Fatal Vendetta

by Sharon Dunn

  They stepped inside the workshop, which was dusty and poorly lit. At first, she wasn’t sure there was even anyone inside. The barn was huge and filled with farm equipment in various stages of disrepair. While her heart pounded against her ribs, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness as she scanned the length of the room.

  “Hello,” Zach called.

  A bald head appeared above the front end of the tractor. Randy Smith. “Yes?”

  It was so dim and there was so much distance between them, she was sure he couldn’t see who she was. He was a big man. In the courtroom, he’d had a menacing demeanor. She had felt the anger rolling off him. The memory made her shudder.

  Even though she was afraid, she’d squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. The best strategy would be to act like she was here for a follow-up interview about his release and then hint about her kidnapping to gauge his emotional reaction.

  She took several steps toward him. “I don’t know if you remember me or not.”

  Randy came out from behind the tractor as he wiped his hands on a rag. His face was like carved granite, giving away nothing.

  She sensed that Zach was right behind her.

  Recognition spread across Randy’s face slowly. She steeled herself for the anger, prepared to dash for the door if she had to.

  “Yeah.” He tossed the rag in a bucket. “I remember you.” He stalked toward her.

  She planted her feet. “I heard you were released from prison. I was wondering if you would do a follow-up interview.”

  He reached out his hands toward her just as a smile spread across his face. He took her into an awkward hug. “This is the lady that saved my life.”

  He pushed back from the hug, his hands still cupping her shoulders. Face beaming.

  Still stunned from his response, she blinked several times unable to form a question. This was not the man she’d seen in the courtroom.

  Randy finally let go of her, but continued to stand in front of her, beaming. “Going to jail was the best thing that ever happened to me. Got my life straightened out with the Lord. Got my family back.”

  Elizabeth relaxed a little. She turned and faced Zach with a what’s-going-on-here look on her face. Zach lifted his hands and shook his head.

  Randy pointed the wrench at her. “All ’cause you did your job, lady, you and that lawyer.”

  Zach cleared his throat. “It’s a rare day when a lawyer is praised.”

  She laughed, amazed at how different Randy was. “A lawyer and a reporter lauded in the same sentence—that’s even rarer.” So Randy was a dead end, but the trip out here had been worth it, to see a changed man. And to hear that her work had something to do with that.

  They spent several more minutes visiting with Randy, explaining the real reason they had come before leaving. He had been sympathetic and concerned, but hadn’t been able to provide them with any clues as to who might be after her. When they got into the car, Zach unloaded the gun and put it back in the glove compartment.

  Her gaze fixed on the gun. She tensed up. Not knowing who Zach really was only added to her discomfort.

  Zach pointed at the gun. “Totally unnecessary, right?”

  She closed the glove compartment. “Not what I was expecting,” she said. “What a turnaround.”

  “Sometimes we have to be in a really dark place before we realize we need God.” The tempo of his words changed from their normal cadence.

  She studied him for a long moment. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

  His back stiffened. “You sound like you are in reporter mode, Betsy. I like you better when you’re in friend mode.”

  She shook her head. She really did want to know what dark place had brought him back to God. “I’m just making conversation.”

  A tension settled into the car as Zach drove on in silence for several miles. Their friendship could only go so deep if he was unwilling to open up a little. Then again, she wasn’t about to tell him what had happened her senior year of college. And yet, he hadn’t put pressure on her to share. Maybe she wasn’t being fair. Their relationship made a lot more sense when they were racing each other to the next story.

  Randy’s low point in his life had given him faith. When she thought about what had happened in Seattle, she knew she had made the opposite choice. She still went to church, but some part of her had gone numb inside, closed off from God. “Funny how faith works different for different people.”

  He took his eyes off the road momentarily to glance in her direction. “What are you saying?”

  Maybe Zach would understand what she’d been through. “Randy hit rock bottom and rediscovered his relationship with God. But sometimes things happen and they rob us of our faith.”

  He didn’t answer right away. “We always have a choice, how we respond to hard things.” Zach’s expression changed when he checked the rearview mirror.

  Suddenly alert, she craned her neck as fear skittered across her nerves. A truck followed closely behind them. “Where did he come from?” She was guessing that the driver was a man since she couldn’t see a face clearly.

  “I’m not sure,” said Zach.

  The route back into Badger was on a winding mountain road too narrow for anyone to pass on safely. The truck edged even closer. Zach sped up. Elizabeth gripped the armrest and gritted her teeth. This was not a safe place to speed.

  The first tap on their bumper gave their car a jolt. Elizabeth tensed. Zach kept the car steady and pressed the gas. He hugged a curve. If he went any faster, they’d fly off the road without any help from the other vehicle.

  The truck hit them again, this time harder. The back end of Zach’s car fishtailed. He overcorrected...and the car careened off the road. Heading down the steep mountain, they bounced over the rough terrain. Elizabeth braced herself as the car flipped and slid to a stop.

  She waited for the metal to stop rattling and closed her eyes against the impending doom. She didn’t think she was seriously injured—but that didn’t mean the danger was over.

  Would the man who had run them off the road come down to finish them off?

  * * *

  Every muscle in Zach’s body felt like it had been beaten with a hammer. With some effort, he clipped himself out of his seat belt and opened his door. Elizabeth pushed on her door. “It’s dented. I can’t get it open.” Her forehead looked bruised and there was a trickle of blood on her hand.

  “My door opens. Let me pull you through my way. Can you unclip your seat belt?”

  She nodded and felt around to free herself.

  He’d give one guess as to who the driver of the car was. What was that guy’s end game anyway? He seemed to want to torment and frighten Elizabeth in the most intense ways. Or did he mean to kill her?

  He pulled her across the upside down driver’s seat. He could see that the glove compartment was too smashed for him to get the gun out. He looked down at her.

  Her eyes were filled with fear. “Can you see him?” She grabbed hold of his arm.

  He steadied her by pressing his palm to her cheek then glanced up the road before shaking his head. There was no one in sight...but just because he didn’t see the guy didn’t mean he wasn’t waiting around.

  “My car is toast.” He pulled out his phone. “Let’s see if we can get some help.” No signal.

  Elizabeth sat up, gripping her knees. “The mountains block the signal. We need to get to more open ground.” Her voice trembled.

  He was sure a million questions were running through her mind, as well. Their first priority was to get some help. It would be a long walk back to Randy’s place. The best option would be to head down the mountain road until they had a cell phone signal or ran into somebody.

  He kneeled beside her. “Is anything broken? Are you ok
ay to walk?”

  She nodded. “I think so. I’m just...a little shaken up and my ribs are still hurting.”

  He rose to his feet and held a hand out for her.

  He started to lead them up the mountain to the road, but stopped when he saw a dark truck blocking the path. Adrenaline surged through his body. “Go back. Get down behind my car.”

  “What?” Elizabeth shook her head.

  He lifted her and dragged her back toward the car just as the first gunshot hit the rocks close to where they’d been.

  She pressed her back against the wrecked car. “What’s he doing?”

  “He’s not going to let us back up on that road.” He scanned the landscape around them. They had to get away. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the trees.

  Another shot boomed behind them as they entered the forest. Would their attacker come down the mountain and continue to pursue them or did he just not want them on the road?

  Zach couldn’t take any chances. He sprinted, pumping his legs. Elizabeth kept pace with him. Their feet pounded the forest floor. His heart raged in his chest. He pushed a branch out of the way and kept going. When they’d run for some time without hearing any more gunshots, he stopped. Elizabeth, out of breath, leaned over, resting her hands on her knees.

  “Do you think we can go back up there?”

  He shook his head. He had no idea what the shooter was after. He’d already tried to abduct Elizabeth twice. Maybe the shooter meant to eliminate Zach and grab her a third time. “It’s not a chance I want to take. I say we walk parallel to the road but use the trees for cover. We can head back up to the road in a mile or two once we know we’ve shaken him.”

  Aware that the shooter might follow them down, he stuck close to Elizabeth. They walked for at least half an hour. The sky had turned from blue to gray. It would be dark soon.

  They came to a stream. Elizabeth kneeled, cupping her hand and scooping up water. She looked at the sky. “I think we should get back up to that road now. Maybe we can catch someone going by.”

  There weren’t that many houses out this way. Traffic would be extremely light. Their chances at finding someone were slim—but at least the road would be flatter and easier to walk on. He turned and headed away from the trees back up the rocky incline. Rain sprinkled from the sky. He was glad they both had coats on.

  The high-velocity ringing of a rifle shot caused him to yank Elizabeth to the ground. The shooter must have been tracking them all along, waiting for them to emerge. Those shots were clearly aimed at him. Now it was clear that the shooter wanted to get Zach out of the way.

  He lifted his head to see if he could spot the shooter in the dusk of evening. The rain continued to drizzle from the sky. Elizabeth pressed in close to him. She might be safer if he pushed her away, since the shooter was aiming for him, but it was clear she needed the reassurance of having him close. Some rocks banged against each other up the hill, but he saw no other movement.

  He leaned in and whispered in Elizabeth’s ear. “Best head back to the trees.”

  It was a risk to even stand up. They’d be exposed for at least ten seconds. They both jerked to their feet at the same time and ran.

  A shot boomed through the air but it went wide. He could make out the dark shadows of the trees five yards away. He could feel Elizabeth pressing close to him, her rapid footfall ringing in his ears.

  The trees enveloped them. But Zach had no way of knowing if the shooter was still on their trail. They pushed deeper into the forest.

  He stopped for a moment to listen. The cracking of branches on the forest floor told him the shooter had decided to follow them this time.

  Elizabeth must have heard it, too. Before he could warn her, she gasped, turned and kept running. Without any distinct landmarks, it was hard to track where they were going as they ran through the twilight.

  The footsteps of their pursuer intensified. He was maybe ten yards behind them. The trees had thinned out. Another few seconds and he’d have a clear shot. Zach willed his legs to work harder. He tugged on Elizabeth’s sleeve, pulling her toward some brush. He dove to the ground and she followed.

  A moment later, the shooter pounded past them. Some distance away, his footsteps slowed. He returned, retracing his steps.

  “Come out, come out where ever you are.” His tone was playful and cruel, almost sadistic.

  Elizabeth’s shoulder touched his. He felt her cringe when the man spoke. The shooter paced a circle around them, hitting the brush with a stick. After a moment, a flashlight flooded the area. Zach’s heart skipped a beat.

  They had only seconds before they were spotted.

  SEVEN

  Zach could see their attacker’s feet and waited until the man’s back was to them before Zach leaped up and pounced. The man, who was twice his size, whirled around and threw him to the ground. Zach hoped that Elizabeth would seize the opportunity to run without being told. He wanted to keep her safe.

  Zach recovered and jumped to his feet. Though he was not as muscular as this man, he was quick—and tall enough to have a long reach. He landed several punches before the other guy got in a single blow. Elizabeth was suddenly on top of the assailant, riding his back and wrapping her arm around his neck.

  Zach glanced around for the rifle but couldn’t see it. The man threw Elizabeth off and then lunged toward her. Zach picked up a branch and landed a blow to the man’s head. He toppled to the ground but continued to move. They had only a few seconds head start.

  He grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and pulled her through the trees. They ran without stopping until the forest thinned and opened up to a wide meadow. The sky had turned almost black. Their steps became more cautious. The rain soaked through their summer jackets and slicked the ground beneath their feet.

  He glanced over his shoulder. None of the shadows moved toward them. Only forest noises hit his ears. In the urgency to get away, he’d completely lost track of which way they’d gone.

  If they weren’t careful, they’d circle back around and end up in the hands of their pursuer.

  “Do you think he gave up?” Her voice sounded faint and faraway.

  “Doubt it, but I do think we lost him...for now.” He pointed toward the edge of the meadow. “Let’s rest.”

  She collapsed on the ground, and he sat down beside her. She tilted her head. “Do we wait for daylight?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He checked his phone again. Still no signal. The clock on his phone said it was past nine. Staring at the phone reminded him of the map he’d viewed before driving out to Randy Smith’s. They’d gone north to reach Smith’s farm. If they headed south, they should eventually collide with the road. What he wasn’t sure of was if he could avoid their stalker. “I have a little experience with navigating by the stars from when I was in the desert. I think I can get us out of here.”

  “The desert? When you were covering the war?”

  Her voice didn’t have the same probing reporter tone to it from before. Or maybe she was just tired. All the same, he felt himself shutting down, not wanting to share about his experiences. In that moment, he realized that his move to Montana hadn’t just been to avoid being a news story. It was about avoiding recalling the experience in his mind and heart, as well as in newspaper pages. If no one knew what he’d been through, he didn’t have to talk about it or relive it. Maybe he’d been running away from more than just press coverage.

  Her voice reached him in the darkness. “Everything okay?”

  He was still trying to process the realization. It was why her probing bothered him. He didn’t want to feel that terror of nearly dying all over again. Didn’t want to smell the stench in the room again the way he would if he described it. “Are you rested?” he said, instead of answering her. “We should get moving.”

 
; He could stuff down the memories for now; they had a more pressing threat to contend with.

  * * *

  “Sure, Zach, let’s go.” Though she couldn’t see Zach’s face, she could feel him pulling away emotionally. The silence that fell between them as they walked only confirmed that she had touched a nerve. She’d heard pain in his voice.

  Why couldn’t she just be his friend and turn off the reporter instinct? He had extended her that respect by not demanding to know what had happened to her in college after Neil had mentioned it.

  They walked for what seemed like hours though the sky remained dark and the rain stopped. Her stomach growled. She shivered.

  She wondered if anyone had driven by and noticed their wrecked car. She doubted anyone in Badger was aware of their absence. Zach worked for himself and since she wasn’t scheduled to work, only her cat would be alarmed that she had not come home.

  Zach stopped for a moment, turning a half circle.

  “Are we lost?” As if her spirits couldn’t sink any lower, a new disappointment crept in.

  “We’re headed in the right direction, but I think that we should pray,” he said.

  “Pray?” The word sounded foreign on her tongue. On the outside, it looked like her faith was in tact, but she knew different. She hadn’t really prayed for ten years.

  “Sometimes it’s all you have,” he said.

  He spoke with conviction as if it was a truth born out of a hard experience. If she had learned anything tonight, it was to hold her tongue and not argue when Zach’s voice filled with such intensity.

  She couldn’t see his expression in the darkness, but she took a step toward him. “Okay then. Let’s pray.”

  “We should have done it hours ago.” He grabbed her hands and bowed his head. He prayed for their safety and for them to find something that would lead them back to civilization.

  His hands were warm despite the night chill. He squeezed her fingers and then let go. “Now I’m confident that we will find a river or a road or something that will lead us out of here.”