Framed for Murder

by Mary Alford

  Liz dropped her personal cell phone on the kitchen table. If she took it with her, they’d be able to trace her movements. Instead, she grabbed the burner phone and her regulation gun along with the envelope and backpack and headed out the back door.

  Leaving headquarters presented another set of problems. She wouldn’t get far in Aaron’s vehicle. They’d be watching for it. She had one other option.

  Don Warren, the ranch’s caretaker, kept a work truck close by in one of the old barns. He let every team member use it whenever they needed. If she could reach the barn, it would at least buy her some time, but after that she’d need to find another means of transportation. As soon as the team discovered she’d taken the truck, they’d be on the lookout for it.

  She recalled Michael kept an old Jeep stored on the property he leased for hunting, which was adjacent to Aaron’s ranch. She’d been to the place once, but had no idea if the Jeep’s plates were even current or if it was in working order, but if she could make it there, she’d have a fighting chance of blending in with her surroundings. Jeeps were commonplace here in the mountains.

  Liz cracked the back door and listened. Nothing but silence. It wouldn’t last. Aaron would be coming for her soon.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered for him and then slipped out into the cover of night.

  The evening was filled with thousands of stars. It was one of the things she loved about the wide-open ranch. Not a city light could be seen for miles.

  Liz rushed to the storage barn that held Warren’s old truck. The keys hung in the ignition still. Don kept his passkey secured underneath the driver’s seat. Liz fired the tired old vehicle up and eased toward the back entrance of the compound knowing full well the noise would carry. Hopefully, no one was around to hear it. When she reached the gate, she swiped the key and the gate slowly opened.

  “Come on, come on,” she whispered with urgency while keeping a careful eye behind her.

  The gate finally opened enough to allow the truck to pass through. Once she’d cleared it, she floored the gas pedal.

  It was a good ten-minute drive to Michael’s hunting cabin under the best of conditions. Running for her freedom and constantly checking the rearview mirror expecting trouble made those ten minutes feel like a lifetime.

  Once she reached Michael’s property, a single strand of barbed wire was all that kept curious onlookers away. Liz flipped the truck lights on bright and got out. A sense of being watched made her reach for the night vision binoculars she’d shoved in her bag last-minute. She scanned the surrounding area expecting someone to have followed her. She felt hunted and she had no idea who was coming after her. But nothing beyond a few animals searching for food stirred the quiet of the early morning.

  Discovering her backup weapon was missing felt like the final nail had been driven into her coffin. She had no doubt the Glock would turn up eventually and be matched to Michael’s murder weapon and then Aaron wouldn’t have a choice. He’d have to take her into custody and she couldn’t allow that to happen. If she did, she wouldn’t leave prison alive.

  With her freedom slipping away, there was only one option left. Run.

  Liz undid the makeshift gate leading to Michael’s cabin. The grown-up path that served as a road didn’t appear to have seen any traffic in a long time. Still, if she wanted to stay under the radar, she’d have to find a place to hide Don’s truck.

  Once she’d cleared her name and the real killer was in custody, she’d let Don know where she’d left the truck.

  Liz relocked the gate and eased down the path. Overgrown weeds slapped at the truck’s undercarriage. After a series of double-back bends, the headlights found Michael’s one-room cabin. Tucked in close to the side of the place, his primer gray–colored Jeep was parked under a ponderosa pine.

  Nothing about the cabin or the wreck of a Jeep was encouraging. What if the battery had drained due to the cold weather and lack of use? She didn’t even know if it was in working order.

  As hard as she tried to shut out her worries, she couldn’t. She had no idea who was trying to set her up. What if the text message was sent to throw her off and get her out in the open and unprotected? The real killer could be waiting inside the cabin right now.

  Liz closed her eyes and prayed fervently, then let God have her worries. She’d need a level head to make it through this thing alive. She couldn’t afford to fall apart now.

  She parked the truck some distance from the cabin in the shelter of a grove of aspens and peered out the window at the desolate surroundings. A shiver sped up her spine.

  Michael told her once that he’d grown up hunting and fishing in Montana. He spoke fondly of his father who had passed away when he was a teen. Yet whenever she’d asked more about his family or his past, his answers were vague. She sensed that his childhood might have been troubled, so she’d let it go. Now she wished she’d been more persistent.

  The envelope she’d found at his place called out to her from the passenger seat.

  As much as she trusted Aaron with her life, she had to know what was in that envelope before she told him about it. What if something in there implicated her?

  Desperate for answers, she ripped it open. A key fell out onto her hand. She turned it over. It appeared to be a house key, but what did it fit? Michael’s hunting cabin didn’t have a lock. He said he kept it secure by propping a chair in front of the door.

  More confused than ever, she pulled out the single piece of paper left inside. It contained a rudimentary map and directions to a remote cabin near Black Bear, Alaska, where Michael went salmon fishing. But it was what was scribbled in the note beneath the map that was most alarming. From the handwriting she could tell Michael had written it in a hurry.

  Liz, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. If you’re reading this note, then I’m probably dead and you could be next...

  Please forgive me. Tears filled her eyes. What had Michael done?

  Go to the cabin in Black Bear. Everything will be explained when you get there. Call Rick Evans. He’s a friend and he can fly you to Black Bear. You can trust him. Rick operates out of a private airstrip near Talkeetna, Alaska. Once you reach Black Bear, talk to a woman by the name of Jessie Chena who can get you to the cabin. I’ve hidden a fireproof box filled with evidence at the cabin. Get there and make sure you don’t tell anyone from the team where you’re going.

  Both Jessie and Rick’s phone numbers were written at the bottom of the note.

  Don’t tell anyone from the team where you’re going.

  Why hadn’t Michael trusted his own team?

  Under the best of conditions, Talkeetna, Alaska, was a fifty-six-hour drive from Colorado. Running for her life in a vehicle that was questionable at best, she’d be forced to take as many back roads as possible, which meant the drive would take even longer. Flying was out of the question. She wouldn’t make it through the first security check.

  With her heart in her throat, she eased from the truck. She hadn’t felt this alone since learning Eric had been killed while on that final mission for the CIA. The days following his death had been filled with crippling grief and long, lonely nights. The pain almost physical.

  Now, every little noise had her jumping, expecting the enemy. Aaron. The team she’d vowed to protect had now become her enemy and it was a bitter pill to swallow.

  She’d covered only a handful of steps when a noise behind her grabbed her full attention. It sounded like...a footstep on the creaky porch. Someone was here.

  Liz whirled with her weapon drawn. “Who’s there?” Her breathless voice chilled in the early morning cold.

  “Drop the weapon, Liz...” Aaron’s normally smooth-as-caramel Southern drawl held a steely edge to it she’d never heard before. He’d found her. Anticipated her next move.

  He stepped closer, the look in his eyes ma
tching his tone. Just for a second she lost what little bit of hope she still clung to. Did he think she was capable of killing Michael?

  “Aaron, you scared me.” Her voice shook slightly, her nerves wrecked.

  “You need to come with me, Liz,” he said quietly with regret on his face.

  She swallowed back the betrayal she felt at those words. She wouldn’t blame Aaron. He was just doing the job he’d been tasked to do.

  “I—I can’t do that. I didn’t kill Michael, but someone wants you to think that I did.”

  His face twisted with gut-wrenching pain. “I know you didn’t kill him, but running makes you look guilty. Come with me. I promise we’ll figure it out together. You’ll be treated fairly.”

  She stepped to within inches of him and shook her head sadly. “If you want me to come with you, you’ll have to shoot me.” She was close enough to witness the battle raging in him as they faced each other in a silent standoff.

  “Liz... Don’t throw your life away like this.”

  Aaron’s cell phone rang and her already-battered nerves had her jumping at the sound.

  He didn’t break eye contact as he answered the call. “Yes, Jase.” Would he give her up? Please, God, no. She had to find a way to convince him to let her go. “Not yet. I’m working a lead now. I’ll let you know the minute I have her.”

  She blew out the breath and leaned over, hands on her knees. He hadn’t told Jase. She couldn’t imagine how hard that was for Aaron. Jase had been his friend for years.

  “I’m sorry, Aaron,” she said once he’d ended the call. And she truly was. This wasn’t the way she wanted things to go. She turned and headed for the Jeep while silently praying she knew him as well as she thought.

  “Liz, stop.” With her heart pounding in her ears, she reached for the door handle and then heard it. Click, click, click.

  “Run,” she yelled, turning from the Jeep. Aaron grabbed her around the waist and all but hauled her away. They’d barely cleared a handful of steps when the Jeep exploded and fire and shrapnel blasted past them like a tidal wave sweeping them in its wake.

  Liz hit the ground hard. Landing on her injured wrist, she screamed in agony as searing pain shot through her and she almost blacked out. Seconds later, the cabin nearby exploded and reality struck hard.

  Someone had planted a bomb inside the Jeep to be detonated when the door was breeched. The only question was, who was the intended target? Michael or her?

  Aaron slowly moved to his knees beside her. He was bleeding from his forehead and his cheek. There were cuts in several spots on his hands.

  “Are you okay?” she asked in concern, immediately forgetting her own pain. She couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Aaron because of his loyalty to her.

  “I’m fine,” he dismissed her worry. “How bad is it?” he asked gravely when he saw the way she cradled her injured wrist.

  “Not too bad,” she lied. She sucked in a sharp breath and closed her eyes as bile rose in her throat and she fought to keep the world around her from spinning out of control.

  He clearly wasn’t convinced. “Liz, you need to come in with me and have that looked at. We can’t stay here. Either that bomb was intended for Michael or someone knew you’d come here and they wanted to eliminate the threat you posed. They don’t need you alive to frame you, Liz,” he added in a quiet tone. “Let me protect you.”

  She stumbled to her feet. Cradling her injured wrist close, she put much-needed space between them. “You can’t protect me.” She swept the devastation with her good hand. “Isn’t this obvious? You can’t keep me safe. Let me go,” she urged passionately. “Please. I’m better off on my own.”

  He came after her and she backed away, every step taunting her with the realization that alone, she wasn’t sure she was up to what lay ahead.

  “I won’t let them do to you what they did to Michael,” he said and she believed he would do everything in his power to fulfill that promise, but at what cost to him?

  “Then help me,” she pleaded. “I can’t stay here any longer. If nothing else, the team will have seen the explosion. It’s less than five miles to headquarters. They’ll come here to investigate. It’ll be over for me.”

  Liz could see him wavering and she realized how much she needed his help. She quickly told him about the mysterious text message she’d received minutes before she’d found Michael and about the information in the envelope Michael left her. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him about her missing weapon just yet.

  Aaron shook his head. “It’s compelling, but it’s not enough to prove you didn’t kill Michael. According to Reyna’s time of death, Sam was killed first and you were the last person to see Michael alive.” The doubt on his face was hard to take.

  “Then help me find out who’s behind this,” she forced the words out. When he didn’t answer, she went for broke. “Aaron, you know me. You know I wouldn’t do this. I loved Michael like family and no matter what Sam did, I wouldn’t take the law into my own hands. It goes against everything I believe.” Her voice stumbled for a second.

  “Please, I just need time to get to Black Bear and find the evidence Michael left there. That’s all I’m asking.” She needed Aaron on her side. “Aaron, please. Help me prove my innocence.”

  Something in the distance dragged her attention from the man standing close to her. She turned in time to see multiple car lights bouncing along the gravel road nearby. Michael’s property was the last place on a dead-end road. No one would deliberately come this way without good reason.

  * * *

  Aaron whirled as the approaching vehicles shot through the entrance without regard for the makeshift gate. Right away he knew this was not his people, which left only one explanation. It must be whoever set the explosion.

  “We have to get out of here now. Come with me—I have a snowmobile parked just over that ridge.” The relief on her face was worth any amount of difficulty he knew they’d face in the future.

  Before she could answer, the vehicles opened fire on them.

  They ducked low behind a group of trees. “I’ll cover you. Get the envelope and head for that ridge over there. I’ll catch up with you.”

  She shook her head stubbornly. “No, I’m not leaving you, Aaron.”

  “Now, Liz. I’ve got this.”

  With one final look his way, she crouched low and hurried for the truck while Aaron shot at the approaching vehicles, forcing them to stop. Several men got out and returned fire.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron saw Liz tuck Michael’s note with the map to the cabin inside her boot. He’d seen her do that many times in combat. Usually, the enemy didn’t think to look inside a person’s boot.

  Once he was sure Liz was safe, he ducked deep into the woods and zigzagged up to the ridge until he caught up with her. “They’ll hear the engine noise, but I know this land like the back of my hand. I’ve lived here for years.” He hopped on the machine and she got on behind him. “Hang on tight. It’s pretty rough back here.”

  Aaron shoved the machine into high gear and took off at a fast speed through the wilderness without any lights. At least the men following them would have to work to find the direction he and Liz had gone.

  As they bounced over the rough terrain, he struggled with what to do. He knew Liz hadn’t killed Michael—or Sam for that matter—but it appeared someone was trying to set her up to take the fall. If he took her into custody, would he be signing her death certificate? Whoever was behind the murders had proven they could get to whomever they wanted at any time. He couldn’t let that happen to Liz. With his head screaming what he needed to do, his heart wouldn’t let him. Right or wrong, he wasn’t going to let her down.

  “I can’t keep Jase in the dark for the four days’ time it will take to reach Black Bear. Too many things can go
wrong in between and we risk the chance of being caught by those men or our people. We’ll need a faster way to get there. If we can reach my place, I have a plane I bought and restored a few years back. I keep it at the small airstrip I built on my property.”

  Truth be told, owning his own plane had been a dream of his for years. Even as a child in Texas, he’d loved the idea of flying. As a teen he’d taken lessons. And when his family moved to Colorado, he’d continued to hone his skills. Then he’d used his flying experience to excel in the military. After he’d left the military, Aaron had become a trainer for special ops. His expertise in flying along with his training skills were some of the reasons why Jase Bradford had initially recruited him for the Scorpions.

  Since joining the team, he’d flown just about everything imaginable in all sorts of dangerous situations.

  “We can refuel in Talkeetna and then go on to Black Bear once we’ve spoken to this Rick Evans Michael mentioned in his note.” She squeezed his shoulder and her gratitude was worth every risk he knew they’d have to take.

  The snowmobile bounced over the snowy landscape strewn with remnants from a recent forest fire. It took all his skills to keep from burying it multiple times while he continuously checked behind them.

  The explosion had left him jumpy. So far, they weren’t being followed, which he didn’t like at all. The men would have reached the destroyed cabin by now. They had to hear the noise of the snowmobile and the direction it was heading. These people were smart. Why weren’t they sending people after them?

  His hands clutched the handlebars in a tight grip. It seemed like forever before the lights appeared from his makeshift airstrip. He’d smoothed the area out himself. Under normal conditions, there would be no problem taking off or landing, but these weren’t normal weather conditions. It had been snowing for a while. Clouds blanketed the mountains from view, and it was still dark out. He dismounted the snowmobile and headed for the hangar. With just the two of them, would he be able to protect her? He didn’t dare call in backup; Liz would never make it to Black Bear and her chances of staying free would vanish.