by Angi Morgan
He ducked behind rocks, crawled on his belly and lay frozen to the ground, holding his breath as he unintentionally found the shooter’s partner. The second man was crouched several feet below him. Kate was safe from the shooter, but not from the man near him.
No choice who his target was then. He’d lose his surprise advantage on the shooter if he didn’t keep this quiet. He let the man pass him, silently unsheathing the blade, flipping it to use the hilt. If he could knock the man unconscious—
Rocks busted apart near his head, shards pricking the back of his hand. Serna’s shooter alerted his partner, who stood and leaped at him. The only thing going in their favor was Serna’s orders to bring them in alive. Otherwise, he’d have been shot several times over.
The second man trapped his arm—and knife—between their chests. He’d caught this guy by surprise with his gun still in his waistband while they’d been crawling. Cord used his longer legs to wrap around the shorter man and kept him from getting any leverage. He punched the man’s head with his weak left hand. He grunted but that was about it. Useless. Another shot, very close to his head.
“Okay, okay. Don’t shoot.” Cord relaxed his body and released the man’s legs. The man shoved up to his knees and gave a sign to the shooter. Cord raised his hands and dropped the knife to the ground near the top of his head.
The man couldn’t reach the knife or his weapon without shifting his weight off Cord. When he did, Cord swept up his knife and sliced his side as they both rolled downhill a couple of feet and heard another shot.
He shoved the limp body off him. His blade hadn’t killed him, but the sniper had miscalculated, hitting his partner square in the back. Cord used him as cover to get safely to an outcropping.
No radio. No ID. No cell. Nothing on this guy except a gun. He’d either dropped everything with the sniper or they hadn’t been prepared to leave the chopper. Now for the sniper and to get back to Kate.
“Cord!”
She was in trouble and her cry shot him through his heart faster than any sniper bullet.
Chapter Fifteen
Face-to-face, looking the stranger in the eyes, seeing the moment of hesitation there. The split-second thought wondering if he saw the same thing on her face flashed in her mind. It wasn’t the first time either of them had looked down a gun barrel. She knew that just looking at him.
Serna’s man showed his surprise when she didn’t pull the trigger. But he also showed confident knowledge that she wouldn’t.
One thought merged into the next. Just a split second hesitation. But long enough for the man to jump forward, knock the rifle aside and stick the barrel of his weapon straight under her chin.
That same split second she’d lived before—three years ago—blurred with this one on top of a mountain.
Serna had burst into her living room, having already killed two police officers in front of her home. She’d been petrified and unable to move. It was so unexpected. Serna had wanted her to talk or maybe beg. When she wouldn’t, he’d waved the gun around and walked toward the door. He didn’t look where he fired his gun. If he had, she’d already be dead. The bullet only caught her in the shoulder, but the resulting trauma caused a miscarriage and killed her baby. She’d lost everything.
The man now shoving the hot barrel into her skin shouted in Spanish for a comrade’s help. There was more gunfire. Cord!
What should she do? Fight and take a chance on injuring the baby? Think logically. But Serna is anything but logical. You’ve seen the craziness in his eyes and actions. So you’re not dead. This guy didn’t pull the trigger straightaway.
Serna wants you alive.
Then I stay alive and wait on Cord. He’ll come. He always keeps his promises.
“Jorje, he tell us to bring you alive, but he say nothing ’bout bambina.” He kicked the machine pistol away. Knocked the rifle out of reach. “Sit. Hands on head. I keep mouth shut if you not want kick to stomach. Comprende?”
She followed his instructions, first shoving loose stones from the site she’d occupy, then crossing her legs to use for protection if needed. She could pull them to her body and maybe stop a direct kick to the baby.
“Hands.”
Reluctantly, she put them on top of her head. Protect the baby became the mantra in her mind. The last shot might have hit Cord, but she couldn’t let the fear take control. Why hadn’t he returned yet?
She would not allow herself to become distracted. She could defend herself. Baby or no, she just had to wait for the right moment.
The man tugged the backpack away from her, dumping everything. Never breaking eye contact with her, he rifled through the contents and brought objects between them so he could see what they were. For some reason, she couldn’t look away and watched him toss bottled water and fruit over the edge.
Shots echoed among the hills again. Serna’s man looked in the direction, the same as her, but there wasn’t anything she could do. No weapon close enough, not even a rock large enough to throw. But the sound confirmed Cord was still alive.
After the rapid gunfire, minutes ticked by with nothing, just the wind gusting through the few trees and canyons. A shout in Spanish from a voice stating he was on his way. What had happened to Cord?
The man relaxed and continued his inspection of the backpack. He held up a small bag, and she recognized it as part of what had been under the floor at the lodge. He laughed, pocketed the drugs.
If she didn’t have other things to worry about, she might be extremely angry over Cord concealing that he’d removed one. She kept watching, listening for signs of Cord. He might come back the same way he left, but he couldn’t execute a surprise. To get to where the sniper was, he’d have to have gone the way this guy had come. So she kept watching, looking for movement of any kind.
“What are we waiting on?” she asked.
“Impatient to meet Jorje?” He laughed again, tossing aside an apple.
“No. Him.”
Cord was fifty yards away, rifle to his shoulder, taking aim. The man faced him in time to aim his handgun. Both fired.
As soon as the man toppled sideways, Kate jumped to her feet and ran to Cord, never looking back.
“Sorry that took so long, babe,” he said when she was steps away.
She threw herself at him. He lifted her into his arms and she dropped her head on his shoulder.
“I was so frightened. I’m getting really tired not knowing if you’re alive or dead.”
“I didn’t mean for you—”
She didn’t need any more words and cut him off with a kiss. A long, in-depth kiss that couldn’t be misinterpreted. Even though she couldn’t stay married to him she had to let him know how much he meant to her. While their tongues entwined, she remembered the other close calls he’d had as a Ranger. Were they all like this?
She only had the shooting for a comparison and that had all happened so fast. The hardest part had been dragging Cord into the car to get him to the hospital. He’d been deadweight, unable to use his legs. With every moan, she questioned if she should wait for help.
They’d never know if her dragging him into the car had caused the paralysis or if the bullet was completely responsible. Either way, if she hadn’t moved him he would have bled out.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I know. You can’t be close to me.” He walked away for once. “Well, guess what, Kate? I can’t, either.”
He’s angry? He’d never been angry before.
“It’s not that.” She needed to explain. She hadn’t stopped because she was near him. She’d never told him that she’d been responsible for the paralysis.
“Stay there. You don’t need to look at this guy,” he commanded.
For once she obeyed without questioning. She knew where the bullet had struck. She’d seen the man’s head whip back and closed her eyes before he fell.
“Ah, man, the bastard took my apples.”
“He
tossed them over the edge.” She sank to the ground and drew her knees to her chest.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just suddenly exhausted.” She crossed her arms and buried her face, blocking the view of Cord with the dead man.
She woke with a start and Cord’s hand on her shoulder. No dead guy in sight. “Did I fall asleep?”
“I know, but it’s time to get moving.” He squatted in front of her, handing her a water bottle and energy bar. “You’ve had a rough couple of days. I don’t blame you for dozing.”
“What now?” The dead guy had been covered with his own jacket.
“Well, I’m not sure when the chopper will circle back around for these guys so we should probably get started to the observatory.” Cord picked his too-big hat up from the ground and set it on top of her head.
“You think we can make it there without being seen?”
He shrugged and finished off his bar. “We stay under whatever tree cover we can find and we hope for the best.”
“There are houses on this side of 118, Cord. They’re closer.”
“Do you know which way? Heading directly to a white dome I can see from just about any hill around here is a sure thing, a definite direction. We’d be guessing about anything else. It might take even more time if we guess wrong and have to climb one of the hills between those valleys. Not to mention it’s flatter where the ranch houses are, less cover than in the canyons.”
“I agree.” Whether he was seeking her opinion or not, she agreed. At least he’d explained why he’d made the choice. But he wasn’t smiling. There wasn’t a hint of a smile in his eyes, either.
No matter what happened once they arrived wherever they were going...in the end, Cord McCrea needed to know someone cared and loved him. He couldn’t go through life like this current whitewashed version.
He stood, offered his hand and pulled her to her feet. Pack on his back, carrying the remaining water, energy bars and all the weapons, he led the way around another jut of rocks.
“Want your hat?” she asked.
“You need it worse than me. You’re already burned from the sun you got yesterday.”
She hadn’t been. Not really. But she wasn’t going to argue. She appreciated the shade. The sun was bright in the sky and they had a long walk ahead. “You can see the front coming from the northwest. Think we’ve got time?”
“I don’t think we have a choice.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened with the sniper? Or why you think the men were in the helicopter?” Did she really want to know the answers?
“None of them had survivor gear, just weapons.”
“So the helicopter dropped off two guys to wait on us and just flew away?”
“Three. That’s why I was late.”
Three dead men. He’d fought and killed three men today. Three yesterday.
“Don’t do that, Kathleen.”
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“I know you’re thinking about the men who died. But you can’t think of them as men. They’re drug runners and murderers. Would-be executioners delivering us to Serna.” He faced her. “They’re part of the gang and may have been the actual scum who put a gun to our friends’ heads and pulled the trigger.”
“Stop! I get it.” She threw up her hands, wanting to cover her ears and block the images from her mind.
“No, you don’t.” He grabbed her shoulders, giving her the slightest of shakes. He pulled the pistol from the back of his waist and handed it to her. “Next time, don’t hesitate—pull the damn trigger. Shoot the son of a bitch before he gets close enough for you to see what color his eyes are.”
He didn’t apologize and she didn’t ask him to. Because she’d hesitated, they might have been captured. As much as she worried about him while he was gone, he worried about her. He’d showed her an “I love you” hand. The only word he knew in sign language.
He walked away from her, down the hill in a direct line to the observatory. They might just make it sometime today at this pace. If she could keep up and if Serna’s men didn’t find them. This side of the mountain was less rocky. Better for grazing. Easier to walk. She just wished it was easier to believe they’d actually make it out of this alive.
* * *
DAMN, WET WEATHER. The drugs and weapons had been tediously moved to a second location as soon as the storm had let up. Slower, without the benefit of the ATVs. Both engines had seized. His guess was dirt in the gas. And damn McCrea for figuring out it was the easiest way to completely halt the vehicles.
They’d barely moved the last of the shipment before the DEA had shown up and begun their search. He’d been gone all night and it was time to get back to work preparing for a doozy of a snow front. He cranked the heat up a notch, hoping that the McCreas didn’t have the luxury.
God, he hated them. It didn’t matter what their last names were. They were all from the same cloth. Men who thought they knew more than anyone else. Men who told you to suck it up and let your family sink into a mire. Holier-than-thou men who needed to be brought down several notches so they could be walked on for a while.
Yeah, he hated them.
And pretty damn soon...they’d be hating him.
Chapter Sixteen
“All right. I give in. I don’t want to do this anymore.” Kate stopped near a semiflat boulder and sat.
She’d tried to clarify herself each time they’d rested. As soon as the words “what I meant” got past her lips, he was gone. So she hadn’t been able to explain about the kiss. She’d had no luck getting Cord to listen.
“You need to stop again?”
“Again? I think we’ve walked for a couple of hours since the last rest, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” She understood the silence when they didn’t know if Serna’s men were nearby. She especially understood the need to conserve their energy while they were hiking up and down hills without any solid path under their feet. It took concentration that was becoming more difficult to obtain with each tiring step.
But there hadn’t been a sign of another human since early this morning and Cord still wasn’t answering her. He conveniently couldn’t hear and asked her to repeat herself or he left and just never gave her the chance to finish.
“Actually, it’s only been forty-five minutes,” he said, passing the water to her.
“Right. Where are you going now?” That’s the action she didn’t understand—his running off. He wouldn’t give her the opportunity to discuss anything that had happened.
“I need to look ahead.”
“But you haven’t eaten. You’ve barely had any water. And you aren’t resting. You keep running up hills and coming back when I’m ready to go. You don’t even drop the pack, so your back must feel horrible.”
He pressed his lips together and shrugged. Shrugged and left.
Cord ran up the hill, blending into the lone tree trunk at the top. He stared in every direction for three or four minutes—or at least it felt like three or four minutes to her. Time seemed to be crawling by as they hiked to the observatory. Her protector came back from each of his uphill runs to give them a new landmark to aim for and keep them on track.
The pace he set didn’t bother her. Cord’s abandoning her each time she spoke did. She’d been so hopeful they were actually getting closer to discussing what had happened and why she’d gone through with the divorce. She hadn’t been able to explain where her mind had wandered during the last kiss. As a result, he’d shut completely down. Withdrawn. Spoke to her only when needed.
“Everything looks clear,” he said, hurrying down the hill. “We’re in luck.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. One of those houses you mentioned is just over that rise in the valley. Didn’t see any cars or horses, but we can call for help.”
“It might be one of the observatory people. I don’t think there are any ranches this close to the state park.”
“Doesn’t matter as long as th
ey have a phone. Let’s go.”
He took her hand and brought her to her feet. A gesture that would have brought her straight into his arms before the shooting. She missed the closeness, the love, the dependability. She even missed the dirty dishes and laundry and house cleaning. She held tight to his hand. He tossed a short questioning glance her way but didn’t let go.
The closer they got to the house, the more apparent it became that it had been abandoned for some time. No satellite dish, no wires leading to the house. There was a windmill for an empty cistern, but it wasn’t turning.
“We must be farther away from the road than I thought,” she said as they crossed through an unlocked finished door into a half-finished building. Rock and wooden outside walls, a stone fireplace, a nice wood floor, some electrical wire and nothing else. The drywall sat covered in a far corner with visible dust caked on top of the tarp.
“Looks like someone began building this place and gave up on the idea a while ago.”
“Shoot. That means no phone.”
“No lights,” he returned.
“No motorcar,” she sang.
“Not a single luxury,” they sang together, and laughed at the impromptu Gilligan’s Island theme.
“Oh, that was funny.” She caught her breath. “So I guess you’re the thrifty professor. Can you whip us up a makeshift communication device with that portable radio?”
“And since you’re Mary Ann—”
“Not Ginger?” She tried a movie-star pout, but began laughing again.
Cord grabbed her coat as she removed it and placed a hand on her stomach. “This has more of a Mary Ann feel to me. Besides, you’re an awesome cook. Definitely a Mary Ann.”
He shrugged out of her father’s coat and glanced into the other rooms. All had doorways to the living area, but no doors. She crunched newspapers that were a couple of months old and dropped them in the fireplace.
“Food?” she asked.
