by Mary Alford
“Rusty, but I think I can manage. I’ll need some light, though.”
She shone the flashlight his way in response.
“Thanks. I know it’s risky, but otherwise we could be here for a while.”
She followed him over to the edge of the creek. Rachel shone the light across the creek to where a single tree had survived the fire.
It was a long shot at best. Lord, I need Your help, Alex prayed.
“I think I can hook it around that branch up there. It’s tall enough to keep us out of the water, at least.”
Rachel took out the rope and handed it to Alex.
As a kid, Alex had loved to rope just about anything in sight. He’d given up on becoming a professional bull roper when his interests turned to other things as a teen...mostly Rachel.
Holding the greater portion of the rope in his left hand, Alex swung the lariat above his head. It took five tries, three more than it should have in the old days, to lasso the branch in question.
“You haven’t lost your touch.” Rachel smiled brightly. “And I’m sure glad you haven’t.”
He jerked the rope tight and tested the branch for stability. Having survived the fire, it could be compromised, but they were all out of choices. It was this or turn around and head back the way they’d come and risk running into those men.
“It looks like it should hold our weight. We just need to tie it off on this end.” The remaining tree on their side of the bank wasn’t nearly as sturdy looking.
“Let’s hope it holds up,” she said and shone the light on the charred tree. She was right. If the tree fell, they could be in serious trouble. If they landed in that water, they’d be swept downstream before they had a chance to save themselves.
Alex looped the rope around the tree and started tying it off. Before he’d finished, he heard voices coming from just over the ridge.
Rachel glanced behind them. “Alex, they’re almost here. We have to hurry.” He took her hand and they headed to the edge of the creek.
“You should go ahead of me. I’m positive it will hold your weight. I’m not sure about mine. If they reach me before I can cross, cut the rope and get out of here. Find Liam.”
He didn’t get to finish before she shook her head. “I’m not leaving you behind. We’re in this together.”
His gaze clung to hers. So many unspoken feelings weighed on his mind. He had to protect her.
“Rachel, I...” He wasn’t sure what he wanted to tell her, only that he needed her to understand that he still cared about her.
She placed her finger over his lips. “No, you’re going to make it and I’m not leaving this area without you. We’re going to find Liam and this is all going to be a bad memory someday.”
He knew it would be pointless to argue. Time was precious. While the voices still sounded a little ways away, it wouldn’t take them long to reach the creek. Crossing the water by rope was going to be time-consuming.
She tucked her weapon behind her back. Alex gave her a boost up to the rope. Rachel put one hand in front of the other, slowly pulling her way across past the bank and over the raging water. The process was excruciatingly slow. The creek wouldn’t normally be as wide to cross, but with the additional water running, it had doubled in capacity.
Behind him, multiple voices grew nearer. Rachel was barely midway across the creek. He didn’t dare start across until she was safely on the opposite bank. With his weight, it could snap one of the tree branches and they’d both land in the freezing water.
Keeping a careful eye on Rachel’s progress, Alex glanced behind him. He could see several flashlight beams bouncing across the night sky.
Hurry, Rachel...
She was almost to the other bank. Like it or not, he had to start making his way across.
With his gloves on, Alex jumped as high as he could and managed to grasp the rope. Working as quickly as he could, he placed one hand in front of the other until he was over the water. He heard the tree make a cracking, groaning noise. Was it about to snap?
On the ground now, Rachel watched him make his way over the water. “Hurry, Alex. They’re coming down the ridge now.” She took out her Glock and fired on the advancing men while Alex did his best to double his speed. He was still a little ways from the bank when the men returned Rachel’s shots. He was caught in the cross fire. One stray bullet and he was dead.
With a couple of feet still left between him and the bank, Alex took out his knife. While balancing with one hand, he cut the rope behind him. Immediately, he plunged toward the creek. Alex jumped with all his strength toward the bank’s edge, barely hitting it. Then he tucked and rolled.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said the second he was on his feet again. Together they kept low to the ground as bullets continued to whiz past their heads.
“Get some rope,” one of the men behind them yelled. “If they can cross that way, we can, too.”
“We can’t let them get across,” Rachel said as she continued firing at the enemy.
With his thoughts struggling to find a solution, only one came to mind. He’d need to find a way to pull the tree over. He remembered there was a small ax among the camping supplies.
“This is the only tree for them to tie to on this side of the bank. If I can get it down, they won’t be able to cross.” Like it or not, it was their only chance to stay alive.
SIX
Rachel glanced back at the tree. “You’ll be exposed. They have nothing to lose. And I hate to point this out, but even with using the weapons we took from Peter and Michelle, we don’t have an unlimited amount of ammo.”
They had both brought extra clips of bullets and had the confiscated weapons, but if they had to continue to defend themselves like this, their supply wouldn’t hold out long.
His gaze held hers. “It’s our only choice. I’ll be okay.”
She slowly nodded. “Okay, I’ve got your back. Do what you have to do.”
Alex grabbed the small ax from the backpack and slowly edged his way over to the tree in question. He had barely left the area where they were hiding before the men spotted the movement and began firing right away.
From her vantage point, Rachel engaged the men. She glanced back over her shoulder. Alex had reached the tree and was on the backside, as out of sight as possible. Because the ax was so small, she knew it would take longer to bring the tree down.
As she continued to return fire, she saw the tree give way ever so slightly out of the corner of her eye.
While the men continued shooting, she felt the blowback from bullets close by. She couldn’t hold them off for long.
“Hurry, Alex.” Time was running out. She watched him gather his strength, and with one final swing of the ax, the tree came crashing down, barely missing him.
He hurried back to her. “That should buy us some time. We need to make it to those woods over there. Go ahead of me. I’ll cover you.”
She ducked low and ran for the woods while Alex continued to fire at the men. Once she’d reached the trees, he charged for the woods while Rachel covered him.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “I have no doubt that they’ll find another way across soon enough.”
They hurried into the wilderness. Rachel glanced back briefly. The men were slowly coming out of their hiding places. How long before they crossed the creek?
After they had covered more than a quarter of a mile through dense foliage, the woods begin to thin out slightly.
“We must be close to the camp. We need to search this area quickly. If Liam’s here, we won’t have long to find him and get out of here.”
Alex nodded. “Let’s just hope this is the right camp.”
Rachel stopped once they reached the edge. “What if he’s not here?”
“Then we keep looking. Let’s take a quick look aroun
d the place and see if there’s any sign of him.”
Working as fast as they possibly could, they searched the crumbling camp, but Liam wasn’t there.
Rachel couldn’t have been more discouraged. “This can’t be the camp Liam mentioned.”
Alex touched her cheek. “We can’t give up. You said yourself there are several other camps up here. We just need to find the right one.”
She nodded. Alex was right. She had to keep fighting for Liam. She struggled to recall the particular layout on this side of the mountain. “The next one should be a little ways up the mountain from here.”
“Good. Let’s keep going. Perhaps, if those guys come this way, they’ll think we kept heading downhill. How are you holding up?” Alex asked when she stumbled slightly.
“Tired, but I’m okay. Don’t worry, I can keep up.” She wished she felt more confident. She wasn’t used to this kind of pace.
“Let’s stop and rest for a moment.” He pointed to a fallen tree and she sat down. Alex took out one of the water bottles and handed it to her.
“Thanks.” She took it gratefully and drank deeply.
Alex looked around the desolate area. “It doesn’t look as if anyone’s been up here in a long time.”
He was probably right. The camp they’d just left was overgrown; the woods had reclaimed most of its remaining buildings.
“Liam said that’s why his friend wanted to buy the camp he did. It hadn’t been used in years, so he got a good price. He wanted to make the camp a working lumber mill again.”
She handed Alex the water and he took a drink, then put the bottle back in his backpack.
“There’s certainly enough timber up here to run several mills, especially if it’s been years since the area has been harvested.” He blew out a sigh. “As much as I hate to say it, we need to move on. We don’t know if they’ve found their way across the creek yet.”
As they headed deeper into the woods, getting into the higher altitude forced them to slow their steps down tremendously.
Rachel found herself listening to every little noise around them. She’d been in the woods since she was a kid, but this was different. She’d never been chased by people intent on taking her life.
As she had so many times since Liam’s disappearance, Rachel thought about her brother’s last visit. Liam had alluded to the fact that someone from the CIA might be involved with the terrorist threat he’d been chasing. His comment on the map he left seemed to indicate he believed it, and now there were presumed CIA agents combing the area looking for Liam. All things pointed to the same conclusion Liam had come to.
What if these men were somehow working for the same terrorist that Liam had been chasing? She voiced her concerns aloud. “If Liam discovered the connection, he could pose a threat to any further attacks.”
Alex’s expression was grim. “What are they doing here in the US? There’s no way they’d travel all this way just to track down Liam because of something he knows. They’d risk blowing their cover. There’s something more going on.”
A disturbing thought dawned on her. “Unless Liam has something they want.”
Alex stopped and stared at her. “What would be worth coming out of hiding and risking their lives for?”
Rachel shook her head. “I don’t know. Whatever it is, it must be big.”
“Let’s just hope we find Liam at the next camp. We need answers, Rachel, before this thing escalates any further.”
It felt as if they’d been hiking for hours and they still hadn’t come across the camp. So far, there was no sign of the men, but she didn’t doubt they would have found a way to cross the creek. They weren’t about to give up, especially if what she suspected were true and Liam had taken something important from them.
As she walked, she kept going back over what had happened. One thing bothered her. “Did you see Michelle or Peter back there?” Where were they?
Alex shook his head. “No. I have no idea where they are. Right now, you’re the only connection they have with Liam, so why not put every man available into capturing us?”
“Unless they’re searching for something else... Maybe whatever Liam took.”
He stopped dead in his tracks. The dawning of what she’d just said registered an alarm. “You think?”
“Somewhere here in the US could be their next target. What if they planned to attack someplace here and Liam discovered it? Liam tracked them here, found whatever they brought in to do the attack with, and hid it somewhere up here. They would be desperate to get it back. They have nothing to lose.”
* * *
If what Rachel said were true, then this thing was much bigger than either of them had originally believed. They needed help.
“Rachel, we’re in way over our heads. Let me reach out to my commander for backup.” When she didn’t answer he pressed. “We’re outnumbered and certainly outgunned. Our ammo supply won’t last past another confrontation. We have no idea how many more men these guys have up here searching for Liam and whatever else they’re looking for. We could die.” He hated pointing out the obvious, but the truth had to be faced.
He could see from her mutinous expression that she wasn’t ready to give in. “We can’t. You said yourself these men are CIA. We don’t know how deep their connections go. Even if your people aren’t involved, they could still inadvertently tip off someone who is. We can’t risk it now. Liam’s life is on the line.”
Her answer didn’t surprise him and he certainly couldn’t blame her, but he had a feeling at some point they’d have no other choice but to reach out to Jase and the Scorpion team for help. He just hoped he could convince her to do so before it was too late.
Rachel took out the binoculars and activated the night-vision function, homing in on something off in the distance.
“Do you see something?” he asked.
“Yes, just up ahead. I think it’s the second camp.” She handed him the binoculars.
From what he could tell so far, nothing about the second camp was reassuring. It appeared as overgrown as the last one. Alex chose to keep his misgivings to himself. “Let’s hope we find Liam there. Then we can get out of here and figure out what’s really going on.”
The exhaustion of the hike had begun to take its toll on his body. His legs felt like rubber. He was fit and used to the rigor. He couldn’t imagine how Rachel was feeling.
Once they reached the opening leading into the camp, Alex stopped to take in their surroundings. In the dark, it was hard to tell much about the place, only that it appeared as if it had been years since anyone had been there. The surrounding woods had already reclaimed parts of the camp. But then Rachel had said that was one of the reasons Liam’s friend had wanted to buy the place.
“We can’t afford to use the flashlight. We could be walking into a trap.” The hackles along his neck stood at attention. He didn’t like it. “Maybe you should wait here. Let me check it out first.”
He didn’t have to look at her to see her reaction. “As I told you before, Alex, we’re in this together, I’m coming with you.”
He touched her face gently. Losing her again was an unbearable thought, but he knew it was useless to argue.
Please keep us safe...
“Ready?” he asked, the weight of what he wanted to tell her roughening his voice.
She covered his hand. “Yes, I’m ready.”
Alex shoved branches away and stepped into what had once been a camp.
When they were in the clearing, he stopped for a moment to listen. Only the sounds of the night could be heard around them. Still, the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach had him on full alert.
“Let’s start over there.” He leaned in close and whispered so that only she could hear. The last thing they needed was to alert anyone with deadly intent. He pointed to a particular area. “There’s a couple
of buildings still standing. He could be in one of them. Stay close. I don’t like this.”
Alex could see the uneasiness he felt reflected in her eyes as they slowly advanced into the camp. The first building they came upon had collapsed in upon itself. It appeared to be where the trees were milled at one time.
“I can’t see anything on the inside.” He took out his flashlight and shone it around the dilapidated building. “There’s nothing here.”
An unsettling thought occurred. What if the camp were empty? They’d have no choice but to keep climbing up the mountain to Liam’s last known location. By coming this way, they’d cost themselves several hours of valuable time. If Liam were injured, it could mean the difference between life and death.
The next building appeared to be living quarters of some type, mostly intact. Alex stopped next to the door. It took several tries for it to free itself of years of decay.
Once it screeched open, he and Rachel eased inside. It took a few minutes for his eyes to become accustomed to the darkness enough to make out shapes.
The place consisted of a single room. What appeared to be a broken-down table was shoved into one corner. On the opposite wall a bed was set up. There was nothing else. Alex’s heart sank. It didn’t appear that anyone had been here in a while, either.
Frustrated, he turned back to Rachel. “It’s empty.” He barely got the words out when a noise that sounded like a wounded animal came from the area where the bed was located.
“What was that?” Rachel asked.
Alex whirled around to survey the area. “I don’t see anything.” He slowly advanced to the bed with his weapon drawn. Had some animal gotten injured and crawled inside the cabin to seek refuge?
There was nothing but a ratty old mattress on top of the bed. He realized the noise was coming from under it.
He indicated that Rachel should cover him. Alex clicked on the flashlight and counted off three in his head. Then he grabbed the bed and shoved it out of the way.
Huddled beneath it was a badly injured man who had clearly been shot. But the most disturbing part was the fact that Alex recognized this man, too. He knew him. Had worked several missions with him. This was the legendary CIA agent Deacon Broderick.
