Stolen Fury Read Free

the next ten years in a Jamaican clink, or worse, wind up dead. She’d been warned—in no uncertain terms—not to trespass on private property again. And obviously, she hadn’t listened. But then, she didn’t exactly take kindly to unsolicited advice.
    Drawing in a deep breath, she peered into the blacknessahead, contemplating her choices. This was the stupidest thing she’d ever done.
    Before she could change her mind, she kicked over onto her side, dropped her head against the floor of the tunnel and wriggled deeper into the tube. The walls pressed in on her, front and back. She couldn’t lift her head more than an inch off the ground. With the pack in front of her, she tried to slither through the shrinking space.
    The tunnel took a sharp turn to the left. She folded her torso around the corner. This was it. She was going to get stuck in here and die, with the first of the Furies in her grasp.
    No way. She wasn’t giving up.
    Blowing out all the oxygen in her lungs, she kicked her legs and gave one last thrust into the tunnel. Her chest burned, every muscle ached, and just when she thought she was a goner, the cave widened.
    Warm, sweet air filled her lungs. The steadily rising ceiling allowed her enough room to lift her head. Just ahead, the soft flicker of light shone through the darkness.
    She suppressed the glee rolling through her and kept moving forward, slithering until the tunnel widened enough so she could push herself up to her hands and knees, then finally stand when the ceiling took a sharp rise.
    Hands braced on her thighs, she bent over at the waist and drew in large gulps of musty air. She could hear Simeon still struggling in the cave. If she’d been stuck, he had to be in serious trouble. The man was at least twice her size.
    She crouched in the darkness, calling out to him softly.
    “Almost there,” he croaked. Metal scraped against rock, and then she heard him scrambling across the tunnel floor toward her.
    Lisa grappled in the darkness and reached out, wrapping her fingers around his thick arms. Mud covered every part of their bodies. She helped him to his feet. His muffled coughing filled the space.
    “How the hell did you get through there?” she asked in a whisper. “I barely made it myself.”
    White teeth flashed in the darkness as he straightened. “I pray to Olorun to make me small as a snake to slither through the cave. He answer my prayer.”
    Lisa frowned and let his answer roll right off her. She wasn’t going to get into a religious debate with him, and there was no way she was touching that one.
    She slung the knapsack over her shoulder, turned and headed for the crack of light ahead. “Come on. Let’s get out of here while we can.”
    “Your goddess pull you through that tunnel?”
    Was he serious? She suppressed a laugh. Sheer female determination had saved her ass, as always. “No.”
    “She will,” he said behind her. “You let her, and she’ll pull you to the light.”
    Lisa glanced over her shoulder. In the dim light she could just make out his serious expression. “Thanks.” She shifted forward and kept walking, feeling the need to put as much distance between her and this cave as possible. “But I think I’ve got all the light I need.”
    “You think that, but you don’t. You in the dark, Dr. Maxwell. Pitch dark. But things change. You see.”
    Her guide had lost some serious oxygen in that tunnel, but he was right about one thing—something had definitely changed. She finally had what she’d been seeking for nearly fifteen years. With a little luck she’d be on her way to the second of the three Furies real soon. And she knew just where to start looking.

C HAPTER T WO
    Dr. Lisa Maxwell wasn’t what he’d expected.
    Sitting in the back row of the massive auditorium, Rafe Sullivan adjusted his nonprescription glasses, shifted in the uncomfortable charcoal suit and leaned forward to get a better view of the speaker. The redhead wore a short black