The Last Target (Love Inspired Suspense)

by Christy Barritt

  The tightness in Rachel’s chest only intensified, and her heart beat erratically. A cave? Where was a cave? Her gaze searched her surroundings, looking for a place of solitude and safety. All she saw were trees and boulders and leaves.

  Suddenly, Denton threw his body over hers. She heard wood splinter, heard another bullet fly, heard another groan. Aidan? Jack?

  She looked up and saw that Jack had his gun in hand. He’d taken down another operative. They were okay. They were both okay. Her heart rate slowed for a moment.

  Three down now. How many more to go?

  Jack pulled her to her feet using only one of his strong arms. The other held Aidan, despite his injury. “You okay?”

  Her ribs ached, her head pounded, her throat was dry, but she was fine. “Thank you.” She looked at Denton, who brushed the dirt from his slacks. “Thank you both.”

  “Mommy?” Aidan looked at her with those wide, innocent eyes.

  “Mommy’s right here, baby. I’m fine. You doing okay?”

  His chin trembled. “I’m scared.”

  “I know, honey. It’s okay to be scared sometimes. Just hold on to Mr. Jack, okay? Use your superpowers and pretend to be invisible. That way the bad guys won’t see you.”

  That seemed to satisfy him. His lips drew in a tight line and he closed his eyes, as if willing himself to be unseen. Maybe that would help him get through the next few minutes at least.

  “The wall’s right up ahead. We’ll take cover there and take out the rest of the men before we finish the rest of the journey. You think you can make it?” Jack looked down at her legs, that she knew looked like she’d been through a battlefield at this point.

  She nodded. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  They found the rock wall a few minutes later. And there, right at the base of it, was a boulder. They could all fit behind it and it would offer them some shelter, for a few minutes at least.

  Jack made sure that Rachel and Aidan were pressed into the rocks, securely behind the massive boulder, before he met with Denton a few feet away. His gaze scanned the surroundings as they spoke, looking for any approaching danger.

  “I think you should stay here with them, make sure they’re protected,” Denton said. “I’ll survey the area, try to spot the operatives before they spot us. It’s our only chance of getting out of this intact. We can’t outrun them at this point.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Jack said. He didn’t want to let Rachel and Aidan out of his sight, so staying with them was his first choice also. “My guess is that there are three more men, maybe four. I’ll keep an eye on Rachel and Aidan, and let them rest a bit. They need to get some of their energy back.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Be careful, Denton.”

  Denton looked around the woods and veered to the right, crouching low as he moved swiftly. His training as a SEAL would come in handy right now and would be much easier to execute alone than with Rachel and Aidan.

  Jack went back to the boulder and checked on Rachel and Aidan. Rachel leaned against the rock wall, her head resting on it, while Aidan sat cuddled in her lap. Jack quickly assessed Rachel’s injuries. All the cuts and scrapes on her legs looked minor, but she’d still need some first aid on them. Aidan appeared uninjured physically. Jack was sure the incident had shaken him up, though.

  He needed to keep both of their thoughts occupied, to at least give them a moment of relief. He crouched in front of them and rested his elbows on his legs. “Has anyone seen Aidan?”

  Rachel smiled wearily and raised her head. “He’s invisible, remember? We’ll never find him.”

  “That’s right. I wonder where he is? He could be anywhere right now and we wouldn’t even know it.”

  “It’s true. That’s one of the advantages to being invisible, I guess. Must be nice.”

  “I’m right here!” Aidan triumphantly popped out of his mom’s arms.

  “Did you hear that?” Rachel asked. “It sounded like Aidan.”

  “I’m right here, Mommy! Right here!”

  She looked at him and grinned. “I knew you’d be close by!”

  Jack smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. He lowered himself to a seated position at the entrance of their temporary shelter, his own arm aching still. The bullet had not only grazed his skin but his muscle also. It could have been worse. He only hoped he could continue to use his arm effectively, at least until they got to town.

  “Are we going to explore the woods some more, Mommy?”

  Rachel glanced up at Jack. He could see the weariness in her expression as she answered. “We will, honey. We’re just taking a little rest. You’ll have plenty of chances to use your superpowers later.”

  “You’ve been a really big boy, Aidan,” Jack said. “I’m proud of you.”

  The boy’s face glowed.

  Jack glanced out at the woods surrounding them. He wondered where Denton was. He prayed he was okay. Jack had yet to hear any telltale signs coming from the woods, which made him think that Denton was still laying low and on the lookout.

  Then he heard a gunshot, followed by a moan.

  TWENTY

  “What was that?” Rachel asked, clutching Aidan to her.

  Jack rose to his feet and pulled out his gun. “I’m not sure.”

  “Is Denton okay?”

  “I hope so.”

  Jack didn’t fool her. She could see the worry in his eyes, in tight lines on his face, in the way he held his gun poised to fire.

  Rachel waited. Minutes felt like hours. Had Apaka killed Denton? Were they coming for them now?

  Denton’s face flashed in her mind. Not Denton, Lord. Keep him safe. Please.

  A moment later, Jack stepped away. Was he about to go into battle? What did he see?

  “Denton,” he muttered. “What happened?”

  Thank You, Lord.

  Denton staggered into sight, gasping as if out of breath. Smudges of dirt marked his face and his pant leg was torn. He shook his head and then smiled. “I got them. All of them. I think we’re safe to keep going.”

  “Good work.” Jack patted him on the back. “How many?”

  “Four.”

  “Are you sure there are no more?”

  “I’m fairly certain.”

  Jack glanced back at them. “Are you ready to keep moving? I’d like to be out of the forest before sunset.”

  Rachel nodded and turned to Aidan. “Are you ready to be invisible again?”

  Finally, the danger seemed to be behind them. At least that’s what Rachel told herself. She hadn’t seen anything suspicious or been pushed to the ground for fear of losing her life in the past two hours. Perhaps Denton really had taken down all of the operatives.

  “How much longer?” Aidan asked.

  “Not much longer, Aidan.” She hoped that was the truth. The woods seemed endless, though. She hadn’t seen a car or a road or a building since they began their trek through these foothills.

  “We should be close to town now. We’ll get a car there and keep moving.”

  Rachel nodded. In other words, they’d keeping running.

  How much more could she take? Her foot tangled in a vine and she hurled forward. Jack paused and grasped her arm. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, fighting tears. “I think I may have sprained my ankle. I don’t know.”

  Jack looked up at Denton. “Here’s what I want you to do. Go into town and get a vehicle for us—buy it, rent it, I don’t care. We’ll be waiting on the side of the road for you. Call my cell phone when you’re coming. You’ll make much better time without us with you. Besides, it’s going to take a while for us to get to the street.”

  “Got it.” Denton hurried off into the woods.

  “I’m sorry, Jack.”

  He set Aidan down and bent down beside her. “Don’t be sorry, Rachel. None of this is your fault.”

  “Or is it all my fault?”

  He gave her a stern glance. “You kno
w better than that.” He felt around her ankle. “Nothing’s broken.”

  She wiped her cheek, hating how emotional she was getting, especially in front of Aidan. “Can you help me stand?”

  He nodded and took her hands into his. Gently, he pulled her to her feet. She put some weight on her ankle and cringed at the pain that ripped through her. Jack lowered her back to the ground. “It’s definitely sprained.”

  “Let’s sit and rest for a moment.”

  She wiped her cheeks again. “No, we need to move. To keep going. What if there are more men out there?”

  “We can take a moment.”

  “Mommy?”

  She looked down and saw Aidan’s big eyes assessing her. She saw fear in their depths. “Yes, honey?”

  “Are the bad guys still following us?”

  Rachel brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I think we lost them.”

  “The good guys always win, right?”

  She forced a smile. “Right. The good guys always win.”

  Aidan seemed satisfied with her answer. He found a stick and began an imaginary sword fight with a tree. Rachel smiled and wiped away the last of her tears…for now.

  “Jack, how did they find us?”

  “I wish I knew. I suppose they could have slipped a tracking device into something of ours. Maybe even the SUV.”

  “And the coloring book? How did that picture get there? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Believe me, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I want answers just as much as you do.”

  Rachel tried to remember who had given the book to Aidan. It had been Denton. He brought the book back from the store, along with some food that first night they were here. Could someone have gotten the book between the time Denton bought it and the time he brought it inside? It didn’t seem likely. But that only left Denton…

  She straightened. Could Denton be one of the bad guys? She found it hard to believe. He seemed so upright and trustworthy with his steady gaze. Besides, Jack trusted him. That said a lot.

  But Denton would have had the opportunity to write the message in the coloring book. He could have messed with her purse at Eyes headquarters or even have snuck into her room that night. He could have told Apaka where they were staying.

  “Jack?”

  He glanced back at her. He looked pale, like he was losing too much blood. Her heart panged at the sight.

  “What is it, Rachel?”

  “What if Denton has been behind these attacks? He has the means and opportunity.”

  He shook his head, his neck muscles straining. “It’s not Denton. I’d stake my life on it.”

  “But—”

  “Just trust me on this one, Rachel.”

  She leaned back against a tree. Trust him. There was a concept. One that wasn’t easy to come by, especially when her life was on the line. But Jack had proven himself trustworthy. She’d try to trust him on this also.

  Jack’s cell phone rang and he quickly answered. “Denton, what’s going on?”

  When he hung up, Rachel waited for him to explain.

  “He’s got a car already. He’s on his way to pick us up. We’re not that far from the road, he said. He’ll be driving a burgundy station wagon. We’ll wait at the edge of the woods until we see it.”

  Rachel nodded.

  “Are you going to be okay to walk on that ankle?”

  She nodded again. If Jack could carry Aidan around with a bullet wound, certainly she could make herself hobble to safety. But as soon as she stood up and felt the pain twist through her, she doubted her bravado.

  “Come on. I can help.” Jack slipped his arm around her.

  Rachel swallowed, her throat dry at Jack’s nearness. Why did she have to be so attracted to him? And not just physically, either. He seemed to have all of the traits that she admired in a man—loyalty, honesty, a good work ethic. Of course, he worked in a dangerous job. She never wanted to marry someone who could die in the line of duty again. At least, that’s what her logic said. Why did her heart seem to feel differently?

  “Aidan, do you think you could walk beside us?” Jack asked.

  He nodded, now using his “sword” as a walking stick. He seemed grateful for the chance to get some liveliness out. The boy never seemed to run out of energy.

  They slowly crept forward. Eventually, the sound of passing cars mixed in with the background noise of the forest. The closer they got, the more Jack slowed. Finally, Jack called Denton and, before long, a burgundy station wagon pulled off the road not far away.

  As they climbed into the car, Rachel couldn’t stop thinking about Denton. What if he were the insider? What if they were playing right into his hands?

  Denton couldn’t possibly be responsible for any of this. Jack had known the man since he was a SEAL. Jack considered himself a good judge of character. He couldn’t be this horribly wrong…could he?

  But who else could have drawn that picture in Aidan’s coloring book? Jack had sent Denton to the store. Who else could have gotten their hands on that book in the interim period between Denton buying the book and bringing it to the house?

  He glanced in the backseat. Rachel appeared to be snoozing. His arm throbbed but he’d be okay. He’d get it looked at first thing when he arrived at their destination.

  “How’d that drawing get in the book, Denton? What’s your theory?”

  “I’ve been trying to figure it out also, Jack.”

  “Replay what happened the day you bought it.”

  “I picked it up at the local Walmart, along with some food and drinks. I took all of those things back to the car and then went to another store across the parking lot to pick up a sandwich. I was gone probably forty-five minutes.”

  “Long enough for someone to draw that picture, I suppose.” Jack rubbed his chin, trying to put the pieces together.

  “I guess. But how did they know where we were?”

  “If I had more time, I would have checked the SUV for a tracking device. It’s the only thing I can think of that makes sense. I can’t believe that someone was in the house with us at Eyes. We monitored the entire property nonstop. To get inside the house would have been next to impossible.”

  At that moment, his cell phone rang again. He saw from the caller ID that it was Luke and decided to answer.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I think I found our insider.”

  Jack sucked in a breath, waiting to hear who would be revealed. “Go on.”

  “Simon.”

  “Simon? What did you find on him?”

  “I found some equipment that indicates he put a tracking device in Rachel’s phone. I think he was also the one who snuck into her room that night. I think he’s been giving information to Apaka.”

  “Does he have any connections to them? Any motive?”

  “We’re still looking into that.”

  “Where is Simon now?”

  “That’s the other thing. He appears to have disappeared. No one’s seen him since the day you left.”

  Jack had checked out Simon himself before he hired him, and then again when he assigned him to guard Rachel’s room. Nothing had stood out. Simon had spent six years right out of high school as the bright shining star of a metropolitan police department. He’d been an honor graduate, won awards with the police department and had always been aboveboard. Could Simon really be in the insider?

  “Find him.”

  “I’m on it.” Luke paused. “How’s everything going there?”

  Jack decided that the only people who would learn what had happened would be the people in this car. “Just fine. Thanks for all of your help there.”

  Jack hung up and told Denton what Luke had told him.

  “Why would Simon be working for Apaka?”

  “That’s my question. Luke is looking into it.”

  “Maybe we’ll get some answers soon.”

  Jack stared at the road before them, that was now cloaked with darkness.
He clenched his jaw. He had a feeling the worst was yet to come.

  TWENTY-ONE

  When Rachel awoke, the sun’s muted morning rays were just beginning to peek over the horizon. She blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out where she was. An old farmhouse stood in front of her and a barn, woods, and cornfields beyond that. In the distance, an older man and woman stepped from the white clapboard house to greet them. Even from where Rachel sat, she could see from their gait that they were surprised to have company.

  Rachel sat up in her seat and pushed her hair back from her face, trying to look halfway presentable, at least. Aidan still dozed in the seat beside her. Had last night been a nightmare? She looked at her legs and saw the scratches and bruises there from their desperate escape. No, it definitely hadn’t been a nightmare.

  Jack turned around from the front seat, exhaustion showing in his eyes. “We’re here.”

  Rachel blinked as she tried to comprehend the new surroundings. She, at the moment, couldn’t even remember how long they’d been on the road or in what direction they’d been headed. “Where’s here?”

  Jack smiled. “You’ll see. Hop on out and I’ll introduce you.”

  She slipped from the car, stepping tentatively on her ankle. She winced with pain and leaned against the car for balance for a moment. Jack rounded the vehicle just as the older couple reached them.

  “Rachel, I’d like for you to meet my mom and dad.”

  Rachel’s eyes widened, her pain temporarily forgotten. “Your mom and dad? Wow.” She extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You, too, Rachel, though this is all quite a surprise.” Mrs. Sergeant’s eyes went to Jack’s shirt. Blood covered his sleeve and a makeshift bandage had been tied around his biceps where he’d been shot. “What happened, son? You’re hurt.”

  Jack looked down at his arm and shrugged. “It’s nothing. Just a little scratch.”

  “It’s hardly a scratch. He needs to have the wound treated ASAP.” Rachel gave Jack a pointed look. He was so busy watching out for everyone else that someone had to watch out for him. Rachel accepted the position…for now. How could she not? The man had saved her life more times than she could count.