Chasing Freedom

by H. L. Wegley

  Jeff took her hand and led her from the rock across the clearing and into the trees below.

  The light of dawn brightened the horizon to the east and the hilltops ahead of them.

  The terrain looked familiar. Recognition sent that unsettling tingling up the back of his neck. They were only one hill from the Forest Service road, and it was light enough for the cartel gunmen to spot them.

  They trudged up the hill, hand-in-hand. But, near the top, the tingling sensation came again, stronger this time. Jeff stopped.

  What is it?” Allie asked.

  “Did you hear anything?”

  “No. Nothing.”

  “Allie, let's listen for a minute before we go down to the road.”

  Allie looked up studying his face. “Are we listening for the cartel's pickup?”

  “I'm not sure what I heard. Let's just listen.”

  She draped an arm around his waist.

  He rested an arm on her shoulders.

  Even with danger lurking, it was hard to concentrate on anything other than Allie's presence. But with only a mile or two to reach his house, he couldn’t afford to walk into a trap.

  They waited another minute, but there was only silence.

  Jeff took her hand and they descended the hill moving cautiously toward the road, working their way around clusters of Madrone. A few yards above the road, he stopped behind a small tree.

  To their left dirt and rocks tumbled down a steep bank only a few yards away. Something, or someone, had climbed up that bank.

  Below them, a man ran out from behind a bush. He held a long object.

  Jeff dropped Allie's hand and leaped with all his leg strength, launching his body out over the man.

  “Jeff, no!” Allie screamed.

  The impact of Jeff's body drove the man to the ground. Jeff grabbed the long stick from the man’s hand and raised it like a club.

  The man drew back a foot to deliver a kick.

  “Stop it!”

  Jeff hesitated. What did Allie mean?

  Air exploded from Jeff’s lungs when Allie landed on top of him.

  She grabbed the stick. “Stop! Both of you.”

  An engine roared as a pickup raced toward them.

  “The cartel!” Jeff pointed up the road.

  The other man motioned up the hill. “Mama and Benjamin.”

  Allie’s father? Had Allie’s family escaped?

  Jeff grabbed Allie’s and the man's hands, yanking both of them to their feet.

  The pickup slid to a stop on the dirt road.

  “Go! Go!” Jeff pushed the two up the hill.

  He glanced back at the truck.

  A gun jutted out the window.

  Chapter 15

  “Over here.” Jeff motioned for them to move behind a stand of trees on the hillside. “Go straight up the hill. Keep the trees between you and the gunman. Go down the other side. At the bottom, turn right and head due south.”

  He glanced at the trees. Good. The gunman still had no clear shot at them. “I'll keep this guy busy for a few minutes, then catch up with you.”

  Allie hugged him. “Be careful, please.”

  “Allie?” Her father's frown deepened. “Who is he?”

  “It's okay, Papa. He saved my life, more times than I can count.”

  Jeff watched as they ran up the hill, keeping the trees between them and the pickup.

  The goon backed up the truck several yards.

  Not a good development. Allie's family was still on this side of the hill. Jeff couldn’t let the man in the truck spot them.

  A gun now stuck out the passenger's window of the rolling truck. There were two men inside.

  Jeff grabbed a baseball-size rock, stepped out from the cover of the trees, and let it fly. As he dove to the ground behind a rock outcropping, a cry sounded from the truck followed by cursing in English and Spanish.

  A burst of gunfire sent dust and shattered rock flying into the air all around him. After fifteen long seconds, the burst ended. The shooter must've emptied the magazine.

  This might be Jeff’s only chance. He rose to all fours, then leaped for the cover the trees and sprinted up the hill.

  Two pickup doors slammed in rapid succession.

  More gunfire.

  Shredded vegetation exploded above his head and the bitter smell of wet madrone bark filled the air. Thankfully, the tree trunks had held their own against the cartel’s deadly pruning machines.

  In five more seconds, Jeff topped the hill and sprinted hard down the backside. He flew down the hill with twenty-foot leaping strides, jumping bushes and dodging trees like an NFL running back in a desperate bid to reach the goal.

  At the base of the hill, Jeff cut hard to his right. Worrisome questions plagued him. How far ahead were Allie and her family? Could they sustain a pace that would keep them ahead of the gunmen? Where was the FBI? Was the chopper in the air yet? If so, was it still in the area?

  He had no answers, so he focused on running at his breakneck pace without breaking his neck.

  He leaped a patch of Poison Oak.

  Movement in the trees a hundred yards ahead.

  Jeff slowed and watched the trees. Allie's brown legs and denim shorts disappeared into a stand of trees.

  Despite his rapidly draining energy, Jeff willed himself to run faster, driving with all the leg strength that remained.

  In another two hundred yards, he caught them.

  To make it this far, all four must have run hard. Allie, with an arm around her mother’s waist, had evidently stayed beside her mother, helping her.

  When Allie spotted him she hurried to his side. “Jeff, are you okay?”

  “Yeah. How about your family?”

  “They're just tired. I was so scared when I heard the shooting. I didn't stop praying until I saw you.” She grabbed his hand and hung on to it.

  He squeezed hers. “Have you heard or seen any signs of them?”

  “The truck started, the engine revved up, and I heard the wheels spinning. That was less than a minute ago.”

  “I think I know what that means. They've turned back. They think we're going south, so they're trying to prevent us from circling them and getting to my house.”

  “Can they do that?”

  “Yeah. They are doing it. We need to stop, reconnoiter, and rest.”

  “We do need to rest. Mama is really struggling.”

  “We're safe for a while, unless one of the goons is following me. Allie, we can't afford a bad decision at this point. See the bushes ahead on the left.”

  She nodded.

  “Lead them there. Hide and wait for me.”

  “Jeff, don't go back. Please.”

  “I won't go up the hill. I promise. I’m just watching our backside.” He squeezed her hand, released it and reversed direction.

  He moved behind a large pine tree in a small clearing, stopped, and listened. The only sounds came from Allie and her family. In a few seconds those sounds stopped.

  The forest fell silent except for the distant sound of an engine somewhere to the southwest. He had guessed correctly.

  Jeff turned and trotted toward the bushes, thankful they were all still alive and uninjured.

  * * *

  Allie heard Jeff's footsteps. They slowed, then he stepped behind the scrubby madrones that hid them. Her arms instinctively wrapped around him and she pressed her head against his chest. What might her father think? She would deal with that later, after Papa’s disapproving glances turned to words.

  She looked up into his Jeff's eyes. “Are we okay here?”

  “Yeah. They're driving south, trying to head us off at Bolan Peak Road. We've got a few minutes to decide what to do.”

  Even before she turned to see them, Papa’s and Mama’s gazes seemed to bore into her back. They wouldn’t understand her intimacy with Jeff and would not approve of what they saw. A knot formed in her stomach as she turned toward her parents.

  So much was on
the line in these initial introductions. She purposely stood close beside Jeff, circled his waist with her arm, and smiled at them, trying to shed any appearance of shame, discomfort, or pretense. Allie might appear calm and comfortable, but her heart pounded a presto tempo.

  Papa waited, hands on hips, and a questioning look in his eyes, the look he gave her when she was a child caught in a disobedient act. Papa was reserving judgment on Jeff, but only for the moment. “Papa, Mama, Benjamin, this is Jeff Jacobs, the man who saved my life. The man who just saved all our lives.”

  Jeff made eye contact with her father.

  “Jeff, meet my father, Rafael Santiago.” She drew a breath and held it.

  Jeff stepped forward and extended his hand.

  Allie resumed breathing when her father took it.

  “It's good to meet you, Mr. Santiago.”

  She motioned toward Mama. “And my mother, Lorena.”

  Jeff nodded to her mother. “And good to meet you, Ma'am.”

  “And my brother, Benjamin.”

  Benjamin rushed to Allie's side, hugged her, then gave Jeff his hand.

  Jeff shook it. “Good to meet you, Benjamin.”

  Benjamin's eyes focused on Jeff's face. “Did you really save Allie's life?”

  “I think God played a big role in that, Benjamin.”

  At Jeff’s reference to God, a smile that came to her mother's face, easing the knot in Allie's stomach.

  Jeff lifted her chin up until their eyes met. His face held a questioning frown. “Allie? I notice they call you Allie, too. You made such a big deal out of—”

  She poked him in the ribs. “They earned the right to shorten my name. But you just took it, Jeff, without my permission.”

  He gave her a weak smile. “Yeah. Guess I did.”

  Mama whispered something in Papa's ear.

  Papa studied Jeff and cleared his throat. “So you are a man of faith, Jeff Jacobs?”

  “Yeah. I'm a Christian. Jesus is my Lord and Savior.”

  “Unlike my skeptical daughter. Please call me Rafael.”

  “And to all of you, I'm Jeff.” He paused. “But Mr. Santiago … uh, Rafael, Allie's not a skeptic. At least not anymore.”

  Papa’s lips parted as if to speak, but he didn’t. He nodded slowly, then smiled, a reaction that warmed Allie’s heart. Maybe there would be no confrontation with Jeff or with Allie. Her former unwillingness to accept her parents’ faith had created a rift that had broken Allie’s heart. But that was in the past … she hoped.

  She needed to keep this conversation moving in a positive direction. “Jeff pointed the way for me. His savior is now mine, too.”

  Before Allie could react, Mama's arms were around her. “Mi hija esta en casa. Allie is home. Thank you, Lord” She looked up at Jeff. “And thank you, Mr. Jacobs.”

  “It's Jeff, Ma'am. Now, we need a plan to get us some help.”

  She looked at her father. “Jeff got the FBI involved. They came in the helicopter when several gunmen were firing at us. They saved Jeff and me, then they went looking for you at the marijuana plantation.”

  Her father gave Jeff a long, penetrating look. “If they saved you, what are you doing out here?”

  Allie winced at her father’s words. “It’s a long story, sir,” Jeff said. “But—”

  “Papa, I made a big mistake and it endangered both of us.”

  Her mother stepped in front of Papa and pointed skyward. “We saw …una helicoptero.”

  “I wish the helicopter had seen you,” Jeff said. “It has an FBI SWAT team onboard. We expected to hear it in the air this morning. Since we haven't, I'm not sure where they are. But helping the FBI to spot us is our number one priority.”

  “Jeff?” Allie shook her head at him. “It's our number two priority. Remember Bolan Peak. Those men nearly killed us before the helicopter arrived. We don’t want a repeat.”

  “Yeah. We've got to keep you and your family as safe as possible and still be visible from the air. I know this area well, Rafael. We should go east, put more distance between ourselves and the cartel thugs. We need to find a place they cannot drive to in their trucks.”

  Alarms rang in her mind. “But Jeff, the camp where they held me last night is to the east.”

  “Were not going that far, Allie. Do you remember the rock where—”

  “I remember.” She’d confessed her love to Jeff there. That wasn't a conversation to have in front of Papa. Not yet. But he was sure to ask questions about her relationship with Jeff. And the look in Papa’s eyes said he wouldn’t wait much longer.

  Jeff leaned toward her and whispered, “How do you say precious treasure in Spanish?”

  She pulled her head back and gave him her biggest bug-eyed stare. What was he up to?

  “C'mon, Allie. Humor me.”

  Papa's feet shuffled restlessly. Jeff could be asking for trouble or … could he be asking for something else? “Precioso tesoro, precious treasure,” she whispered back.

  He nodded and smiled at her. “Yes, that rock, mi amor.” Jeff wasn't whispering.

  Allie's breath caught in her throat. Papa and Mama hadn’t heard all that had transpired between Jeff and her. They wouldn't understand and … Jeff had never said he loved her. It was more of a mutual understanding. At least, Allie thought it was. She looked at Papa.

  He gave Jeff an icy stare. “I do not trust your words, Mr. Jacobs. You are … muy intimo … too familiar with my daughter.”

  “I would never dishonor your daughter, Rafael. Allie es mi precioso tesoro, mi vida.”

  “Jeff, that's not what I said. I thought you didn't know Spanish.” What kind of game was Jeff playing with her father?

  “Just because I asked you to translate a couple of things for me doesn't mean I don't know any Spanish.”

  “Treasure you say?” Papa's intense eyes frightened her. “Men search a long time for such things. Mi amor is reserved for those who have found it.”

  Jeff had taken a bold approach. He was removing all doubt in Papa’s mind about the nature of Jeff’s relationship with her. His verbal sparring with Papa was now over. She held her breath and waited for Jeff to throw his knockout punch. What words had he chosen?

  “What does one do when God places the treasure they're seeking right in front of them? Do I ignore the treasure that God presented to me, the treasure that is Allie? Allie and I have faced death together several times, with only God and each other to rely on. I know Allie well, in a good way. She is a good woman, a woman of faith, and she is my treasure, mi amor.”

  Papa’s eyes grew intense at Jeff’s final words.

  Jeff met her father’s gaze. “Allie can speak for herself about me, but we need to save that discussion for later. Let's move to the east. The hills ahead are small, easy climbs. It's only about two miles from here to the rock.”

  Papa didn’t move. “In following you, I am trusting my family to you, Jeff.”

  Papa was back to using Jeff again. That was a good sign.

  Please don't let Jeff fail. Papa needs to see what I have seen.

  Chapter 16

  Jeff glanced at his watch. It was nearly 8:00 a.m. Why wasn't the chopper in the air looking for them?

  He led Allie and her family across two ridges before he spotted their destination, the rock outcropping. It lay two hundred yards up the next slope, near the center of a large, mountainside meadow.

  Allie had held her mother's arm, supporting her for the past mile, while Rafael and Benjamin trudged along behind Allie.

  Jeff slowed his pace when the Santiago's fell behind him. The physical stress, lack of sleep, and emotional trauma were taking their toll on all of them. The rock would give them a much needed respite.

  As they approached the outcropping, Jeff slowed until Allie came alongside. “Allie, lead them around to the top of the rock. They can rest up where you and I sat.”

  His words brought a smile to Allie’s lips. “Come on, Mama. Just a little farther now.”

/>   Rafael took Lorena's other arm and they helped her make the climb up the hill to where the flat top of the rock protruded from the hillside.

  Jeff pointed up the hill, fifty yards above the rock. “I'm going to run up to the top and make sure there are no surprises on the other side.”

  “Jeff.” Allie left her mother to her father's care and took his hand. She whispered to him. “Listen for a minute. I'm not sure, but I think I hear an ATV.”

  “Quiet everyone. Allie hears something. Let's all listen for a moment.”

  In a few seconds, Allie pursed her lips. “Yes. It's an ATV. I've heard them enough lately to recognize that sound.”

  Jeff shook his head. “I still can't hear it. Which direction is it coming from?”

  She pointed to the northwest.

  It worried him. If they were able to get an ATV running, that left one man to drive the second truck, two in the truck they'd already encountered, and one man on the ATV. A man with an AK-47 might be headed toward them. “That's not good.”

  Allie's twin frown lines deepened. “Do you think we're in danger here?”

  “Yeah. If the ATV is coming from the northwest, he’s been traveling over higher terrain to the north of us. From up there, he might have spotted us. And if he did, he could be circling around to sneak in close to us from a direction we wouldn't expect. We need a plan to defend ourselves in case he gets closer.” Jeff looked at the rock, then to the northwest.

  “No, Jeff. Please don't take any risks.” Allie pointed to a thick cluster of trees south of the rock. “Let's all hide in the trees. He won't be able to see us, and if we don't leave any tracks…”

  “But if he looked in there, we all would—”

  “Don't say it. It's not going to—” She gasped. “It's getting closer.”

  “You need to take your family in there and hide. It's only one guy. I'll take him out.”

  “But he's armed.”