by Mary Alford
A sob escaped her and she covered her mouth with her trembling hand.
“I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel this way again,” he continued, “but I’m so glad that I do. And I know how you cared for Eric, and I know you may need time. That’s okay.” He smiled down at her. “I just want you to know I’m ready when you are, and I’m not going anywhere.”
He drew her into his arms and held her close, just happy to embrace her for the moment.
“I care about you too, Aaron, but you’re right. I need more time.”
The words were not what he wanted to hear and they tore at his heart. But he’d be patient. She pulled away and looked deep into his eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said in earnest.
He shook his head. “Don’t be. I want you to be sure.”
She nodded and moved to the window. After a moment, she said, “It looks like the storm is letting up.”
He came and stood beside her. Only darkness and their own images appeared in the window.
“I’m going to text Jase again. See how far out they are.” He sent the message and waited for a response that didn’t come.
“Anything?” she asked and he shook his head.
Through the window’s reflection, their eyes met. “Where is Davis anyway? It’s been hours. It’ll be daylight soon. Do you think he’s left? We need that evidence. Without it we have nothing.”
He’d thought the same thing. “Wherever he is, our best chance at survival is to stay put. We can’t afford to go tramping around in the dark. Davis knows the area. We don’t. I can’t imagine where he might have hidden the evidence. And more importantly, why would he take it? It would be of no use to him...unless he planned to use the evidence to blackmail Kalel Safar.”
She turned to face him. “Or worse. Aaron, maybe he’s planning to kill Safar because he took Michael’s life.”
He tried not to show his reaction. “Hey,” he said and tugged her closer. “These are all just assumptions. Davis may not even know about the evidence or Michael’s death. We’ll figure out what’s going on here. One way or another, Jase is on the way and he could be here soon. With everything that’s happened, no one’s going to believe you’re involved in this, Liz. It’s almost over.”
She closed her eyes and leaned into him while he prayed with all his heart that he hadn’t just lied to her.
* * *
Fragmented theories swam in her head. One thing didn’t make sense. If Davis was the enemy, then why hadn’t he removed the photo connecting him to Michael?
She shivered uneasily. The snow had started back up again. It felt as if they’d been waiting for years.
Aaron came over to where she sat close to the fire and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Do you think Jase got the text?” she asked and tried to keep her misgivings out of her tone.
“It doesn’t matter. Regardless of whether he got the text, we know they’re on their way. It’s only a matter of time before they reach us.”
Liz tried to hold on to that hope, but she had a bad feeling that time was running out for them. She smiled up at him. “Thank you, Aaron. I know you still have your doubts and I can’t blame you. If the situation were reserved, I’d probably do the same.”
He knelt next to her and she saw his love for her shining in his eyes. “We’ll find the truth. I believe we’re close.”
She wanted to believe him. She didn’t.
“Liz,” he said in a broken tone before he gathered her close.
She needed to stay strong. “You’re right. We’ll figure it out. This is almost over.” She wished more than anything that she believed her own words.
Liz barely got the words out when she heard it. The noise of multiple choppers moving in.
“That has to be Jase,” Aaron said and rushed to the window. Two spotlights searched the ground close to the cabin looking for a landing spot.
Liz raced to his side and squinted through the lights trying to spot proof positive that it was their commander and not the enemy.
Before the choppers landed, the back door flew open and she and Aaron turned, startled, and watched as Davis raced inside and slammed the door closed.
“They’ve found us,” he said, out of breath.
Shocked, Liz couldn’t believe what he’d said. “No, those are our people.”
Davis shook his head. “You’re wrong. Get away from the window.”
Liz looked at Aaron with hopelessness churning in her stomach. He quickly opened the door and gazed up at the lights. A barrage of bullets riddled the ground and he rushed inside.
“He’s right. They’re not ours,” he said in a tight voice.
There was no time to ask where Davis had been for so long. They needed all the help they could get if they stood a chance of surviving the attack.
“I saw them when I was heading back this way. They weren’t coming from town but from an area south of here.”
Aaron pointed the weapon at Davis’s head. “Why didn’t you tell us you were Michael Harris’s brother?”
“Are you crazy, man? We’re about to be attacked because of something you two did and you’re questioning me?”
“That’s not an answer. If I’m about to die here tonight, I’d like to know who you’re really working for.”
“Aaron,” Liz exclaimed and he glanced her way.
“I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure I could trust you,” Davis murmured quietly and Aaron slowly lowered his rifle.
Liz could see it wasn’t so easy for him to let go of his misgivings.
“This is not the time,” he said in a dead serious tone before he stepped closer to Davis. “But I’m warning you, if you’re not on the up-and-up, you’ll regret the day you met me.”
The two men’s animosity permeated the space between them.
Davis slowly nodded. “Fair enough.”
Aaron grabbed the sat phone and tried Jase’s cell. She could tell from his expression that the call never made it through.
He shook his head. “We’re on our own.” He took her uninjured hand and looked deep into her eyes and she saw it. Aaron would be there for her, no matter how their story ended.
SIXTEEN
“Stay behind me,” Aaron told Liz. “If things go bad, get out of here.” He was going to do everything in his power to protect her, even if it cost him his life.
She immediately shook her head. He knew she wouldn’t leave him behind.
“No, Aaron. We’ve come this far together. If we don’t make it out, we’ll die together. I’m not leaving you.”
He drew in a sharp breath. The look in her eyes was heartbreaking because it held so much promise.
Aaron pulled in a breath. “Then let’s take care of these guys once and for all, prove your innocence and find out why this shipment of weapons was so important.”
He just got the words out when a round of bullets pierced the side of the cabin taking out windows and putting bullet-sized holes in the door and walls.
All three of them hit the floor. Aaron covered Liz’s body with his. He could feel the wind from the shots close to his head and he prayed with all his heart for their safety. It felt like an eternity before silence followed.
“They’re protecting themselves while they land,” he whispered close to her ear. “They’ll storm the place when they’re on the ground. We have to be prepared.” He didn’t want to say it, but he believed she understood. Without intervention, their chances of surviving were slim.
* * *
She hugged Aaron tightly, not wanting to let him go. This might be the last time they were able to share their feelings and there was so much she wanted to say.
“I...love you,” she whispered with tears falling from her eyes. “When you said it earlier I was shocked and scared an
d I’m so sorry for that. But I want you to know, I love you.”
He touched her cheek. “Don’t be sorry. I love you, too, Liz.”
Her heart soared with happiness. If they didn’t make it out, they’d die knowing they loved each other. If they survived, she’d fight with everything she had inside her to prove her innocence so that she and Aaron could have a future together.
“They’re almost on the ground,” Davis shouted over his shoulder.
Aaron scrambled to the nearest window and opened fire while Liz did the same.
The first chopper landed under heavy gunfire, followed shortly by the second. Both pilots quickly shone their spotlights directly at the cabin, making it impossible to see anything.
“We’re at a disadvantage,” Liz said and fired at first one spotlight and then the other. As a sharpshooter, she made easy work out of taking out both the lights, evening the playing field for the moment.
They continued to fire on the men exiting the two choppers, taking out several in the process.
A bullet whizzed past her head and struck Davis’s arm. He yelped in pain and dropped his weapon.
Liz hurried to his side. He held his upper arm. Blood had begun to soak through his shirt and onto his jacket.
“How bad is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said before more shots were fired.
She whirled and fired, but there were too many. Half a dozen men advanced through the busted window. Just as many by way of the front door.
“Drop your weapons if you want to live,” one of the men ordered.
Liz glanced at Aaron and he slowly nodded. They were outnumbered. They’d done their best to stand off the men but it was an impossible situation.
She slowly dropped her weapon on the floor and Aaron did the same. More men stormed the cabin.
“Keep your hands were we can see them,” the man ordered again and motioned to several of his underlings who took their weapons from them. They were now at their attackers’ mercy.
With their weapons secured, the men stood on guard as if waiting for someone. A few minutes later, another piece of the puzzle fell into place. A tall man dressed in heavy camo stepped into the room. And there was no mistaking his identity. She’d seen him in the photo. This was Kalel Safar, Alhasan’s brother.
Kalel stopped in the middle of the cabin and looked around in distaste. “I thought I’d seen the last of this place,” he said smugly then stopped in front of Liz. “And you...” He shook his head. “Enough games. You will tell me where my weapons are and you will do it now.” Her blood ran cold.
When she couldn’t speak, Kalel motioned to one of the men standing close to her and he yanked her to her feet, clasping her arm in a vice grip.
Pain shot from her injured wrist. Kalel smiled with pleasure. “You know that Sam was supposed to deliver them earlier and he missed our delivery date. He always was a loose cannon. Your partner was supposed to keep him in line, but he failed.”
Before she’d been convinced Michael was working for Sam. Now, with the brothers’ connection to Michael undeniable, she knew he’d been working for Kalel. Did Michael help Sam move the weapons and double-cross Kalel or was there something else going on?
“Now, let’s try this again. Where did you hide my weapons?” Although he smiled, there was nothing humorous about the question. Kalel’s fury simmered just below the surface.
“I don’t know where the weapons are. Michael didn’t tell me anything.”
Kalel shook his head. “You disappoint me. It’s your choice. If you want to help me and live, or if you want cling to your innocence and die along with your friends.”
Terror filled her and she fought to free her arm from her captor, but it was useless. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”
“Too bad,” he said without emotion. “But one of you will talk. That person will live.” He headed for the door. “Wait.” Liz stopped him. She couldn’t let him get away.
Kalel turned back to her, furious. “What?” he barked.
Liz shivered and nodded to Davis who held his arm. “He needs medical attention right away.”
Kalel cast a disinterested look in Davis’s way and then suddenly he appeared to recognize him. “Ah, the brother.” He smirked. “You don’t remember me since you’d already left the area by the time Alhasan and I immigrated to the US.”
Davis focused on Kalel. He appeared to recognize the man at last.
“So, you remember. Your father’s funeral. My brother and I were there. Along with Sam.” Davis nodded. “Your brother was weak. I should have never trusted him to insure the delivery.” He stepped closer.
“I enjoyed killing Michael myself.” Kalel smiled with satisfaction and Liz saw the pain on Davis’s face.
Davis charged for Kalel, but one of Kalel’s men struck him with the butt of his weapon and immediately Davis dropped to the floor unconscious.
Kalel didn’t blink an eye at the brutality. “It’s light enough outside to begin the search. Michael must have hidden the weapons around here somewhere. I remember there’s a cave on the side of the mountain. We’ll start there.” He pointed to four men. “Stay with them. If they try anything, kill them. The rest of you come with me. We have to hurry. No doubt they’ve called in backup.”
The man holding Liz’s arm released her and gave her a shove before he left with Kalel. She stumbled and dropped to the floor close to Davis.
The four remaining men eyed them with contempt.
Aaron eased closer to where she knelt next to the unconscious Davis.
“That’s close enough,” one of their guards snapped. “Don’t try anything foolish. You heard the boss. It will be our pleasure to kill any of you.”
Davis slowly regained consciousness and tried to sit up. “Don’t move,” she urged. He’d lost a lot of blood. “He needs help. He’ll die without it,” Liz told one of the men standing guard.
The man clearly was disinterested. “He’s going to be dead soon enough.”
She flinched at the callousness. “At least let me slow the bleeding,” she pleaded.
“Do what you like, just don’t try anything.”
“I’m going to ease your jacket off,” she told Davis.
He managed a nod. “Okay, but be careful. It hurts all the way to my back.”
She stared at him for a second and then realized he was sending her a message. She felt around. He’d tucked a Glock behind his back.
“I will. I need Aaron to help me,” she told her captor. “I can’t get the jacket off without his help.”
The man didn’t respond and she took his silence for consent. Aaron crept to the right of Davis.
“We have to be careful. The pain is bad.” She waited until the men watching them began talking amongst themselves. Her gaze cut to the Glock and Aaron saw it.
“You take this side,” he indicated the one closest to the weapon.
“Sorry, this is going to hurt,” she told Davis and slowly eased the jacket from his injured arm taking the Glock with her. She shoved the jacket behind Davis’s head while Aaron examined the injury.
“It’s not so bad,” he assured Davis once he’d ripped the shirt away from the wound. “The bullet’s still in there. We need to stop the flow of blood, though.”
Aaron tore strips of Davis’s shirt and tied it as tight as he could. “How does that feel?”
“It’s okay. I think I can use it,” he said and Liz understood what he was trying to convey. If they were going to fight their way out of this, Davis would be ready and able to help.
Aaron glanced at the men. They appeared to be watching something outside. He cocked his head in their direction and mouthed. “It’s now or never.”
One of the men turned their way as if suspecting somethin
g.
“Thanks, that feels better,” Davis told Aaron. After another suspicious look, the man returned to his conversation.
“Ready?” Aaron mouthed once more. Liz swallowed and looked deep into his eyes.
She slowly nodded.
Aaron and Davis charged the two closest men. Before they had time to react, Liz fired at another. The shot struck the man through the heart. He dropped to the floor lifeless. The second man charged for the door. She fired again and he grabbed his arm, his weapon flying from his hand.
Liz snatched the man’s weapon and saw Davis struggling to overpower one of the men.
“Stop right there,” she ordered and aimed the weapon at his head.
Seeing that he was outmanned, he slowly lowered his weapon to the floor.
Aaron quickly gained control of the last man.
“I’ve rope in my backpack,” Davis told them. “We need to restrain them otherwise they’ll alert the others once we’re gone.” He grabbed the rope from his backpack. “I sure hope one of you can fly a chopper?”
Aaron tossed some of the rope to Liz and smiled. “As it happens, we both know a thing or two about them.”
SEVENTEEN
Once the men were restrained Aaron and Liz gathered up their weapons and phones. Aaron peered out at the dawn. “We need to get out of here now. There’s no way the rest of those men didn’t hear the shots. Let’s head for the chopper closest to the cabin.”
Grabbing Davis around his waist, Aaron raced out of the cabin with Liz at his heels. He helped the injured man inside and engaged the engine. It took only a second to familiarize himself with the instrument panel and then they were airborne.
Aaron barely had time to clear the treetops when a handful of Kalel’s men raced from the woods, firing on them.
“Hang on,” he shouted over the noise. “I’m going to try an evasive move.”
He jerked the chopper to the left and away from the men, but it wasn’t enough. A barrage of bullets struck the chopper. They were hit.
“We’re going down,” he yelled as the engine sputtered and the fuel gage dropped. A bullet had struck the fuel tank.
