She shook her head. “We shouldn’t move forward,” she said. “We should go back. Get help?—”
“And add to the belief that the mine is haunted?” he asked her lightly.
She exhaled. “If we go forward…”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he assured her.
“I wasn’t?—”
“What?” he asked.
“I wasn’t worried for myself.”
He arched a brow to her. “I have handled myself well against the US Cavalry, Rebs, Crows, and others. Would you have me run from a tapping in a mine shaft?”
Shawna nodded strenuously. He laughed softly, pulling her close for just a moment to set a brotherly kiss upon her forehead.
“We have to find out what’s going on.”
“It’s probably David, preparing his morning tea,” Shawna murmured dryly.
“Shush!” he warned her.
“Oh, aye. We don’t know who might be listening!”
He proceeded forward again, amazingly silent though he wore boots. She crept quietly behind him with a deep sense of dread. She was afraid. Not just for herself. For them both.
Ahead of her, Hawk paused. Listened.
The tapping came again. More persistent. As if whoever was tapping had become annoyed because the noise wasn’t causing them to react swiftly enough.
Hawk turned, lifting a hand to stop her.
Even as he did so, a curious gust of air suddenly burst into the tunnel.
And Shawna’s lantern was extinguished.
Total darkness instantly fell upon the tunnel shaft.
For a moment, there was silence.
The tapping began again.
“Shawna!” Hawk said softly.
“I’m here.”
“Don’t move. Don’t move, do you hear me?”
“I won’t move. I can’t move. I can’t see anything at all. Hawk? Don’t you move?—”
“I have matches,” Hawk said. “I’ve got to reach you to relight the lantern.” A small burst of flame appeared against his cupped hands, and he called out irritably, “I told you to stay still!”
“I am still!” Shawna said indignantly.
“I can see your shadow. Shawna, dammit, get back here!”
The match went out. Shawna heard footsteps, his, moving hard and boldly in the darkness toward the natural curve of the shaft.