Marked for Revenge

by Valerie Hansen

  “Butch and Sundance,” Daniel offered.

  She was glad to see him leaning forward and checking the upcoming highway despite his continued teasing.

  There was no visible traffic coming. And no cars or SUVs were parked along the road, waiting for them.

  Kaitlin wheeled onto the pavement and accelerated, freed of worry for the present. “Whew! Lookin’ good.”

  Lack of a reply caused her to shoot a quick look at her passenger. “What’s wrong?”

  “Probably nothing,” Daniel said, although there was concern in his expression that she didn’t understand.

  “But...”

  He sighed. “But when we left the dirt, I could see two fresh sets of tire tracks in the mud. They must have been made after it stopped raining.”

  “During the night, then.”

  “Yes.”

  Kaitlin’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as her brain fought to suggest dire scenarios. She refused to listen. Anyone could have pulled off to rest or ride out the worst of the storm. The tire impressions didn’t have to have been made by their enemies.

  But they certainly could have been. She countered her own thought. They certainly could have been. But now that her cell phone was no longer sending signals, whoever might be tracking them that way would have to find another method, starting with visual contact.

  Had Daniel thought of that? she wondered. It didn’t really matter if he had because they couldn’t go back and change anything.

  Whatever was out there, whatever lay ahead, they were going to have to meet it head-on and take their chances once again.

  THIRTEEN

  The disadvantage of the winding, narrow road skirting the lake was the difficulty of telling whether they were being followed. The advantage was that a pursuer couldn’t see far ahead, either. If they turned off quickly there was a fair chance of at least temporary respite. Did he think the tire tracks in the mud were suspicious? Oh, yeah.

  Daniel racked his brain. He’d been up in that area before, but at that time his mind had been busy working out a different kind of survival puzzle. Pretending to be a crook to fool others wasn’t the same as trying to outthink those same people. Plus, he didn’t know them all by sight so a seemingly innocent civilian might turn out to be a deadly enemy.

  Once he had infiltrated the criminal organization he’d realized it was far more widespread than law enforcement had first thought. Its arms extended like the many-fingered lake they were skirting, from St. Louis all the way down to Springfield. His work and ensuing arrests had dismantled large portions of the monster but it wasn’t dead yet. And as long as there was money left with which to hire mercenaries, the threat remained.

  And speaking of threats... He leaned to peer into the outside mirror, waiting for the next bend in the road to show him what lay behind. Perhaps the flash of light he’d thought he noticed wasn’t from the sun reflecting off another vehicle, after all. Or maybe it was. Until Kaitlin rounded another S curve he couldn’t be certain either way.

  All he said was, “Faster.”

  “Do you see something?”

  “I thought I did. Can’t tell now.” He loosened his seat belt and lifted his sore leg with both hands so he could twist more easily to look directly at the road behind.

  “What do you want me to do?” Kaitlin asked.

  “Look for a side road.”

  “And turn? Without knowing where it goes?”

  “You stuck with me the last time.”

  “True. But the faster I drive, the less likely I’ll spot a turnoff in time.”

  Her constant contrariness got to him. “Deal with it,” he snapped.

  “All right, all right. You don’t have to bite my head off.”

  Daniel knew he’d been too harsh. He also knew this was not the time to lower his guard and concentrate on smoothing her ruffled feathers. Later, when they were relatively safe again, he’d consider apologizing, assuming she was still miffed.

  A catch of breath grabbed him enough that he made a sound audible over the roar of the engine.

  Kaitlin reacted immediately. “You saw something.”

  “Yes. I was looking for a black SUV. The vehicle gaining on us is a lighter color, maybe tan or white.”

  “Then how do you know it’s after us?”

  “The speed, for one thing. Nobody but a hit man or teenage boy drives like that up here.”

  “Hah! You have me driving like that.”

  “You’re different.”

  “You can say that again.” Kaitlin braked suddenly. Daniel would have slid off the seat if he hadn’t kept the seat belt on.

  Momentum pinned him to the truck door. He grabbed for the dash to brace himself and looked ahead. She’d spotted a turnoff. “Next time warn me.”

  “Next time, pay attention,” she shot back.

  He had to admit that her skills behind the wheel were superb. Police officers took classes in defensive driving. Kaitlin seemed to have developed the ability naturally.

  Another bump and jolt. “Ouch.”

  “I’ll slow down in a second,” she promised. “I didn’t know this would be so rough.”

  “And muddy. If they spot our tracks and follow, we’ll need an escape plan.”

  “One catastrophe at a time is my limit.”

  Before Daniel had a chance to point out a side shoot from the narrow track, she’d seen it and was turning again. “Good.”

  “Glad you approve.” The firm tone was evidence she was still upset with him.

  “Look, I’m sorry I snapped at you, okay?”

  “We’re both wound tighter than a tourniquet so you’re forgiven. How’s the leg?”

  “I—I’d forgotten all about it.” Daniel knew his shortness of breath and slightly halting speech contradicted that statement, but he figured Kaitlin wouldn’t argue when she was preoccupied with her driving. Wherever she was taking them, it had to be better than staying on the main highway. At least he hoped so, because at this point they were committed.

  “I’m going to keep going until I run out of road or find a place to turn around,” she said. “That okay with you?”

  “You’re the boss.”

  To his astonishment she started to smile. “I was wondering. This isn’t medical or police work but it’s kind of closer to what you do.”

  “Being in control is a big deal to you, isn’t it?”

  Kaitlin nodded as she slowed their pace and maneuvered between rows of saplings crowding the sides of the muddy trail. “Yes, it is. I’d be an unhappy doctor instead of a satisfied EMT if I hadn’t learned to take charge of my life.”

  “That’s not a bad thing as long as you don’t take it to extremes.” Speaking before realizing that she would certainly consider his opinion criticism, Daniel waited for backlash. Instead, he got agreement—of sorts.

  “I’ve been trying to teach myself that everybody isn’t out to run my life,” Kaitlin said, pausing to ease into a tight turn, then continuing. “It’s a hard habit to break. I have to find ways to stand up for what I believe, what I want, without alienating everyone who cares about me.”

  His initial reaction was to picture himself as the subject of her observation. That notion was dashed when she said, “Take my paramedic friend, Vince Babcock. He’s the one who told me to wait instead of busting into your house to stop your bleeding. I know I drive him crazy most of the time. I’m just hoping he starts to see value in my instincts soon.”

  “Vince?”

  “Older guy. Dark hair. Always grumpy. You met him when you called our ambulance.”

  “Can’t say I remember. I was pretty out of it then.” Thankful that Kaitlin’s description of the paramedic didn’t sound complimentary, Daniel started to view himself as a person who was willing to let her be herself.

  “I may be
a tad impetuous at times, but you have to admit it’s been beneficial. Can you imagine a woman like Letty pushing you out of the hospital in a wheelchair as if the place was on fire?” She chuckled. “I wish I could have stood back and watched us. I’m sure we were pretty awesome.”

  “You were,” Daniel told her. “I have to admit you’re unique.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He had to grin despite their awkward situation. “You are definitely one of a kind.” More softly he added, “And I’m thankful.”

  Mirroring his smile she brought the truck to a stop so she could look directly at him. “Me, too. I’ve never had this much fun before, not counting being scared out of my wits half the time. I’ll be relieved when I get you back to St. Louis, but I am going to miss our adventures.”

  Partly amused, Daniel was nonetheless deeply concerned. “Don’t lose sight of the seriousness of all this,” he warned, taking her hand. Her slim fingers were cold compared to his so he instinctively began to caress them. “We’ve been only a few steps ahead of the evil that’s trailing us. One error, one little mistake, and we can lose this battle. Never forget that. Not for a second.”

  Although Kaitlin nodded, she seemed mostly focused on their joined hands. Did she truly comprehend what they were up against? He doubted it. Yes, she was courageous. And resilient. But she was also untrained in hand-to-hand self-defense and gun handling. If anything happened to incapacitate him, she’d be as vulnerable as a whitetail deer standing in the middle of a busy highway and too stunned to jump out of the way of speeding cars.

  Resolve filled him. It was too late to exclude her from his troubles, not that she’d back off even if he begged. But it wasn’t too late to teach her a few basic things before they returned to the highway.

  “Find a clearing near here, if you can,” Daniel said. “We’re making temporary camp.”

  “We’re what?”

  “You heard me. One more night isn’t going to matter in the long run, and staying hidden will throw off whoever has been tracking us. We can make them think we’re way ahead or maybe crossed to the opposite side of the lake.”

  “Because nobody will believe a smart cop like you would park himself in the middle of nowhere, wounded and vulnerable, when he could be making tracks for safety?”

  “Yeah. Something like that.” He quirked a smile. “Are you with me?”

  Kaitlin rolled her eyes. “Where else would I be?”

  His initial urge was to praise her with a comment he’d had to school himself to quit using, given most modern women’s prejudices, but he dearly wanted to pat her hand and say, “Good girl.”

  * * *

  Kaitlin wasn’t about to show Daniel how happy she was to have the opportunity to spend more time with him, so she carefully schooled her features, especially any time he was looking her direction.

  The spot they finally chose was more of a clearing than an actual camping area. “I wish you’d put a tent on the shopping list,” Kaitlin remarked.

  “If I had you’d have run out of cash before you bought anything else.”

  “There is that. Remind me, next time I go on the lam, to plan ahead and save up more getaway money.”

  “Same could be said for me.”

  She hadn’t meant to depress him, not for a second, so she kept talking. “This is kind of like those survival shows on TV. We get dumped in the mountains and have to fend for ourselves.” Purposely smiling at him she said, “If you try to make me eat grubs or insects we are through, you hear me?”

  “Insects can’t be worse than those glued-together nuts and berries you bought.”

  “Talk about being picky.”

  “Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it. When I find a nice, tasty grub I may even share.”

  Kaitlin chuckled. “If you find a nice tasty grub I’ll want to watch you swallow it.” Pretending a shiver of distaste, she made a face at him. “Ugh.”

  He had joined her at the rear of the truck and was leaning on the cane, averting his face whenever he shifted position. She was sure he was grimacing in pain, even though he was doing his best to hide it.

  “Before we make camp I want to check your leg and change the bandage. We had a wild ride,” Kaitlin said.

  “The leg is fine.”

  “Calling medical control on this one,” she said firmly as she let down the tailgate and pointed. “Sit.”

  “Metal’s cold.”

  “You should try being stuck in a sleeveless top. I don’t dare wear my uniform shirt because it has my name on it.”

  Kaitlin hadn’t meant to complain but Daniel heard it that way. “I’m sorry. I wish I had something of value to sell so I could take better care of you.”

  For a split second she took offense. That was enough to make her rip loose the last piece of tape.

  “Ow.” He was rubbing his leg. “You did that on purpose.”

  “It slipped.”

  “No, you slipped,” he countered, almost smiling enough that she could feel relieved. “You had a gut-level reaction to what I said and didn’t stop yourself in time.”

  Shaking her head she tried to mask a smile. “The more time I spend with you, the smarter you get. I must be a good influence.”

  “You are amazing,” he said with a tenderness she didn’t expect to hear right then.

  Instead of throwing her arms around him and delivering a similar compliment, she chose to rely on her wit. “And don’t you forget it.”

  Gentle fingers checked his wound, then bandaged it again. “Keep taking your pills for a couple more days, at least. By then we should be back in civilization where you can get proper medical care.”

  “You’re doing fine.”

  “Humph. I’m doing first aid, not the job a paramedic could do.”

  “You’ll be one soon, right?”

  She concentrated on the bandaging rather than meeting his questioning gaze. “Right. All I have to do is pass an impossibly hard written test and the practical exam in the field. Piece of cake.”

  “Speaking of food, aren’t you hungry?”

  “Why? Did you spot a creepy-crawly?”

  “Not yet. I figured to nibble on nuts and berries until I do.” He gingerly slid off the tailgate and stood. “The leg really does feel better. Honest.”

  “It looks better, too.” She was scanning the clearing. “How in the world are we going to make ourselves comfortable here? It looks like the edge of a swamp.”

  “If the sun doesn’t dry the ground enough, I can bunk in the truck bed while you sleep in the cab.”

  “Medical control again. You belong inside. I’ll be fine out here.”

  “I’m too tall to stretch out in the truck,” Daniel countered. “Besides, there’s only one blanket.”

  “And a couple of smaller reflective covers.” Kaitlin couldn’t help blushing. “I never dreamed we’d be stuck in the woods this long or I’d have bought two full-size blankets.”

  “We need a knife,” he said.

  “Mags gave me bandage scissors. Why?”

  “To split the blanket.”

  Kaitlin didn’t appreciate his satisfied grin but she was on board with sharing the only warmth in an acceptable way. “Thanks for not assuming I’d be willing to sleep with you.”

  “Who says I’m doing this for you?” The grin widened.

  “I just figured you understood I wasn’t that kind of person. I mean, I have mentioned God more than once.”

  “Hey. We’re on the same team,” Daniel said. “You should have figured that out by now.”

  “It’s not only because of my Christian faith,” she said flatly. “I don’t do things like that. Not since...”

  “I know. I remember that confused teenage girl you used to be. It’s okay. We all get lost from time to time. That doesn�
��t mean we can’t start over.”

  “I have, you know.”

  She was relieved to see total acceptance in his expression. When he said, “I know,” with such conviction and tenderness, it was almost enough to make her weep. She bit back tears and purposely switched her focus.

  “Okay. Since I know nothing about camping other than roasting marshmallows on a stick, and we currently have no marshmallows, you’re in charge of whatever we need to do next. Anything that involves walking I can do for you.”

  “Are you up to gathering firewood? We’ll need to spread it out in a patch of sun and let it dry all day if we hope to have a warming fire tonight.”

  She was eyeing the woods. “Um, sure.”

  “Mountain lions and raccoons are nocturnal,” he teased.

  “Says you. I wish I knew how to shoot.”

  “Because you forgot to bring those loud cooking pots to bang together?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t worry. The wildlife is more scared of you than you are of them.” He hobbled over to the edge of the clearing and picked up a chunk of dead wood. “I don’t think you’ll have to go far to find all we need. There’s plenty like this close by.”

  “Right. And I did volunteer.” She made a silly face to bolster her own courage and amuse him. “That’ll teach me to keep my mouth shut.”

  Daniel began to laugh. Kaitlin faced him, hands on her hips. “What’s so funny?”

  When he finally regained enough control to speak he said, “The idea that anything will teach you to keep quiet.”

  “Ha-ha.” Her raised hand halted his laughing. “With all the noise you’re making, mister, let’s hope nobody else turned off the highway. We’ll be easy to find if they did. All they’ll have to do is follow the sound.”

  All she’d wanted was to squelch the personal joke, but then she realized there was far more truth to her warning than was comfortable. Sight wasn’t their only problem. Sound was, too. And it echoed for long distances.

  Animals might be frightened.

  Deer hunters might be upset.

  Hunters of men would be delighted.