Nodding, she picked up the reins and pulled them over the head of her mount. “I can’t think of a better plan. The soldiers could come at us from the mountain above the meadow, or by that road or the less-traveled road. We don’t know which one they might have used.”
“Or they might have forgotten us,” he said. Walking over, he lifted Anna up into the saddle so she didn’t have to struggle to mount. He saw how tired she was. They were all running on fumes.
“I doubt they’ve forgotten about us. And even if they did,” she said, urging her horse close to his after he had mounted, “we have to hope the truck and trailer are still there.”
He turned his horse. “Doubtful. Drugs are their focus. If it is stolen, then we have a long ride ahead of us. We can’t risk going back to our ranch or being near the Elson place. They could be waiting for us at the house to show up.”
“Do you know this area at all?”
“I saw the maps. There’s a forest road that splits off this one and heads north. From there, it stays pretty much paralleling the foothills of the Salt Mountains.”
“Where does it end up?”
“Near a small town called Harley. We passed it on the way down to the ranch. Remember it?”
“Yes, it’s really small.”
“What we can do, once we’re north of the parking lot, maybe a few miles? We can reach Highway 89, which will probably be six or so miles. We get cell coverage around that highway. We can call into Salt Lake HQ.”
“But we’re out in open sight by that highway, right?”
“Yes. Can’t help it. If we stay on the slope of the mountains, we’re out of range. We’ll have to show ourselves and hope like hell they aren’t looking for two riders in the dark. It’s a chance we’re going to have to take.”
“And it will be hell trying to flag down a motorist, anyway. It will be pitch-black by the time we get there.”
“If our truck and trailer are gone. If it’s still in the parking lot, then we have to see if they’ve set a trap for us or not. They could be waiting for us up on that slope, hidden by the trees, and we’d never see them in time.”
She grimaced as Gabe started off at a slow trot. They had to save their horses. “If they haven’t, then what’s the plan?”
“Once we get north on Highway 89, we can call Sarah, the sheriff. We can let her know what’s happening. Plus, you can be calling in to Salt Lake City, notifying them of what happened to us. I intend to drive right into Wind River and park outside the sheriff ’s office so we can coordinate everything. I’ll call my parents and ask them to bring a couple wranglers up here to transfer the horses to their ranch.”
“Sounds good,” she said softly. If only it will work.
They broke out of the tree line, and located the small creek in the dying light. Gabe ignored the beauty of the orange and red sunset to the west. Once he got the horses back into the forest, they dismounted and allowed the thirsty animals to drink their fill. He shared their last bottle of water with Anna. The exhaustion was written in her face. From where they stood, they could see where the road was located. There were no lights, no hint of movement in the dusk. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone out there waiting for them near the parking lot.
They ate the last protein bar between them, hoping for some energy. Anna knelt down at the stream, sluicing handfuls of water on her face and neck, wanting to wash off the smelly sweat and dust. She took off her neckerchief, wet it, and gave herself a spit bath, washing her hands and lower arms, as well. Gabe did the same.
“We’d better get those cell phones on us,” Anna cautioned as they prepared to mount up.
“Good idea.” Gabe removed his from the saddle bags and tucked it beneath his vest and into his shirt pocket. Anna did the same. He gauged the nightfall coming rapidly upon them. “If we ride out onto the plain right now, we can be spotted. We’re going to have to wait until it’s dark and then move.”
“How I wish for a pair of NVGs,” Anna groused, coming and standing next to Gabe.
“We’re going to have to trust our horses.” He pointed toward the flat plain on the other side of the roadway. “This used to be a marsh, as did this meadow, but with climate change they’ve dried up. I think the horses will be okay going cross-country on it and not sink up to their hocks in some hidden mudholes somewhere.”
“Ugh,” she said, looking toward the mountain, studying the darkening road. “What’s that?” She pointed toward the Wilson mountain range to the west of them. “I saw a flash of light.”
Gabe scowled. “Weather. It’s a night thunderstorm. We get them in the summer.”
“It sure looks like it’s coming our way.”
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing,” he said, reaching out, squeezing her hand gently. “Rain can cover our movements. Not only that, if anyone’s around looking for us? They don’t want to be out in a thunderstorm getting soaking wet, either. That gives us an edge.”
She returned the squeeze. “In the jungle, it stormed nearly every night for half of the year. I got used to being wet and miserable.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t like being cold and wet,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “We’re going to lose light real soon. Are you ready?”
“Anything to get out of this saddle sooner, not later,” she joked wearily.
“Once we cross that flat, we’ve got to head toward the parking lot. That’s a mile away. If everything is gone, then we head north and intercept Highway 89. That’s about five miles farther. Then? We can call home for help.”
“I’ll bet your parents are going insane with worry for you.”
He leaned over, kissing her lips lightly. “I’m sure everyone is. My parents care for you, too, Anna. Just hang in there. Step one is the parking lot. Let’s do it,” he said, and he released her hand, helping her mount.
The running was over. They were going to find out whether the drug soldiers had found their vehicle and trailer. Gabe mentally crossed his fingers as he mounted, pushing his horse to a fast walk, heading for the tree line.
Heading to whatever lay there waiting for them.
Chapter Thirteen
The thunderstorm hit just as they came to a halt at the edge of the parking lot, and they were still hidden by the tree line. Flashes of light danced above them, cloud to cloud, followed by long rumbles of thunder echoing across the valley. The rain was coming in big, heavy splotches, striking Anna in the face. She was glad for the baseball cap she wore, the bill shielding her eyes.
Tension thrummed through her as they both watched and studied the truck and trailer still in the parking lot. It had not been stolen, and that sent a ribbon of relief through her. It looked as if no one knew it was there. Could they be so lucky as to have been overlooked by the drug ring? Had they used the two roads in and out of that meadow and avoided this one and only place to park? Were they completely unaware of their presence in the lot? No, Anna didn’t think so. Drug soldiers were not stupid. They had to question where the two riders on horseback had come from. A good leader would know about this parking lot and send a soldier to check it out. She became uneasy.
The wind roll, a long, horizontal cloud that wrapped around the front of any thunderstorm, came through, roaring and whistling with gusting fury at fifty miles an hour. Anna watched the trees above them sway and bend in the sudden onslaught of wind-driven blasts. They buffeted her and Top, and the horse moved a little sideways but then anchored. Horses feared wind more than any other element. That was when a predator could sneak closer to them without the horse hearing their deadly approach. Top defied his own instinctual fear faithfully listening for her commands.
The rain intensified just as the howling gusts suddenly slowed, drops soaking through her clothing. In no time, she was dripping wet. Top shook his head from time to time, getting rid of the water running down his face and into his eyes. With every flash of light, Anna peered into the tree line and so did Gabe, who sat tensely on Red. That is where the drug soldiers w
ould be hiding and waiting for them to show up. Her throat tightened. Rain slid down her cheeks, dripping off her chin, the water falling inside the neck of her clothing.
Winds became inconstant, swirling around as the lightning increased, the thunder sounding like bass kettle drums being played right on top of them. It was then that Gabe urged Red out of the tree line and walked him onto the edge of the asphalt that connected with the edge of the slope. He aimed the horse toward the truck and trailer that were three hundred feet in front of them.
After taking the safety off her Glock, Anna pulled it out of the wet holster, holding it down, next to her knee, on guard. Nudging Top forward, she kept her gaze pinned on the hill above them. That is where the attack would come from. Rain blurred her vision momentarily, and she muttered a curse beneath her breath, wiping her eyes free of the water.
Suddenly, Gabe’s horse shied in front of her. It nearly unseated him.
Top snorted and planted its front feet, gaze riveted on the dark slope.
Gabe was tangling with his frightened horse. Red had been spooked by something that was coming down the hill at a full run. She heard the snap of a branch being broken above her. Anna brought her pistol up, unsure of the figure bolting down the hill. It was a shadow of a man. Without a weapon.
“He’s unarmed,” Anna yelled at Gabe, who had just gotten Red back under control.
Elisha Elson skidded to a stop at the edge of the asphalt, screaming, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” and he threw his long arms up into the air. “I’m unarmed!”
Digging her heels into her horse, she trotted to where Elson stood on the asphalt, breathing hard, his chest rising and falling sharply. As she came to a halt, her Glock aimed at him, she yelled, “Who else is up there, Elisha?”
Gabe rode up, hearing her yell at the man. He blinked the water away from his eyes. It was Elisha Elson! What the hell!
Breathing hard, his hair bedraggled, face wet, Elisha kept his hands up. “Just me, Anna, just me! Honest to God, I’m alone! I’m alone!”
Another bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, lighting up the whole area like a fifty-thousand-watt cosmic flashlight. Gabe could see everywhere and he saw no one else up on that slope where Elisha had been hiding.
“Frisk him,” Anna told Gabe.
Dismounting, Gabe went over Elisha and expertly searched him for any weapon or knife. There was none on him. “Lower your arms,” he growled at Elisha. “What the hell is going on?” He gestured sharply for Anna to join them.
Elisha leaned down, hands on his knees, gasping for air.
Dismounting, Anna arrived momentarily. She holstered her Glock, though still wary.
Elisha looked at them. “We don’t have much time! We gotta get outta here! Now! Kaen is coming back from the house with three of Jose’s soldiers. They’re out to find and kill both of you!”
Anna snarled, “Then why did they leave you here?”
“B-because they wanted me to stay on as a watchman.” He hauled out a radio wrapped in plastic to keep it from being destroyed by the rain. “I was supposed to call Kaen, let him know if I spotted you. I didn’t call him. I swear I didn’t!”
Anna jerked a look over at Gabe, his face hard, eyes narrowed slits, evaluating Elisha.
“Why are you warning us?” Gabe demanded.
“I-I don’t want to see you murdered. And Jose will want your bodies to prove that Kaen and the soldiers did just that.” He jerked a thumb at the truck and trailer. “Get your horses in there right now. Unhitch your truck. We’re takin’ it! We’ve got to get out of here pronto!”
“But they’ll know we’re gone,” Anna said.
“Yeah, but they’ll think you killed me. Maybe they’ll look for me up on that slope before they do anything else. They won’t hurt the horses. They could care less about them.” Elisha wiped his bedraggled, wet hair off his face, and his voice turned raw with pleading. “Both of you have helped my mother so much. I’m against having you harmed. I know you’ll turn us all in at the sheriff ’s office and I know you saw us in that meadow. I want to go with you. I’ll turn myself in. I’m not gonna kill either of you, but they will sure as hell kill the three of us! And I worry about my mom. They could kill her, too, once they find out I turned against them. That’s what they do: murder a man’s whole family!”
Gabe nodded. “Okay, okay,” he snapped, “let’s get the horses in the trailer. Elisha, you and I will unhitch the trailer afterward.”
“No, I can unhitch it now,” Anna called. She handed Elisha the reins to Top. “Get them loaded!” she yelled, running toward the truck at full speed.
Gabe gave Elisha a distrustful look. “You’d better be telling us the truth or so help me, I’ll kill you.”
Raggedly, Elisha said, “I’m tellin’ you the truth! We gotta leave! They’ll be here any time! You won’t stand a chance against them!”
Gabe tugged on Red’s reins, and he broke into a trot with Elisha following him with Anna’s horse. He’d lost sight of her and remembered he had the keys to the truck. Pulling out the fob, he aimed it at the cab. Lights flickered. That meant the doors were open. Now, she could unhitch the trailer.
Anna worked at the speed of light. In three minutes, she had the trailer unhitched. By the time the horses were clopping loudly into the trailer, she had unhooked the chains from the truck and let them drop to the ground. She heard the main door close and latch on the rear of the trailer. They were finished loading the horses. They would be safe until they could be picked up later.
Gabe came up to her and gripped her arm. “I’m putting Elisha in the passenger seat next to me. You sit in the rear seat and keep your pistol on him. He could be lying. This could be a setup.”
Grimly, she wiped her face. “I had the same thought.”
“We have to take the same highway out that Kaen and his men are using. It’s the only route in and out of here.”
“I know,” she huffed, jerking open the rear door and climbing in.
“Get your seat buckled up, Anna,” Gabe ordered, opening the door so Elisha could get in.
Elisha jumped in, slamming the door shut.
In moments, Gabe was in the cabin, turning on the engine, the truck roaring to life.
“Headlights,” Elisha cautioned in a rasp, holding up his hand toward Gabe. “Try to drive with only your parking lights on. This highway is nothing but up and down gentle hills, but Kaen will have his brights on. If we’re lucky enough to see their lights before they see us we can get on the berm and try to hide in the tall grass alongside the road. There’s a huge ditch on the other side of the berm with five-foot-tall weeds. You’ll have to douse your parking lights and try to hide in that ditch until after he passes us.”
Gabe nodded. “Good plan,” he said, jerking the truck into gear, keeping the parking lights on as the tires spun and squealed. He wrenched the wheel one way, and then the other, hitting the accelerator as they skidded and slid out of the parking lot.
“Anna, try to use the radio! See if it will work!” he called to her.
“Roger that,” she said, digging into her wet jacket to locate it.
“Mine works!” Elisha said, pulling it out of his jacket.
“Are you sure?” Anna demanded.
“Yeah, we use very strong radios. I’m sure it can reach the sheriff ’s office in Wind River!” He turned around and thrust it into her outstretched hand.
“Our radios aren’t that strong,” Gabe said. “Use his.”
“Gabe, do you have a flashlight in the glove box?” she asked breathlessly. “I need it to set this radio to the right frequency in order to reach Sheriff Sarah Carter’s dispatch.”
“Yes, we do. Elisha, dig in the glove box for her,” he ordered, his gaze and focus on the road ahead of them. The lightning was less now, the worst of the thunderstorm having moved by them. But he saw another cell behind it, moving swiftly. They’d hit that one in less than half an hour.
Instantly, Elisha twisted
around, fumbling with the glove box. It fell open. Making a squawking sound of triumph, he grabbed the light and thrust it toward Anna. “Here!”
“Great!” Anna laid her gun on the seat, quickly fixing the frequency. In moments, she was calling the sheriff ’s department.
Gabe was focused on the hills that they were moving up and down on. He was going sixty miles an hour under some very bad conditions. Rain puddles had gathered on the highway, and huge rooster tails of rain fanned out on either side of the speeding truck.
“Tell me their plan,” he demanded of Elisha. He kept one ear keyed to Anna, who had made successful contact with the sheriff ’s dispatcher.
Elisha nodded. “They were going to kill you as soon as they found you. Jose had orders to take your bodies back to our barn and cover you up with a tarp. We’re to leave tomorrow morning with our drug bales on our regional circuit. Jose is taking a motel room along with three of his best soldiers in Harley, along Highway 89. They’re gonna wait for us to pull in tomorrow morning and he checks to make sure your bodies are in there. Then, we get paid by him and he’s leaving for a flight outta Salt Lake City in the afternoon.”
“I heard that info,” Anna called. “I’m transmitting it to the dispatcher.”
Gabe’s mouth tightened. “Do you see that?” he asked Elisha, making a jab at the windshield.
“Yeah,” he choked. “Headlights comin’ our way! Get off, get off the road now! Douse those parking lights! If they see us? If they realize it’s your truck? They’ll turn around and come after us. They got AR-15s on them with bullet-piercing rounds. They mean business!”
Gabe brought the truck to a screeching halt. A brief flash of lightning revealed that the weeds were nearly six feet tall off the berm. Below was a shallow ditch filled with them. Could they get in there and then get back out? The berm held firm as he guided the truck upon the surface.
“Hold on!” he yelled to them, and guided the truck down into the wide ditch.
Anna was jerked around. She gripped the radio, talking all the time, focused on getting their GPS position to the dispatcher.
Wind River Undercover Page 21
