Page 19 of Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage 3)

Together they slowly climbed down and made their way toward the waterfall. The roar filled his ears, blocking out all other sound. He remained acutely aware of his surroundings, watching the rocks, the falls, the edge up top for the shooter, and Mackenzie as she climbed. Tension corded his shoulders, and his heart pounded. Spray from the falls soon soaked them.

He second-guessed his decision to take them into another treacherous predicament, but at the time, hiding behind the falls seemed like a good plan. He continued toward an opening between the falls and the stone.

“Okay, hurry. If we disappear behind the falls, the shooter won’t know where we went.”

“You hope.”

Only a few more feet and he stepped into the opening, sliding in through the curtain of trickling water at the edge of the falls. Mackenzie yelped and slipped. He reached forward and caught her wrist, helping her gain traction again.

“I’ve got you! Just keep coming. Don’t look down.”

She could have plunged into the river. He kept his grip on her hand, then pulled her behind the falls. Her big eyes filled with fear as he hauled her up and over and into the gap. All the way in against him. She shivered as he held her tight.

He rubbed her arms, then he released her. “You did it. You made it.”

“We made it.” Surprise flicked in her eyes.

He couldn’t help the smile that emerged. When he did this with his dad as a kid, it seemed both exciting and yet no big deal. Easy enough. Today, he realized how far above the river they were as they climbed down, and the real danger should one or both of them fall into the falls. They could become trapped in the vortex of water at the bottom, keeping them from rising for air. But he would keep that to himself.

Maybe hiding behind a waterfall hadn’t been the best idea, but with a shooter targeting them, he’d made the decision and they were here now.

“So this is a cave. I don’t think I ever knew there was a cave back here.”

“It’s not a true cave. The waterfall has worn the softer stone away to create this hollow. Or a rock shelter.”

“I’ll call it a waterfall shelter,” she said.

He ran a hand over the smooth, worn, and slippery wet rocks. They were cold and wet. Her thick brown hair was plastered against her head. She shivered and hugged herself.

Stepping away from the spray at the back of the falls, he gently grabbed her elbow and led her deeper into the hollow. The space didn’t go back far, but there were crevices, places she could hide. He gestured for her to step behind a ridge in the wall.

Standing close so they could trap the heat between them, he faced the opening of the hollow and the waterfall. His dad had shown him this passage, but that didn’t mean the shooter didn’t know about it too. Even if the shooter was aware of it, Alex would be ready, waiting and watching. He had the advantage.

He gripped his now slippery gun.

Hoped for the best.

Prepared for the worst.