by Mary Alford
Jamie put her arm around Paxton’s waist, and he leaned heavily against her as Gavin slipped through the opening.
“You’re going to have to put some weight on your injured leg, but we’ll make it quick,” Gavin told him.
With Jamie still holding on to her uncle, he slowly put his full weight on the leg. Jamie could tell it was a struggle to keep from losing his balance. The extent of the pain was carved on his face as he eased through the opening and fell against Gavin’s injured side. Gavin stumbled backward and almost lost his footing.
Jamie hurried through the opening and grabbed Paxton around the waist again, taking some of the weight off Gavin.
“Are you okay?” she asked with concern.
Gavin managed a nod, his jaw tight. She knew he was hurting.
“I think so. Let’s get going. This will take a while, and I’m not sure how long we have.”
With Gavin’s arm touching hers, together they carried Paxton down the narrow passage. The going was slow and strenuous, forcing them to stop periodically to catch their breaths. Gavin was barely hanging on himself. She wasn’t sure how much more he could handle.
“We’re almost there. It’s not much farther.” Gavin tried to sound positive, but she could tell it was a struggle for him to put one foot in front of another.
“I heard Miller talking to one of his men. They got the drugs out of here, but they’re looking for more. They think they’re hidden inside the mine somewhere. I believe they’ll come back here soon to look for them. We can’t let them find us.”
Jamie couldn’t believe it. “How much drugs do you think there are? Paxton, do you have any idea?”
Her uncle was barely conscious, but he managed to answer. “There’s plenty, from what I’ve seen. The amount of heroin they’re moving into the county is massive.”
Paxton’s words were terrifying.
“There’s more,” Gavin said, and she forced herself to concentrate. “I heard Miller talking. Looks like I was wrong about Andy Lawson. He’s not only involved, he’s the leader.”
Shocked, Jamie stared up at him. “Just how deep does this thing go?”
* * *
Gavin stopped once they reached the entrance to the shaft leading to the opening. “This is it.”
Jamie peered into the decay and shivered. He couldn’t blame her. Nothing about the place looked safe.
“I know it looks bad, but it’s not much farther to the opening.”
Jamie nodded in spite of the fact that she looked ready to drop. The three of them headed down the narrow passage. With each step they took, pieces of the wall continued to crumble away.
“Do you know where this will put us out?” Gavin asked Paxton, hoping to get Jamie’s mind off the danger around them.
“I’m guessing we’re on the opposite side of the mountain, not too far out of Darlan.” Gavin was amazed at the older man’s spunk, in spite of his physical condition.
Behind them, several large rocks split from the side and hit the ground hard. The vibration shook the place, sending tremors down the shaft.
“Hurry, this whole place could go at any moment. Run, Jamie!” Gavin yelled and together they ran for the opening.
They’d almost cleared it when a loud rumble behind them quaked the place. Gavin lost his footing, and Paxton fell to the ground with him.
“Gavin!” Jamie screamed.
Gavin scrambled to his knees. “Help me get him outside,” he managed while holding his side. The pain was unbearable.
Jamie got him to his feet. Together, they hauled Paxton up and ran as fast as they could. They barely made it out before the tunnel collapsed onto itself, and a rush of dust and debris flew past them.
Gavin dropped Paxton to the ground and fell to his knees. They’d come so close to being trapped. A few seconds more and they’d all have been dead.
Thank You for bringing us safely out. He murmured the prayer, then stared back at the tomb they’d escaped.
Jamie knelt next to him and touched his face. The tenderness in her eyes gave him strength.
“How are you holding up?” she asked.
He knew she was worried about his injury, but truth be told, he was barely keeping it together.
Gavin smiled so that she wouldn’t keep worrying. “Hanging in there. We can’t afford to stay here, though. Somehow or other we need to get as far away from here as we can before Miller and his people come back to look for the drugs.”
He could tell she didn’t believe him about being all right, but what choice did they have? If they stayed here, they’d be dead. “You’re right.” She turned to Paxton, who looked much worse after the harrowing journey they’d just faced. “What is the easiest way out of here?”
Paxton scrubbed a hand over his eyes and scanned the dark horizon. “There’s only one way out, and it’s all downhill.”
Gavin dragged in a breath and prayed for the strength to finish the job. He spotted his phone where he’d left it on the rock and pocketed it. “Then we’d best get going. We have one thing working in our favor. If they come this way and see the rubble, they’ll believe we’re trapped inside. It might buy us time. It’s something.” He struggled to stand. Jamie grabbed him around the waist and helped him up.
“Deep breaths,” she whispered close to his ear. “We’ll take it slow. We’ll be okay.”
He looked down at her. Even in the darkness, he could see her reassuring smile. She was trying hard to remain positive. He needed to do the same.
He touched her face. “You’re right. We will be.” He turned to Paxton. “You know this mountain like the back of your hand. Keep us on the right track.”
Together, he and Jamie helped Paxton to his feet.
“How are you feeling?” Gavin asked the older man.
Paxton wasn’t one to look for sympathy. “Okay. You got any more of those pills you gave me earlier? I think I could use some now.”
Gavin dug into the backpack and brought out the antibiotics, along with the pain medicine. “Here, take one of each of these. It’ll help with the pain.”
Once Paxton was finished, he handed the water bottle back to Gavin, who swallowed something for his own pain.
“I’ll need my light,” Paxton told them. Gavin had no idea where the light had ended up.
“I have it.” Jamie took it from her jacket pocket.
Paxton put the light on and shone it around the area. He pointed off to their right. “We’ll head out that way. It should be the easiest path.”
Gavin nodded. “Okay, let’s get going.” Gavin reached to help Paxton, but the older man pushed his hands away.
“I don’t need any help. Hand me that stick over there.” He pointed to a log lying close by. “I’ll use it to help me along. You two need to watch your footing. It’s steep through here. We don’t need any more injuries.”
Jamie cast a doubtful look Gavin’s way. “Are you sure, Uncle Paxton?”
The older man nodded. “I’m sure. Let’s head out.”
“I’ll take the lead,” Gavin told them, half expecting Paxton to argue. Shining the light down in front of them, he could see that Paxton was right. The hike was going to be a steep downhill process.
Just put one foot in front of the other.
With Paxton between them, he and Jamie started walking. Miller’s words from earlier troubled him.
His brother’s dead, anyway. Nothing he found out will clear his name or bring the man back.
Had Paxton been right all along? Had Miller inadvertently let slip that there was something more going on with Charles’s murder than what the sheriff’s department had reported?
FIFTEEN
A rock rolled beneath her feet and Jamie almost lost her footing. Gavin rushed to her side to steady her.
“Are you okay?” he asked. The alarm on his f
ace warmed her inside.
When her heart finally stopped thundering in her ears, she answered. “Yes, I think so. It’s just hard to see where I’m going.”
“It is, but Paxton was right. We can’t afford another injury. Why don’t you use your phone’s flashlight app to watch the ground? If they’re out there looking for us, they’ll spot three lights just the same as they would two.”
She dug her phone out of her pocket and clicked on the light.
“Ready?” he asked, and she forced a smile.
“Yes, I’m ready.”
As they picked their way down the mountainside, Jamie found herself jumping at every noise around them. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Miller would keep looking for them. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew for certain they were dead. Too much was at stake. In spite of what Gavin believed, she was positive when they found their mystery man, they’d find out who really killed Charles.
Her mind went back over the things they knew so far. Making sense of it was impossible. There was no way Miller was the mastermind behind the organization. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t see Andy Lawson running such a huge endeavor, either.
“Who do you think is really in charge?” she asked Gavin, voicing her doubts about Andy. Up ahead, the path widened enough so that she could walk next to Uncle Paxton. She knew he was still in a lot of pain, but using the stick as a crutch seemed to be helping.
“If you’re suggesting that Andy doesn’t seem capable of such a huge endeavor, I agree. Paxton, in your surveillance photos, I saw a picture with our mystery man along with Miller and some of the other deputies. It looked like it was taken in an abandoned warehouse. Do you remember what that was?”
“That’s the equipment storage building for the old mine near Hallettsville. I followed Miller and his goons there one night.”
Jamie recalled the photo. The man had been dressed nicely, in a suit and tie. “I’m guessing he’s the real person in charge.”
“That’s my guess, too,” Gavin told her. “We need to figure out who he is and how he’s connected to all of this as soon as possible, but first we need to get out of danger.”
“How soon before the FBI arrives?” Jamie wasn’t sure how much more any of them could take.
Gavin shook his head. “I’m not sure. Maybe a couple of hours. It looks like we’re almost at the base of the mountain.” He pointed up ahead, and Jamie noticed that the ground was slowly leveling off.
“Can we stop for a moment to rest?” She was out of breath and couldn’t imagine how Uncle Paxton must be feeling.
She flashed her light around and spotted a rock big enough for sitting, and helped Paxton over to it.
“Which way from here?” she asked her uncle.
He looked around the countryside he’d grown up exploring. “Best I figure, we’re about five miles from town. I’d say we want to avoid that. There’s an abandoned homestead not too far from here. We could hide out there until the Feds show up.”
The thought of being inside sounded wonderful to Jamie. “Good idea. Hopefully, they won’t look for us there.”
“Let’s get going then. God helps those who help themselves, I say.” Paxton shuffled to his feet, and she chuckled at her uncle’s bravery. In so many ways, he reminded her of her father. Always seeing the positive side of things. Never wanting to lean on anyone. Her father was a pillar of strength in her mind. Even today, she couldn’t reconcile what she knew about him with the frail man he’d been before his death.
Uncle Paxton led the way. Soon, she spotted the house up ahead of them. As they headed toward it, Jamie couldn’t shake the bad feeling growing inside of her. Who was the well-dressed man in the photo, and why had he met with Miller? There was something more going on here than they knew. She just had no idea what.
As they drew close to the house, Gavin stopped suddenly, as if something wasn’t right.
She halted next to him. “What is it?”
He pointed to the ground. “If this place is abandoned, then why are there tire tracks here?”
Jamie had barely had time to look down when from behind the barn, four ATVs fired their engines and headed for them at breakneck speed.
“Run for the woods behind the house,” Gavin told her. Together, they grabbed Paxton around the waist and hurried for the trees. Before they’d managed even a handful of steps, one of the men began shooting at them.
“Get down.” Gavin shoved her and Paxton behind an abandoned car then took out his weapon and returned fire.
Jamie eased next to him with the shotgun. All four ATVs had their lights on bright and directed right at them. He glanced behind them. The woods were close. If they could make it there, they might have a chance at getting away.
“Can you get Paxton to the woods?” Gavin asked while keeping a careful eye on the ATVs. “I can try to hold them off for a while.”
Jamie peered behind them. “I think so, but I’m not leaving you behind.”
He looked into her eyes. “I’ll be right behind you, I promise. Head there as fast as you can. I’ll see if I can get them on the retreat.” Jamie hated leaving him behind. She cupped his face, holding his gaze. “Please be careful.”
He covered her hand with his and smiled. “I will.”
She slowly nodded, then took hold of Uncle Paxton and ran as fast as she could for the tree coverage. Behind her, Gavin opened fire.
“We’re almost there,” she urged her uncle, trying to sound positive. Even though just a handful of steps now separated them from the woods, it felt like miles with the firefight going on behind them.
They reached the edge of the trees. Behind them, Jamie heard footsteps. Gavin was running their way through heavy gunfire.
Please keep him safe, she prayed. She couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Gavin.
Jamie barely made it to the first tree before she bumped into Paxton. Why had he stopped?
“Hurry, Uncle Paxton. We have to keep moving.”
Paxton didn’t answer. He was staring at something in front of him.
It took only a second before her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she spotted what he saw. Two men stood close with weapons aimed at them. They’d walked straight into a trap.
* * *
Gavin rushed for the trees behind the house. He spotted Jamie and Paxton right away. Something was off.
“What’s wrong?” He barely got the words out when a set of flashlights clicked on, blinding him.
He recognized the first man: the former sheriff of Darlan County, Raymond Lawson. The man standing next to him Gavin had seen before, as well, in a photo. It was their mystery man.
Reality slammed into place. They’d fought so hard to get free of the mine, only to be captured by the men who put them there.
“Well, well, we have all three of you right here in one place.” The mystery man stopped a few feet short of them and turned back to Lawson. “Good job, sheriff.”
Who was this man? If they were going to die at his hands, Gavin had to know his true identity. “So, you’re the man behind the heroin. I never did believe Miller and the rest of his men were smart enough to run an organization this size by themselves.”
The mystery man looked at Gavin with admiration. “Oh, I don’t know. Sheriff Lawson here has run the operation for me quite nicely through the years. But you’re right. I am the man behind the heroin. And I can see you don’t know who I am.”
Gavin was immediately on alert. Why would he say that? “Should I?”
A smirk followed. “Your father surely would.”
The truth dawned on him slowly. “How do you know my father?” But the ball in the pit of his stomach told him he knew the answer. This was the man who’d killed Charles. The true killer. Jamie had been right all along. Reality mingled with guilt threatened to buckle his knees.
The truth threatened to sink him. Jamie must have sensed it, because she took his hand.
He forced back rage. “You killed my father.” It all became clear. This man was with the mining corporation that had wanted to buy out his father’s mine.
The man smiled. “That’s right. I needed the mine. He refused to sell. He had to die.”
It took everything inside Gavin not to charge the man. He wanted him dead for murdering his father. “You wanted the mine because of its central location.” It was a shot in the dark, but the man’s expression slipped a little, confirming Gavin was right. “It’s close to the other abandoned mines you’ve bought out, and it would allow you easy access out of town. I guess you didn’t count on my grandmother not automatically selling the business to you after my father’s death.”
Paxton made a noise that sounded like disbelief. “You’re part of Shadow Mining,” he exclaimed.
The man didn’t seem worried that they’d discovered his identity. He clearly wasn’t planning to let them live. “Not part of it. I’m the owner of Shadow Mining. Brock Shadow.”
The name didn’t ring any bells for Gavin. “You had one of your goons put pressure on Paxton here to force my grandmother to sell, thinking them both easy targets. When you couldn’t get Paxton to cooperate, you tried to kill him, too.”
Three of the men who’d been shooting at them came up behind and started to grab them, but Shadow stopped them. “Leave them alone. We’ll take care of them soon enough.”
Gavin tried not to react to the threat. Would help be there in time to save them? “You won’t get away with this, Shadow. I’m a CIA agent.”
Shadow was unmoved. “Yes, well, mines around here collapse all the time. Especially ones like the Darlan Mountain Mine. It’s been neglected for years by Paxton.”
The look on Jamie’s face reflected her terror. Gavin moved closer, still holding her hand. “If you kill us, how will you find the rest of the drugs?”
Shadow’s gaze narrowed, suspecting a lie. “You’re stalling. Get his phone,” he ordered one of the men. “I want to see who he’s called.”
