Page 92 of Deadly Charade

Violet leaned over the side and pointed. “There. The bridge now looks like a ladder, and she’s holding on to the side.”

Kira clung to the rope, her feet dangling in the air. But she held on and swung her legs toward the rock wall. Her foot connected to a solid plank below her and she managed to get her other foot onto the step. It supported her weight, but her arms began to visibly tremble from the exertion.

He and Violet each grabbed a rope and pulled, but the bridge wouldn’t budge from the weight. Bryce hit the ground and extended his good arm to help drag Kira up. “Untangle one arm. I’ll help you up.”

“We need to get help for Sophia.” Kira’s face strained from clinging to the rope ladder. She just needed to climb about four feet before he could grasp her hand.

Where was Ivan with that backup?

Bryce felt something on his back and noticed Violet holding him steady while he reached down. “Climb, Kira.”

She gripped the rope, but the bridge jiggled. She looked up at Bryce. “What was that?”

And then he saw it. A hand coming out of the abyss. Natalia had somehow hung on and was climbing the ladder, now a few feet below Kira.

Kira’s feet connected with the wooden step, but she bypassed it for the one above it.

C’mon, Kira. Just a few more feet.

Natalia kept coming for Kira, rage marring her once beautiful youthful face. The woman caught up and dug her dagger-like nails into Kira’s leg. Kira kicked the woman away, trying to shake her off.

Natalia hung on and tried to drag Kira down.

Bryce reached out as far as he could and Kira reached up. Their fingers missed each other by mere inches. Just one more step and he’d be able to pull her up. His other shoulder smarted, but he pushed through the pain.

One of Kira’s hands fell from the rope. She flailed to get her hand back on the rope, but Natalia continued to pull.

A gun fired, and Natalia screamed. The woman let go of Kira’s leg and fell backward. And then she disappeared. They didn’t even hear her hit the bottom of the cavern.

Kira locked eyes with Bryce, her breaths coming in short pants. He glanced across the gap. Even in the dim lights installed in the rocks, he could make out that Sophia stood with a gun in one hand and the other hand pressed into her bleeding stomach. He prayed there was another entrance to this place, because Sophia collapsed to the ground.

“Take it slow,” Bryce said to Kira. “Sophia shot Natalia. You’re safe now.” Well, safe from being shot. “Just a few more feet and we’ll pull you up.”

She grunted and repositioned her arms higher, clutching the rope. But her arms quaked, and Bryce could tell her strength was sapped. “I can’t reach,” she gasped. “I’m not sure I can pull myself up any farther.”

“Kira, I believe in you. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. You’re so close. Please, darling, try.”

Just one more wooden rung and he’d have her.

“Don’t look behind you, Kira. Keep your eyes on me.”

She stared at Bryce, her face sparking a ferocity he’d never seen in her before. One of sheer determination. She pulled her foot up, skipping a step, he assumed, to save time.

“They reinforced every other step with metal,” she said, as if reading his mind.

“Just keep climbing, Kira. You’re doing great.”

With another groan, she dragged herself up to that next step. This time, when she reached out her hand, Bryce caught it. He lifted her up, and Violet reached over to grasp Kira’s other hand. Together they hauled her up and she rolled onto the ledge. Violet let go of both of them, and Bryce stood, pulling Kira up and into his arms, away from the chasm.

She gasped and pulled in several ragged breaths, and he just held her. Finally, she looked up. “Thanks for the rescue, partner—”

He cut her off with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him. He loved Kira and wasn’t wasting another second.

She kissed him back with the same intensity. He ran his hand through her auburn locks.

Now that she was in his arms, he was never letting go.

The moment was perfect, until footsteps echoed through the tunnel and Violet cleared her throat. “Could you two maybe take that outside? We’ve still got a lot of work to do now that you’ve uncovered a secret treasure.”