by Rebecca Deel
“Huh? What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Shh! Vance has been shot. We need to get out of here.”
Ivy sat bolt upright. “I didn’t hear gunfire.”
“Me either, but he’s lying in a pool of blood at the foot of the stairs.”
Her cousin threw off the covers and shoved her feet into her tennis shoes. She reached down beside the nightstand and picked up her backpack. “Reece’s killer?”
“If it is him, I don’t want us to be his next victims.” She grabbed her own backpack and threaded her arms through the straps.
“What are we going to do?”
“Run.”
Ivy moaned, a bare whisper of sound. “The escape tunnel?”
“We don’t know where the gunman is or if there’s more than one. You can do this, Ivy.” She reached into the side pocket of the pack and pulled out a small penlight the packing fairy had included. Lots of free books were in the fairy’s future for this foresight. She wouldn’t be surprised if Josh had been involved.
Del opened the walk-in closet’s door and tugged her cousin inside before flipping on her light. Ivy gave a soft sigh of relief. The wooden shoe rack moved aside as Stella had shown them. When they’d crawled into the darkened interior, Del pulled the rack back into position and closed the access panel, a kind of half door. Shining the light around the door area, she spotted a solid piece of wood, fitted it into the slots that extended beyond the door frame. No matter who was in the house, they weren’t going to get through this barred door without a battering ram.
Standing up to full height, she turned toward her cousin. “Let’s go.” According to marshal, the escape tunnel was really a hidden stairway to a tunnel that ran underground about a half mile. The tunnel’s end emerged in the depths of the forest.
She didn’t want to think about the woods. She and Ivy weren’t outdoors people. Del prayed the cell phones had reception out there. No reception meant tromping around in the forest at night with only moonlight to show where to step until they found high ground to call. Poor lighting and unfamiliar territory at night? A sure recipe for sprains or broken bones.
Del led the way, hand clasped tight around Ivy’s wrist. Two flights of stairs later, the steps ended on a dirt floor. The tunnel curved to their left and went on as far as they could see.
“Del.” Ivy drew in a stuttered breath.
“No panic attack. You can panic after we’re safe.” She tugged her cousin onto the sloped, packed dirt.
She sped down the passage at a merciless pace, ignoring Ivy’s strained breathing. What if this was the only tunnel from the house? Stella mentioned every room in the house had escape hatches built in, but not if this was the only tunnel. If the shooter knew about the escape hatches, he might not be far behind them. If the shooter caught them in this tunnel, she and Ivy were dead.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Josh turned right off Scenic Overlook Drive, a scowl on his face. Didn’t people have anything better to do than steam up the windows in their cars? Since it was past curfew, the teens went home with minimal snarling. The adults, however, gave him the most grief. They argued their legal adult status without a curfew.
A shudder wracked his frame. Being a legal adult meant they should have better sense than to make out in a car in a deserted place. He’d embarrassed an assistant district attorney and his administrative assistant, both married to other people, not to mention the picture in his head of too much skin showing on both. He’d been kind enough not to write a ticket for these first-time offenders, but the unwanted sight seared into his brain might scar him for life.
Another two hours passed running routine patrols. A few minutes after two in the morning, Josh’s cell phone rang. He unclipped it from the holder and glanced at the display. His heart rate accelerated. Del.
“What’s happening?”
Gasping breaths sounded in his ear. “One marshal is down. Shot. Don’t know about the other. Ivy and I ran. We’re in a forest. I don’t know where we are.” The last was said with a hitch in her voice.
“I put a tracker on your phone, baby. I’ll know exactly where you are. Are you hidden?”
“Running.”
Josh flipped on his blue-and-white lights and sent the SUV racing toward town. “I need to call the station. Hold on a second.”
“Okay.” More ragged breathing.
He placed the phone, still connected to Del’s, in the cup holder and snatched up his radio. “Dispatch, this is Unit 6. Patch me through to Blackhawk.”
“Copy.”
Less than a minute later, Ethan’s gruff voice sounded over his radio. “Talk to me.”
“Safe house was breached. I’m calling in my team.”
“Del and Ivy?”
“On the run.”
“You’re on leave of absence as of right now. Keep me in the loop.”
“Roger that.”
“I’ll cover the rest of your shift. Josh, you have to bring them in. The feds need to question them.”
“The marshals will take them again. Not happening, Ethan.”
His brother-in-law was silent a moment. “What if Del and Ivy have a better team in place, one that was former military? Can you make that happen?”
Despite the driving pressure in his gut to get to Del, a smile grew across Josh’s face. He knew exactly who to contact. “Oh, yeah.”
“Good. Contact me before you come in. Blackhawk out.”
Negotiating a curve with one hand, he pulled the phone up to his ear. “I’m back. You and Ivy okay?”
Del was gasping in his ear. “Exhausted.” A soft cry and thump sounded. “Ivy!”
Josh’s hand tightened around the steering wheel. “Del?”
“She tripped over a root. Ivy, are you hurt?”
A soft murmur, then Del said, “She’s sprained her ankle, Josh.”
“Look around you. Tell me what’s nearby.” In the town proper, he slowed to a safer speed and headed to his apartment. The truck or Alex’s SUV blended into the surroundings better. A police cruiser attracted attention and he wanted Del and Ivy safe without a major confrontation. He didn’t have vests for them, something he couldn’t take care of unless he broke in somewhere. Josh considered that, discarded the idea. No time.
“Trees, brush, rocks, a stream nearby.”
Ivy couldn’t run through the woods anymore. They had no chance to outrun a former spec ops soldier. He’d be stronger, faster, experienced in tracking. Probably had NVGs. They needed to hide, fast. No question, he was tracking them. Nighttime with minimal light worked in their favor as did an unfamiliar terrain. Del was resourceful and smart. So was Ivy. It had to be enough.
“Sweetheart, find a hiding place. An outcropping of rocks or a cave. Last resort would be a big, hollow tree trunk.”
“She’s really hurting. Can’t we stay here and wait for you?”
“You’re not safe in the open, baby.” Josh swerved into his apartment parking lot, shut off his engine, and ran up the stairs. He shoved his key in the lock and threw open the door. Four weapons were aimed at his chest. “Alex,” he said. His partner knew what brought him home early.
“Ivy?”
“Hurt. We need to move.”
Almost as one, all four heavily muscled men from his old Delta unit rose and started to gear up. He jogged to his bedroom, shifted his phone to speaker and stripped off his uniform. “Talk to me, babe.”
“We’re moving at turtle speed. I’m her walking stick.”
“Be as quiet as you can. Sound carries. Don’t use your penlight. That will pinpoint your location for anyone who’s following. Stay off soft dirt. The longer it takes this guy to track you, the better.” He yanked on a pair of black camouflage pants and black t-shirt which he pulled on to cover his vest. It would be a race to see who reached Del and Ivy first. If the shooter arrived first, the women wouldn’t survive. “I’ve got you on speaker while I gear up.”
Alex poked his head around the door frame. �
��Ready to roll, Major.”
“Alex?” Del’s voice sounded from the phone.
“Heard you ran into trouble.”
A breathless laugh. “Understatement. Ivy’s hurt.”
Josh shoved his feet into black combat boots and retrieved his Go bag. Inside his head, the mission clock ticked.
“How bad?”
“Sprained ankle at least.”
“She mobile?”
“With help. We won’t win any races. Josh?”
“I’m here, baby.”
“Why a cave or rock outcropping?”
“If Reece’s killer is chasing you, he might have night vision capabilities.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’ll follow you because he sees heat signatures,” Alex said.
“But we haven’t heard anyone behind us.”
“You wouldn’t,” he said, voice grim.
Spec ops soldiers were trained by the military to be ghosts. Wouldn’t know you’d been compromised until after they were gone. Guess that’s why this guy’s nickname was Ghost. Untrained civilians against one of the best trained soldiers in the military. His throat tightened. He and his unit were the only chance they had to survive the night.
“Oh, dear.” Del’s voice sounded shaky. “That’s why you wanted us in a cave. Only one problem.”
He exchanged a glance with Alex. “What?”
“Ivy’s claustrophobic thanks to an ugly episode with her former boyfriend. Dark, earthy places send her into panic attacks.”
His friend’s eyes narrowed. “Find safe shelter, Del. I’ll help her. What is she passionate about?”
“Kids. Art. History.”
“Good. I can work with that.”
“We’re leaving, Del,” Josh said. He grabbed his Go bag with one hand, cell phone with the other. “Do you want to stay connected to me?”
“Will I distract you?”
“I’ll tell you when I need to end the call. Fair enough?”
“Thank you. Knowing you’re listening makes me feel safer somehow.”
“Move out,” he said to Alex. In his living room, he greeted his old unit with fist bumps. “Great to see all of you.”
“Hear you lady’s got a target on her back.” This from Rio.
“She and her cousin, Ivy. Wrong place, wrong time.” He rattled off the GPS coordinates from the current reading and gave them the tracker’s signal number. With Ivy hurt, they wouldn’t be far from that location when his team reached them. Turning to Alex, he said, “Okay if we take your SUV?”
“Figured you’d want to coordinate and check the topographical map. I prefer my hands on the wheel anyway.”
Quinn picked up his Go bag. “I’ll follow you. Nate, Rio, with me.”
Two minutes later, the former Delta unit was on the move. Josh buckled up, placed the cell phone in the cup holder. “Still with me, sweetheart?”
“We heard something in the woods,” she whispered.
Alex floored the gas pedal.
Frustration gnawed at Josh’s gut. He needed to be with her, now. “Look for shelter. Pick up the pace.”
“How’s Ivy?” Alex asked as he swerved around a slow moving truck. Josh refrained from looking at the speedometer. If they were pulled over, he’d flash his badge. His brother-in-law would cover a ticket under these circumstances.
“No worse.”
Josh powered up his laptop. He signaled Alex to keep Del talking. Her voice steadied when she felt connected to them. Keeping fear at bay helped her think faster. Panic had killed more than one green solider on the battlefield.
One part of his brain kept track of the conversation. The rest focused on the map covering his screen, a map he shouldn’t have access to anymore. A buddy still in spec ops had arranged a back door for Josh. Once in spec ops, always in. The units became small families. Those firefights created tight groups.
He rechecked Del’s coordinates. Consulted the map. “Sweetheart, do you still hear water?”
“Yes.”
“Go to the water. Should be to your right.”
Silence while she and Ivy picked their way to the stream. “Okay,” Del murmured. “At the stream. Now what?”
“Head east.”
“Translation?”
He blinked. Right, directionally challenged. “Head upstream to the left. When you see a bend in the stream, look to your left again for a series of caves in the hillside.”
Josh’s cell signaled a text. Ethan. Vance was dead, one shot to the chest. Burns was critical, two gunshots, one in the shoulder, the other a chest shot. Marshals and FBI were crawling all over the scene, wanted to mount a search for Del and Ivy. “Alex, I need your cell.” Since both marshals were down, Reece’s shooter must be tracking the women. Josh texted Ethan to do anything necessary to keep the feds on the scene. His team was close. They didn’t need the Ghost and the feds shooting at them in the dark.
“Sweetheart?”
“Yes?”
“The feds are at the safe house. Vance is dead. Burns is critical.”
A sharp breath. “I didn’t like Vance, but he didn’t deserve to die for doing his job. Reece’s killer is after us?”
“Looks like it. I know Ivy’s hurt, baby, but you have to find shelter.”
“What is it?” Ivy whispered.
Del closed her eyes for a second. “Let’s go.”
“Del?”
“Vance is dead, his partner critical. Reece’s killer is tracking us.”
Ivy hobbled faster. “How far away are Alex and Josh?”
“Thirty minutes to the forest,” Josh replied. “That much more to reach your location. We’ll be playing cat-and-mouse with the shooter and the feds.”
“At least an hour,” Del said to her cousin.
“The marshals dumped us in the middle of nowhere, didn’t they?” Ivy stumbled, righted herself. “Tell the guys to hurry. I’m cold, hungry, and grumpy.”
Male laughter reached Del’s ear. “They’re laughing.”
“Glad I amuse them.” A strained smile curved Ivy’s lips.
No words for a while on either side. Del concentrated on balancing herself and Ivy on the rough terrain. She tightened her grip around Ivy’s waist and nudged her to limp faster. She knew it was her imagination, but she could almost feel the shooter breathing down their necks. “Josh?”
“Here, baby.”
“Feels like spiders are crawling on my back.”
Silence, then, “Do you see the bend in the stream?”
Del swallowed hard. He hadn’t reassured her about the spider comment. That couldn’t be good. Focus, she reminded herself. She scanned the surroundings. Trees, more trees, stream. Another few feet and she saw the bend. “There it is.”
“There should be rocks about 500 yards past the bend. Put the rocks between you and the shooter.”
His words cooled her blood. “The shooter’s behind us?”
“Always pay attention to the spiders. Don’t run yet.”
Despite the warm night air, goosebumps surged across Del’s body. They skirted a fallen tree, angled themselves away from the stream and toward the outcropping. Fifty feet. Forty. Thirty. One step at a time, she reminded herself. Don’t run. Didn’t want the creepy guy to know they were aware of him. Finally, the rocks loomed on their left, a few more steps, and they were in position. “We’re behind the rocks.”
“Run! You must reach a cave before the shooter makes it to your location. Don’t choose the most obvious one unless there’s no other choice.”
She shoved the phone in her jeans pocket. “Run, Ivy.”
She pushed her cousin at a merciless pace. A quick glance at Ivy showed tears leaving silver trails down her cheeks. She had to keep running or they were both dead because Del refused to leave Ivy. Del returned her attention to the hillside and the obsidian openings. She spotted another rock outcropping on the hillside, saw a black hole on the other side. That one. The others were closer. The shooter cou
ldn’t miss Ivy’s injury. Anger burned through her. The killer was playing with them. He could have shot them by now.
Ivy stumbled again, fell. “Go. Leave me.”
“Shut up, Ivy.” She reached down and helped Ivy to her feet. “I’m not leaving you.” Fear clawed at Del, but refused to let it paralyze her. She dug deep and used it to fuel their flight over the rocky terrain. Her cousin pointed at the closest cave.
“No. Around those rocks. Harder for him to reach.”
A shot sounded. Dirt sprayed to their left.
“Why shoot now?” Ivy’s voice rose.
“Harder to reach us in one of those caves.”
“Good. If he kills us, I want him to work for it.”
Another shot. Pain speared through Del’s arm. She hissed, gritted her teeth. If Ivy knew she was hurt, she’d want to check it. Not happening unless they wanted to bleed out on the ground.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Keep moving.”
“You’re lying.”
“No time, Ivy.” Her arm throbbed. Didn’t know if the idiot had actually shot her or if the bullet hit something and a shard had clipped her arm. Either way, she wouldn’t make much of a soldier. All she wanted to do was sit and cry. To think Josh had been injured multiple times in the line of duty and kept going. Madison told her about the last injury that helped him decide to leave military life. Getting shot hurt. If she’d gotten shot. Couldn’t think about that now. Wouldn’t look at it either. Something told her if she saw the damage, the injury would hurt a lot worse. She respected the people in uniform who carried on defending others despite injuries to themselves.
“Which cave?”
“I saw a cave on the other side of those rocks.”
“What if it has another occupant?”
That almost stopped Del in her tracks. Oh, boy. Wildlife. One more thing to worry over. Another shot. They ducked and scrambled faster. Dirt sprayed farther to their left. Maybe the shooter had a bad line of sight or he was playing with them. She used every bit of cover she found between them and the shooter.
