over here at first light? I think we need to get there as quick as we can.”

“Agreed. I’ll set that up right away. And I’ll keep trying Bunny just in case there’s an answer.”

“Thanks, Rich.”

* * * *

Rich slowly paced the perimeter of the camp, looking and listening for signs of movement. Little light filtered through the trees—it would be dark within the hour. He had a feeling whether it was his shift or not, he wouldn’t sleep that night.

During the war, they’d had some crazy firefights at night. It was terrifying battling in inky obscurity in the thick of the jungle, when he could barely distinguish between friend and foe. And here he was years later, fighting phantoms that could attack on the ground or from the trees.

I’ve got fifteen men here. They should be able to take down two men, whether they’re difficult targets or not.
But Rich had learned from experience that getting comfortable was the worst thing to do. Rich refused to allow his sharp edge of fear dull.
If you blink too long, you end up dead.

* * * *

Holding hands, Amanda and Tom walked into the adjacent chamber to look for signs of the mysterious rocks. The room had been a regular bathing spot in recent weeks, since a lake-size body of crystal-clear water filled most of it.

She directed her flashlight toward the smooth water, noticing how the beam angled slightly and then shone right through to the bottom. Stalagmites of different lengths and widths projected up from the bottom in varying shades of brown, yellow, and orange.

Kent had explained that caves were like living beings, growing and changing day by day. Water was the artist in residence, carving tunnels through the limestone and then dripping into shapes, whenever the water became sufficiently mineral-rich.

The powder they sought had a bluish tint, unlike anything she’d seen in the cave before. Most of the cave rocks were shades of white, yellow, orange, and brown. “Nothing looks like the right stuff.”

“You do.” Tom grabbed her around the waist, planting a line of kisses down the back of her neck.

Amanda laughed and feigned a struggle. As he crushed her against the broad expanse of his chest, wet heat rushed between her thighs. When he flicked his tongue inside her ear, her nipples hardened. She groaned.

“You better be quiet or someone will hear,” Tom said in a husky voice. “And I’m just getting started.” He gripped her pelvis and turned her around so she faced him.

“Thank God for that. I don’t think I can wait much longer.” Amanda leaned in to kiss him, opening her mouth to invite his tongue inside. She ached to be intimate with him again.

Their morning interlude had been like an appetizer, whetting her appetite for more. Sex consumed her mind. Even when she’d made that dangerous rappel into the cave, she’d had to pull her mind back to the task at hand, instead of letting lusty thoughts carry her away. She’d fantasized about sliding her hands over Tom’s tight-muscled abdomen, wrapping her hands around his cock, and opening her legs so he could sink his full length inside her wet and throbbing opening. Her pussy clenched with aching need. She ground her hips against his bulge.

“I can tell you’re in the mood.” Tom kissed her more urgently and slid his hands up her shirt to cup her breasts.

“You have no idea,” Amanda’s crotch dampened as his fingers massaged and teased.

“We might get caught.” Tom glanced around before turning off his flashlight. Then he refocused his attention on her nipples.

Amanda’s body was on fire. She slid down his zipper and helped his cock spring free. She fondled it between her fingers, relishing how it stiffened in her hands. “We could do a quick one without being noticed, don’t you think?”

“I think that’s a definite possibility.” He unzipped her shorts and dropped them to the floor. Continuing to kiss her, he slipped off his pants and stretched them out on a shelf of rock. “Grab onto the back of my neck.” Grasping her buttocks, he picked her up and lowered her onto the bed he’d prepared on the rock.

Amanda leaned back on the rock, opening her legs. The chill of the cave raised goose pimples on her flesh, which only heightened her excitement. She felt so vulnerable, her pussy open wide to the cold air, throbbing with need to be fucked right here where others could see.

Grabbing her around the back, he pulled her closer, maneuvered his cock toward her wet opening and then slowly slid inside. She gasped at the heady sensation of him inside of her and arched up into him to deepen the penetration.

“Oh my God, that feels good.” Tom thrust in harder, which deepened his drive.

Amanda groaned. “Oh, yeah, don’t stop.” She angled her pelvis upward to increase the stimulation of her clitoris. Every thrust of Tom’s plunging cock into her core made her toss her head and moan in hedonistic bliss. Her inner walls clenched around him as their pace approached fast and furious.

She knew he was as desperate as she to climax before someone interrupted them. The muscles in Tom’s face tightened and his mouth fell open in a groan. His arousal was enough to hurtle her over the edge. She did her best to bite back the cry as an explosion rippled from her vagina into her core. Tom thrust into her and groaned, his seed pouring inside of her.

“Who’s over there?” Andrew’s voice was much too close.

Amanda and Tom froze, still entangled in each other’s naked bodies.