Jonathan certainly wouldn’t have minded being stuck in the little cabin alone with Vicky when Eric suggested it, but that had only been a fantasy he didn’t really expect to materialize. Now, unless Eric changed his mind again and came back, he was stuck here with her though, and unfortunately Eric’s very unhappy ex-wife. They heard every word as she vented her anger at first, but though she was still outside somewhere, she’d finally cooled off enough to stop yelling. Of course, she didn’t expect Eric to hear it anyway, as he was no doubt already miles away, following the Continental Divide south to New Mexico, but it probably made her feel better to get it out. She would be back in eventually, and before she did, Jonathan decided to hobble over to the wood stove and get it started so he could offer her some coffee. And that was when he found the note.
It was more than a note, really. In fact, it was a letter, and he saw that it was addressed to Shauna, with Eric’s signature at the bottom. Jonathan wanted to read it immediately, but he didn’t see his name there at the top, so he just turned and showed it to Vicky: “Maybe this will explain it. We’ll know when she comes back inside.”
“If he took the time to write a full-page letter, then this probably wasn’t a last-minute decision. I’m dying to know what it says.”
“Me too, but I’m not about to read it. I don’t want to do anything to piss Shauna off any more than she already is!”
When she did finally come back inside, Jonathan handed Shauna the letter and watched from a safe distance as she scanned the handwritten words on the page.
“That son of a bitch! He did this deliberately all right. He left without us to go after Megan on his own!”
“Why would he do it like that?” Vicky asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Because he’s Eric Branson! That’s why! Leaving without notice is what he does! Why do you think I divorced him ten years ago?”
“Did he say exactly why?” Jonathan was almost afraid to ask, knowing he was the most likely reason. “He did it because I would slow all of you down, didn’t he?”
“No, he did it because he’s a selfish jerk!” Shauna spat.
But Jonathan knew Eric Branson wasn’t selfish. Shauna might have reason to think he could be a jerk at times, but he hadn’t done all he’d done since Jonathan met him because he was selfish. Everything he did, he did for his daughter and the rest of his family, not to mention the strangers, including himself, that Eric helped along the way when he didn’t have to. No, Eric left because he didn’t want a crippled Florida punk slowing him down. His priority was to catch up to Megan now that he knew where she’d gone, and he wasn’t going to do anything that would compromise that mission. Jonathan totally got it. He really did. It was the kind of thing he would expect Eric to do after getting to know him over the past several weeks. Even if not for Jonathan’s injury, Eric could travel faster and stealthier without the three of them tagging along, and simply leaving without telling them was the only way he could do that. Shauna would have never agreed to it, as she had already shot down the idea when Eric casually brought it up. It sucked to think that Eric didn’t trust even him enough to let him in on his plans, but Jonathan figured Eric wasn’t taking any chances. Once he made up his mind to do something, he didn’t second-guess himself, and he probably didn’t want to hear any objections or arguments from anyone, even if he believed Jonathan was on his side in this.
“He thinks I’m going to just sit here in this cabin for God knows how long while he follows our daughter all the way to New Mexico? I’ll have no way of knowing if he ever gets there or not or if he finds Megan when he does! It could be weeks before he gets back here with her, and I’m supposed to just sit here and wait? That’s just crazy!”
“He wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have this broken leg. I’m sorry I was so stupid that day, Shauna. This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s my fault!” Vicky said. “I shouldn’t be here. Eric didn’t want to take me to New Mexico and he didn’t want to leave me here alone either. I just created another problem for him by being here. I’m so sorry, Shauna.”
“It’s not your fault, Vicky. And it’s not yours either, Jonathan. It’s just Eric! He thinks he knows better than everybody. He can’t stop us from following him though. We know the way he went.”
“Maybe, but we’ll never catch up to him if he doesn’t want us to,” Jonathan said, “not with me slowing you down. I’d say go on without me, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for the two of you to be traveling these mountains alone. Even the three of us, for that matter. Without Eric, we’d be an easy target for an ambush. Maybe we ought to just chill like he said. Maybe he will get there faster, and it won’t take all that long for him to get back here with Megan.”
Shauna didn’t want to hear it, but Jonathan knew that deep down, she agreed. Out here in the vastness of these mountains, there was no guarantee they’d ever find Eric if they tried to follow, especially if he got new information regarding Megan and headed somewhere other than the reservation. And if the three of them left on their own, Eric would then have to look for them when he returned here either with or without Megan. Considering all this, Shauna finally accepted that they might as well wait for now, but she was in a terrible mood those first few days, and Jonathan knew that if enough time passed without Eric’s return, she would be determined to press on in search of Megan anyway. In the meantime, she had taken to hunting and exploring the area surrounding the cabin, and each day when she left, it was a relief to Jonathan and Vicky, as tension when she was around was palpable.
“I think she’ll chill out soon enough,” Vicky had said after Shauna left that morning with the deer rifle. She hadn’t mentioned Eric’s name for a couple of days, and they both knew she was making an effort not to think about him.
“It’s obvious she’s still in love with him,” Vicky said. I don’t care how mad she gets or that she divorced him and married someone else. I can see it in the way she looks at him.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“I know I am. He probably doesn’t even know it though. Guys are stupid like that.”
“Is that right?” Jonathan asked, momentarily meeting her gaze before quickly looking away again. He wished Vicky had thoughts like that about him that maybe he was just too stupid to pick up on, but he doubted that was the case. They’d just met, and what would she see in him anyway? He sure wouldn’t have been her type before all these events went down, her being a college student and all, and now, in a world that required men that could do useful things like the fishing and shooting he was good at, he had a bum leg and couldn’t do jack shit. But whether Vicky saw anything in him or not, it had been hard for Jonathan to keep his eyes off her during the past couple of weeks since she’d arrived here with Shauna and Eric. Even if he wasn’t her type, she’d been talkative and pleasant to be around. And she’d insisted on helping him with his recovery, walking at his side to steady him as he gradually began relying less and less on his crutches.
And now today, with her help, he’d walked farther from the cabin than he’d been since he arrived here. Sure, she’d led Tucker along as back up to get him back if something happened, but Jonathan had managed just fine without needing the horse. All-in-all, it had been an amazing morning, taking in the grandeur of the unspoiled mountain wilderness while being guided and assisted by a beautiful young woman that he had a hard time keeping his eyes off of. The rifle shots that interrupted them were an intrusion into that perfection, but he knew they might also mean they would soon have a welcome change of diet.
“Let’s just ease along that way a little, if you don’t mind helping me, Vicky. I can’t wait to find out if she got one or not. If she did, she’ll be coming back to get one of the horses and she’ll need your help too, I’m sure.”
“Yeah, but if she missed those shots, she’ll be coming back in a bad mood and you know it. It might be better if we are still here, out of her way, just in case. Look, I’ve been down tha
t way, and it gets steep down there in a hurry. I don’t think you should try it yet. Let’s just sit down and wait right here where we can watch for her. We’ll know before she makes it to the cabin whether she’s had good luck or bad.”
Jonathan didn’t really like that idea, but as long as Vicky was sitting there beside him, he wasn’t going to complain. They found a smooth rock that was just the right height to make a comfortable perch at the foot of a large outcrop, while Tucker waited nearby. They were talking quietly as they sat there until some twenty minutes later, when Vicky got up to go give Tucker a pat. It was while she was over there that Jonathan spotted movement down near the creek a couple hundred yards below, and he saw immediately that it wasn’t Shauna. Jonathan turned and quickly shushed Vicky with a whisper: “Don’t move Vicky! Stay where you are and keep Tucker quiet!”
She looked at him in confusion and he pointed in the direction he’d been watching. A man dressed in camo and carrying an assault rifle was standing out in the open now and making some kind of signaling motion with his free hand. And moments later, Jonathan saw several other figures materialize from the forest behind him.
Three
NOW THAT SHE KNEW they’d seen her, Shauna ran as fast as she could without looking back, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the group of armed men as possible. Fortunately, the heavy forest through which she was running meant she didn’t have to stay all that far ahead of them to keep out of sight. They hadn’t fired any shots yet, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t if she presented them with an easy target, so she couldn’t let up. She already knew they were coming after her because after she ignored his shouted order to stop, she glanced briefly over her shoulder and saw the same man waving his followers in her direction. It was what she’d wanted when she screamed and fired her rifle, but now that she’d actually gotten their attention, Shauna wondered if she’d made a mistake. It would have been easy to stay out of sight and simply follow them back to the cabin, but then what? With no reasonable way to get ahead of them, she couldn’t have warned Jonathan and Vicky in time and there were far too many of them to confront. No, this was better, but now that the chase was on, she couldn’t help but feel fear. Shauna knew she couldn’t afford to make a misstep and fall, so though her body was flooded with adrenalin as she sprinted, she held back just enough to give herself time to pick the best line through the many obstacles of roots, fallen logs and rocks that the challenging terrain presented.
The heavy hunting rifle was a burden to her now, as she had no intention of using it against her pursuers, but she didn’t dare leave it either, in case she had no choice in the end. She ran with it in her hands as that was safer than slinging it on her back where the barrel might snag a branch and trip her up. Her Glock was her last line of defense beyond the rifle, but Shauna sure hoped it wouldn’t come to a standoff like that, because it was doubtful she’d survive it. She had counted thirteen men in the patrol, or raiding party or whatever it was, but she couldn’t be sure she had even seen them all in the heavy timber of the drainage. She also had no way of knowing if all of them were coming after her, or if some had waited behind or even continued on, in the direction of the cabin. She didn’t want to think about the latter, because that would mean her diversion had already failed whether she escaped or not.
Despite her high level of fitness and endurance, Shauna was breathing hard before she’d covered even half a mile. The streambed route that was her only option began climbing immediately from where it intersected the main drainage and running up a grade at that already high elevation was grueling. Shauna could only hope it was harder on her pursuers than it was on her and that they would soon give up. But she soon encountered a new problem as she entered an area where the trees thinned out and the forest became more open. Here, the exposed ground was completely covered with a light layer of snow. There were patches of snow and ice along the main creek she’d just left too, especially in the deep shade, but there they weren’t so big they couldn’t be avoided. Up here, there was no way around it and no way around leaving tracks in it. She had no time to make an effort to hide them either. What was worse was that it went on like that for as far as she could see ahead. That gave another advantage to her pursuers, as they would be able to follow her even if they couldn’t keep up. Shauna doubted she would break free of the snow until she could work her way up and over the ridge to the warmer side that was exposed to the morning sun. She glanced back over her shoulder again after she’d crossed a hundred yards of the stuff and to her dismay, saw three of the camo-clad men loping relentlessly through the trees on her trail, like hungry wolves running down their prey. Maybe she’d underestimated them? Were these men not only soldiers, but perhaps members of some kind of highly-trained Special Forces unit like Eric had been in? If they were, they wouldn’t give up as easily as she’d hoped, and probably not at all. Shauna briefly reconsidered her options. Pausing to fire a round from the rifle might stop them for a moment, and cause them to seek cover, but then what? She couldn’t run and stay in concealment the entire time. One of them would eventually get a clear shot at her, and that would be the end of it. They might do that anyway, but since they hadn’t fired yet, she figured they must not want her dead.
Shauna dug in again and sprinted for all she was worth, determined to lose those three before they had a chance to close in further. But the terrain was working against her and the way led up an even steeper slope that reduced her pace to little more than a fast hike. Worse yet, she was caught out in the open with no cover or concealment. She gave it everything she had, but Shauna couldn’t reach the top of that exposed slope before the men behind her arrived at a place that gave them an unobstructed view. Shauna flinched and then stumbled as she heard the sudden staccato burst of automatic rifle fire behind her and saw the impact of bullets striking the powder just above her head. She had nowhere to go but down to the ground, where she tried to flatten herself as low as possible, knowing even as she did so that she was still an easy target. But when she stopped, the firing stopped too as suddenly as it had started. Shauna breathed out again, surprised she wasn’t hit. Unlike that day during the firefight offshore in the Gulf when she’d felt the searing pain of a bullet ripping through her hand and arm, she felt nothing but the adrenalin. She thought maybe another burst was coming, but when it didn’t, she risked a glance back at the men and saw that the one that had fired his weapon still had her in his sights, while two of his companions were spreading out and advancing in her direction. Behind those three, she could now see two more of their party that had just caught up to them. Shauna’s run was finished, and there was nothing she could do but wait and see what they were going to do now that they had her at their mercy. To do otherwise would be suicide, and she knew it. Shauna moved her hands to the top of her head where they could see them as she waited for the two that approached to close in. Both of them had their weapons trained on her as well, and she had no choice but to comply with their orders.
“KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE THEY ARE AND DON’T MOVE!” One of the men said as he circled to one side, while his companion moved to the other flank. Her rifle was in the snow beside her where she’d dropped it and the Glock was clearly visible on her belt, as she’d made no attempt to draw it.
“Don’t shoot! I’m not moving!”
“Roll over, face down! But keep your hands on top of your head where I can see them!”
Shauna did as she was ordered and a moment later the second man was on top of her, pinning her down in the snow with a knee in the small of her back as he yanked the Glock out of her holster and tossed the rifle out of reach. Then, moving to one side, he pulled her hands down behind her back and held them together as he reached for something in his pocket. Shauna struggled and tried to pull her hands free, but by then, the man’s companion was there beside him as well, and she heard more voices as the others closed in. Seconds later, she felt her wrists constricted as she heard the unmistakable clicking of a plastic zip tie c
inched into place around them.
“What are you doing? Let me go!”
“You’re under arrest! Stop resisting or it will be harder than it has to be.”
“Under arrest for what? I haven’t done anything wrong! Who are you people? What right do you have to arrest anyone out here?”
“You’re under arrest for suspicion of terrorism and armed insurrection!”
“I’m not a terrorist! Are you insane? I’m an American citizen.”
“I’m not interested in your citizenship. You’re illegally in possession of weapons in an insurgent occupied zone. But more relevant, you just fired one of those weapons at authorized government contractors.”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t fired a weapon at anyone!”
“Other than the two rounds back there where you tried to ambush our patrol along that creek?”
“I wasn’t firing at any of you! I didn’t even know you were there. I was deer hunting in the area when I happened upon a big black bear at close range and surprised it. I screamed at it, hoping to scare it away, and when that didn’t work, I fired my rifle to make more noise! The bear stopped coming towards me, but I had to fire a second time before it ran off. When it did, I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. I had no idea anyone else was around until I heard someone yelling at me, and then I saw the bunch of you in camouflage running towards me with guns. I ran because I didn’t know who you were, and I was scared!”
“A bear?” The man chuckled and turned to his companion. “We haven’t seen any bears, have we Mullins?”
“No sir! That sounds like a bullshit story to me, Chief.”
“It’s not bullshit!” Shauna said. “These mountains are full of bears. Anyone should know that!”
“Maybe so but forget about the bear. I just want to know how many of you there are up here, and where your base of operations is located.”
Feral Nation Series Box Set 2 [Books 4-6] Page 36