2:30 a.m.
Several pot holes, washouts, and one can of fix-a-flat later, he located her Jeep at the base of the trail. Not what he wanted to find.
“Twenty three fifty eight, Green.” 2358 was Tuck’s unit number.
“2358, go ahead.”
“I’m going to be out with that vehicle at the trailhead of Helter Ridge.” He shifted the truck into park and left the headlights on high beam illuminating her Jeep.
“10-4 2358,” Kevin said in response.
He quietly approached the vehicle, flashlight pointed on it. He checked the outside first, then shined inside the tinted windows. No sign of her, or of any foul play. That meant she was on the trail and he would be going on his second hike of the day.
“Chance! Hello! Chance!” he yelled as he walked around. He went back to his truck and shut the engine off. He pressed the air horn a few times along with flashing the blue lights and yelled her name again. Absolute silence followed. He sighed. She’d either twisted her ankle, or gotten lost. Given the rough, barely there trail, either, or both were probable. But, she had a phone and there was half decent cell coverage considering the remote terrain. Why wouldn’t she call, or answer her phone? And why the hell would anyone strike it off into these woods alone on this rough trail? Both annoyance and confusion clouded his mind.
What sounded like a muffled voice came from the woods. He walked up the trail using his flashlight to scan the ground ahead of him.
“Hello!” he yelled ahead. This time he knew he’d heard a feminine voice, still unsure of what it said.
“Chance!” He got a clear response—well, it was clearly a voice, though the words were not clear at all. He continued to follow the source.
“Keep talking to me!” he shouted.
“Here…” This time the voice was tangible. She was a distance up the trail in front of him. The lost theory was out of the equation since she was sitting on the trail. Her back was propped against a tree, her legs folded into her chest. One of her hands was in front of her face blocking the light he shone on her. From his position, he saw no visible injuries, yet his stomach began to sink and he had a feeling that something was very wrong.
“Are you hurt?”
“Yes…I’ve been…” She winced and put her hand on top of the other covering her side. He jogged up the trail to her with more urgency.
Shit. Did this woman have any blood left in her body? It looked like a scene from a horror movie. The right side of her face was gashed beside her temple. Her abdomen and below was covered in deep red. Blood covered her khaki shorts and her bare thigh.
“Are you Chance?” He knelt down to her.
“Yes.” She brought her head from her knees and leaned it against the tree.
Her appearance contradicted that of every newspaper columnist he’d ever seen. She had chestnut brown hair that fell above her shoulders with a bright pink streak an inch in width standing out in stark contrast. Her body was athletic and toned, suited for hiking.
“What happened to your side?”
“A poacher…he was a…good shot.”
“A poacher?” He was taken aback. “When did this happen?”
“I don’t know…sometime before dark…” That gave him a timeframe of at least seven hours prior.
“Where did he go?” It was wrong to assume it was a man, but it was more likely than not.
“I don’t know.”
“How far up the trail were you?” He fired his questions in rapid succession trying to get the answers as quickly as he could.
“Was off the trail…I got lost…a long way away from here, that’s all I…know.” The pain was obvious and her pale color wasn’t comforting.
“Could you describe him?”
“There were two men, wearing all camo and…both had beards…skinny one shot me. Fat one didn’t do anything…”
“Did you see any vehicles when you drove up here in the morning?”
“No.”
He pulled out his cell phone. He wanted to establish the facts quickly before he called to request additional help.
“Department of Public Safety,” Kevin greeted.
“I found the girl.” Tuck hopped down the trail a few steps trying to get out of earshot. He kept his voice low.
“She has a gunshot wound to the abdomen with serious bleeding and a head injury. I don’t know how she’s still alive Kevin. We’re not far away from the trailhead, so I’ll work on getting her down and bring her out in my truck.”
“Where do you want the ambulance to meet you? They can’t go direct to the scene, can they?” Kevin predicted Tuck’s next thought.
“The old gatehouse. Check and see if LifeFlight is available. The gatehouse is a good LZ too.”
“Alright.”
“All I have for suspect information at this point is two men, poachers, wearing all camo, beards, one heavy set, one thin. Thin one was the shooter. Happened sometime before dark, no idea where the suspects went, or vehicle info.”
“I got it. I’ll call Mike.”
“If LifeFlight is available, have one of the responders prep the LZ. If I get there first, I’ll take care of it.”
“Why do I have a sneaking feeling you will get there first?” Kevin said, sarcasm in his voice.
“Because you’re a smart man. I’ll let you know when I get her down to my truck.”
“10-4. Good luck.”
“She’s going to need it.” He pushed his phone in the holder on his belt and walked back to her.
“Can you move your hand, I want to take a look at your side.” She moved her hand and extended her legs. The gaping hole was hard to miss.
How the hell is she alive? She’s not going to live through this. Not possible. Fuck. He thought. It was easier to find a dead body than to watch a person die, not that Tuck took any amount of amusement in either.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. My truck is parked about a hundred yards down at the trailhead. I’m going to help you and we’re going to walk to my truck, then get you a few stitches and call it a night. How does that sound?” He tried to convey empathy and confidence.
“Better than the alternative of…staying here...” She kept her emotions in check.
“Do you think you can walk?”
“I’ll try…I need my bag…”
He helped her to her feet, but she didn’t have any strength to support herself. He wrapped his arm around her and held her tight at his side.
“I’ll make sure we get your bag later. Put your arm around my neck.” She obeyed. “Point this at the trail and I’ll get you down.”
She took the flashlight in her right hand and pointed it in front of them. He held her and supported the majority of her weight. It seemed to take an eternity to get her to the truck. When they reached his GMC, it was a welcomed sight.
“I have to move a few things around before we can get you in here.” He eased her to the ground and she leaned her back against the tire. Tuck opened the door and tossed his gear in the back seat, retrieving two wool blankets. He covered the passenger seat in one and tossed the other on the hood of the truck.
“Okay, let’s get you in the truck.” Getting her into the truck was a production, but he succeeded. He wrapped the second blanket around her and buckled her seatbelt. It would be a bumpy ride out. She leaned her head onto the center console. Tuck ran around the front of the truck and barreled inside.
“2358, Green.”
“2358 go ahead.”
“I’m 10-15 with the subject and driving down to the gatehouse.”
“10-4.”
“Status of the units responding?”
“2351, 53, 54, 63, 68, 69, 602, 610 and 615—” Kevin took a deep breath. “Have been contacted and will be en route shortly. LifeFlight is waiting for the coordinates and go ahead on the LZ. And the ambulance has been en route for two minutes.”
“10-4, thanks.” They’d sent out the troops. Kevin was a man who knew how to do his job
.
“2351, 2358,” Sergeant Kerr called to Tuck direct on the radio.
“Go ahead Sarge.”
“Any new information?”
“Negative.”
“Status of the victim?”
“Alert and responsive. We’ll be at the LZ in less than 20.”
“Huan should be there first, ETA about 30.”
“10-4.” Tuck would be the first one to reach the gatehouse, providing the terrain and conditions didn’t claim any tires, or other necessary components. He clipped the microphone back on the radio and turned up the heat.
“How are you doing over there?” She hadn’t budged since he’d gotten her into the truck.
“I’ve had better…days.” Her voice was much more sedate.
“Do you remember anything else?"
“I gave you the cliff notes…”
“How about you give me the full novel.”
“Has there ever been a…plane crash in these woods…?”
“Uh, no, none that I know of.”
“You wouldn’t believe…me…”
“Try me.”
“I went off the trail to investigate something…I heard in the woods…while I was wandering…I saw the poachers shoot a deer. The damn…deer ran toward me before it dropped…and that was when the skinny guy…saw me…” She stopped mid story.
“What happened when he saw you?”
“He started taunting…me…and he had a sick…grin on his face…I ran, but he got a shot off…when I fell to the ground, he caught…up to me and put the shotgun to the back of my head…” Her voice grew weak and she paused. “I didn’t think…my life would end…due to a poacher of all…all the dangerous things I do…” She stopped.
She was so lifeless next to him. “What happened next?”
“Something must have scared them…because they ran away…I don’t know how…the fat one could run.”
“What scared them?”
“I didn’t see anything.” That was the truth. But she didn’t have to see what it was to know. She rested and calmed down.
“Chance, you aren’t telling me everything. I need to know exactly what happened.” He broke the silence.
She contemplated whether to tell him. It would be harder to fill in the gaps with the truth than to omit it, but she trusted this man. Hopefully he wouldn’t have her committed.
“I found a…plane crash…I don’t know much about aviation…but, it has to be World War II era.”
“You found a plane?” His voice conveyed his disbelief.
“I swear…I did…the bag I wanted…you to get…was one of the crewman’s…has the name Squirrel on it…its where you found me…that’s why I need you to make…make sure you get it for me, please.”
“I will.” Maybe this woman was crazy. Perhaps this poaching incident was trumped, or maybe the plane crash was a delusion caused by the shooting incident. It was likely the second.
“I know you don’t believe me…I’m not crazy.”
“I never said you were crazy.”
“But you were thinking it.”
“No, I wasn’t.” He denied, but thought the opposite.
“It’s okay…warden…I don’t blame you. Maybe I’ll get to prove it to you someday.”
“It’s Tuck.”
“What?”
“My name. It’s Tuck, not warden. And you’re going to be okay.”
“You requested LifeFlight…that means this is life…or death…I’m a journalist…give me some credit.”
“It means I don’t want you to have a two hour ambulance ride to a decent trauma unit when you can take a helicopter and be there in thirty minutes instead.” Silence lingered in the air, no immediate response to his explanation of why she’d be transported by LifeFlight.
“I feel like I’m going…to pass out.”
“No, no. You’re in this with me, stay awake.” As he reached down to grab his cell phone, she put her hand atop of his.
“I’m scared.” The words fell out of her mouth broken. Her hand lingered.
“I know you are.” Tuck silently sighed. She made it impossible to check his personal feelings and keep this encounter strictly professional and detached. The song “Good Life” played lowly on the radio and the significance wasn’t lost on either of them. He turned his hand over to accept hers, lacing her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Focus on me. Talk to me. If you can do that, I’ll take care of the rest.”
“I’ll try.” It was a miracle she’d lasted all the hours she had. Tuck tried to reassure himself that since she’d lived for more than seven hours with the wound, it was likely she would survive for another few. But at the memory of the amount of blood she’d lost, that hope was stunted. Her grip on his hand weakened.
“Chance--”
“Green, 2358.”
He released her hand to pick up the mic. “Go ahead.”
“Responding ambulance was involved in a…” Kevin hesitated. “10-55 and unable to further respond. We’ve dispatched a second unit which will be en route shortly.”
10-55 was the code for vehicle accident.
“Fuck!” Tuck hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. He composed himself.
“Ah, 10-4 Green. I’m turning into the gatehouse now, I’ll relay the coordinates shortly.” He thought about telling dispatch to have the ambulance disregard, in more vulgar terms. The helicopter would have her before the ambulance got close. Assholes. He put the truck into park.
“I’ll be right back.”
She looked at him helplessly. He aimed the spotlight onto the large open packed dirt lot and took GPS coordinates of where they would land. He called dispatch with the coordinates and before he could get off the phone, he heard his unit number being called on the radio.
“2354, 2358.”
“Go ahead Huan.”
“I’m on the access road now. What’s your 20?”
“I’m at the gatehouse.”
“We’ll be there in fifteen.”
“10-4.” Tuck opened the driver’s door and bailed back in the truck. Her eyes were closed.
“Chance.” He waited for her to respond. Nothing. He turned the interior light on. “Chance, talk to me.” He reached across the seat and felt her neck for a pulse.
“Tuck.” She opened her eyes. “I don’t want to die.”
He choked. What the hell could he say in response to that?
“Remember that promise. You focus on me and I’ll take care of the rest. I’m not going to let you die. We’ve got a helicopter coming to get you.” He smiled. “You are going to be riding in style, enjoying the scenery.”
He pushed her bangs out of her bloody face. “You’ll be okay.” Even he didn’t believe the words out of his mouth.
“I’ll hold you to that promise…” She reached for his hand and he once again laced her fingers with his.
“You better.” He shifted his weight. “Do you have family you want me to call for you?”
“My parents.”
“What’s their number?” She gave it to him from memory and he tapped it into his phone. “Do you want to me to call them now and you can talk to them?”
“No…not like this.” It was probably better she didn’t. Panicked parents wouldn’t improve her situation.
What little bit of color that remained almost instantly disappeared.
“Where are you from?” He tried to keep her focus on him as they waited.
“I’m from…Whiting.”
“Ah, a Raider.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “You were my school’s rival at football. Raiders always had a good team.”
“You were a Pony.”
“Mhm. We had many good games against you guys. Then we grew up, huh,” he said. “So where do you live now?”
“I live on Sunset Lane in Lyman.”
“There’s a lot of nice houses up there. Where about on the Sunset do you live?”
“I ah, I have a log
cabin set off the lake…a few camps after…the boat landing.” She grimaced.
“I’ve seen that house. It’s one of those houses you’d see on the cover of a magazine.”
“I don’t know about…that. It was my parents’ cabin. We spent all of our…summers at the cabin when…we were kids.”
The cabin was a three bedroom, two bathroom exquisitely crafted log home with lush flower gardens and an open wrap around porch. A large wooden swing adorned the back porch. It was idyllic. The house captured his attention one day while he patrolled the lake. He remembered seeing a woman in the garden as he gawked at the house; it had to be her.
Headlights approached. Huan’s truck pulled aside his.
“What do you need us to do?” Us was Ryan Huan and Mitchell Meyers (2353).
“Switch over to Fire Tac and coordinate with Lifeflight to get ‘em on the ground.” Fire Tac was a radio frequency. Tuck let go of her hand to join them outside.
“Please don’t leave me…don’t leave me alone…” she pleaded.
He froze. Fuck. “You aren’t alone, I’m right here. I won’t leave you.” The words came out without thought, instinctually. Tuck looked back to Ryan and Mitch’s empathetic faces.
“We got it,” Mitch said. Both walked to the illuminated lot to double check for any possible objects, branches, rocks, etc. that would interfere with the helicopter's ability to land. His warm hand covered her ice cold fingers.
“Thank you…no matter what happens…thank you for everything.”
“You can thank me when you’re all healed. Then you can show me this so called plane you found.”
“My pack.”
“I’ll get your bag.”
“I feel…I feel like I’m going to…pass out.” Her speech became very slurred. She tried to retain her focus. “Tuck…” Her voice was barely audible.
“You’re gonna be okay, hang in here with me.” She shivered uncontrollably. He pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.
“I don’t think...” Her grip on his hand completely gave and her body went limp.
Truth Avenged (Green Division Series Book 1) Page 2
