Web of Lies

by Elizabeth Knox

  Chapter Six

  Thomas

  The rage. The fury. His prey had escaped with some interloper into the night. The truck would not continue after he had a rock slam into the lines, losing gas and power to the engine. He had to watch them drive away, but they weren’t going smoothly either. The Jeep had taken enough damage, it would not make it long or back to civilization. He would have to play catch-up. He began to pack up and started to trail the Jeep’s leaks and tire tracks through the area. They made it further than he had expected, giving them quite a head start.

  He studied the map while following the visible trail, searching for where they would or could run to once the Jeep gave out. It wasn’t an open desert, which made hiding and hunting better for himself. He could see only a few places they could go that would manage any security, each depending on how far away they got from him until he discovered that he had to continue to hike, searching for each sign they left him.

  He searched for any hint of a signal. The patchy network allowed signs onto satellite links. He didn’t like having to use them, but he needed information. The woman and the new military presence had changed his plans from just taking her down and now brought on an actual hunt through the wilds to find them. All information was useful, and he had to call one of the expensive information brokers out of the country who knew how to recover data few others could. The hunt into the military base would be an expense but knowing anything would give him the edge.

  The line beeped twice before it went into a message box whose location was unknown even to Clark. He gave what information he knew and his current number to call back since internet service was not even a whisper out here. He found the path the Jeep had drove onto for its last leg. He could just make out the edges what remained of the blaze. They left him nothing in the Jeep. Smart, annoying, and wise in their choice. Once it died, he kept any tool for himself that was worthwhile.

  Clark searched around the area, seeing a few tracks but little clues on which direction they had gone. Two paths appeared clear, too bright, and two others seemed to be choppy. They were hiding their tracks. He gave a small smirk before picking the way he would take into the mountains for cover, caverns, mines, and shafts all over, allowing choice for the prey. He would have done the same in their situation.

  Chapter Seven

  Layla

  The cold weather made the hike manageable given she had little time to rest and recover through the day. Sore from her feet to the top of her head, she wondered if her hair hurt, the body was just bruised from top to bottom. She pushed through, not running as she would like but consistently hiking to escape the hunter. They hadn’t seen a new light, keeping theirs down to a minimum and covered, allowing their night vision to take over. The large moon hadn’t reached its fullness, sticking well toward the halfway point, allowing its light and the stars to guide them. Night noises echoed around them— creatures hunting, animals hiding, and the coyotes singing to the partial moon.

  She continued to use the rocks and stones to hide her prints. Alex followed well, keeping the rear and covering each time they had to drop onto dirt or sand. They had left trails, but neither of them could nor should be sure he wouldn’t come this way. The best defense was ahead of them within the rocky pathways, caves and forgotten shafts waiting. It would be a steep trail to follow and hard to pick which one they might use. The stars blazed in the Milky Way patterns only a few could see, far away from all civilization, something she usually would lean back to enjoy. Running for her life altered that idea.

  Coming upon the first signs of mining shafts, she noted most had been closed as safety hazards. Alex uses a lighter to glance at the map she had been following, picking out the shortest path to the one she had chosen. It had one entrance, deep and nearly invisible to the naked eye from the outside. He would be able to set a trap, giving them time to rest and recover before help could arrive.

  Making their way over the rocks and valleys, after another hour of challenging work, they made their way into the entrance. It was just wide enough for Layla to fit with ease, but Alex had to be helped in with pulls from Layla to squeeze inside. He ripped skin and damaged a shoulder but managed to get through the small entrance and into the old tunnel. It wasn’t vast but long and spiraling into the mountain itself, smelling of rotten eggs and dust, age, and decay. Something had made a nest within but had abandoned it long enough for it to stale the air. Layla cleaned the entrance, adding another layer of dust and remains of plants, covering where they had come inside. She washed the path behind her toward the area where they were setting up camp deep within. The most significant area Alex had found was barely big enough for them to lie down but enough for a small fire. They ate quickly, using the water to clean his wounds and then cover them with bandages.

  Leaning against the wall, Alex closed his eyes, drinking the water to take down the pain killers. Layla sat next to him, nearly flush given the space they had between them. She tugged up his shirt again to look at the oozing scratch over his shoulder and toward his back.

  “If we were even close to civilization, I would get us to a doctor. This looks like it needs stitches.”

  “I have quick sutures. It will do for now if it won’t stop bleeding. We can’t afford to have other predators sniffing us out to come join the hunt.”

  “Pretty sure we don’t want the local coyotes or Lobos to come visiting. Are you sure about this?” Layla asked, pulling out the emergency supply of sutures and flipping through the instructions on how to use them. She hadn’t used them before and they appeared complicated. “How about are you sure you want me to attempt this?”

  “It will be fine. It will sting briefly but close up the wound. Then dump on the antibiotic and patch it back up. Right now, I am sorry I didn’t bring booze for this jaunt,” Alex spoke, turning to give her the best angle to start the bandaging.

  She began at the top, holding the skin together while using the tool that allowed the sutures to slip in and out, pulling the skin together tightly. Alex bore it well from her untrained hands, and finally, it came time for the last stitch, well-patterned and tucked. She poured the rubbing alcohol over it before he was prepared, hissing in his breath as she used the ointment over the wound before covering it with a thick new bandage and tape.

  “Damn, Layla,” Alex cursed.

  “I am sure you have had worse.” Layla touched an old gunshot wound that had healed. “I am pretty sure this came too close to your heart for it not to hurt like hell.”

  “It did, but most of it was in a fog.”

  “Want me to kiss it and make it better?” she asked lightly, leaning closer to his warmth against the cold wall.

  “Sure. I am sure it will make it all better,” he replied without thought as her lips crossed over his shoulder. Shivers danced down his skin and spine, tugging at the pain from a roar to stillness. He gripped the spot he had been holding onto, which ended up being her knee, keeping him still through her nursing. He eased the grip over her knee, stroking over the place he had caught. Turning his head to meet her unusual gaze, both colors visible in the firelight, distinct and different from one another. The air shifted between them, something that might be safe away from this moment, this place, somewhere danger was not waiting to pounce. Layla pressed another kiss to the shoulder away from the damage, keeping his gaze with her. His eyes had darkened in the cave from dark blue to pools of midnight.

  Alex shifted his gaze away, toward anywhere but Layla, where he wanted to look. He had to pull away from the edge that he was diving over, consideration, logic, something had to start working. Watching him turn, avoiding the shared moment, hiding from what might be, what could be, the harsh reality they were stuck in.

  Screw being right, she thought, shifting her position to continue her kisses down his shoulder and to his back. She was not going to waste time on moments in fear and terror of the man hunting them. If this were her last, she would take the pleasure, peace, and joy of it. A lot was hanging on
luck, and currently her deal with luck wasn’t the strongest, but she could and would take a moment when it crossed her path. Months had gone by since she had bothered with any natural sexual encounters. Finally, someone had spurred something in her and she wasn’t going to lose it for lack of appropriateness. Layla paused, seeing he was watching her with his dark eyes, stroking up her knee to the edge of her hip only to caress back down.

  “Are you sure?” he asked softly.

  “Yes.” He helped her from his side to straddle over him, pulling clothes off quick enough to get them nude by the campfire. He shifted one of the sleeping bags under them, giving them some comfort on the rocky ground. Layla couldn’t hold on to his short military hair, instead using her hands over his shoulders to remain attached to him. With her above him, he was able to pull the emergency condom he kept in his wallet for protection, even during the rush pouring through them both.

  Soft touches over her nearly golden skin brought goosebumps as he began to explore her. She returned the soft touches over his body made of roughly pure muscle. She danced over scars showing where he had been in situations before and didn’t come out unwounded. She had a few herself, which he explored first with fingers before his mouth found hers. Between the kissing, he began to move his mouth over different parts of her skin, he began to explore even as she tried to hurry him forward. Finding her damp he used his hand, fingers everything to bring her up given the speed they were going at she didn’t last long before she cried out, clinging on to him from her release. Giving her a moment to catch her breath, he dove in, filling her to the brink, everything fit his size, more significant than expected, given his size it went with the package. He knew he wouldn’t last given the intensity of their union before he continued to build them up together, crashing over as she followed him into another orgasm.

  Chapter Eight

  Alex

  It might have been a mistake but one he would live with even if he wasn’t as sorry as he should be. This was not his way of handling things, especially when working, but he was comfortable playing with strands of her long dark hair in the late hours. The sleeping bag offered little comfort on the hard cave ground. She was using him as a pillow. Once out of this and things settled, he would have to find a regular place, preferably with a bed, for their next romp.

  He drifted in and out enough to get sleep to count, but not enough to not be aware of their surroundings. Alex kept them warm in front of the fire, away from the cave entrance and protected from anything coming towards them. The dozing helped him since he could work off little to no sleep for days when needed. Layla had drifted off to sleep once they got into the cave and snuggled into his warmth. He didn’t feel like he would break her since she was built more like an Amazon, tall, muscular, and lean. She didn’t feel delicate and could handle him without issue, something Alex could enjoy. She had a wildness within her that called to him, a piece he ignored, pushed down, and worked to keep under restraint. It came when she called, and they merged. It was strange. He had met people for years, and she made a mark within a day. Once they were done, they would have to figure out what this meant. It felt like he had been waiting for her and didn’t know it.

  He drifted in and out long enough to recover. He glanced at the phone to see that dawn had passed into the early part of the morning. They had both slept for several hours, the cold had kept them bundled together under the sleeping bag and twisted together. Her long dark hair was entwined with his fingers, legs tossed together. Soreness from the previous evening sleeping on the hard floor woke him completely. She rolled up, graceful given the situation and with a smile, before she wandered farther into the cave. It would give him time to see what the General had in mind. Help hadn’t arrived or had missed them. Alex knew the General— he was going to want Clark taken out and expected Alex to do it using Layla as the bait. The issues beforehand paled now that they had been together. She was something he couldn’t just risk on the off-chance.

  He hit the speed dial to wait for General McNamara to respond and explain what the plan was or even if they had bothered with one. The line clicked, linking them together. Before Alex could speak, the General began.

  “You’ll get over it, Douglass.” The statement silenced Alex, the attention drawn from years of habit of being the good soldier, never asking questions, and doing what he was told. He grimaced, though, waiting to hear any sort of explanation. “There is a mining town about two days’ walk away from your current position. There, you will set up a trap with the bait to bring Clark down and then recovery will arrive, copy.”

  The General hadn’t even bothered asking it as a question but said it as a statement of fact. Something he would jump to, do as he was told, endanger the life he was to protect just to catch Clark. “She can be taken out of the equation. He won’t know she isn’t really there.”

  “He is using his contact. If he finds out it is a ruse, he disappears and waits us out. Do you want to take the chance?” Alex paused, searching for a better reason to destroy this plan. “Don’t bother trying to get out.”

  “And if he catches us beforehand?” Alex asked, holding his temper and attitude, which was attempting to escape. The training had its uses.

  “Win.” The line died without even a chance to attempt to change the order. Allowing Clark to go was unacceptable, but endangering a civilian bothered him. He sat up, tugged on his clothes, and waited for her to return. He had a few choices, but the best was to attempt honesty. The General hadn’t bothered to tell him not to tell anyone else.

  Layla returned, dressed and vaguely cleaner with her face damp and mismatched eyes shining. The cold water she used for cleaning probably woke her. She began to pull up items for breakfast before he stopped her, having her sit to talk. She tossed him one of the packaged granola bars before settling down, knees touching his, faint wisp of what continues to surprise them waking again. Alex pushed down everything before he began. He explained the truth of what he was doing here and what the orders were. Help wasn’t coming until Clark was dead, she was the bait to bring down a dangerous killer, and he was stuck between.

  She listened, not whispering a question or seeming surprised. She ate her bar, watching him, weighing his words with a few nods of understanding. Once the last words fell, she tilted her head to stare at him, not in horror or dismay but curiosity.

  “Isn’t this classified or something?”

  “Probably, but we are out in the field, choices need to be made. Once we have been taken back to the military base, they will have enough paperwork to classify it to hell and back, but now I need to know where you stand. I’ll probably get you somewhere safe and get Clark. It will take longer than my boss wants.”

  “Then we get Clark before getting the heck out of here.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that. It might be harsh, but Clark is an evil son of a bitch who is going to come for me at some point. A life looking over my shoulder won’t be much of one. Besides, once you finish this, you are done with favors to McNamara and can return to your normal.”

  “Yes, because working with the FBI is completely normal,” Alex said before thinking, giving her a smile and a swift shake of his head. “We will do this, but you will need to keep your head down.”

  “I will do my best, but I am not completely incompetent. I can help.”

  “You can help by staying alive,” Alex stated.

  “I will. Now, on the map, this is the town they are talking about for the setup. It was one of those fake towns built by the military in the ’50s for nuke testing. They are not sturdy or well built, and I think if we take this path,” Layla started, showing a line over the map, “we can make it in about a day and a half, cutting down some of the time they expect, and we can mount a surprise.”

  “There is concern about secrets leaking out. I like this adjustment.” She nodded, pointing out some of the dynamics of the map.

  “We are going to do a little climb. We have supplies and
can free climb to save a few hours. How do you feel about climbing?”

  “I can handle it. Saving the time is worth it.” They agreed, packed up the items from the evening, and resupplied themselves. They pushed the backpacks out of the cave, sending Alex out first, adding a few scrapes to his previous ones, and she crawled out after him. Heading toward the town in the distance, they covered the tracks they made leaving the area.

  Chapter Nine

  Thomas

  The night air had chilled enough to make him need to rest and sleep to recover. His prey would have to be doing the same at some point. He made his way to one of the caves he marked on the map. Entering the odd-sized entrance, he searched, only finding animal remains and several rodents but none of the people he was hunting for. He crossed it off the map, meaning they would have headed another direction, found another route, or somehow kept walking, running, or hiding. He was not sure, but the downside of being out on the hunt was he had to rest and recover. He used the cave to sleep.

  He dropped off, sleeping cleanly before waking about an hour before dawn. He checked over his supplies and cleaned his guns. The dust seemed to be creeping into everything. He ate once he finished before searching through the map for every option they could be running to or hiding in. Worse, if the military came for them and they had already disappeared into the system, he would have to wait for her to return to work in Vegas or San Francisco to hunt her again. He would have to inflict pain upon her to find out the other man's identity in order to handle him once he was finished with Ms. Black.