Perilous Pursuit

by Kathleen Tailer

  She heard the door shut behind them with a snap, and she jumped at the sound. Now what was going to happen? She turned slightly and was met by her abductor’s smiling face. He took a step closer and then another until he was only a few short inches from her face. He was so close that she could see the gray flecks in his dark eyes and the ruddy flush of his skin. “Yep, you sure are a pretty one.”

  She took a step back and then another, shaking her head as she did so. She bumped against the table, and the man moved closer and grabbed her hair, letting it shift between his fingers. She pulled her head back, but instead of releasing her, he grabbed her hair in a fist and pulled her roughly toward him. She groaned at the awkward angle of her neck and grimaced from pain. He pulled her forward a few more steps and then forced her to sit in one of the dirty chairs.

  “Tie her up good and strong,” he said roughly to Whiny. “We don’t want her getting away.” She felt rope across her chest as the smaller man complied, but her eyes never left her abductor. He slowly released her hair, and she pulled her head away from him in the only act of defiance left to her.

  Whiny stood, his job complete. Her abductor bent to examine the other man’s work and then stepped away, apparently satisfied. He motioned toward the door. “Let’s go get the other one,” he said heavily.

  Mackenzie’s heart raced. They had abducted someone else, as well? A new anxiety swelled within her. Who was the other person? Was it a man or a woman? Was he a criminal and another threat, or someone who could ultimately help her escape? Various scenarios played out in her mind, but none of them were good. Tears formed in her eyes, but she blinked them away as best she could. This wasn’t the time to fall apart. She needed to stay alert and think. She closed her eyes and said another silent prayer. She definitely needed God and His help to endure.

  The front door opened again, and the two men entered, pulling a body with them. From the angle of the chair, she could tell it was a man, but not much else. She jerked involuntarily as they let him fall to the floor with a thud, several feet behind her. Whoever it was must have been out cold or dead because she heard no sounds of struggle as they kicked him with their boots.

  “Man, he was heavy.”

  “No kidding.” There was a pause. “Good grief! I got his blood on my shirt.” She cringed at the words and heard the two men rustling around in the room and cabinet doors opening and closing. Then her abductor stood back in her line of sight, holding a small kitchen towel and wiping the blood from his hands. He grinned at her, almost appearing to feed off her fear.

  “Don’t worry, princess. I’ll come back for you soon. We don’t want you dead. We just want you out of the way for a few days.”

  He touched her shoulder and squeezed it roughly. She flinched, but since she was tied to the chair there wasn’t anywhere for her to go. He leaned closer and drew a finger slowly down her cheek. She pulled her head away as far as she could but still couldn’t avoid his touch. He laughed, throwing the towel near the sink, and then punched Whiny in the arm. “All right. Let’s get out of here.” She heard their steps as they left the room. The door slammed behind them, and she heard a lock engage. A few minutes later, the car engine roared to life once again, and the vehicle drove slowly away from the shack.

  Mackenzie breathed a sigh of relief but then immediately focused on her surroundings. If the men were coming back, she had to figure out a way to escape. Now. She didn’t know if they’d be back in an hour or if they would leave her like this for days, but either way, she didn’t plan on being here when they returned. She listened carefully and could just make out the sounds of the other person’s breathing. Good. Whoever it was wasn’t dead, but he obviously wasn’t in good shape, either. Maybe she could help him, and they could work together to form an escape plan. Before she could do that, though, she needed to get out of the bindings.

  ELEVEN

  Mackenzie’s mind whirled. The first thing she needed to do was get out of this chair, or at least turn it around so she could see what else was in the room with her. She tried to get rid of the gag, but no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t loosen the filthy material. She paused for a moment, thinking, and then started rocking the chair. She wasn’t sure making the chair fall to the floor was really her best option since she didn’t know what was down there, but she hoped that somehow, she could get the ropes and gag off if she could rub them or catch them against something sharp on the floor. It was the only thing to do. The chair hit the ground with a bang, and more pain radiated up her arms. She gasped and paused to regroup for a moment, waiting for the ache to subside.

  It was then that she heard it. A small groan escaped from the other person in the room, and then she heard movement as if he was struggling to sit up. Her first thought was that the stranger could help her, but what if he was another criminal that had crossed the men who had abducted her? Maybe the other person was just as bad as or worse than the men who had left them here... She really hadn’t gotten a good look at him when her abductor and the whiny man had brought him into the cabin. In fact, she’d barely seen more than a motionless dark shape. Fresh fear swept from her head to her toes, and she put all the effort she could into inching herself along the floor, feeling for anything that could help her get herself free from her bindings. The floor seemed to be made of wood, and it was old and rough against her skin. She hoped there was something on the floor, perhaps a doorstop or something similar, which would help her at least take off the gag so she could breathe normally. She pushed again, rubbing her hands against the rough wooden planks and ignoring the pain from her arms as a sliver of desperation swept over her. Wasn’t there any way she could free herself? She pushed again and winced as a nail from a floorboard caught her face and tore into her skin. She grimaced but felt the first seeds of hope start to sprout. She maneuvered against the nail, pulling and pushing until she finally freed herself of the gag.

  She worked her jaw a bit, and the new angle she was in gave her a better look at her surroundings. The floor was filthy, and she could see an assortment of spiderwebs and bug carcasses in every direction. Since those were currently the least of her problems, though, she tried to focus instead on getting her hands untied. She maneuvered her arms and pulled the rope against the nail. It only seemed to make the knots tighter. The other person groaned again, and she worked more frantically at the rope, but to no avail. No matter what she did, the knots just seemed to tighten and cause the rope to bite deeper into her wrists.

  “Mackenzie?”

  The voice was soft but recognizable. “Jake?” She quickly pushed against the floor and tried to move the chair so she could see him, but the chair caught against the table leg and got wedged so tightly that it was hard to move. Even though she couldn’t see him, her heart soared. With Jake nearby, she knew her odds of survival had just increased exponentially.

  “Are you okay?” he said roughly.

  “Yeah, but they tied me to this chair. Now I’m stuck.” She yanked again, and the wood creaked with her efforts but didn’t give.

  “Whoa, hold on there...ah...give me a sec, and I’ll help you.”

  She heard him shuffling behind her and then felt his hands working on the ropes. A few minutes later, the binding fell away. She was finally able to stretch out her arms, take the rest of the ropes off and pull herself up to sitting position. Her muscles nearly sang with relief.

  “Thanks!” She turned to him. “Are you okay?” Her words of gratitude were quickly forgotten as she reached for his head and touched his cheek gently. Blood had caked on the left side of his head and surrounded a nasty-looking wound. Head wounds always bled a ridiculous amount, and this one was no exception. The blood had dripped down his ear and neck and left a dark stain on his shirt.

  He grimaced and sat back, moving slowly. “I’ve got a bit of a headache.”

  “I don’t doubt it!” she exclaimed, and then lowered her voice once she realize
d that loud volumes would only worsen his pain. She moved closer and gingerly examined his wound. “You’re going to need stitches.”

  “We’ll see if I get to a hospital in time. If I don’t, I’ll just have a really cool new hairstyle.”

  Mackenzie laughed. “I can’t believe you’re joking at a time like this.” She stood and glanced around the room. Then she moved to the sink and tried the faucet. Brown water spurted out as air bubbles cleared the line, but after a few minutes the water ran clear. She left the water running for a few minutes as she looked through the cabinets to see if she could find any kitchen towels or other fabric. The bloody hand towel her abductor had used still lay on the floor, but she continued searching, hoping she could find something else. She finally found a somewhat clean dish towel in the last drawer she searched and quickly wet it and returned to Jake’s side. He still hadn’t stood and instead had scooted back and was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Gingerly, she began wiping away the blood.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else? Your bottom lip looks swollen.”

  “It’s not that bad. My ribs hurt a bit, but I think the head wound is the worst of it.”

  She returned to the sink to rinse out the towel and then resumed cleaning the wound. His muscles tightened under her ministrations, but after a few minutes he seemed to relax and his eyes slowly drifted closed again. The gash had stopped bleeding but started again as she worked. Still, there was dirt around the wound, so she felt like the cleaning was necessary and the slight amount of bleeding was actually helping her to get small bits of sand and debris out of the cut. Once the wound was cleaned, she rinsed the towel again and held it against the wound to stop the bleeding. She gently took Jake’s hand and placed it on top of the fabric. “Here, hold this on the wound for a sec while I look for some bandages.”

  He nodded his assent, and she got up and searched the rest of the cabin for a first aid kit. There wasn’t a lot to search since the one-room cabin was small and only had a few sticks of furniture, but in the bathroom she found what she was looking for in the bottom of the cabinet under the sink. The first aid kit was small, but it contained a tube of Neosporin and some gauze and medical tape. The date had passed on the tube of antibiotic ointment, but it was still better than nothing. She returned, dressed his wound and then gently touched his lip to assess the damage.

  He opened his eyes at her touch, and she gave him a smile as she enjoyed the warmth in those green depths. His presence alone had made her worst fears dissipate, even in his injured state. “I think you’re going to make it, Deputy.”

  He reached for her hand and squeezed it, and surprisingly, didn’t let go. “Thanks, Doc.”

  “You’re welcome.” She sat and leaned against the wall next to him, enjoying the feeling of his fingers interlocking with hers. His presence and touch were very comforting.

  Neither spoke for a few minutes, and Mackenzie said a small prayer of thanks, just letting the peaceful feelings drift over her and replace the anxiety. God had heard her pleas, and He’d sent her help. She didn’t know how all of this would end, but at least she wouldn’t be alone.

  Finally, Jake gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Mackenzie, I need you to pretend you’re a detective, okay? Start with anything you might have seen or heard since you were taken from the parking lot, and don’t stop until you get to the part where I just woke up.”

  Mackenzie raised an eyebrow, thinking back. “I’m not sure what’s important and what’s not...”

  “No worries. Just tell me everything you can remember. I’ll ask questions along the way to help you out.”

  “Okay.” She brushed the hair out of her eyes. “I was waiting with my camera when this man forced me at gunpoint to get in the car with him, and then he took me to this house in the country where there were three other men and a woman. I never got a good look at them, but I heard the different voices. The man who abducted me tied my hands, gagged me and then locked me in a bedroom. He talked with the others about what to do next. A little while later, he forced me into the back seat of that green car, and then about half an hour later, he came back and put something heavy in the trunk. I guess it was you.”

  Jake nodded, apparently absorbing the information. “The man that took you from the parking lot was Bryson Taylor. He was the fugitive we were after at the warehouse, and I recognized him when I was chasing you. He must have slipped through the perimeter and grabbed you as a bargaining chip in case he got captured.” Jake’s soft Southern voice was comforting, but his words chilled Mackenzie even further.

  “That was part of it. I mean, when I was locked in that bedroom, I heard them say something about how kidnapping me was also a diversion, and if the cops were busy looking for me, they wouldn’t be paying attention to the boss and the fact that he was moving merchandise, or something like that. I’m not sure I understood them correctly. It’s hard to put the pieces together so they all make sense.” She took a breath. “I also remember the woman saying they needed to move your car and put it on the other side of town so the police would be looking in the wrong area. I think she was trying to give the other men something to do to keep them from fighting because they were really getting upset with each other.”

  “Did they ever mention Beckett’s name?”

  Mackenzie nodded. “Yes. The man with the whiny voice asked if the other knew Beckett had been arrested. He was worried Beckett would talk and implicate him.”

  * * *

  Jake sat quietly for a few minutes, absorbing the information. His head felt like it would split right open, and his ribs hurt with each breath he took, but he willed the pain away and tried to concentrate on the facts. “I have a theory. Bryson Taylor is a known thief with a long rap sheet. I’m thinking both he and Beckett are somehow connected to Lager, either directly or indirectly. Either way, I would imagine that my team ended up seizing a boatload of stolen merchandise at the warehouse once the dust cleared. Taylor’s team must have some more stolen merchandise stashed at another location, and to be safe, they’re going to try to move it, just in case we’re able to figure out where it is. There are probably clues in the warehouse about where they’re keeping everything, and they know it’s just a matter of time before we discover their other hiding place. By taking you and me and keeping us hidden, they’re probably hoping the police will be so busy looking for us that they can buy enough time to either sell the stuff or stash it somewhere safe and recoup some of their losses.” He sighed. “Taylor is right. You can be sure they are out there looking for us, Mackenzie. They won’t stop until they find us.”

  Jake opened his eyes again and glanced at their hands. He then turned and met her eyes, his feelings of worry suddenly intense. “Are you sure they didn’t hurt you? Taylor has a rough reputation. He can be downright mean when he wants to be.”

  Mackenzie shook her head. “No. I’m okay. Really. I would tell you if they had.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow. “Would you?” He could see a slight flush in her cheeks, but he couldn’t keep the protectiveness out of his voice.

  “Yes. I promise. He scared me, but I’m okay. Really.”

  He leaned back, satisfied, and closed his eyes again. “Okay. What happened next?”

  “We drove for about an hour, made a few turns, and then came up a bumpy road until we ended up here. I guess this is an old hunting shack. I didn’t see any other houses nearby when I got out of the car. Wherever they stashed us, I have a feeling we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Did they say anything about coming back?”

  “Yes, but they didn’t say when.”

  “Did you hear them mention any other names?”

  Mackenzie shook he head. “Beckett was the only name they mentioned. I can’t even really describe the others. One man had a mustache. The woman’s hair was kind of a reddish brown. I’m sorry I don’t know more. I only got a glimpse of them.” />
  He squeezed her hand again. “You’re doing great.” He willed his head to stop spinning so he could concentrate. He probably had a concussion from the blow, which would explain the dizziness and nausea he was feeling. What he needed was a few hours of rest so his body could recover from his head injury, but it was blatantly obvious that he wasn’t going to get it. If Taylor and his buddy were coming back, it behooved them both to clear out as quickly as they could before they returned. He didn’t remember Taylor having any murder charges on his rap sheet, but he wouldn’t put it past him. The man was malicious—Jake had seen a coldness in his eyes when they’d fought by his truck, and he didn’t want to experience another confrontation where Mackenzie could get caught in the crossfire.

  He glanced over at Mackenzie and enjoyed the softness of her hand. He had to admit that she was handling this whole situation amazingly well. Most people he knew would be panic-stricken by now, with abundant tears and hysterics. Mackenzie was one tough cookie. She had gently doctored his wound, and he found her touch strangely comforting. He hadn’t felt truly attracted to anyone in a long time, but now, even with the gentlest contact, sparks seemed to be flying between them. Her hair was in disarray and her face was smudged with dirt, but he still found her incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were simply mesmerizing.

  He shook himself slightly to clear his head. What happened to his resolve to remain a loner? Thinking about Mackenzie wasn’t going to get them back to civilization, either, and she was counting on him to save them. He could see it in her eyes. He needed to think.

  Dear God, help me focus. Please take away some of this pain so I can protect Mackenzie and keep her safe. Give me the strength I need to persevere. I know You’re with me. Please guide me and help me make good decisions to get us both out of here.