Leaving the cave, he started searching for any new clues of where they might have headed. Some data had been dug up on his main objective, where Ms. Black lived, work history, colleges, schooling, and bits of her social media. She didn’t have an extensive trail but enough to follow her if he lost her within the desert. The other man had been dug into by the contact he had to hire to infiltrate the military. Alexander Douglass, retired Green Beret and currently an employee of the FBI, didn’t make a lot of sense. He was not supposed to be around and must have been called in given he was retired. There were tags on his information showing he was Special Forces and that training was being used to keep the woman away from him.
Working his way to the highest point available, Thomas made the long hike up to get the best signal and ability to search the area, looking for signs of the running pair. The binoculars didn’t find either of them, making his life more comfortable, but he saw points that might have been caused by humans instead of the local wildlife. His phone chirped, the high-end hackers calling. “You have the data about the individuals?” the highly digitized, gender-neutral voice said.
“I do, what else?”
“The higher-ups know about you and sent him in to keep her out of your range. It does appear there is a plan in development for a trap to handle you.”
“Expected. Do you know where?”
“I have two possible locations. I am sending both and the probabilities on which one they will use.”
“I will handle it.”
“Acceptable. The money had been transferred. We appreciate your business.” The line died, and information sent giving Thomas a pair of locations close enough for them to make in a few days with hiking and continuous movement. The nearest made sense given it was an old town used for military nuclear testing, close enough to make in two days with plenty of spots to hide and set up a trap. The second place, three days away with less ability to protect and difficult to get to, meaning he started to head toward the first location. The one that made sense, it would be the one he would use, and he started to make a path toward the position he would need in order to find a different route so they wouldn’t see him coming.
Chapter Ten
Layla
Slugging through another hike with little rest had been wearing on us both. Alex’s already taciturn behavior had turned to dead silence with the occasional order to be careful, shift this way or that way, but they continued to hike, climb, and in general make excellent progress toward the town where she would become live bait. Ignoring the idea of her head being taken off by a long-range weapon or other Hollywood-style death continued to visit through the painful hike. Even ignoring it to go over plans and concerns, the worry kept gnawing through her body. Her people, friends, and family would panic at her loss and death, something she worked hard to make sure they didn’t have to worry about. She might have an odd job, but it suited her without too many risks, and now she was in the middle of risks she attempted to avoid.
Pushing through the dark thoughts, she had a view of a mountain and a handsome man to keep her distracted. They might not have been looking for one another, but they seemed to have found something between them. She wanted to search, see if it was something that might be more than a fling, but he seemed to have dropped into soldier mode, continuing forward, exploring the areas around them to leave a small clue for someone to follow if they were looking. This all depends on the hunter still searching and not just waiting them out for her to be pulled back into her life.
She forced a pause for food, water, and preparing for the climb to shave the time off the hike. She would need to adjust the chalk for the free rise given the time to set the stakes wasn’t in the schedule. Layla sat, gazing at the short climb. It wasn’t outside of her skill set, and she was taking someone who hadn’t been on a slope for a while, so the inherent danger remained. Being in the open, not able to hide from anyone who came upon them, also factored in. If Thomas Clark arrived while they were on the climb, it would be just like shooting fish in a barrel simple to take them out.
“Do you really think if he doesn’t show the military will finally come to get us?” Layla asked over the water bottle.
“Probably. If he drops off the map, he will reappear later. This is the best chance they have to handle him,” he replied, not fully meeting her gaze through the sunglasses they both used as shields from the sunlight and discomfort.
“But you think he will show.”
“I do. I will keep you safe if that is what you are worried about.”
“I can protect myself as well. I am no damsel in distress.”
“Didn’t cross my mind that you are, only he is an expert, like myself, and focused. I need to continue to be as focused on him. Once it begins, you will keep down so I won’t need to worry if you are out there getting shot.”
“I have no urge to be shot. There will be plenty of places to duck and run,” she replied, holding back several things she wanted to say, work through, and explain. She could handle herself better than he could possibly know, but she couldn’t and shouldn’t know what she wanted to. Too many secrets were flowing around in this hunt and she didn’t want to add to the pile. Alex’s concerns were valid, given what he knew.
“Good. Living is the best option. Once done, the military will get us, debrief, and sign away the secrets before you can return to your normal life. San Francisco, right?” he asked, starting to pack back up to prepare for the climb.
“Briefly. That is where the main office is, but I currently live in Vegas for school. I should still have samples to turn in, footage if any remains after the debrief. I have probably given everyone a good scare. I have a thesis to defend in October, so I can graduate with an official doctorate,” she spoke, packing up before pulling on her climbing gloves and wrist supports. “You?”
“Debrief Quantico to explain and see where I am going to be assigned. I think I am done with vacation.”
“This is your vacation?”
“It was. I was called in from Tahoe.”
“Bummer. This isn’t a great vacation.”
“It has had its moments. The running from a psycho killer is not my idea of fun. I am ready to be done with vacation and debt payments. Next, I will be moving to somewhere.”
“Do you have any say?”
“I can request. I will see where I end up. And you are nearly out of school, which might change places to look into.”
“That sounds like planning, Alex.”
“Maybe a little. It gives me something to look forward to. Besides, it seems like you are based in this part of the country instead of back east.”
“True. Large change for you?”
“I have been all over the world, living wherever they send me. I haven’t lived out in this part of America, but I’ve been here.”
“They do say change is good.” She had to ponder what it would mean. He wanted to plan, like her, but there were things he needed to know about her, things she needed to know about him for a relationship to begin. She felt that is where they were going. Approval might be a challenge from her people, but she knew how to work around them when needed. Until then, survival and seeing what else they might have in common other than explosive sexual chemistry that refused to stop. The new sensations were unusual for both, as they attempted to ignore them before the climb started. “Ready for this?”
“I am.” He leaned closer. Tilting her head to the side, she met his lips midway. It lasted for a moment, sparking between them before they pulled away.
“Distracting, Alex. Very distracting,” Layla muttered.
“Only somewhat on purpose but wanted to before we started another long trek. I might enjoy something before we continue.”
They began the free climb up the mountainside and over to save time, camping on the opposite side. Alex and Layla finished the dull climb, avoiding the pitfalls, to find a place tucked between several rocks and hidden from most onlookers to make camp.
Chapte
r Eleven
Alex
The small camp hides them from typical views. It would be difficult for someone, especially Clark, to find them. Alex tucked Layla close to him as tiredness took them both. She slept soundly as he kept an eye out, searching and listening to everything around them. Alex and Layla were not the only ones in the mountains— some of the predators crept around, avoiding the people through their hunting.
The morning came too quickly. They had a swift breakfast before continuing toward the nearby town. They could view it in the distance by late afternoon, the ramshackle buildings from the 1950s, designed to see the results of nuclear testing from miles away, learning about the destructive damage done from the testing. The buildings in the fake town had been bleached from the sun and worn from the weather, along with what wreckage the testing had done. The entire area was blanketed in sheets of dust and dirt, age, and animals. It had several points to make for traps and set up sightlines before they would attempt to signal for Clark.
Approaching the town, Alex pulled out his gun and flashlight to search the area for any animals or the small off-chance that Clark had made it before them. The village had several buildings still standing, though few windows survived, but most were destroyed and unusable for the plan. They searched as the sun set, seeing wildlife scurrying away until they found a stable home near the edge of the town. Settling into the house, Alex set up traps on the front and back doors and spikes in front of the remaining windows. It wasn’t perfect, but these houses were over seventy years old.
Layla didn’t bother with a usual campfire but used the old stove as a firepit, giving warm food and some heat in the cooling evening air while Alex finished protecting the house. Settling down for the evening, they went over the plan several times.
“I have something we can do to make sure he knows where we are,” Layla stated in the middle of the rounds of the planning. Alex tilted his head for her to continue. “I can make a call from my phone.”
“And?”
“If he is hunting me, he will have it tracked, so I can make a mistake to call for help in San Francisco. He will know exactly where we are and will find us right here, right?”
“Probably. I don’t love the idea. He knows you have company, so he will be on guard.”
“He would be on guard no matter what, so knowing he knows you are here isn’t changing anything. We can plan around that and get prepared.” They agreed before eating and prepared for sleep. Making it to the town, they started designing the trap to handle Clark. Alex took brief naps, catching up on the little sleep he had been running on for days as Layla kept watch, promising she would wake him if something occurred. Around midnight, Alex slipped into a deeper sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Thomas
Thomas followed the paths that had made sense to arrive toward the town. It would take another day or two depending on the geography of the area. The cliffs, mountains, and rough terrain slowed his path, meaning it would also slow them down. He found signs of life, human and animal, giving him the idea he was on the right path. Finding a deep dried-up ravine to sleep in for a few hours during the heat of the day only to continue through the chilling evening, saving energy from being wasted and keeping from freezing. The brutal desert air and high altitudes drained Thomas, changing his plan to evenings and mornings for hikes and runs to catch up to the pair. He wouldn’t make the town before them, but he would be there shortly after them if he could keep the pace.
Resting only when needed, he found shortcuts through small climbs and runs through the evening air. He found tracks in some sand, human, from a man and woman heading the same direction he was. The plan the hacker had discovered appeared worth the money spent to unearth it. They would have time to control an area, prepare for him, and every hour and minute they had would make his job harder. He started to search for a swifter way to reach them, cutting down their time to prepare for him.
He waited for dawn to break to start climbing up the mountainside to cut off time. He would make it by the next evening at the latest. They would be underprepared. Even if they started now, it would not be enough, and that would mean he would have the upper hand.
Once he reached the top of the cliffside, he could just make out the edge of the town. They were probably already there. He sent a message to his hacker to see if there were detailed maps of this small fake town. If there were basements or any underground tunnels, he would use them to approach where they couldn’t see him coming. Thomas had seen enough to know the general plan the military boy would be attempting, using traps and lookout points for sniping. It would generally work. It was solid, but he was one who had worked around those plans for years. Hunting made him think far outside the box the military trained him in.
Chapter Thirteen
Layla
Alex finally slept deep enough to start recovering from the small cat naps he had been living off since this had begun. Layla kept the heat from the stove warming from near freezing to cool, tossing in bits of sage she had brought with her to clean the air and purify the kitchen to start the small communication ritual. She didn’t like hiding what she was from Alex, but until this was over, she couldn’t add another loose end, and she wasn’t jumping for the military to know about her and her powers. Her necklace with the long blue Kyanite wrapped in platinum, reliable and well-worn before chanting slightly under her breath would open the channel between herself and Titan Ki. The words of old came forward, opening the link between herself and one of the people listening at Titan Ki Technologies in one of the small rooms that amplified hearing and communication, probably close to the actual telecommunications section of the building. A voice whispered through, opening a line for her to share what has been happening, what she had seen and knew, only leaving out the personal matters with Alex given it was not something they really needed to know in an official report.
Emotions flicker by from those listening. She felt the concern, worry, and purging of negative energies flowing from the place she was sitting and working. The background count she had felt was slightly radioactive, not interfering between her and the earth below, given the energies that might cause issues with long term exposure. Layla would need a full cleanse once she returned to headquarters, but for now she had to work around the background noise adding static to everything. Understanding passed between herself and the group that had been waiting to hear anything from her since the first call. She hadn’t been able to call again due to the hunter and concern had pooled through the group. They only heard some information from the government whom they had called to help get her out, using one of their favors owed to retrieve her safely. The disapproval of using her as bait flickered through but was suppressed since she needs to survive this. Ideas flared through her along with thoughts of options. She took note of the information but giving little that she could do other than wait and see what the next few days brought. Preparing would start in the morning. She would add wards and warnings along with the physical things Alex would be doing, giving them a higher chance to surprise the hunter.
Layla is reminded about hiding her powers unless necessary, especially to an active member of a governmental agency. They didn’t need more attention to themselves than has already occurred. They have avoided attention by being famous for technology and innovation, never showing the opposite side, no one looking for old school magic interacting with cutting edge technologies. She had found it useful as well. No one saw them for anything but what they were. For her, it is searching and finding minerals and rocks necessary for expansion, which was assumed to be looking for crystals to help technology expansion. She did both under the simple guise of a geologist.
Once finished, she ended the chant and meditation used to connect with the others. She missed them, but for now her attention focused on how to survive and what to do with Alex. They were joined on a level she understood, beyond the physical urges, for something with possibilities, a future beckoning her toward her wanting everythi
ng. She just had to keep them both alive and out of danger before she could see where these possibilities led. Settling in close to Alex, she allowed a few cat naps as the night progressed, allowing Alex to sleep and become rested for what was coming.
Chapter Fourteen
Alex
Alex’s natural alarm clock woke him after several hours of dead to the world sleep. He had slept far too long and too deep for the situation they were in. He felt Layla’s head leaning on his shoulder, her eyes closed but her at attention beside him, sharing the heat and sleeping bag as a blanket. He brushed the long braid over, bringing her back to full awareness, blinking at him slowly.
“Get some sleep.”
“I got some cat naps. Nothing came in.”
“I can see that, but you should have woken me back up.”
“Isn’t it better you got the sleep now before we go to full-out battle?” He paused to think about it and gave a slight nod. “Besides, I will sleep now and once this is done, I am going to sleep for hours in a comfortable bed with room service.”
“Room service?”
“Hell yeah, I want room service, a huge bed, sex for days, and sleep. I think that is the plan once we’re out of this.” He gave a short chuckle.
“Fine, I will figure out how to get that once we are done. Get sleep. I will start making the traps.” He kissed her on the cheek before grabbing a protein bar and started outside to patrol the area, learning the landscape to begin adding traps and wires, and setting up for the worst-case scenario. He learned which places had blind spots, pulled off several parts of houses to eliminate the blind spots, and finding it harder to hide. He found places to hide extra knives, bullets, and guns if the situation became complicated. He made two crows’ nests to cover the area, seeing the great sight lines and where he might be able to handle Clark from a distance with a single bullet. Alex didn’t think that was likely, but there was a small hope he could finish this at a range.
Web of Lies Page 26
