by Terri Reed
He darted a glance her way. “It was hard, I suppose. I didn’t know any different. But you’re right, I had Lucinda and her family. They became my family. And I much preferred their brownstone to the big house on the lake.”
She couldn’t imagine living a life with so many choices. “I grew up in a trailer park,” she blurted out.
“No shame in that.”
She smiled to herself. Old wounds ached but she’d learned to hold her head high in spite of the circumstances of her past. “You can say that because you didn’t live it. In school I was considered trailer trash. What was even more ironic was that our trailer actually sat next to the trash bins. Even the other kids in the trailer park called me trailer trash.”
His jaw hardened. “Children can be mean.”
“True.”
“I was called less than complimentary names at my school.”
“You were?” She would have thought he’d have been part of the popular kids. “I can’t believe that.”
His shoulders rose and fell. “Except for one stint on the football team my freshman year of high school, I kept to myself. I didn’t want anyone to know who my parents were.”
“Why not? They are successful and rich from the sound of it.” She’d have told everyone and been giddy to have the life he’d led.
“Exactly. Once people knew, then they treated me differently. Or wanted something from me.”
Her heart hurt to think that Chase had had so much yet had been unhappy. “Money doesn’t buy happiness.”
“Not for me. I would rather have had my parents’ attention than a big house and fancy clothes.”
“I can understand that.”
“You had your mom. Was she a good mother?”
Ashley turned the question over in her mind. She had nothing to compare her childhood to other than what she’d seen on television or read in books. “I want to believe she tried but nurturing wasn’t natural for her. Not like with your Lucinda.”
Even in the short time Ashley had spent with Chase’s former nanny, she’d been cared for and treated like she was special.
“My mother wasn’t the most nurturing, either,” Chase said. “She ran a large organization with a lot of balls in the air. She didn’t know what to do with a child under foot.”
“I doubt your mom was free with her fists or her criticism.” As soon as the words were out, she wanted to retract them. She didn’t want him to pity her.
“She hurt you?”
His quiet tone filled with indignation on her behalf was more compelling than knowing he was doing his job to protect her. She wanted to laugh off the volatile nature of her mother but she couldn’t find it within herself to be less than honest with Chase. “Sometimes. She was a single parent raising a child she’d never wanted.”
He made a noise she took as sympathy.
“Don’t get me wrong, we would do some mother-daughter things, like give ourselves pedicures or have movie nights with popcorn and candy.” The memories were faded and frayed at the edges, but not forgotten. Those were the times Ashley had treasured. “There were many nights when she didn’t come home.” A shiver raced over her skin. She’d hated being alone in the trailer.
Chase’s hands gripped and re-gripped the steering wheel. “Wasn’t there anyone to help you? A grandparent or neighbor?”
She smoothed her hands over her thighs. “Not really. As soon as I was old enough, I would bike to the library as much as possible. I found solace in the books. And had many wonderful adventures sitting in the alcove of the Barstow library.”
“I’m glad you had someplace to retreat to when it was scary at home. Though it pains me to think of you mistreated by the one person who should have been sheltering you from the ugliness of the world.”
She stared at him, mesmerized by his profile. He was handsome in so many ways. His kindheartedness was so sweet and appealing. She was thankful God had put Chase in her path.
After a long beat of silence, Chase said, “I spent a great deal of time at the library, too, when I wasn’t with Lucinda’s family.”
Grateful to have the subject change from her childhood to his, she commented, “I noticed your bookshelves. Many classics, as well as popular fiction.”
“A book doesn’t judge or betray you,” he stated.
“Or hurt you.” She wondered if he was only referring to his childhood. Had he loved someone who then betrayed him? “Why haven’t you settled down?”
He groaned. “Not you, too.”
“I’m just curious. And surprised. You’re a catch.” The words slipped out and flooded her with embarrassment. “I mean, not for me. I’m not looking to catch you.” She was digging herself a deeper hole.
His soft laugh filled the cab of the truck. “I’m not sure if I should be insulted or not.”
“No! I didn’t mean to be insulting.” Remorse for her words made her pulse pound.
He slanted her a glance. “I’m teasing. In all seriousness, dating was painful as a teen. I was never sure if the girls were interested in me as a person or in my last name. And in college I was too focused on graduating quickly so I could join the Chicago Police Department. I never took the time for a relationship. And wasn’t sure I could trust someone to love me for me. What about you?”
She related to not knowing if she could trust someone to love her unconditionally. “My focus was getting out of Barstow. As soon as I turned eighteen, I escaped to Los Angeles.”
“Did you always want to be an actress?”
“What little girl doesn’t when they’re young?” She could remember wanting to be a part of a television family so badly she’d ached. “One of the girls in the house I ended up living in introduced me to her agent. For the next few years, I went on auditions. I landed a few bit parts here and there. Hard to learn the craft with no money for acting lessons. I wasn’t a natural. The camera was intimidating, plus having all the people on set watching you, judging you.” She made a face. “Only significant thing I did was a commercial for a national car company.”
“I’ll have to search for it on the internet. How did you end up at The Matador?”
“To pay the bills I started waiting tables. First at a fast food joint and then a pizza parlor. One of my housemates worked at The Matador and when a position opened up, she told me about it.” For a time she’d thought she’d won the best prize ever. Then that horrible night happened, and her world spun out of control.
“Did you not want to go to college?”
She had, so badly. “Kind of hard to do without money.”
“You could have applied for scholarships or financial aid.”
She sighed. “I didn’t know how to apply for them.” And had no one to ask.
“It’s not too late, you know. Nowadays you can take classes online and receive a degree.”
There was no point in dreaming when her life would be about staying hidden from Maksim Sokolov. “What did you study in college?”
“Communications. It was a compromise with my parents. There was no way I wanted to be a doctor or administrator. I wanted to be a police officer. Lucinda’s father was a retired Chicago detective. He would tell us stories of his time on the force. And I knew that that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to serve others, just not the way my parents did.”
She appreciated Chase’s honor and integrity. And his desire to do for others without any real compensation beyond his pay. He wasn’t posturing for accolades. She liked that about him. Back in Los Angeles, the guys she’d met all wanted to be the center of attention. “At one time I thought I might want to be a librarian.”
A smile spread across his face. “You could, you know. Mrs. Hawkins is always asking for volunteers at the library.”
Turning her gaze to the window, she said, “Maybe someday.” Only not in Bristle Township. The thought hurt.
The truck sped up, pushing her back against the seat. She glanced at Chase. He sat straighter; tension radiated off him and made the fine hairs on her arms jump with alarm. “What’s wrong?”
“I think we are being followed,” he said. “There’s a sedan that has been keeping the same distance behind us since we left town. Every time I slow down, they slow down. When I speed up, so do they.”
She twisted in her seat to stare out the rear window at the dark car. “What should we do?”
Before he could answer, the sedan raced forward and kissed the bumper of the truck. The hit jerked Ashley forward. She let out a yelp of panic. Chase floored it, and the truck strained for more speed.
“Grab my phone from my front shirt pocket.”
She reached for it, but the seat belt slammed her back against the seat. Quickly, she shrugged out from beneath the chest strap and managed to pluck the cell phone from his shirt pocket. “There’s only one bar.” Cell coverage in the mountains was spotty at best.
“We have to pray we can get through. Press one and enter.”
Please let the call connect. She did as instructed. She could hear it ringing.
“Put it on speaker,” he said.
She pressed the speaker button just as a woman’s voice filled the cab, “Bristle County Sheriff’s Department, Carole speaking.”
“Chase here. Listen, we need help. Mile marker 15 headed. A dark sedan is trying to force us to crash.”
“I’ll tell the sheriff—”
The line went dead. Panic seized Ashley. Her breathing turned shallow. “They won’t arrive in time.”
“Brace yourself,” Chase instructed tightly. “I have to get us off the road before they cause an accident.”
Ashley grabbed the door handle with one hand and the dashboard with the other. At the last possible moment, Chase cranked the wheel, crossing the oncoming traffic lane and taking a graveled road on squealing tires. They shot down the road through the trees, gravel flying in their wake.
Ashley kept an eye on the side-view mirror. For what seemed like a long moment, she held her breath, praying the car would pass by and keep going.
The sedan made the turn. The truck bounced, and she barely hung onto the phone. Ashley’s breath hitched. “Now what?”
Chase pressed hard on the gas. The truck shot forward. The road began to climb. Behind them the car sped up.
“They’re gaining on us!” Ashley’s hands curled into fists. It wasn’t fair. She should never have allowed Chase to talk her into this. If he had let her leave on the bus this morning, he wouldn’t be in danger now.
“Hang on!” He yanked on the wheel, taking a hard right and going off road into the trees.
She clutched the phone, panic making her breathing shallow and her head spin.
“Ashley!” Chase’s voice whipped through the cab, coercing her to focus. “I need you to be calm. And ready.”
“Ready for what?” Her voice shook. She was on the verge of hysteria.
“Behind your seat is a length of rope and a harness. Grab them.”
As they bumped along the rocky and rutted path just barely wide enough for the truck, she forced herself to reach behind her seat, tugging out the length of coiled rope and a thick black harness. “I have them both. Why do you have these in your truck?” Though she had no idea how these would help them evade their pursuers. Rock climbing was not something she could do.
A spray of bullets hit the back of the truck, the cacophony of noise echoing through her head. Her heart rate jumped with terror. “They’re shooting at us!”
A loud pop reverberated through the truck. The back end fishtailed. Chase slammed on the brakes and brought the truck to an abrupt halt. “The tire’s blown.” He yanked open the glove box and pulled out his gun. “Let’s go!”
Frantic, she scrambled out of the truck. Chase took the rope from her and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the trees.
“This way.” Chase led her deep into the thick forest.
“How can this be happening?” Ashley’s legs burned with exertion as she pushed to keep up with Chase. The underbrush scraped at her clothes, snagging on her pant legs. They were running in the opposite direction of the mountain.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her breath coming in spurts.
“Hopefully toward the highway and backup.”
Behind them, she could hear the thrashing of their pursuers as they followed them into the forest.
Please, Lord, let us get away. She dug deep for more speed while trying to maintain her balance over the rough terrain.
The setting sun dipped below the mountain peak, casting long shadows through the trees, making the already dim lighting harder to navigate the untraveled ground. Animals scurried beneath the brush. Startled birds squawked and took flight.
Chase skidded to a halt at the edge of a large meadow. Ashley tripped over her own feet as she tried to avoid ramming into him. He caught her by the elbow and drew her behind a tree trunk. The last of the sun’s golden rays touched the green grass and revealed a grazing herd of Rocky Mountain elk. Ashley had never seen such large beasts in the wild. Several lifted their heads as if sensing the danger breathing down on them.
“If we go out there, we’re sitting ducks,” Chase said.
Anxiety squirmed in her chest. “We have to hide.” There was nothing but tree trunks in every direction. The men’s voices carried on the slight breeze. Fear trembled over her limbs and panic dried her mouth.
Chase’s gaze went to the treetops. He stepped away from her with his head tilted upward.
“What are you doing?” Her terrified whisper sounded as loud as a shout in her ears.
He pointed his finger toward the sky. “We have to go up.”
Up? No way. Her heart jumped into her throat.
He grabbed her hand again and tugged her forward. They stopped beneath a large ponderosa pine tree. “Here we go.”
She followed his gaze to a dark shape about thirty feet from the ground. Dizziness forced her to grab the tree trunk. “I can’t climb a tree. I’ve never climbed a tree in my life.”
“There’s always a first time for everything.”
“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “I’m afraid of heights.”
FIVE
“Are you more afraid of heights than bullets?” Chase didn’t wait for Ashley to answer as he wrapped one end of the rope around his waist and secured it to his belt with a belaying device, the mechanical piece of climbing equipment used to control the rope. She was going up into the tree, even if he had to carry her on his back.
“Uh, both.” Her voice quaked.
“Bullets will kill you.” He held out the harness. “Put it on.”
She hesitated.
“Quick,” he bit out, needing her to move. Time was of the essence. They had to get up the tree and in place before their pursuers spotted them.
Her hand holding the harness trembled. “What if I fall?”
“You won’t. I’ll have you. I promise.”
Obviously deciding she had no choice but to trust him in this, Ashley hurriedly stepped into the harness. She grabbed onto him for balance, her fingers digging into his biceps as she used him for support. She was clearly still terrified. Unfortunately, there was no time to reassure her more. Once the safety harness was on, he tightened it around her waist as much as possible.
“Now what?” She fairly squeaked the question.
He flung the other end of the rope up and over the lowest hanging branch of the tree and then threaded it through the second belay device attached to the harness. “You climb.”
“Shouldn’t we keep running?”
“It will be dark soon.” He gave the rope a tug, locking it into place on the harness. “If we keep going, we’ll risk a twisted ankle or worse.”
/>
“What about the flashlight on your phone?”
“Which would be a beacon for the bad guys, revealing our location.” He drew her closer to the tree’s trunk. Taking her hand, he guided her to the small horizontal slates nailed to the tree trunk. “Feel those. Just like a ladder.”
“If you say so.” Doubt laced each word.
“You’re going to climb up this tree. And when you reach the tree stand—”
“The what?”
Biting back his impatience, he said, “It’s a hunters’ perch. When we hit the meadow, I figured there had to be one around. It’s a perfect spot for elk hunting.”
“Is that legal?”
“During elk season.” He put his hands on her shoulders. In the waning light, he could barely make out her face but her bright eyes were large and scared. “You can do this. I’ll help you.”
She took an audible shuddering breath. “Okay.” The word came out sounding more like a squawk. “Why don’t you go first?”
There wasn’t time to soothe her nerves. Didn’t she understand? Getting her out of the line of fire was the priority. He could hide, fight or shoot his way out of the forest. But his job was to protect her. If he failed... A deep dread warned he didn’t even want to contemplate the thought. He needed to stay focused and trust that God would protect them.
He spun her to face the tree. “Start climbing.”
* * *
Ashley swallowed back the choking trepidation at climbing the tree in front of her. When she was a child, one of her mother’s boyfriends had thrown her up in the air and then failed to catch her. She’d had an issue with heights ever since.
But her life depended on going up this tree. She tilted her head. She could just barely make out the bottom of a hunting platform attached to the tree trunk. It was a long way to the tree stand.
Noise of their assailants making their way through the forest reverberated through the trees and galvanized her into action. She groped the rough bark for the first rung nailed to the tree just above her head and did her best to pull herself up. Her arms shook. There was no way she had the strength to muscle her way up the side of the tree. But then the rope and harness secured around her waist lifted her off her feet. Stifling a yelp, she reached for the next rung.
