by Sharon Dunn
Don shot up over from where he’d been pacing. “Well, well. Look who decided to show up.”
“Did you come alone?” asked the second man.
Terror made it impossible for her to speak. She managed a nod. She glanced over at Ken. His eyes had grown wide—with fear or hope, she couldn’t tell.
“Better check it out, Zeke,” commanded Don.
The younger, redheaded man disappeared into the darkness of the trees. Clarissa tensed. If he found Ezra, they were all dead.
She cleared her throat and attempted to inject some strength into her voice. “You need to let Ken go.”
Don ambled toward her. “All in good time, sweetie.” He leaned a little closer. “So did you decide that it wasn’t worth it for all of your camping buddies to die because of you?”
His words cut right through her. She stood her ground and gave nothing away in her expression or her words. “I’m here. You need to untie Ken.”
She could hear Zeke thrashing through the bushes and the trees. Her stomach somersaulted. Don’s hand wavered over his gun. She counted the passing seconds and fought off a wave of nausea.
Zeke emerged from the trees. “She’s telling the truth.”
Don tilted his head toward Ken. “Untie the old guy.”
“Sure, I’ll do that.” A look passed between Zeke and Don. A terror-filled chill ran down Clarissa’s spine. Ken was not wearing a blindfold as Jan had been, and could recognize these thugs. They were going to shoot him as well as Clarissa.
She bided her time, unspoken prayers calming her nerves. Zeke pulled out a pocketknife. The blade glistened in the light. He set his gun on a rock and leaned over to cut Ken free.
Her heart pounded with anticipation. She had to choose the moment carefully. The window for escape was extremely narrow. She scanned the area around the camp. More than anything, she had to trust that Ezra was close enough to back her up.
Zeke finished cutting Ken free. Ken brought his hands to the front of his body. Now was the time to act, before Zeke reached for his gun.
“Now!” she screamed, barreling into Don, hitting him with all her weight. He stumbled backward, a stunned look on his face. Ezra appeared out of nowhere and disabled Zeke in a single motion.
Ken had already gotten to his feet when Don recovered enough to pull his gun. Ezra grabbed Clarissa’s hand and pulled her into the trees, with Ken running ahead of them. The pop of Don’s first pistol shot exploded in her ear.
As their feet pounded the soft undergrowth, the trees around her went by in a blur. The only sure thing she felt was the solidness of Ezra’s grip on her hand as he pulled her through the forest.
Several more gunshots were fired behind them. Ken eventually slowed down and then lagged behind. Ezra led them on through the woods, never stopping to look at his surroundings or assess the direction they were going. Out of breath, Clarissa finally let go of his hand, after twenty minutes of hard running. She leaned over and placed her hands on her knees, panting. “Don is not a runner,” she gasped. “He won’t be able to catch up with us.”
Ezra peered from side to side. Clearly, he didn’t want to stop moving, and he was barely out of breath. “What about the other guy?”
Clarissa shook her head.
Ken caught up with them. He struggled for air, pressing his hand to his heart. “My wife, is she okay?”
Clarissa nodded. “She and Bruce are headed toward the lodge. We’re going to meet up with them.”
Ezra focused on the forest behind them. “We can’t wait here much longer.”
Zeke catching up with them was a strong possibility, but Clarissa was too exhausted to run any farther. “Let us catch our breath.” She cupped her hand on Ken’s shoulder, whose face was red from exertion.
“We have to keep moving. The path reconnects with the main trail soon.” Ezra took off at a slower pace, looking back at them over his shoulder.
She tugged on Ken’s sleeve. “He’s right. We’d better get moving.” Clarissa glanced behind her before following, with Ken on her heels. Though Ezra had slowed to a brisk walk, he kept moving.
Once they reconnected with the main trail, Clarissa anticipated catching up with Jan and Bruce. But as the sun got lower in the sky, that hope faded. Maybe they had been able to move fast enough to arrive at the lodge already.
She and Ezra hadn’t eaten anything since the rabbit they’d had for breakfast. It might have been even longer for Ken.
Clarissa stopped on the trail, turned and waited for Ken to catch up. Fatigue and hunger threatened to overtake her, but she knew it would be a waste of breath to ask Ezra to stop. A sense of urgency dogged their every step. They had to find Bruce and Jan.
Clarissa looked at the sky. Off in the distance a helicopter hovered, and then banked and gained altitude. The chopper wasn’t anywhere near them. It certainly wasn’t close enough for them to build a signal fire and hope to be rescued.
Once Ken had caught up, she trudged ahead until she walked beside Ezra.
“How far away is the lodge?”
“In broad daylight on a full belly, we’d be close. But at the pace we’re going I’d say an hour or more.” He looked over his shoulder. “How is Ken doing?”
“He’s hanging in there. I think the hope of being reunited with Jan again is motivating him.”
“Those two have been married a long time. You don’t break a bond like that easily.”
They continued for a while longer. Ezra stopped suddenly. His arm shot out in front of her, indicating that she needed to be still. Ken caught up to them.
Clarissa couldn’t hear or see anything amiss. The helicopter was long gone. Gradually, she became aware of her own heavy inhale and exhale and the rapid beating of her heart.
A moment later, Ezra seemed satisfied that he hadn’t heard anything.
His brisk walk turned into a jog. Clarissa forced herself to keep pace with him, focusing on the path in front of her. The trail curved gradually upward. At the top of the ridgeline, Ezra stopped to catch his breath. “Not far now. And it’s all downhill from here.”
Clarissa looked down the sparsely forested slope, but saw no lights or structure that would indicate a lodge was just ahead of them. They made their way down the hill.
They’d managed to evade the two thugs for now. Clarissa wondered what kind of resources Max would call upon to make sure she didn’t get out of this forest alive. Did Don and Zeke have a way of communicating with him? Was that helicopter somehow connected to Max?
The roof of the lodge came into view. She looked out again, expecting to see lights. If the lodge was still dark, had Jan and Bruce even made it? Certainly, they would have encountered them on the trail...unless something had scared them off and away from the lodge completely.
NINE
Ezra grew warier as they approached the lodge. He slowed to a walk, looking for any sign of life even as a sense of impending doom set in.
Please, God, let them be safe.
Clarissa and Ken caught up to him. He cleared his mind of anything that spoke of disaster. Focus on the here and now. You can’t change past choices.
The outline of the lodge became clearer, a large log cabin with a porch. They were coming in from the side.
“Is there somebody there, like a caretaker?” Clarissa came up beside him.
“Somebody does come up when there is a long interval without guests. But he wouldn’t be here now,” Ezra said.
Their feet crunched on the dry evergreen needles as they swung around to the front of the house. Ezra was the first up the steps. He pushed the door open. Clarissa pressed in close behind him.
The room was completely dark. “Hello?” He stepped inside.
“Jan? Bruce?” Clarissa’s voice was filled with anxiety.
Floorboa
rds creaked somewhere in the lodge. She gasped and pressed a little closer to Ezra.
Ken’s voice sounded behind them, speaking in a hushed tone. “Do you suppose that’s...?”
Ezra didn’t want to build up hope, only to have it be dashed. “Sometimes the raccoons get in.”
He moved through the great room, touching a wall to orient himself in the dark.
“Jan, are you here?” Ken’s voice had become a bit more forceful.
The silence that followed embedded doubt in Ezra’s mind. What had happened to them? He questioned the choices he’d made as a leader.
They moved through the dark, industrial-sized kitchen. Stainless-steel appliances and countertops shone in the darkness. A glow barely evident in the small window in the door caught his attention. He hurried across the floor and swung the door open to the backyard.
Outside, a small fire had been built. Bruce emerged from the trees holding a bundle of wood in his good arm.
Ken swept past Ezra down the stairs. “Where is Jan?”
Bruce pointed to the forest behind him. “Getting more firewood.”
Ezra patted Bruce’s shoulder. “You made it.” He gestured to the fire.
“We couldn’t get anything to work in the lodge,” said Bruce.
“The generator must be down,” Ezra said.
“We were hungry and there are lots of canned goods in there. So we decided to cook over the fire like you taught us.”
Ken emerged from the forest, his arms wrapped around his weary but elated wife.
Clarissa touched her stomach. “I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
Bruce glowed with pride. “We’ve got lots of food.”
“I’ll go have a look at that generator,” Ezra stated. Guilt ate at his inside as he made his way to the generator in the utility room. These people had been through way more than they’d bargained for, yet a simple meal seemed to make them happy. Within minutes, he found the gasoline for the generator, and it sputtered to life. Lights came on in the lodge, and he heard a cry of exultation from the group outside. He shook his head. The cheerful noise lifted his own spirits. What an amazing bunch of people.
He returned to where the four of them had gathered around the fire.
Bruce held out a plate to him. “Got some grub for you.”
Ezra took the plate. Though his stomach growled, his mind raced with everything that needed to be done to guarantee they got out of here safely. Still, he knew he’d work better on a full stomach. He took several bites of the stew Bruce had prepared.
He could feel the eyes of the others on him as they waited for explanations and instructions. If everything went right, a rescue helicopter would be on the way once he radioed for help. “Bruce, I think you have a future as a camp cook,” he declared.
Bruce glowed from the compliment. “I just did what you taught us. Use the resources that are available.”
Ezra took a few more bites. Jan and Ken had settled on the steps by the kitchen door, and Clarissa sat close to the fire on a log. “I’m going to radio for a helicopter. In the meantime, you should be able to find more food, plus a fully stocked first aid kit to fix whatever scratches and bruises you have. With the generator out for so long, there won’t be any hot water, but you might be able to manage a lukewarm shower.”
“How long before the helicopter can get here?” Ken wrapped his arm around his wife.
“Six to eight hours.” Ezra’s heart sank as he thought about Leonard. They’d have to send a search party out to find him.
Ezra could feel a weight drop on him. “I owe you people an apology. This was not what you signed up for.” His throat grew tight. “You are the most impressive group of people I’ve ever worked with.”
Bruce stood close to the fire, the flames dancing on his pale skin. “Survival isn’t about a planned itinerary. Guess we just got some real-world experience.”
“Who are those men who are after Clarissa?” Ken asked.
She lifted her head, her glance darting around to each person. “It’s a long story.”
“It’s one I deserve to hear.” Ken narrowed his gaze at her, his anger evident. The trauma of the past twenty-four hours had clearly caught up with him.
Jan placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m just glad we’re all here and help will soon be on the way.”
“What about Leonard? Where is Leonard?” Ken scooted away from his wife.
“We were unable to find him.” Ezra looked at the ground. “What we hope is that he made his way back down the mountain.”
“What we hope?” said Ken, his voice full of accusation.
“Ken, I understand your anger and I don’t blame you,” Ezra said.
Bruce stepped in. “Ezra and Clarissa pulled me out of a freezing river. They saved my life. I’d say Ezra has done the best he could, considering what happened.”
Ken shot to his feet, his gaze filled with challenge.
“That storm came out of nowhere, honey,” Jan soothed.
Ken whirled around to face Clarissa. “Yeah, but those men didn’t.”
Clarissa rose to her feet and stepped toward him. Her voice, though soft, maintained a tone of strength. “Those men are my doing.”
“Who are they, Clarissa? Why are they after you?” Jan stepped closer to Clarissa. Her voice didn’t hold the condemnation that Ken’s had.
Ezra listened as Clarissa explained everything she knew about the men. Though she fingered the cuffs of her shirt nervously, she spoke with a clear voice, despite how hard this must be for her. What a brave woman she was.
The others were silent when she finished. Jan spoke first. “Well, I, for one, am going to get cleaned up.”
“I’ll go radio for help,” Ezra said. “It might be a good idea if all of us went inside.” The two men were out there somewhere. They might know about the lodge and they might not. Either way, it wasn’t wise to stay out in the open.
“I’ll put the fire out,” Bruce offered.
Ezra was aware of Ken’s stern glare as he passed him. Once everyone was inside, Ezra checked all the doors to make sure they were locked, and then he latched the windows. He was in the great room closing a window when Clarissa found him.
“You’re thinking they might come here, aren’t you?” Her mouth tightened, revealing the stress she was under.
“We can only speculate about what those men will do, or how much they know about where we were headed. What we have to do is take precautions. The helicopter won’t get here for some time.”
His statement did nothing to erase the worry from her face. He stepped toward her and touched her cheek lightly. Did he see yearning in those wide blue eyes? For what? He remembered his impulsive kiss. He’d meant what he’d said. He did care about her.
He pulled his hand away. In another time and another place, perhaps he’d pursue those feelings to see where they led. But this wasn’t the right moment. He needed to get some help up to the lodge and get these people home safe.
Clarissa stepped back, as well.
Ezra went to the office, where the radio was. He keyed the device, but heard no sound. After fiddling with the controls for several minutes, he dropped his face in his hands. The radio wasn’t working.
* * *
As she took a quick cold shower, Clarissa was well aware of how precarious their situation was. Anything could happen in the six to eight hours it would take for the helicopter to get up here. She slipped into the change of clothes she’d brought with her.
She looked at herself in the mirror as she combed out her hair. Fear gripped her heart. The prospect of going back to Discovery was not a happy one. Max would be waiting for her.
She couldn’t stay here at the lodge. She couldn’t continue on by herself. If only she could figure out why Max wa
s so bent on wiping her from the face of the earth.
To go to all this trouble, Max had to be engaged in some sort of criminal activity. Clarissa must have seen some trace of it, something that he believed she could use against him. She thought about every document that had come across her desk. The computer files she’d had access to. The properties Max owned. None of it set off any alarms.
She heard a light rapping at the door. When she opened it, Jan stood there, looking cleaned up from her own shower. With the mud and dirt no longer a factor, Clarissa could see the gashes on Jan’s face and arms. What had those men put her through?
Clarissa reached up to touch the scratch on Jan’s forehead. “I’m so sorry about that.” Her throat went tight.
“I can’t say I’m not upset. But that’s not what I came here to talk to you about. I wanted to apologize for Ken.”
“I understand why he’s so mad,” Clarissa said.
“He gets angry when he can’t control things,” Jan told her. “Before all this happened, we were both talking about how much we liked you. We never had any children.” Jan’s eyes filled with tears. “I always thought if we had a daughter, she would be like you.”
Clarissa let the words sink in. Then she wrapped her arms around the older woman’s neck and hugged her for a long moment.
When they finally stepped back, Jan touched Clarissa’s cheek lightly. “Ken will come around. He will.” She shrugged. “I guess we’re supposed to try to get some sleep before the helicopter comes.”
“The rooms must be upstairs. I didn’t notice any down here.”
“I feel like I could sleep for a hundred years.” Jan retreated down the hallway.
After pulling her hair up in a ponytail, Clarissa thought she’d find Ezra in the office, waiting for any additional radio calls. But the room was empty. She wandered into the great room, where someone had built a fledgling fire.
To feed the flames, she began balling up some of the newspaper stacked beside the fireplace. She’d put several pages in the glowing embers when one of the news stories caught her eye. The paper was local, from a few days ago, probably brought up here by the last hikers that had used the lodge.
