The Last Target

by Christy Barritt

  Her dad reached over and squeezed her hand. “No, they’ve fed us and taken care of us. It could have been worse.”

  Rachel had that to be thankful for, but still, things didn’t seem like they could be much worst right now. “How many men do they have guarding the place?”

  “Usually four. All armed. There’s no way of escaping, Rachel. Believe me. We’ve had four years to think about every possibility.”

  Rachel released Aidan from her lap and let him run around the room. Then she stood. “There’s got to be a way out. We could make a run for it. Anything would be better than just sitting here and waiting. I’ll be with you. Even if you had to hide out in the woods, I could run and get help. Send them back for you. There’s got to be something we can do.”

  “Everyone thinks we’re dead, Rachel.” Her mother’s emotionless expression made Rachel’s heart thud with sadness…and fear.

  Not everyone thought Rachel was dead. Jack wouldn’t give up until he found her.

  Unless he was dead.

  Her heart thudded with sadness.

  Denton would look for them then. He would pick up where Jack had left off. But how would he ever find them out here? How would anyone find them? Her parents were right. They’d been here for four years. If no one had found them yet, why would they find them now?

  Rachel remembered Jack’s mother’s words, about how love required risk. Yes, it did. Life required risk. Once she’d become a mom, all other risks had taken a backseat. All she’d wanted was to be safe.

  But right now, all she wanted was Jack. She could live with his job, his work. She just wanted him, wanted to feel his arms around her.

  And she wanted out from this cabin. She felt along the walls, searching for something, anything.

  “We’ve done that, Rachel,” her dad said. “There’s nothing. The only way in or out of this room is through that door, that has five locks on the other side. And the men… Two are inside, two are outside. They bring us food at 8:00 a.m., noon and 6:00 p.m.”

  Rachel guessed that’s what they’d learned while doing the same thing every day for four years. Her mother’s paleness was worrisome. She needed to see a doctor. And her father looked frailer than she remembered. The bags under his eyes spoke of his sleepless nights.

  “I’m not going to sit here and wait for them to kill me in front of you,” Rachel muttered. She stared at the door, trying to formulate a plan.

  “That’s got to be the road leading to the property there.” Jack pointed to an overgrown path that veered off of the treacherous mountain road they’d been traveling down for the past twenty minutes.

  Denton pulled to a stop in front of it. “That appears to be a locked gate and a No Trespassing sign.”

  “We’ll park and hike in. We can’t exactly rumble up the driveway and announce our arrival, now, can we?”

  Denton looked at the GPS. “According to this map, it’s a good six-mile hike still to get there…if this is the correct location.”

  “We don’t have any other choice.” Jack had called an old friend at the FBI to let him know what was going on. He told him the whole story, as well as he knew it, so that if anything happened to him and Denton, someone else would know to look for Rachel and Aidan…and Vice Admiral Harris.

  “The night will be on our side, at least,” Denton said. “No one should see us coming.”

  They found a neglected roadside pull-off with a couple of faded picnic tables. Denton pulled over, inching as close to the woods as possible. The two men hopped from the SUV and began gathering branches to place over the vehicle and conceal it. No need of giving themselves away in case anyone drove past.

  Jack’s arm still ached. He needed additional medical treatment. The bullet hadn’t done any real damage, but he’d need to have it looked at again. It wasn’t the top thing on his priority list now, but as he pulled his holster over his shoulder, his body protested. He pushed aside the pain. All he had to do was think about Rachel and Aidan, and his focus returned. He hadn’t realized how much they’d begun to feel like a family to him. This went beyond his job. He wanted to protect them because he’d grown to love them.

  They stayed in the woods but followed beside the road for their journey up the mountain. The hike would tax them, even if they were well rested and uninjured. They needed to keep a steady pace to preserve their energy for when they arrived wherever they were going.

  Jack’s cell phone—actually, his father’s, since Aidan apparently had his—buzzed. Without missing a step, he pulled it from his belt and answered. It was his FBI contact.

  “I looked into Vice Admiral Harris’s properties. He does have one in West Virginia. It was hard to trace back to him because he keeps the deed under his father’s name. It appears to be at the GPS coordinates you sent me.”

  “Tell me about the property.”

  “3,000 square feet. Two stories. No basement. It’s surrounded by miles and miles of nothing. If I had more time I could get a floor plan.”

  “How about a satellite image of it?”

  “I’m looking at it right now. I see two men outside of the house. They appear to be armed. There’s one car parked in front of it. That’s all I see right now.”

  “Perfect. Thanks, Justin.”

  Jack relayed the information to Denton as they continued their climb. The darkness was beginning to disappear, and the sky was becoming more of a murky gray than black. They had to pick up the pace. Jack couldn’t risk losing their cover of darkness.

  More important, he couldn’t risk losing the two people he’d come to love.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Rachel plopped back down on the couch, after trying to find an exit with no luck. Her mom and dad were right—there was no getting out of this place except through the door. The problem was that an armed guard stood on the other side.

  Aidan began stirring from the other end of the couch. She smiled at her son and stroked his hair away from his face.

  “Hey, buddy.”

  His sleepy gaze scanned the place. “Are we still here?”

  Rachel nodded. “Hopefully not much longer.” Even as she said the words, she realized her hope had begun to fade. At 6:00 a.m., her uncle had promised to come and finish her off. What would happen to her sweet son?

  Aidan sighed. “I’m bored.”

  “You just woke up, sweetie.”

  He sighed again. “I want Mr. Jack.”

  Rachel’s heart lurched. “I know, honey. Me, too.”

  “Is it okay if I play a game, Mommy?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Aidan reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Rachel sat up straighter, her eyes widening. “Aidan, what is that?”

  His cheeks reddened. “I know I shouldn’t have taken it. I was going to give it back, but I didn’t have the chance. Please don’t be mad.”

  Rachel’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m not mad, Aidan, even though you shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to you. We’ll talk about that later. For now, do you mind if I look at Mr. Jack’s cell phone?”

  He shook his head and handed it to her. Her hands trembled as she held it. This could be the answer she’d been praying for. She could only hope they had a signal.

  She held the button down to turn the phone on. The screen lit up. The first thing she saw was the time. 5:00 a.m. Only one more hour.

  Her throat was dry as she swallowed.

  The signal bar showed they had reception here. Slight, but they had it. She let out a soft squeal.

  Her parents stirred.

  “What is it, Mom?” Aidan leaned over to see the phone.

  Her dad lifted his head from the pillow and blinked several times. “What’s going on?”

  “Aidan has a cell phone.”

  “A cell phone? At his age?” her mom said.

  “That’s not the point right now. The point is that we have reception.” Who should she call? 911? Would dispatch even believe her? And how would she explain where she
was? There was only one hour until Uncle Arnold returned.

  She found Jack’s contacts. Who could she call, if not Jack himself? Was Jack even around to call? Her heart fell at the thought. She remembered his seemingly lifeless body but fought to not give into despair.

  She found the number for Jack’s parents. On a prayer, she hit Call. Before the first ring was complete, Jack’s dad answered. “Jack?”

  “Mr. Sergeant, this is Rachel.”

  “Rachel? Are you okay?” A mixture of relief and concern sounded in his voice.

  “I guess you could say I’m okay. How’s Jack, Mr. Sergeant?”

  “He’s okay.”

  “He’s alive?”

  “And kicking.”

  Relief washed through her, but only for a moment. “Mr. Sergeant, my uncle has kidnapped us. My parents are alive. And I don’t know who to call for help. My uncle’s going to be back to kill me in an hour.”

  “Call my cell phone.”

  “Your cell phone?”

  “Jack has it, and he’s on his way to find you.”

  Her heart soared. Of course Jack was on his way to find her. That was Jack. How could she think any less?

  She skipped the formalities and ended the call, only to immediately find the contact on Jack’s phone list and hit Call. A moment later, she heard a surprised, “Hello?”

  “Jack?”

  “Rachel?”

  “I’ve never been so glad to hear your voice.”

  “Ditto. I’ll have more than that to say later. Right now, I need to know where you are.”

  “We’re in some cabin in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Do you know how many men are there guarding you?”

  “We think there are four. Two outside, two inside.”

  “Where are you in the house? Do you know?”

  “It’s a room in the middle of the house. No windows. I’m guessing that maybe it was a bedroom at one time and they walled part of it up.”

  “Where’s your uncle?”

  “He’s going to be back at six. He said he’s going to—”

  “I need you to hold tight, Rachel. I’m on my way.”

  “Okay.” She paused, her thoughts racing. “Jack?”

  “Don’t say it.”

  “How do you know what I’m going to say?”

  “You’re going to say something that you might not say if you didn’t fear that you could die. I want to hear it when you’re safe and sound. Can you wait an hour?”

  Rachel smiled. An hour. She’d love nothing more than to tell Jack how she really felt then. She only prayed she survived long enough to do just that.

  Jack had never been so relieved to hear anyone’s voice. Good old Aidan. Sure, he needed a lesson about taking things that didn’t belong to him, but this would be the one time he wouldn’t get a lecture from Jack. His sticky hands had possibly saved their lives.

  Denton looked at the GPS in his hands. “We should be coming right up on it, Jack.”

  No sooner had the words left his mouth then they heard a vehicle rumbling up the lane. Vice Admiral Harris. Rachel’s words rung in his ears. He would kill her at 6:00 a.m. He glanced at his watch. They still had thirty minutes.

  The cabin came into view. They circled the house and saw the two men stationed outside. They also saw Vice Admiral Harris getting out of the car and striding up to the front door. They had to work quickly.

  “I’ll take the guy by the back door, you take the other one,” Jack instructed.

  Denton nodded and they split up. Jack crept around the building, trying to get a better view of his target. The man, short but wiry, looked rather bored at his post, his gaze often roaming his surroundings and checking his cell phone. As soon as the man began to punch in some text on his phone, Jack swiftly moved toward him.

  The man struggled, but Jack put him in a sleeper hold. As soon as the man passed out, Jack grabbed some duct tape from his backpack and tied the man up. Just as Jack finished, Denton came around the corner.

  “You ready to move inside?” Denton whispered.

  “Let’s do it.”

  “There’s one man by the front door. He’s armed. The other guard must be in front of the room where they’re keeping Rachel and Aidan. I don’t know where the vice admiral is.”

  “Probably with Rachel.” Jack glanced at the door. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll keep an eye on the guard by the door while you pick the lock. We’ll take him out before the other guard even knows it.”

  “Got it.” Denton bent by the front door and, using a kit from the backpack, quietly unlocked the door.

  Jack kept watch from around the corner. He could see the guard standing by the door. At just the right time, they’d slip inside and take him out. They had their chance when he stepped toward the table and started ruffling through a magazine. Jack nodded toward Denton.

  Quietly, Denton opened the door and slipped inside. In less than two minutes, the guard was knocked out and tied up.

  Voices came from down the hall. One was headed their way. Jack slipped into a closet while Denton hunkered behind a couch. They waited until the right moment.

  “You got that right,” one of the guards said, approaching the living room. Jack tuned his ear to the voice, listening as the man approached. “Where did Will go? Will?”

  Jack threw open the closet door and tackled the man. The guard’s gun clattered to the floor. Denton grabbed it and aimed it at the guard. Before he could say anything else, Jack used the duct tape to subdue him also.

  “What was that sound?” The vice admiral’s voice got louder as he came down the hallway. “I’m ready for you in the other room, Will.”

  Jack dragged the guards out of the vice admiral’s line of sight. Then he waited. As soon as the vice admiral stepped into the room, Jack stepped out with his gun aimed right at him.

  The vice admiral’s eyebrow twitched in disdain. “Well, if it isn’t Jack Sergeant. I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here. You always were persistent.”

  Despite his throbbing shoulder, Jack held the gun steady. “I wouldn’t make any sudden moves, sir. I don’t want to take you down, but I will.”

  The vice admiral chuckled, not looking a bit ruffled by Jack’s appearance. “You think anyone will believe your word over mine? It’s doubtful. You have no proof that I’ve done anything. And you won’t have any proof. I assure you. I’m very good at what I do. I’ve been doing it for thirty years and haven’t been caught yet. If you think I’m going to let you ruin things for me, you’re wrong.”

  “Put your weapon down, sir.”

  “I have nothing to lose, Jack.” The vice admiral reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. His eyes gleamed as he raised the weapon and aimed it at Jack.

  Rachel heard the commotion from the other room. Was that Jack? It had to be. Jack was here. He would rescue them.

  She stepped toward the door, every cell in her body screaming with fear and hope.

  “What are you doing, Rachel?” Her mom grabbed her arm. “You can’t go out there. They all have guns.”

  “I’ve got to see if I can help.” Rachel twisted the door handle. It turned. Her heart leapt into her throat.

  Her mom covered her mouth with her hand, worry staining every feature of her face. “Be careful, Rachel.”

  “Mommy?” Aidan tugged at her shirt.

  “Stay with Grandma and Grandpa. Okay? No arguments.”

  Rachel crept down the hallway, toward the voices. They were talking in the front room. One of the voices was clearly Jack’s.

  “There are two of us against you, sir. If you try to take one of us out, the other one can still shoot you. It would be wise to simply put the gun down and turn yourself in. The FBI are on their way.”

  “You won’t take me alive. I can promise you that.” Even without seeing her uncle’s face, Rachel could imagine the sneer he wore. She’d seen it herself too many times.

  “This doesn’t have to get any worse than it a
lready is.”

  Her uncle chuckled. “Do you know what the authorities will do to me? They’ll charge me with treason. My name and picture will be all over the news. I’ll bring shame to my family.”

  “You should have thought about that before you joined up with Apaka.”

  Rachel looked up and saw a fifth guard standing on the second-story balcony, where Jack couldn’t see him. He crouched, his gun aimed at Jack.

  “Jack, behind you!” Rachel shouted.

  Jack swung his gun up just as the shooter fired. Uncle Arnold turned his gun toward her. She ducked. Shots were fired. The smell of gun smoke filled the room. Rachel’s mom screamed from the other room.

  Rachel stood and lowered her hands from her ears. She saw Uncle Arnold on the floor, a wound at his knee. The shooter from upstairs lay on the ground and Denton hurried up the steps to him.

  Rachel stepped over her uncle, kicking the gun out of the way in the process. She ran into Jack’s arms.

  “You’re okay.”

  “I’m more than okay now.” His arms encircled her and he pulled her tightly toward him.

  Just as her parents and Aidan stepped out of the room, sirens sounded outside.

  “Jack, I’d like for you to meet my parents.”

  THIRTY

  Rachel knocked on the door to the hospital room. A cranky “come in” sounded from the other side. She took Aidan’s hand and pushed the door open. Jack sat in his hospital bed, a scowl on his face and a bandage across his shoulder.

  As soon as Jack spotted them, his eyes lit up. “I was afraid you were my doctor again, telling me I wasn’t ready to go home.”

  Aidan scrambled away from Rachel and began climbing in bed beside Jack. “Mr. Jack, Mr. Jack—”

  Rachel reached for him. “Aidan—”

  Jack held up a hand. “It’s okay.” Aidan scrambled beside him in bed and looked up at him, his eyes glowing.

  Rachel smiled with relief and lowered herself at his bedside. She took Jack’s hand in hers. “How are you?”

  “I’ll be better once they let me get out of here.”