Chapter twenty three
Into the Void
There were times in his life when Kyle simply cursed his luck. Like now. Out of all the people in the group, why did he have to meet up with William? He'd had maybe half an hour of peace and quiet until he ran into the guy and spent the next three hours in pointed, uncomfortable silence.
Kyle knew that he had no reason to be pissed at William. In theory. Because in reality... The way he talked, the way he acted towards him showed clearly that William, just like the rest of Kay's family, hated his guts. And while he hadn't minded before, it was starting to bother him now.
Because between Kay's family and his own, they were never going to be a normal couple. They'll always have to hide and keep away from the parents. It would've made things more fun. Had they been back in Texas with nothing else on their plate, sneaking around would've been a thrill in their relationship. But with huge jewels, Snitch Gravel and the agency... It was just a pain in the ass.
And it wasn't fair because William didn't know him. They hadn't met before he disappeared, before Kay spent days crying, convinced that he was dead. Why did William hate him so much? Okay, he did knock him out, but that happened later.
"You know," William said, breaking hours of silence. "I think we're going around in circles."
"We're not," Kyle answered. "I've actually paid attention. The tunnel is just winded and very long."
William threw him a dirty look and Kyle rolled his eyes.
"Don't you roll your eyes at me, you brat!"
"Okay, seriously, what's your problem?"
"Other than that you are violent and irresponsible and knocked me out?"
"When that happened you already didn't like me."
William raised his eyebrows. "What's there to like about you?"
"You don't seem to have a problem with anyone else." Kyle stopped in the middle of the tunnel and folded his arms across his chest. "So let's have it out."
"You're rash, you're irresponsible, you're brutish, you're..."
"No good for Kay?"
William stopped talking and tilted his head. "Why do you call Kathy Kay?"
"Because she likes it. Everyone calls her Kay now."
"Now?" William frowned. He looked at his boots and there seemed to be a fight going on inside him. "How long has it been?" he whispered.
Kyle bit his lip and couldn't believe he actually felt sorry for William. "Two years," he said quietly.
"Two years?" William screeched. Then he turned around and started mumbling to himself.
Kyle didn't know what to say and just waited awkwardly to be acknowledged again. What could you say to someone who's lost two years of their lives? And for what?
"Do you remember what happened?" he asked quietly.
William glared at him. "No. You tell me what happened. I only saw you once, but it was enough to know you're trouble. You and your fancy expensive motorcycle, bringing home girls that don't belong to you."
A rush of anger had Kyle shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He and Kay had both gotten so much shit for that one lift that it was starting to get really annoying. "Do you know why I brought Kay home that night?"
"No, she wouldn't say."
"Of course she wouldn't. Because she was trying to protect Danny the asshole. He got drunk and couldn't take her. So she was left alone. I did it as a favor to my friend. It was nothing but an innocent ride home."
"Oh." William seemed shocked by the normality of the interaction. "So, you and Kathy never...?"
Okay, this was where things got weird. If he said yes and lied, William would probably leave him alone and stop being hostile. If he told the truth, William would probably try to punch him. But Kyle wouldn't lie. Not about something as important as his feelings for Kay.
"Um, not then."
William squinted. "What do you mean not then?"
"Two years, remember? Kay broke up with Danny a month after you went missing. And we sort of..." Ugh, what was he doing? There was no sort of about it. "We're together now."
William just stared. For a really long time. But he wasn't yelling, wasn't attacking which was a good thing. Right? Finally, Kay's brother scanned him from head to foot, a pensive crease between his eyes.
"When I had my accident," he finally said. "I was on an assignment. I had to do it because I didn't want them going for Kathy, trying to recruit her, too. I failed. Did they get to her?"
Kyle nodded.
"You break through walls. You knocked me out with one punch. I've seen how hard you hit." William nodded at him. "What's wrong with you?"
That was totally rude, but Kyle decided he should continue to act civil, because there seemed to be a tiny chance that William would actually like him. "I think I've been part of an experimental drug trial as a kid and ended up with some... abilities, let's call them that."
William nodded as if he completely understood. "Do you really love my sister?"
"More than anything in this world."
"Would you take a bullet for her?"
"I'd take anything for her."
William nodded again, and turned away. "Take care of her, then." And he started down the corridor again.
Kyle followed, trying to wrap his head around what just happened. Did someone in Kay's family actually approve of him? As if he'd read his mind, William turned to him again.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not giving you my blessing. I just think that, given the circumstances, she's better off with you than without you."
"Gee, thanks."
"You're welcome," William answered, unhindered by the sarcasm and walked on.
He only took a few steps before the floor opened up under him. Kyle rushed forward and made to grab his hand, but missed. William hit the floor below and crashed through that one, too. The rock under him started to crumble. Kyle scrambled back and stuck his back against the wall until all movement ceased. He then tiptoed lightly to the hole and tried to climb down through it.
Of course it didn't work. The moment he crouched next to it, the ground gave way and he fell with a loud thud on the floor below. Fortunately, it didn't open up under him like it did under William, and he could actually climb down to the next floor. Where he found William sprawled on the ground and Jerry trying to get him back to his senses.
"Wow, you're fast," Jimmy said amused. "Sam just said we needed you."
"How's William?" Kyle asked, getting to his feet.
"Knocked out, but otherwise seems to be fine," Jerry answered, checking William's vitals.
Kyle opened his mouth to ask where they were and how they got here, but he didn't get to, because Sam grabbed his arm and started talking a mile a minute, filling him in on all that had happened, including the existence of a whirlpool and that the diamond might be under the lake.
"Why would the diamond be under the lake?" Kyle asked.
"I think we should've asked the natives that when we were captured," Sam mumbled. "Too bad we were aggressive idiots."
Kyle frowned, trying to remember if Calla had mentioned anything about a giant diamond, but come to think about it, they'd been too busy giggling like love-struck teenagers to talk about anything serious. Ugh, no, he didn't want to think about that.
"Should I go now and get it over with?" he asked. The whirlpool was slightly problematic, but only because he had to avoid it. It wasn't like it was the gateway to another world.
"Can you take me with you?" Sam asked hopefully.
"Can you swim?"
"You can." Sam joined his hands in mock prayer. "Please."
"Okay, fine. Just let me figure out which way to go and then I'll take you with me." Kyle headed for the lake and stopped at the edge. The thing was huge. It might take him a while to find an opening. He wondered how deep it was and if the diamond was really on the bottom or hidden somewhere else like he suspected. He wished he had goggles. And scuba gear as long as he was wishing. But he'd have to do with the headlamp and his hands and feet.
He took his boots and t-shirt off, then stepped into the water. "Holy shit, it's freezing!"
"Kyle!" Jerry said. "Do you really have to swear every time something slightly bothers you?"
"Slightly? Did you even touch the water?" His teeth were already clattering. But he had to do this so he took a deep breath and dove in.
For a second, he thought he'd go into hypothermic shock and die. But then his body started working and it felt a bit better. A tiny bit better. He swam lower and lower, trying to figure out where the bottom was. He finally saw it. The water wasn't too deep. He came out for breath, dived again and started searching. After the fourth dive, he finally saw an opening in the rock wall. He swam that way and noticed it was big enough to swim through.
For a second, he hesitated. He'd promised Sam to take him along. But he should still check where that opening lead before taking someone who couldn't swim in there. So he went under the cave wall and emerged in a much smaller cave. The bank was a few feet away and he could see a small opening in the wall.
Pleased with the result of his search, he swam back into the big lake and to the shore. The moment he stepped out of the water, his body started shaking violently.
"Are you sure you want to come?" he asked, barely managing to speak over the clattering of his teeth.
Sam didn't look sure at all, but he nodded stoically and took his shirt and boots off.
"You guys better figure out how to light a fire, so we can warm up when we come out," Kyle said, then turned to Sam. "Take a deep breath. Don't freak out. And the water is very cold."
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We're almost there! Just one chapter and a half to go! Time to find that diamond and get home to some peace and quiet.
But will it be a smooth ride?
Thanks for reading and don't forget to vote and comment!