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

by Lynette Eason

  Armed and in his element, Rick maneuvered back to Shay under cover of darkness. He had no idea who was winning the fight behind him, but it wasn’t his battle. His only thought was to get Shay and Aiden to safety.

  The floodlights zapped, sparked and finally popped out completely, leaving the night bathed in darkness. For a moment, he couldn’t see, which was good because that meant no one else could see, either. But his eyes quickly adjusted and the moonlight was enough to illuminate the few yards between the building where he remained pressed against the wall and the place where he’d left Shay.

  A feeling of anxiety crawled over him, leaving him unhappily certain that Shay was no longer beside the rock where he’d left her. Where he’d told her to stay so he could find her. From the shadows, he crept low to the ground until he made the cover of the trees. With stealth, he edged closer to the rock and froze. He’d been right to worry—she wasn’t there.

  He listened for night sounds, but animal life and insects had gone silent in the wake of gunfire. The men were still positioning themselves, the rattle of automatic weapons spraying with abandon every few seconds.

  All else was quiet around him. He bent down and found a pebble, then tossed it. He heard the small rock hit the ground a few yards away and hoped he would hear Shay react.

  Nothing.

  Disappointment and alarm twisted inside. Had she left willingly, disregarding his request that she remain here? No. She’d understood how important it was to remain hidden where Rick could find her. But he didn’t like to think of the other possible reason she was gone. He’d only been a few yards away from her. How could this happen?

  Gruff and threatening, a man’s voice drifted on the breeze from somewhere deeper in the woods. Weapon at the ready, Rick felt as if he were in the war zone again, wearing his fatigues, creeping between the buildings of the small Afghan village. He’d been a marine helicopter pilot but had plenty of experience in ground operations, as well.

  His eyes adjusting to the darkness, he inched forward, searching for the man. And for Shay.

  A rustling of leaves up ahead drew Rick’s attention. Looking through the scope, Rick stole silently through the woods. Where are you, Shay? Show yourself.

  Then he saw the half-drunk hulking form leaning against a tree. Rick fingered the trigger guard. Had he been the one to chase Shay off? If so, where was she now? Rick remained still, listening to every sound, waiting for any movement.

  From behind a tree, Shay’s form came into a sliver of moonlight breaking through the thick forest. A rock in her hand, she tiptoed toward the man.

  Rick considered his options. He couldn’t let Shay try to take him down with the rock. But if Rick gave his position away and it turned out the man had a weapon, he might not be fast enough to keep the man from turning the gun on him, or on Shay. Indecision squeezed his gut. Sweat trickled down his back.

  But even as Rick was frozen in place, Shay made her move, and when she lifted the rock, the man turned, revealing the gun in his hand.

  NINETEEN

  Shay held the rock up—she had no choice but to strike.

  Not to kill him. Her intention was to knock him senseless so she could get away. She’d hoped he’d be easy to attack. He was so drunk that he hadn’t even noticed when she’d slipped away from his side to find a rock to use.

  When he’d come to collect her as she’d agreed, she’d pretended to play along, hoping for a chance to get away—or get rescued.

  Rick, where are you?

  She knew where he was—he was in the camp, trying to find Aiden. Shay was on her own now.

  Moonbeams swept across the grizzly miner’s sluggish features as he turned toward her. At the sight of her hand clutching the rock, his eyes widened.

  Then he aimed a gun at her face.

  Shay felt her heart stop. Felt her own eyes widen. She wasn’t faster than a bullet and hesitated for a millisecond too long. A shot rang out, and Shay’s knees buckled from fear.

  But it was the man in front of her who fell the hardest, toppling forward into Shay, who scrambled back in the dirt just in time to avoid falling under his dead weight.

  Rick appeared out of nowhere and helped her to her feet. She’d never been so glad to see him.

  “You shot him?”

  He nodded and pressed a finger against the man’s neck, looking for a pulse. “He’s dead.”

  Rick had killed a man. Right in front of her. Just as her mother had been killed. By all logic, she should be feeling terrified of him right now. But…he’d done it to save her life. Knowing that, she couldn’t feel afraid of him anymore. Did that mean she was finally ready to let herself love him? Shay’s throat grew thick, felt as if it was closing off.

  Breathe…. She had to breathe….

  Her mind grappling with the truth, Shay sucked in the chilled and moist forest air. Rick forced her to look at him. “Are you hurt?’

  Shay shook her head, but she didn’t feel all right. Rick peeled the man’s fingers from the weapon and examined it. “What do you know?” He gazed at her with eyes full of surprise. “Recognize this?”

  “It’s yours.” She studied the all-too-familiar weapon with the custom grip. “That makes sense. People just keep aiming that thing at my head.”

  Rick put it away. “Wait here.”

  “Rick, no….” she said. He’d left her once before. She wasn’t going to let him do that again.

  “It’s okay, Shay. I’m just heading for the trees right there where I dropped something I brought for you.”

  Shay waited patiently and Rick returned with a coat.

  “Here, put this on.” He handed her the too-large parka. “We have to get out of here.”

  Slipping into the coat meant for a man, Shay smiled as she looked down at the proof that Rick had been thinking about her when he was in the middle of the gunfire back at the camp.

  Trudging ahead, he clearly expected Shay to follow. He seemed agitated. Or maybe he was just focused, in the zone.

  She looked back at the dead man. “But what about—?”

  “Leave him for now. If we don’t get far away before the war is over back there, they’ll look for us, find us and then we’ll join him.”

  That reasoning was good enough for Shay. She stayed close behind Rick, who maneuvered through the woods with the ease of the soldiers she’d seen in movies. “What about Aiden?”

  “I found out where he is, I hope. That’s where we’re headed now.” Rick paused and waited, holding his hand up.

  Shay instinctively realized he meant for her to stop. Stop walking. Stop talking.

  Ten seconds ticked by. Fifteen. Twenty.

  The woods were quiet around them. Too quiet. Shay’s legs cramped. She needed to move. But Rick was as still as a tree, unmoving, blending into his surroundings. She’d have to follow his lead.

  A gust of arctic air whipped over her, reminding her of the impending storm. She glanced up at what she could see of the sky through the trees. Clouds were moving in. They’d soon cover the moon.

  Then it would be black out here.

  Finally, Rick angled his own head at her and lifted a finger to his lips. He wanted her to maintain the silence…but it was time to start moving again.

  He crept forward, and Shay followed as quietly as she could. Rick shoved through the undergrowth, pushing deeper into the woods, farther from the camp.

  Shouts and gunfire grew distant. How long would the shootout last? Would anyone survive? The thought of all the possible death sickened Shay, made her dizzy and weak. She imagined this wasn’t what Kemp’s grandfather had had in mind when he’d bequeathed the claim to his grandson.

  She touched Rick’s arm, just needing to feel connected to him. He was in his element now, protecting her, but somehow he seemed distant. She didn’t like it.

  “What now?” she asked, her question soft like the first snowfall.

  “See that?”

  Shay squinted, trying to focus through the d
arkness. His eyes must be much better than hers. He wasn’t even peering through the scope and he could see it.

  “The opening to a mine shaft,” he whispered. “Aiden’s supposed to be in there.”

  Rick moved toward the opening, and Shay followed closely. She couldn’t see a thing in the shadows and couldn’t help but be impressed by how confidently Rick moved even in the darkness.

  Shay had known Rick was an amazing pilot, but she’d never seen this side to him. Never had cause to see him in action as a marine, and it left her dazed. He was like a large predatory cat, prowling, invisible in the night. Her heart pounded at the sight of him. How she admired everything about this man.

  At the opening of the shaft, Rick waited and listened. The cavity didn’t offer any signs of life.

  “I don’t like this. Something’s wrong.” Rick looked at Shay. “I’m going in. You stay here.”

  “Look what happened last time you left me behind. Someone found me.”

  “It’s completely dark in there. Dangerous, too. It could drop off into nothingness. The ground is most likely unstable. This could be a dead end as far as Aiden is concerned.”

  “I don’t care. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Rick nodded and stepped into the old, dank mining shaft. Planting her hand against the cold, moist stone, she trailed him into the mine. She hadn’t realized just how completely dark it would be. She couldn’t see her hand in front of her face, nor could she hear Rick’s breathing near her or the crunching of his boots in the dirt—but then, he knew how to be quiet.

  That was unfortunate for her. Maybe she couldn’t follow him after all.

  She reached out to touch him but her hand grasped empty air. Something told her not to speak his name. Not to give them away.

  *

  Rick inched forward in the shaft, acutely focused and alert to his surroundings.

  He ignored the signals his own body was sending—the pain in his shoulder, the weakness that washed over him in waves. Those could be dealt with once he’d gotten them all away from here.

  Sensing that Shay was no longer close behind, he glanced back and saw that she’d remained near the opening—he could just see her silhouette. Best to leave her there until he’d ferreted out whatever threat waited for them.

  His gut churned with images of finding Aiden dead. Another loved one whom Rick had let down. If that turned out to be the case, he didn’t know how he would live with himself.

  If Aiden was in here, alive and well, he must be deep inside, because there wasn’t any evidence of someone imprisoned inside the shaft so far. Darkness grew thicker and tendrils of uncertainty slithered through his mind, making him feel as if he was on an impossible mission.

  In the end, he might call out Aiden’s name, but right now he had a feeling silence was his best option.

  When the opening of the shaft disappeared, Shay along with it, Rick reached out and touched the wall. The shaft wasn’t by any means hot, though beads of sweat spread over him from his nerves and the pain he was in. Salty moisture dripped into his eyes. He ignored it as he followed the shaft as it made a turn, angling to the right.

  Rick steadied his breathing, but unfortunately, the slightest exhale resounded through the man-made cavern. Tingles rolled over his arms. He held his breath. Someone was in here with him.

  Right.

  Next.

  To him.

  Such an eerie feeling—that sixth sense that told you when you weren’t alone. That maybe someone was watching you. In this case, he wasn’t being watched. Too dark for that.

  But he was being…anticipated. Expected?

  Attacked!

  In an instant, a light flashed on. A log rammed into the side of Rick’s head. He struggled to maintain his footing and his consciousness.

  Then the man was on him, trying to wrestle the rifle away from him. Keeping his grip on the weapon, Rick held off the man while grappling for the handgun in his pocket.

  Realization dawned as he found he recognized the shape of the body in front of him and the way that the man moved. In the dim light of the flashlight that had fallen to the ground, he even came to recognize the face fighting him.

  “Aiden!”

  In his surprise, Rick let down his guard and Aiden wrestled the rifle from his grasp. He aimed it at Rick, his finger on the trigger guard.

  “Aiden. What are you doing? It’s me!”

  Aiden blinked, then cocked his head. “Rick?”

  “Yes. It’s me.” Relief rushed through Rick so fast he fell against the rock wall, pebbles sliding past him. “You can put down that rifle now.”

  Wariness battling across his features, his brother lowered the weapon. Rick pushed away from the wall and grabbed his brother in a bear hug.

  “You’re alive.” Squeezing his eyes shut, he concentrated on taking in his brother’s sturdy, living, breathing body. I can’t believe you’re alive.

  He’d tried to prepare himself for the worst. Tried. But failed miserably. That was one thing he didn’t mind failing at.

  When Rick released Aiden, he looked him over. “So what happened? I thought you were being kept prisoner here.”

  When he lifted his hands, Rick saw his raw wrists. “I spent hours digging away at the dirt and rock where the chains were secured into the wall,” Aiden explained. “Just back there a ways, someone built a shelter. The wooden planks, everything is pretty intact, because it was kept away from the elements all these years. I found a tool that I used to work the locks off. It was time-consuming. And I had to time it just right. My plan was to be free so I could take Kemp down before he came back. I couldn’t let him catch me midescape.”

  “So why are you still here?”

  “I was headed out when I saw someone coming. I heard gunfire, a lot of gunfire. I wanted to get my hands on Kemp and his gun before I went to rescue you and Shay—”

  Aiden jerked his head toward the shaft opening. “Where is she? Did you get her out, too?”

  “She’s at the entrance. We should—”

  Shay stepped into the light from the flashlight, which was quickly beginning to fade.

  “Aiden.” She sighed his name. “You’re alive.”

  She rushed to him and hugged him, too. Aiden stepped away from her and swiped a hand through his hair. “I must look and smell awful.”

  “Nothing new there,” Rick said, teasing. He was so glad to have Aiden alive. Glad they were together.

  “Sorry for clobbering you over the head,” Aiden said. “I thought you were Kemp. I was going to take his gun and come for you. Didn’t mean to point the rifle at you. Had plans to rescue you, but I see you’ve managed to find your own way.”

  Rick remembered the look in Aiden’s eyes when he’d aimed the rifle. The look of a man intent on harm. A man who was angry and dazed. In another world. It had taken him seconds to recognize Rick. And in those seconds, he might have shot and killed his brother.

  Had that been how Shay had felt when Rick had done the same thing to her? His gut churned. How could she ever forgive him for something like that—much less consider a relationship with him? Clearly, he was no good for her.

  He took a couple of steps away from her. Just to be clear to himself.

  “Barely,” he said, shoving the anxiety of his feelings for Shay away for now. “This isn’t over yet. We still need to make it to the airplane and get out of here before they stop fighting each other and figure out that we’ve escaped. If Kemp is still alive, he’ll probably head straight for the airplane as soon as he gets the chance, if he hasn’t already.”

  Shay tugged a wire from her pocket. “He might go to the plane, but he won’t get very far without this. It’s a wire from the ignition system.”

  “That doesn’t mean he won’t try,” Rick said. “In fact, he might even try to find you so you can fix it.”

  “I don’t think he’ll survive the slaughter.” Aiden coughed. “So how did they find out anyway?”

  “Find out?
”

  “You know, about the gold.”

  Rick stared. He wasn’t following.

  “Rick, there is no gold. Kemp fooled them into digging the mine just to stall them until he could get the Cessna fixed and get out.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course there’s gold.”

  Aiden ran both hands through his hair. “No, there isn’t, and he knows it. That’s the reason he kept me locked up in here. Kept me away from everyone. I was the only one who knew the truth. I found the letter in the airplane that detailed the geology of his claims. This site was a long shot. This isn’t the place that his grandfather struck anything worth digging.”

  Sagging against the dank rock wall, Rick blew out a breath. “He’s been scamming us all. Not that I wanted the gold, but the thing is—”

  “They found gold,” Shay said. “I saw one of the nuggets. It didn’t look like much to me, but the men, the atmosphere in the camp, everything changed after that.”

  “What if Kemp just planted it?” Risk asked. “You know, to keep them going.”

  Shay slowly shook her head. “I was the one to tell him they’d found gold and he looked stunned. In fact, now his reaction makes more sense.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself. “After finding the nugget worthy to celebrate, that’s when the two who ran us off the road showed up to collect on their debt,” Shay said. “They’ve been keeping tabs on the progress. Maybe that’s why they wanted us dead—because they knew Kemp was just playing them and would run the second he had a chance…using that Cessna. To keep him from getting away, they couldn’t let me fix the plane. But how’d they know that gold had finally been found?”

  “Someone from the camp had to be keeping them informed,” Rick said.

  “Could be. Maybe the rifleman—he left the camp a lot to hunt. Maybe he had a satellite phone of his own that he used once he got away from camp.”

  “I can’t believe I’ve been locked up here the whole time because there was no gold, and in the end there was.”

  “Yeah, you don’t know what you were missing facing off with a bunch of gun-toting maniacs every day.” Rick’s tone was a little sarcastic but seasoned with humor. He picked up the rifle. “Before we go, let’s pray.”