Will waited and listened, staring out the door, the porch both covering and hiding him from the searchers.
“Where’s Snake?”
“He went out.”
“You need to warn him.”
“Don’t worry. He won’t be waving at the helicopter. If anything, he’s angry that someone is looking for us and will inadvertently discover him.”
A spray of bullets ricocheted through the woods. Will slammed the door and pressed his back against it. Determination carved his features. “We have to get out of here.”
Scrambling around the cabin, he grabbed coats and packs that must have been prepared while Sylvie had slept. He tossed Sylvie a pair of Snake’s boots. “Try those. They might be too big, but you need something to protect your feet besides the diving boots.”
Sylvie understood the urgency and worked to put the boots on. There wasn’t time to look for socks. It didn’t matter if the boots didn’t fit. But how could she run with her injured ankle?
The sound of the rotor blades drifted away.
“Do you think they’ll come back?”
“They’re not really gone. They’re just looking for a place to land. They’re onto us, Sylvie. They know we’ve taken refuge in this cabin.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t use a more stealth approach. They would have caught us off guard.”
“It also would have taken longer, and they wouldn’t want to give us a chance to get away.” He pulled on his coat. “They’re determined to find you. What haven’t you told me, Sylvie?”
In the distance more automatic gunfire resounded outside, saving her from a reply. A big chunk of fear lodged in Sylvie’s stomach. When would this end? She couldn’t imagine it would end well.
Will went to the door and opened it.
“Wait! What are you doing? You can’t go out there. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“I have to find Snake. Make sure he’s okay.” Will grabbed a weapon off the table and chambered a round. He handed it to Sylvie. “You know how to use this?”
“Well enough.” She didn’t want it, but these were dire circumstances.
Once it was in her grip, she stared at it, a vise of fear squeezing her chest. Finally, she looked up at Will. All this she’d brought on him. On Snake. “Be careful.”
Understanding passed between them. They were in this together. “Stay here and be ready to run when I get back.”
Sylvie set the weapon on the table and sat in a chair to slip on Snake’s boots. They rose above her midcalf and, if she tightened them enough, they just might be adequate support for her ankle so she could run.
She heard him outside on the porch. He hadn’t left yet. Good. The too-big boots secured as much as possible. Sylvie shoved from the chair, pulled on the coat and opened the door to say words she’d never thought she’d say to anyone.
“Don’t leave me!”
But Will had already disappeared through the woods to find Snake. She feared he would come face-to-face with the gunmen.
* * *
There was nothing he hated more than leaving Sylvie, but it couldn’t be helped. He’d keep one eye on the cabin as he searched the nearby woods for Snake, who’d gone to one of the outbuildings. He should have returned by now.
When Will had first heard the helicopter, he’d tucked his borrowed weapon in his shoulder holster and prepared for what the next few moments would hold. And now he was in the thick of this fight for survival.
Hiding behind trees as he searched, he moved with stealth through the woods, watching the cabin as he went. “Snake,” he whispered loudly. “Where are you?”
The man could have taken off and left Will and Sylvie there to fend for themselves for all Will knew. But Will didn’t want to believe it. The helicopter still hovered in the distance, confirming Will’s belief the pilot was searching for a place to land or release someone who would soon come for them on foot. He couldn’t be sure that someone wasn’t already on the ground.
A glance back at the cabin told him no one had approached, but that could change at any moment. He had to get Sylvie out of there. Using the trees for cover, he searched for the missing man.
“Snake.”
An ominous dark color surrounded a mound by the woodpile. Will’s gut tightened. After another glance at the cabin and through the woods, he ran forward, dropped to his knees and searched for a pulse. But the wound in Snake’s head and the blood-stained ground told him enough.
“No...” Will cried. Acid burned his throat. “No, God, why?”
Snake’s death was his fault. He shouldn’t have brought Sylvie here, but he hadn’t known it would end like this.
He said a quick prayer over Snake then, “I’m sorry, Snake. Real sorry.”
Will pushed to his feet and scraped the raw emotion from his face, letting anger and determination push up and drive him forward. He hefted Snake in a fireman’s carry and trudged to the cabin. He’d have to get to Juneau before he could organize a funeral for the man, but until then, he wouldn’t leave his body to the wolves.
Wolves came in many different forms.
When he made it to the cabin, the door opened and Sylvie stood there wide-eyed and waiting.
“What happened?”
“They got Snake. We have to leave now. I heard them landing.”
“I’m so sorry.” Sylvie looked as if she would cry, but ran her hand across her eyes and swiped the emotions away.
“No time for regrets. If we want to live we have to go.” Will looked her over. “Looks like you’re ready. The temperature is dropping. We have at least three hours to hike and evade capture while we wait for a rescue. Grab the packs. I’m going to use the radio one last time.” He went to the small room where Snake kept his Ham radio. Again, old school, but Chief Winters kept one, as well.
Will made the call and warned Chief Winters what had happened so he could bring backup and understand the urgency and danger they would face. Will wasn’t sure how long he and Sylvie could last, but knowing that others were on their way to help bolstered his confidence. He had a smidgen of hope they would survive.
It didn’t last long. Not when he heard what the chief had to say next.
He finished on the radio and hung his head.
“What’s wrong?” Sylvie asked from behind.
“Their helicopter was diverted to another emergency and delayed. Chief Winters promises to find other resources for us and send them as soon as possible. For obvious reasons, I can’t hang out at the radio and call someone else for help.”
He left the room and grabbed one of the packs that Sylvie had set next to the sofa. Snake had prepared food and supplies for them. Will scrambled to put it on as Sylvie did hers. Wait. Will had to carry Sylvie instead of the pack. Snake was supposed to carry one of them and now he was gone.
Sylvie leaned against the sofa and watched him. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to survive.” He refused to let her see the fear that gripped him. Only his determination to stay alive.
“You ready?”
She nodded.
“Let’s go.”
He tried to assist her, let her lean against him to walk across the cabin, but she shrugged out of his reach. “I can do this.”
He’d let her think that until they had to run. For now it was awfully quiet out there. Will peeked through the door, weapon at the ready. They would be most vulnerable leaving the cabin, but he’d stay close to the trees. Snake had done well in using the canopy to hide this place, though the smoke from the chimney had most decidedly given them away to anyone bent on finding them. But all they had to do was stay alive just long enough to make their rendezvous—and hope that help would actually arrive, as planned.
Before he opened the door wide, he looked at Sylvie. “We’re going to make a run for it.
And you might not like this.”
Her eyes grew wary. “What?”
“I’m going to carry you piggyback style. It’s the best way for me to run and make good time and get us out of danger.”
Sylvie opened her mouth to argue then shut it. She blew out a breath. “Okay.”
“All we have to do is stay alive long enough. Help is on the way. They’re coming for us.” Just not as fast as Will had hoped.
He’d never had to run for his life. Never had to protect someone or help them this way. He never wanted anyone to depend on him like Sylvie depended on him, though she’d never admit to that. But he could see the uncertainty and apprehension in her eyes—beautiful hazel eyes that he wanted to look at again under much different circumstances.
Knock it off.
Will opened the door and positioned her on his back. “Are you okay? Am I hurting you?”
“No. I’m fine.”
But he heard the discomfort in her voice. She wouldn’t tell him she was in pain.
A bullet slammed into the log next to his head.
They were out of time.
SEVEN
Sylvie fought the scream that exploded in her throat.
Will slammed the door shut. Ignoring her ankle, Sylvie slipped down to let him catch his breath. He pressed his back against the door.
“God, we could use some help here,” he said between gasps. “They’re a good distance away so we have this one chance to escape the cabin.”
After gesturing her out of the way, he motioned for her to duck down. “Be ready to run.”
Then he opened the door again to deliver a round of bullets. He slammed the door and picked her up and ran to the back of the cabin. He set her gently against the wall as if she were porcelain.
“We have seconds before they make the cabin.”
She gulped a breath. “How many... How many are there?”
“I don’t know.” Will struggled with the window. “Two maybe.”
She hoped he didn’t make too much noise so they’d focus on the front door. “Before, there were only two men. Diverman and Rifleman.” That she knew about. Had there been someone equally murderous driving the boat? And obviously, someone had stolen her boat, moving it out of her reach. Destroying the evidence she’d even been there.
Will finally got the window open then quietly slipped through, watching the woods as he assisted her out. The trees made good cover here, if nothing else. But then there was an open patch they had to cross. Sylvie followed him through the window, ignoring her pain, bruises and scratches from yesterday. What did any of her injuries matter if someone shot her in the head like Snake?
Once she climbed through the window, Will let her scramble onto his back again and then he sprinted as though she weighed nothing, which she knew wasn’t true. She might be small, but her solid frame made her weigh more than other women her size.
By the time he made it across the small clearing between the cabin and outbuildings and into the thick cover of woods, Will was breathing hard. He stopped behind a big tree for cover and panted. Sylvie wanted her freedom from the position on his back but knew to keep quiet. They weren’t out of trouble yet and she wasn’t sure they would ever be until help came.
He crept forward between the trees, putting distance between them and Snake’s cabin. She’d brought danger to Snake that had killed him—a man who’d chosen to live away from civilization. Her stomach soured. It never should have happened.
She couldn’t let it happen to Will. She tried to watch the woods to help him, but twisting her neck around while she jostled on his back made her dizzy. Neither did she want a bullet in the back. Maybe the pack she wore would provide protection enough. Will stepped into a brook and waded upstream, getting his boots wet. She wasn’t sure how far they’d gone when he stepped out of the brook and paused in the crack of a bluff between large boulders. When he set her down, she collapsed onto soft, mossy ground and shrugged out of the backpack.
He plopped down next to her, his face drawn tight. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
She nodded.
To her surprise, he ran a finger down her cheek, picking something off. A leaf, dirt, she wasn’t sure, but something in his gesture made it feel as though he cherished Sylvie. That couldn’t be true. Nor did she want that from him or anyone. Unfortunately, her heart jumped at his touch no matter her personal resolve.
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“We can hike to town if we have to.”
Right. She blew out a breath. Like she would believe that. Time to face the truth. “Even if that were true, it won’t take them long to track us. We’re too slow and we can’t outrun them. We can’t make it to town before they find us.”
“Then we’ll just stay alive until help arrives.” Will leaned in closer until his face was inches from hers. So he could lower his voice? “Do you trust me?”
His brown eyes seemed to caress her. His masculine scent—a woodsy mixture of loam and pure, wild adrenaline—grew heady and wrapped around her until she couldn’t breathe. She struggled to speak. “I don’t know.”
She couldn’t rely on anyone but herself. Still, she wanted to trust Will. Just how far, she wasn’t sure.
His brows knit together.
“I trust you to do your best, but don’t lie to me about our chances. I’m grateful for all you’ve done, but I don’t see how we’re going to make it.”
Hurt spilled from his gaze. He eased back, pulled his weapon out. “Have a little faith, will you?”
“I’ve never had anyone shoot at me before, have you?”
“No.” He angled his head to listen. Through the opening between the boulders he watched the woods.
She didn’t like this position. They were trapped. Someone could ambush them. What was he thinking by stopping here?
When he turned back, the warmth had returned to his eyes, but under it was a cold resolve that hadn’t been there before. It scared her. This wasn’t the Will she’d come to know in a few short hours. Was this experience changing him, like it changed her? And yet, how could it not?
“What are you thinking?” she asked, not at all sure she wanted to hear his answer.
Drawing a breath, he worked his jaw. She was close enough she could feel the muscles in his shoulders tense. “I’ve never had anyone shoot at me. Nor have I ever shot at someone until today. And I’ve never—” he exhaled long and hard “—killed another human being.”
He hung his head, and once again Sylvie held her breath even with her heart pounding wildly. “Will.” Her whisper was a mere croak.
He lifted his eyes to hers. The way he held her gaze, searched for something inside her, Sylvie almost thought he was trying to decide if she was worth the cost, but then she knew he’d already found that answer. He’d claimed that he was just doing what anyone else would have by rescuing her yesterday, but he was going far beyond what she ever could have expected from a stranger. And Sylvie had the strangest sensation that this moment in time bonded them together forever. Gave them a connection like no other. She didn’t want to be that close to anyone or dependent on them. She saw where that had gotten her mother. But at that moment her connection to Will was her lifeline, and it went far deeper than she cared to admit.
Whatever the bond, he broke it with his next words. “My father taught me everything I know about weapons. Told me if you’re going to learn how to shoot a gun, you’d better be prepared to use it.”
Sylvie wasn’t sure she liked where this conversation was going. Her insides quaked, but at the same time she resigned herself to the fact that they might have to kill to survive. “Meaning?”
“I will protect you, Sylvie. Whatever it takes. Whatever that means. If it comes to that, I’ll kill for you.”
* * *
His words elicited dread in her eyes. He wan
ted her to believe in him, believe they could survive this. The words were meant for him as much as for her. He had to speak out his resolve, let it sink in. When he’d fired his weapon from the cabin, he hadn’t been aiming at anything or anyone in particular. The shots had been meant to deter their pursuers. He wasn’t in a position to make a kill shot then anyway.
But if they were on their own, if help wouldn’t come soon enough, Will would cover ground, as much as possible. Then he’d lie in wait and make the kill if it came to that.
“We need to keep moving.” He hoped they hadn’t rested too long. “You ready?”
“No, I’m not. How long do we keep running?”
“Until it’s over.” His tone had turned brusque. He didn’t recognize himself at the moment. But he didn’t like the feeling that death was swooping down on them like a raptor just waiting for the right moment to stick its claws in.
He peered from behind the boulder. Watched and listened. Patches of light dappled the woods. At least it wasn’t raining at the moment. The thick greenery was tranquil except for birdsong and skittering small animals through brush. A red squirrel darted into Will and Sylvie’s hiding place between the boulders then back out. They probably stood too near where the creature had stashed acorns. They’d leave soon enough and the squirrel could get to his stash.
If the woods could be trusted, there didn’t seem to be any sign of their assailants.
In the distance a twig snapped, and a hush fell over the forest. Even the breeze dropped. Another snap and it almost sounded as if the man had taken a wrong turn. Was going in the wrong direction. That would give Will and Sylvie a chance.
After he positioned Sylvie so they could make good time, he crept quietly, slowly, from behind the boulder. Relief washed through him. No answering gunfire was there to meet them. And yet he couldn’t afford to let down his guard for even a second.
Alaskan Mountain Pursuit Page 6