Wilderness Target

by Sharon Dunn

  What if it’s Ezra moving past me?

  After a long time of not hearing anything, she angled around the tree, but saw only shadows. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance. She stepped out, moving slowly at first and then breaking into a run. She slapped branches out of the way as she pushed harder. She ran, putting distance between herself and the direction she thought the men had been traveling.

  A long time later she stopped, breathless and exhausted. “Ezra!” She yelled his name, knowing that it might bring danger to her.

  “Clarissa.”

  Relief spread through her as he stepped out from among the trees. She ran toward him and fell into his arms.

  “I found you.” She couldn’t hide her joy.

  His arms encircled her. “Yes,” he whispered. He pulled back, looked down at her and touched her cheek with his palm. “You found me.”

  She could feel the heat of attraction between them and it frightened her. She’d let her emotions get the best of her. Old fears returned, and she pulled away. What would another kiss between them mean? It could only open the door to heartache.

  Ezra took a step back. “We’ve gotta get out of here.” He had stripped his voice of the affection she’d heard earlier.

  “I know. I heard them walking around.” She pointed. “Back behind me.”

  He stepped closer to her, his shoulder brushing against hers. The heat of the previous moment returned. His touch had that effect on her.

  “I know how we can get away. Come this way.” He moved through the trees, and she followed.

  He didn’t reach back to hold her hand as he’d done before. She didn’t blame him. She’d thrown cold water on their moment. She did like him. He was the most honorable man she’d ever met. Yet every time she thought about opening her heart to him, fear reared its ugly head. She mentally replayed memories of waiting in a bus station for twelve hours for her baby’s father to show up, because he had promised to come back to her. After the last possible bus had pulled away from the curb, she’d gone into the restroom and hid in a stall, pounding the metal door as the words repeated in her mind. Never again. Never again.

  Ezra led her to the edge of the forest through the darkness. She kept her eyes focused on the pale blur of the backpack bobbing in front of her. The terrain grew rockier and steeper, until finally Ezra stopped.

  “There’s a cave that winds partway through the mountain and comes out at the side. I don’t think they’ll look for us there.”

  She stumbled and almost fell. “I’m not a real fan of caves. Is there any other way?”

  He released a little laugh. “After everything we’ve been through, it’s a cave that trips you up?”

  “I don’t have a dramatic story connected with it. I just don’t like cold, dark places.” A chill ran over her at the thought of having to spend any time in a cave.

  Ezra dumped the pack to the ground and pulled out the length of rope he taken from the ATV. “We’ll stay tied together until we’re deep enough in to turn on the light without being seen from the outside.”

  The description of what he had planned only made her more anxious.

  “Everyone has a fear they need to face, Clarissa.” He wrapped the rope around her waist and cinched it. His hand brushed over her stomach, reminding her of the power his touch held.

  “What do you fear, Ezra?”

  He let out a huff of air. “I fear women who are afraid of caves.”

  Clarissa laughed in spite of her growing uneasiness. Ezra could use humor to avoid a heartfelt answer as easily as she could.

  Once the rope was secure around her waist, he tugged on it to test it. The tug brought her face closer to his. He stood near enough for her to feel his breath on her cheek. His head bent toward hers and lingered there a moment.

  She couldn’t read his expression in the darkness. Was he still feeling the sting of her earlier rejection? Or had it not meant anything to him?

  He looped the rope through his belt and reached down for the backpack. “We’ll go slow. Test the terrain in front of you before you take a step. Let me know if you’re having trouble keeping up.”

  He led her toward what looked like shadows on the rock until she reached out and felt the cool, smooth surface of an opening in the mountain. They stepped inside, letting darkness surround them.

  * * *

  Just as the cave swallowed Clarissa and him up, Ezra heard two men emerge from the trees, shouting at each other. In response, he and Clarissa moved through the darkness without speaking. Voices tended to echo. They couldn’t risk even whispering, not this close to the mouth of the cave. Not with those men right outside. He stepped forward, feeling the rocks beneath his feet, stepping around the larger ones.

  The line between him and Clarissa went taut. He stopped, reaching for her hand in the darkness. He gave it a squeeze, and she responded in kind, but he could tell she was trembling. He wrapped his fingers around hers, hoping to offer her some reassurance.

  Up to this point, she’d been fearless. She’d faced men with guns without falling apart, but the cave was the thing that finally tripped her up. He had to hand it to her. She was the most complex woman he’d ever met.

  She wanted to know what he feared. Why had he deflected her question? He had traveled halfway across the world, survived in the most impossible circumstances and looked murderers in the eye. But the thing that scared him most was being hurt by a woman again.

  He’d nearly given in to his desire to kiss Clarissa, to hold her. It was a good thing she’d pulled away and doused the heat of the moment. What good could acting on his attraction do anyway?

  Their circumstances were precarious. That might be what was fueling the attraction, in any case. Once they were safe in town—and he would see to it that that happened—she’d probably want nothing to do with him.

  He turned slightly. Light from outside no longer reached them. He stopped and pulled the flashlight out of a side pocket of the pack. He clicked it on, shining the beam toward Clarissa, but not directly in her face.

  “At last, some light,” she said.

  “You doing okay?”

  “Now I am.” She turned slightly. “This is pretty level here, not too hard to walk on.”

  He shone the light around. “It’s a tunnel that the trains used to go through. You can’t see much of the tracks from years of debris falling on them.”

  “It shouldn’t be too hard for us, then.” Her voice held a note of hope.

  “Actually, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s caved in toward the far end. We’ll take another passage that leads upward.”

  She didn’t answer for a long time. When she did speak, her voice was barely a whisper. “Can’t be helped, can it?”

  “We can at least take the rope off.” He reached toward her waist.

  “I can get it.” His fingers brushed hers as they both reached for the rope at the same time. She took a step back. “I can untie a knot.”

  Heat rose up his neck from the power of the moment. He needed to forget about whatever emotions she was stirring up inside him, clear his mind and focus on ensuring they both stayed alive. He’d done it a thousand times in combat. Why was this so much harder?

  “Why don’t we need the rope anymore?”

  “It’s wide and flat here, so we can walk side by side,” Ezra said. “Keep talking so I’ll know where you are. I’ll do the same.”

  “You mean you’re going to turn off the flashlight.”

  “We’ll have to conserve battery power. I don’t want to risk not having light when we really need it.”

  “More darkness.” Fear returned to her voice.

  “You’ll thank me when we have light to get through the trickier spots.” They walked for several feet side by side before he switched off the lig
ht. “Just keep talking to me, Clarissa.”

  “I don’t know what to talk about. The weather? The stock market?” Her voice still trembled.

  He laughed. “All that seems really unimportant right now, doesn’t it?”

  Clarissa gasped suddenly, and he heard her stumble.

  He stopped and reached out for her in the darkness. “Clarissa?” He touched her shoulder.

  “Just a rock that I didn’t feel.” Her fingers brushed over his forearm and then gripped his hand. It warmed his heart that holding his hand made her feel safer.

  They walked on the level ground for maybe another twenty minutes before Ezra stopped to pull out his flashlight and assess where they were. The light revealed bats, and moisture dripping from the roof of the cave.

  Clarissa edged closer to him.

  “Sometimes it’s better not to see what’s in the dark.”

  She let out a nervous laugh.

  “The good news is we’re about ten minutes away from the surface.” He dropped the pack on the ground and rifled through it, looking for something he could use to fasten the flashlight to his head so he’d have two hands free to climb.

  Clarissa knelt beside him. “That means there must be some bad news.”

  “The bad news is it will be the hardest ten minutes of your life. It’s a pretty steep climb.” He pulled out a roll of medical tape before shining the light toward her. “I have every confidence you’ll make it through. Help me fasten this light to my head.” He handed her the tape.

  She looked down at the tape and laughed. “Really? Talk about having a MacGyver moment.”

  “Survival is all about using what is at hand,” he said.

  Clarissa’s eyes brightened. She might not like the darkness of the cave, but knowing she was at least temporarily safe from the thugs seemed to help her relax a little.

  “I’ll hold the flashlight in place. You wrap the tape around my head and under my chin.”

  She leaned toward him. With a touch as delicate as butterfly wings, she secured the flashlight in place. Her fingers brushed over his cheek and under his chin, causing a buzzing, dizzy sensation.

  Focus, Ezra.

  “Did I do okay?” Her face was only inches from his.

  Why did she make him feel like he was a clumsy seventeen-year-old kid again? He wiggled the flashlight on top of his head. “I think it will stay secure.”

  She tilted her head toward the hole Ezra had shone a light on earlier. “How is this going to work?”

  “I’ll go first. We’ll be tied together as a safety measure. I know you won’t be able to see real well, but try to use the same foot and handholds that I use. We have to choose them carefully. The last thing we need is a bunch of rocks coming down on us.”

  He tied the rope around his waist and then around hers. There was risk in this plan, too. If she fell, he might be pulled down by her momentum, but he didn’t like the idea of having no way to save her if she slipped or a foothold gave way.

  “Have you done this before?” She raised her arms so he could knot the rope around her waist.

  “Yeah, but with better equipment and expert climbers. And we were descending from the outside, not ascending from the inside.”

  “I suppose it’s good to change things up a bit, huh?”

  He appreciated her optimism and attempt at lightening the moment. She must have picked up on the hesitation he felt over the plan. It was always experienced climbers and spelunkers he took through this. Yet what choice did he have now? This was the fastest route out and the best way to avoid detection.

  It had been hours since they’d had anything to drink or eat. They needed to get out of here as quickly as possible and at least find water. He checked the rope. “It’s loose. I don’t want it to cut through your skin if you get hung up.”

  They set off slowly. The tunnel narrowed to about three feet in diameter, forcing them to go up the gradual incline on their hands and knees. Loose rock transformed into slabs and a steeper, nearly vertical climb. When Ezra shone the light in Clarissa’s direction, he saw the strain on her face as she pushed off from a foothold.

  A needle-thin band of light filtered through the darkness, renewing his strength. “Almost there.” His biceps strained as he dragged himself upward.

  Clarissa screamed when her foot suddenly slipped, leaving her dangling. Her weight pressed the rope against his stomach. He gripped the rope with his free hand to lessen the pressure. “Get a foothold.” She swung back toward the wall of rock. The pressure let up on the rope, making it clear that she’d followed his command. His voice echoed down the vertical tunnel. “How are you doing?”

  “Tired.” She sounded out of breath.

  “I can see daylight. Tell you what. Are you secure where you’re at?” The flashlight only partially illuminated her.

  “Yes, I think so.” He heard rocks crashing one over the other. “It feels pretty solid.”

  He untied the rope from around his waist. “I’m going to crawl the rest of the way out and then pull you up. You’ll still have to climb some. Loop the rope underneath your bottom.”

  He held on to the rope and pulled himself up the remaining distance. Daylight assaulted his eyes. They had run through the night. He yelled down the hole, “Almost there.” He anchored the rope around a large rock.

  The line went taut. He dug in his heels and pulled. Then it went slack, indicating she’d found a foothold and was climbing. He peered down the hole. Clarissa’s dirt-stained face came into view. Her expression brightened when she saw him.

  He pulled harder on the rope, one hand over the other, until she was within reach. Then he stretched out a hand to pull her the remaining distance. She let go of the wall of the cave with one hand, and their fingers touched. He leaned forward to get a tighter grip.

  “Give me both hands. I can pull you straight up.” His muscles strained to hold on to her.

  She seemed reluctant to let go of the wall.

  “You’ll still be held by the rope,” he assured her.

  She pushed away from the wall. His first attempt to grab her other hand failed. Her eyes went wide with fear. He leaned farther into the hole of the cave, grabbing her hand and then leaning back. He heaved her up and into his arms.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, shuddering and shaking.

  He held her close. “I’ve got you. It’s okay.”

  She squeezed his neck tighter. “I thought I was going to fall.”

  He rubbed her upper back. “I wouldn’t let that happen, Clarissa.” He held her until she stopped shaking.

  She pulled back, blue eyes resting on him. In the early-morning light, even with the smudges of dirt on her face, she was beautiful.

  “I said I’d get you out of there and I did. You can trust me.” The power of her gaze held him in a force field. He couldn’t look away if he’d wanted to. His throat constricted as he took in a breath and cupped his hands under her jaw. His lips brushed lightly over hers. She responded to his kiss, angling her head and leaning closer to him.

  Her touch electrified his skin all the way down to his toes. He kissed her more intensely, covering her mouth with his. He dropped his arm to her back and pulled her close. He held her for a long moment, arms wrapped completely around her. His lips brushed over her silky soft hair. The warmth of the early-morning sun surrounded them.

  He’d avoided kissing her before, afraid of what it might mean. Even now as he held her, he was concerned that she didn’t truly have feelings for him—that her desire had been fueled by the intensity of the situation they faced. She’d been up against the possibility of falling, even dying, in the cave. When he got her to a safe place, would she still have such a fiery and intense attraction to him? Did she want him because she needed his protection, or because she cared about hi
m?

  He held her, relishing the moment, the warmth of her body against his, and tried not to think about what it all would mean when they were back in Discovery.

  The reverie dissipated when harsh male voices drifted up to the ledge where they rested. Ezra pulled free of their embrace and gazed below.

  THIRTEEN

  When Ezra pulled away to peer over the edge of the ledge, Clarissa tried to restore strength to muscles that the power of his kiss had turned to wax. She felt as though warm honey covered her skin from head to toe. She was still floating in the euphoria of his kiss when the sharp voices of the men below jerked her back into reality.

  Max’s men were oblivious to who was sixty feet above them. Both of them had rifles. They wore hats. She couldn’t see their faces, but neither one sounded like Don or Zeke. She shifted closer to hear them more clearly, and a sprinkle of dirt rolled down the ledge toward the trail.

  Ezra pulled her back toward the rock wall behind them. His hand around her waist and his chest pressing against her shoulder reignited the emotion his kiss had created.

  “Thought I heard something.” Down below, the men had stopped walking. “What do you suppose is up there?”

  “Probably some wild animal,” said the second man.

  “That ledge is steep. How would they get that high up?”

  Clarissa willed herself to become a statue. The slightest movement might make the men suspicious. The steady inhale and exhale of Ezra’s breathing surrounded her. His proximity was a reminder of the moment they’d shared. As the thugs continued to debate down below, she lifted her gaze toward him. He offered her a slight upturn of his mouth. His brown eyes held warmth.

  Believing that trusting in love only led to pain, she’d buried any desire for romance somewhere deep. But Ezra had managed to break through, to unearth what she had vowed she would never feel again. She had never wanted to be as vulnerable as she’d been at fifteen. Yet even as fear marred the memory of their kiss and being held, of feeling safe in his arms, the tiniest sprig of hope blossomed inside her. Was it possible that there were men who kept their word? The notion was far outside any frame of reference she’d ever had.