The Escape

by Lisa Harris

  “Thanks.”

  “What would you do if you were him?” Jonas asked. It was the question he asked himself every time he hunted a fugitive.

  “I’d find a way to get out of my shackles and into a change of clothes, then I’d get as far away from here as possible.”

  “He’ll need to find a hiker or try hitching a ride,” Jonas said before downing the medicine. “He’ll also need money and a cell phone, and if he had everything on his wish list, a weapon as well.”

  “I agree,” Madison said. They started walking again. “The good thing is, like us, he has no idea where he is, and maneuvering in shackles won’t be easy.”

  “Which gives us the advantage. He’ll need to find a trail and stick to it. It would be far too hard to maneuver in his condition off one of the designated routes out here.”

  “You said you thought we were over Idaho?” she asked.

  Jonas let out a low chuckle. “That’s my best guess. The flight plan took us over the corner of Washington, then across Idaho and Wyoming. Because of the thick forests, I’d say we have to be in one of the national forests. Either Payette or Salmon-Challis. Possibly a corner of Yellowstone, but I don’t think we were that far.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking, but we still could be miles away from a road or main trail.” She tied another scrap of her bandana to a tree limb. “He’ll need to find the nearest town.”

  But they had no idea which direction the main trail lay.

  They continued in silence for another five minutes, with no sign of their fugitive.

  “Did you do any hunting growing up?” he asked, breaking the quiet that had settled between them.

  “My father was a hunter. He didn’t have any boys—and my sister refused to go camping—so I became his sidekick.” She readjusted the strap on her backpack. “He taught me how to judge yardage and to age and identify tracks, with the goal of spotting the deer before it spotted me.”

  “Why am I not surprised. You were the one with the almost perfect scores at the shoot house. The one I’d never want to be on the wrong side of the law against.”

  “What about you? You were always my toughest competition.”

  Jonas shook his head. “Believe it or not, I shot my first gun in basic training. My mother hated weapons growing up. She didn’t even want me playing with Nerf guns.”

  She caught his gaze, an amused gleam in her eyes. “And she let you join the military?”

  “Let me?” he countered with a grin. “I was eighteen. She didn’t exactly have a choice. But in my defense—or perhaps hers—today she’s my biggest supporter.”

  Her expression softened into a smile. “Good. She should be.”

  “Though if she finds out where I am now, she won’t be too happy.”

  “I’m guessing she’s like my sister. Always worried about you.”

  “Exactly.”

  He studied the terrain around them, his frustration growing as he focused on the trail. Where was Barrick? He couldn’t have gotten far ahead of them.

  Unless they were following the wrong trail.

  “We should have caught up with him by now,” he said.

  “I know.”

  The thick foliage they were passing through opened up ahead of them, making it easier to see farther. But there was still no sign of the man. No flash of orange in the distance. No unexplained movement. It was as if he’d vanished.

  Jonas stopped next to a thick ponderosa pine and picked up one of the cones. “Are you sure he went this way?”

  “It’s clear he’s trying not to leave a trail, but yes, I’m sure.”

  “Then where is he?”

  She hesitated. “I don’t know.”

  “He could have doubled back at some point. We could have missed it.”

  “It’s possible. The last footprint I saw was behind us.”

  There were dozens of ways to confuse trackers. He could have set up a false trail. He’d know that where the ground was hard, it was more difficult to read the tracks. The man was smart. As long as he stayed out of their line of sight, he would be safe, which meant his goal would be to put as much distance between them as quickly as possible.

  Unless Barrick had decided to hide. No movement. No noise. Jonas continued studying the terrain around them. Barrick would assume they would keep up their search, which was exactly what they were doing. They could have easily walked right past him. Or they could be facing some kind of ambush. Neither thought made him comfortable. In their line of work, plans and details ensured they always had the upper hand. This situation had taken that away from them.

  They slowed their pace slightly, guns drawn, and every muscle tense. Barrick was out here. He would do anything to avoid going back to prison. That fact was undeniable.

  And he and Madison stood between Barrick and freedom.

  Still, as smart as the man might be, no one left an invisible trail. And though Jonas might not have the hunting experience Madison did, he still knew how to track someone.

  He moved forward on the balls of his feet, testing the ground with each step as he searched for his footing. His reaction time had to be automatic, because he wasn’t the only one planning out his next move. They were both trying to plan three steps ahead, with alternate plans if something went wrong.

  Madison held up her hand, motioning for him to stop.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. It might have been an animal.” She crouched in front of him. “There. Did you hear that?”

  “I did. He has to be ahead of us.”

  He scanned the tree line, trying to figure out what they’d heard. Storm clouds rumbled in the distance. A bird called out from above them. But besides the wind sweeping in from the west, there was a stillness around them unheard of in the city.

  A white-tailed deer scampered past them, its tail up.

  Something had triggered its movement.

  A second later, he heard something whiz past him. Madison cried out and dropped to the ground beside him. He ducked down next to her and scanned the perimeter again, still not seeing anything. He rolled her over onto her back. A trickle of blood ran down the side of her face where she’d been hit. A rock lay a foot to her left. He grabbed the orange bandana from her pocket to use to stop the bleeding, careful to stay low to the ground.

  “Madison?”

  Her face had paled, and she wasn’t responding.

  “Madison!”

  Nothing.

  He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed lightly. “I need you to answer me.”

  She opened her eyes, squinting at the light. “My head.”

  “Are you dizzy?”

  She nodded, closing her eyes again.

  He crouched beside her, needing to make a visual inspection before he made a decision. Barrick was nearby. They knew that now. Waiting for another opportunity to strike.

  “Can you sit up?” he asked.

  “I’m just so dizzy.”

  “Then don’t try it. Not yet.”

  Orange flashed to his left.

  He wasn’t going to play into Barrick’s hand.

  Madison met his gaze. “Go after him, Jonas.”

  “That’s what he wants. To separate us.”

  She managed to sit up, her gun clasped between her fingers. “I just need a minute to catch my breath, but I’ll be fine. Do a perimeter check and see if you can track him. We can’t lose him.”

  He stood up, decision made, but he still wasn’t happy.

  “I’m not going far. I’ll be right back, because Barrick isn’t the only problem we’re facing. This lightning storm’s heading our way, so we’re going to have to take cover soon.”

  Small drops of rain had begun to fall. Streaks of light flashed in the distance, followed by rumbles of thunder. Jonas felt his heart race. They were both armed, but that wasn’t necessarily enough. Barrick’s likely plan was to pick them off one at a time in order to stop them. And if he got ahold of their
weapons and gear, the man would be unstoppable.

  But Jonas wouldn’t let that happen. Not on his watch.

  Six

  Madison gripped her weapon with both hands and leaned against a tree, her adrenaline pumping as it began to rain. If Barrick did come after her, she had to be ready. She scanned the surrounding vegetation. Her head still hurt, but at least everything was finally coming back into focus. She scanned the tree line around her, irritated that they hadn’t anticipated his move.

  Something rustled behind her. She jumped to her feet, searching for the source of the noise, then paused. Maybe Jonas was right and separating had been foolish. There were too many places for Barrick to hide while they searched. But where? Where was he?

  He was clearly nearby and probably watching her. A shudder slid through her as she strained her eyes for a glimpse of something other than trees. Behind her was a drop-off leading to the river below them. All she could see in front of her was the unending lines of trees. She needed to anticipate his next move, but how?

  Everything they did as marshals was strategic in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved. She had to rely on her skills, her teammates, and her faith in God.

  But this—she hated not having a solid plan and feeling out of control. Madison pressed her hand against her forehead. Why was it so hard to focus?

  Like when Luke died.

  Memories of that day invaded her thoughts, refusing to leave her alone. Finding out he was dead, the visit to the morgue, the funeral, and the sleepless nights that followed. His death had thrown her well-ordered life off-kilter and left her reeling, because there was nothing she could do to change that situation. No going back to the morning she’d told him goodbye. No more chances to tell him she loved him. Only the feeling that she no longer had control over anything.

  Just like today.

  There was no plan. No backup on its way. It was just her and Jonas facing a violent fugitive and the elements with no idea where they were or how far they would have to go to reach the nearest main road or cell phone towers. No idea when help would find them.

  The ominous sound of a rattlesnake shifted her attention to the left. She scanned the ground and found the source coming toward her through the underbrush. Her heart pounded. Give her a morning raid in the middle of the city to arrest a hardened criminal any day, or even an encounter with a bear, but a snake? A shiver sliced through her. She hated snakes.

  She took a step back and pointed the gun in the snake’s direction. “Stay right where you are. I’m moving out of your way.”

  She moved back another step. To her left, she could hear water rushing through a twisted ravine below her. To her right was more dense foliage. Her father had always told her that her fear of snakes was irrational. She should respect them, yes, but fear them, no. Snakes didn’t want to encounter her any more than she wanted to encounter them. But his assurances had never taken away the phobia. Her father had always taught her simply to not approach snakes, which she clearly wasn’t going to do, and to back away slowly.

  She took another step, turned at a noise, then saw the orange flash a second too late. Barrick slammed into her from behind. Madison managed to catch her balance, but he came at her again, this time hitting her hard against her jaw with his fist. Biting back the pain, she lunged forward. His arms were still handcuffed, but he’d managed to get out of his leg shackles. She rammed her elbow into his throat, then without giving him time to recover, swung her knee hard into his groin. He let out a groan, then came at her quickly, knocking her weapon out of her hand.

  Panic ensued. She watched the snake slither off, but where was her weapon? Frantic, she shoved Barrick into a thick tree trunk, then searched the ground around her. Barrick stumbled away from her, but her own head still felt fuzzy. She might be able to beat him in hand-to-hand combat, but if he got ahold of the gun, it was over.

  A glint of metal on the ground to her left caught her eye. She fumbled for the weapon but was a fraction of a second too late. Barrick grabbed it, faltered for a moment, then aimed it at her.

  “Don’t scream, don’t move, or I will shoot you.” Barrick took a step forward. “Give me your backpack.”

  “Whatever your plan is, it won’t work. They’ll trace the plane. Trace our phones. Already they will have ensured that access out of the forest is blocked off. There’s nowhere for you to run. Every law enforcement officer in the surrounding states will have your photo in front of them. Not to mention that your face will be on every television across the neighboring counties. If you kill a government official, you’ll get the death penalty.”

  “Not if they don’t find me. They’ll have to search thousands upon thousands of acres, and I could be anywhere. A needle in a haystack.”

  She gripped the pack between her fingers, still not willing to give him what he wanted. Still trying to figure out a way to get her gun back.

  “That might be true, but do you know how many people get lost in this wilderness and never make it out?” She wiped a drop of rain from her cheek, needing to find a way to create doubt. To regain the upper hand until Jonas came back. “You didn’t know the flight plan. You have no idea where we are. Choose the wrong direction, and you’ll be dead before you ever find a way out of here.”

  “Shut up and just give it to me. Now, or I will shoot you.”

  “And if I give it to you? How does this end?”

  If she did what he was demanding, he wouldn’t need her anymore. On the upside, if he fired her weapon again, there was a good chance Jonas would hear it and might be able to find her, but she’d probably already be dead by then. So what choice did she have?

  She forced her mind to focus. The river was below them, currents that might allow her to escape. She was a strong swimmer. She also didn’t want him getting the bag, which meant her only real option was to run.

  Madison took her chances and slid down the embankment beside her, hoping her sudden move took him off guard. It was steeper than it looked, forcing her to grab for a tree limb as she tumbled down the sharp slope, trying to slow her descent. Her pack got stuck on something, so she dug her feet into the ground to stop and grab for it, but she fell another ten feet before she could reach it. The river rushed toward her and a moment later, she plunged into the water.

  The icy river pressed in around her as she struggled to find her way back to the surface. Tumbling forward, she grabbed on to a large rock and managed to find her footing. An eerie quietness surrounded her as she came up for air. She hovered behind the rock—still in the water—looking up at the ridge where she’d come from. Had he followed her?

  A bullet slammed into the water nearby, answering her question.

  She slid farther into the water. She was shaking from the cold, but she couldn’t think about that right now. Couldn’t go back for her pack. Not with him shooting at her. She glanced behind her, keeping her head out of the water just enough to see. The other side of the river’s shoreline was a good twenty yards away. From there, she could quickly slip into the woods, but if she swam across the water, Barrick would see her and she’d be fair game.

  Unless she stayed under the water.

  A plan slowly formed. There was a small cove next to an outcropping of rocks on the other side. If she swam far enough underwater, then came out a dozen feet downstream, she should be able to make it. The current wasn’t too strong at this point, and the water was deep enough to hide her. But hiding from Barrick would make it more difficult for Jonas to find her. The farther she went away from him, the harder it was going to be for them to get back together. On top of that, being out here alone left her vulnerable. She was already wet, the temperatures were dropping because of the storm, and now she had no fresh water or supplies. But what other choice was there? She was unarmed, with no real way to defend herself, and Barrick was unwavering.

  Decision made, she slowly pushed herself away from the rock, and looked up again to see if she could spot Barrick. She caught a flash of orange.
He was trying to make his way toward her at a point where the slope was not quite as steep.

  With little time to get across, she took in a deep breath and dove down into the water. If she didn’t cross in one breath, she would be an easy target. On top of that, the murky water might help camouflage her, but it also was going to make it harder to judge where she would come out on the other side. She kicked against the current, but her pant leg snagged against something. Panic ensued as she tried to pull away. Her lungs burned. She couldn’t be more than halfway across, which meant she couldn’t come up for air. Not yet.

  Frantic, Madison managed to get the fabric loose, then continued swimming to the other side. By the time she came out of the water on the opposite shoreline, the wind was blowing harder, and she was out of breath. The frigid air bit at her skin. She didn’t have time to worry about herself though. She searched for Barrick, but there was no sign of him. Had he decided she wasn’t worth getting rid of? Or was she missing something? For the moment, there was no way to know. She scurried up the incline, praying he’d somehow missed her. She was wet and cold, and she needed to find Jonas.

  Seven

  Jonas heard the gunshot behind him and froze. As much as he wanted to believe that shot had been Madison defending herself, there was no way to know who’d pulled the trigger. But what he did know was that he never should have left her alone. Running as fast as he could through the underbrush back to where he’d left her, he searched through the dense trees for a sign of Barrick’s orange prison clothes. A branch scraped his arm, but he barely felt the sting. He had to find Madison and make sure she was okay.

  The river flowed below him, as he located the large tree he’d pegged as a marker on the narrow trail. Another twenty feet and he should find her. He rushed through the last of the thick forest and entered a small clearing. Empty. He studied the ground where he’d left her, pausing at the sets of footprints. There were three now. Hers. His. And Barrick’s. A wave of panic surfaced. Barrick must have found her, and it looked as if there had been a fight. But what had happened next?