Deadly Mountain Refuge: Mountain Ambush ; Mountain Hideaway

by Christy Barritt

  Zach walked into the room at that moment.

  “Did you hear anything?” Tessa asked, turning her full attention on him.

  He shook his head. “Not yet. I wish we’d had more time and resources. We could have wired him or put a camera on him. But we couldn’t do that. So we just wait instead.”

  “Do you really think this is going to work?” Tessa dared to ask. She wanted more than anything to believe that this was possible. But then the fear came. The fear of something happening to Trent, of being discovered, of Leo capturing her and exacting his torturous revenge.

  “If anyone can do it, it’s Trent. I know the stress right now is probably overwhelming, but all we can do is wait.”

  “I’d rather be doing something.”

  “The safest thing you can do right now is to stay right here. All we can do is trust that God is in control right now and that all things will work out the way they’re supposed to.”

  “Even when the lives of millions of people are on the line,” she whispered.

  He squeezed her shoulder. “Even when the lives of millions are on the line. It’s a tough world we live in, filled with hard stuff. Stuff that makes you sick and turns your stomach.”

  “So we cling to the unseen instead of what we see here in this world,” Tessa said.

  “Exactly.” Zach settled against the wall. “You know, Trent is a great guy. He was devastated after what happened with Laurel. I didn’t know if he’d ever fall in love again.”

  “He’s not in love,” Tessa was quick to say.

  “Maybe not yet. But he’s on his way. I can tell by the way he’s acting. I’m really happy for him.”

  Tessa let his words sink in. Could he be telling the truth?

  Even more so, this conversation made Tessa realize something else: against all odds, she was beginning to fall in love with Trent, too.

  * * *

  Trent stood and held up a wad of dust and dried leaves from the ficus tree nearby. “There was quite a bit of dust in this duct. I pulled the cover off so I could get a more accurate reading. Tell me, does it get cold in here often?”

  The woman shifted. “I suppose I do always wear my sweater. I thought I was just cold natured.”

  He shook his head. “No, these vents need to be cleaned out. Of course, that’s more than I can do today, but I’d guess some of the ductwork under the building may need to be touched up. The temperature in here should be sixty-eight, but it’s only sixty-two.”

  She shivered at his words. “I’m glad I’m not going crazy. I always felt like a whiner when I brought up how chilly I was.”

  He tucked his meter back into pocket. “Don’t worry. I’ll have everything checked out. I’m going to have to come out with some help, though. This is more than a one-person job. It is covered by your warranty, so price shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “Price usually doesn’t matter with Mr. McAllister anyway, but that’s good to know. It will be one less channel I have to go through, since there’s no budget approval needed. When can we schedule you?”

  “I’ll have to get Barbara to give you a call back. I’ll mention it to her when I get into the office.”

  “Thanks for coming in.”

  Trent’s heart slowed for a minute. If he could just get out of here and into his van, he’d be home free. He’d take this information to his contact with the FBI, and then he’d pray that everything else fell into place.

  He took a step into the hallway and balked. Leo McAllister stepped out of the office, two men behind him. Trent tugged his hat down lower, but made sure to keep his chin up. He couldn’t afford to look guilty or bring any unnecessary attention to himself.

  Leo didn’t seem to see him. He continued to talk to the two men beside him as he walked down the hallway toward him. He did cast a look of approval at his secretary before mentioning something else about a shipment they had coming in.

  He’d just taken one step past Leo when the man paused.

  “You’re with the HVAC company?” Leo said.

  Trent composed himself and turned halfway. The man had talked to him before, but only once and only briefly. Still, there was a chance he might recognize Trent. “That’s right. Just doing some maintenance.”

  Leo stared at him, something cold, hard and unreadable in his eyes.

  Trent steadied his breathing. Had he been made?

  TWENTY

  Why hadn’t Trent called yet?

  Tessa continued pacing the living room. He’d been gone for three hours now. Certainly that was enough time to get in and out. So why hadn’t he made contact?

  Zach was talking to a former colleague on the phone, trying to ascertain the best person to hand over the information to once they had it.

  This seemed like the longest day of Tessa’s life.

  Lord, please watch over him. Keep him safe.

  She walked over to the window and peered outside, hoping to see Trent coming down the lane. Instead, she saw a yard covered with pristine snow.

  It really was beautiful out here. Under different circumstances, there’d be so much to enjoy about being here. But at the moment it felt desolate and isolated and like a prison.

  Much like what her life had felt like for the past year.

  Desperate to keep her thoughts occupied, she began to review everything she would tell the authorities once Trent returned with the information. She would leave no detail out. She knew the names of associates, dates of business trips abroad, large sums of money that had been exchanged. Of course, all that meant nothing without proof.

  When Trent returned—because he would return, she told herself—he would have that evidence to finally nail Leo.

  Her gaze paused at something in the distance. She squinted, uncertain if she was seeing things. But down by the tree line, she thought she’d seen movement.

  She shook her head. No, she must have been seeing things. She looked closer, stared harder, but all she saw was trees. Underbrush. Dark recesses.

  If there had been movement, it was just the wind. Maybe a bird. It could even be a deer.

  She was so used to living in fear.

  But there was no way she could have been discovered here. She’d taken every precaution yesterday when she’d accessed those computer files. She’d redirected the server, made dummy locations, the works.

  She stared at that spot in the distance again until finally her heart slowed. She was overreacting. She hoped her paranoia would soon become a distant memory.

  * * *

  “We’ve been having hot and cold spots. I’m glad you’re here,” Leo said.

  As he walked away, Trent tried to relax. But when he heard the man’s phone ring, his steps slowed.

  “You’re there now?” Leo said into the phone. “Perfect. Bring her to the location we discussed. We’ll go from there.”

  Tessa? Was he talking about Tessa? There was no way she could have been discovered.

  “Are you okay, sir?” Ms. Clark said.

  He nodded and kept walking. Better not to draw any attention to himself. Besides, that wouldn’t stop anything that was happening at the house. That would only delay him getting back to Tessa.

  “So you’ll be in touch?” the woman said.

  He gave her an assuring smile. “Definitely.”

  “Great. Stay warm out there. I hear there’s more snow coming.”

  He walked calmly back to the van, placed his supplies in the back and then climbed inside. To err on the side of caution, he started the van and pulled out of the parking lot. He stopped the next block down and pulled out his phone.

  Zach picked up on the first ring. “What’s going on?”

  “Where’s Tessa?”

  “In the living room. Worrying. Why?”

  “I think Leo’s men know where she is.”

 
“That’s impossible.”

  “I don’t know what happened, but I need you to be careful. Very careful. I’m on my way there now.”

  Before he hung up the phone, he heard a gunshot sound on the other end the line.

  * * *

  Tessa heard glass break at the other end of the house and her heartbeat ratcheted.

  She didn’t even take time to examine possible alternate causes for the noise. She only knew trouble was here.

  The sound had come from the end of the house where Zach was staying.

  She grabbed the gun from the table where she’d left it, held it near her chest and rushed toward the door. Moving slowly, carefully, she checked down the hallway. It looked clear.

  She moved quietly down the corridor, clearing each room as she went. She knew where she needed to go: Zach’s room, at the end of the hallway. She dreaded what she would find when she got there. In her heart, she already knew it wouldn’t be good.

  With trembling hands, she searched the second-to-last room. It was clear.

  Finally, she approached the closed door to Zach’s room.

  Part of her wanted to run. To flee. To stick her head in the sand.

  But she couldn’t do that. Trent and Zach both had gone out of their way to help her. She couldn’t abandon either of them now.

  It was silent on the other side of the doorway. That realization in itself sent a shudder through her.

  Had a shot been fired through the window, hitting Zach and rendering him immobile? Or were there men inside, crouching and waiting to attack?

  Drawing in a deep breath and trying to summon her courage, she held her gun in position and pushed the door open. To her dismay, she spotted Zach. He was on his knees. Hands behind his back. Blood trickled down his forehead and his shirt had red stains. He hadn’t been shot—not yet. But the window was shattered behind him.

  A man stood on the other side of him, a gun to Zach’s forehead. Tessa recognized him as one of the men who’d been chasing them.

  How had they been discovered? Was it because of the computer transmission? Had she led the men here? Had she invited death into this place of safety?

  “Don’t do it, Tessa,” Zach said, his voice scratchy and low.

  “Nice to see you could join us,” the man said.

  Three other men appeared in the room, all with guns in their hands. There was no way she could handle all of them. The moment she pulled the trigger, someone else with a gun would shoot her and then Zach. It was a no-win situation.

  “How’d you find us?” she asked, her gaze flinging from Zach to the man holding the gun beside him.

  “Did you think we wouldn’t notice if someone got onto our server? We hired the best IT guys, just in case you tried to do something like that again. As soon as you logged in, we traced your location.”

  Her heart twisted with grief. This was her fault.

  And what about Trent? Was he in danger now, too?

  “What we can’t figure out is why you logged on. Certainly you’re smart enough to know we removed all of that information that was on there,” the man continued.

  She shrugged, trying to keep a cool head. “I have my reasons.”

  “Maybe you should start sharing.” The man cocked the gun and shoved it into Zach’s temple.

  “No!” she shouted, fear pulsing through her. “He’s done nothing wrong. I’m the one you want.”

  “Don’t listen to them, Tessa,” Zach said.

  “This is my battle, Zach. Not yours. Not Trent’s.” She said the words with resignation. But she knew they were true. She couldn’t live with herself if someone died because of her.

  “Smart thinking,” the man with the gun muttered. “Now put your weapon down.”

  Slowly, Tessa lowered it to the floor and then rose again with her hands in the air. “Let him go.”

  The man motioned to his thugs. Two of them grabbed Tessa and zip-tied her arms behind her with more than necessary roughness. She squirmed in discomfort.

  This was it, she realized. The moment when she couldn’t go back. The moment when she had to face her greatest fears.

  Her eyes connected with Zach’s and she saw the concern there. This wasn’t what Trent would have wanted. But she had no other choice. No one else was going to get killed because of her.

  The man in charge took the butt of his gun and slammed it into Zach’s head. Tessa sucked in a quick breath, alarm rushing through her. As Zach’s head slumped, she let out a moan.

  She started to lunge toward him, but the man beside her jerked her back.

  “Let’s go,” the man in charge said.

  Tessa took one last fleeting glance at Zach before the men dragged her out the door and into a waiting SUV.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Trent drove faster than he should have. But he had to get to Tessa before Leo’s men did. He’d tried calling Zach back, but there had been no answer. His blood pressure heightened to unhealthy levels as he imagined what might be happening.

  He swerved into the driveway and saw an eerily calm house ahead. As he jumped from the driver’s seat, he drew his gun. He crept around to the back of the house and saw the broken window.

  That was when his fears were confirmed. Something bad had happened here.

  He hurried to the back door, surveyed the area on the other side of the glass. It appeared to be clear. He quietly opened it and stepped inside.

  Silence greeted him.

  He had a feeling everyone was gone, but he still had to be careful.

  At least in the kitchen, there was no evidence of a struggle. As he stepped into the dining room, he didn’t see blood or broken furniture. But the twisted feeling remained in his gut.

  He searched each room as he traveled down the hall.

  That was when he spotted Zach.

  His friend lay on the floor, his arms tied, a chair behind him. Blood streamed from his forehead, his eye was swollen and he seemed to just be returning to consciousness.

  Trent rushed toward him and untied his arms.

  “They got her. I’m sorry,” his friend croaked.

  “We need to get you to a hospital.”

  “I’ll be okay. We have to find her. They’ll kill her, Trent.”

  Zach’s words ignited something in him. His feelings for Tessa had grown quickly. But that didn’t mean they were any less real. He couldn’t lose someone else he was beginning to care about.

  His thoughts flashed through his mind at an alarming rate. He was charged up and ready to find her. But where?

  “I’m going with you.” Zach pulled himself up with a wince.

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “I’m not giving you a choice.”

  Trent accepted this with a quick nod. There was no time to argue. “Okay, let’s go, then.”

  Trent’s mind raced as he hurried to the van. Not the fastest vehicle, but it would have to work.

  They climbed in, and as he cranked the engine, he turned toward Zach. “Tell me what you know.”

  “There were six of them. They all had guns. And they were unapologetic.”

  “Any hints on where they went?” He pulled onto the road.

  “No idea.”

  Certainly they hadn’t taken Tessa back to the gallery. But where else would they have taken her?

  He thought back and remembered that address they’d found in the car they’d taken from the fake cops. Could they have taken her there? He didn’t know, but he didn’t have any other ideas at the moment.

  “Can you pull up Wilmington Heights, Virginia, on your phone?” he asked Zach.

  “I know where that is. Probably forty-five minutes from here. Why?”

  “It’s my best guess as to where they might have gone. We found an address in the car when those men impersonating polic
e officers arrested us. How far do you think it is from the art gallery in DC?”

  “Maybe fifteen minutes?”

  The idea solidified in his mind. It was worth a shot.

  He prayed he was right.

  * * *

  Tessa couldn’t see where they were taking her. They’d thrown something over her head, a black bag of some sort. She was in the trunk, where she couldn’t even hear their conversation, except for occasional laughter. These men were enjoying their job a little too much.

  At first, she tried to pay attention to every bump, every turn. But after a while, she lost track. There were too many twists and turns, and she felt as if she’d been in the trunk for hours.

  She steadied her breathing. How long had it been? An hour? Less? More?

  She’d lost her sense of time.

  The moment she stopped paying attention to the things she had control over was the moment panic started creeping in. That was when she started imagining seeing Leo again and thinking about what he might do with her.

  He’d be angry. He’d had a long time to let his anger simmer, too. It had most likely only increased with time.

  Think, Tessa. Think. Remain in control.

  Where would they be taking her?

  They were too smart to go to Leo’s house, or any of his registered properties, for that matter.

  Finally, the car rolled to a stop. Another surge of panic started in her. Her heart raced as she prepared to face the unknown.

  She felt the trunk open as a whoosh of air rushed inside. Then strong hands grabbed her and jerked her from the vehicle. Despite the fact that her legs felt like gelatin, she managed to stand.

  Two men pulled her down a sidewalk. She couldn’t walk fast enough to keep up. Then she heard a door open and she was shoved inside a building. They led her across a slick floor.

  Pay attention, Tessa.

  She could smell motor oil. Maybe cinnamon. Someone was talking in the distance.