by Trish Loye
He sat back against the rock face, rifle again in his lap. She surprised him by snuggling up against him again, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I feel safe now.”
“Get some rest,” he said gently.
She closed her eyes. He kept a vigilant watch through the long hours that followed. Her trust in him a precious ember that kept him warm in the cold night.
17
Cassie woke when Derrick squeezed her arm and spoke her name softly. The world beyond their little sanctuary was a shadowed gray that whispered of dawn. She lay with her head in Derrick’s lap, using his thigh as a pillow and cuddled up to the rest of his stretched-out leg for warmth. His arm lay over her shoulders like a security blanket. She almost wished she could stay here in this place where they had found a bit of peace. In this shadowed dream world, where just the two of them existed and all the hurt between them had been erased.
But real life was hunting for them and their peace wouldn’t last.
Derrick caressed her arm and even through her sleeve, she felt the heat. It made her want to curl against him, to feel his hand on other parts of her body, to arch under his touch. She blew out a long breath. Time to shake away dreams and face the day. She slowly sat up, physically hurting to pull away from his comfort. She winced as she shifted and her ribs protested.
“It’ll hurt less once you’re warmed up,” Derrick said. “I hate to wake you, but we need to get moving.”
“I understand.” She stood and tried to stretch out the muscles that didn’t scream at her. She shivered in the cold predawn air. “I’d kill for a cup of coffee and my comfy bed right now.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Derrick murmured. “And another day of hard hiking should get us to the coast. We’ll exfil from there.”
One more day. She could do anything for a day. “I’m ready. Have you spoken with your team?”
Derrick nodded. “Already checked in. They’re on the move and leading a group of soldiers away from us. But Ghost says to be careful. There’s a group gathering in a valley clearing not far from here. She didn’t have time to figure out what they’re doing, but they’re close to where we have to pass by. I want to get by them now before they’re all awake.”
“Good plan.” She folded up the small blanket she’d used and handed it to him. “Did you sleep at all?”
He shrugged. “I don’t need much sleep. And someone had to keep watch.”
He’d been awake all night? Just so she could rest? “Thank you.”
He stuffed the blanket into his ruck and then handed her an energy bar. “You should drink and eat before we go.”
She broke the bar in half and gave him the other piece. “We both should eat.”
“Thanks.” His part of the bar disappeared in two bites. The fact that he hadn’t turned it down made her suspect something. “Are we low on food?”
“I wouldn’t say low,” he replied. “I’m just conserving what we have.”
“There’s an evasion if I ever heard one. Just give it to me straight.”
“Two dehydrated meals, four bars, three liters of water. I’m most concerned about water. We’ll need to find a stream or lake by tomorrow.”
“We need to get out of here in the next day or two.”
“The faster the better.” His voice was calm and reassured her that this wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. But she still chewed as fast as she could and took small sips of water to help the bar go down. Then she tugged on her daypack, not willing to let Derrick do all the work today. “I’m ready.”
His eyes were warm with approval when he looked at her. “I love that you’re not a high-maintenance girl,” he quipped.
“You think it doesn’t take time to put this together?” She waved at herself. “I spent hours fussing with my hair.”
His voice got soft as his approving gaze roamed over her. “I think it’s beautiful.”
Her heart clenched at his words. Her heart. Would it heal if he broke it again? She swallowed. “I thought you said now wasn’t the time?” And then she kicked herself when his eyes shuttered and he gave a sharp nod.
“You’re right.” He pulled on his pack. “Let’s go.”
She stared at his back and wanted to call after him, to erase her words, to start again. Instead, her head dropped forward and she followed him out.
They didn’t speak for an hour. She had no idea of either the time or where they were, but she was content to leave the decisions in Derrick’s capable hands. Besides, she didn’t have the strength to do more than follow. Her short captivity had taken a lot out of her.
Ahead, Derrick slowed. She caught up and he leaned close, whispering in her ear.
“I’m going to scout ahead. Stay hidden and rest. Drink something.”
He stepped away and she grabbed his arm, holding tight. He looked at her. “I’ll be back.”
She nodded, trying to have faith in his words. He gave her a nudge toward a fallen tree covered in moss. “Hide.”
She knelt behind the fallen tree and watched Derrick walk away. Though he didn’t so much walk as glide ghost-like through the woods, within seconds disappearing from sight.
Birds chirped and sang while she waited. She reached for her necklace and realized it wasn’t there. She dug it out of her sports bra and put it on. Touching the wolf pendant settled her nerves and she took even breaths. A squirrel scolded her from above before skittering to another tree. She chewed on her lip and tugged at her necklace again. How long had it been? Five minutes? Fifteen?
He would be back.
And if he didn’t, she would go looking for him. No way would she leave him behind. Her back itched with the need to move. She’d give him another five minutes and then she’d go see whether he needed help. Maybe he’d gotten hurt.
Movement caught her gaze. A figure in the distance, coming straight for her. She tensed and then released her breath in a whoosh. She recognized Derrick’s prowling gait, a warrior ready to do violence. She stood and brushed leaves from her pants before snorting to herself. She was covered in grime—what was a few more leaves?
Derrick’s face as he drew closer erased the bit of humor in her. His stony visage and serious eyes made her scan the area around them for threats. “What is it?” she whispered.
Derrick’s voice was low and didn’t carry when he answered. “The Koreans have gathered in a clearing below us on the mountain. It looks like they’re getting ready for something, but I can’t figure out what it is. We’ll have to hug to the tree line and there’s an open area we have to cross.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw and the skin around his eyes was tight. “What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.
He looked her straight in the eye. “I’ve got a bad feeling.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t tell you why, just that I do.”
Cassie had once done a story on a self-defense specialist who’d told her bad feelings usually came from instinct or something a person’s subconscious had picked up that had gone unnoticed by the conscious mind. He’d told her to trust those feelings. Derrick was a seasoned special operations soldier with years of experience. His subconscious had years of experience.
Her gut twisted. “Okay,” she said softly. “Then let’s move with more caution, but you know we can’t stay here.”
His gaze was bleak. “I know, but I wish I could tuck you into a cave somewhere and wait out this mess. Unfortunately, it’s not an option.”
“I trust you, Derrick. You can get us out of here.”
He stared at her a moment longer and things she couldn’t read moved through his eyes. He gave a sharp nod. “Follow me.”
This time when she trailed him, she kept her wits about her, ignoring her body’s aches and cries for rest. Just a bit more, she coaxed herself. Just stay aware and keep moving.
It wasn’t long before they closed in on the area Derrick had spoken about. The trees thinned and the slope of the mountainside got steeper. She struggled to
keep up as her body protested and her breathing turned harsh in the quiet of the day.
Derrick fell back beside her and transferred his rifle to one hand while he put his other arm around her waist. She wanted to push him away, to tell him she could do it herself, but that was stupid. Her body was giving out and if she collapsed, then Derrick would have to end up carrying her.
And that was not going to happen.
They walked through the woods, Derrick helping her stay on the tough route he’d chosen—half scramble, half hike.
Then he slowed even further. Ahead, the trees stopped as a shale wash appeared. They closed in on it. It started farther upslope and ended down in a clearing below. A natural avalanche zone. It was about twenty meters across to the other side. Twenty meters of sliding shale. No trees grew here, only an occasional bush. No cover.
And about thirty guards milling around the clearing below.
Her stomach slithered to the ground as the full realization of what they faced hit her. “Oh shit,” she whispered. “What do we do now?”
Derrick pulled her back farther into the trees. “We wait for now. I’m going to contact my team. See if they can set up another diversion.”
She bit her lip. What kind of diversion would draw away all the soldiers? Because even having a few left over would be a major problem.
“Keep watch.” Derrick walked farther into the trees. He kept his gaze on her as he spoke over his radio to his team. He spoke so quietly she couldn’t hear his words. She turned back to the clearing, hunkered down behind a tree to watch and wait.
Below, about half the soldiers patrolled the area in pairs, spread out around the clearing, watching into the woods. The rest stood in formation in front of their leader while he spoke and gestured. Choe. Two soldiers hauled a slight figure in tattered gray clothing from the edge of the clearing. A prisoner. Her mouth went dry as they forced him to limp toward Choe. They pushed him to his knees. He looked up.
A soft sound escaped her.
Jin-sun.
They were going to kill him.
She glanced back at Derrick. Something in her face must have told him of her urgency. He came right over. She pointed to Jin-sun and Derrick cursed softly.
“They must believe we’re close and are using him to draw us out.” He studied the clearing and the soldiers. “I’m sorry. I don’t have enough ammo. If it was just me, I might chance it, but I won’t risk your life to rescue his.”
She already knew they couldn’t rescue him. It would be suicide and they would all die. She wouldn’t put Derrick in that position. “I understand,” she whispered. Her chest squeezed painfully at the sight of Jin-sun on his knees with his head bowed. “I knew I was leaving him to die, but I didn’t think I’d have to watch.”
Choe took a megaphone from a soldier and spoke into it. He faced the woods away from their current position.
“Give yourself up, American spy, or we will kill your friend.”
She translated the words for Derrick. “The assholes never even confirmed who I was. They just decided I was a spy and kept with that story.”
“You’re lucky they didn’t kill you outright.”
“I was supposed to be executed.”
He stiffened. “Good thing you escaped.”
She nodded at the old man on his knees below them. “Thanks to him.”
Jin-sun looked up at that moment, almost as if he’d heard her. He stared up the slope of the mountain.
Could he see them? She wanted to let him know that she was there, that he wasn’t alone. But what would that do? Give him hope of a rescue?
“They tried to make me think he was my father,” she whispered. “But my father was never released from Hwasong back when he and my mother first tried to escape. Most people in those camps don’t survive a year. My father died a long time ago.”
“Are you sure?”
“I paid a lot of money for the information. And my mother had a picture of my father from when he was young.” She stared down at the man in the clearing below. “He doesn’t look anything like him. I think I just wanted to believe for a moment…”
“Didn’t you come here to find your father?”
“No. I found out that Hwasong had been where he’d been sent. I came to find out about how he’d died and to expose the cruel prisons. I wanted to document the corrupt regime that lets this continue. And to…to maybe find justice for my father.”
Derrick didn’t speak for a moment. Then he reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “A worthy cause.” His lips quirked in a small smile. “I just wish you’d let me come with you from the beginning.”
“Next time,” she said. His eyes widened and she almost laughed. “Are you shocked I would go on another fact-finding mission, even after this?” She waved at her dirty and battered self.
“No,” he said immediately. “I’m shocked you agreed to let me come with you. And I’m holding you to it.”
She opened her mouth to protest when she glanced below. Jin-sun’s head bowed once again as Choe walked around him. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what the asshole said. Her insides twisted at the malicious glee on his face. He obviously couldn’t wait to start hurting the old man. Jin-sun lifted his head at something Choe said and replied. Choe struck him hard across the face and Jin-sun toppled over into the dirt.
She must have made some small sound because Derrick once again squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“I never even found out his real name,” she whispered, regret washing over her.
“Maybe he liked the idea of helping a strong woman escape. Maybe he liked pretending you were his actual daughter.” Derrick shrugged, as if uncomfortable with the subject. “Maybe he’s a father and he knows he won’t see his own daughter again, so he pretended with you.”
“Just like I pretended with him.”
Derrick waited a beat. “I spoke with my team. They’re setting up a diversion that should draw the attention to the south, away from us. It should give us enough time to cross. And once we do, we’ll keep moving until we hit Orang county on the coast. There’s a fishing village that will suit our needs.”
“Will we meet your team there?”
His face turned grim. “Not likely. They’ll have to keep going farther south to draw the soldiers away from us. I don’t know if they’ll be able to double back. They’ll get picked up at a different exfil site once we’re outbound.”
She nodded and kept watching Jin-sun. No matter what happened, these were his last moments of life. She wouldn’t look away. He didn’t know she watched, but she still wouldn’t look away. She would remember everything about him she could, and she would pass those memories on. It was the least she could do.
Derrick cocked his head, listening to something on the radio in his ear. He touched her shoulder and held up one finger. One minute till they ran. She tightened the straps on her pack and tried to pick out a route across the shale-filled wash.
“Roger, Ghost,” Derrick murmured softly. “We’re a go. Hawk out.” He looked at her. “Ready?”
“To scramble as fast as I can over loose rocks while enemy soldiers wait below?” She shrugged. “Sure. Easy peasy.”
He gave a quick grin. “I might have to just start calling you Wolf and skip the Little.”
She opened her mouth to say something witty when a massive crack of thunder echoed. All the soldiers below straightened and looked south, where a column of smoke rose. Before anyone could move, a sound of rolling, pounding, crashing rocks grew loud and echoed off the mountains around them.
“Did they start an avalanche?” she said.
Derrick grunted. “Sounds like it.”
Below, a soldier ran up to Choe. He had a radio in his hand and pointed toward the south, where the avalanche had come from. Choe spun away from him and gazed up the mountain, looking straight at her. She jerked back.
“Easy,” Derrick murmured, holding her shoulder with one hand. “He can’t see you. Just wait.�
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Choe spun back and started yelling orders she couldn’t quite hear. She panted as if already running. Just him looking in her direction had fear surging through her like a tidal wave of panic. She couldn’t get caught again.
Derrick still held her shoulder. His gaze found hers. “I will do everything in my power to make sure you make it home. Understand?”
His intent gaze focused her. Her heart rate slowed. He was a soldier and a hero and, best of all, he was on her side. She nodded. “I’m good. He just startled me.”
Derrick leaned close and kissed her forehead. “You’re stronger than you think.”
The words warmed and strengthened her. “When do we run?”
They both turned and looked below. “We might not have to,” Derrick said.
The soldiers were clearing out, and boarding a truck. Jin-sun still kneeled in the center of the clearing, with Choe beside him. Were they going to take him with them?
Choe crouched in front of Jin-sun, drew a knife and stabbed him in the stomach. The old man toppled over, his blood already soaking his gray shirt.
Cassie lurched forward, her hand extended. Derrick grabbed her and held her tight. She didn’t move again, huddled against him as horror froze her gaze to Jin-sun. This moment had been coming, but seeing someone murdered in cold blood churned her stomach. A cold sweat dotted her forehead and nausea rose. The old man’s lips moved and he smiled at Choe.
He smiled.
She shook her head. The old man still resisted.
Almost all the soldiers had left the clearing when Choe spit on Jin-sun and walked away. Jin-sun shuddered and rolled onto his back. Within moments, the field was clear.
“We should go,” Derrick said.
“And leave him to die alone?” She stood. “I don’t think I can do that.”
Derrick faced her. “It’s probably a trap. If I was in charge, I’d leave a man behind to kill anyone who showed up.”
She stared at Jin-sun. He probably only had minutes left. She didn’t want him to spend those alone. “I’m sorry. I know this is making your job harder, but I have to go down there.”
