Page 103 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

Julia glanced up at the branch. “Whether you’re ready or not, we’re going to fall. The branch is breaking.”

“What?” Sierra screeched.

Before Julia could answer, a crack split the silence, and they plunged again, this time a short distance to the ground. Sierralanded on her rear end, while Julia smacked into the ground hard on her back. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and she struggled to catch her breath as she groaned.

“Julia?” Sierra called, her voice panicked. “Julia!”

A moment later, Sierra’s panicked face hovered over her. “Julia! Please don’t die!”

“I’m not dying,” she murmured with a wince. “I’m okay. I just got the wind knocked out of me.”

Sierra sat back on her heels as Julia pulled herself up to sit and retrieved the knife from her pocket. She cut the rope off her ankle which felt twisted after dangling from the branch.

Thunder continued to rumble, and rain fell in torrents. She glanced around them when the rain suddenly slowed.

“OMG, thank goodness. I can’t take any more rain.”

Julia’s eyes went wide as she recognized the coming danger. “We need to go.”

“Go where?” Sierra asked as Julia struggled to stand.

“Somewhere where we’ll be safe.” Julia ignored the screaming pain in her ankle as she tugged Sierra to stand.

“Safe from what?”

Julia ignored the question as she oriented herself. She scurried forward around the trees, tugging Sierra with her as she limped her way toward the only shelter she knew.

She rounded a rocky outcropping before she ducked and climbed into a cave opening. She tugged Sierra closer to her as she huddled out of the reach of the elements.

“Why did you make us–” Sierra started when a blast of wind bent the trees toward the earth as rain pounded down. Sierra clamped her hands over her ears as she pressed closer to Julia.

Julia wrapped her stepdaughter in a tight embrace as the microburst blew through the area. The howling wind sounded like a train barreling past them, but it was no match for the loud crack that shook the ground around them.

Seconds later, the opening to the cave started to close as rocks pounded into the ground. Julia tightened her grip on Sierra as she closed her eyes and buried her face in Sierra’s wet hair.

She held her close until the noise died down. When she finally lifted her face, the once well-lit cave had gone dim. Only a little light poured in from an opening in the rocks that had fallen and blocked their exit.

The damp air, mixing with the scent of wet earth and pine, clung to their skin, a chilling reminder of their predicament. Shadows danced on the walls, creating an eerie play of light and darkness, as the muffled sounds of the storm raged outside. Julia shivered, her senses heightened after the rockslide.

“Julia?” Sierra asked. “What happened? OMG!”

Her stepdaughter stared in disbelief at the rockslide. “We’re trapped!”

Julia eyed the once-open space wistfully. She wondered if they could climb out of the small opening. Maybe. She crawled toward it, trying to assess it before she decided it would be best to wait for help. One false move could collapse any hope they had of escape or of anyone finding them.

“It’s okay,” she said. “We’re okay. There’s still an opening. But we should wait for someone to help. We don’t want to cause another rockslide. And I can’t see what the outside looks like.”

”But–“

Julia made her way back over to Sierra, grabbing her hands in the dim light. “It’ll be okay. Luke knows where we are. He’ll make sure they find us.”

Sierra’s features twisted as fear coursed through her.

“Sierra, it’s okay. They’ll find us.”

“I’m really scared, Julia.” Sierra’s voice trembled, her words choked with unshed tears.

Julia pulled her into a hug as she settled back against the stony wall. Sierra shuddered against her. “It’s okay. We’re okay. You’re not alone, and most importantly, you’re not stuck on the cliff anymore.”