by Kim McMahill
Niki nodded, but doubted she would be able to leave Deuce behind so saw no point in arguing about it now. She bundled the rope and twine under her arm and peeked out the door. No one. The helicopter still hadn’t lifted off and its continued noise would hopefully provide plenty of cover in which to flee the ranch. She crouched low and jogged to the row of vehicles. Once hidden behind a tractor she glanced back. Deuce gave her a thumbs-up, so she looked around again and dashed for the trees.
She was relieved when she reached Storm. The horse looked as if he had fully recovered from their morning of hard riding, but she feared her assessment might only be wishful thinking. Niki quickly coiled the rope and tied it to the back of her saddle, while shoving the baling twine into her saddlebags. She mounted and waited, rifle across her lap. As the minutes ticked by, she prayed for Deuce’s arrival.
The sound of the helicopter continued to dominate, drowning out the slight gurgling of the stream. She hoped Deuce could reach his horse and make it back before the chopper took off. Once the helicopter was airborne, they might be heard by the soldiers at the ranch or spotted from overhead.
From the cover of the trees Niki couldn’t see the barn, but she heard a horse rapidly approaching. She crossed Storm’s reins over his neck, flipped the safety off and raised the rifle to a ready position in case it was anyone other than Deuce. Her arms began to shake from the weight of the rifle, but she held firm and waited. Niki didn’t want to kill another man, but now knew she could if faced with no other option. She had gone too far to turn back now. She wouldn’t leave without Deuce and she refused to die before getting help for her grandfather.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Niki let out a sigh of relief, clicked the safety back on and lowered the rifle as Deuce rode into view. She said nothing as he reined Traveler to a stop alongside Storm and eased the rifle out of her hands and slid it into his empty scabbard.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Niki nodded and bit her lip.
“Let’s get out of here before they find the body.” He turned and urged Traveler into a gallop.
They rode side-by-side until they reached the confluence of streams where Niki had turned and headed for the ranch. They spoke little¾neither knowing what should be said about what had just happened and wanting to put distance between them and the soldiers at the ranch.
At the confluence they stopped, listening for any sound that didn’t belong. They dismounted to let the horses rest. When Niki looked at Deuce’s battered face, she had to fight the urge to go to him and offer what comfort she could. His eyes were blackened and nearly swollen shut. A bruise and a three inch gash ran from his temple to his cheek. Dried blood crusted on his skin and stained his faded denim shirt. She could see where his wrists had been rubbed raw by the ropes binding him until they too had bled. Despite the damage, he seemed as strong as ever and oblivious to his condition.
“I doubt anyone noticed me leave the ranch or we would have gotten some hint by now. I hid the body in the feed bunk in the sheep shed and kicked dirt over the blood, so hopefully it’ll be a while before the other soldiers figure out what happened. We should have a pretty good head start by then. Now, what do I need to know? I had a feeling back there you had a lot to tell me.”
Niki had no desire to relive the events of the day, but she took a deep breath and began her story. She told Deuce about the helicopter flying near their old camp the day before, her grandfather’s accident and about the encounter at the control tower which had forced her and Storm to run for their lives. He didn’t interrupt as she recounted the harrowing tale, but she could see his muscles tense and his fists clench as she described the chase and the narrow escape.
“Anyway, Storm saved our hides, but you can understand why I’m afraid he may not have much left in him right now. I have no idea how he kept his footing, but he did and I’m just so thankful he didn’t get shot or break a leg on one of our dangerous descents. You can’t imagine how relieved I was when I washed away the blood and found no bullet holes. It’s been one heck of a morning to say the least.”
Deuce walked over to Storm and ran his hand down the gelding’s thick neck. Dozens of scratches littered the horse’s chest, forelegs and shoulders. A sweaty foam had dried, caking the horse’s hair to its hide. It was obvious Storm had been through an incredible ordeal, but he suspected the tough old gelding had a little more left in him than Niki believed.
Despite his grumbling to Niki about the horse, Deuce never doubted Storm’s heart or spirit. Storm would never quit no matter what, even if it killed him in the process. The horse had no fear and an unbelievable amount of stamina and strength. Deuce had seldom seen a horse with so much endurance and power. When Niki first started riding Storm as a colt, Deuce had worried the horse was too much for such a small woman to handle, but the two had an unspoken understanding and he soon realized Niki was safe with Storm even if few men would ever be.
“Well, hopefully we won’t have to test him anymore today,” Deuce said as his eyes roamed slowly over Niki’s body. “Are you hurt?”
“I’ve been running on too much adrenaline since Sally ran through camp last night with an empty saddle and stirrups flying to even think about how I’m feeling. Ask me later when my heart rate returns to normal and I’m not worried sick about Papa. But if you’re asking if I’ve been shot, beaten, cut or thrown on my head, the answer is no. Right now all I can think about is getting back to Papa.” Niki put her toe in the stirrup and mounted Storm.
She waited until Deuce mounted Traveler and then urged Storm into a strong gait, expecting Deuce to follow without further questions. Now that she had him with her, she was able to focus her thoughts solely on her grandfather, knowing Deuce would be alert to danger and keep them from getting lost.
Deuce had to admit his father was right. Niki was clearly much stronger than he had ever given her credit for. He didn’t know many men or women who could have survived the morning she had or who could have been as accurate with a rifle at nearly a hundred yards. When the events of the day ran through his mind, a lump formed in his throat. She was so worried about a bullet hitting Storm that she didn’t even seem to realize a bullet could have hit her just as easily. An involuntary shudder shook him as he thought about how fortunate she was to be alive and how lucky he was she had come to the ranch looking for help.
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“You saved my life back there.”
“You would’ve done the same for me.” She rode on, resuming her silence.
Niki didn’t want to talk about it. She had pushed the vision of Deuce bound and moments from dying out of her mind, fearing if she let the image into her head she might lose her tenuous grip on her ability to function. The thought of how close she had come to losing him made her sick to her stomach and she just couldn’t deal with it while her grandfather was still in danger.
Even though she knew Deuce would have been executed if she hadn’t pulled the trigger, it still didn’t erase the fact that she had killed a man, something she would have never thought herself capable of before today. If they survived and life ever returned to normal, Niki imagined she would probably need therapy. But at the moment, she was so relieved to have Deuce by her side and was so worried about her grandfather that she couldn’t bring herself to feel guilt over what had happened. She had felt utterly alone when her grandfather didn’t return to camp and so terrified when she found him seriously injured that it was a relief to have someone, especially Deuce, to help shoulder the burden.
“Do you think Papa can survive without medical attention if he’s broken his back?”
“Depends on how bad it is. I knew a guy once who was in a serious car accident and didn’t even know he had sustained a spinal injury until fifteen years later when he was x-rayed for another problem. The doctor asked him when he broke his back. At the time of the accident the doctors were so focused on keeping him alive that the fracture in his spine was overlooked
and apparently healed on its own.”
Deuce’s words made her feel much better since she was starting to doubt they would be able to deliver her grandfather to a hospital anytime soon. He had always been so strong and resilient, but he was getting old. Niki couldn’t even remember seeing her grandfather with so much as a cold, much less incapacitated. Deuce had probably been right about him needing to give up his solitary lifestyle, alone in the mountains, far from help, but she appreciated him not bringing up the fact now when her emotions were hanging by a very thin, worn-out thread.
As the sun began to slowly dip below the trees, Niki felt her body begin to relax. She worried about what they would find when they reached her grandfather, but was starting to believe they had seen the last of the soldiers for the time being. They rode in creeks when they could, varying their trail and trying to leave no sign of their passage as much as possible in case anyone was attempting to track them.
They progressed steadily, seeing no sign of the Iranian soldiers or helicopters, galloping the horses whenever the terrain allowed. Avoiding the control tower area, even though it forced them to travel a considerable distance out of their way, they remained silently alert for more danger. Niki doubted the men were still looking for her unless they’d been alerted to the shooting at the ranch, but she could think of no way they would be able to link her to the soldier’s death—there had been no witnesses.
Deuce had led them through heavily-forested areas for the past two hours which Niki didn’t recognize. The terrain was rough at times, but Storm showed no sign of tiring. She knew Deuce was trying to make sure it would be difficult for anyone to follow, but she hated not taking the quickest, most direct route back to her grandfather. Despite her desire to hurry she recognized the wisdom in exercising caution, so said nothing to Deuce about the unusual route. If they weren’t careful and something happened, there would be no one to help her grandfather. Without assistance, she doubted he would survive another night and the thought of losing him was too frightening and depressing to even contemplate.
Worry for her grandfather dominated her thoughts, yet something else nagged at Niki’s mind. When she pulled the trigger back at the ranch, she hadn’t had time to think about the man, but now as the scene ran through her head she felt there was something vaguely familiar about the soldier holding the gun to Deuce’s head. Niki couldn’t force her mind to focus, so she pushed the unsettling thoughts back. All that mattered now was that Deuce was alive and they would soon reach her grandfather¾she just prayed it wasn’t too late.
CHAPTER TWELVE
It was after dark by the time they reached Bernie. Niki was thankful Sally had detected them and raised a ruckus¾otherwise she might have ridden past the spot where she had left her grandfather. Niki scrambled off her horse and ran to his side as quickly as her aching legs allowed. She dropped to her knees on the ground and picked up his hand.
The old man’s eyes fluttered open and he forced a weak smile to his lips. He tried to squeeze Niki’s hand, but the increase in pressure was so small she barely detected the difference.
“Is this the best you could do?” he weakly joked as his eyes focused on Deuce standing behind his granddaughter. “I was hoping for a doctor or at least the United States military.”
“How are you feeling, Bernie?”
“Every bone in my body aches like you wouldn’t believe, but I consider that very good news. I can now feel my toes.”
Niki let out a sigh of relief as she held on to her grandfather’s hand and bit back the tears of happiness. She was terrified when she thought he might be paralyzed. Despite his age, he was more active than most people she knew and he would not adjust easily to immobility.
“Until we know for sure the extent of your injuries, we need to be as careful as possible so we don’t make matters worse. We need to get you back to camp where we can keep you warm, get some food in your belly and treat your injuries the best we can,” Deuce said.
“He can’t stand up or ride. How will we move him?”
“Yep, I guess it’s time to test my Boy Scout skills. Keep him comfortable and hydrated while I try to rig a travois. Hopefully it won’t take too long.”
Niki nodded and watched as Deuce strode off into the trees. Normally she would have lashed out at his orders, but at the moment she was too tired to think or make decisions on her own and too scared to argue. She diverted her eyes away from the spot in the forest in which he disappeared and returned her focus to her grandfather.
Pasting a smile on her face, she sat down on the ground next to him, held the canteen to his lips and made him drink until the last little bit of water was gone. Niki dug around through the remaining supplies and found one last piece of coffee cake. Taking a bite, she handed the rest to her grandfather, knowing he wouldn’t eat if she didn’t first.
“What happened to that boy? He looks like he’s been through one heck of a bar fight.”
Niki wasn’t sure she could tell her grandfather what happened yet without bursting into tears. She had to stay strong for a while longer since they were still hours from camp. And how could she admit that she had killed a man today?
“Papa, it’s a long story, one of many I’ll share with you when we get settled, but for now, just rest and don’t worry about Deuce or anything else. He’s too hardheaded for there to be any permanent damage. And I can assure you the man who did this to him is in much worse shape.” Because I killed him.
The old man chuckled and didn’t press his granddaughter further. She was clearly exhausted and her emotions obviously raw. When he asked the question about Deuce he saw her eyes fill with tears and she pulled her bottom lip in and bit on it like she used to do when she was a little girl. He hadn’t seen her fight so hard to keep from crying since her mother died and it broke his heart that whatever had happened out there was causing her such grief. She kept from crying, but he could tell it took a lot of effort, and she didn’t look as if she had enough strength left to waste.
“I’m always keen on a long story. Unfortunately, I suspect this one isn’t very pleasant, so it’ll keep until you’re ready.”
Niki pulled the blanket back up under her grandfather’s chin and gently tucked in the sides to keep his body heat from escaping. She tried not to stare at the last place she had seen Deuce, but couldn’t help herself. She was afraid when she lost sight of him that she might lose him altogether. Niki knew it wasn’t a rational thought, but felt she was justified a little irrational behavior after the day she’d had.
“Papa, I’m going to go fill the canteen and I’d better water Sally and Gracie. The mule has been tied up all day and I doubt Gracie has left your side long enough to find water. I’ll be right back.”
Bernie watched his granddaughter disappear into the trees and had to fight the urge to call her back. He should have never let her go for help. Even though she didn’t want to talk about it, by the look of her horse and Deuce’s face, and by her struggle to keep from falling apart, he knew something horrible had happened. He always wanted to protect her and it killed him to know he hadn’t been there for her, but he was proud. Whatever she had encountered, she had survived and returned to him.
He was relieved when he saw Niki slowly plod back into view tugging his old mule behind her. Her expression was a million miles away, but at least she was near and for now that would have to be enough.
Before long, Deuce returned, dragging several long thick poles and numerous other ones of varying lengths. Niki watched as he quickly secured the shorter tree limbs to the longer poles using the twine they had brought from the sheep shed. The travois soon took shape, giving her hope they would be able to move her grandfather to a more comfortable place where she could take better care of him without aggravating his injuries any further. He needed a hospital, but since that clearly wasn’t an option at the moment, camp would have to do.
Without being asked, Niki grabbed one side of the travois and helped Deuce carry the contraption next to he
r grandfather. It was crudely built, but sturdy and she had no doubt it would be able to transport her grandfather back to camp with as little strain to his body as possible.
“How tough do you feel?” Deuce asked.
Niki’s mind and body were still stirred up from the day’s events. She was exhausted and frightened, her mind whirled and adrenaline coursed through her veins with such force it made her feel a bit nauseous, but she would do whatever needed to be done until her grandfather was resting comfortably.
“As tough as I need to be. What do you want me to do?”
“Since you’ve already slipped the saddle blankets under him, all we need to do is gently lift him by the edges of the blankets and set him on the travois. On the count of three, okay?”
Niki grasped the edges of the padded blankets on one side of her grandfather while Deuce clutched the other. They lifted the old man onto the travois with only one small gasp of pain slipping through his lips.
“Still doing okay, Bernie?”
“Just get me out of here. I’m getting tired of the view. A man can only look at the same bird’s nest for so long before he wants to shoot it out of the tree, but I was afraid Niki would scold me for wasting ammunition and scaring helpless birds.”
“You got that right,” she grumbled. “Now just relax and let us know if anything hurts.”
“I’ll pull him behind Traveler since Storm’s already had a long day. You can bring Sally and lead the way since I don’t know exactly where you two set up the new camp.”
Niki wove in and out of the trees, finding a path with the fewest bumps and wide enough for her grandfather’s transport to pass through unhindered. It took over three hours to make the two hour trip back to camp, but when the tent came into view, Niki couldn’t believe how good it looked.
