The Killing Game Read Free Page A

didn’t want to be here.
    “We’re almost there.” She pulled away. “Two more minutes and we’ll know for sure if the cubs are in that den.”
    Axelle inched along the path, the sound of Josef’s footsteps crunching in her wake. There . A few yards away she saw the narrow opening of the den. There was a tingle between her shoulder blades that made her hesitate, alert for danger.
    They’d rushed here worried the leopard was dead, but if they were wrong, they were approaching the den of a large feline with young cubs. Snow leopards were nowhere near the size of lions or tigers, but she and Josef were balanced on the edge of a cliff face. The leopards could dance down these rocks; she and Josef would smash and burn.
    Josef went to move ahead but she raised her hand to stop him. “Wait.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I’m the boss and I said so.”
    He grunted, less than impressed. She knew how he felt.
    There was no clever way to do this. She inched forward on all fours, the sharp rocks digging into her knees. She held her breath, listening, then shone her beam straight into the mouth of the den. Bare rock reflected back at her.
    Nothing .
    She ran the beam of light across the floor of the entranceway and saw animal bones—standard snow leopard fare. This was definitely a den. She inched forward, Josef close enough she couldn’t turn without knocking into him. A part of her welcomed his body heat in the ever-deepening cold. The other part didn’t like to be reminded about how it felt to touch a man. Memories could be colder than an Afghan winter.
    They peered silently inside the shallow cave. More bones lay scattered on the bare rock and what looked like a bed of fur was nestled against one side of the cave. There were no green reflective retinas or bad-tempered snarls. An outcrop of rock blocked her view of the back of the cave where the cubs might have wandered in search of food or warmth.
    She needed to get in there and take a better look.
    Tension built in her muscles and sweat suddenly slid down the groove of her spine. Her mouth went dry and she forced several swallows to moisten it. Her hands shook. God, the last thing she wanted to do was crawl inside that dark hole and take a look behind that rock. Josef grabbed the belt of her pants before she started inside.
    She dangled like a rag doll. “Put me down, dammit.” She managed to shake off his grip. “I’ve got to see if the cubs are behind that rock.”
    “I’ll go,” he offered.
    “You won’t fit.” Without wasting another moment, she wriggled through the tight opening. Stupid childhood fears would not stop her from doing her job.
    Pressure pounded her immediately and made every pore on her body swell. Memories betrayed her, recollections from a time so long ago the images were more like visions of another lifetime. The silence. The immense weight above her that could shift and crush at any moment.
    Concentrate . She swung the light around but saw nothing except bare rock. Her pulse sped up. Walls pressed in on her. Gnawed bones poked at her palms as she dragged herself across the ground. Dust and dirt flew through the air and she wheezed. The thought of the cave collapsing, of all that mighty rock crushing her, made her mouth parch and her heart drum.
    She breathed in, in, in. Short little breaths that expanded her lungs to bursting. Finally she released the breath and was able to move again. She stuck her hand in the nest of fur. Cold. No remnant of warmth from soft delicate bodies. Josef grabbed tight to her ankle and, despite the bruising pressure, she welcomed the connection.
    She shuffled forward, concentrated on the beam from her headlight as she squeezed through the narrow gap and finally got a look behind the outcrop of rock.
    Dirt, rock, and white bleached bones.
    Disappointment slammed hard into her chest and she swallowed the awful sensation of failure as she shuffled backwards. “Nothing.”
    Josef’s eyes were wide in the glare of her