“My m-mother-in-law,” she whispered, still looking around. “She’s still here. She ran, but she’s still here.”
“That was a woman?” He whistled out a big breath. “Damn. That’s one twisted mother-in-law. I’m real sorry. She got away. You want me to send Whisper to find her?”
“No.” She clutched Whisper’s neck with her other arm, and the big dog obliged, licking the side of her face with adoring dog kisses, and then she calmed. She was safe. Whisper wouldn’t let anyone near her. “I need my dog.”
She couldn’t speak. All she could do was hang on tight, so thankful for Whisper and the feel of this man’s arms around her. But then she felt it. A tiny drop of moisture hit her bare shoulder, and it hadn’t come from her. She hiccupped another sob as she leaned away enough to look at the man who had rescued her. Gentle eyes gazed down at her. Another tear fell.
“You’re crying, too?” she stammered.
He wiped his face. “Yes, ma’am. Guess I am. Sorry,” he said softly, his finger tracing a line over her shoulder. “They hurt you.”
He shuddered. There was no reason to answer. She had nothing to hide. With her body exposed the way it was, he already knew what they had done to her. The very real knowledge of what Buck and Nick intended next overwhelmed her with another wave of panic. She clenched this man tight even as Alex’s wise words whispered again. Never give up. Help might be just around the corner. And here was that help just like Alex had said. She collapsed, thankful beyond what words could express.
The man shrugged out of his jacket even as he held her, and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her head gently back into his shoulder. He seemed to be shaking as much as she was, his heart hammering just as hard. She stilled. This man was scared, too. He had killed to protect her, but it must have been a hard thing he had done.
“You’re the second person I’ve rescued today, Kelsey girl,” he murmured softly, his words soft and warm against her shorn head.
“Alex?”
“Yes, ma’am. The first person I bumped into last night was my boss, Alex Stewart.”
“Is he ….” She couldn’t say it. Alive?
“Let’s just say he was bossing me plenty the last time I seen him.” She heard the right words, but she sensed there was more. Too tired to think beyond the moment, she took comfort in the fact that Alex was alive. The shock of the night caught up with her. Tremors hit her hard, and the more she tried to calm herself, the worse she got.
“Who are you?” she asked through chattering teeth.
“Harley, ma’am. My name’s Harley Mortimer. Alex sent Whisper and me to bring you home.” He tipped her chin up to see him. “You okay with that?”
“Yes,” she answered. “I’ve always wanted to meet you.”
His eyes widened. “Me?”
“You’re a good guy. Alex says so.”
A dubious smile shifted over his face before his eyes turned serious. “I need to ask you something. Are you going to be okay to travel?”
She nodded quickly.
“They didn’t ….” He bit his lip, his eyes scanning down to the open zipper of her jeans where her panties showed, and quickly back to her face.
She shook her head. Now she knew what he was really asking. “No. They didn’t do that.” She cringed. But they were going to. Kelsey bowed her forehead to Harley’s chest as uncontrollable sobs racked her inside out. She couldn’t stop. He pulled her close. Even Whisper whined anxiously, his paw on her shoulder.
“It’s okay, Whisper.” Harley comforted the dog while he rocked Kelsey. “She’s just scared, but we’ve got her now. She’ll be okay, won’t she, boy?”
Whisper leaned against Kelsey’s shaking back, and she was ashamed. She should be happy, instead of falling apart.
“Okay then.” Harley eased her off his leg and settled her next to the tree again. “You stay here while I get us ready to travel. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” She sighed. Whisper was all over her and his nearness helped. She buried her face in his fluffy mane, remembering all the other times he had loaned his strength. Sobs wrenched out of her, and once again, Whisper took it all in, staring off into the trees as if this was his lot in life, to protect, guard, and to forever be her four-legged warrior angel.
With one arm around him, she watched Harley rummage around camp, locate a gas can, and top off the ATV’s fuel tank. He gathered up all the weapons he could find, and stashed the cell phones he found in his pants pocket. He seemed so efficient, as if he knew exactly what to do. Before long, he was back at her side.
“Are you sure you can ride?” he asked again, his hand outstretched to help her off the ground.
She nodded once she was on her feet, turning aside to zip her jeans, and to zip his jacket up to her neck. She had no more than accomplished those simple actions when a wave of nausea struck. The world spun. She felt his hand at her elbow, holding her steady while he eased her back to the ground.
“Easy now,” he said gently. “Take a minute to catch your breath.”
“Let’s just go.” She couldn’t speak. A wave of darkness rolled over her. Harley and Whisper faded nearly away ….
A gentle hand cupped her neck and water against her lips. Harley was muttering, and Whisper’s fur brushed soft against her hand.
“Damn it, Mortimer. You’re dumb as a box of rocks.” He leaned over her, still coaxing water into her mouth. “You should’ve known she would be dying of thirst.”
She licked her lips and drank from the bottled water he offered. The coolness of it trickled down her throat, bringing relief she hadn’t realized she needed. He tipped her head forward so she could drink better. It tasted so good. Satisfied she’d had enough, Harley eased her back to the ground. She noticed Ethel’s coat had been folded beneath her head for a pillow.
“You okay?” Harley peered down with such a serious face. He brushed something off her cheek.
“Yeah.” She closed her eyes. The truth was she was barely hanging on to her emotions. She was sick, hurt, and the only thing that would truly help would be to feel the safety inside Alex’s arms again. Gathering the last of her resolve, she struggled to her elbows, and then accepted Harley’s hand up and off the ground one more time. She staggered to the ATV.
“I’m ready,” she said wearily, her head still buzzing, but not wanting to admit it to Harley. He took the driver’s seat, watching her out of the corner of his eye.
“You sure?” he asked.
She nodded, waving up hill. “Sure,” she said softly. The blackness was back, creeping at the edges of her vision, a shadow she could almost feel. She focused on breathing, sure this awful feeling would pass. It didn’t. Harley drove nearly to the crest of the small hill before he stopped the vehicle and let it idle.
“You’re not feeling good, are you?”
“No, please. Keep going,” she insisted, but when she turned to face him, the tenderness in his eyes was more than she could bear. He reached his hand to her arm, and she summoned all her strength to return his look without breaking down. “Please,” she begged. “Let’s just go.”
“No, ma’am.” He shook his head. “Listen, darlin. I know men aren’t your favorite creatures right now, but you need to ride over here where I can get a hold of you, okay? I can’t have you falling off now that I found you, can I?”
The moment he put his arm around her, she broke down. The horror of the night swept over her with a vengeance. She needed Alex, but Harley was here. “Would you hold me?”
He did. Harley scooped her tight onto his lap and tucked her under his chin, his arms gentle, safe and strong. She cried like she couldn’t stop. He gave her a cloth from somewhere, and she drenched it in minutes, the flood unstoppable. Sunlight warmed her back and still she cried. It was all too much. She was tired and beat up. Her hair was gone and the few shreds of it left felt like an awful crew cut. What would Alex say when he saw her? She wasn’t even a little bit pretty anymore. Her head hurt, and her h
eart, too. He might never want her after this. He might make her go home, and she would …. Kelsey gulped. Love reminded her. Alex was never going to make her leave. He loved her, and she didn’t have a clue why she was acting like this. The tears slowed. She sniffed while the weariness of the day took the last of her strength.
She listened, her head against his chest. His heart beat strong and true, a definite rhythm that never faltered. Not even once. He smoothed a hand over her shoulder and down her arm, patiently waiting for her to be ready to move again. Finally spent, she straightened in his lap.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“It’s okay, Kelsey girl.” He brushed her cheek tenderly. “You’ve been through hell. You’re suffering right now, but you’re gonna be okay. I promise.”
She nodded, wanting to believe. Whisper sat at Harley’s side of the ATV, watching.
“So, what brought you and Alex all the way out here to the not so great Northwest?”
“He asked me to marry him,” she whispered, her voice small and breathless. “Is he really okay?”
“Don’t you worry about Alex, ma’am. He’s tough. You oughta know that by now.”
“But they ….” She groped for the right words.
“They beat him up a little, but he’ll be okay. You’ll see.”
“They kicked him so much.”
“Yep, they did, but search and rescue is taking good care of him right now. For all I know, he’s in the hospital and getting fixed up already.” He tucked her under his chin and kicked the clutch. “Come on. Let’s get you some real help. Hang on tight.”
She rested against him again as he maneuvered the ATV one-handed around boulders and logs. He didn’t want to talk about Alex. That’s why he had changed the subject and started driving. The hopelessness of the night stabbed her. Alex was hurt badly. She knew it.
“Whisper and I have you now, darlin, and that means you’ve got the best. The Boss sent us to find you, and you know how he is. He only sends the best,” Harley rambled, and she knew what he was doing. He was giving her hope when there was none. He was stringing her along. “That oughta make you feel a little bit better now, doesn’t it?”
She was silent.
“And you’re safe. And by the looks of it, old Whisper kinda likes you, huh? I could tell. He thinks he belongs to you, doesn’t he? Or maybe he thinks you belong to him the way he was kissing all over you. I mean, you know how dogs are. They kinda choose who they’re gonna love, and I can tell that big old hound loves you, doesn’t he?”
Kelsey slumped against him. The darkness was back. It was winning.
“Talk to me.”
She mumbled something even she couldn’t understand.
“Kelsey girl, I need you to talk to me.” Harley brought the ATV to a halt as he tried to rouse her. “You’ve got to stay with me. Can you do that?”
She wanted to believe, but somehow, in the process of being rescued, all her resolve had fled.
“Come, on, Kelsey. Stay with me. We’re almost there, and then you can rest, okay?” Harley was scared. She heard him talking, but his worried face kept fading in and out of focus. So much darkness. Too many shadows. They wavered close by, threatening and teasing her senses. She closed her eyes to make them stop.
“I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but you and me are going to say some prayers. Can you do that for me?”
She sighed, not able to open her eyes this time.
“‘The Lord is my shepherd.’”
She mumbled soft and low, trying to form the words he wanted her to say. Nothing made sense. Why was he trying to get her to pray in the middle of the forest anyway?
“Good, Kelsey girl. Good job. Okay. Next line. ‘No want shall I know.’”
“No-o ….” He thought she was trying to pray, but she wasn’t. Not anymore. I’m dying. Just let me go.
“That’s real good.” Harley continued, jostling her in his arms as if to keep her awake. It wasn’t working. “‘He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.’ Come on. Say it with me.”
She huffed a sigh of resignation. It doesn’t matter. Alex is dead. Tommy and Jackie are dead. I want to be dead, too.
Harley growled deep in his chest. She felt the rumble of that far away growl. The last thing she heard was his fervent prayer. “Jesus Christ, I need some freaking help down here!”
Twenty-Two
Kelsey
Flashing lights. Pine branches like lace against the blue morning sky. Kelsey blinked the fog away, dazed with the sounds of men’s voices. Too close. The men were too—
“Ahh,” she screamed, rolling away from Buck and Nick and—
“Kelsey.” Harley’s voice penetrated her panic. “I’m here. I’m right here.”
“Don’t let them get me.” She latched onto his hand, pulling herself up and out of Buck and Nick’s clutches. “Help me.”
“You’re okay.” Harley was saying all the right words, but the hammering in her chest pushed her to fight or flight. Buck and Nick were still too close. She could hear them and ….
Someone not Harley pressed her back to the ground as the scene materialized. Two uniformed men moved around her, one tucking a blanket around her legs, the other holding her arm firm against his side as he waited to insert an IV. She gasped, at last understanding. Harley. Paramedics. Not Buck. Not Nick. Harley.
“You’re safe.” He knelt at her side, his hand locked on hers as he smoothed one hand over her head. “I’m not leaving. I promise.”
She squeezed her eyes tight, fighting tears and gasping for air.
“These guys are going to transport you to the nearest hospital,” He explained. “You’ll be okay. Just relax.”
She nodded, her heart beating out of control. For now, her only link with cold hard reality was him, and he had said he wouldn’t leave. She felt the prick of the IV in her arm, and squeezed his hand tighter. He returned the squeeze, leaning over her.
“You’ve got quite a grip for a woman,” he teased. “Do you work out or something?”
“Kung fu,” she whispered. “David ….”
“David Tao’s teaching you kung-fu?” He seemed surprised.
She nodded, suddenly groggy. His face moved in and out of focus, and she knew what was happening. The drug in her system should have made her relax, but she fought it. Too soon. It was too soon to be restrained again, and she needed Alex. Only Alex was not here.
“No. Don’t leave me.”
She felt his hand on her cheek, gently thumbing her tears away. He was lifeline and comfort rolled into one. She tried to hang on tight. He was her only link to Alex. The drug was winning. She felt him bump his forehead into hers.
“Go to sleep. Me and Whisper will be right here when you wake up.”
“Hey, Kelsey girl.”
Harley knocked on her hospital door as he let himself in. “You in here?”
She looked up in surprise, her smile quickly replaced with uncertainty. She had been hospitalized, her lip stitched, and her numerous other wounds treated. Most of it was a groggy memory of the emergency room with fragments of Murphy and Harley’s soft voices nearby, and the odd notion that Whisper had slept under her bed all night. Of course he didn’t, but the thought soothed Kelsey. If Harley noticed her nervousness, he didn’t let on.
“I hear they’re going to cut you lose tomorrow?”
“Ah, yes. I get to leave. I hope.” Kelsey didn’t want him to stay. She was embarrassed. Couldn’t he understand? He was part of that whole horrible night, and even though he had saved her, she didn’t expect to face him again so soon. Not now. Not today. Maybe not ever.
Dressed in blue denim jeans and a light blue checked western shirt, he stood awkwardly at her bedside like a little boy with nothing better to do. He pulled a gold chain out of his jeans pocket. At the end of it swung a gold locket, about the size of a fifty-cent piece. Delicate filigreed hearts and flowers were engraved on the shiny ornament. She turned away, afraid to look him
in the eye.
“So, I was wondering what I could bring you, you know,” he drawled with that lazy cowboy twang of his.
She remembered it now. That was part of the reason she had trusted him. His good ole boy approach had calmed her to her core—then. But now—not so much.
“I thought I oughta bring you flowers or something, cuz you’ve been stuck in here the last couple of days, but then I figured flowers just die and chocolate gets eaten and anyway ….”
He handed her the locket.
“You didn’t have to do this.” She took it unwillingly, still avoiding his eyes. She didn’t need any more reminders of that night. “Thanks.”
“Hey, its no big deal. Just needed to do something for my favorite girl.” He stood there like he was waiting for something.
She fingered the locket, biting her lip as she waited for him to leave.
“Are you gonna open it?” he asked shyly.
“I was just going to ….” She let her words trail away. She didn’t want to open it. She just wanted to forget. With a quiet click of the locket, her worries evaporated.
Kelsey looked at the gift he had brought, and then she looked up at him. For the first time, she noticed those hazel eyes were flecked with green and gold. It wasn’t something she remembered from their first meeting. Those hazel eyes also looked like they could be full of mischief if he would let them. Definite laugh lines crinkled at the corners, but right now all she saw was tenderness and concern. If she didn’t know better, she might think those gentle eyes were full of love, and maybe they were. He had certainly brought the perfect gift. On each side of the locket was a picture of two of Kelsey’s best friends. Whisper and Smoke.
“I thought you might like that instead of flowers,” he said, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “You know, cuz flowers die and stuff, and I know you love those goofy dogs.”
Kelsey’s eyes brimmed with tears. Whisper’s bright eyes stared back from the locket frame. He had been so heroic that morning while Smoke had stayed steadfast at Alex’s side. They were her heroes. Harley, too. But she wasn’t so thankful for her heroes that she wasn’t also embarrassed. She cringed. The first thing Harley’d done out there was cover her nakedness and protect her modesty. Yes, he was there. He had seen her at one of the worst moments in her life, but he had also protected her. He had respected her.
Alex (In the Company of Snipers) Page 24
