by Debra
He was already nodding as she eased back. Good. He needed to trust her ability to handle herself and drop this archaic need to protect her at every turn. She would not allow herself to be a liability for him. Shifting, she made just enough noise to draw Jeff’s attention.
“What was that?”
“Nature,” Bob replied, bored. “I want hot food and a soft bed.”
“It could be her.” Jeff peered into the trees.
She waited, holding her breath until Will made his move.
“You’re obsessed,” Bob accused. He reached for his radio. “Let’s find out where the hell the mad bastard is and catch up with them.”
With a sturdy stick in her hand, she launched from her hiding place. A moment early, yes, but she couldn’t let Lancaster learn that she was out here alive. With an ally like Will.
Will moved in a black blur, tackling Bob at the waist and plowing the man into the dirt.
Jeff turned, facing her when she’d been counting on taking him from behind. Didn’t matter. Temper and fury simmered just under the surface of her skin, pushing her, making her strong. She saw the reaction in his eyes, the memory of what she’d done to him last night.
His hand slapped for his weapon holstered on his thigh and the hesitation made up for the ruined surprise attack.
Her heart sang with a warrior’s pride as she slammed the stick she held against his jaw. The blow turned him, and she brought the stick hard across his throat and pulled back with both hands.
He clawed at her fingers, desperate to loosen her grip. She used her knee in his back as more leverage, willing him to go down before she crushed his windpipe.
Once more, thanks to her, he passed out. But this time when he came to, she wasn’t giving him any good options.
“You okay?” Will asked, stalking over, his features clouded with temper.
“He didn’t lay a finger on me.”
“Good.”
She looked past him to the prone form of the other man. “Did you kill him?”
“No.” The single word carried a hefty dose of regret.
“But we should,” he said. “It’s the only way to be sure they won’t escape and attack us again.”
“I have a better idea. Take the radios and weapons. Search the packs. I’m sure there’s something we can use to restrain them.”
What their search of the packs revealed set her back, turning her blood to a cold sludge as she understood the implications. The pieces of menacing long-range rifles. The ammunition clips for the rifles and handguns. Explosives and detonators. They might have killed Clint early, but this trip would’ve definitely been her last.
“Mercenaries,” Will said quietly. “They tend to have rough edges.”
It made sense, but it didn’t diminish the chill creeping along her skin.
“Want me to finish them?”
She shook her head, unwilling to leave that burden solely to him. “I’d rather they paid a harder price.”
Chapter Eleven
It wasn’t easy hauling the two men upstream and more than once Will was sure he’d made the wrong choice letting Charly talk him into this, but when Jeff and Bob were secure, he had to admit the plan had merit.
“Last chance,” Charly said. “Tell us where the plane is.”
Both men stared past her with hard eyes, their features set in stone. Will didn’t expect either of them to crack, but he hadn’t expected Charly to come up with this crazy idea, either.
“All right.” She dialed a radio to an emergency setting and used the carrying strap to loop it over a branch well out of reach of the men. “We’re leaving now,” she said, standing back from where they’d trapped the men near the base of a small waterfall.
Jeff bellowed for help.
“Shout all you want,” she told them as they glared at her. “But I recommend you take the time to get your story straight before help arrives.”
“Where did you come from?” Jeff glared at Will. “You’re in over your head.”
“Not the first time,” Will said, walking away.
“We’ll be on your tail by nightfall,” Bob promised.
Will gawked at Charly’s deadly smile as she leaned down close to Bob. “Best of luck with that.”
Bob spat at her while Jeff swore. Will stepped up to defend her, but she didn’t need his assistance.
She easily dodged Bob’s assault and laughed at Jeff’s threats. “Good luck, boys. And if you do break free, I recommend you follow the stream downhill and get yourself to safety. If you attack us again I’ll help him—” she pointed over her shoulder at Will “—kill you both.”
Sure-footed, she stalked back up the bank. Will tried to keep his mind away from her speech, but he couldn’t quite keep his eyes off her shapely butt as it swayed from side to side in front of him.
When they were out of earshot, he laid a hand on her shoulder. “You meant it.”
“About killing them if they attack again?”
He nodded.
“Better believe it.”
“Then why not kill them now?” He knew he sounded bloodthirsty, but he was trying to figure out her thought process. He supposed he had the no-loose-ends philosophy in common with Lancaster. Not a comfortable thought, but reality was rarely comfortable.
“If they come after us again, it’s on them,” she replied. “Not orders, not financial reward, just them. Jeff showed a small measure of compassion last night. I returned the favor today.”
“So the ball’s in their court.”
“That’s how I see it.”
Per his military training and absolute necessity, dead or alive, prisoners were contained. “You’re sure they can’t escape?” He didn’t want to get pinched between Lancaster and these two again, regardless of her newfound willingness to end their lives.
“They can try.”
The men were at a significant disadvantage. Will had their weapons and flashlight, and the one radio was well out of reach. They’d wasted enough time giving the pair a chance to live. He needed to drop the subject and resume his mission: getting to the plane.
“The park rangers should come through within a day.”
“What? A day?” He’d thought a few hours at best. This was getting better all the time. “You’re telling me they’ll be out here all night?”
“Yes. And I wish we could watch them squirm in the cold and wet, but we need to catch up with Lancaster.”
“Remind me never to cross you.”
He caught her sideways look, the arched eyebrow and the little smirk on her lips.
“It wouldn’t be in your best interest,” she admitted, picking up the pace.
He wanted to revel in the moment, but another problem weighed on his mind. “What if those two convince the park rangers you’re responsible for their condition?”
“I hope they try. That would only make the rangers more curious.” Her shoulders jerked up and down. “A bizarre claim versus my reputation? Not a chance. The rangers know me. With you backing my story, the weapons we found and Clint?” Her voice cracked on her friend’s name and she went quiet for a few minutes. “Those two can’t say anything that will hurt me or the business. Even if they tried, one of my brothers is a lawyer.”
“Good to know. I guess we’d better stick together then.”
She stopped short. “You were right about that. I get it now.”
“That’s not why I said it,” he said, striding up to join her.
“Relax, Will. I just thought you should know you won’t get any further argument from me on that.”
“Oh.” He knew he should be happy about her cooperation. He should’ve noticed her attitude shifting to line up with Casey’s agenda. Instead, he’d been distracted by the woman under the impressive, cool facade. So far the only thing to crack was her voice when she thought of her friend and trail partner.
They trekked on at a brisk pace and moved faster without the burden of two prisoners. He had the radio, but it rema
ined silent. They weren’t retracing their steps back to Lancaster’s campsite; she was guiding them around it. Smart, he thought. A direct route was easy, but easy often led to more trouble. In this situation, he had to believe Lancaster and his men would stick with areas they knew.
“You would’ve been an asset to the navy SEAL program.”
Her laughter bubbled around him. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Not so much,” he replied. “You’re unflappable.”
“Out here, maybe.” She stopped, frozen in place, and held out a hand so he would do the same.
He listened, unable to pin down anything other than the sounds of nature all around them. Though he wanted to ask, he kept his mouth shut, following her gaze in search of what had startled her. Sunlight lanced through the trees, the light and shadows dancing with the gentle breeze.
From his perspective, they had the advantage. Trees down the slope, a clear view across an open snowfield at their backs. He couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear any trouble. But something had her spooked.
Suddenly bullets marched across the trees he thought were fair cover, tearing at bark and branches in vicious bites.
They both dropped to hands and knees behind the wide fanning branches of a spruce tree. He pushed her back and up, away from the shooter. The radio crackled and the man named Scott gave instructions to someone else. “Two targets. Two. Someone is with her.”
“Two targets,” one of the others confirmed.
Will exchanged another look with Charly. They didn’t know if they were up against the whole party or a scouting team. No time to assess as more bullets came at them. Not a lucky volley in a random attack, he realized. He got up, setting off at a dead run and drawing the fire away from her.
It worked, but there wasn’t much time to celebrate the success. He was running out of trees, being chased into the open of the high snow plain. If he gave in, made a dash for it, he had to assume there was a sniper in place to take him out. He hated admitting it, but somehow the enemy had gained an advantage.
Dirt and bark flew, following Charly as she came at him.
“What are you doing?”
“We stay together.”
He shook his head. “Not this time.”
“I saw Scott. Do you think they’re all together?”
“Does it matter?” They had her revolver, his handgun and the weapons taken from Jeff and Bob. Will worried it wouldn’t be enough.
“Guess not.” She crouched, ducking for cover at another three-round burst. She inched close enough to whisper in his ear, “We have to cross that plain. Head over the ridge.”
He frowned down at her and shook his head. It was a killing field for sure. There was too much space between them and the closest shelter. “We’ll be sniper fodder,” he said. It was too easy to picture the white snow splashed with blood. Her blood.
“We can’t go forward.”
“I can flank him.”
“No.”
She was going to run for it. He saw it in her eyes an instant before she made the first move. A certain death trap, he thought as he laid down cover fire in a last-ditch effort to protect her.
But the cover fire he directed at Scott did nothing to stop the sniper from taking aim at Charly. Worse, as he raced after her he realized their tracks through the snow left a clear trail for anyone to follow. Assuming either of them survived long enough to be hunted.
“Find cover!” he shouted at Charly. He skidded behind the shelter of a boulder, his eyes tracking the tree line, then higher, looking for the logical sniper’s roost.
Too many options, he realized, as he tucked away his pistol and readied the rifle he’d taken off Bob. Will saw Scott strolling along the leading edge of the trees, but he wasn’t about to waste another bullet. When he pulled the trigger next time, he wanted it to count for more than a diversion.
Waiting for his opening or the sniper’s next bullet, he let his mind drift across his past. He’d been in worse situations. Probably. There had certainly been other instances when national security had been on the line. Other times when he’d worked solo to protect civilian interests.
“Take your time,” he murmured, his cheek pressed to the stock. He drew in a long, slow breath, calming his heart rate. “I’ve got all day.”
He couldn’t fail. Not just because Casey was counting on him to stop Lancaster’s deadly, self-centered quest for vengeance. Not just because he wanted to live past this particular mission. More than either of those salient points, he flat-out refused to fail Charly. She needed an ally to get off this mountain alive.
He should’ve let her go for help. He could’ve drawn them away from her. But his mission focus, colored by urgency and no small amount of pride, had kept them out here.
It was too late to send her back alone. Her skills were superb, but Lancaster’s men were proving themselves more adept out here than Will had anticipated. The marksmanship didn’t surprise him. Nor did the cold-blooded nature of the mercenaries Lancaster had hired. The tenacity...that was a bigger problem.
Lancaster didn’t want loose ends. That much was clear. But Lancaster’s team hadn’t met Will’s determination. He would do this job. He’d own it. Not just for Casey or the nation at large, but for Charly.
The awareness trickled into him like cool water sliding down his throat after a grueling week in the desert. He hadn’t felt this type of personal connection with anyone since his brother died. He hadn’t needed anything else. Hadn’t been sure he was useful to anyone beyond the job anymore.
Charly was making him reevaluate.
As seconds ticked by, turning into several minutes without any gunfire, Will compared the few options available to both sides.
Based on previous behavior, Scott and whoever was sniping for him wouldn’t stray far from Lancaster. The Blackout Key was too valuable and from what he’d overheard so far, Lancaster needed the mercenaries to get away cleanly.
Through the rifle’s scope, Will had a close-up view of Scott as he answered the radio. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but the scowl gave him an idea of how well the exchange was going.
Scott grew more agitated and started to pace. Will squeezed off two shots, but didn’t get to enjoy the reaction as the sniper got a bead on his position. Bullets ricocheted but didn’t find their mark, and he heard Scott call out a retreat. Will watched for movement and cursed the well-trained team when he still couldn’t spot the sniper.
Through the scope he saw Scott wrapping some kind of tape around his lower leg. A minor injury would have to be enough for today. Will turned away from the trees, eager to check on Charly. Noting the blood spattered across the snow, his heart lodged in his throat. Somehow he managed to call her name as he staggered to his feet.
Snow exploded to his right, and Charly’s voice erupted from his left. “Get down!”
She leaped at him, grabbing his coat and hauling him down as they went sliding across a snow-covered slope. They gained speed on the incline like a runaway sled. Adjusting, Will turned so they were going feetfirst instead of sideways. One arm holding Charly, he tried to grasp for anything to slow them down with the other. He lost the rifle in the process, but was more concerned about losing her.
There was no cover, and he was sure the sniper would pick them off any second. Another rock speared up from the snow, and Will said a prayer it would stop them as he braced for the impact.
It held. Thank God.
“Are you hurt?”
“No,” she said, breathless. “You?”
“There was blood back there. On the snow,” he added, looking her over from head to toe. He couldn’t see any wounds, though her clothing had taken a beating. “It isn’t yours?”
“Unlucky rabbit, probably.”
Her answer left him speechless and beyond grateful she was okay.
“Come on, we have to keep moving.” She rolled to her feet, tugged on him to urge him along.
“Where are we?” The snow here was
more like a thin, icy layer dusting rocks and stubborn plants.
“We slid into a dried-up creek bed. This way.”
“They’ll be on our trail fast.”
“I know,” she said, legs churning as she ran. “Hurry.”
He grabbed his pistol as they moved, trying to keep up with her as she crossed the rocky ground with the confidence of a mountain goat. He heard the shouts of pursuit and glanced back, relieved the rocks disguised their trail. If they could just get out of sight, they had a chance.
He’d no more thought it than Charly disappeared behind an outcropping. Following, he squeezed between two boulders and into a shallow recess in the mountainside. Not enough space to qualify as a cave, there was barely room for their packs and bodies. She was pressed against him from shoulder to thigh, and he hoped like hell it was enough shelter to keep them hidden. Between the adrenaline and Charly, his system was completely revved. He tried to dial it down, but knew it wasn’t working. “Best bet is to wait them out.”
“We’ll stay here until nightfall,” she murmured. “Then we can move.”
“Agreed.” He could only be grateful the daylight hours were short this time of year.
She trembled, and it might have been his body shivering, they were so close. “Are you cold?”
“I’ll be fine.”
Her husky reply tested the thinning tether he had on the desire pumping through him. He only had to make it to nightfall.
Peering up at the sky, he told himself it was possible. Possible to ignore her soft curves pressed against him. Possible to forget the sweet taste of her lips. He had to find another line of thought.
He wanted to get up, to shake his head and clear out the sensual haze, but he couldn’t risk moving and giving the shooter another target.
“Will?”
“Hmm?”
“Thanks for the cover fire.”
“Anytime,” he replied.
A quiet giggle shook through her and into him. “It’s fine with me if it’s just this once.”
“You’ve got a deal.”
