Fatal Vendetta

by Sharon Dunn

  She wasn’t so sure. She knew more about unanswered prayer than answered prayer. She feared they were walking in a circle. They trudged on for another ten minutes. Zach quickened his pace.

  “I hear a river, come on,” he said.

  She didn’t hear it, but she would trust his senses. He spurred into a jog, and she ran alongside him.

  Now she heard it, the rushing of the water. Joy surged through her in spite of her pessimism. Okay, so sometimes God did answer prayer that fast. Yet she’d prayed for justice when Craig had raped her and she’d seen none of it...ever. That had been the start of her fractured faith.

  They hurried along the bank, the murmuring roar of the water filling her ears. She could feel the fatigue in her muscles. “Could we rest just for a short time?”

  He turned a half circle. “I think that would be okay.” He led her to a tree by the river that provided some shelter from the rain.

  She collapsed to the ground, and he sat down beside her. The sound of the river washing over rocks surrounded them.

  His voice floated on the air. “Are you tired? You can rest your head against my shoulder.”

  Normally, she would have hesitated but the fatigue got the best of her, and she leaned against the hard muscle of his shoulder. Being close to a man or alone with one always made her uneasy. But she felt comfortable with Zach. Her body relaxed and her eyelids grew heavy. The soft hum of the river lulled her to sleep.

  She dozed for less than half an hour and then awoke with a start. Fear shot through her.

  Zach patted her shoulder. “It’s all right. I’ve been watching. I haven’t seen any sign of him.”

  She scooted away from him. “You didn’t rest?”

  “My body rested, but I kept my eyes open. Someone needed to keep watch.” His tone darkened. “Someone always needs to keep watch.”

  He must be referencing something from his time as a war reporter. His comment had opened a door for her to probe deeper, for her to ask questions to uncover who he really was. She chose not to step through that door because that’s what a friend would do.

  “Come on, we better get moving,” he said. He stood up and held out his hand.

  She reached for it in the dark, feeling the strength of his fingers as he pulled her up. They walked along the river with the dome of the night sky above them. The rustling roar of water cascading over rocks guided them in the darkness.

  Daylight came slowly, turning the sky a soft blue and pink as the sun warmed her face.

  He stopped short and pointed. She let out a breath. Up ahead, surrounded by trees on two sides, was a cabin.

  “Maybe there will be someone there who can help us,” he said.

  No smoke furled out the chimney. “Guess we better give it a try.”

  They raced across the meadow and knocked on the door. No answer. The slide lock on the door was designed to keep bears out, not people.

  “I think we should go inside. There might be something that could help us,” Zach said. The door swung open, creaking on its hinges. The cabin was empty though it was clear someone was staying there. There was a sleeping bag on a cot and a huge binder.

  “Go on in. There might be food or a way to contact someone. We’ll leave a note letting the owner know we meant no harm.”

  Elizabeth stepped inside and wandered around. The binder said National Forest Service on it. Probably a ranger doing research was staying here.

  Zach searched the cupboards. “He’s got all his food up high in canisters.” Zach found a chair and pushed it toward one of the cupboards.

  “The ranger is probably out in the forest somewhere gathering data. We could wait. He’s got to come back sooner or later,” she said.

  Zach hesitated in his movement, visibly considering what she was suggesting.

  Maybe he was thinking about a less welcome guest showing up. The night time had provided them with a degree of cover. She just couldn’t imagine their attacker being able to track them this far. Still, she knew she couldn’t let her guard down.

  He opened several other canisters before tossing her a package. “Eat up.”

  She looked down at the protein bar, ripped it open and took a bite. It was hard not to inhale the food considering the empty hole in her stomach. Zach put the canisters away and then dove into his meal.

  They both seemed to be eating with a sense of urgency. When they finished, he found a water bottle. He let her have the first few sips while he left a note for the ranger.

  “We should at least check the area,” she said. “Maybe the ranger’s close by.”

  He glanced out the window and then stepped outside to look around. “There’s a dirt road that leads out from here. We can see where that leads.”

  She scrambled to catch up with him. Fresh tire tracks were embedded in the road. They jogged at a steady pace. She saw the glint of metal through the trees. She hesitated for only a moment, wondering if it was the man who had run them off the road. She angled between the trees where sunlight peeked through. The SUV, which was parked by a river, was clearly marked as a US Forest Service vehicle. She surveyed the river until she spotted a woman in a ranger uniform kneeling by it, filling a container with water. She screwed a lid on the jar, pulled a marker out of a shirt pocket and wrote something on it.

  They’d found help. Elizabeth thought she would cry.

  The ranger looked up at them and then ambled in their direction, stopping to pick up some other sample containers.

  “Boy, are we glad to see you.” Elizabeth’s voice filled with joy verged on tears. They must both look a little worse for wear.

  The ranger’s expression didn’t give much away. Maybe she’d encountered a few lost people wandering around the forest.

  “Our car got run off the road. We’ve been walking all night,” Zach shouted across the river.

  The ranger set her water samples into a plastic bin and straightened up, placing her hands on her hips. “I hadn’t heard any reports of a vehicle being found.”

  “The man who ran us off the road took some shots at us,” said Elizabeth.

  “I suppose you folks will need a ride into town,” said the ranger.

  Elizabeth’s throat went tight. “Yes, we do.”

  “Let me get across the river, and we’ll see what we can do. There’s a natural bridge just downstream a ways. I’ll be over in few a minutes.” She tucked her bin of samples under her arm and trotted downriver, disappearing into a grove of cottonwoods.

  When the woman appeared on the other side of the river, Elizabeth felt herself relax for the first time since the car accident.

  The ranger got to her SUV, pulled her keys out and unlocked the doors. She offered them a big smile. “I’m Janice, by the way.”

  Elizabeth slid to the middle of the front seat and Zach got in beside her on the passenger side.

  She took in a deep breath. They were on their way home. They were safe...for now.

  * * *

  As Janice’s SUV climbed the rugged hill up to the road, Zach couldn’t let go of the tension he felt from being chased and nearly killed. Chalk it up to having spent so much time in war zones. He knew that as soon as you relaxed, the guy in front of you or the building you were standing beside got blown to smithereens.

  Janice said, “I will make sure the proper authorities looks into what happened to you two. So do you think it was just some guy getting his jollies?”

  He felt Elizabeth’s body stiffen beside him. Neither of them answered for a long moment.

  “I think it was more personal than that,” Zach said finally.

  Janice seemed to pick up that they weren’t ready to talk about what they’d just been through yet. “It happened on National Forest land, but we’ll get it coordinated with the sheriff.”

 
The SUV lurched up onto the road. He craned his neck to look out the rear window. No one was behind them.

  He’d have to make arrangements to have what was left of his car towed into town. He doubted the police would find any fingerprints on it or much evidence. Maybe some of the paint from the other truck had rubbed off on his at the moment of impact. Not really much to go on.

  The road leveled out, and Janice came to a rural gas station that was also a bait-and-tackle shop.

  “I’ve got to fuel up,” said Janice. “And get a few things.” She got out of the SUV.

  “Are you thirsty or hungry?” he asked Elizabeth.

  “I could eat a raccoon raw,” she said.

  Zach chuckled at such a country-bumpkin saying from such a sophisticated woman. He shook his head.

  She shrugged and raised her eyebrows. “What?”

  “I just didn’t expect you to talk like that.”

  She smiled at him. “I did grow up around here.”

  “I doubt they have any raccoons, but I’ll go see what I can find.” He entered the store and looked around. One side of the store was filled with everything the fisherman or hunter might have forgotten, and the other side had mostly junk food and canned goods. Anything would taste good at this point. He grabbed some bottled water and beef jerky.

  Janice had come in from filling her gas tank and was chatting with one of the other customers by the fishing supplies.

  He placed his merchandise on the counter and pulled out his wallet. The teenage cashier rang him up. When he glanced out the window, a dark-colored truck with tinted windows eased through the gravel lot, moving slowly as though it were looking for something...or someone.

  The teenager pushed buttons on the cash register and then took a step back. “I’m sorry, but my computer is frozen. It just takes a second sometimes.”

  His heart beat faster. He couldn’t see the ranger’s SUV at all through any of the windows. The dark truck was no longer in view either.

  The teenage clerk offered him an apologetic grin and looked at her screen again. “Any second now.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He raced outside to check on Elizabeth. The SUV was where they’d left it...but when he yanked open the door, Elizabeth wasn’t there. He turned a half circle feeling a rising panic. The truck with the tinted windows was gone, as well.

  Janice came out of the store, holding a full grocery bag. “The clerk said you forgot your change.” She held it out to him. “Something wrong?”

  “It’s Elizabeth, she’s not in the car.” His voice was level despite the brewing thunderstorm inside.

  Janice remained calm. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. Maybe she just wanted to stretch her legs.”

  He stared at the surrounding forest. His chest felt like it was in a vise.

  “Let’s just go have a look around.” Janice headed to the far side of the store.

  If Elizabeth had just slipped out to stretch her legs, surely she would have stayed close to the car. She knew the danger.

  He stalked over toward the bench outside the store. A kid had been sitting there with his dog since they pulled in. Maybe he’d seen something.

  “Zach?”

  Relief spread through him at the sound of Elizabeth’s voice.

  “Where did you go?” He tried to sound casual, not wanting to give away how worried the thought of her being harmed had made him.

  “The little girls’ room. It’s not part of the store. It has a separate outside entrance.”

  He let out a breath. “Yes, of course.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, sure. Everything’s fine. Let’s get back into town and deal with this,” he said.

  She studied him for a moment.

  Janice came up to them. “Oh, good, Zach was worried that something had happened to you.”

  “We should probably get going,” said Elizabeth, still not taking her eyes off Zach.

  She climbed into the car, and he scooted in beside her. Her shoulder pressed against his.

  What surprised him was how intense his fear had become when he thought something had happened to her. Yes, he felt a responsibility to protect her. But this was more than that. When he thought something had happened to her, he’d realized just how much he cared about her.

  But now was the worst possible time to pursue his feelings. Even if he felt he was ready for a relationship—and he didn’t—they couldn’t afford to be distracted by romance right now. His panic had been unfounded—this time. But the kidnapper was clearly stalking her, and he seemed to show up when they least expected it. Next time, they might not escape.

  EIGHT

  Elizabeth’s heart raced as she jumped into the driver’s side of the KBLK van. She tried to make herself calm down. Her first story since coming back to work was so minor she didn’t even need her cameraman, Dale. Small-town news required that you wear more than one hat and today she would set up her own shots. It should be simple, and completely without surprises. Should be.

  She took in a breath and pressed her back against the seat. Even though fear encroached around her thoughts, it was good to be back. She’d missed working, and appreciated the distraction from her own problems. After starting the van, she hit the blinker and pulled out onto the street.

  The story was a fun piece that would probably run at the end of the broadcast for entertainment. A moose had surprised some people with an early morning rampage through a campground. Her boss had probably given her a lightweight story to ease her back into work.

  She sped down the highway and turned out onto the frontage road. The campground was a ways out of town. She drove for a half hour before seeing the signs for the campground. As she pulled in, she wondered if her stalker was waiting for her here.

  Tension wrapped around her chest as she studied the gathering crowd. The police still had no leads on who had run Zach and her off the road.

  Zach stood at the center of a cluster of people. She shook her head. No way would she ever beat him to a story. Whoever he was and wherever he’d come from, he was good at his job.

  With Zach, she was learning that maybe it was better not to have her reporter’s nose in everything. He’d treated her different since they’d been chased through the forest. She saw the glow of affection in his eyes and it scared her. It was not affection she could return.

  Zach must have gotten a loaner car. No other news people had made it yet. Neil Thompson was probably right on her heels. The print people might make it out later in the day.

  If she could get the story and leave before Nosy Neil showed up, she’d be overjoyed. She pushed open the door, feeling just a twinge of fear. It would be pretty hard for her stalker to create this news story. Every step out into the public eye, though, gave her pause and made her anxious. She hated that even if he didn’t show up, his threat made her hesitant to do her job.

  Before she pulled her gear out of the van, she needed to take in the scene. The moose was long gone, so this story would be about finding the person who could describe what had happened in the most colorful way possible, interspersed with shots of the path of destruction the moose had created.

  Zach nodded in her direction. Her heart fluttered when their eyes locked. What was that about? They were still working on being friends instead of competitors.

  She scanned the crowd. A man barely out of his teens and wearing a baseball hat lifted his head. Her throat tightened as visions of her abduction bombarded her. She shook off the fear. This kid’s build was different than the man who had kidnapped her.

  The young man’s gaze was downcast as he kicked the dirt with his sandal. He might have a story to tell. He glanced up at her when she approached.

  “So you had a little excitement earlier,” she said.

  He offere
d her a wide grin. “You’re that news lady.”

  Though she remained composed, her stomach knotted. From now on, when someone recognized her, she would wonder if they were remembering the details of her kidnapping.

  Zach had assured her that the public had a short memory, but this was rural Montana, where not that much happened anyway.

  “I saw the whole thing. Want to see which way he ran?”

  Bingo. She had her interview. “I’d love that.” She tilted her head in Zach’s direction. “You haven’t talked to any other reporter yet?”

  The young man shook his head.

  She couldn’t help the excitement that jolted through her. It still felt good that she’d beat Zach to some part of the story. “Can you tell me your name for the broadcast?”

  “Henry Simmons.” He held out his hand to her and she shook it. “I’ll show you which way he went. Don’t you want to film this?”

  “I usually scout it first since it’s not an unfolding news story.” Henry would work well for an on-air interview, but she needed to spend a few minutes with him, so he felt comfortable with her asking him questions before turning the camera on. “Lead the way.”

  Henry started walking and speaking over his shoulder. “I was getting wood for my morning fire. My campsite is some distance from everyone else’s.” He tromped toward a grove of trees and disappeared.

  She hesitated. The sound of the other campers’ chatting faded. Was wandering off with Henry a good idea?

  Henry poked his head out from behind a tree. “It’s just this way.”

  This was not the man who had stalked her. But her tormentor hadn’t been above getting other people to act for him. Giving the waiter at the country club the note had proven that.

  She didn’t want to lose her story angle. Even though her heart was racing, she hurried into the grove of trees.

  Henry spread his arms out. “This is my campsite.”

  “Nice, it looks like you have everything you need here.” The campsite wasn’t the story, but Henry was obviously proud of it. If she wanted to win his confidence, she needed to indulge him a little. “So which way did the moose come from?”