Marked for Revenge

by Valerie Hansen

  Instead, a strong pull on the neck of his scrub top threw him totally off balance. The engine roared to life. He made a grab for the steering wheel and used it for leverage, swinging both legs inside just in time.

  Kaitlin’s grip was surprisingly strong. “Turn around and hang on. They’re coming,” she shouted at him. That was all the extra incentive Daniel needed, and a good thing it was, too, because she was already backing out.

  Getting the seat belt fastened was difficult but he figured if he wasn’t belted in he was liable to break apart from her wild driving. He pulled the strap across his chest and almost succeeded in clicking the buckle in place several times before it finally caught.

  That gave him more freedom to brace himself and try to baby his wound. By this time his leg was throbbing so badly the pain had affected his temper, which had been stretched pretty thin to begin with. “Are you trying to kill us both?”

  “Not presently, no.”

  He saw her knuckles whiten from her grip on the wheel and noted her determined expression. Her chin was raised, her arm muscles flexing, her spine stiff despite the way she was leaning forward, peering ahead.

  “Where are we going?”

  The instantaneous glance she shot him was incredulous. “You care? After everything we went through to escape you’re worried about where I’m taking you? I don’t believe it.”

  Daniel had to admit she had a point. “Not worried. Curious, okay? You aren’t planning on turning me over to the police, are you?”

  “Because...?” Slowing on the two-lane road as they approached a small town square, Kaitlin peered over at him. “Look at me.”

  He obliged. “Why?”

  “I want you to tell me again that you’re one of the good guys. Straight up. Honest. Nothing held back.”

  Daniel raised his right hand in position for an oath. “I’m one of the good guys. My problem is I can’t tell who else is at the moment.”

  “But you trust me?”

  “Obviously.”

  All he could see was her profile as she turned back to navigating the narrow streets of the town. That was enough. She was definitely smiling. He just hoped that being associated with him never spoiled that smile or brought tears to those amazing blue eyes.

  Glancing in the side mirror he checked traffic behind them. It was impossible to tell whether or not his assassins had followed them from the hospital. But one thing he did know for sure. They were out there somewhere. And they would never quit until they were stopped. Or they stopped him.

  * * *

  Adrenaline helped Kaitlin stay on top of things for a while. She could tell it was wearing off when her hands began to tremble and her body felt as though a thief had made off with most of her bones.

  The reason she hadn’t told Daniel where they were going was simple. She didn’t know. If she took him into the hills and hid him there, the way he had been when she’d first encountered him, how could she be certain she wouldn’t be making matters worse? Yet, if they stayed around Paradise they were sure to be spotted, particularly if his pursuers had seen her truck leaving the hospital.

  That left a bigger city as the only sensible choice, at least for the present. In the Ozarks, a pickup truck was the vehicle of choice for probably half the population. Hiding a tree in a forest had to be easier than making it invisible when it was the only one left standing in a farmer’s field.

  A quick peek at her passenger confirmed her decision. He wasn’t complaining but there was perspiration dotting his forehead, and the muscles of his jaw showed that he was clamping his teeth together, presumably to mask pain.

  “Your leg,” Kaitlin began. “How is it now?”

  “Feels like it has a hole in it. Why?”

  “How about the rest of you?”

  “Rotten. Just keep driving until I figure out what to do.”

  “Rest that overworked brain of yours. I already know,” she shot back.

  The look he gave her in response would have been funnier if he hadn’t been suffering. “Who made you sheriff?”

  “I got the job by attrition,” Kaitlin said. “If you want to take my badge you’re going to have to prove you’re sound enough to wear it.” She reached across and lightly touched his forehead with the backs of her fingers. “Right now I’d say you need sick leave.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s not an option.”

  “Sure it is.” Pulling into a gas station along the way she slipped a credit card from her purse. “I’m going to fill up, get us something to drink and see if they have an ATM. From now on we’ll need to use cash.”

  “TV cop shows again?”

  “And street smarts from long ago. You’re the one who reminded me of my past. I may as well use what I learned.” Pausing at the open window of the driver’s door she leaned in. “Anything else you need?”

  “Yeah,” Daniel said, lifting his hand off his thigh and displaying a fresh crimson blot on the leg of the scrub pants. “I could use more gauze and some aspirin. The stuff they gave me in the hospital is wearing off.”

  “Not aspirin unless you want to bleed more. I’ll find something,” she promised. “You stay put.”

  His cynical chuckle followed her. “Good idea.”

  As much as she hated to leave him, even for a few minutes, she knew she must plan ahead. Her mental list of necessary supplies kept growing. Above all, the man needed proper medical care whether he liked the idea or not. While he’d been in the hospital his doctors had run antibiotics through his IV. Now that they were on the run she’d have to find an oral substitute.

  Done filling her gas tank, Kaitlin pushed through the door to the little store and headed straight for the ATM. Her next stop was the coolers. Cheap foam ice chests were stacked nearby, so she picked up one of those before choosing bottled water, a power drink containing electrolytes and plain orange juice. The more necessities she could charge on her credit card, the better since this was the last time she’d use it.

  Not knowing how long their cash would last or how far they might have to go before this nightmare was over left too many open-ended questions. Kaitlin fought off a moment of dizziness and mild nausea. She was hungry. And thirsty. But first things first. Medicine for her patient.

  The aisle of painkillers and other over-the-counter remedies offered no bandages other than little sticky strips that would barely do for a skinned knee. Daniel needed more. Better. And there was only one sure way to get proper treatment. She just wasn’t sure how she was going to manage that without an attending physician reporting his gunshot wound again. That was the law. He, of all people, would balk at breaking it.

  That notion didn’t sit well on her conscience, either. In the old days she might have scoffed but no more. Turning her life around had meant a renewed dedication to God as well as the vow to become a stand-up good citizen.

  Kaitlin glanced out the front window at her parked truck, her burden weighty. That man was counting on her. She owed him. Plus, she prayed every day for the Lord to show her how to help others, how to fulfill her destiny with honor and grace. Given that heartfelt desire and corresponding prayer, how could she turn her back on anybody in need? She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

  The problem wasn’t whether or not to help Daniel, it was how to best go about it while keeping right and wrong separate. For instance, it was wrong to tell a lie, yet if the truth meant her patient might die, what then? The Bible held lots of examples of lies ruining people’s lives but it also spoke of thwarting enemies. That was how she must view this escapade, she reasoned. It was a case of good versus evil and she was on the right side. She had to be. There was no way she’d ever believe that the kindhearted cop who had once granted her a second chance would now deserve the punishment of death.

  Paying for her purchases and adding a bag of ice for the flimsy cooler, Kaitlin lugged it all back to the truck and set
it down by the passenger door. “How’re you doing?”

  “I’ll live.”

  “That’s the idea.” She handed him the sports drink. “Start with this. I have water, too, but you look like you need more.”

  “I need a cave to hibernate in.” He shivered. “And maybe a blanket.”

  “The last one I gave you, you threw away,” she quipped, hoping to lift his spirits.

  His “You made me do it” was emphasized by a mock scowl.

  “I did, didn’t I? They don’t have everything on my shopping list at this place. I figured to make one or two more stops.”

  “Before?”

  She sighed, then confessed, “Before I take you to an urgent care clinic for a prescription. You need antibiotics. Badly.”

  “I can’t show up at one of those.” Pausing to chug some of the drink, Daniel eased back against the seat, making Kaitlin wonder if he was about to pass out again.

  “We’ll figure something out,” she said. “Trust me.”

  Judging by the way his dark eyebrows lifted he found her suggestion of trust impossible. Nevertheless, he also seemed to realize he had no choice. He might not have the background in medicine that she did but the man was no fool. He knew he was sick and his fever was spiking. He also knew it was necessary to let her take the lead until he felt better. That would do. She didn’t care whether he agreed with her decisions or not. As long as he followed orders that would bring healing she’d be satisfied.

  Kaitlin got herself a bottle of water, stowed the ice chest in the bed of the truck and weighted down the lightweight lid before sliding behind the wheel and passing him a small pill bottle. “This is all they had that won’t make you bleed more. You can take more than the suggested dose as long as you don’t go over four thousand milligrams a day. I’d start with four tablets if I were you.”

  He washed them down with the remainder of the sports drink. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  Despite the dire situation Kaitlin laughed. “Oh, you owe me a lot more than one, mister. And we’re just getting started.”

  Laying his head back with a guttural moan he closed his eyes. “No doctors. Please. I can’t chance being put into a computer system that may connect us to the hospital.”

  “Then what would you suggest? A veterinarian?”

  “Only if you know one personally,” Daniel said as she pulled out of the gas station heading north.

  “Nope. But I did go to school with a nurse practitioner who ended up working in Springfield. I’m hoping she’ll agree to see you without reporting a shooting.”

  “Fat chance.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m going to ask, anyway. If she’ll treat you and hold off notification of the authorities we’ll be okay. All we really need is a good head start.”

  “And wings. And maybe a gun for me,” he countered.

  “The wings I can’t manage but the gun is a possibility. It can’t be a handgun like you had at your hideout because there’ll be a waiting period. How about a rifle or shotgun?”

  Daniel was scowling when he opened his eyes and turned to stare at her. “Are you serious?”

  “Always,” she teased, knowing he’d get the subtle joke.

  His “Right” was an exaggerated Southern drawl followed by a smirk that she found amusing enough to relieve some of the tension between them.

  “Hey, I’m figuring this out as we go along, okay? So far I haven’t done that badly.”

  To Kaitlin’s surprise he reached across and touched the back of her hand. Electricity shot up her arm straight to her heart. Any emotional connection she’d sensed in the past had now been proven. She was supposed to be there. Supposed to be helping him. It was as if she were on a divine mission and no way was she going to back down, no matter what.

  If, as she believed, God had put the two of them together for the second time, she was duty bound to continue, to do whatever she could, to go wherever their path took them, until Daniel was safe and healed.

  Those mental and emotional assurances buoyed her courage and renewed her strength. One way or another, her heavenly Father was going to bring them through this valley of looming danger and show them the mountaintop on the other side.

  The analogy was straight out of Christian music, Kaitlin knew. It didn’t matter to her. She was more than willing to make use of anything that would carry her along, would give her the extra courage she needed.

  “Now I really am worried,” her wounded companion said as they halted for a red light.

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re smiling,” he said cynically. “You’re scary enough when you’re driving like there’s a T. rex on our tail. Looking pleased about it is terrifying.”

  “I was never afraid to look under my bed or in the closet,” Kaitlin said. “I don’t believe in monsters.”

  “Well, you’d better start believing in human ones.” Daniel was rubbing his knee below the bandages. “I’ve met some.”

  “Yeah. So have I.” Although her smile faded, she managed to keep from frowning. “We’ll make it through this,” she assured him. “I know we will.”

  When he didn’t answer she noticed he was staring into the outside mirror. “What? Do you see something?”

  “Not sure,” Daniel said.

  Kaitlin could tell by the set of his jaw that he was uptight again. She saw the chance to make a quick right turn as the light changed and took it. To her relief, the vehicle Daniel had been watching didn’t follow. None of them did.

  Seeing him start to relax helped raise her mood. “Better?”

  “Yeah. For now.”

  “Then close your eyes and try to get some rest. I’ll stick to back roads as much as possible and work my way toward the clinic. It’s not too far from that famous sporting goods store.”

  “Springfield is not my favorite city,” he muttered.

  “Care to tell me why not?”

  “Maybe later,” Daniel said. “Right now I’m going to take your advice and try to rest.”

  “Okay, but don’t be too agreeable or I’ll worry you’ve lost your will to fight.”

  “Only where you’re concerned,” he replied. “I’m still plenty ready to take on the rest of the world.”

  No witty comeback occurred to her so she stayed silent. He might think he was ready but she knew better. The fever signaled the beginning, not the end, of his recovery. Without making use of modern medicine he was no better off than a soldier wounded on an ancient battlefield. More of those died from the complications of infection than from their original wounds.

  Kaitlin had been observing Daniel as they drove and realized his condition was worsening. Given his obvious intelligence and the fact that he was a cop, he probably knew it, too. That meant she’d have two battles to fight. The one against raging bacteria and the one for his mind.

  Once he believed he was done for, it would be doubly hard to pull him back from the brink. The only plus their likely pursuers provided was a continuing threat. Having them in the picture was good for Daniel because it gave him a reason to want to recover and fight again.

  Kaitlin huffed, disgusted by the way her brain kept coming up with crazy scenarios. And yet, in retrospect, she had seen it work before. The threat at the hospital had brought out extra strength and conviction. All she had to do was stay far enough ahead of the hired assassins to keep them both alive.

  FIVE

  Relieved of some of his pain and totally exhausted, Daniel managed to doze on and off for the next half hour or so. Turns and a change in speed woke him. “Where are we?”

  She checked the GPS on her cell phone. “Almost to the clinic.”

  Reality dawned. “I recognize the area. Listen, there’s something you need to know.”

  “Will it help me help you?”

  “Maybe.” He cleared his throat. �
�I’m not the most popular guy around here.”

  “What did you do? Rob a bank?”

  “I’m trying to be serious, Kaitlin.” He gestured. “Why don’t you pull over so we can talk?”

  “Okay. I can use a break. Anyplace special?”

  “In a crowd would be good. Pick a mall and park in their lot.”

  “Got it.”

  Daniel didn’t want to tell her about his failure but saw no sensible alternative. Since his capture by and escape from the gang he’d infiltrated while working undercover, most of those criminals were doing time. Still, there was a slim possibility they would accidentally run into somebody who recognized him from his false persona.

  Killing the engine, Kaitlin unfastened her seat belt and swiveled to face him. “Okay. Shoot.” She blushed and waved her hands as if erasing an invisible chalkboard. “Oops. Bad choice of words. Sorry.”

  “If you had said, ‘Hit me with your best shot,’ I’d have been more worried,” Daniel told her. “I used to work this part of town. It was an undercover assignment. I actually managed to infiltrate an organization that was distributing drugs and was about to inform my chief when the members of the gang got wind of my true background.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Oh, yes. They tied me up and beat me before getting into an argument about who was going to have the privilege of putting a bullet in my head.” He could tell he had Kaitlin’s full attention. He didn’t want to frighten her unduly but figured she’d be a lot safer if she were prepared.

  “How did you... I mean, you must have escaped, right?”

  “Yes. Barely. I worked the ropes loose and waited for a chance to make a break for it. As soon as I thought I’d make it, I ran. Almost got caught.” He held up his hand with thumb and forefinger fractions of an inch apart. “Made it by this much.”

  “Wow. Is that why you were in hiding?”

  “Not entirely.” Daniel drew a deep breath before continuing. “Arrests were made and I went back to work in St. Louis, thinking the Springfield job was over.”

  “I take it it wasn’t.”