He didn’t have a weapon that she could see, but the other man with David still had a gun in his hand. Glancing to the side, she could see that blood was dripping from David’s arm. As long as they need me, they’ll keep me alive. I think… Oh, Jesus, please.
“Now.”
Jumping at the sound of the order, she nodded, her head jerking up and down. A sharp wind whipped by the group as they trudged toward the cabin. Uncertain what she would face once inside, she hesitated before entering, the desire to run almost overwhelming. Then heat hit her and she welcomed the relief from the cold in spite of the shivers still wracking her body.
Shooting her gaze around the interior, the air in her lungs rushed out when she saw that there were no others in the cabin. Three men were bad enough… the idea of more was terrifying. The cabin appeared like most of the small hunting cabins throughout the area, although this one had minimal upkeep. A wood-burning stove stood in the corner of the small living area. A worn sofa and two threadbare chairs were the only furniture nearby. In the other corner stood a refrigerator, stove, and sink. A small table was nearby, the top covered with boxes and plastic bags. A short hall was directly in front of her, three doors visible. Not wanting to think about what rooms were in the back, she jerked her gaze away.
A whistling sound came from the left, and she spied chinks in the insulation around the window. With the wind seeping through, she was surprised the room felt as warm as it did. Unsure what to do and afraid to move, she stayed rooted to the floor. She wrapped her arms about her waist, pulling tight as though hugging herself for comfort as much as for warmth.
David settled on the sofa and looked up at her. Porter nudged her from behind and she took that to mean she needed to get to work. Lifting her hands slightly, she managed to speak. “Mr. Carlson, I… I don’t have any medical supplies with me.”
“I’ve got some.”
She turned to the sound of a voice coming from the back hall, another man entering the room. Shit, there’s four of them. Hating the odds that were increasingly not in her favor, she wondered if she would have a chance to escape. Blinking to keep the tears at bay, she glanced out the window and the deep snow forced the idea of escape further from her mind.
The new man looked over at David and smiled. “Good to see you, Uncle David. How are you?”
“Kenneth.” Grimacing, he nodded toward the other man. “I’ll be doing a lot better once Nurse Nora takes care of me.”
“Nurse Nora,” the man with the gun chuckled. “That’s funny.”
“Bob, shut up, asshole.”
That comment came from Porter, and while she hated to find that she had anything in common with these men, she had to admit she agreed with his assessment of Bob. Turning her attention back to David, she found his gaze on her.
“Just need you to get me patched up and make sure I’m good. You’ve got nothing else to be afraid of.”
She wished his words were reassuring but knew they could not possibly be true. Her tongue darted out, licking her dry bottom lip. Once he’s patched up and better, they won’t need me. And they sure as hell won’t let me go.
Kenneth carried a box over and set it on the sofa next to David. Looking up, he said, “I got medical supplies here.”
She tried to take a calming breath, but her lungs spasmed and it was more of a gasp. Jerking her head up and down, she looked toward the kitchen corner. “I need to wash my hands.” Not receiving an answer, she took that to mean she could move about freely. Forcing her legs to continue holding her up, she walked over to the sink. A few dirty dishes were piled to the side, and the kitchen, as well as the whole cabin, looked as though it had not been cleaned in forever.
Uncertainty filled her, but she turned on the water. Waiting, it never became hot, and with no soap in sight, she rubbed her hands briskly under the stream of lukewarm water. In this cabin, what will my dirty hands matter? Out of habit, she leaned forward and turned off the water faucet with her elbow. A roll of paper towels sat near the sink and she grabbed several to dry her hands.
Turning around, she noticed they were all watching her, but no one spoke. “Okay, I guess I’m ready.”
Kenneth jerked his head toward the sofa where he’d placed the box. After walking over, she peered inside and found it filled. Alcohol wipes, antiseptic cream, bottles of aspirin, and rolls of gauze and bandages. Reaching her hand into the box, she moved other items around and discovered bottles of prescription antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, pain medication, cold and flu medication, and, as she dug deeper, revealed more supplies.
A chuckle from David drew her eyes up to his, and he asked, “Surprised to see us so well-equipped?” He didn’t wait for an answer but added, “Readiness. It all comes down to readiness.”
Uncertain of his meaning, her brow furrowed as she tried to decide if a response was expected.
“Readiness!” Bob piped up from the corner, his grin wide. “When they come—and we all know they’re coming—everyone will be wiped out except us. We’ll be ready! Food, guns, drugs, money. We’ve got it all.”
Just as Kenneth was telling Bob to ‘shut up’ once again, her gaze jumped back to David’s. “I don’t understand. Who’s coming?”
David shifted on the sofa, grimacing in pain, but kept his gaze pinned on her. “Mark my words, Nurse Nora. The government’s been plotting for years. They’ll snatch up everyone’s land, take away jobs and livelihoods, separate families. And only those smart enough to prepare will be able to fight this battle.”
She fought the desire to bark out a laugh at the absurdity of his words, but a glance at the faces of the other men in the room caused her to swallow back any sounds. Knowing it was best to play along, she simply nodded. “Yeah… um… I can see… that’s smart.” Unable to think of anything else to say, she turned her attention back to the contents of the box. Pulling out several of the prescription bottles with shaking fingers, she noted the expiration date had passed, some much further than others.
“Um… I’ll need some scissors, and it would be good if you had a thermometer.” She leaned forward and placed the back of her hand against David’s forehead. “I know you have antibiotics here, but they’re not going to be very effective because they’re way past their expiration date. Without antibiotics, your infection will only get worse.”
“Shit,” David bit out. “Why the hell didn’t we keep this up?”
“Because none of us have been sick or got hurt,” Bob said. “I can’t remember the last time anybody had to get in that box.”
Now uncertain that the preppers she was being held by were very good preppers, fear kept her holding still as she waited to see what they would do.
Porter walked to a kitchen drawer and jerked it open, pulling out a pair of scissors. Handing them to her, he looked down at David. “I should call her. She could get antibiotics up here.”
Bob snort-chuckled from the other side of the room. “Kind of funny, isn’t it? All the shit we’ve got here, and we don’t have the drugs he needs to get better.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Porter ordered, drawing a scowl from Bob. Turning his attention back to David, he asked, “If you want, I’ll give her a call.”
David shifted on the couch and grimaced again. Through gritted teeth, he said, “The hospital will be hot. Tell her she needs to watch her back and make sure no one sees her take the stuff.”
Porter nodded and pulled out his phone, moving to the back room. Not knowing what they were talking about, unease snaked through Nora as she considered their possible meaning. Is there someone at the hospital that brings them drugs?
“Nora? You just focus on the task you were brought here for. Got it?”.
She sucked in her lips and nodded as she stared at David. Taking the scissors, she cut away the bandages that were on his arm. “You know, some of these lacerations are deep. I’m sure the doctor was going to put in stitches once you’d had your arm x-rayed.”
“Is that something you can do
here and now?”
Shaking her head slowly, she said, “I’m sorry. We don’t have anything here for me to use.”
“So, what can you do?”
“Well, I’ll clean the wounds again, place the antiseptic cream on it, use bandages to hold the edges together, and wrap it tightly with the gauze. That’s the best we can do right now. The pain medication is not expired—”
“No! I want to keep my wits about me.”
“Oh, okay. Um… there’s aspirin in here that hasn’t expired, so that will take the edge off the pain.”
He nodded but said, “Don’t worry about the pain. I can take care of that.”
She glanced toward the others, not understanding his cryptic statement, but no one was paying them any attention. Looking back down at David, he nodded again and she took that to indicate he was ready for her to begin. She walked to the corner kitchen again to see if there was a clean receptacle large enough to hold warm water. Looking around, it did not appear there was anything remotely clean.
“Whatcha looking for?” Kenneth asked.
“Do you have a bucket, or a large bowl, or even a pot that I can put clean water in?”
Bob, now sitting in one of the chairs, laughed again. “Got lots of buckets and bowls in the back room.”
“Okay...”
No one moved. Do they want me to go get it? She turned and started for the door when Bob laughed again.
“Forget about it, lady,” Kenneth said. Turning toward Bob, he said, “If you’d stay away from the ice, you might have a brain cell left in your head.”
Rooted to the floor, she turned her wide-eyed gaze from Kenneth to Bob, then back again.
Kenneth shook his head and said, “Ignore him. The only thing you can use is here.”
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she nodded. Spying a pot, she walked back over to the sink. Running water in it, she used a paper towel as best she could to scrub out the inside. Her efforts were almost fruitless, but after several long minutes she gave up trying to make it any cleaner. Filling the pot with lukewarm water, she grabbed more paper towels and moved back to the sofa. Not sure where to set it, she opted for the floor. Using the cotton pads found in the medicine kit, she wet them with the warm water and cleaned the lacerations on his arm and forehead as best she could. The pads were small, and the process took a while to clean the whole area needing to be washed.
Beads of sweat broke out on David’s forehead.
“I know this hurts. I’m sorry.”
“Just do what you’ve gotta do, Nora.”
That worked for her considering she wanted to have as little contact as possible with them. Offering a slight nod, she continued. Using bandages, she pulled the edges of his lacerations together and secured them. Checking the expiration on the antiseptic cream, she squeezed some onto her fingers and applied it over most of his arm and forehead. Then, taking a roll of gauze, she began to wrap his arm from bicep to wrist. Once that was completed, she used the available tape to secure the ends.
Her lower back ached as much from stress as stooping. And the uncomfortable three-hour ride in the Jeep didn’t help. Straightening, she winced and longed to dig her fingers into her sore muscles but not until she had a chance to wash them again.
“That’s all I can do for now. Your wounds are clean, but without antibiotics, there’s not much I can do about an infection.”
Porter walked back into the room just as she finished. “Don’t worry about it. Got someone who’ll bring what we need.”
His implication kept her from wasting her time asking what he meant. Hospitals tried their best to keep track of all the medication, but there would always be a few people who stole what they wanted to either use or sell. She sucked in a quick breath through her nose, then let it out slowly. Bending, she picked up the pot of now-bloody water and took it to the door. Looking over her shoulder toward Porter, she said, “I just need to toss this outside. There’s no way I want this to go into the sink.”
Not surprised when the quiet man said nothing, she was glad when he came up behind her and pulled open the door. She stepped through, the blast of cold air hitting her causing her to shiver. Looking around, she hurried to a bush about ten feet from the door and dumped the soiled liquid from the pan, turning the snow-covered ground light pink.
Standing, she glanced around, observing the sun had already descended beyond the tree line and the mountains to the west. The snow had continued to fall while they were inside, a couple of inches already blanketing the ground. Deepening shadows crept forward as the wind swirled the snow all about her. She shivered but closed her eyes tightly, sending a prayer upward that Tate would be able to find her in the wilderness.
14
“Webcam at the last light in Rawlins clocks Heller’s Jeep passing two hours ago.”
Tate was informing Levi what he had just learned from Josh. “Obviously, you know this, but there aren’t any other cameras around where we can see where he went after that. He’s got access to some satellite images, but it’s gonna take a bit to see what we can find out.”
Eyebrows lifted, Levi shook his head. “Damn, you boys have access to the good stuff.”
Tate didn’t reply but simply continued to look out the windshield, his gaze scanning the area. The snow had blanketed the ground, and he was on the lookout for any tire tracks leading off the road. They had just passed Laramie heading back toward Rawlins, hoping Josh would be able to tell them something from the picture they had gotten from Betty.
“Lighthouse Security Investigations.”
That came from Levi, and Tate looked over at him. “You asking about it or just saying it?”
Chuckling, Levi said, “I guess I’m asking about it.”
“We do private investigating, security installations, and security missions. Some private, some contracted by the government. We're based out of Maine but work everywhere.”
“Were you military?”
“Yeah. SEALs. So was the owner of LSI. He was a SEAL who was recruited by CIA Special Ops.”
Levi whistled, nodding. “So, does he only hire ex-SEALs?”
“No. He prefers people with military backgrounds, but also those with some special ops experience. SEALs, Rangers, Deltas, CIA Ops, and more.” He looked back over toward Levi and asked, “Why? You thinkin’ of applying?” Much to his surprise, Levi did not reply. “I hope that didn’t seem offensive.”
Levi shook his head. “Nope. Not at all. I was curious and asked. There are times I get tired of the red tape and bureaucratic bullshit I have to put up with working for the FBI. I did my time in the military before this, so I know how to follow orders and complete missions. Jesus, just once, I’d like to be able to do what needs to be done without worrying about every fuckin’ rule.”
“Yeah, I hear you.” After driving in silence another moment, he asked, “Which branch?”
“Army. Ranger.”
“No shit?” It was on the tip of his tongue to let Levi know that he would fit in with the other Keepers, but decided it was too soon to make that evaluation. Hell, just because someone’s been in operations doesn’t mean they could fit in with us. Glancing to the side again, he just prayed that Levi had it in him to do what needed to be done to find Nora.
He looked out the window on his side of the SUV, hiding the anxiety that was slashing across his face. He could only imagine how scared she was. Jesus, keep her safe… keep her strong.
“They need her to take care of David,” Levi said.
Tate remained silent, not trusting his voice.
“They could’ve taken anyone as a hostage to assure that they got out of town, but they sprung David before he had his medical treatment. They need Nora.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but that doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Silence settled between them again. Finally, Levi asked, “Who is she to you?”
“Not much to tell. Nora and I are friends from way back. At one time, we planne
d on getting engaged. Her brother was my best friend until he was killed in the service.”
“Damn, that’s tough, man.”
“Let’s just say that I didn’t handle that time of my life well. It’s been ten years, and in that time we’ve barely spoken. This trip was about my dad being in the hospital, but it’s forced me to face some things. It’s now become my chance to rectify my situation with Nora.”
“Of all the shitty luck,” Levi said.
“I’ll get her back. Failure is not an option. I’ll get her back from the assholes that took her and then work to get her back to me.”
Tate’s phone rang and he quickly answered. “I’ve got you on speaker, Josh.”
“The mountain range in the background of the photograph is the Elk Mountains. That’s about—”
“I know where they are. I’m familiar with the area. I used to camp and hike there when I was a teen. But they’re a big fuckin’ range. Can you get any more detail from the picture?”
“I’m working on it. I’m scanning it through right now, and hopefully, we’ll have something for you soon,” Josh said.
Mace got on the phone. “Clay is on his way. He’ll be in touch with you as soon as he can.”
“Thanks, Boss. I didn’t come here expecting a mission but thank fuck I’ve got you in my corner.” Disconnecting, he turned to Levi. “I was a teenager when my friends and I used to hike and camp near the Elk Mountains. At the time, I thought it was God’s country. Still do, but now I’m thinking of all the places David Carlson could hide. You got any ideas?”
Scrubbing his hand over his face, Levi sighed. “Right now, let’s pull off at this visitor center rest stop. We can grab some coffee, take a piss, and check the security cameras to see if the Jeep stopped here while Josh is looking at the cameras.”
Tate (Lighthouse Security Investigations Book 6) Page 11
