Let the Hunt Begin

by Alex Ander

  “Out back.” Denny shuffled down the length of the worktop while beckoning them with a wave of his arm. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

  *******

  12:47 P.M.

  His six-five wide body engulfing her five-three slim figure, her lean lower legs wrapped around his midsection, Duke Hammer groaned while Samantha Eichorn screamed into his right ear.

  Seconds later, the tangled mass of arms and legs became two distinct human beings again when he rolled onto his back to lay on her three o’clock, a bed of currency—fifties and hundreds—beneath them.

  Breathing rapidly, the twenty-year-old blonde-haired woman went to her right side, propped herself onto her right elbow and rested her head on her same side palm to regard Hammer.

  Staring at the crisscrossing wooden beams overhead, his protruding chest rising and falling with each gasp for air, he wiped his brow.

  With her free hand, she dragged a forefinger over his pectoral muscles before leaning in, giving him a passionate kiss, and pulling back an inch to admire his blue eyes. “I love you, Duke.”

  Still panting, he turned toward her. His gaze dropping to her smallish breasts a beat later, then to her hips and thighs, he rotated toward her to reach around and spank her on the butt once. “Same here, Sam.” He jumped to his feet, snatched her t-shirt from off the floor, and flung it. “Now...”

  The garment hit her chin before ending up draped across her chest.

  “...get cleaned up. We have to count and bundle this money.”

  *******

  1:42 P.M.

  20 MILES NORTHEAST OF

  ELMER, IDAHO

  Riding a pair of matching Kawasaki four-wheel ATVs, Randall in the lead, the federal agents zoomed around a bend in the trail before he held up his left fist and came to a halt at the start of an upward-sloping pathway just wide enough to accommodate the length of a sheet of plywood.

  Devlin stopped on his left, flipped up her black helmet’s visor, and raised her voice to be heard above the idling machines. “What is it?”

  He shut off the ATV and removed his helmet. “I think we should go on foot from here. If Hammer is renting this place, I don’t want him to—”

  “Hear us coming.” She killed her Kawasaki’s engine and stripped off her headgear. “Good thinking.”

  Swinging his left leg over the back of the four-wheeler, Randall dismounted. “The cabin’s only a half mile from here and the overarching trees and pines will shield us from the snow...at least somewhat, anyway.”

  Devlin climbed off her ride and hung her helmet on a handlebar. “Let’s get going.”

  Dressed in black leather jackets and blue jeans, their clothing, and now their hair, dusted with white from a heavy falling snow, the two ducked off the main trail and headed up the winding, wooded lane, their black tactical boots making two-inch-deep footprints behind them.

  *******

  1:57 P.M.

  Barefooted, wearing light blue sweatpants and a white, long-sleeved flannel shirt, Samantha pushed aside a purple curtain and glanced left and right to watch the falling snow, as the precipitation coated everything between the front of the cabin and the start of the trees seventy feet away. “It’s really coming down out there.”

  Seated at a table behind her, facing the door located on her port side, Hammer finished counting, lined up a stack of hundreds, and banded them together. “It’s not supposed to stop for quite a while, either.” He grabbed more loose bills, bunched them together, and licked his thumb. “How about you get your skinny little,” he swore, “back here and help me count this?”

  She smiled. “You didn’t think it was so skinny when you were spanking it.” Samantha pivoted away then spun back toward the glass and squinted while swaying her head back and forth to see through the haze of snow.

  He noticed her sharp turnaround. “Something spook you?”

  “I,” she paused, “I’m not sure.”

  “Don’t worry. There’s no one else around for miles.”

  She gave the area another inspection. Must just be the snow playing tricks on me.

  “Now, get over here. I’m not counting this all by myself.”

  Two beats later, she let the curtain fall closed again and padded across the single-room cabin.

  *******

  1:58 P.M.

  Overhead, dark clouds held back most traces of the sun while tall trees blotted out any rays that managed to peek through, giving people on the ground the impression that nightfall was fast approaching.

  Almost completely camouflaged from the snow falling around them, both squatting on their haunches at the end of a driveway near the tree line, Devlin and Randall watched a slim woman, silhouetted by yellow lighting, staring straight at them from the other side of a windowpane.

  The woman looked to her left and right before walking away from the glass, the curtain falling closed again.

  Devlin let out the air she had been holding and slowly nodded her head. “She fits the slim-woman profile from the robberies.”

  On her right, Randall agreed. “The right height, too.”

  “If Hammer would just poke his head outside, then we’d know for sure.” A beat. “I’m open to suggestions on how we should approach this. Since they’ve already demonstrated that they’re not afraid to kill LEOs, I’m not interested in giving them another target.” She faced him and shed a quick smile. “I meant targets.”

  He acknowledged her with a dip of his chin. “I appreciate being included in your concerns.”

  Picking up on the feigned indignation in his voice, she nudged him with her elbow. “You know I love you.”

  “I’m,” he scanned the open land all around the single-story, dark-brown cabin sporting a three-inch-thick ‘snow roof’ before glimpsing two outward-facing motorcycles parked alongside the structure on his one o’clock, “I’m telling Curt you said that.”

  “Go ahead. He knows he has nothing to worry about.” A moment. “Besides, I’m just a loving kind of person.”

  Randall hiked a corner of his mouth. You ARE a kind-hearted soul, Jess. “Okay. My instincts are on fire here.”

  Keeping her nose pointed at the cabin, Devlin shifted her gaze toward the man on her right. “Meaning?”

  “Meaning,” he paused, “we’re not walking up there and knocking on the door. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they just opened fire on us outright. We have to get them to come out, show themselves.”

  “Okay. I’m all ears. How do we do that?”

  He pondered for a moment then faced her. “How about we just ask?”

  ∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞

  .

  Chapter 29

  Hello in the Cabin

  “Hello in the cabin!”

  At the sound of the male voice, Duke Hammer snatched his pistol from off the table while jumping up, the backs of his knees knocking over his chair.

  Samantha sprang to her feet and darted across the room to grab her Sig Sauer P365XL. “Who’s that?”

  “How the hell should I know?” He hurried toward the front window. “There aren’t supposed to be any other lodges in the area.”

  From outside: “We’re lost. We’ve been wandering around trying to find our way back to our cabin. Can we come in?”

  Using the muzzle of his Glock 45, Hammer pushed aside a curtain panel an inch. Spotting two figures near the driveway, he cursed. “Stuff the money back in the bags while I try and get rid of them.”

  *******

  Noticing a curtain flutter, Devlin spoke under her breath. “Someone’s peeking out the window.”

  Randall matched her volume level. “I see it.” He let ten seconds pass then cupped his hands around his mouth. “We were hoping to come in and get warm?”

  Five seconds.

  Male voice: “There’s another place further north. Just follow the trail at the end of the driveway. You can’t miss it.”

  “Maybe you could,” a beat, “show us on a map...if you have one,” two ti
cks, “while we get warm.”

  “No map. Just go back the way you came and—”

  Devlin raised her voice. “C-can’t we just come in for f-five minutes? I c-can’t feel my t-toes anymore.”

  Hearing the shivers coming through in her words, Randall lifted an eyebrow at the actress on his left.

  She saw him in her peripheral vision and barely shrugged her right shoulder before dropping her volume again. “Hey. I’ve learned the ‘helpless female’ card can sometimes open doors.” Devlin flicked her eyes toward him then faced the cabin again. “Not that I’ve ever used it before,” she paused, “with loved ones, anyway.”

  He stifled his amusement, “Uh-huh,” before staring at the wooden door. “Well, in this case, let’s hope it does open doors...literally.”

  *******

  Scowling at his boots, the Glock in his right hand at the small of his back, his free hand clutching the doorknob, Hammer let out a vulgar word, threw open the door, and took one step outside. “Don’t mean to be rude, folks, but we don’t know you, so you’re not coming in. Now,” he dipped his forehead toward his two o’clock, “there’s another place that way,” before coming back to the couple. “If you follow the trail...”

  *******

  Hammer: “...back down the way you came, you’ll...”

  Whispering, “That’s him,” Devlin took a step toward the structure. “That’s Duke Hammer.”

  “...come to the road. From there, you’ll...”

  Randall matched her low volume and slow, forward stroll while keeping his eyes on the big man silhouetted in the doorway. “Easy, Dev. I want to be...”

  Hammer: “...take a right and then walk for about...”

  Randall: “...closer when we ID ourselves.”

  “...two...”

  *******

  “...miles.” Squinting through the blizzard, Hammer zeroed in on the man. Noting a military bearing in his approaching male counterpart, he gripped his pistol tighter then spied a similar posture in the woman’s gait. Cops. Whipping his right arm out from behind his back, he fired the Glock 45 several times.

  *******

  Gunshots shattered the mountain calm.

  Devlin dove left.

  Randall dove right.

  Puffs of snow flew up between the barrel-rolling agents, making a straight line to the driveway.

  Coming to a stop on their bellies, the agents drew their weapons and returned fire.

  Hammer ducked inside the cabin and slammed the door behind him.

  Coated in white, looking like a ‘snowman,’ Devlin did a ‘push-up’ and went to a squatting position.

  Randall did the same and whipped his head left and right. “There’s no cover here. Back to the tree line.”

  “Go.” She backpedaled, her Colt aimed at the door, her eyes staring at the window to the left. “I’ll cover you.”

  He bolted for the trees.

  Devlin retreated another ten paces.

  Movement on her one o’clock.

  An engine chugged twice before starting.

  The marshal looked right then sidestepped in the same direction to clear the front corner of the cabin.

  The motor revved twice.

  “They’re running.” She let loose with a three-shot volley.

  *******

  A duffle bag on her back, Samantha came out from behind the building.

  A bullet sent a splinter flying over her head.

  She darted back behind the structure. “I can’t get to my bike.”

  A duffle bag slung around his neck and resting on the gas tank, an AR-15 strapped across his back, Hammer toed the bike into gear and looked over his left shoulder. “Get on!”

  Poking her head out to see the other woman reaching under her leather jacket, Samantha sprinted out from cover, hopped onto his motorcycle, and hooked her left arm around his stomach.

  He gunned the throttle.

  Its rear tire spinning before gaining traction, the motor bike fishtailed left then took off.

  The rear rider stretched out her right arm, toward her three o’clock, and squeezed the trigger on the Sig Sauer.

  *******

  Sliding to her left, Devlin banged a full magazine into her Colt 1911. She took two strides to her right and thumbed the slide forward. Raising the gun, she moved her right index finger from the 45’s frame to inside the trigger guard.

  A force slammed into her from her seven o’clock.

  Her pistol fired.

  The bullet pinged off the second motorcycle.

  Being hauled to the ground, she got off another wayward round that lodged somewhere under the cabin’s eaves.

  Three incoming projectiles disappeared into the snow three feet beyond where she had been standing while another four slugs clipped branches or burrowed into tree trunks further back.

  The motorcycle’s engine growled, then whined, before fading.

  On top of his partner, Randall went to one knee and fired his Walther PPQ45 several times while pinning her to the snow with his free hand to keep her from getting in his line of fire.

  The forest to the north swallowed up the bike.

  Devlin wriggled to her backside, swatted his hand away, and rose to her feet. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Keeping you alive.”

  She flung her weapon toward the out-of-sight vehicle. “I had a shot.”

  “You’d have been killed first.” Getting to his feet, “That woman had the jump on you,” he ran to the second bike, straddled the two-wheeler, and got it running on the third downward pump of the kick starter.

  Devlin stopped on his four o’clock. “What about our quads?”

  “They’re a half mile back.” Randall gunned the engine and dropped the transmission into first gear.

  She glanced over her right shoulder, her mind doing a split-second calculation on the time it would take to get to their machines and then back to this spot again.

  Reaching back with his right hand, he stuck two fingers into the left back pocket of her jeans and tugged. “Hop on.”

  Her hips being thrown toward him, while her upper body swayed in the opposite direction, she took a forced step toward the rear tire and faced him.

  “We’re losing time. Let’s go. Let’s go.”

  Devlin holstered her weapon, swung her left leg over the machine, and hugged his belly.

  He twisted the throttle.

  The bike’s back half veered left, then right, before straightening out, as the vehicle gained momentum and sped down the same route the first bike had taken.

  Looking back, Devlin envisioned the snow being chewed up where she had been standing while reloading. She slid her left hand away from his gut, patted him on the left shoulder, “Thank you,” then resumed her hold on his midsection.

  After taking a second to put two and two together, he dipped his chin once. “That’s what we do...take bullets for each other, remember?”

  ∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞

  .

  Chapter 30

  ‘X’

  2:03 P.M.

  A mile away from the cabin, Randall glanced down at the speedometer and twisted the throttle a few times while jerking the handlebars back and forth to stay on the path.

  Its motor groaning, the bike lost speed.

  Devlin felt the deceleration. “Why are we slowing down?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Steam billowed up from between his knees.

  He squeezed the clutch, shifted into neutral, and applied the brakes.

  The machine skidded to a controlled halt.

  Randall planted both feet on the ground and leaned right to examine the motor bike.

  Devlin did the same thing. “What’s wrong?”

  With her still sitting behind him, he finagled his way off the seat and dropped to his haunches to get a closer look at the right side of the engine. “Damn it.”

  Now noticing the rising smoke, “That can’t be good,”
she swung her left leg around the rear tire and stood on his nine o’clock.

  “Looks like the oil leaked out of the crankcase. She’s seized up.”

  “Bullet?”

  He nodded while standing tall and letting the disabled ride tip over onto its left side. “Most likely.”

  Devlin looked back the way they had traveled.

  Randall saw the wheels spinning in her mind. “If we go back for the quads, we’ll be even further behind than we already are.” He tipped his head back to spy the weather. “The way it’s snowing, we’ll lose their tracks in no time. We have to keep going.”

  She confronted him. “On foot? We’ll never catch up.”

  He shook his head. “Not necessarily.” He pointed at the front tire. “These bikes don’t have any studs on them. The more it snows, the harder it’ll be for Hammer to keep his on the trail. Eventually, we’ll all be on foot.”

  Devlin gave the path ahead a quick peek then turned her head the other way. “How far would you say we’ve gone...from the cabin, I mean?”

  He shrugged. “No more than a mile. Why? What are you thinking?”

  “You still have that map?”

  He nodded.

  “Let’s see it.” She stepped into the woods and took a knee under the drooping branches of an evergreen to get out of the way of the falling snow.

  He kneeled in front of her and unfolded the map.

  Taking it from him, “Okay,” she turned it around, got her bearings, and found a spot. “There’s the cabin and,” she glanced at the lower-right corner, “using the legend,” she trailed her forefinger northward, “a mile from there puts us,” a beat, “right about here.”

  He spied the blank paper at the end of her fingertip. “Okay. Great. There’s nothing there,” he glanced around, “here.”

  Her finger slid further north and a smidge to the right.

  Randall spied the ‘X’ he had made when they were at the general store then nodded while half closing an eye at his mark. “That’s not that far away.”

  She folded the atlas and gave it back to him. “We could be there in half an hour...maybe less if we hustle.”