by Sharon Dunn
“So how old were you when you and Crew ran away to this place?”
She liked that he was curious. “I was twelve and Crew was fourteen. He stole a car. Things had gotten so bad with our foster care family at that time. We decided we would run somewhere nobody could find us.”
“And so you came upon this forest service cabin?”
“We stayed up there for a couple of weeks. There were some canned goods already there and Crew was pretty good at catching rabbits and fish. We had a campfire every night, and we took turns reading from our favorite books. We called it the safe place because it felt like nothing in the world could hurt us there.”
“So what happened?”
“A ranger found us. Crew wanted to run, but I knew we had to go back.” Sarah bent her head. “They put us in a better foster home after that, but I think by then Crew figured he couldn’t trust anyone but me.”
“You know, the whole time we were dating you never told me any of that.”
Sarah lifted her head. Was Bryan finally ready to talk about the past? “When you’re sixteen, there’s a lot of shame attached to not having a family. It was embarrassing enough that I was in foster care. I didn’t share details with anyone. I wanted everyone to see me as a normal kid. I don’t think your parents were very happy about their golden boy son dating the orphan even without me bringing up the unpleasant details.”
His expression grew serious. “I wasn’t very golden to you. I was kind of a jerk.”
“It was a hard time for both of us.” She looked away, not sure of what else to say, but feeling as though his admission had torn away at the protection around her heart. She toyed with the idea that there might be something between them again. How did he feel about her? Would he walk away after his case against Mason was wrapped up? The thought of being abandoned by him again doused the warm feelings she had for him. She had to know that he would stay with her no matter what.
The mountain road became more treacherous. Bryan focused on his driving.
Sarah studied the narrow, bumpy road. “There’s no real parking lot. We’re close enough now. You can pull off anyplace the road widens.”
Bryan drove for a while longer until the trees to the side of the road thinned. Angling around the trees, he steered the car away from the road.
“I don’t think we’ve been followed, but just in case, I don’t want to take a chance that they find the car and disable it. Let’s camouflage it, so it’s not visible from the road.”
They cut branches and picked some up from the forest floor. Satisfied, they headed through the forest after Sarah checked her compass.
“So this place must be hard to find,” Bryan commented as they trekked up a steady incline.
“Forest rangers know about it. Crew and I stumbled on it.”
“Have you been back there since that first time?”
“Couple Easters ago, Crew was doing pretty good. We went up there together.”
They came out on the opposite side of the lake from where the thugs had initially brought Sarah. The fire tower, high on the mountain, was still visible.
The sun had sunk low in the sky when the cabin, nestled in a valley and surrounded by trees, came into view. A creek flowed not too far from the cabin, silvery in the waning light.
As they approached the cabin, Sarah saw no signs that anyone occupied it. Maybe that had been intentional on Crew’s part.
“She’s not going to be expecting us. She might be afraid,” Bryan said.
“I think I know how to handle this.” Sarah knocked on the door. “Hello, my name is Sarah. I’m Crew’s sister. I’ve come to help you.”
Bryan leaned toward the door. “Eva, if you’re in there, this is Bryan Keyes. The policeman you talked to about Tyler Mason. We can protect you.”
No response.
Sarah touched the door with her hand. “I know you’re afraid.”
The soft padding of careful footsteps reached her ears. Hope rising, Sarah glanced over at Bryan, who looked equally excited.
Without any warning, the door burst open, swinging outward and knocking Sarah to the ground. A woman with a tangle of wild blond hair ran out and bolted for the trees.
Sarah lay on her back with the wind knocked out of her. Bryan took off running after the woman. Still fighting for air, Sarah rolled over on her stomach and watched as Bryan caught the woman. He held her wrists while she screamed and kicked.
“We’re not going to hurt you.” He spoke in a soothing voice, but it didn’t do any good.
She wrenched one hand free and slapped him across the face. Sarah stumbled to her feet and ran toward them. “I’m Crew’s sister.” As Sarah drew closer, the woman gradually relented in her wrestling with Bryan. Clearly the woman was not the dark-haired Eva Bryan had described, but she looked familiar to Sarah.
“I’m going to let go of you. All right?” Bryan waited until the woman nodded. He released her wrists.
Breathless from her struggle, her shoulders moved up and down. She lifted the tangle of blond hair out of her face. Though she was rail-thin, intense blue eyes, high cheekbones and angular features made her a beautiful woman despite the malnutrition.
“I know you,” said Sarah.
The woman nodded, relaxing a little.
“You came into my office six or seven months ago. You had a baby girl whom we helped you put up for adoption.”
Understanding spread across the woman’s face. “Crew said you help me. You did good for my baby.” She spoke with a strong Russian accent.
“Nadia.” Sarah touched the woman’s cheek. “Your name is Nadia. I remember.”
The woman glanced around nervously. “We go inside, please?”
They entered the cabin. A rolled-up sleeping bag with a pillow on top of it rested in a corner of the room beside a propane camp stove.
Nadia rubbed her stomach. “Crew supposed to bring me food days ago.”
Sarah dug through her pack and pulled out a protein bar. She handed the food to Nadia. “Crew’s in the hospital.” She couldn’t purge her voice of the emotion that statement brought up. “He’s in critical condition.”
Nadia’s eyes widened. “Crew will be all right?”
“We think so,” Bryan replied.
“Crew is a true friend.” Nadia’s entire body trembled as she brought her hand up to her mouth. “He going help me get away for good, save some money. I need leave town.” Desperation colored every word she spoke.
Bryan stepped toward her. “Maybe we can help—”
The boom of a rifle shot interrupted the conversation. The window by the cabin door shattered. Bryan pulled Nadia to the floor.
“Looks like they found us,” Bryan said. His voice filled with indignation. “But how? I’m sure we weren’t tailed.”
Sarah hit the deck only a second after Bryan. She scrambled on all fours across the wooden planks. She waved Bryan and Nadia forward. “There’s a back window in the other room.”
A second shot tore through the thin wood of the door. Nadia screamed and covered her head with her hands.
Bryan tugged on her shirt. “We have to get out of here.”
Nadia cried and murmured something in Russian as she shook her head.
Crouching below window level, Sarah returned. “Come on, Nadia, we have to go or they’ll kill us for sure.” Sarah grabbed the frightened woman’s hand.
Still hysterical, Nadia complied.
“Stay low,” Bryan commanded.
The window in the second room faced the back of the cabin. Nadia climbed through, then Sarah and Bryan.
The cabin door swung open on its hinges and banged against the wall just as Bryan’s feet hit the ground.
It would take the shooter only seconds to figure out where they’d g
one. They had to get out of the line of sight.
“This way.” Bryan led them around to the side of the cabin and then toward the forest that would provide some cover. They were exposed for about twenty seconds.
Sarah hesitated, taking a moment to slip into her backpack. Bryan pulled Nadia toward the trees. Sarah ran twenty paces behind them. The first shot landed only a few feet behind her. Heart pounding, Sarah winced and then responded by running harder.
Bryan and Nadia reached the trees first. “Run,” he shouted at Nadia and let go of her arm.
He sprinted back to Sarah and pulled her toward the trees, as well. The shooter stood in the open field a hundred yards away, lining up another shot.
Nadia ran about twenty yards into the trees and then stopped.
“Keep moving,” Bryan shouted.
Nadia complied though she looked over her shoulder several times. They sprinted, jumping over logs, pushing branches out of the way. When ten minutes passed with no sign that the shooter had followed them, they slowed their pace.
Out of breath, Sarah studied the trees around her. “I’m all turned around. If we can get back to the lake, I can navigate from there.”
“Not a chance. They’ll be expecting us to do that. They’ll be watching. I’m sure it’s not only one guy after us.” Bryan stuck his hands in his hair and stared at the sky. “What I can’t figure out is how they found us. I’m sure no one followed us up here.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “So how do we get back to the car?”
Bryan turned one way and then the other. “We keep moving south. If we can find the road, we can find the car.”
Sarah couldn’t let go of the fear gripping her heart. Were they going to get out of here alive? “That could take hours.”
“Going the obvious route could get us killed.” His brisk walk turned into a jog. “Let’s keep going.”
Sarah increased her speed, as well. Nadia lagged behind. Her run turned into a walk and then she trudged. Sarah stopped and waited. “Do you want some water?”
Nadia nodded. She took the bottle and gulped. “Sorry, I not so healthy. I have addiction problem for very long time. Just now getting strong.”
“But you kicked it,” said Sarah.
“I get away from my boyfriend, but he find me and he not so nice. He the reason I addicted in first place. Crew trying to help me get out of town.”
Bryan, who had been listening from a distance, asked, “Nadia, what is your boyfriend’s name?”
At first, Nadia took a step back. Her posture stiffened. Fear flashed in her eyes.
Bryan persisted, his voice growing softer. “Is his name Tyler Mason?”
She nodded.
A look of hard resolve materialized on Bryan’s face. “So you got away, cleaned yourself up and found a place to live, but then he found you.” Nadia nodded again.
The crackling of a branch caused them all to jump. Bryan put his finger over his mouth in a “be quiet” motion. Another breaking branch, this one closer. Bryan lowered himself to the ground and the two women followed.
Twigs and dried pine needles poked at Sarah’s skin.
Nadia gulped and gasped. She squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn’t handling this well, but who could blame her? The thought of Mason finding her obviously had her terrified. Nadia, more than Sarah or even Bryan, knew exactly what Mason was capable of.
Footsteps grew more distinctive as their pursuer crunched over the undergrowth.
Sarah reached over and placed a hand on Nadia’s mouth. Her whole body vibrated with terror. Please, God, don’t let her scream and give all of us away.
A fallen log shielded them on one side, but they would be exposed if the shooter passed by them to the west.
The footsteps continued. Judging from the sound, the man was maybe twenty feet from them. Sarah held her breath. The footsteps stopped.
Nadia continued to shake as tears ran down her face. This was a woman who had been abused in her life. She gripped Sarah’s hand and Sarah squeezed back, her heart going out to the woman.
Sarah had only visited with her briefly when she brought three-month-old April in for adoption. Nadia hadn’t wavered at all in her decision to give the little girl up. Her determination to give her daughter a better life was admirable. Sarah understood that desire. She’d been through the same thing.
The footsteps, the crunching and breaking of undergrowth, resumed. After what felt like a century, the sound of the shooter stalking through the woods faded altogether.
Bryan was the first to push himself up off his stomach. Still crouching, he turned a slow half circle, his hand wavering over his gun. He whispered, “Let’s get going. Be as quiet as you can. Move as fast as you can.”
Sarah helped Nadia to her feet. She wrapped an arm around her. “It’s going to be all right. We’ll get you to a safe place.”
Nadia shook her head. “He will always find me. He found me here in the forest.” Sarah picked up on the despair in Nadia’s voice.
“Don’t give up hope,” Sarah said.
Nadia responded with a quivering smile.
They traversed down the hillside, being careful where they stepped, stopping to listen and watch. Bands of sunlight filtered through trees as the afternoon transitioned to evening.
After a while, without any disruption or indication that their pursuers were close, Bryan asked, “Why is Tyler so bent on finding you?”
Sarah could imagine the disappointment Bryan wrestled with. He had thought they were making their way toward the woman who could tie up his investigation. Instead they had found fragile, wounded Nadia.
“He say it because he love me.” A pained expression crossed Nadia’s gaunt features. “But I don’t think that is love. When I first came to America, he said I too pretty to work with the others who came with me. I thought I going to have the life, be a rich man’s girlfriend.”
Bryan slowed his pace and glanced over at Nadia. “You were one of the people he brought over here. And you know about the others?”
Nadia stuttered in her step. Her face went pale. She nodded for a long time before speaking. “I see some things.”
“You’ve seen how he treats those people.”
Again, the frightened young woman nodded.
Bryan stopped walking and turned to face her. “Nadia, I think there is a way to guarantee that he will never hurt you or anybody again.”
“I do not believe it.”
“He should go to jail for the things he’s done.”
“I wish that,” said Nadia, her voice growing stronger, filling with bitterness.
“I think we can make it happen.” Bryan touched her thin forearm. “First we have to get you in protective custody.”
Heading downhill, they continued to walk through the forest.
Sarah’s thoughts went back to the adoption she had arranged for the woman. Though she did not remember who Nadia had listed as the father of the baby, she did remember that there had been no objection from him. The adoption had been smooth in that way. The father had signed away rights easily. “Tyler made you give up the baby?”
Nadia shook her head. “He didn’t love the baby. I knew I couldn’t get away if I had April and I want her have something better. After adoption, it take months for me to find a way to escape. I have no money, no way to leave town.” The whole time she talked, Nadia’s voice trembled.
They heard the rumble of a car on the road long before a road came into view. Bryan lowered to a crouch and sought out a tree for cover. Sarah grabbed Nadia’s hand and pulled her toward a tree not too far from Bryan. Nadia braced her back against the tree and stared at the sky.
Sarah peered around the tree to where a section of the rutty dirt road was visible.
“Looks like they’re running p
atrols,” Bryan whispered.
Sarah stared down the hill and at the surrounding landscape, none of which looked familiar. “How are we going to find the car?”
“I think if we stay this far back and walk parallel to the road, we’ll run into it without getting caught.”
Nadia glanced back up the hillside from where they had just come. She looked scared.
Fear danced across Sarah’s nerves, as well. The shooter was still up there somewhere.
How many of Mason’s men had followed them up here? Three? Four? At least one stalked through the forest behind them. And another drove a truck up and down the mountain road looking for them. They were being squeezed from both sides.
She wasn’t sure if Bryan’s plan would work. He probably had his own doubts. What other choice did they have though?
Bryan signaled for them to get moving. Sarah helped Nadia to her feet. The unfocused look in Nadia’s eyes worried her. The young woman was fading away emotionally.
They walked parallel to the road, using the trees for cover.
Uphill, Sarah caught the glint of gunmetal in the fading light.
“Down.” Bryan had seen it, too.
Now Nadia displayed a look of utter terror. She bolted free of Sarah’s grip and out through the trees, running in a zigzag pattern. The first shot tore through a branch only inches from her.
Nadia let out a cry and kept running.
Did the shooter have a clear view or had Nadia’s movement cued him in? Sarah resisted the urge to shout for Nadia to stop. It would only alert all their pursuers of their position. But it was too late for that caution now. She ran with Bryan at her heels.
Shortly afterward, Nadia stopped running and collapsed to the ground.
Up the hill, the shooter emerged from the trees, making a beeline toward Nadia.
“I’ll hold him off.” Bryan drew his gun.
The boom of the gunshot sounded behind Sarah. She dared not look back. She focused on getting to Nadia. She couldn’t see the sniper anywhere. Had Bryan managed to drive him back?
Another shot shattered the silence. This one clearly from a rifle.
