Page 29 of Reset

It shamed her when all she felt was relief at his offer. “I can’t let you go in alone. It isn’t fair.” Her gaze strayed to the black voids. Who knew what horrible secrets waited beyond them?

“It isn’t about fair and unfair.” Ryan handed her the candle as they reached the nearest doorway. “It’s about skillset. I was trained for this, and if there are more dead bodies in there, it won’t affect me the way it will you.”

“How can you say that? Of course it will affect you.”

“No. It won’t. I know you don’t understand because your life is far removed from this sort of thing, and that’s great, but mine isn’t. That wasn’t the first dead body I’ve seen and probably won’t be the last. I was trained to deal with violent death.” What he left unsaid was that he’d also been trained to dispense it.

“It still must take a toll. You’ve got a soft heart, Ryan. You can’t tell me it doesn’t get to you.”

“Sure it does, and that’s where the training and experience kick in. I compartmentalize. You’re strong and have more courage than most, but I’m not sure you’re able to put anything you find in a box to examine later. Or to ignore forever. Both work. In fact, I’m a great believer in burying that crap deep and moving on with life. So how about you do you and I’ll do me? Let me check out the rooms alone, okay?”

Reluctantly, she nodded.

“Good girl,” he said.

To her surprise, Ryan leaned into her and pressed a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. She felt the satin warmth of his touch right to her toes. His kiss was bittersweet, so familiar while reminding her of everything they’d lost. When he straightened, he seemed a little flummoxed by his actions.

“Uh, that was a kiss of encouragement,” he said. “It wasn’t a come-on because that would be totally inappropriate right now given, well, all of this.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m usually a whole lot smoother than this.”

Sarah couldn’t say anything. It took all of her energy not to press the kiss into her lips with her fingertips. As though that might save it forever. And didn’t that make her sound like a lovesick teen?

“Right,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.” And then he turned on his phone’s light and walked into the first room.

“If we ever get out of here,” Sarah muttered, “I’m going to need counseling for sooooo many things.” She raised her voice to call after him. “You can’t say good girl to a woman. It’s patronizing. Plus it sounds like you’re talking to a dog.”

Laughter echoed out of the empty room.

Dumbass.

Ryan mentally smacked himself upside the head as he entered the room. He had no business kissing Sarah, even in a friendly sort of way. Things were much too confusing between them, and she probably didn’t want his lips all over hers again. Especially not minutes after checking out a dead body.

Double dumbass.

It’d just felt natural. Yet it wasn’t. The whole situation between them was messing with his head. Part of him felt like he knew her when he had no memory of her at all. There was a comfortable connection between them, an easiness that made him want to relax and just be himself around her. He wasn’t sure if it was a consequence of them being thrust together in pretty dire circumstances, or maybe some leftover emotional memory of their time together. Either way, it was weird as hell.

“What’s in there?” she called, bringing his attention back to his task.

“Nothing yet.” The light swept up the wall and stopped when it hit a candle in a roughly carved nook. The same sort of candle they’d found in their room and the dead woman’s room. “Damn,” Ryan muttered.

“What was that? Did you say something?”

“Nothing important. I’m still looking.” Only, now he stepped carefully, scanning every nook and cranny, expecting to find something that neither of them would like.

When the light swept over another used candle on the platform, a cold acceptance settled within Ryan. There was something bad in the room. The air was heavy with it. Instantly, he was back on high alert, noting every detail as he saw it, weighing its significance and adding it to the already substantial information he’d gleaned from other rooms. At some point, there would have to be an official report about all of this. An investigation.

Justice.

In the meantime, there was only their witness to the atrocities that’d happened far underground.

His feet were on automatic pilot as they zeroed in on the darkest part of the cavern. A second later, the light from his phone revealed his instincts were right. It was two bodies this time, not one. A man and a woman, wrapped around each other in the tight, dark corner behind the platform bed.

The woman was restrained with the same sort of manacle they’d seen before. Broken rocks lay beside the heavy chain, tying her to the wall, making it obvious that they’d tried to free her. Unfortunately, the rocks wouldn’t have had any impact on that chain. A dark fury swept through Ryan as he looked at the couple. They’d died in each other’s arms. Murdered by some unseen foe who’d played God with their lives.

“What’s going on?” There was shuffling at the doorway, telling him Sarah was becoming impatient.

“Don’t come in here.” His reply was harsher than he’d intended.

Of course, Sarah knew what his tone meant. “You found another body.” It wasn’t a question.