by Sharon Dunn
“Let’s get back to the camp,” she murmured.
He fell in behind her. When they arrived, Bruce spooned up three plates of hot food for them. By the time they’d finished eating it was completely dark.
“We should get some sleep,” Ezra announced. “Four or five hours and then we need to get moving.”
They slipped into the makeshift lean-to. Clarissa pulled the dry sleeping bag up around her. On the other side of the shelter, the breathing of the two men grew heavy with sleep. She stared at the woven branches of the roof, tired beyond belief, but still unable to sleep as anxiety made her thoughts race.
Bruce let out a cry of pain in his sleep. He needed medical attention. His leg might be getting infected. Part of her wondered if they should have turned back and gone down to the van instead of pushing forward to the lodge. Would the lodge have the medical supplies Bruce needed? And would they be able to contact anyone to send help? If they’d gone back to the van, at least they’d be able to drive back to town. The lodge would place them even farther from civilization.
But deep down, Clarissa knew that Ezra had made a sound decision in a tough situation. They faced so many unknowns. He could only work with what they knew to be true—that the lodge was closer and easier for them to reach, especially given Bruce’s condition. Besides, Ezra had an obligation to the others, as well. Maybe Ken, Jan and Leonard had just gone on ahead to the lodge. They had a compass and knew the general direction.
Clarissa turned over on her side, still unable to let go of the dark thoughts that plagued her. The only thing that steadied her nerves was knowing that Ezra would do everything he could to keep them alive and get them to a safe place. She only hoped it would be enough.
EIGHT
Ezra awoke in the darkness. When he sat up, he saw that the fire had become glowing embers. He unzipped his sleeping bag and slipped into his shoes. Bruce slept fitfully beside him.
Ezra was grateful to see the outline of Clarissa’s body across the shelter. Her default reaction seemed to be to run. She’d been on the run when she’d stowed away in his van. She’d evaded whoever was after her by coming on the expedition, and she’d gotten a notion to take off during the storm.
Tonight, though, she had chosen to stay. Progress...maybe.
As he gathered firewood and rooted through the pack for any remnants of coffee or tea, he wondered again what kind of life Clarissa had had. He wanted to know more about her.
Once the fire was going and he’d collected water from the creek to boil, he wandered out in the early-morning light to check the trap. His efforts yielded one medium-sized rabbit. He knelt in the open field, gutting and skinning the animal. Noises emanated from the surrounding trees. Probably a deer waking to find some food. Though the deer never made an appearance in the open meadow, the noise continued.
Once he’d finished with the rabbit, he rose to his feet and headed back toward the camp. Clarissa sat in front of the fire, the sleeping bag still draped over her shoulders. Her cheeks were rosy from being so close to the heat, and her eyes were full of light. “We made it through the night.”
“Yeah.”
Her expression changed when he stepped closer. He stared down at the blood on his shirt and then held up the rabbit. “Food for the day.”
“Ooh.” She grimaced and jerked back.
He laughed. “You won’t be complaining when it fills your belly.” He glanced over at Bruce, who was still sleeping. “You’d better wake him up. We have to get moving.”
Clarissa roused Bruce, who remained groggy even after coffee and breakfast. His injuries seemed to be getting the best of him.
Ezra asked, “How is your leg doing, Bruce?”
Bruce sat beside Ezra and peeled back the bandage Clarissa had put on his leg. She winced. The area around the cut was red...not a good sign.
Ezra patted Bruce on the back and tried to sound upbeat. “You’ll be all right, buddy. Make sure you get some ibuprofen in you from the first aid kit.”
Clarissa, who had been watching, said, “I can redress that wound for you if you like.” She managed to wipe the worried expression off her face when Bruce looked at her, but Ezra had seen it.
Clarissa cleaned the dishes with a damp rag while Ezra doused the fire after he had packed up the cooked rabbit meat. She helped Bruce slip his lighter pack over his shoulders. Ezra held up Clarissa’s pack for her. She clipped the straps into place.
He’d spent all of breakfast trying to keep the dark thoughts at bay. In a survival situation, most of the battle was mental. Ezra needed to focus on the possibility of good outcomes, not ugly ones.
Clarissa offered him a quick smile of encouragement before falling in behind Bruce. They had traveled only a short distance from the campsite when a woman’s screams shattered the quiet of the forest.
* * *
Jan’s shrill cries for help were like a sword slicing through Clarissa’s torso. She took off running in the direction of the noise. Her pack slowed her down, so she dumped it on the ground and sprinted through the trees. Ezra ran past her.
They found Jan tied to a tree and blindfolded. Clarissa’s heart surged with empathy. How could anyone do this to this kind woman? She ran to Jan, removing the blindfold and cupping her face in her hands.
Jan spoke between tears. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Ezra cut the ropes. Clarissa wrapped her arms around Jan, and she fell into them, sobbing.
Clarissa glanced around, and then at Ezra, whose worried look fueled her own fears. Where were Ken and Leonard?
As she waited for the sobbing to let up and Jan to pull away, Clarissa continued to scan the area for whoever might have done this. The rustling sound of someone approaching made her tense, but it was only Bruce catching up with them.
She continued to hold Jan, keeping her arm around the older woman’s shoulder. “What happened?” She blurted the question and braced for the answer, knowing that it had to be connected to the men who were looking for her.
Jan wiped the tears from her dirt-stained face. Her clothes were muddy, as well. Clarissa could only imagine what she’d been through.
Bruce and Ezra moved in closer.
Clarissa squeezed Jan’s shoulder.
“Ken and I left the campsite, thinking we could get to a dryer spot. We ran into two men. They took us because they couldn’t find Clarissa. They blindfolded us right away. I never got a good look at them.” Jan’s breathing quickened as she stared at the ground. “They brought me here. They’re holding Ken. They said...they will trade Ken for Clarissa.”
Jan closed her eyes as her entire body shuddered. “They promised there won’t be any trouble. That’s the message I’m supposed to give you.”
So the men had upped their game, probably out of desperation or pressure from Max. Clarissa felt as if she were sinking in quicksand. Her muscles went numb. This was all because of her.
“What about Leonard? Where’s Leonard?” Bruce pressed closer.
Jan stared at him. Her eyes glazed as she shook her head. “I don’t...know. We never saw him after the storm.”
Clarissa lifted her chin. “Where are they?”
“We’re not going to make that kind of exchange.” Defiance colored Ezra’s words.
“But I have to. I have to save Ken.” Clarissa raised her voice as guilt washed over her.
“When I agreed to take the five of you on the expedition, I signed on to keep all of you safe.” Ezra spoke with a note of authority that made it hard for her to respond.
“But Ken is only in danger because of me.” Clarissa’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“I wouldn’t want to see you hurt, either,” said Jan, reaching out and stroking her arm.
Clarissa looked at the older woman, amazed. She shook her head. After all Jan must have g
one through, she wasn’t mad at her? How was that possible?
Jan squeezed Clarissa’s upper arm. “I heard those men talking. I know you haven’t done anything wrong.”
Ezra turned to face Jan. “Where are they holding him?”
She reached into her pocket. “They gave me a map. They expect you there within the hour.”
Ezra stared at the map. He must be formulating some sort of plan. “What about the satellite phone?”
Jan shook her head, not understanding.
“It was missing when we got back to the camp,” he explained. “I thought maybe you had it with you.”
She shook her head again. “We didn’t take it.”
“They must have taken it or destroyed it.” Ezra paced back and forth, his expression serious.
Clarissa let the words sink in. Fear rattled her body from the inside. That phone was their way of reaching help. They were cut off from the world.
Ezra planted his feet. “Bruce, I need for you, Clarissa and Jan to head due north on the trail. The lodge is half a day away. Radio for help as soon as you get there.”
Bruce nodded. “I can handle that.”
“No,” said Clarissa. “I’m going with you. We’re going to make the exchange.”
Jan gave Clarissa a hug. “Ezra knows what he’s doing. It wouldn’t be right to turn you over to those terrible men.”
Ezra didn’t respond. Instead, he pulled out the scraps of rations and the cooked rabbit he had left in his pack and handed them to Bruce. “You’ll be able to find water along the way.”
It looked like Ezra had made up his mind, but she wasn’t about to give up without a fight. “At least let me go with you and help you so it’s not one against two. I’m the one that’s in the best shape physically to help you.”
After brushing his hand over his face, he stared at her for a long moment.
“She has a point,” Jan said.
“Okay,” he conceded. “But I’m not putting anyone in jeopardy on purpose. Understood?”
“Understood.” She’d do whatever Ezra said—but she wasn’t about to have Ken pay for her poor judgment.
He turned to face Bruce again. “You’ll need to move slower because of your injury. We should be able to catch up with you.”
If they weren’t killed.
Bruce and Jan headed up the trail, disappearing around a bend into the trees.
Ezra glanced at the map and folded it. “We don’t have much time. We need to move on this.”
Clarissa grabbed his arm. “I never meant to be the cause of all this trouble.”
“I know. Clarissa, you’ve got to let go of your guilt. You need to focus on the present. You and I are the strongest ones in the group right now.”
“I just think it would be easier if I turned myself over to them.”
She could tell Ezra was getting frustrated with her. “Do you really think they’ll keep their word and not hurt Ken?” he asked.
She didn’t know how to answer that. Certainly, the men didn’t want a bloodbath. With her lack of ties, Clarissa would be easily disposed of, but Ken probably had plenty of family and friends who would cause a fuss if he went missing. Surely Max didn’t want to have to deal with that. “I don’t know what they’re capable of. I just know that none of this would be happening if I hadn’t—”
He grabbed her arms above the elbow. “The why of this doesn’t matter. What we need to focus on is getting everybody out of here alive. Let it go and look ahead to the next thing you have to do, Clarissa.”
His gaze was so intense she felt as if he was looking right into her soul.
“That guilt will consume you if you let it. Wash it from your mind. Jan and Bruce were in no condition to help me. I need your A-game here.”
Clarissa nodded, the only response she could manage at the moment. The power of his words rendered her speechless. Ezra was depending on her. The group was depending on her. A single tear trailed down her cheek.
His eyes searched her as her cheeks flushed with heat. “You’re not a throwaway in this life. You matter, too, Clarissa.”
Her lips parted as she prepared to protest.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her toward him. He kissed her full on the mouth. “When are you going to get it through your head that people care about you? I care about you.” He jerked away and strode up the trail.
Stunned, she stepped in behind him. The heat from his lips pressing on hers lingered, sending a warm sensation over her skin. But it was his words that had her reeling.
You matter, too, Clarissa.
She trudged forward, staring at his back. What was he thinking right now? What had that kiss even been about? Ezra Jefferson was not the kind of man who ever revealed his fear. But he had to be worried about how they were going to pull this off. Maybe the kiss had been about his own fear and needing some assurance from her.
She did believe in him as a leader, but maybe he needed to hear that. She hurried to catch up with him. “I think you and I can do this, Ezra. We can rescue Ken.”
Ezra trudged forward, looking straight ahead. “Tell me everything you know about these men.”
“One of them I’ve never met. The other is Don. He has a temper, carries a gun and tried to strangle me. He’s muscular and strong, but he’s not in any kind of shape to run a long distance. When I overheard them talking the other night, I got the sense that neither one of them had ever spent much time in the woods.”
Ezra didn’t react to what she’d told him. His only response was to walk faster. “When we get close to their location, we’ll move in slow to watch them. That way we can figure out the best plan of attack.”
“I’ll do whatever you say,” she said.
He stuttered in his step and finally made eye contact with her. “Thank you for not working against me.”
Despite her confidence in Ezra, each step deeper into the forest resulted in an ever-increasing weight on her. What if someone died at her expense? She’d never forgive herself.
“So why are these guys after you anyway?”
“If I knew that I might be able to settle things with them. Max sent them. As his assistant, I handled a lot of his financial and logistical information. I scheduled his meetings and sat in on some of them. I keep going over in my mind everything I did for those few weeks that I held the job, and I can’t come up with anything that would be worth killing me over. He must think I know something that I don’t.”
Ezra slowed his pace, turning from side to side. He lowered his voice. “We’re getting close.”
A heavy weight seemed to press on her chest and her legs turned to rubber. Clarissa took in a deep breath, determined not to give in to her fear. What Ezra had said was right. She had to let go of the guilt and stop obsessing over how things could have been different. She would only hurt the rest of the group more if she didn’t.
“The place where they’re waiting is by a rocky outcropping.” He spoke in a whisper. “They’ll be expecting you to show up to make the exchange, so we won’t have the element of surprise on our side.” He spoke slowly, as though mulling over plans and possibilities.
He placed his fingers over his lips, indicating that they needed to be quiet. He pointed ahead through the trees. Both of them stepped more carefully over the soft undergrowth. She edged closer to him, ducking under low branches.
A patina of sweat formed on her forehead. She found it difficult to take in a deep breath.
Ezra held up his hand, indicating that they needed to stop. She pressed close to him and looked through the framework of trees where he was focused. She couldn’t see anything. Slowly, though, human voices separated themselves out from the noises of the forest.
Ezra dropped to his hands and knees and inched his way toward the voices,
using the trees for cover. Being careful not to break fallen branches, Clarissa eased in behind him, peering over his shoulder.
The man she didn’t know sat on a rock while Don paced. Her heart lurched when she saw Ken some distance from the fire, hands tied behind his back, face contorted by anguish.
She willed herself not to give in to the guilt.
It won’t help us get him out of here.
Don checked his watch. “Where is she?”
The second thug pulled his gun out of his waistband, pushing the cylinder of his revolver in and out and then spinning it. “Give it time, man. We have options even if she doesn’t show.” He looked over at Ken.
A shiver ran down Clarissa’s spine. It was clear what they had to do, and quickly. She backed away, retreating, until she knew they were a safe distance from the two men.
“We have to hurry,” she said. “I don’t want to think about what they have planned for Ken.”
Ezra nodded. “They’re both armed.”
“What if I’m bait? I’ll step out...”
Ezra opened his mouth to protest. She placed her fingers on his lips to silence him. She spoke forcefully, knowing this was the only option that had any chance of working. “I’ll say that I’ve come to make the exchange, and that I’ve come alone. Hopefully, they will untie Ken and let him go. Then—” she took in a breath to calm her nerves “—I get away and you help me.”
“That’s too dangerous for you.”
“What other options do we have?”
He considered. “What if they don’t let Ken go?”
“We improvise,” she said.
Ezra took a long time to answer. He cupped her shoulder. “I’ll be close. You won’t see me, but I’ll be there.”
She nodded, even as panic welled up in the pit of her stomach. “Let’s do this.”
Clarissa stepped through the trees, fearing that her legs would collapse beneath her. When she looked behind her, she couldn’t see Ezra anymore. She had to trust that he was watching and ready.
She stepped toward the rocky outcropping where the two men waited.
