Hunted

by Margaret Daley

  “Scary. That makes me realize even more how important it is to believe in the Lord. We aren’t in control. He is, and for that, I’m thankful.”

  Luke refrained from replying. Instead he took both dogs downstairs and out into the backyard. He put Lady down, and she trotted off next to Shep. The light from the deck illuminated the area. Luke kept an eye on them.

  What Megan had said about the Lord seeped into his mind, bringing back memories he’d tried to forget. Neither his money nor his prayers had been able to save Rochelle. He’d poured himself out, begging God to save her. But she died, leaving a void he didn’t think he could ever fill again. He preferred to be in control.

  Luke whistled for Shep. His dog loped toward him with Lady right behind him. At least during the past few years he’d been involved in search and rescue, the hole created by Rochelle’s death was slowly filling. But he’d learned never to get that close to another woman again. Megan challenged that.

  * * *

  Stuck between Shep on one side of the bed and Lady on the other, Megan lay on her back, staring up at the canopy. She still wore her freshly washed shirt and jeans with the school keys in her pocket, too tired to get up and change into the pajamas Liliana had loaned her. A slither of brightness from the security lights outside taunted her to climb out of bed and close the drapery better, but the two dogs were finally settled, and she hated disturbing them. Instead, she carefully rolled to her side facing away from the window, leaving Shep stretched out along her back. Lady readjusted herself against her chest.

  Exhaustion crept slowly through her, the adrenaline rush she’d been functioning on for most of the day subsiding finally. Sleep whisked her away…

  A low rumble sounded in her ear. A wet tongue licked her cheek. She opened her eyes to find Shep hovering over her while Lady was in her face. The growl grew louder as the German shepherd nudged her with his nose then barked.

  All remnants of sleep vanished, and Megan sat up. The sliver of light had changed—brighter.

  Was it morning already? Then why didn’t Luke wake her up?

  She hopped out of bed and hurried to the window, shoving the draperies open. Below her, fire had eaten its way to the house and up the front.

  Chapter Seven

  Transfixed, Megan stared at the flames below, their yellow-orange color mesmerizing.

  Shep barked repeatedly—the sound finally penetrating her daze.

  Megan gasped and swung around. She grabbed Lady and raced into the hallway with Shep running ahead, yapping.

  She stopped and looked up and down the corridor. Which room was Luke’s?

  The second she finished that thought, a door across from her flew open.

  Hair tousled, Luke appeared dressed in his gym shorts and a T-shirt. “What’s going on?”

  Before Megan could say anything, the home’s fire alarm screeched.

  As she pointed back into her bedroom, Liliana rushed out into the hallway from the room next to Megan’s, yelling, “Fire out front. I’ve called 9-1-1 and Malcolm. He’ll rally whoever’s at the farm to fight the fire.”

  “We’ve got to get out of here. Heel, Shep.” Luke hurried toward the staircase.

  Her heartbeat pounding, Megan clutched Lady against her chest and followed Luke with Liliana next to Megan. Was this blaze caused by the same person who burned her house? Probably. Which meant whoever was after her had found her.

  At the top of the stairs, Luke stopped. “How bad is the fire outside?”

  Thick smoke filled the downstairs foyer with tentacles snaking their way up to the second floor. Coughs racked Megan as she turned away from it.

  “From what I could see it was set along the front of the house,” Liliana said.

  Luke pivoted and shoved open the door to the bedroom nearest the stairs along the back of the house.

  Megan glanced over her shoulder and gestured toward the first floor. “I see flames. The fire has reached the entry hall.”

  Luke reappeared in the corridor. “So far the back is fine. We can’t go down the stairs. We’ll have to escape out a window along the rear of the house. Now. It’s spreading fast.”

  Each breath Megan took in was filled with more smoke than the one before. “Do you have any rope?”

  “Yes. Let’s go back to my room. It’s with my camping equipment I keep there.” Luke retraced his steps to his bedroom. “Liliana, close my door and cram clothes or something like that under it. I’ll get the rope. Megan, open the window and make sure the fire hasn’t reached that area.” He headed into his walk-in closet.

  Liliana stripped the top sheet off the mattress and shoved it under the door. “There. That should help.”

  After putting Lady in a nearby chair, Megan unlocked the window, lifted it up, then clutched the sill and leaned out slightly to assess the back of the house. The drop was about fifteen feet down. Sweat popped out on her forehead, and her breathing raced. She quickly stood back, trying to convince herself that fifteen feet off the ground wasn’t that high.

  She didn’t see any flames, but plumes of smoke from the sides of the house billowed and began to roil across the yard below. The sound of sirens vied with the crackling of the fire. “So far the back is still okay.”

  Luke joined her, having donned jeans and a T-shirt. “I’ve tied one end around a leg of the bed. It weighs about seven hundred pounds, so it should hold. “Liliana, you go down first then Megan. As soon as she’s on the ground, Liliana get help. While she’s doing that, Megan, I’ll send Shep down. After you untie him, I’ll climb down with Lady in a backpack.”

  Luke put on leather gloves and secured the rope around Liliana. Then after looping it around his waist and bracing himself, he slowly lowered her to the ground.

  He glanced over his shoulder at Megan. “It’s your turn.”

  “I guess this isn’t the time to tell you I’m scared of heights.”

  He chuckled. “Right. Just hold onto the rope. I’ll do all the work. You can close your eyes.”

  Megan scooped up Lady from the nearby chair and hugged her. “You do what Luke wants. I’ll see you in a minute.”

  Luke took the poodle, put her in a backpack, then fashioned a harness around Megan. Like Liliana, she backed out of the window, her feet dangling while she clung to the windowsill with both her hands.

  “You have to let go, Megan. I’ve got you. I won’t drop you.”

  She wanted to release her grip, but she couldn’t make herself do it.

  He leaned down and whispered, “You’re safe.”

  “The fire has reached the den. We don’t have a lot of time,” Liliana shouted.

  God is with me.

  A loud crash startled Megan. Her left hand slipped from the ledge, her body swinging to the right. The rest of her fingers slid off the sill, and she stiffened, preparing herself for a sudden drop. But she didn’t fall. Luke slowly lowered her to the ground.

  Megan quickly untied the rope. “Send Shep down.”

  Her gaze darted to the den window nearby. The flames inside illuminated the smoked filled room on the backside of the house.

  “I’m going around front and let the firefighters know we’re all safe.” Liliana hurried toward the side of the house.

  Shep reached the ground as Liliana disappeared around the corner.

  Megan untied him. “Hurry, Luke. The fire’s spreading fast.”

  “I’m coming now.”

  As she watched Luke make his way to the ground, Megan’s attention bounced between the den window and him. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a large man, not dressed as a firefighter, hurrying toward them from the rear of the yard. She tensed, her heartbeat racing like a Thoroughbred competing in the Kentucky Derby. Luke hung a few feet above her head.

  “We’ve got company. To the right.” Megan coughed, the smoke thickening around her.

  “Shep, guard Megan.”

  His dog moved closer to her.

  Luke let go of the rope and dropped the last six
feet to the ground. As he straightened, he turned toward the man still in the shadows and stepped in front of Megan. Tension pulsated off Luke.

  Megan unzipped the backpack and removed Lady who shook. “You’re okay now.” At least she hoped that was true.

  When the man neared, Luke sighed. “That’s an employee, Bud Roberts. He must have still been at the broodmare barn.” He met the man halfway.

  Megan couldn’t hear what the two said. She started for the pair when a group of firefighters came around the corner with Liliana. Megan froze. More sirens resonated through the air. It wouldn’t be long until she would be discovered.

  * * *

  Luke took a look at the firefighters heading toward Megan. He needed to get her out of here. The manager of the broodmare barn was a long-time employee whom Luke trusted, and right now, he needed someone like that. “Bud, will you do me a favor?”

  “Sure, boss.”

  “Can you take my guest to the office in the broodmare barn? She’s been traumatized enough.”

  Bud smiled. “No problem. Then I’ll come back and help.”

  “No. Stay with her and make sure there aren’t any strangers hanging around the barn. I think this fire was set intentionally. I want her safe. Shep will go with her.” Luke gestured to Megan to come to him. When she joined him, he introduced her to Bud as Kate. “Bud will go with you and Shep to the broodmare barn. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Megan turned and called back to Luke. “I appreciate this. Thanks.”

  Luke waited until they disappeared from view before he headed in the direction of the firefighters and Liliana.

  His sister hurried to him. “Where’s Megan going?” she whispered.

  “Bud’s taking her to the broodmare barn. I need to get Megan out of here unseen. Can you handle the police and firefighters? I have some other camping equipment in my car. I’m taking your truck and leaving. I’ll call you later to see about the fire. I have a feeling it was started on purpose. You need to go stay with Uncle Ben in Lexington.” Their uncle was a retired Marine general who would know how to protect Liliana until Luke could figure out what was going on. Until then, he needed to get far away from his family and protect Megan.

  “What’s going on here?” Liliana asked.

  “Good question. It’s got to be something big. One person, maybe more, have been killed over whatever Megan stumbled across, and I don’t want her added to that list. Hire guards to protect the farm, especially the barns.”

  “I will. I’m staying here with Nadine in the guesthouse. I saw her out front. I’m thankful it wasn’t windy, and that the detached garage and other buildings on the farm, especially the ones around the house, are safe.” Liliana pivoted toward the rear of their home.

  Luke reached out and grasped his sister’s hand. “Don’t stay. Go to Uncle Ben.”

  Liliana lifted her chin. “I’ll be fine. Remember I’m hiring guards for the farm. One of us has to be here.”

  “But…”

  Liliana’s narrowed eyes, daring him to disagree, underscored the fact she wouldn’t do what he wanted.

  He searched for another plea for her to leave. “The house can be rebuilt.”

  “But we grew up here. All the memories—” Liliana’s words came to a choking halt.

  “We’ll be okay. We’ll still have our memories,” he tapped his temple, “in our thoughts.” He released his hold on her. “I need to get out of here. I’ll be in touch.” He hugged her then headed toward his SUV.

  His hasty plan to use his sister’s truck wouldn’t work because of the mass of people nearby and the fact her pickup was white. He needed to get away without anyone seeing him. Instead, he carried what he could out of the side entrance to the garage away from the house and people. He headed to the broodmare barn, put his gear down just inside, and then went back for the last part of his camping equipment. When he arrived for the second time, he found Bud and Megan in the office.

  “Bud, I’d like to use your truck. I have the keys to Liliana’s truck, and you can use that.”

  “Your sister’s okay with the trade?”

  “Yes. As you saw tonight, someone isn’t happy with me. Kate and I need to get out of here unseen. Your truck is black. It’ll work. If anything happens to it, I’ll replace it with a brand new one.”

  “I think I got the better deal here. Sure. You can take mine.”

  “Thanks.” Luke turned to Megan. “Ready to leave?”

  She nodded. “What do I do with Lady?”

  “Bud, Liliana will be taking care of Lady. Shep is going with us. My sister will be staying with Nadine.”

  The broodmare manager stood. “I’ll take good care of them and the horses.”

  “I’m hiring guards to protect the farm.”

  Megan hugged Lady then handed the poodle to Bud. “I wish I could say she was like Shep. She isn’t. She has a mind of her own.”

  “I’ve dealt with head-strong animals.” Bud gave Luke a set of keys.

  He passed Bud the one to Liliana’s truck then turned to Megan. “Let’s go.”

  After he covered the taillights, he started for the cab. A sense of someone watching him shivered down his spine. Hand on the driver side’s door, he surveyed the area around him. For a second, he thought he’d glimpsed someone ducking behind the side of the barn. He took a couple of steps in that direction, stopped and went back to the truck. His priority was to get Megan out of here.

  Quickly, he settled behind the steering wheel and handed Megan a pair of night vision goggles. “Hold this for me until I need it.”

  “You aren’t going to use the headlights?”

  “There’s no sense in calling attention to us as we leave.” He started the engine and pulled away from the far side of the broodmare barn. “I’m using the back entrance. I hope no one’s watching that route since it isn’t used much.”

  “You can really see with these goggles?”

  “It’s a weird greenish landscape, but yes, it works.”

  “Why do you have night vision glasses?”

  “It allows me to search for a person after dark. That’s been the difference between life and death for a couple of the people I’ve found.” Now that he was away from the lights and fire, he took the device and put it on. “It took some getting used to.”

  “Where will we end up?”

  “On a gravel road that leads to a paved one. It’s not utilized much.”

  “Are we going to the school then?”

  “Yes, we’ll be there well before Clay, but that way I can case out the area.” He glanced toward Megan. “I’ll let Clay know about the fire although he might have already been informed about it.”

  “I’m surprised he hasn’t called you.”

  “I took the battery out of my phone. I don’t want anyone to track us by it.” He rounded a bend in the road.

  A large horse stood in the path.

  “Hang on.” Luke slammed on the brake. The truck fishtailed and headed straight toward the animal.

  * * *

  Megan barely made out a black shadow moving across their path. A horse? As Luke swerved the truck, she closed her eyes and braced herself for impact.

  The vehicle came to halt. One eyelid slowly lifted then the other. Darkness surrounded them. “What happened?”

  “One of my horses got out of its paddock. Probably because of the fire.”

  Megan swung her gaze from the windshield to the window next to her. “Where did it go?” She fumbled for the handle.

  “Don’t open the door. The light will come on.”

  “Once I get my phone working,” Luke twisted around and grabbed something from the floor behind Megan’s seat, “I need to call Bud and let him know about the horse. There may be more running loose.”

  While Luke made his call, she relaxed and looked in the direction of the main house. In the distance, the fire glowed in the sky. She’d brought this to Luke and his farm, and she couldn’t even remember why some
one wanted her dead. Maybe she should turn herself into the police. Then at least Luke would be safe.

  He ended his conversation with Bud. “Several horses aren’t in their paddocks.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen to you. Instead of going to the school, take me to the Sweetwater City Police Department.”

  Luke started the truck. “No! You can’t. Someone came to the farm and set the house on fire just like yours. Other than your neighbor and the police, no one else knew about a connection between you and me.”

  “That’s why I need to distance myself from you. I don’t want anything to happen to you or your family.”

  “I didn’t save you, so someone can kill you later. We need to go to the school, check the restroom, then hide while we figure out what’s going on.” Luke came to a stop. “Do you think if you distance yourself from me that will end me being in danger? They have no idea what you’ve told me. They wouldn’t take the chance. We’re in this together now.”

  Together. Not alone. That was appealing to Megan, yet how could she forgive herself if something happened to him? “Your house is destroyed because of me.” She couldn’t shake that thought. “I’ve tried not to harm others, especially children. Instead I want to help them.”

  “You haven’t harmed me.” He reached over, took the gate opener clipped to the visor, and pressed its button.

  In the dark, she could barely see the gate, let alone if it was opening. Like with the horse, she only spied a dark shadow moving in her line of vision.

  He drove forward and turned onto the gravel road, stopping only long enough to make sure the gate closed behind them. “We have several hours before we’re going to meet Clay. Do you know somewhere we could stay undetected near the school?”

  “The park near the lake. It’s five minutes from the main campus. But really, you can take me to see Chief Franklin. I don’t want anything to happen—”

  “There’s nothing you can say that will stop me from trying to help you. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”