Marked for Revenge

by Valerie Hansen

  That comment raised Daniel’s hackles. Ninety-nine percent of contemporary vehicles had automatic transmissions, so why had Tony mentioned the difficulties of pushing in a clutch? He had to know what kind of truck he and Kaitlin were traveling in. That was the only explanation.

  Therefore, Daniel reasoned with building dread, Anthony Grainger had to be part of his problem, not the prayed-for solution.

  And, in his haste to relieve Kaitlin of responsibility and safeguard her, he had approached the wrong man.

  Now what? If he tried to walk away would his former buddy grab him? The other man was strong and healthy. It wouldn’t be a fair fight if they did tangle. Plus, he had to somehow keep Kaitlin out of it.

  Daniel’s breathing sped, his heart keeping pace and then some. Kaitlin. She was late. Suppose they had her already!

  * * *

  Nothing looked or felt amiss once Kaitlin was out in the sunshine of the early evening. No wonder she was hungry. The sun was going down and she hadn’t eaten a thing since breakfast.

  Parked vehicles surrounding her old truck had changed since she’d left it but none was a black SUV. Nor did she see anything like that nearby.

  Glad she’d tied the handles of the plastic sacks as she’d checked out, Kaitlin tossed them over the tailgate. The passenger window was rolled down. She expected to see Daniel napping or at least lying down on the seat.

  Her singsong “I’m back” was intended to rouse him pleasantly.

  Freezing, she did a double take and blinked, trying to wrap her mind around what she was seeing. Or, rather, not seeing.

  The truck was empty!

  She whirled, ready for a fight that didn’t come. A calm, surrounding atmosphere contradicted her feelings. Did she dare shout for him? If he was actually okay, broadcasting his name at the top of her lungs would be idiotic. So was standing there like a lost urchin and waiting for his return.

  Quick checks down nearby rows were fruitless. Considering the vastness of the parking areas there was no way she’d be able to cover them adequately on foot. Yet if she moved her truck and Daniel came back he’d think she’d abandoned him. She wasn’t merely stuck between a rock and a hard place, she was suspended between a bottomless abyss and the unknown of an astronomical black hole. There was no right answer. There was no correct reaction. No matter what she did it could be 100 percent wrong.

  Sliding behind the wheel she backed out, praying as she drove. “Father, keep him safe. Please. And guide me. I don’t have a clue what to do now.” Following that with thanks and praise for expected answers she laid out a mental grid that would cover that section of the lot while repeatedly bringing her past the place they’d been parked so she wouldn’t miss seeing Daniel if he did happen to show up.

  That was all she could do.

  “Please, Jesus, let it be enough.”

  * * *

  While Daniel pondered his next move he noticed Grainger’s attention diverting to something in the distance and used the cane for balance as he swiveled to see what.

  To his disappointment it wasn’t Kaitlin. To his surprise and disgust, however, Tony was looking at Letty. And she seemed to be in quite a hurry to join them.

  The other man’s hand was in his pocket, leading Daniel to suspect he was armed. At that range it wouldn’t have mattered if Kaitlin had gotten him a shotgun, he’d be at a disadvantage due to their close proximity.

  “You should have taken her up on the offer of marriage,” Tony said gruffly. “We could have avoided a lot of unpleasantness that way.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Money, of course. Letty had it all figured out. As soon as you were married she’d be eligible to draw your pension and I could turn you in for the reward.”

  “You mean kill me and hand me over, don’t you?”

  Grainger shrugged. “Whatever it takes.”

  “You’re not going to shoot me here in front of all these witnesses, are you?”

  “I will if I have to.”

  Daniel understood perfectly. They were going to kidnap him, haul him into the country and then murder him out there. Too bad it was such a good plan.

  At the thought of his prior kidnapping he began to feel his palms growing clammy, his forehead damp. Tremors sang along his nerve endings and twisted his gut in knots. He clenched his fists, fighting to retain control. The only mental image that gave him strength was that of Kaitlin, so he latched onto it and imagined everything about her, the silkiness of her hair, the grace and tenderness of her fingers as she’d bandaged his leg, the stubborn set of her jaw when she was asserting herself.

  In his peripheral vision he caught a slight movement. Tony had taken hold of the gun in his pocket and was pointing it at him through the cloth of his windbreaker. As soon as Letty reached them he was going to be outnumbered. Perhaps if he could take this prospective kidnapper by surprise and wrest the gun away he’d have a chance. Was it even possible?

  Daniel decided to play the invalid as a distraction. Moaning, he leaned heavily on the cane, almost overacting and actually losing his balance. “Agh. I can’t take this pain. You have to let me sit down.”

  “Soon.” The man gestured. “Start walking.”

  “Wh-where?” Daniel bent over the cane, hugging his stomach with his free arm. “I’m sick, man.”

  “You’ll be a lot sicker if you don’t do as I say.” Tony called out, “Go get the car.”

  Letty stopped and cupped a hand to her ear.

  “I said, bring the car.” This time, Daniel was ready. Straightening as fast as he could, he swung his free arm in a wide arc, connecting with his adversary’s nose.

  Anthony staggered back. Drew the gun just in time for his arm to become the perfect target for Daniel’s cane. The forward thrust and contact did its job but it also pushed Daniel off balance. He staggered, swinging a second time on his way down.

  The gun went flying. Grainger leaped. Landed on top of Daniel and drove a knee into the bandaged leg.

  Daniel cried out. Grabbed for the man’s collar. Drove his own forehead into his enemy’s nose and heard a satisfying crack. He had to end this fast or they’d draw a crowd and endanger innocent civilians.

  Letty had joined the melee. She was holding Tony’s gun and trying to aim, her hands shaking so badly that Daniel figured she was just as liable to shoot her own foot as she was him.

  Grainger was cupping his broken nose and cursing, but at least he’d gotten up and was no longer kneeling on Daniel’s wound.

  Daniel gritted his teeth and got to his knees, using the cane to rise fully. Dizzy and in agony, he knew better than to try to run. Even in his best shape he couldn’t have outrun a bullet.

  Letty tried to pass the gun to her cohort but he ignored her. Blood was seeping between his fingers and he was caterwauling like a wild boar with its leg caught in the jaws of a trap.

  This was Daniel’s best opportunity. He had to act no matter what. With lightning speed he slapped a hand against the side of the pistol and made a grab for it.

  Letty screamed. The gun fired. Most bystanders shouted and ducked but, as always, there were a few who simply froze, incredulous.

  Daniel almost lost his balance again. At the last second he recovered, flipped the pistol around and tried to hold it steady. It wasn’t until he had some semblance of control over the situation that he realized he couldn’t convincingly explain his actions to the police without telling everybody who he was and increasing the danger even more. He didn’t dare stick around long enough for cops to arrive because that was likely to land him in jail. Once in a cell and unable to flee or defend himself, he’d be a sitting duck, the same way he’d been in the hospital.

  He began to slowly back away, still holding the gun. Voices in the crowd rose to object, to order him to stop. The action of those citizens would have been appropriate, eve
n welcome, had he been in uniform and able to prove his innocence. As a ragtag, wounded combatant, however, he naturally looked far guiltier than Grainger or Letty.

  If somebody did work up the courage to try to grab and restrain him, there would be nothing he could do. They didn’t know it, of course, but he’d never aim at an innocent party, let alone shoot.

  Not even if his future hung in the balance. Which it clearly did.

  NINE

  The first clue Kaitlin had to where Daniel might have gone was a small gathering of people and a minor traffic jam. She stopped because the lane was blocked.

  A young woman pushing a child in a shopping cart hurried past and Kaitlin leaned out the window. “What’s going on?”

  “Some crazy guy with a gun,” the mother shouted back. “Don’t go that way.”

  “How do you...” But the woman was already too far past to pay heed. Kaitlin stopped the next person hurrying by. “Wait. What’s going on over there?”

  “Don’t know much,” an older man said. “Some bum got the drop on a nice-looking couple. I’m not hangin’ around to see what he does next.”

  She asked, “What did he look like?” too late. The witness was already on the run.

  Cars ahead were pulling aside wherever they could and clearing the aisle rather than passing the conflict. Kaitlin had no such qualms. She eased forward until the scene was clearer. Bystanders were falling back yet remaining focused on the center of the group. Dark, tousled hair was just barely visible above the heads of the others.

  It was Daniel. Without a doubt. What had he gotten himself into now?

  Seconds later the crowd had dispersed enough for her to see the answer. He did have something in his hand, presumably a gun, and he was pointing it at some people. That was crazy. He hadn’t seemed irrational before and she didn’t think his fever was high enough to produce delusions. Not yet, anyway. So what was going on?

  More frightened onlookers fell back, either edging away or turning and fleeing, shouting warnings as they ran. This was bad. Really bad.

  Although a few intrepid young people were holding cell phones aloft and shooting video, Kaitlin doubted that would be enough to prove Daniel was innocent. Why he had left the truck in the first place was no longer her main concern. Now she wanted to know why he had felt it necessary to face down his enemies.

  The dark haired woman must be Letty, Kaitlin reasoned. Otherwise Daniel wouldn’t be holding her and another man at gunpoint. So where had he gotten a pistol? Could he have taken it from the couple he was facing? That was the only conclusion that made sense.

  As she watched, several fairly young men in the background began to circle, maneuvering to get behind Daniel. He had nowhere to go. No fallback position. Either they or the police would soon have him captured and their fight for survival would end. Badly. She could not let that happen. But how could she possibly help without making the situation worse?

  Foot on the gas, she revved the motor. A gray cloud of exhaust billowed behind the truck.

  Daniel apparently heard the unusual noise because he chanced a quick glance, disturbing his aim enough to move the muzzle of the pistol to the side.

  Kaitlin saw one of his prisoners start to lunge toward him. She let up on the clutch. Tires spun. Squealed. The odor of burning rubber filled the air.

  Her truck shot forward as those who feared they might be in her path dove for cover. Everyone scattered except the two Daniel had been accosting.

  Hands holding the wheel in a death grip, Kaitlin skidded to a stop directly beside her new friend. “Get in the back!”

  They were out of time and options. If he tried to limp around to the passenger door the mob was sure to grab him. Instead, he did exactly what she had hoped.

  Hooking one arm over the side of the truck bed he swing his good leg high. Carried by momentum he threw himself over the edge of the bed, landing with a thud and a shout of pain.

  Kaitlin didn’t wait to see if he was all right. She floored the accelerator, spun her wheels again and turned toward the street. Toward freedom.

  “Please, God, let him be okay,” she prayed, frantic yet still in control enough to handle the speeding vehicle. If no one gave chase they just might make it.

  When she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Daniel waving at her from directly behind the driver’s seat, her relief was so intense her eyes misted.

  The best part about seeing his hand was realizing that he was motioning her to keep going. Okay, she would.

  But when they finally stopped to let him climb back into the passenger’s seat, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Getting out and trying to walk, let alone take on a mob, was probably one of the dumbest things she could imagine. What had he been thinking?

  Traffic slowed as police cars approached, sirens screaming, lights flashing, heading toward the sporting goods store. It was going to take them several minutes, at least, before they sorted out the whole story. Even if one of the photo-takers had a picture of her truck and license number it’d be a while before the details were clear. That was to their benefit.

  “He’s made me a fugitive, too,” she muttered to herself, wondering if she’d made a terrible mistake. Logic told her she had. Her heart disagreed. If she believed Daniel was the innocent party, and she did, then she’d had no choice. He’d needed her help and she’d given it freely. Period.

  Now it was time to expand on his rudimentary plan and get them out of the city. In one piece. Without being arrested. And without being spotted by those involved in the criminal conspiracy that had gotten them into so much trouble already.

  The irony of their situation was almost strong enough to be funny, Kaitlin thought with a grimace. As if they didn’t have enough trouble already, they’d now have half the people in Springfield aware of their presence, not to mention that the local news was likely to be picked up in St. Louis, as well.

  That was where she was eventually going to have to take him. But right now, right here, he needed rest and continued medical treatment. And to provide that, she had to find a way to become invisible, keep him warm and hydrated, administer meds at precise intervals and change the dressing on his wound to keep it sterile.

  Oh, and successfully keep dodging illegal bounty hunters who wanted him dead. This time she permitted herself a weak, lopsided smile. What a mess.

  Picturing Daniel, however, her mood lifted enough to warm her heart. To straighten and strengthen her grin. To give her the peace and assurance she had done the right things so far. Unimaginable circumstances had thrown them together and kept them there. Could that be an accident? Kaitlin doubted it. She’d experienced other unexplainable situations and had seen them through, learning later that her prayers had been answered after all, just not the way she had envisioned.

  Encountering Daniel Ryan, a man to whom she owed an enormous debt, might be another case of divine intervention. Viewing it as such was certainly comforting.

  She glanced in the rearview mirror again. She could see his bare feet and ankles near the tailgate. He wasn’t moving.

  She signaled for a turn, pulled onto a shady side street and took the chance of stopping in front of a house when she didn’t see anyone in the grassy yard.

  Leaving the truck idling, Kaitlin slid out, calling his name. “Daniel?”

  Afraid she was going to find him suffering more, she was delighted to see his eyes open and blinking at her when he complained, “About time.”

  That attitude was such a relief she had to give as good as she got. “Picky, picky, picky. Some people are never satisfied.”

  “Are you planning to let me ride up front now?”

  “After the stunt you pulled back there I should make you stay where you are,” Kaitlin quipped.

  As he raised on an elbow, then pushed himself to a sitting position, Daniel’s expression hardened, his eyes gli
ttering with what she judged to be anger.

  “I had my reasons.”

  “They’d better be good ones.”

  “They are,” he replied. “Lower the tailgate, will you? I’m not up to vaulting out the way I got in.”

  “That was pretty impressive,” she told him.

  “I had plenty of incentive.”

  He was still grimacing as he settled himself in the front seat. “My enemies apparently have a lot more friends than I do.”

  Kaitlin wanted to remind him that he had her, no matter what, but she figured he already knew that. His seat belt was fastened by the time she was ready to drive again.

  “There are campgrounds north and east of here,” he said. “Did you get everything on the list?”

  “All but boots for you. Too expensive. But I did pick up sandals on sale now that summer’s over.”

  “Fine.” He laid his head back, his left palm resting on his bandage. “Let’s go.”

  “What happened back there?” Curiosity insisted she ask.

  “I made another mistake,” Daniel said. “I trusted the wrong person and nearly paid the ultimate price.”

  “Is that where you got the gun?”

  He nodded slightly. “Yeah. If I’d known Letty was with Tony I’d never have approached him.”

  “Her again?” Kaitlin rolled her eyes. “I didn’t recognize her.”

  “She showed up after I got out to talk to an old buddy from the academy. Looks like my enemies have recruited folks I used to call friends.”

  “How will we tell them apart? I mean, after we get you back to St. Louis?”

  She saw the muscles in Daniel’s jaw clench before he closed his eyes and said, “That’s the problem. We won’t be able to.”

  * * *

  Although Kaitlin had stopped and awakened him to take another pill, Daniel kept feeling worse. His fever came and went, accompanied by pain and swelling in his leg. Skin redness had widened beyond the edges of the bandages, further indicating the seriousness of his condition. Every bump in the road sent lightning bolts of pain shooting through him. His head was pounding. And at present, he was so cold he shivered.