He nodded in agreement. “I studied that layout because I thought we would be escaping through there. Unfortunately, I did not spend a lot of time on the plans for either the slave quarters or the mines themselves.”
“As far as I know, this elevator is the only direct connection between the two levels.” She indicated a square on her drawing. “This is where I came down. There’s a guard station there and I also think the lift is biometrically coded to the guards. The sleeping quarters are to the left of the lift and the mines to the right. We’re on the path between them. At shift change, the miners are paraded past here so they can see the rewards they can reap for the highest production numbers.”
Her voice was perfectly calm, but he could see her hands shaking. Anger roared through him, and he wished he could kill Ukhaan all over again. How dare he have threatened Joan with such a fate. But his anger would not help her. Instead, he gently covered her hands with his own, and she gave them a grateful squeeze before resuming.
“I know there’s another route to the surface from the mines because they use it to transport the ore up to the transport ships, but I don’t know exactly where it is.”
“An ore ship wouldn’t be much use to us. They are usually remotely operated and not equipped with life support. But if we could get to the surface that way…”
Her eyes widened. “Ukhaan said the surface can’t support life.”
“That’s not strictly true. It’s a harsh environment but not instantly fatal.” He hummed thoughtfully. “I saw one of the ore ships leaving as I arrived. It is not a great distance across the surface from where it left to the location of my ship.”
They stared at each other, and he did his best not to reveal his dismay at his own conclusions. The last thing he wanted was to venture into the mines, but he didn’t see any other viable option.
“As soon as they realize that Ukhaan is missing, they’ll go into lockdown. And since we most assuredly do not want to go back in the direction of the guards, I think we would be better off going through the mines and across the surface,” he said finally.
“Are you sure?”
No, he wasn’t sure. In fact, the thought of going deeper, of risking another cave-in, made his skin crawl, but he had promised to rescue her and he was not going to let his female down.
“I’m sure.”
From the way her eyes studied him, he didn’t think she entirely believed him, despite the confidence he had attempted to convey, but she didn’t argue.
“Then we’ll start at this end,” she said with a smile and bent to pick up the first rock.
“I can do that.”
She actually laughed. “I know you can, but I’m going to help. I may not have all those muscles, but I’m not helpless.”
The admiring glance she cast at his arms caused an entirely inappropriate reaction from his cock. He tossed the rock aside and pulled her close, bending down to kiss her. Her response was as sweet and eager as if they had been back in his room. She melted against him, her soft curves cradling his erection as she explored his mouth. He had his hand on the lush swell of her ass, lifting her against him, before he came to his senses and gently placed her back on the ground.
“Later, little bird. Right now, there is work to be done.”
Despite Varga’s objections, Joan kept working at his side. Even though she could only clear away the smaller rocks, every little bit helped. Even with Varga’s impressive strength, he couldn’t move as quickly as he would obviously have preferred because the wall of debris was so unstable. Several times, he pulled away a large rock only to have more tumble down after it. The third time it happened, he swore and frowned at the rubble still blocking the corridor.
“I wish I was more familiar with this material. On Sorvid, the natural stone is denser and does not crumble as easily.”
“We’re making progress,” she said soothingly, pointing to an upper corner through which a faint light shone.
“Not quickly enough.” He studied the end of the tunnel that led back to the guard station. There hadn’t been any sound from that direction yet, but it was only a matter of time. She was actually surprised that no one had tried to come through so far. The guards had access to much more sophisticated equipment.
A chirp sounded, interrupting her thoughts, and she looked up to see George poking his head through the small opening at the top of the tunnel.
“George!”
He came skittering down the rubble, surefooted despite the constant small movements of the rock, and jumped into her arms when she crouched down to greet him. She hugged him to her chest and scratched behind his ears.
“Where did you come from? Is this where you spend your days?”
“Your pet seems to be well equipped for maneuvering through the tunnels,” Vargas said as he bent down next to her. “Did you train him to come looking for you?”
“No, but he’s very smart. He comes to visit me every day. Just like Rummel.” She sighed. “I wish he was here. He knows these mines.”
George chirped, his head tilted to one side as if he understood her words. If he did…
“Do you remember Rummel?”
George chirped again, in what sounded like agreement.
“Could you find him? And bring him here?”
“Sweetheart, I’m sure he’s very intelligent, but I don’t
