The Last Target (Love Inspired Suspense)

by Christy Barritt

  Rachel’s heart felt like it had stopped. “Andrew killed someone?”

  “Mommy?” Aidan pattered into the room with one of his coloring books.

  “One minute, sweetie.” She raised a finger, instructing him to wait.

  Jack’s face remained tight. “It was an accident. But he felt terribly about it. Meredith’s family decided to report the death being from enemy fire so that Andrew wouldn’t face any disciplinary action. It could have meant leave from the military or possibly a trial.”

  Rachel nodded, still trying to comprehend everything, yet also realizing that there was more to be told. “I see.”

  “Mommy—” Aidan pulled at her shirt.

  “Aidan, one minute. Mommy’s talking right now. Please don’t interrupt. It’s bad manners.”

  Jack continued. “They knew that Andrew was one of the good guys and they didn’t want to penalize him for it. They said he was constantly bringing by toys for the children or helping with donations when they were low on funding. They really thought highly of him, even after the accident.”

  Rachel heart swelled. That sounded like Andrew. Big hearted. Looking out for others. He must have been devastated by Meredith’s father’s death. That would explain the apologies and forgiveness and love mentioned in the letters. They’d been Andrew’s cry for forgiveness from the family, and Meredith had simply been talking about Andrew’s love for their organization.

  “What about the money that Andrew sent them?”

  “Andrew sent Meredith’s family money to try and help them out financially. They were barely making ends meet with their nonprofit, especially after their father was killed. He was trying to help them keep it going.”

  She swallowed, the saliva burning her throat. That’s what those letters had been? That’s where the money had gone? Relief washed through her with such force that she wanted to chuckle. “Thank you, Jack. I can’t tell you how much relief I feel in finally knowing the truth. Relief and…I don’t know. A few other emotions that will take some time to process.”

  “I’m glad you can finally feel some closure.”

  Rachel sighed, going back to the bigger problems at hand. Just for a moment she’d forgotten about them, but now they came back to the forefront of her mind, demanding more attention than ever. “I guess there was no connection with the list, however?”

  He shook his head. “No, we’re no closer to answers than we were before.”

  And as always, they were at a dead end. The sad part was that the term dead end had new meaning to her, with special emphasis on the word dead.

  “Mommy, I have a question. Please.”

  She looked down at Aidan. “Yes, what is it?”

  “Who did this in my coloring book?”

  She looked down at the page. On the inside front cover, someone had drawn a cartoon-like picture of a woman who looked eerily similar to Rachel. Only this woman was crying and had a gun pointed to her head. In a bubble beside her face were written, “It’s almost time.”

  She looked up at Jack and saw the alarm in his gaze.

  How had Apaka gotten a hold of Aidan’s coloring book?

  Unless they’d been in the house.

  EIGHTEEN

  “Jack, we’ve got a problem.”

  Denton’s voice caused Jack’s spine to straighten. He forgot about the picture for a moment and hurried across the room to the computer monitors. “What’s going on?”

  Denton pointed to one of the screens. “Right there. Behind that tree. There’s a man. With a gun.”

  Jack squinted at the black-and-white image until the man came into focus. He wore camouflage and a face mask, blending right in with the environment. If it hadn’t been for the sun’s reflection off of the barrel of his gun, Jack would have never noticed him.

  Jack looked at the other screens, looking for any other telltale signs of intruders. There, on the opposite side of the house, was another man, also holding a gun. “They’ve found us,” he muttered.

  “Apaka? Apaka has found us?” Rachel’s eyes widened as big as saucers. She pulled Aidan to her.

  “You two, get down behind the couch and stay there until we say move.” Jack pulled the gun from its holster. “I’d say we have a serious problem, Denton.”

  “I’d agree.” Denton pulled his gun out just as a shot shattered the front window.

  The two men locked gazes, both realizing that a battle for their lives was about to begin. Jack needed a battle plan and quick. “Who knows how many operatives are out there? We’ve got to get out of here and now, or we’re just going to be sitting ducks.”

  “I’ll get the car, but first I need to clear the garage, make sure no one has infiltrated the house yet,” Denton muttered.

  “Jack, what’s going on?” Rachel’s voice sounded thin, fragile. Jack glanced back at the security feed.

  “There are at least three men out there. Maybe more. At this point, they’re not even being shy about being here.”

  “The garage is clear!” Denton shouted from the other room. “Come on!”

  “Stay low,” Jack ordered Rachel and Aidan. Another bullet splintered the wall. “But move fast.”

  Rachel shielded Aidan with her own body as they crawled along the floor. How had they found out their location? No one had followed Jack today. He was sure of it. But somehow, they’d been found. All kinds of theories began brewing in Jack’s head. He’d have to sort them out later. Right now, they had to concentrate on getting out of here.

  Glass shattered in the other room. That time it sounded like a vase or a picture, perhaps. Jack didn’t care—as long as it wasn’t Rachel or Aidan. Denton stood at the door, partly crouched, waving them over with a certain urgency.

  As soon as Aidan was close enough, Denton grabbed the boy and rushed him to the SUV. Rachel was right behind him, scrambling for the safe confines of the vehicle. As Jack climbed into the SUV, Rachel pulled the seatbelt over Aidan, her hands trembling as she did so.

  “Denton, you drive.” Jack held up his gun. “I’ll hold them off.”

  “Got it.”

  Jack looked back at Rachel and Aidan. “Rachel, whatever you do, stay down. And pray. Pray hard.”

  Rachel trembled still but nodded.

  A crash sounded inside. Was that the front door being knocked down? Jack didn’t wait around to find out. “Let’s go!”

  The SUV squealed from its home, busting through the garage door. As soon as sunlight hit the hood, bullets peppered the vehicle. The front windshield shattered at the impact of the bullets. Jack raised his gun.

  He looked back at the porch, saw a man crouching there. The man’s gun pointed straight at them. Jack shot, aiming at the man’s hand. He must have hit. The man’s weapon dropped to the ground.

  But not before another operative fired. The bullet hit their tire. There was a loud band, then a whoosh of air followed by a flap, flap, flap.

  Lord, help us.

  The vehicle swerved to the left before overcorrecting and teetering to the right. Rachel toppled into the door, still grasping Aidan and covering him. Pieces of glass rained throughout the vehicle.

  “Keep going! We’ve got to keep going!” Jack shouted.

  “I’m on it.” Denton charged forward, though the vehicle leaned lopsided. Those defensive driving courses at Eyes had paid off.

  Jack looked back, at the men surrounding the house—now all staring at and focusing on their fleeing SUV. “You see anybody ahead of us?”

  “Negative. This was all obviously planned, though. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were more men out there just waiting.”

  Jack stared at the security gate that they were quickly approaching at the end of the driveway. “We’ve got to open that gate. The SUV won’t be able to break through it like the garage door. It’s steel and meant to withstand impact.”

  “The code is 9-25-38.”

  “We’re going to have to move fast. Who knows if there are more of them out there.” Jack glanced into
the woods surrounding the property. He prayed this wasn’t another trap. Slowing down at all was risky, but they had no other choice.

  “Jack?” Rachel asked from the backseat.

  He turned his head toward her. “Listen, we’ve got to open this gate. Stay down. We’re not out of danger yet. Understand?”

  “Understand.”

  Jack slowly exhaled, praying God would give him speed, quick fingers and a moment of invisibility.

  Rachel looked down at Aidan and saw that his wide eyes were brimming with tears. The other times they’d been in danger, he’d viewed it as an adventure. This time, it was getting to him. Rachel’s heart twisted.

  Flap, flap, flap. The deflated tire sounded its distress as the car slowed.

  “We’ve got to make this quick,” Jack muttered.

  Rachel heard the window going down, heard the beep of numbers on the keypad outside of the gate. Lord, be with us. How many times had she uttered that prayer today? In the past two weeks? Since Andrew died, for that matter?

  “Got it!” Jack exclaimed.

  Just as the gates groaned outside the window, another bullet shattered the glass behind them. Rachel screamed as more bits of glass sprinkled them. Denton gunned the engine and charged away from the property.

  “You’ve been hit,” Denton said.

  “It just grazed my arm,” Jack muttered.

  Jack had been shot? How bad was his injury? Had it really just grazed his arm? “Jack?” Adrenaline pulsed through Rachel.

  “I’m fine, Rachel. We’ve got bigger worries at the moment.”

  Another bullet hit the rearview mirror. Rachel hovered over Aidan. She pressed her head into the back of the leather seat as the SUV veered to the left again. How long could they drive on the tire rim? Were there more men out in these woods just waiting for them to stop so they could attack? And if there were, would they survive? Her heart twisted again. She had to think positive.

  “We’ve got to make it into the town at least,” Jack said.

  “How far away is town?”

  “Ten miles.”

  Ten miles? On a blown out tire? Rachel kissed the top of Aidan’s head. She looked up again just in time to see a man in camouflage step in the middle of the street, his gun aimed straight at them.

  NINETEEN

  “Get down!” Jack shouted.

  He raised his gun, aimed it out the broken windshield and shot the man’s shoulder. The operative fell to the ground, grasping his injury. His body stretched across the narrow road. Denton swerved to miss him. Before he could right the vehicle, they scraped a tree and careened into a ditch.

  Jack hit the dashboard on impact. He sat up and looked into the backseat. “Everyone okay?”

  Rachel raised her head. “I think so. Aidan, are you okay?”

  The little boy nodded, looking slightly dazed.

  Denton had a fresh knot on his forehead. Jack didn’t have time to contemplate everyone’s injuries—minor as they were—at the moment. His gaze raced to the operative he’d just shot. The man lay in the middle of the road, still writhing. But the man’s eyes were fixed on the gun that had skittered across the road.

  “Denton, scan the rest of the area for more operatives. I’ve got him.” Jack avoided his crushed door and climbed through the broken window. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he darted toward the man.

  The operative gained his strength surprisingly fast and leapt to his feet. He lunged for the gun, but Jack reached it first. He kicked it out of reach before pulling out his own gun and aiming it at the man.

  “Where are your cohorts?” Jack demanded.

  The man’s face twisted in a mixture of pain and disgust. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

  “I’d suggest you start talking.”

  The man eyed Jack’s gun. “Never!”

  He lunged forward with surprising strength and snatched the gun from Jack’s hand. Before Jack could react, the man turned the gun toward himself and pulled the trigger. Jack looked away from his dead body, hoping that Aidan hadn’t just witnessed that. He glanced toward the SUV and saw Rachel shielding the boy’s face. Her own eyes were wide with disbelief. He wished he had time to comfort her, but he didn’t.

  He hurried toward the SUV. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here. Is everyone okay?”

  Rachel’s gaze zoomed in on his wound. “You’re bleeding, Jack.”

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  “You need to get someone to look at that.”

  He shrugged it off, ignoring the pain hammering through his arm. “No time for that now. We need to go.” His gaze scanned the woods. “There could be more men out there. Every second counts.”

  “Where are we going?” Rachel asked.

  “Through the woods. If we stay on the road, we’re easy targets. The woods will give us some cover, at least.” He glanced down at Rachel’s flip-flops. They’d only had time to flee in what they were wearing. Those shoes would be a hindrance walking through the thick underbrush, however. He glanced at Aidan, realizing there was no way Rachel would be able to carry him. “Aidan, want to ride on my back?”

  The boy raised his head and nodded with a bit of uncertainty.

  “You’ve got to hold on tight, though, okay?”

  He nodded again.

  “Jack—” Rachel started.

  “Rachel, we’ve got to move fast. Do you understand?”

  She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. Her eyes were wells of emotion, though. “Okay.” She helped Aidan climb onto Jack’s back.

  Then they stepped into the thick woods, that instantly swallowed them with its thick foliage. Good for them to hide, but also good for any Apaka operatives to take cover and ambush them. Jack had a bad feeling about this. He instructed Rachel to stay behind him and Denton to bring up the tail.

  Jack pointed in the distance. “We’ll head west. We’ll cut some time off the trek to town this way.”

  Rachel moved a branch out of the way and stayed close behind him. “What then? What happens when we get into town?”

  “Then we get a new car and take off to where no one can find us.”

  “And we stay there until they find us?”

  Jack glanced back at her, wishing he could assure her that her thoughts were unfounded, born out of paranoia and fear. But were they? He couldn’t guarantee it.

  “We need to keep moving.” He motioned forward.

  Rachel picked up on the fact that Jack didn’t answer her question. She said nothing. She knew the risky situation they were in and didn’t need it spelled out. They weren’t going to be safe anywhere until this cell of Apaka was all captured or dead.

  Her foot twisted on the rocky terrain of the woods as they hurried over a dry creek bed. She found her footing and rushed ahead. If only she’d been wearing sneakers and jeans today. But instead she’d dressed for the warm weather in jean shorts, a T-shirt and flip-flops.

  Branches scratched at her legs, and her shoes couldn’t get a good grip on the slick forest floor. But it didn’t matter right now. What mattered was that Aidan was safe, that Apaka didn’t find them.

  She knew Jack’s arm was injured, yet he toted Aidan on his back. Aidan clung to him, and Rachel knew her son felt safe with Jack, much like she’d felt safe with her dad as a child. Her heart panged with sadness for a moment. Was Jack becoming a father figure to Aidan? How would he feel once Jack was gone from their lives? How would Rachel feel?

  She had to admit one thing—Jack was a true soldier, not letting the pain slow him down. But Rachel worried about both Jack and Aidan. Jack needed medical help. Aidan…well, Rachel simply wished she could magically transport him out of this situation.

  “What does it look like back there, Denton?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t see anything. But I don’t like this. I have a feeling all of those operatives who were at the house are now trying to track us through these woods.”

  Fear sizzled up Rachel’s spine, and her chest ti
ghtened. How would they get out of this one, if not only by God’s grace?

  “You okay, Rachel?” Jack asked. “You hanging in?”

  She nodded, even though she realized he wasn’t looking at her. She couldn’t seem to make the words leave her mouth, though.

  “Rachel?”

  She sucked in a shallow breath, steadying herself by holding on to a boulder for a moment. “I’m…I’m fine.”

  “You’re doing great. Stay as close to me as you can, okay?”

  She nodded again. Jack had Aidan, so there was no keeping her away. She’d sprain her ankle if she had to, if it meant staying close to her son. Denton stayed close behind her, obviously guarding her from any unseen dangers.

  Suddenly, she didn’t feel him behind her anymore. She paused. “Denton?”

  She turned in time to see him raise his gun and fire. A grunt sounded in the distance, and Rachel saw a tangle of leaves and branches moving. A man—an operative—must have collapsed there. She froze a moment.

  “We’ve got to keep going,” Denton said, urging her along.

  She ran a hand through her hair, felt the glass crystals from the shattered windshield tumbling out. All it would take was one moment for her world to tumble. One moment for a bullet to come from nowhere and destroy life. One moment for her to meet her Creator.

  Don’t think like that, Rachel. You’re going to get out of this.

  She shoved another branch aside. Her legs were scratched and bleeding. Her feet ached, and at least one toe had been skinned raw on a jagged rock. But Aidan was safe. That was all that mattered. Maybe the rest of the operatives wouldn’t find them.

  “I see three men ahead, Denton,” Jack muttered. “We’ve got to take cover.”

  “There’s a rock wall over there. Maybe a cave in it? Somewhere that would provide shelter for a few minutes.”

  “Let’s head that way.”