by Kris Bock
She had to stop thinking about crashing.
Erin stole a look at Drew. He definitely made a pleasant distraction. She felt steadier with him by her side. But this ride was only the first step. Erin couldn’t dump her problem in Drew’s lap and expect him to take care of everything. When they got back to Camie, they had to deal with the goons.
How could they rescue Camie? What if they couldn’t even find her? She shook her head. The men wouldn’t take her away. Not until they’d found the treasure cave. Would they hurt her if they thought she knew where it was and wasn’t telling? Erin felt the air backing up in her lungs. What if those men—
She blew out a long breath. She couldn’t think about that now. She remembered a saying, advice she’d heard for mothers with injured children. “Don’t bleed for the patient. Let him do his own bleeding and you do what you have to do.” Erin couldn’t help Camie by worrying. She had to let Camie fight whatever battle she was facing and concentrate on her own part.
She squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to control the whirling thoughts, the worries that pounded her from every side. She had to be strong enough.
“You okay?”
She opened her eyes. Drew was dividing his attention between her and the flight as they skimmed just feet over the desert. Erin nodded. “Just... trying to gather up my energy.” She smiled, not wanting to give him something else to worry about. He needed to concentrate on flying.
Erin leaned forward and looked out at the wet landscape. It looked soggy, with puddles in the low spots, but already the dry desert was soaking up the moisture. In a day or two, wildflowers would burst out, sprinkling the desert with color. Tomorrow things would be different. Erin held onto that thought. It might be beautiful tomorrow. They just had to survive to see it.
The helicopter jerked sideways and shook. Erin gasped and grabbed the edge of her seat. “Just the wind,” Drew said.
Of course. Huge commercial jets sometimes bumped and rocked in the wind. Obviously a helicopter would be more sensitive. They were only 20 feet above the ground. Could a hard gust smash them into the ground? Erin swallowed and reminded herself that she wasn’t going to worry about things she couldn’t control. She studied Drew’s face. He didn’t look worried, so she would try not to be. She would let him do his job. But she almost wished she were back on the horse, where she had a job to do. The waiting was in some ways harder.
“Almost there,” Drew said. “I want to land out of sight. One good thing about the storm, it will make it harder for them to hear us coming.”
Erin had to remind herself to keep breathing. As much as she wanted to be there, she wasn’t ready for the next step. She cleared her throat. “The grove of trees where we left our gear might hide us a little.”
“Good idea.” He ducked his head to glance out the side window up at the sky. “We’re out of the worst of the storm, so we don’t have to worry as much about lightning hitting the trees.”
Oh good, because Erin didn’t have room enough for any more worries. She leaned forward and peered through the gloom. “That’s it, I think.”
Drew angled the helicopter in the direction she pointed. A minute later they were landing in the trees. Erin took deep breaths, trying to fight back the nerves that made her limbs feel numb and threatened to gray her vision. The waiting was over. Now she had a job to do.
Chapter 26
Drew shut down the helicopter, grabbed binoculars, and got out. Erin slid out on her side, holding onto the door until her legs felt steady. She joined Drew in the trees where he was already scanning the horizon with the binoculars.
“Anything?” Her voice sounded odd to her.
Drew didn’t answer. Erin wanted to snatch the binoculars and look for herself, but she knew that wouldn’t speed the process.
Finally he spoke. “There.” He passed her the binoculars. “Along the canyon rim, past that crevice. She looks all right.”
Erin had to see for herself. With Drew’s directions, she quickly spotted three figures in the distance, past the side canyon she’d fled up just hours before. The big man held The Finder and Camie walked close beside him. Erin couldn’t see her face, but at least she was alive and moving. The other man stayed 10 or 15 feet back, holding a sack in one hand, as they walked slowly along the main canyon rim.
“Hopefully they’ll keep heading away from us,” Drew said, “and not look around much. If we can get over to that crevice, we can duck out of sight. I can’t tell how deep it is. I remember flying over it, but I didn’t take a good look. Do you know what it’s like?”
“Yeah, I’ve been in there.” Erin didn’t want to describe her desperate scramble over boulders and past thorny bushes, trying to get away from the goon with the gun. “It’s not an easy path, but we can get through. It will be muddier now, though.”
“We’ll have to play it by ear. Let me get my gear and let’s go.”
He retrieved a bag from the helicopter and they started jogging across the desert. The mud sucked at their boots and several times Erin skidded in the slick muck. At least the rain had stopped—she even saw patches of blue sky overhead.
A couple of times Drew told her to duck, and they crouched. They didn’t have much cover, but in their drab clothes, hopefully the bad guys wouldn’t notice them. They reached the side canyon in about 10 minutes. Drew glanced down the slope. “Too steep here. We’ll have to go in from the end.”
Erin followed him, nervously watching the trio just a few hundred feet away. At any moment they could turn and see Erin and Drew. They neared the shallow end of the side canyon. Soon they’d be able to get down into it. Erin checked on the men again. They had stopped. Was Camie in trouble?
From the corner of her eye, Erin noticed Drew dart to the left. She looked forward at a huge patch of prickly pear cactus right at her feet. She veered left to go around it, her boots skidding in the mud from her quick change of direction.
Her foot caught on a thick mat of grass, and she went down on one knee with a startled gasp. Drew spun and crouched in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. “Are you all right?”
She nodded but couldn’t speak. She’d bruised the same knee earlier and the pain pulsed in nauseating waves.
“Head down,” Drew whispered.
Erin ducked farther and peered through the two-foot-high screen of prickly pear pads. The group had turned and started back toward them.
“Damn,” Drew muttered. “I don’t think they’ll spot us here, but we have to get down in that canyon. Be ready to move as soon as anything distracts them.”
Erin nodded and slowly got her feet back underneath her. She watched Camie, wishing she could see her better. She almost asked for the binoculars, but then remembered the risk of light flashing on the lenses. At least Camie held her head high. They hadn’t broken her spirit.
“What does he have in that bag?” Drew whispered. “I swear it’s moving.”
Erin frowned. Without paying much attention, she’d assumed he was carrying gear or maybe a bag to collect treasure. Now she looked closer. The bag was the size of a small backpack, the sides rounded out, and as they drew nearer, Erin was sure she saw it squirm. She almost laughed out loud. “Tiger!”
Drew stared at her. “I’d forgotten about him.”
“That big guy knocked him against the cliff. I thought he might be dead.” Tears threatened. “I suppose they’re keeping him as collateral so Camie behaves.”
“I’m just glad you weren’t the collateral. Wait—something’s happening.” The big man had stopped and was looking down at The Finder. Camie turned toward it, and the other man came around the opposite side from her, keeping his distance but turned toward The Finder as well.
“Let’s go!” Drew darted around one side of the cactus patch and Erin circled the other. She tried to keep her attention on the ground beneath her rather than on the trio ahead. She quickly crossed the few feet to the canyon edge and slithered down the slope. When she got down far enough that they w
ouldn’t see her over the far rim, she looked at Drew a few feet away. Had they done it? They’d been in clear sight, but only for a few seconds.
Drew motioned her farther down. They moved slowly, concerned now about making noise or slipping in the sticky mud. The side canyon was shallow here, only 15 feet deep and maybe 20 feet across. They paused at the bottom. Drew leaned close and his breath fluttered at Erin’s ear. “They’re near the main canyon rim. Let’s head down this arroyo toward where it joins the canyon. If we get close enough, we should be able to hear them.”
They picked their way over boulders and past scratchy bushes in the reverse of Erin’s earlier panicked flight. The trail was worse than before, with tangles of twigs, leaves, and mud clogging the path—another sign of the storm. At least down was easier than up, and they weren’t running. But mud soon caked Erin’s camo pants to the knees and clogged the top of her waterproof boots, working into the thick socks. The damp chill soaked her skin.
Drew turned toward her and waited until she came close enough to hear his whisper. “Let’s get behind that tree for cover, in case they look down here.”
A crooked, tough-looking tree angled out of the side of the canyon wall, halfway from the top. It wasn’t large, but if they got bellow it, it would help block them from the view of anyone looking over the canyon edge. She nodded and moved toward it.
They tucked themselves beneath the tree and waited. Erin braced one foot against a boulder and hooked her arm over a low tree branch for balance, trying to ignore the mud now seeping through the seat of her pants. She strained to hear any sound from the plateau above and tried not to think about what would happen next.
“It’s below us now.” Camie’s voice came clearly.
“You sure? I don’t see how those dials tell you anything.”
“Do I need to explain this thing again?” Erin could picture the look on Camie’s face, the one that sent careless students into babbling fits of apology.
The man mumbled something she couldn’t hear and then said more loudly, “All right, let’s get down into the canyon and look for an entrance. You’d better be right about this.”
Drew and Erin exchanged worried looks. What if they decided the side canyon would be the easiest way down?
“We can get down right here.” Camie’s voice sounded a little farther away now. “It’s not too steep.”
Drew motioned Erin down the side canyon. They scrambled the last few feet, trying to compromise between speed and silence. When they reached the opening to the main canyon, Drew put a hand on Erin’s arm. “Would she be telling the truth about that? Would she lead them to the treasure?”
Erin frowned. It didn’t seem likely. Not yet, anyway—not so long as she had a hope of escaping or being rescued. Had she given up in the hours when Erin had been gone?
She shook her head. Not Camie. She tried to think how Camie would. She’d trick the men if she could. But how? Why had she said the cave entrance was here? Erin closed her eyes and tried to picture the canyon.
Her eyes popped open and she stared at Drew. “The snakes! They must be right over the nest of rattlers.”
Drew put his hand on his thigh and leaned forward, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. He straightened and Erin grinned back at him. “I do like that woman,” he whispered. He pulled off his backpack and dug into it. “You get Camie out of the way and leave those thugs to me.”
From the cliff above, Erin heard a man say, “You first. Don’t try anything funny. I have a gun and I have your cat.”
Drew handed Erin a cylinder about four inches long. “This is a smoke bomb I borrowed from the anti-terrorist training gear. Pull the pin and toss it. It will cause a cloud of smoke to cover your escape.”
Erin nodded. She wasn’t about to leave Drew behind to face two men, at least one of whom had a gun, but she didn’t waste time arguing. She’d have to see what happened and do what she could. She tried not to think about consequences, tried to ignore the frantic worries scrabbling through her brain and focus on the task at hand. They had to rescue Camie, whatever it took.
They heard scuffling and the smack of falling rocks. Drew eased around the corner. Erin stayed behind him, looking over his shoulder. Camie was skidding down the slope. The smaller man started down behind her. He’d had to tuck his gun in the back of his pants to keep one hand free. The bag dangled from his other hand, dragging along the rock. Tiger gave an angry yowl.
Five feet from the bottom, Camie leaped out, landed in a crouch in a patch of sand, and went straight into a forward shoulder roll. She rose with wet sand sticking to her back.
“Hey!” The small man scrambled after her while the big man started down from the top.
The first man slid to the base of the cliff. “Get over—” He took a step and froze. Erin could hear the angry rattles just behind him.
Camie ran past him and snatched the bag from his hand.
The big man kept sliding down the slope. He grunted, windmilled his arms, and picked up speed. He crashed into the smaller man and they both sprawled in the mud, the big man on top.
Camie kept running. Erin stepped into her path. Camie gasped, skidded to a halt, and threw her arms around Erin. They hugged, Tiger muttering complaints as the bag bounced against their sides. Erin blinked away tears of relief and watched over Camie’s shoulder as Drew ran toward the two men. The big one stood up, shaking his head and swaying. Drew tackled him and they crashed to the ground.
The smaller man scooted back on his butt, his attention still on the snakes. But for how long? Once he got out of their reach, he’d focus on Drew.
Erin pulled away from Camie and ran toward them. She yanked the pin from the smoke bomb and tossed it between the two goons to give Drew cover from the one with the gun.
The closest man looked her way. He fumbled for the gun.
Erin didn’t think she could stop, turn, and run away in time. As the gun came up, she veered to the side, circling behind the man so he’d have to turn to aim at her. Maybe she could get behind the smokescreen before he could ready his shot.
She glanced back as she passed him. He twisted toward her, still seated. With his fury directed toward Erin, he didn’t see Camie running at him. As he raised the gun, she kicked. Her foot smacked his wrist, and the gun sailed into the air.
Erin instinctively raised her hands to ward off the flying object. The gun landed in her hands.
She screamed and dropped it. Smoke billowed over her and stung her eyes. She stumbled out of the cloud, coughing.
Camie had the man face down and was kneeling on his back. She opened the bag and deposited Tiger on the man’s head. Tiger hissed and arched his back while the man screamed.
The big thug stumbled out of the smoke. Erin jerked back before she saw Drew come out behind, with his hand on the man’s neck. Erin’s knees went weak. She swayed, limp with relief.
Camie grinned at Erin and Drew. “Nice of you to drop by.”
Chapter 27
Erin blinked back tears. She wanted to hug Camie, hug Drew, hug everyone—well, not the bad guys.
“We didn’t want to miss the party,” Drew said. He pushed the big man to his knees and stood behind him. “Where did that gun go?”
“Oh! It landed over here.” Erin held her breath, squinted, and edged over to the gun through the smoke already dissipating in the breeze. She carefully picked up the gun by the base of the handle and held it straight out from her body, pointed to the ground, as she carried it to Drew.
He took the gun and stepped out of reach from the big man to check it. “Guess you’re not used to these.”
Erin shook her head. She’d never held a gun before in her life, and just touching the cold metal made her feel a little queasy. That had actually been fired at her! She shivered.
“It’s pretty straightforward. Look, here’s the safety. You take it off like this, aim, and squeeze the trigger. Keep both arms straight for stability and sight down the barrel.” He demonstrate
d the proper stance, aiming away from the group. “Never point a gun at anyone, even if you think it’s unloaded or the safety is on, unless you’re actually planning to shoot.”
“I think I’d rather just never point a gun.”
Drew shrugged. “It’s useful to know how. But I take it you don’t want to carry the gun.”
Erin shook her head. “You or Camie could handle it better. Besides, with my finger in a splint, I’d be awkward.” She felt glad to have the excuse.
“All right. Then stay away from these guys. I want a clear shot if they try to run away.” Drew looked oddly natural with the gun in his hand. Erin wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Safer, or nervous? Of course Drew had grown up on a ranch and been in the military, so he would know guns. But would he really shoot those men? It was probably a bluff. Right?
No, if he had to, he would shoot. If that’s what it took to keep them safe. Intellectually, Erin knew it was the right thing to do, but still a wave of lightheadedness washed over her as she imagined bullets tearing through flesh.
Erin shook her head to dismiss the sickening image. “What now?”
“We take them back to town,” Drew said. “To the police. It will be a tight squeeze in the chopper, but I think we can manage.”
“I don’t know about that.” Camie was binding the smaller man’s hands with his own belt. She had his legs spread and one of her knees pressed between them. The guy moaned and squirmed, the side of his face pressed into the mud. Camie muttered, “Shut up,” and ground her knee into his groin. “Erin, come stand on this guy’s head.”
Erin stared, swallowed, and went to stand with one foot resting lightly on the back of the man’s neck.
Camie hopped up and turned to face the big man, who was still kneeling, blinking at them all as if he hadn’t figured out yet what had gone wrong. Camie bent forward and stared into his face from a foot away. “My uncle was Special Forces. He started showing me how to defend myself when I was nine years old. When I was thirteen, he taught me how to remove a man’s testicles with a ballpoint pen.”
