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Another loud blast rocked the area and the ground trembled. Rolan collapsed to the ground and Alex stood.

“Thanks, man,” Bryce said, and Alex offered a hand to help him stand. “You saved my life.”

“We may have more trouble. I hear noises outside. They must have called in more reinforcements. And Peter ran with two of the statues. Coward.”

“Freeze! FBI! We have the place surrounded!”

Bryce grinned. “Not bad guys, Alex. The good guys.” He called out, “All clear inside.”

“Until they arrest me for all my work with the art smugglers.” Alex’s face paled and he put a hand on Bryce’s shoulder. “Please, I have only one request. I don’t care what happens to me. Please rescue Sophia. And my son.”

Alex’s fierce eyes indicated he was ready to continue the fight. Desperation to save one’s child could do that for a person.

Agents swarmed the cave. Violet entered and made a beeline for Bryce. Other agents took care of the three on the ground.

“Not bad work for just you,” Violet said, surveying the cave.

“Alex helped me. But how did you find us?”

“Ahh. My roommates make fun of me for putting AirTags on everything. I remembered Kira grabbed my coat before she was kidnapped, so I was able to trace her location. It took some time to get a team in place, but we made it just in time by the looks of it. But where is Kira?” The stress in Violet’s face matched his own.

Bryce pointed to the solid rock wall. “She’s behind this secret door. The statues are the keys to open it. Did you see Peter outside?”

Violet’s face paled at the realization this wasn’t over. “An agent shot a gunman before we had the place surrounded. But he couldn’t have gotten far.”

Not good. “Peter stole two of the statues and ran. We have to get that door open. Kira needs us. We have to find Peter.”

22

THE SMELL OF DAMP EARTH made Kira’s nose itch, and the idea of stepping onto a rickety wooden bridge crossing a bottomless cavern sent her pulse through the roof. She’d managed to stall up to this point by getting on her knees and testing the first few steps with her hands, then tugging on the ropes. But now Victor was losing patience, and she was going to have to cross.

At least she didn’t have a fear of heights. Much. Crossing the bridge over the pitch-black yawning hole might change that.

Victor jabbed the gun into Sophia’s temple, eliciting a cry from the woman. The only option for Kira was across the cavern. Maybe if she got to the other side first, she could find something to use as a weapon, or lock herself in another room until help arrived.

“Don’t give this pig what he wants,” Sophia shouted.

Victor slapped Sophia, and she fell to the ground. He pointed his pistol at Kira and nodded to the bridge. “Go.”

“Don’t yell at me if you want me to do this,” she said. She moved toward the rocks behind her and ran her hand along the jagged surface. If only she could find . . .

“Lights.” She pressed the button, and lights built into the rocks shone along the ledge that led to the bridge. Enough so she could see the rickety, old rope bridge swinging slightly in the draft of the cave. It also turned on a light across the cavern, so she could see the destination, which was another tunnel.

There had to be an easier way to access the treasure room—a back door? Some kind of service entrance? A low hum from the other side of the bottomless pit caught her attention. There had to be power running through the entire cave. The art needed to be kept cool, otherwise the humidity would destroy it.

So why did it have to be this bridge?

Kira pocketed her flashlight, stood at the base of the bridge, and prayed. It would take a miracle for her to get across this. She thought of Bryce and it fortified her courage. Every step she took would mean she was that much closer to seeing him again.

She tried to block the gruesome scenarios swirling in her mind—most of which had her free-falling into the abyss below. Once she committed to a step, she’d have to go for it. No way to test it.

Kira put her full weight on the first plank and held her breath. The wood creaked but held.

She exhaled and settled her wrists on the ropes, one on each side, then twisted her arms so the rope was wrapped tight over the thick coat sleeves. She gave a hard tug on each rope and they held. The coat protected her skin, but it was going to be slow going the way she had planned to do this. Sucking in a deep breath, she kicked out a leg and aimed for the next step. Her foot connected with it, and it disintegrated.

She fell through the plank, but the ropes kept her from tumbling into the abyss below. Sophia’s scream bounced off the walls. Pain ripped through Kira’s shoulders, and she gasped, choking on her own screams.

She finally caught her breath, prayers winging heavenward while she dangled over the deep, dark pit. Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look . . . The lights along the cave wall gave enough illumination to see the bridge, but below it was pitch black.