Page 114 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

Finally, her fingers slid forward. Her heart skipped a beat as she dug into her pocket with her other hand and brought out the flashlight, clicking it on.

She waved the light around, searching for the opening her fingers had found. She identified a skinny crevice. With the flashlight between her teeth, she dropped to her belly.

The opening looked small, but she may be able to squeeze through. Would it lead her to anything or just another dead end?

She had to take the chance. She hoped it didn’t trap her more. With the light clamped firmly between her teeth, she shimmied forward in a belly crawl and slid into the opening.

Her heart pounded as she continued forward in the small space.Keep going, don’t stop.

She pushed herself to move forward as her shoulders scraped against the sides in the tiniest part of the passage.

After a few tense seconds, it widened in all directions. A few more feet forward, she was able to crawl on her hands and knees. She spilled into a larger chamber at the end.

A quick search of it sent her scrambling through another passage, this time on her feet instead of crawling.

Her heart lifted with every step, as hope of escape filled her. She wondered if this cave had another entrance, and where.

Her mind stretched ten steps ahead, trying to plan for her eventual escape. A momentary pang of doubt came as she wedged herself in a tight spot, trying to squeeze through.

She found herself unable to make it through. A quick search of the ground turned up a stone that she used to hack away at the rocky wall until she managed to slide to the other side at the expense of tearing her raincoat.

She rounded a sharp curve in the cave, and the scent of damp air smacked her in the face. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she hurried forward toward it. She clicked off her flashlight, her heart soaring as she spotted dim light at the end of the corridor. She continued forward, trying to stop herself from running until she spotted the sky above her.

She clicked on her flashlight and shined the light around her. The cave spilled out of the side of a cliff face. The ground lay several feet below her. It looked too far to jump, but she may be able to slide to it.

She sat on the edge of the opening and pressed her feet against the rocks, bracing them before she pushed off.

Her slide turned into a tumble, and she rolled in a ball before she spilled onto the ground below with a groan. She spent a few minutes staring gratefully at the canopy of trees and star-studded night sky above her before she forced herself to her feet.

They’d never find her in her new location. And they didn’t need to remove the rockslide anymore. She had to find her way back to town.

She clicked off her flashlight and studied the stars, trying to find her reference point. She’d known roughly where she was in the cave, but where she’d come out remained a mystery. She’d move north until she spotted something familiar.

With tired muscles and a growling stomach, she pushed herself to move forward. Thankfully, her ankle didn’t protest too much.

It took her longer than she had hoped, but she finally managed to identify a clifftop in the distance. Using it as her new reference, she recalibrated, heading west until she hit a road.

She could have kissed the pavement, but instead, she forced her legs to keep going, afraid if she stopped, she’d never get back up.

Every step she took was a battle against exhaustion. Her muscles screamed in protest, her breaths short and ragged, and a dull headache throbbed in sync with her heartbeat. The physical toll of her ordeal was as relentless as being trapped.

She followed the winding road to an intersection where she veered off, heading for town. Tears filled her eyes again as the first few buildings filled in around her. She’d go to the police station. It was closer, and someone from her family was likely there.

The building finally came into view. She wrapped her fingers around the metal railing and tugged herself up the stairs. She tugged the door open as exhaustion coursed through her and stumbled into the station.

The soft, warm lights assaulted her senses after the cave’s darkness, followed by the moonlit night’s trek. The buzz of voices from the conference room made her head throb.

She stumbled back toward them, hoping for a familiar face.

As she slid into the room, she spotted several people grouped around a messy table. “Oh my God, Julia!” Tony said as he spotted her.

She tried to smile, but the world spun around her.

“Julia!” Kyle shouted as he turned toward her.

She took one stumbling step toward him before her knees buckled, and her world turned black.

CHAPTER 25