Love Inspired Suspense December 2013 Bundle: Christmas Cover-UpForce of NatureYuletide JeopardyWilderness Peril

by Lynette Eason

  She had to make it look as if she needed Rick to help her with this, or else he didn’t have much value to Kemp other than leverage for Shay’s cooperation. But Rick’s nearness scrambled her thoughts on top of the pressure she already felt. Still, she managed to stammer out some instructions for simple tasks he could help her complete.

  Time held no meaning as she worked. A good hour or more could have passed and she wouldn’t have known. When she glanced up, she saw that Kemp had opened his satellite-phone case and was making a call.

  When she finished installing the new gasket, she closed the hood and nodded at Rick. Kemp was deep in conversation, so she felt it safe to speak.

  “I fixed the problem. There might be other maintenance issues, which I’ll need to look at, and we’ll need to do a preflight check. That’ll take more time. You’re not planning to leave without Aiden, are you?”

  “He didn’t write that note without coercion.” He whispered so low she could barely hear him. “He wouldn’t ever have said that.”

  “But don’t you think he wants us to find him and take him with us?”

  Frown lines cut deeper into his face. “Of course he does. If I were him, I’d want that, too, in a perfect world. I’d also want you to take the only chance you had and either come back for me later or trust me to find my own way out.”

  Rick swallowed. Shay could tell this was a struggle for him. She would make it easy. “For now, let’s stay. Stick to the plan. I’ll make the radio call.”

  He held her gaze and something passed between them. She was about to question him again when he turned and strolled over to Kemp, blocking his view of Shay. Good. This was her chance to make the call. They weren’t going to leave Aiden.

  She climbed into the cockpit. First she looked for the ELT—the emergency locator transmitter—to flip it on. That would send a signal that they needed help. Where was the thing? Didn’t this plane have one?

  She couldn’t find it, so she turned her attention to the radio. Rick should be the one to do this. He’d know what to do. But he was also the better choice to distract Kemp. That meant Shay had to do this part. She drew in a few calming breaths, remembering the words Rick had told her to say.

  She flipped on the radio and turned to the emergency frequency.

  Nothing.

  What? On and off, she flipped. The radio was dead.

  Disappointment seized her. She had to let Rick know their plan was a complete failure. Not only had she been unable to make the radio call, she also didn’t feel confident in taking the plane until she’d checked all the systems. She’d been afraid to start that process earlier because she didn’t want Kemp to think she’d fixed the problem yet. She had to give him a reason to still need her. There was a tricky balance in gaining the advantage and maintaining control and she’d taken measures to make sure that happened.

  From somewhere in the distance, Kemp shouted, “I’ll kill you!”

  Shay climbed from the cockpit. Rick had a stranglehold on Kemp. “Go ahead, Shay!” he yelled out. “Start the plane!”

  Panic flooded her. She couldn’t fly. Didn’t he remember that she wasn’t a pilot? She didn’t know if the Cessna was even airworthy. And what about Aiden? All those thoughts raced through her mind at the same excruciating moment in time. Unfortunately, the thoughts kept her frozen, staring at the desperate struggle between Kemp and Rick.

  If Rick didn’t win this, they were both dead.

  Veins bulged in Kemp’s temple and his neck as he slowly forced the gun back at Rick’s head, his finger on the trigger. She wouldn’t have imagined he would be so strong.

  She had to do something.

  Shay stumbled forward. “No!”

  “Start. The. Plane.” Rick choked out the words. “Do it.”

  From where she stood, that didn’t seem like a good plan.

  If Kemp shot Rick, what did it matter if she could get the plane started or not? Shay ran toward the two men, preparing to wrestle the gun from Kemp and away from Rick’s head. Both men turned red with exertion in their struggle for power and control. Rick pressed the weapon away from his head.

  Kemp shifted against him and the gun went off.

  Shay’s heart ricocheted. “No…” she whimpered.

  Rick…

  He dropped to the ground.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s not supposed to end this way.

  Kemp caught his breath and aimed the weapon at Rick’s face this time.

  Shay screamed and ran toward him, shoving the weapon away just as it went off again, the resounding shock wave of gunfire ringing through her core.

  Her ears still rang, but she didn’t let that make her hesitate for another moment. “You kill him now and you won’t leave,” she yelled out. “I won’t finish the repairs.”

  Kemp yanked her arm and twisted. He pressed the gun under her chin. “I told you if either of you tried anything, someone would get hurt. I’m thinking that someone might have to be you. What do you mean you won’t finish? Didn’t you already do that? If the plane is fixed, then I don’t need you anymore.”

  Kemp had turned vicious.

  “There’s more wrong with it than just the part that needed replacing. You can’t fly the plane out yet.” Shay blinked away the sweat of fear from her eyes, grateful she’d thought ahead and made sure to disable it so he couldn’t fly without her help.

  “If you’re lying, I’ll forget the plane and kill you anyway.”

  Shay stared him down, forcing all the loathing she could into her gaze, but that didn’t keep the tears from streaking down her cheeks. “I’m not lying, either, when I tell you that if you kill him, or if you let him die, I won’t complete the repairs. You won’t leave this place alive, either.”

  She forced bravado into her words, strength brought on by the image of this man shooting Rick. The man she couldn’t love. The man she couldn’t stop herself from loving, either.

  *

  Rick opened his eyes.

  Fire burned across his shoulder and brought the images screaming back.

  He’d tried to trick Kemp, knowing it would be a risky move. But he’d realized this would be their best chance, maybe even their only chance, to escape. He’d reconciled himself to the idea by promising himself he’d call for help in getting Aiden out, if Shay hadn’t already done so, as soon as they got into the air.

  But he’d underestimated Kemp and they’d struggled.

  The gun had gone off.

  That was all Rick remembered.

  Shay’s face appeared in his line of vision, her soft smile not entirely covering the frown.

  “We have to stop meeting like this,” he said with a chuckle. Though there was nothing funny about this. He was incapacitated. No use to anyone.

  Again.

  Why hadn’t Kemp simply killed him?

  He glanced around, his body protesting even the slightest movement. He recognized the space they were in as the one where he’d doctored the other gunshot patient. “We alone in the room?”

  “Yeah. Something’s going on out there. And…well, you were shot. Unconscious.”

  “Did you make the call?”

  With a grim expression, she shook her head. “No ELT and the radio didn’t work. My guess, he took out the first and disabled the second before he brought us.”

  “Why didn’t he just finish me off?”

  She ran a finger through his hair. “Because he knows I won’t help him if you die. Now, to that end, what can you tell me about treating your gunshot wound? I followed the instructions in this kit, but I don’t know if I did anything right. I should have watched you more closely when you treated the other man, but I…I didn’t think it would come to this.”

  He glanced at the bandaged wound. “Impressive. You stopped the bleeding. I’m good to go for now.”

  “But does it still hurt?” Her eyes held the telltale shimmer of tears.

  “I won’t lie to you. It still hurts. But I’m a big boy.” R
ick reached up and wiped at the corners of her eyes. The one act nearly drained him completely. He had to get his strength back. What were they going to do now? “I have to tell you…” He winced as he shifted and a fire raced through his shoulder. “I have to tell you what happened.”

  He caught her wrist when she made to move away. “When I was in Afghanistan, my helicopter crashed and burned. I made it out with my copilot. He was unconscious. I tried to get us to safety, but there was just so much chaos around us. The building where I had planned to run for safety blew up. We were taking fire, and there was nothing I could do about it. Every decision I made was the wrong one. I couldn’t save him.”

  “Rick, please, you don’t have to tell me.”

  Rick closed his eyes, remembering the rest, wanting to tell her but knowing it would be too much now.

  He felt a sting in his leg—the same burning fire that he felt today in his shoulder—but he kept going. He hefted his unconscious copilot over his shoulder and moved to take cover in the structure of desert bricks. A crumbled building. But it would offer a measure of protection—if he could reach it. Rick was nearly there when he fell to the ground, unable to move. Unable to get completely to safety. He dragged his friend the rest of the way, his legs failing him.

  “I wanted, I needed, to save him.” The thought of what happened next squeezed his chest. He gulped for air. “Just like I wanted to save you.”

  The moisture in her eyes surged.

  He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’m sorry our plan didn’t work. You need to find another way to get out. I don’t trust Kemp to take you when he goes. See if you can get him to tell you where Aiden is. Then you—”

  “Rick,” she whispered, tears choking her words. “You’re not making any sense. You know that won’t work. You’re going with me. You have to be the one to get us out. But—” she wiped at her eyes “—I have an idea. I’m going to get that sat phone and use it.”

  “That’s too risky.” Rick’s words came out garbled even to his own ears, making him realize he was weaker than he’d thought. Maybe he’d lost a little too much blood. With rest, he’d be back to new in no time. The thing was, he didn’t know if he would get that here—or ever again.

  Rick’s eyes shut of their own volition even as he struggled to keep them open. To stay awake. Shay’s warm breath tickled his cheek, but he couldn’t even produce the smile he felt. Yet he couldn’t stop the response in his heart.

  I love you, Shay.

  Had Rick said the words out loud to her? He wasn’t sure. Probably for the best if he hadn’t. He couldn’t deny the way his feelings for her had grown, but he still knew she was safer with just about any other good man than with Rick.

  SEVENTEEN

  Shay stared down at Rick.

  Was he asleep? Unconscious? She felt his pulse, measured his breathing and was relieved to hear that both were steady. He needed rest and his body claimed it, but all signs indicated that his condition had stabilized.

  The words he’d just said… They wrapped around her, warm and inviting, promising everything her heart longed for. The heat of those three little words came close to melting through the barriers she’d erected to protect herself.

  But had she heard him right?

  He’d started slurring his words at the end of their conversation, so she couldn’t be sure. Even if she’d heard his profession of love correctly, there was a chance he was hallucinating. Things said when a person was injured and delirious didn’t count.

  She let the tears flow now, even as she hated them for reminding her that she was weak. She was a woman trying to survive in a man’s world—in this case, in a man’s gold-mining camp. Tears weren’t supposed to come into play. Still, it was better to get the crying over with now. She needed to be tough over the next few hours. She had to be strong enough for the both of them until Rick was back with her in full force.

  She sucked in a breath and stood tall, pushing away from the table.

  He would be back. She had no doubt of that.

  You’re coming back to me, Rick Savage.

  “Rick,” she whispered. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his, wishing he could hear her. Hoping he didn’t. “I love you, too.”

  She hated the emotions that were torturing her now—knowing she loved him, finally admitting it, but being unable, unwilling, to act on her love. Too risky, too dangerous. Not unlike what Shay was about to do for their survival.

  Shay looked at the door, garnering the nerve to walk out there and through the chaos of the camp. The men had returned from getting supplies, their bellies full, but they were angry with Kemp. They were in an uproar, too, about Rick.

  Kemp, however, had reined in their ire with something more about the gold. That man had a special gift for controlling people.

  She marched out the door and into the camp, which was alight with activity. She’d been such a familiar sight since working on the backhoe that the men didn’t even take notice of her. She was a worker like the rest of them. In some ways, this felt like the Deep Horizon hangar.

  One of the men saluted her when she passed. Yep. She was one of the boys now. The mechanic. Not someone who was a flight risk. Maybe they all knew she wasn’t going anywhere without Rick. They were right about that—but while she might not leave without Rick, she could still make a call.

  Absently, she noticed that an uncanny excitement was rippling through the camp.

  A good number of the men had congregated at the scar in the earth, digging with shovels. How had Kemp made them believe…

  A shout rang through the group and one of them climbed from the hole, his hands raised as if he’d just completed a touchdown.

  Shay eyed the main house, where Kemp had gone with the sat phone after helping her deliver Rick to their makeshift hospital. Kemp hadn’t wanted to help her drag Rick back. He’d wanted to leave him for the animals, like the other man. But Shay could be convincing, too. She had used leverage, making the most of the sliver of power she held over the man for now.

  If she could just make it to Kemp’s quarters.

  A few more yards.

  She prayed he’d be gone by now. Walking backward, she watched the men dance around. What in the world? Had they really struck a solid chunk of gold? Must have been a sizable nugget, but the way they acted, it was as if they were surprised to find it.

  What did she know? Maybe if gold were her sole purpose and she found it, then she’d be dancing for joy. But right now the only thing she wanted was to leave this camp safely, with Rick and Aiden by her side. She’d do anything to make that happen.

  Shay planted a smile in place and focused on her mission.

  Get.

  That.

  Sat.

  Phone.

  She took one more glance to make sure the men were still celebrating and not paying any attention to where she was going.

  Uh-oh. The first man out of the hole was running toward her, a smile spread across his face. He held the gold nugget in his hand. He wanted to show her?

  Are you kidding me?

  Shay didn’t know what to do. She could try to turn and ignore him and hope he’d leave her be. But could she remain invisible? Just another one of the men? Or should she congratulate him and hope he’d quickly move on?

  Behind her, she could hear him coming up on her fast, so she turned and smiled as if she were joining in the fun. As if it were perfectly normal for her to walk around the camp like this. If the men acted this relaxed in the next few hours, drunk on the wine of finding gold, she and Rick might just find Aiden and drive out of here. Forget the plane.

  Yeah, right.

  She continued walking backward, hoping he’d simply join her, say what he had to say and then walk away. Instead, he placed his arm around her shoulders and planted a big fat kiss on her lips. Shay cringed, hating the smell of alcohol on his breath.

  Stay calm. Don’t panic.

  She giggled and slipped out of his
grasp, teasing and flirting a little even as her insides convulsed.

  “This is all because of you, lady. You fixed things up around here. You should get your share, too.”

  Shay faked a polite laugh and then started walking again, hoping he’d get the message that she was a busy woman. He tugged on her, stopping her. Keeping her from her mission. Fortunately, no one had taken notice of either of them.

  His smile held a little too much salacious mischief for her comfort level. “What say I get your share and then we take off? We can go anywhere you want.”

  Incredulity heaved in her chest, but she blinked and smiled, reining in her emotions. Deep inside, she knew if she even hinted at her feelings for Rick, this man would kill him, believing that would somehow give him a chance.

  “Sure. That would be…nice.”

  Hope flooded his gaze. Was he for real?

  Shay examined the nugget he held out, acting as though she were as dazzled by it as he was. “How…how many ounces do you suppose this is? What’s it worth?”

  She started out only pretending to be interested, but holding something of this weight and value in her hands gave her a funny feeling.

  “This, sweet lady, is a nugget. We usually don’t find them this big. With gold going for around $1,500 a troy ounce, we’re all going to be rich. Kemp agreed to share any profit, once he’s paid his debt, with us. There’s more down there. There has to be more.”

  Ah. So that was how Kemp had played them. Slowly and meticulously transferring their loyalty to him.

  Shay stared at the man, who remained mesmerized by gold and thought he could buy Shay with it. Just the thought of it squeezed her insides, urging her to finish her mission.

  “I have something to do first,” she said, bridling her fear. “Get me my fair share of gold and we’ll meet up later, okay?”

  He nodded and took off running back to the pit.

  Shay exhaled. Nausea roiled in her stomach at what she had just done, but she didn’t allow herself to dwell on it. She pressed forward to Kemp’s house, now mere yards from her. Where did Kemp keep his sat phone when it wasn’t with him?