Lazlo’s Last Stand

“Oh.” She chewed her lower lip for a moment, looking uncertain. “Do you want to use the shower? The one in my-in your-bathroom?”

“No,” he said. “Thank you.” And he went out, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Lucia sat for a few minutes, biting her lip and staring at the closed door, before she turned back to the computer screen. For a while she was able to lose herself in the task of routing a video connection through a spider’s web of encryptions and dummy hosts and red herrings. At last, satisfied the system was hack-proof, she contacted Adam and left him a message, then went, with nervous flutters in her stomach, to find Corbett.

The kitchen was empty and silent, the kind of silence that seems almost to have weight and substance. Lucia had lived by herself for ten years and liked it, but she’d never felt so wretchedly alone. And acutely aware, for the first time, that she was, in fact, in a cave.

She debated what to do-whether to go to Josef and Kati’s house and try to find Corbett. He must be finished with his “wash” by this time, she reasoned. Then she thought she might use the solitude to take a much-needed shower herself. She went into her bedroom and was in the process of collecting her toiletries and a selection of clean clothes when the flashlight rolled out of the suitcase and onto her foot. Swearing, she bent to rub her bruised instep, then picked up the flashlight. And as she felt the familiar shape of it in her hand, a new idea came to her.

This is a cave. I’m in a cave, and there’s only one way out.

Except for the chimney.

What if…

Yes, what if?

She stared down at the flashlight, biting her lip. She was alone. Corbett was taking a bath. She might not have a chance like this again to explore the back of the cave. A chance to find the chimney. Just in case, she told herself. In case I need another way out. I should know where it is.

Resolved that what she was doing was the right thing, Lucia made her way confidently back through the kitchen and storeroom. It wasn’t until she had shut the storeroom door behind her and turned on her flashlight that her heart began to beat faster. The light seemed small in the immense darkness…and yet, as her eyes grew more accustomed to it, she realized the darkness wasn’t as complete as she’d thought it would be. In fact, there seemed to be some sort of light source farther into the cave. An emergency light, maybe? Or, like the air currents, could it be coming from the chimney?

A sense of adventure filled her, wiping out any remaining traces of doubt. She began to make her way deeper into the cave, moving carefully, watching her feet on the rocky, uneven floor. Odd, she thought, the way one’s perceptions changed when one was alone in the darkness. The sulfur smell she’d noticed earlier seemed much stronger now, and the tiniest sounds seemed enormous. And the light…yes, it was definitely getting brighter. It almost had to be a lantern of some kind, but that didn’t seem likely. Did it?

She stopped, strained her ears to listen. But all she heard was the faint sound of water flowing over rock. The thermal spring Corbett had told her about, surely. It sounded quite close now, and…yes, she could see wisps of steam rising in the golden glow that outlined the rock formations directly ahead. These formations were quite remarkable, and ordinarily she’d have been fascinated with them, but at the moment she was completely focused on discovering the mysterious source of light. If the household did get its hot water from these springs, she supposed it would make sense to have a source of illumination available, in case someone needed to work on the plumbing. Or in case…For a moment her heart seemed to stop. In case someone wanted to use the springs to take a bath?

The notion, and its immediate implications, arrived too late. Moving quickly and silently, she’d already rounded the last of the stalactites, stalagmites-she could never remember which was which-between her and the thermal spring. She could now see that it flowed into a natural rock basin, its sides stained lovely shades of blue and green and white by the minerals in the crystal clear water. And there, stretched out full-length, relaxing in the shallow pool, his body burnished gold by the light of the lantern he’d placed on a rock ledge nearby, was Corbett.

A hiss of shock burst from her lips as she stepped reflexively backward, and her foot found an uneven place in the cave floor. She grabbed for a stalactite-or was it a stalagmite?-and the flashlight slipped from her hand and rolled away into crazily leaping shadows.

Corbett jerked around and nearly passed out from the pain caused by the jolting movement of his unprotected ribs. Through the dark blotches interfering with his vision, he could make out Lucia’s face, pale and oddly shadowed, and the indecision clearly written there. Had he not been breathless with agony, he might have found it amusing to watch the battle being played out between the natural impulse of a compassionate woman to rush to the aid of someone in pain, and the equally natural human impulse to turn away from the unexpected sight of someone naked-particularly a member of the opposite sex.

“Oh, G-G-God, Corbett,” she stammered, “I’m s-so sorry. Truly, I am. I didn’t know…” There was a pause, and then a fearful, “Are you all right?”

He was afraid to take another breath and hadn’t enough left of the last one for words, so he just shook his head. He was beyond caring about modesty, or the fact that she probably hated the sight of him anyway, right about now. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and concentrated all his effort on producing sound.

“I’m sorry to ask it of you, but I’m afraid I’m going to need a bit of help,” he managed to say, with slow and stiff formality. “If you wouldn’t mind handing me that towel, over there.”

He heard only silence. He turned, or tried to, and managed to shift himself around enough so that he could see her without twisting his torso too much. He watched her pick up the towel, moving slowly, like someone underwater. Or was that only his pain-warped vision? Then she turned, and he realized with a shock that she was angry. Furious.

“Look,” he croaked, “I do apologize. It’s just that I don’t think I’m going to be able to get out of here without help.”

Again, there was only silence. Then, holding the towel in both hands like a peculiar weapon of some kind, she began to walk toward him. A little thrill ran through him as he watched her eyes. She looked like a lioness, he thought, moving in for the kill.

She came as far as the edge of the pool. He braced himself, heart thumping painfully against his ribs, having no earthly idea what she was going to do next. She paused for a long suspenseful moment, gazing down at him. Then she pressed her lips together and dropped the towel in a heedless heap beside him, obviously not caring that she’d gotten part of it wet in the process.

“Do you know what you are?” Her voice was low and raspy, rather resembling a lion’s purr, in fact. “You are the world’s biggest idiot-and considering the state of the world that’s saying a lot. The only thing I can’t understand is why I didn’t figure out sooner what a bloody idiot you are. I was a grown-up woman the day you met me, Corbett Lazlo, and I’ve been in love with you for just about that long.” She grabbed at a breath. “You’ve known that, and you’ve insisted on treating me like a schoolgirl with a silly crush. And you know what really gets me? You definitely feel something for me-that’s pretty obvious. You almost kissed me yesterday, don’t deny it. Maybe it’s just chemistry, or whatever. I just figured it out. I think you love me, too. Yes, you do. But you’ve got this crazy idiotic idea that-I don’t know, maybe you aren’t allowed to be happy, or you think…I don’t know what you think. But you know what? You can get your own damn self out of that damn tub.”

Then, while he stared at her, incredulous, she turned and left him there.

Lucia sat at the keyboard, still shaking. Still not able to believe she’d done what she’d done. Said what she’d said.

How could I have been so stupid?

What if I was wrong?

She had been so certain, there in the dim light of the cave, staring down at his long, lean body in the pristine water. Remembering all the moments…the signs…the clues she’d dismissed as wishful thinking. Even before that crazy heart-stopping moment in his closet, there’d been so many times, so many things she should have paid more attention to. The way his heart felt, thumping against her chest when he’d bested her in a martial arts match. The way he’d glared and then grown frosty on those rare occasions she’d told him she had a date. And this-whisking her away to his own private hideaway to protect her when anyone else would have been sent to a safe house somewhere.