Morgan's Hunter

by Cate Beauman

  “Those sound like fighting words.” He moved closer until they were knee to knee.

  Pushing her face close to his, breathing him in, Morgan stared into the vivid blue of his eyes. His gaze wandered to her mouth and her heart thundered. “I can handle you,” she said, voice thickening.

  “Are you sure? I know karate.”

  The warmth of his breath feathered across her lips. If she moved her chin just an inch...

  What was she doing? No. This wasn’t going to happen. She remembered the swab in her hand, jabbed it forward, making Hunter wince. “Yeah, but I have hydrogen peroxide.”

  His fingers curled around her wrist, nudging her away. “Shit, that stings.”

  With his curse, the shaky moment passed—good.

  “Stop. Let me do this.” Morgan removed her arm from his grasp, concentrated on her work. She swabbed the Q-tip over and around the scratches on his cheekbone.

  Hissing out a breath, Hunter pulled away. “Damn, Morgan.”

  But Morgan only pulled him close again. “I’m sorry. I’m almost finished.” Blowing on the raw skin, she traced the last of the scrapes. “There. All set.”

  “Thanks—I think.”

  “You’re welcome.” Morgan put the supplies away, shoved the small kit in her pack. Her knees brushed Hunter’s. The contact was too much. She pushed back, giving herself some space, poured more coffee she didn’t want and sipped the bitter brew, shuddering. “Ugh, this stuff’s awful.”

  Hunter topped off his own cup. “Yeah, but it’s all we’ve got.”

  “Then it’ll do.”

  Certain they were back on solid ground, Morgan relaxed and moved closer to Hunter’s side when he pulled out the map.

  “We should plan on cutting across this mountain here. I would like to stay close to the road and follow the river into Tower Junction, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s too obvious. We won’t have as many water sources this way, but there’re enough to get us by.” He pointed to smaller rivers and streams along the route they would take.

  “It looks like we’ll be fine.”

  “We’ll have to push pretty hard today to put some distance between ourselves and whoever the hell is after us. I don’t know if your father straightened everything out with the authorities, and it’ll be awhile yet before we know what kind of resources we have working against us.”

  Hunter took another sip of coffee before he continued. “The mine must be producing pretty damn well if they were willing to murder three people and buy a couple of cops. In my opinion, they won’t stop until they find us. They seem to have the money to use any means necessary. We’re the loose ends that can fuck everything up. Even if your father straightened stuff out and the mine has been busted up, it’s going to take time before all of the players are taken down.”

  He glanced up from the map, stared into her eyes. “People will be looking for us. We’re literally running for our lives. I need to find a phone and contact Ethan.”

  “I understand the gravity of our situation, Hunter. I’m ready to do whatever we have to to get home.”

  “Let’s get to it then.”

  They drank the rest of their coffee, packed up and resumed their trek.

  Stanley woke with a start at three-thirty a.m. The phone on his bedside table rang twice before he finally answered. “Yes, hello.”

  “Stanley, it’s Ethan Cooke. What the hell is going on?”

  He sat up straight in his bed, alerted by the tension in Ethan’s voice. “What do you mean?”

  “Hunter called a mutual friend of ours several hours ago saying he’d gotten himself into a hell of a situation and that he would call me when he could. I haven’t heard from him. I’ve been trying his cell phone. It goes to voicemail. Has Morgan contacted you?”

  Stanley shook his head. “I’m confused. She called earlier today; everything was fine.”

  “She didn’t say anything to you about what Hunter was talking about?”

  “No, I didn’t actually talk to her. She spoke to one of my colleagues. I was in a meeting when the call came in.” He put his hand on Ilene’s shoulder as she stirred.

  “Well, I can tell you this, Stanley, things aren’t fine. They’re far from it. I did a little hacking into the Montana PD computer system. They’ve issued an APB on Morgan and Hunter. Hunter shot two cops and roughed up a couple of rangers. If he did, there was a damn good reason. I would suggest you put in a call and find out what the hell is going on.”

  Stanley ran a hand through his tousled hair. “All right, all right, I’ll call you back as soon as I know something. I’ll put in a call to Dean first, find out just what he and Morgan talked about.”

  “Good. I’ll—”

  “Ethan,” Stanley interrupted. “He’s taking care of her, right? Hunter’s going to keep my little girl safe?”

  “I’d bet my life on it. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I know he won’t let anything happen to her.”

  “Okay, I’ll get back to you.” Stanley hung up, looked into Ilene’s worried eyes.

  “What’s the matter, Stanley? Is Morgan all right?”

  “She’s fine, honey. There’s been a small complication. I need to make some phone calls, then I’ll be able to tell you more.”

  Stanley walked from the bedroom, hoping to appear calm for Ilene. He picked up his pace when he made it to the hall, ran for the office with fear resting heavy in his heart.

  He flipped on the light, dialed Dean’s house. The phone rang several times before his wife answered sleepily.

  “Connie, it’s Stanley. I’m sorry to call at this hour, but I need to talk to Dean. It’s very important.”

  Connie cleared her throat. “Stan, Dean left for the airport hours ago. He said he had to take a last-minute meeting for you tomorrow.”

  Stanley’s eyes hardened as dread curled tight in his stomach. He tried to play it light for Connie. “Good heavens, Constance, you’re exactly right. I’m so sorry to have disturbed you. I did send him for that meeting. I’m half asleep.” He booted up his computer while he listened to Connie’s groggy chuckle.

  “You had me worried for a minute. Go on back to bed, Stan. We’ll talk to you soon.”

  “I’ll do that. Bye now.”

  “Bye, Stan.”

  When the dial tone buzzed in his ear, he punched in the number for the Montana State Police.

  CHAPTER 24

  MORGAN AND HUNTER TOOK ADVANTAGE of the early morning dark, moving as quickly as the treacherous landscape would allow. Rocky terrain, still wet and slippery from the night of rain, made the journey down the mountain slow at best.

  With little choice, they risked the use of headlamps. The probability of being discovered in the wee hours of the morning was less likely than the promise of major injuries on the dicey descent.

  After hours of nonstop hiking, they reached the valleys of the mountain’s base. As the sun crept over the massive ranges in the distant east, they removed their headgear, ran at a steady jog, making their way to the base of the new mountain they would climb throughout the day.

  Tower Junction, Wyoming, lay on the other side.

  They started the trek up, heading deep into the cover of trees, knowing it was only a matter of time before the helicopter circled again.

  “Morgan, do you need to rest?”

  “No, I’m good. We’re safer if we move now before it gets any brighter.” She took a deep breath. “It’s going to be hot and muggy again. I can feel it in the air.”

  “Ah, the perfect conditions for hiking a large, steep mountain. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing today.”

  She grinned. “I can think of a million. The first on the list would be a shower. I keep fantasizing about warm water, real soap, good shampoo and conditioner. It’s the simple things that make me happy.”

  Hunter glanced at her. Did she really believe that? Even with her hair pulled back in a messy knot and her hiking clothes wrinkled and dirty, she didn’t
look simple. She was a bundle of complications and contradictions.

  Morgan exuded wealth and class with every breath she took; it was marrow-deep. She was a purebred used to the finer things—had never known anything less.

  “I wouldn’t’ve believed that when we first met.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean by—”

  The distant drone of a low-flying aircraft bounced off the rocks. “Shit, they’re at it already.” Hunter looked around, gauging its direction. “They didn’t give us much time.”

  Morgan glanced up, shading her eyes. “No, they certainly didn’t.”

  “We’ll have to stay close to the tree cover today, which will get tricky the higher we climb. This mountain is pretty damn barren toward the top.”

  They ducked low under a small grouping of pines as the plane flew over.

  Hunter looked at his watch. “I’d like to stay put and time the flyovers, but I don’t think we should risk it. If we make it to that tree line up ahead, use the vegetation to our advantage, we should be good for now. It’ll be slower, and we may have to change our route as we get closer to the peak, but there isn’t a whole hell of a lot else we can do.” He shrugged. “Depending on how aggressive their flyovers are, we might have to consider traveling at night until we get through the desolate section farther up.”

  “Maybe we should plan on it.”

  He thought of headlamps and deadly drop-offs. “Let’s see how things go for awhile before we decide.”

  By mid-afternoon, thermal gear had been exchanged for short sleeves.

  Morgan hadn’t missed her mark. It was hotter than hell and muggy with it. The lack of tree cover along the way intensified already miserable conditions, creating logistic nightmares, leaving few places to rest and hide. At each stop, they checked the map, measuring distances closely to ensure they would make it to a hiding place before the next flyover.

  Like clockwork, Hunter and Morgan scrambled for cover as the security plane’s engine droned closer. They stood under a small grouping of pine trees while they waited for the aircraft to make its circle.

  “They’re unbelievable, absolutely unrelenting,” Morgan said.

  Hunter wiped at his damp forehead with the bottom of his shirt. “Yeah, but at least the police helicopter stopped joining in on all the fun.”

  Morgan smiled, rolled her eyes. “You’d think we discovered a huge national secret, not a small-time gold mine.” She sat on the rocky ground—the landscape of the last several miles. “I need to rest for a minute.”

  Hunter sat next to her. “I don’t think the mine’s all that small.”

  “I imagine you’re right.” She uncapped her water, drank. “This is just so unbelievable. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around it.”

  Her knuckles whitened against the bright green plastic of the bottle. “I-I can’t stop thinking about Shelly, Ian and Tom. I can’t make everything add up. They were really smart, every one of them. They were cautious, especially Shelly. I just feel like we’re missing a piece—something important.”

  Her gaze met Hunter’s as she continued, “I keep coming back to what you said about the three of them not putting up a fight. The guards walked them a long way from the mine before they shot them. Their bodies were found miles from the river. I just can’t believe they didn’t try...” She capped her bottle, pressed her lips together in a firm line, shook her head.

  Her big green eyes clouded with hurt, and he hated it. She looked so wounded, so vulnerable. He brushed her arm with his fingers. “I wish I could give you the answers.” And because he could, because he knew everything yet said nothing, he looked away from her haunted expression, reminding himself he was making the right decision. Giving her too much information would only put her in more danger.

  She spoke again, interrupting his thoughts. “I just can’t believe they didn’t try to do something. Ian was so strong. He wouldn’t’ve given up without a fight, and I’m pretty sure he was in love with Shelly. He would’ve fought for her, for Tom too. We were a family. They would’ve fought for each other.”

  As she spoke, her voice radiated with pain. Christ, he felt like an asshole. “It’s a horrible tragedy. Maybe when all of this is over things will make more sense.”

  She shook her head. “No, none of this will ever make sense.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “Things might be clearer at least.”

  “I hope so. I’m still shocked that Robert knew about the mine. He seemed so kind.”

  Hunter drank his water—a good excuse not to reply. He didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “We need to get moving.”

  Morgan stood. “I’m ready to go if you are.”

  “I think we can reach the base of this beast by nightfall if we keep our pace up.”

  Thunder rumbled in the distance. Morgan stopped as they cleared the latest peak. “We’re walking right into a storm.” Blackened thunderheads plowed forward from the west.

  “Looks like a doozy. Let’s find some sort of shelter.” Hunter scanned the area. “Have to admit I could do without the rain, but any trail we might’ve left behind will be wiped away. The damn plane will have to land too.”

  The lack of sleep was taking its toll. Morgan searched for something optimistic to add. “Yeah, it’ll cool things down, and we can rest.” She batted her eyelashes as she emphasized the last word.

  Hunter grinned.

  Lightning flashed, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

  “Let’s pick it up a little,” Hunter said. “With the terrain so rocky through here, we might be able to find an overhang. We definitely need to find something.”

  The wind picked up as the boiling black clouds rolled closer. Morgan pulled her hair free of the elastic. Shiny brown locks danced wildly around her face. “This feels awesome!”

  Thunder rumbled again and the sky opened, instantly soaking them.

  Morgan stared into the torrent pouring down, held out her hands. Refreshing droplets puddled in her palms and she grinned. “This isn’t exactly the shower I had in mind, but I’ll take it. At least it’s warm, unlike last night.”

  “Break out the champagne.” Hunter grabbed Morgan in his arms, began to move in a complicated jig.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Dancing in the rain. Tell me you’ve heard of it.”

  Delighted, Morgan’s smile brightened as she attempted to follow along. Missing the rhythm, she fell against his chest, laughing.

  He hugged her tight, kissed the top of her head, eased back, grinning.

  Hunter’s blond hair lay plastered against his forehead. Fat drops of rain coursed down his face, spiking his lashes, clinging to the dark stubble of his beard. His bold, blue eyes held her captive until he glanced down at himself.

  “What are you staring at? Doesn’t the drowned rat look work for me?”

  She looked at the shirt plastered to his torso, the shorts sticking to his well-muscled thighs, glanced down at her own sopping clothes, snorting out a laugh. “It’s certainly a statement.”

  He chuckled. “You wear it better than I do. Let’s keep moving.” He took her hand, pulled her along. “Come on.”

  What just happened? Who was the stranger who appeared and vanished just as quickly? She’d seen glimpses of Hunter’s softer side, but his moment of spontaneity shocked her. As his long strides ate up terrain and he scanned the area ahead, all remnants of fun vanished. It was almost as if she’d imagined the whole thing.

  Several slippery steps later, they approached an incline leading to a rock face.

  “Look.” Morgan pointed into the distance. “There’s an opening.”

  “Great, let’s go for it. The lightning’s getting pretty close.”

  They ran for the dark gap in the rocks, found that it gave way to a large cave. Hunter turned on the lantern. “We should probably make sure we aren’t sharing with anything bigger than we are.”

  “Good thought. It’s so roomy in here.” Morga
n’s words echoed; she laughed. “You’d have to stand on your tiptoes to touch the ceiling. I’m glad it isn’t too deep though; that would be creepy.”

  Discarded water bottles and wrappers littered the cave. “I see we aren’t the first to discover this spot. It’s certainly big enough to set up our tent.” She gave him a pleading look as water dripped from her clothes to the cave floor.

  “I think we can make that happen. No one will be wandering around in this mess.”

  Deafening thunder echoed off the walls.

  Morgan took the lantern from Hunter, walked the perimeter of the cave, eager to investigate their home for the evening. “Yes! Some wonderful soul left wood in here from their campfire. I’m going to put our bucket in the rain, heat up water and spoil myself with a warm bath—so to speak.”

  Enthused by the idea, she dug through her pack until she found the collapsible pail, stuck it out of the mouth of the cave straight into the downpour. “Let’s get this campfire up and running. We’ll get a little crazy tonight and heat up some pasta too. I’ll open a package of that creamy cheese sauce. We’ll eat it over shells. I never thought I’d be so excited about macaroni and cheese.”

  She grinned at Hunter, laid the wood in the stone circle other campers had used before them. She struck a match, held it to the dry pieces of timber. With little effort, flames began to dance, bringing orange-tinted light to the rock walls.

  Hunter pulled off his pack, dug through it. “I’m going out to find more wood. I’d like to keep the fire going through the night. I saw a couple of downed trees by an underhang not far from here. The wood might be dry. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to see the cave from there.”

  “Okay, whatever you want. Just don’t get struck by lightning. You’ll ruin our crazy night of cave fun.”

  He grinned. “I wouldn’t want to go and do that. I shouldn’t be too long.” He pulled his survival knife and miniature ax from a small pouch, dropped them into his waterproof sleeping bag sack.

  Morgan checked her bucket, pleased to see it filling quickly. “All joking aside, be careful. That’s a really nasty storm.”