Love Inspired Suspense December 2013 Bundle: Christmas Cover-UpForce of NatureYuletide JeopardyWilderness Peril

by Lynette Eason

  Just one.

  “Where is the other one?” The man jabbed the muzzle of his weapon at Shay.

  Rick had the same question but in reference to a different man. Where was the other one of the killers? He scanned the perimeter.

  “He’s dead,” she said.

  The man jabbed her with his weapon. Rick couldn’t stand there and let him kill her. Blinding rage exploded in Rick’s veins. That, coupled with the element of surprise, would give him the chance he needed. He charged into the circle of firelight and knocked the automatic weapon from the man’s grip. Before he could react, Rick drove him to the ground.

  He pressed the blade of the buck knife to the man’s throat. “Shay, grab the weapon.”

  The whites of the assailant’s eyes shone with fear.

  “Who are you? Why did you try to kill us?” Something about this man gnawed at his thoughts.

  When the guy didn’t speak, Rick pressed the knife against the flesh of his neck until it drew blood. “I’ll ask you one more time. Who are you? Why are you after us?”

  Then it hit him. This wasn’t one of the two in the truck.

  “Rick,” Shay said, her voice tenuous, trembling.

  He ignored her. She would try to talk him down.

  “Rick!” This time, the blood-curdling demand in her tone let him know he’d better pay attention.

  He hoped she was holding the weapon as he’d asked. Pressing the knife deeper into the man’s throat—a simple, clear warning that he’d better not flinch—Rick turned his face halfway, keeping his focus split between the two of them.

  Another man pointed a gun at her head.

  SEVEN

  The gun’s muzzle bearing down on her temple, Shay fought to see straight, dizziness sweeping over her.

  From the moment he’d turned his head, Rick had appeared frozen in time, standing over the man, the knife still pressing against the guy’s throat. Rick locked eyes with her and the cold fear she saw in them nearly did her in.

  He’d been a marine, for crying out loud. Didn’t he have a plan? Was there anything he couldn’t do? Blood roaring in her head, she practically screamed at him with her eyes to act.

  Though his expression had turned to icy steel, she detected the answer in the slight movement of his head. Not yet. He wouldn’t make his move yet, and wanted her to play along.

  Her knees quivered, but she dared not allow them to buckle. One wrong move could be the end of them both. The metal dug painfully into her temple, though she refused to cower. But a small grunt under her breath gave her fear away.

  Slowly, Rick removed the knife from the man’s throat and spread his hands out, his nonthreatening position letting them know he would submit. But he hadn’t relinquished the knife when the man he’d threatened punched him in the gut. Rick’s strong core apparently kept him from buckling as expected, so the guy went for Rick’s face.

  Rick sidestepped him and, with one split-second glance at Shay letting her know that now was the moment, he shoved his fist in the guy’s face. Shay took her chance to make her own moves against her distracted attacker. She tried to kick him, but he was faster.

  His arm wrapped around her throat.

  Shay gasped for air.

  The man fired a warning shot into the ground near where Rick struggled with the other one. A terror-filled screamed raced up her throat, but she caught and stifled it. Couldn’t show her fear.

  She might be pathetic and weak, but she wouldn’t let them know. Shay had enough practice at acting tougher than she felt, but she’d never faced anything like this before.

  “I’ll say this just one time.” The man’s raspy voice, directed at Rick, buzzed against her ear. “If you cause any trouble, the woman dies.”

  Shay just wanted a chance to escape. A chance to live. At some point, this man would let his guard down and then she would have her chance. But that moment wasn’t now.

  Knocked on his back, Rick lay there, holding his hands up in surrender again—only this time, he meant it. Seeing him in that position crushed her insides, leaving her breathless. He’d tried, she’d give him that. But what could he do when she’d been used to bring about his compliance? Bitterness flooded her mouth.

  If Shay hadn’t been there, Rick might have gained his freedom quickly. He might have found his brother already.

  Rick rose slowly to his feet while the other guy wiped his bloody nose on the sleeve of his camouflage down parka.

  “What do you want with us?” Rick asked.

  The man standing over Rick grabbed his automatic weapon. “You ask too many questions.”

  Questions. Was that why they’d been pursued? Because they’d asked about Aiden?

  Shay wondered if that meant the men would kill her and Rick and make sure they were dead this time. Though she couldn’t read Rick’s hard expression, she didn’t think he would go down without a fight. Neither would she. But wouldn’t they already be dead if that was all these men had intended?

  “First your buddies try to kill us by running us off the road,” Rick said. “Then—”

  “You hear that, Joey? Somebody tried to kill them.”

  “Shut your mouth.”

  “That means—”

  “I said shut up. It means nothing.”

  “Kemp needs to—”

  Joey stood in the man’s face. “Shut. Your. Trap. We’ve got a job to do. So we do it. Let Kemp decide the rest.”

  Shay shared a glance with Rick. So this had to do with the man whose plane they had come to repossess after all. But where did the mining claim come into it?

  “What job?” Rick asked.

  “Shut up,” both men yelled at Rick.

  Somebody tried to kill them…. What was going on? Everything had happened so fast. Though she hadn’t had long to see the men in the truck up close, she’d stared into the driver’s eyes. Neither of the men possessed the same dark, sinister eyes of the driver who’d pushed them over.

  The two sounded as if they were from Long Island or somewhere back East—not that same native Alaskan accent she’d heard from the truck’s driver and passenger as the men discussed their demise only a few yards above them.

  “Tie them up, then let’s get moving,” Joey said.

  Joey’s partner grunted. “My hands are frozen already. We’ve been at this all day.”

  “Then tie them up and stoke the fire. But we can’t be here all night.” The man’s gaze searched the darkness around them. Was he wondering about the other men who’d hunted Rick and Shay?

  If only Rick had found his gun. Maybe things would be different at this moment. There were too many “if onlys” to think about.

  Joey’s partner pulled plastic ties from his coat pocket and forced Rick to put his hands together. He drew in a breath and worked his jaw while the guy bound his wrists.

  Then he moved behind Rick and kicked his knees, forcing him to the ground again. “Sit.”

  After Shay’s wrists were bound, she dropped next to Rick by the fire and across from Joey, who examined the handgun he’d held to her head. Shay could hardly believe her eyes. Was that Rick’s gun? The one he’d been looking for? She wanted desperately to know but knew better than to ask.

  His partner threw some more fuel on the flames.

  The fallen trunk at their backs, Rick shifted closer, his body a superficial protective barrier next to her. “Lean against me and get some rest,” he murmured under his breath.

  “You should listen to him,” Joey said to her.

  His words surprised her. If anything, she’d figured he might kick Rick and tell him to shut up. Why would their captors care if she got enough rest?

  She was too tired to ponder it for long. She leaned her head against Rick’s broad shoulder and took what comfort she could in his presence.

  What had Rick’s brother gotten them into?

  *

  Rick maintained his composure, calmed his breathing and thought about everything that had occurred. He co
uld have ended this quickly if Shay hadn’t accompanied him to fetch his brother and to fix the broken aircraft.

  Having her here made him weak. These men knew that and used it to the fullest.

  And his experience from the past made him weaker—he couldn’t stand to be so helpless and impotent, unable to save someone.

  That alone ripped at his confidence.

  In an attempt to settle his mind, Rick tried to think of what vulnerabilities these men might have that he could exploit. Everyone had a weakness, including these two goons, who thought he and Shay would go willingly with them. If he could figure out what they were after, he might be able to use it as a bargaining chip. But why would they bother with them? Why hadn’t they simply killed them? The answer had to be they needed them alive for some reason that only Kemp knew about—but Rick wouldn’t push that point.

  How did all of this connect with Aiden and the plane? Clearly they hadn’t known all there was to know about Buster Kemp.

  He studied the two men who sat across the fire loosely guarding their captives. So confident they were that Rick and Shay wouldn’t escape or even attempt to try that they paid them a bare minimum of attention.

  The one called Joey examined the nine-millimeter and the grip glove that Rick had installed. Where had the guy found it? And why had he taken it? Clearly he had no need of it, because he and his partner carried their own lethal weapons. Unfortunately, the sight of the submachine guns brought back unwanted images. Rick couldn’t bear to hear those weapons go off.

  Shay had hated seeing his gun. He hated seeing theirs.

  It was just another reason why Rick had no intention of hiking anywhere with these two. Why go deeper into the wilderness, farther away from a likely rescue and into the outlaws’ camp?

  He could think of only one justification—Aiden. If there was a chance he was still alive, he had to be at the camp with those men. And if he was, then saving Shay and Aiden would become his task.

  To do that, he’d have to be at the top of his game. Somehow Rick had to shove aside the doubts from the past that plagued him. Somehow he had to turn this around and get his advantage back. Rick squeezed his eyes closed, shutting out the firelight.

  Those two idiots across the fire from him appeared too relaxed. Either that, or they were exhausted and they made the mistake of not hiding it well.

  He could kick the flames into their eyes and Shay could make a run for it while he distracted them. And then what?

  Face the Alaska bush on her own? He doubted she’d make it far before bullets riddled her back. Rick ground his molars.

  He’d have to bide his time.

  Finally, the gray light of an early Alaskan dawn colored the strip of sky visible from the gorge.

  Joey sprung to his feet and started kicking dirt on the fire. “Time to go.”

  Rick didn’t much feel like cooperating, but he had to think of Shay and Aiden. Wrists bound, Rick maneuvered to his knees, then stood.

  Shay shrank away when Joey tried to assist her to her feet. Rick seethed at the man for touching her, but he hid his distaste lest it cause Shay more harm. The guy might like to mess with her just to get at Rick.

  Men could be animals. Rick had seen that for himself too many times.

  Joey got in Rick’s face and smirked. “Pretty impressive that you survived that fall.”

  How did the guy know so much if he wasn’t involved in the crash?

  “Yeah, I know about that. It was my job to make sure you made it to the camp. But then I couldn’t find you anywhere. Except I saw the fire from the road.” Joey held up a night-vision scope hanging from the strap on his weapon. “Saw the Jeep at the bottom of the gorge. Saw her. She was in the picture. So I knew you’re the ones.”

  Rick’s heart hammered. Two men tried to prevent them from making the mining camp, and these men were abducting them to take them there. Aiden, what have you done?

  “What do you know about the men who tried to kill us? What is going on?” Rick steadied his voice. “What do you want with us?”

  “I said too much as it is. My point is that I don’t know how you survived, but I won’t underestimate you. Since I know you’re resourceful, I’m going to give it to you straight. We have a ways to go. If you try anything, she gets hurt in a thousand ways you can’t even imagine.”

  Rick wanted to wring his neck. He inched forward— Hold it together.

  Joey smirked again, satisfied that he’d achieved his goal of getting a rise out of Rick. “And as an added bonus, if you try anything, you won’t see your brother.”

  Rick’s pulse spiked at those last words.

  “Aiden…” His breaths came too fast. “Where’s my brother? Why are you holding him?”

  Though he’d hoped against hope that Aiden was somewhere safe, his suspicions were now confirmed—these men had his brother. Hearing the man refer to his brother had been too much.

  Joey pressed the tip of Rick’s own gun into his chest. If Rick weren’t bound, he’d quickly disarm the guy—didn’t he know that? But it wasn’t the gun that held Rick in place. It was Joey’s leer and the threats he’d made that still rang in Rick’s ears. “You’ll find out soon enough. Just remember what I said. One wrong move on your part and you get to watch people you care about suffer because of you.”

  Rick felt as if he were in the Middle East again, staked out in the desert. Shay was the stake used on one side and Aiden the one on the other.

  Joey’s partner strapped the automatic weapon across his broad chest and hiked from their crude camp. Joey motioned for Rick to follow, and then Shay. Joey would pull up the rear, ready to harm Shay using Rick’s gun if necessary.

  Surreal.

  Before Rick did as he was told, he moved close to Shay and whispered, “Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.”

  He hoped she read in his eyes the words he couldn’t say. How sorry he was about this, and that he had every intention of making a grand escape. That he needed her to hold it together, to play along for as long as needed. All things he couldn’t say out loud.

  To say that terror emanated from her wide eyes was an understatement, and yet she stood tall, held her head high. He was glad that Shay was a strong person, but as a woman she couldn’t blend in and pretend she was one of the guys when they got to the camp. Would she be strong enough to face the challenges ahead? His need to protect her stirred to a new level.

  In response to his optimistic words—unusual for him—she gave a subtle nod. She was with him.

  He could only hope their shared resolve would be enough to get through whatever they were about to face.

  EIGHT

  Riding in the utility ATV on steroids, Shay wasn’t sure how much more of the rough trail she could take, especially with her wrists bound so she couldn’t hang on to anything. Rick was even less fortunate—his ankles had also been tied together and the men had hefted him into the cargo bed like a bag of Idaho potatoes. It had been painful to watch. Rick was a strong man with military training. That he’d been reduced to this…

  Shay sighed. They’d trekked through the gorge until she’d thought she couldn’t take another step, and then come upon the ATVs and the trail. She wanted to protest or try to find a way to escape, but she fought the urge. Breaking free of the situation wasn’t survivable unless something changed in their favor. Rick knew that. She knew that.

  In the meantime, she’d watch and wait for his move.

  Don’t wait too long, Rick.

  Of course, he wanted and needed to get to that camp to find his brother. That had been their goal all along, but not as captives. That wouldn’t help Aiden.

  Eventually the trees surrounding their path broke away and the terrain completely changed into a full-blown settlement of buildings and tractors surrounding a hole in the ground and a pile of dirt. Not a rock quarry, exactly. Something less elegant. A gravel pit. This small section of pristine, beautiful Alaska had morphed into an ugly mining camp.

  Sh
ay drew in a breath as realization struck—it was a pit, only of a different kind than the gravel ones she’d seen before. This was a gold-mining pit.

  The plane had to be around there somewhere, and that meant the airstrip was nearby, too. Shay sat up, taking it all in. She glanced at her captor, who whipped the ATV in and out, making his way through grooves in dried mud to the buildings.

  This didn’t seem like an ordinary gold-mining camp. There were a dozen or so men, and more than half of them brandished automatic weapons. Was that normal? Was there so much gold pouring from that hole that these men felt they needed to protect it?

  A sick feeling roiled in her stomach. What was going on here?

  Unfortunately, the ATV didn’t go unnoticed, and Shay received more than a few looks before they finally pulled up in front of a small wood-framed building with a tin roof. It was just one of several buildings at the camp.

  Joey climbed from the ATV and pointed his weapon at Shay. “Get out.”

  She didn’t need to be told twice, and by the time she made it to the ground, Rick was out of the cargo bed and stood next to her. At least they’d untied his ankles.

  “Sit down next to the Wolverine.” He meant the ATV, Shay assumed.

  On the cold ground? Why didn’t they just leave her and Rick in the vehicle?

  Joey left them at his partner’s mercy and tromped away. He entered the building without so much as a glance behind him.

  His partner nudged the end of his weapon under Shay’s chin and leaned in, an unpleasant grin on his face.

  “Do as he says, Shay.” Rick’s tone left no room for argument, but she hated hearing the defeat in it.

  Against the Wolverine, Rick slid to the ground and Shay followed. Cold quickly seeped into her legs. A backhoe rumbled from across the camp, digging into the earth, and a generator hummed. Diesel exhaust poisoned what should have been some of the cleanest air on Earth.

  Once their guard distanced himself from them, Shay leaned closer to Rick.

  “What are they going to do with us? What should we do?”

  Rick stared ahead, his features as hard as granite. “As soon as I find my brother, we’re leaving.” Then, as he turned to face her, his expression softened. “Or maybe sooner. I need to get you out of here. When I think it’s safe for you, I’ll make my move.”