She knew she couldn’t waste time brooding over that. She needed to get free and find her son, if in fact he was here in this massive mountain cave. For the first time, Libby acknowledged that this whole exercise might have been for nothing.
She shook her head violently. She could not dwell on that now. She needed to get her ass in gear and search for Logan. She had to at least try. To think that her little boy was somehow mixed up with the likes of Cormac was unbelievable.
He was a monster. Quite simply, evil in the flesh. There were no other words for him. He stank of it and he carried it proudly. She’d met him at the DaCosta compound, on several different occasions. The dislike she’d felt for him was immediate and well deserved.
For it was Cormac who’d wiped her memories from her mind. It was a painful and brutal assault, and she knew that the bastard had enjoyed every single moment of it.
Her thoughts still jumbled, Libby jumped to her feet, calling on her last vestiges of strength and adrenaline to carry her through. She tried to blot out the image of Fat Frank, suspended high in the air, in excruciating pain as his life force was sucked from him.
Cautiously, she edged her way toward the opening to the tiny room where she’d awoken, pausing for a second to warily look around the corner. She held her breath, making not a sound, and exhaled slowly when she saw that the narrow passage was empty.
Her belly was clenched tight, full of worry as anxious energy clawed at her insides. She felt nauseous, and gingerly wiped her hand across the sweat that beaded her forehead. She could feel the fear that lay in wait, and knew that if she gave in to it, she would never see her son. At this thought, standing straight, squaring her shoulders, she stepped out of the room.
There were a series of holes carved deep into the walls here, and she turned to her left, away from where the glow slithered down from the large cavern. Quickly, she began to methodically check all of the tiny rooms that lined the long stone passage.
They were all empty. Some showed signs of recent occupancy, littered with scattered clothes and empty containers of food, but nothing indicated the presence of a little boy.
The ache that cut across her chest was sharp, and Libby fed on it, using the strength of the emotions to propel her forward. She ducked her head into the last tiny room, then turned back toward where she’d come from.
Quickly, she made her way back down the corridor. When she reached the end, she realized that it didn’t connect with the large cavern she’d initially emerged from. This was something else entirely.
Water seemed to be everywhere, and once more, along the far side of this particular cavern, a fast tumbling swatch of water beckoned, its surface glittering like diamonds as it rushed away and disappeared underground.
The walls were adorned with a plethora of writings, etchings, and pictures. All of them, from what she could see, were of Aztec origin, and featured jaguars, eagles, and the same strange looking disc she’s seen depicted near the entrance to the cave.
Something along the edge of the far wall caught her eyes, and Libby moved quickly toward it, her heart nearly beating from her chest at the sight of a small object protruding from a mess of rocks near the edge of the fast moving water.
Her long fingers reached out, and with a gentle tug she pulled a small toy free. It was a jaguar, carved from limestone, its surface soft and worn from play. She traced the contours of the animal, rubbing its softness against her cheek before clutching it close to her heart. Sorrow nearly undid her as she envisioned a child playing with the toy.
Her child.
“I see you’re awake.”
His voice cut through her sharply, and Libby closed her eyes, wishing with all her heart that she’d open them and find herself alone. She felt the hairs on her body stand on end and electrify as the air around her vibrated with the power the man possessed.
Her eyes were still closed but she felt his coldness nearby, his presence spilling out and staining everything in his path with his dark aura.
She felt sick to her stomach just being in such close proximity to him, and she swallowed hard, willing her eyes to open so she could face her nemesis once and for all. For surely, her last moments would be spent here, with him, in this strangely marked cave.
“Where is my son?”
The tall man regarded her in silence, obviously enjoying the fact that he held all the power, and dangling it in front of her like the proverbial golden carrot. Libby wanted nothing more than to smash her fist into his arrogant face.
“He’s not here.”
Surprise, anger, and then blinding rage rushed through Libby, and her body began to shake with the intensity of it.
She took a step forward but was unable to get any closer to him. It was as if an invisible hand had wrapped itself around her body and she was helpless to prevent it. She felt the pressure increase as it worked its way up her body, and she found it harder to breathe.
Her thoughts were chaotic, but one thing rang crystal clear. She would die here, and she was sure it would not be a quick and efficient death. No, the bastard would make her suffer and enjoy every moment of it.
A sadness deeply embedded in her soul broke through and trickled its way along her psyche. So many things lost. Loves that had slipped through her fingers, and a child she’d never had the chance to love and to watch grow.
She began to struggle as her anguish became physical, but it only served to weaken her already spent and tired body.
Cormac clapped slowly, his black eyes seeming to glow with enjoyment as he watched her struggle.
“I always liked your spunk, Libby. Even when you were no more than a whiny toddler, you still had that spark, that will to win. I knew even then that you were special.”