Chloe could barely feel her body. “What about—”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll catch up,” he choked. He sliced through the zip tie. “And, Chloe, don’t look back. Don’t look back for anything.”
Pops stared straight ahead. “Helen, I love you. I’ve always loved you. I always will.”
“Of course you do, dear. I love you, too.”
Tears streamed down Chloe’s cheeks. She grabbed Helen’s hand and put her other hand on the door.
“Okay, Chloe. Go!” Pops shouted and thrust open the door. A man grunted.
Chloe shoved her side wide. She grabbed Gram’s hand tight and tugged. “Come on!” she shouted.
“What the hell?” their kidnapper shouted.
A loud thud sounded. Chloe didn’t look back. “Come on,” she said and practically pulled Gram through toward the trees. Her legs pumped.
“Run to the rock,” she said.
“But Lincoln . . . ,” Gram whimpered.
“He made me promise,” Chloe choked. “Please, Gram. We have to go fast.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Suddenly Gram straightened, and together they raced through the trees, toward the big rock.
“Old man, you’ve ruined everything,” the kidnapper shouted.
A dull clunk echoed behind them just as they reached the rock.
Chloe dragged Gram behind it. She could barely make out the river through the dense trees, but she did see more rocks.
“You son of a bitch!” the kidnapper shouted.
Chloe looked back. She gasped. The one called Earnhardt lay still on the ground, all dressed in black, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the sky.
Pops stood facing the other man, his hands in the air. Chloe froze.
“Run!” Pops yelled. He launched himself at their kidnapper.
The gun exploded, echoing through the mountains. Chloe gripped Gram’s hand. “We’ve got to run. We have to find the sheriff.”
“Lincoln’s the sheriff,” Gram gasped. “So is Carson. So is Thayne. All my boys are the sheriff.”
“We’ve got to find them. We’ve got to get away and hide.”
Chloe chanced a glance back. Pops lay on the ground. The man stood over him with a weapon.
“Duck,” she said to Gram.
They plopped down behind a rock. Chloe’s heart pounded. “No—Pops.” She blinked away the tears.
“You can’t get away,” the kidnapper shouted. “I’ll find you. And you’ll pay for this!”
Chloe panted and scanned the terrain around them. They had to stay low and out of sight. “We’ll have to go that way, Gram,” she said quietly. “We can’t let the bad guy catch us.”
“I know about bad guys.” Gram blinked and looked around. She grinned. “I know where we are, dear. I know where we can hide. No one will find us there.”
Hope leaped inside Chloe. “Really?”
“Oh yes, dear. That’s my job. To help people in trouble. Like you and your dear mama.” She narrowed her gaze. “The bad one is after us? Do you have a gun?”
Chloe shook her head. “But he does.”
“It’s okay. If we can make it to the cabin, I’ve got a gun. He won’t get you.” Gram took her hand. “Stay down. Follow me. I’ll take care of us. Lincoln will be angry, of course. He doesn’t know about the cabin. But we’ll see him at home.”
Gram was confused, but Chloe didn’t say anything about Pops. No way could he have lived after being shot like that. Madison said sometimes Gram knew things. Chloe would just have to pray that now was one of those times.
“I’m gonna find you, girl.” A gunshot sounded through the woods. “And you won’t like it when I do.”
A pickup honked at Thayne as they sped past each other on the highway leading out of town. A group of ranch hands from the Riverton place were joining the search. His brother-in-law had done better than his word.
Too bad it appeared as if Gram, Pops, and Chloe had disappeared.
Thayne swerved his vehicle into the municipal airport. He could see Mac waiting near the hangar.
He glanced at Riley. “Last time I was out here, I was dropping you off.” He didn’t add that he’d wondered if it would be for good. They both knew.
But she’d come back. For now.
“How sure are you the tire tracks headed toward the mountains?” Riley asked.
“Sixty–forty. I’m reading a lot into the angle on the tires.”
“I think he wants to be hidden,” Riley said. “There aren’t that many trees until you get to the foothills and up closer to the lake.”
“Let’s do this,” Thayne said and exited the vehicle. He walked over to Mac and shook his hand.
“Wished you’d hired me for a ski trip or something instead of finding people who should be home safe and sound,” Mac said.
“Us too.” Riley shook Mac’s hand. “How have you been?”
“Can’t complain. Who’s riding shotgun?” he asked.
“Thayne,” Riley said. “He knows the terrain much better than I do. He’s used to looking for the unusual.”
“Got it.”
Riley climbed into the small aircraft and settled behind the copilot’s seat. Thayne took his place, strapped in, and grabbed the headphones.
Mac finished up his checklist and walked the aircraft, and soon the engine purred.
“Singing River Ground, Warrior three two nine five Xray ready to taxi, east departure.” Mac’s voice droned through the communication system.
“Warrior three two nine five Xray, Singing River Ground, wind is two one zero and one zero, altimeter three zero one four, taxi to runway two zero.”
“Taxi to two zero, nine five Xray.”
The propeller spun in front of them, and the plane headed forward, gaining speed until they lifted off and soared into the sky.
Within minutes Mac had negotiated past the airport and taken a northern trajectory. The Wind River Mountains loomed at their right.
“I’ll fly a standard search grid pattern,” Mac said. “You see anything, we’ll take another pass.”
“How long can we stay up?” Riley asked.
“I have enough fuel to last us a few hours, at least until dark, but I hope we’re not up there that long. I hope we find them before then.”
“Me too,” Thayne said.
“What were they wearing?” Mac asked.
“Chloe had on a bright-yellow jacket. Gram wore purple. She always wears purple these days. She can’t seem to get out of the rut.”
“I’m glad Chloe likes bright colors,” Mac said. “It’ll make her easier to spot.”
They searched grid after grid. Most of the movement was from other search vehicles. Thayne shifted in his seat. “Let’s try a little farther from the mountains.”
“You thinking they could be on the Riverton Ranch?” Mac asked in surprise.
Thayne rubbed at the knot on his shoulder. “It’s a big property. Easy enough to hide on this time of year.”
“You ain’t kidding.”
The farther off the highways they flew, the fewer signs. Thayne scanned the tree line, searching for anything odd.
“Any luck, Riley?” he asked, trying not to let his frustration filter through the tone of his voice.
“Just the arroyo where we almost drowned,” Riley commented.
He glanced below. The floodwaters had carved out slides of earth, leaving behind a strange alien landscape.
Mac chuckled. “I bet your grandfather wasn’t happy when you mentioned being on the disputed land. Whew. My dad once told me the Rivertons and Blackwoods might very well go to an all-out war on that piece of property.”
“It’s terrible grazing,” Thayne said. “And it’s dangerous.”
“But it’s got water and all the snowmelt during the spring. During a drought, that water could save the day.”
“Do you know what the fight was over?” Thayne asked.
“My father told me it was personal, which i
n my day meant a woman, but I wouldn’t know. Your grandmother did date a Riverton for a while, from my recollection, but the feud goes back another generation.”
“See anything?” Thayne asked Riley.
“Nothing.”
A curse escaped Thayne. “Let’s try west and then north.”
The aircraft tilted. Thayne gave one last look below.
“Where are you, Pops? Gram? Why can’t we find you?”
The plane veered away from Chloe. Her entire body sagged, and she leaned back against a rock. “They didn’t see us.”
Gram stuffed the stick she’d found on their trek into the dirt. “Can’t see a lot from that high up. Not with all these trees.”
Chloe knelt down and scooped up some water from the brook and scrubbed her face. “We can’t stop,” she gasped.
They trudged along the side of the creek, weaving in and out of the trees and the water.
“I haven’t heard him for a while,” Chloe whispered. “Do you think he’s still back there?”
“Of course. Men like him don’t give up. We have to disappear.” Gram stopped at a large mountain of boulders blocking their path. “Cross the stream,” she said.
Chloe shivered. “We’ll be out in the open.”
“Turn that coat inside out, dear, so he won’t see you so easily. We’ll be fine until we get to where we’re going.”
She should’ve thought of the yellow being a beacon for the man chasing them. Chloe’s mind couldn’t get past Pops falling to the ground. Maybe he was okay. Maybe Gram was right and he’d show up at the Blackwood Ranch.
It could happen.
Chloe zipped up the coat and pulled it over her head before slipping it back on. The inside was gray. At least it wasn’t like a big sun shining directions.
A loud curse echoed from somewhere behind them.
Gram crouched down, as if by instinct. “Come on, dear heart.”
Chloe held Gram’s hand, and they picked their way into the fast-moving stream. The water pushed against Chloe’s legs and buffeted her. She had to let go of Gram and steady herself on a rock. Half–bent over, half-falling, she finally solidified her feet beneath her.
“That was close,” she said.
Gram teetered next to her. Her lips had turned an almost blue tinge. She clutched at her walking stick and pitched forward. Frantically she struggled to right herself. Chloe grabbed for her jacket, but Gram fell on her side. Her feet upended, and the water carried her downstream.
Chloe scrambled to the other side of the creek, chasing Gram. The old woman’s arms and legs flailed. She reached for a rock, but it slipped out of her hands.
Everything inside Chloe wanted to scream and shout, but she couldn’t. Not with the kidnapper still behind them. She wished the sheriff were here, or Pops, but mostly she wished her dad were here to take care of her. He’d never let anything happen to her.
The stream widened. The water slowed. Gram floated toward a large boulder in the center of a deep section. She hugged the rock and winced.
“Are you okay?” Chloe said, desperate to keep her voice low.
Gram nodded and took a deep breath. She shoved herself away from the boulder, toward Chloe. The water pulled her under, but somehow Gram lifted her hand and launched herself toward the side. She grabbed a large root with her hands and held on tight.
Chloe flattened her body on the edge and reached out to Gram. Mud slid down from beneath her chest.
Gram’s frightened gaze captured Chloe’s. She launched herself toward Chloe, and as if someone were watching over them, they linked hands. Chloe pulled back as hard as she could, and somehow Gram pushed up over the edge.
Chloe fell back on the grass and sucked in deep, long breaths. Gram groaned and lay beside her.
“That would’ve been fun if I were sixty years younger,” Gram said, wiping her face with a muddy hand.
Chloe reached over. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“You can’t hide forever,” a voice shouted out.
Chloe ducked down. “Is he closer?”
“Farther away. That little adventure put some distance between us, but we’re more out in the open now. We need to get back on the other side of the stream, under the cover of those trees.”
Gram slowly got to her feet, but when she stepped on her left foot, she winced and fell to the ground.
“That’s not good,” she said. She looked at Chloe. “I need a walking stick, one that reaches my shoulders. And make it strong.”
Chloe searched, but she didn’t see anything. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered. “Stay down.”
There had to be something she could use. Crouching, Chloe scampered toward the edge of the stream. A tree had fallen across the water, its long limbs still attached. That wouldn’t work, and she didn’t have a saw.
A limb stuck up from behind the large tree trunk. She scrambled over to it and pulled. It was close to her height and bigger than a baseball bat around. She pried it loose and headed back to Gram.
When she reached the side of the stream, Chloe froze. Gram lay in the grass, eyes closed, skin pale.
She knelt down and clutched Gram’s hand to hers. “No, don’t leave me. Please don’t. Everyone’s left.”
Gram’s lashes fluttered, and she gave Chloe a weak smile. “Just resting my eyes, Cheyenne, my love.”
“I’m Chloe, Gram. Not Cheyenne.” Chloe’s heart seized. She’d seen Gram get people confused. She squeezed her hand tight. “We have to find the cabin. Please.”
Gram sat up and looked around. It was as if she’d woken up from a dream or something. “How’d we get way out here?” She frowned at Chloe. “You’re not supposed to be here. This is a secret. Not even my Lincoln knows.”
A gunshot exploded, echoing through the woods. “He’s found us.”
Gram’s narrowed gaze studied the tree line. “No one there but that big buck.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t see a deer—”
At that moment the trees rustled clear across the stream. A huge animal straightened, his majestic horns broad and tall. The deer looked at Chloe and darted into the trees.
Gram was back. For how long, Chloe didn’t know. With a shiver, she handed Gram the walking stick. “Can you make it?”
Gram heaved herself up and tested the weight of her foot on the ground. “For a while. We need to get to the cabin.” She pointed a finger downstream. “Not much farther that way.”
Another shot exploded. Louder than the first.
“We’d better hurry,” Gram said. “Before he finds us and finishes the job he started.”
The plane dipped below a cloud. Milky soup surrounded Riley. She couldn’t make out the nose of the plane, much less anything below them. Suddenly, the Piper cleared the white soup. Trees loomed above and Riley gasped.
“Look. See the white? At ten o’clock.”
“An RV,” Thayne said with a frown. “Take us closer, Mac.”
Riley squinted at the motor home, parked half under the tree line. She lifted her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the vehicle.
“I can’t make out the license plate,” she muttered. “But there’s an SUV parked down there, too.”
“I see it.” Mac adjusted his head.
“I’ve got a body down there.” Thayne let out a shout. “Black clothes. Looks like black covering his face.”
Riley leaned forward, trying to adjust the binoculars. A shoe came into view, but it wasn’t black. Oh no.
“Pops is down there. Not moving.” Thayne went quiet.
“There’s a field not too far,” Mac said, his voice sober. “I’ll set you down.”
“Radio the airport. Tell them to send everyone they’ve got to these coordinates. Including an ambulance.”
Riley swept the area. “Where are Helen and Chloe?”
“Good question.” Thayne’s voice didn’t show signs of strain. In fact, the emotionless tone made Ri
ley shudder. He’d turned off his emotions, just as he did when he was preparing for a mission.
She understood. She wanted to touch him, to remind him that she wasn’t going anywhere, but she knew it would distract him, so she kept her hands wrapped around her binoculars, searching for Helen and Chloe, and the second man.
Mac landed the plane in a field more than a quarter mile from the site of the RV. Thayne didn’t even wait until the propeller stopped before he jumped out. He sprinted toward the RV. Riley chased after him.
She was out of breath when they reached a grove of trees. Thayne held his pistol at the ready, and Riley did the same.
Slowly they sneaked closer. Thayne held up his hand. Riley froze. Water from the nearby stream bubbled in the distance. The high-pitched chirp of birds filtered through the trees, and a grove of aspen quaked nearby. Other than that, there weren’t any sounds.
Thayne slipped through the trees and eased into place just outside the door to the RV. Riley planted herself on the other side of the door.
He signaled her. She placed her hand carefully on the door and pressed into the cheap aluminum handle. The button gave, and she nodded at him.
Three. Two. One.
She yanked open the door, and Thayne burst through the entrance. Within seconds he reappeared. “All clear.”
He frowned and hurried to Pops. “He’s been shot.” He knelt down and felt the older man’s neck. Riley held her breath.
Thayne sagged and bowed his head. “He’s alive. The tough old guy.”
“Thank God.” Riley checked the kidnapper’s pulse. “This one’s dead.” She ripped off the ski mask.
Thayne glanced over. “Earnhardt.” He went back to working on his grandfather. “Willow got her man.”
“Who could the other kidnapper be?”
“I don’t know,” Thayne said, looking over his shoulder. “Hopefully I can stabilize Pops and he can tell us which way they went. Otherwise, we’ve got a lot of forest to search.”
After cutting the material away from Pop’s wound, Thayne tried to peel back the part of his shirt stuck to the bullet hole. With a wince, he gave a tug.
Forgotten Legacy Page 26
