Read Worth Dying For for Free Online Page B

of the pit.
    A look at Amber’s immobile face told him she was still alive. Her lips and cheeks had a rosy blush despite the waxy mask beneath and he knew she would not have survived underground much longer.
    A shuddering screech off to his left tore his attention away from the woman lying limp in his arms and Bane turned to see a large tree rolling towards him as the ground beneath it gave way, threatening to knock them back down into the muddy tomb. Dropping to a crouch, he pressed Amber closer to his chest and leapt clear of the ground in one swift movement, latching a strong hand around a branch fifteen feet above. The bough held their weight for no more than a second then groaned in protest before coming away from the trunk with a loud crack.
    Swinging his legs, Bane barely had time to launch himself and his cargo from the fallen limb before it broke off completely. Angling his body to one side to protect the injured woman, he slammed into a larger tree further down the slope and dug his fingers through the bark to anchor them against the hard wood. The immense oak supporting them held firm, impervious to the effects of the earth shifting beneath due to its vast age and size. Bane adjusted Amber’s position in his arms and turned to look for David.
      He found the gutless buffoon out at sea, struggling to guide the dinghy over the breakers trying to drag him back to shore. If he had any concern at all for Amber’s welfare, it had not manifested itself yet to Bane. David’s brow creased as he concentrated on fighting the incoming tide but there was something more—cold fear. His gaze flicked upwards to the place where Bane still held Amber before darting away, giving Bane no doubt that he had watched the events unfold.
    The cold, grey skies gave Bane the protection he needed to risk exposing his skin to the elements while he took Amber to her friend. He carried her to the water’s edge and gestured for David to return. The fool dropped his head and fixed his gaze on the floor of the boat, as if he hadn’t seen a thing, and rowed harder.
    “Arrant coward,” Bane muttered.
    Judging by his distance from shore, David must have turned tail and ran as soon as the hillside started to slide. He would be easy to catch, but at what cost to himself and the injured woman? Most likely, he wouldn’t have the strength to row the twenty miles to the mainland, never mind do it with a passenger.
    Bane allowed himself a moment to relish the thought of what he might do to David when he yanked him back to shore. Killing him would be easy, fast and very satisfying—given the nature of the man—but to what end? People would still come to look for them soon. Eli, the old salt from the mainland, would be back within three days even if David didn’t survive to raise the alarm.
    Bane looked down at Amber’s still unconscious form. Could he kill her in cold blood, catch David and let their disappearance remain a mystery? He rejected the idea almost as soon as it occurred. Nothing he did now could prevent more strangers from invading his home even if the thought of harming the frail creature lying at his feet didn’t repulse him so. He’d hurt her enough already.
    The events he set in motion in an inept attempt to spare their lives had spiralled out of control and now Amber might die anyway. Frightening them off of the island had seemed a wondrous idea, until the storm hit. He’d been gathering and piling small rocks and boulders all afternoon in preparation for the controlled rock fall he intended to cause while they were out of camp the next day. Their equipment would have been destroyed and the prospect of staying any longer would be impossible. The couple would have taken enough food and water with them to last until help arrived - help they would be forced to summon on their cell phones had arrived. But nature had made a mockery of his plans. The unseasonably heavy downpour had built up against his man-made dam on the hillside,