Surviving With Love

by Vickery, Rebecca J.

  “It’s delicious. What is it?”

  “I found it in a gourmet shop in Dallas. It’s a special blend of instant cappuccino. Will you toss me a pack of coffee?”

  “Aren’t you going to have some of this? It’s heavenly.”

  “I don’t like it. I like plain coffee.”

  “Then why buy it?”

  “To send to you. Then you called so I brought it instead,” Cord told her nonchalantly. He didn’t want to admit he smelled the sweet creamy brew while passing a gourmet shop and instantly thought of her.

  “So you thought of me while you were in Dallas?” Stacey hid her pleasure by handing him his share of the food and taking a bite of her own.

  “Once in a while. Especially about the night you met up with the bear. Did you think of me?” Cord still got a kick out of remembering the bear incident.

  “Sure. I don’t think you can spend a week on the trail with someone and not think of them. I’ve thought about Ricky and Don, too. I tried to e-mail Don a few times, but I could never get through.” Stacey felt pleased to hear he thought of her. The cappuccino was a nice gesture. But she didn’t want him to know the extent to which she thought of him.

  “The FBI moved the boys and their parents to a safe house until Thompson and his men are caught or deemed not to be a threat. If the men come to trial, the boys’ testimony will be an important part of the case against them.”

  “Did you meet their parents?”

  “Yeah. They were waiting when we got to Helena. The Senator and his entourage were waiting, too. It was a madhouse of a reunion. I can’t believe the press never got hold of it. Did you get your check?” Cord finished eating and stretched out, propped up on one elbow.

  “Yes thanks. It was very generous.”

  “The Senator included a bonus. The boys’ parents are really nice people. They’re from Denver. They own a charter plane service.”

  “So Thompson chartered or stole the plane that crashed?” Stacey missed the details on how that part happened.

  “Thompson chartered it through some bogus company name. Ricky and Don were helping out that Thursday after school. Don bumped one of the cases and it fell open. Ricky recognized the papers as bonds and was going to get help when Thompson pulled a gun on the boys. He forced them onto the plane and you know the rest.”

  “What about the pilot? Was he trying to save the boys or was there mechanical failure?”

  “Mechanical failure. The boys said the pilot never knew they were on the plane,” Cord explained.

  “You liked the boys, didn’t you?”

  She surprised him once again with a question he wasn’t prepared for. “What was not to like? They’re good boys. They really like you. I had to hold Don when we left the logging camp to keep him from jumping out of the chopper to tell you goodbye. He’s determined to be a guide and tracker, now. Ricky said a few weeks ago, though, he wanted to be a rodeo clown.”

  Stacey laughed, “By now, it’s probably an FBI Agent or a Federal Marshall. He’s at an impressionable age. Before I was fourteen, I wanted to be a teacher, a nurse, a princess, a hair stylist then a policewoman depending on who my favorite person or character was at the time. What did you want to be?”

  “It depended on what television show was the most popular at the time. I ran the whole course from cowboy to superhero.” He shrugged the question off without admitting that what he wanted most was to be part of a real family, to have a home, and to belong as a child. “We should rest. We need to start early.” Cord stretched out on his blankets, propped against his pack.

  Stacey slid between her blankets. She took off her shirt and jeans and rolled them up to use as a pillow. Finally she grew still, sighing softly at how good it felt to rest.

  Knots filled Cord’s stomach by the time she finished rustling around. He knew what she was doing and it brought images to mind he shouldn’t be having. Why he put himself through this remained a mystery. He should be in Dallas, away from her, until he got a better handle on the attraction between them. But when she called and he heard the panic and fear in her voice on his answering machine, he didn’t even stop to think. He couldn’t bear to let her go through this alone. And he almost never turned down a case that involved a child taken from its family. Of course, technically this wasn’t a case. He had no intention of accepting any money. This is just one friend helping another. There might come a day when he would need Parker’s help and this way he wouldn’t feel guilty about calling on her.

  “Cord, thanks for doing all of this. Do you think they’re treating Marcus okay?”

  Her voice came low, drowsy, and extremely sexy to his ears. Like warm honey it poured over him, but with the added depth he felt goose-bumps racing over his flesh to be followed by a flush of heat quickly spreading to his lower regions. “He’s probably scared and maybe a little uncomfortable, but he’s okay, Parker. Thompson won’t take a chance with his bargaining tool. We may locate the bonds tomorrow then he won’t be with them much longer.” Cord offered the reassurance she sought, when crawling into her blankets would definitely comfort him.

  “I hope we find them soon. Goodnight, McConnell.” She turned over.

  Within minutes her even breathing told him she slept. Quite a while, and several imaginary M-16 rifle assemblies later, Cord calmed his mind and his body enough to doze.

  They hit the trail when the sun rose. At mid-morning Stacey located where the criminals spent another night. This time Thompson and the two men made no effort to hide the remains of their fire.

  “That’s the end of day two for them. We’ll have to look even more carefully now. I can’t take a chance of missing anything. I’m sure Brooks worked extra hard to conceal the trail to the bonds so no one could locate them.”

  “You’ll find them, Parker. We’ve made really good time this morning. Just do what you have to do. Don’t think about anything else. Be patient, follow your instincts, and do your job.” Cord knew she needed to focus but her worries over Marcus and wanting to hurry interfered.

  They finally took a much-needed breather and he insisted she eat something. She was pushing herself harder than usual to get this far so quickly.

  Stacey took several deep breaths and tried to relax a little. “You’re right. I unraveled their trail before and I can do it this time. Brooks is good, but not perfect and I just have to see the imperfections.”

  They moved on carefully and before long Stacey pointed to something new. “They’re practically dragging the injured man now. Both of them are helping with his weight.”

  “Yeah, I see it. He didn’t wake up the night I went into their camp. His wound was infected and he was burning up with fever. I’m surprised he’s made it this far.”

  “He must be important to Thompson or he would have left him behind, wouldn’t he?”

  “Yeah. The FBI said that one of his men injured at the crash site had a bullet in his head. I’m surprised they’re taking this much trouble with this guy. If this keeps up it shouldn’t take long for them to ditch the bonds,” Cord reasoned.

  Stacey lost the trail, began backtracking, and crawled along the ground as she read the signs. “One of the men—Thompson—is carrying the injured man. Brooks is carrying more, too, but it must be the packs. It doesn’t weigh as much as what Thompson’s carrying. Probably the bonds.” She talked almost to herself as she deciphered what the trail told her.

  “I don’t know what two million in paper bonds would weigh, but I wouldn’t want to carry them far. We’re really close, Parker,” he encouraged her.

  “Yeah,” she agreed. “This way.” The trail proved clearer with both men’s feet making deeper impressions in soft spots of dirt. Stacey walked much quicker. They reached a spot where the men rested and switched burdens.

  The land was covered in ridges and peaks as the elevation increased and they moved deeper into the mountain range.

  “They’re really struggling now.” Stacey pointed to a spot where there were deep ma
rks and some scuffs. “Brooks fell here. He’s not as large as Thompson and is having problems carrying the third man. Those deep impressions right there,” she pointed, “are where his knees hit the ground. They rested here. Then Thompson carried the third man again.” Stacey took a long drink from her canteen and accepted a candy bar from Cord. “Thanks,” she told him and was ready to go on.

  “Sit down for a minute, Parker. Eat your candy and rest your eyes,” Cord insisted. “You’ve been squinting for at least the last hour.”

  She slipped her pack off and plopped down, too tired to worry about being graceful. Stacey’s head ached dully. Her thighs and calf muscles burned and trembled from the swift pace. Rubbing her forehead with her fingertips, she closed her eyes to let them rest. After finishing the chocolate, she drank more water. She definitely needed the break and she hadn’t drunk enough water the last few hours. “I wasn’t even aware my eyes hurt until you told me,” Stacey sighed. She pushed to her feet. “They’re a little better now.”

  “Okay. I’m ready.” He helped her with her pack then waited as she worked out the trail.

  Later, near a stream, they hid from a small group of men on horseback. Cord noticed several more small planes flying over as the day progressed. As they drew nearer to Lolo Pass, he knew the number of searchers would increase. It would become more difficult to escape being noticed. The extra ground traffic would also make it harder for Stacey to follow the right trail. She looked to be struggling enough now. He never realized tracking could be so physically demanding.

  Atop the next ridge, Stacey stopped to catch her breath and pointed to the mountains in the distance. Snow glistened on the tall peaks. “See those two peaks due north with a nice wide gap between them? That’s Lolo Pass. It’s the safest place in this part of the range to cross into Montana. There are a lot of hunting clubs and leased game land around there because it’s easier to get into. Interstate I-90 is not far from the pass.”

  Cord added, “So Thompson probably intended to catch a ride north or steal a vehicle.”

  “More than likely,” Stacey agreed and led the way down the slope. Halfway down, she located where the men stopped for the third night. Not much of a camp, it looked as though the criminals just dropped down and stretched out beside each other. Stacey followed the trail out of the camp and then backtracked. Twice more, she checked to be sure of what she saw.

  “They didn’t have the bonds when they left, did they?” Cord asked finally, after watching her search the same path several times.

  “No. They have to be near here.” She took off her pack and began to scour the ground, searching for the sign Brooks carefully concealed.

  “Take it slow and easy. You’ll get it,” Cord told her, sensing her frustration. He went to sit at the base of a tree out of her way and to avoid trampling the signs.

  Moving carefully, in slightly widening circles, Stacey inspected every inch of ground, looked at every twig, and checked the limbs of every bush for sign. She saw where Brooks stomped back and forth and walked in circles to hide the trail. He did his job well. She had trouble locating a non-trail to give her a clue.

  Crawling inch by inch, the search took almost two hours but she found it. Brooks finally made a mistake. He left a non-trail on the ground. When brushing out his tracks with a branch covered in leaves, he pressed just a little too hard and the branch made unnatural marks in the soft ground. From there, broken twigs, obvious concealment techniques, and other small mistakes led Stacey around to the other side of the ridge. After following two very good false trails Brooks made, she located the right one.

  They were losing daylight. It would be night soon and the chopper couldn’t take a chance on coming in for them after dark even if they retrieved the bonds. Don’t think about that. Focus on the trail before the light goes.

  Cord noticed the sun was just barely visible above the mountains. He decided to make camp. Searching in Stacey’s pack, he took out the tiny stove, a can of fuel, and two oranges. She would need something to bring her sugar levels up as soon as she came back. He found a spot where he didn’t think the tiny flame of the stove would be visible and heated water.

  It was dark when Cord heard Stacey tiredly approach the spot where he waited. Without a word he handed her a hot cup of cappuccino and a peeled orange.

  She dropped down beside him with a groan. “Thanks. I’m pretty sure I found them, but I need you to help me get to them.” Stacey sipped at the hot drink sighing appreciatively.

  “Okay, let’s eat first,” Cord suggested. “You’ve burned an awful lot of energy in the past few hours.”

  “Yes, mom,” Stacey popped a section of the orange into her mouth. “Could you chew it for me, please?”

  “That soft eh, Parker?” He teased and received a slight smile as he sipped coffee. “Are they buried?”

  “Nope.”

  “Too heavy for you to carry?”

  “Probably, but I couldn’t really tell,” she answered and reached for a bag of trail mix. “Did you bring any rope? I don’t think mine is long enough.”

  “Don’t tell me he threw them off a cliff. Where are the bonds, Parker?” Cord insisted.

  “Hanging in a very tall tree. I almost missed them. I thought at first it was a cat kill.”

  “A cat kill? Like a jungle cat?”

  “Not exactly. More like a mountain lion—a cougar. They pull their kill up into trees sometimes to keep the scavengers from getting them. It’s hard to tell the difference in the dark.”

  “Would it be better to wait until daylight?” he asked. Climbing trees in the dark did not sound like a lot of fun.

  “Maybe, but if it’s not the bonds we would waste all that time in the morning. I’ll feel a lot better if we know tonight. Then we could signal the chopper first thing if it is the bonds. That way we can get to Marcus sooner.”

  “I’ll take a look tonight. If it seems too dangerous, we wait until morning. Agreed?”

  “Yes.” She offered him some trail mix. “I need to ask a question and I want a very honest answer.”

  “I’ve always tried to be honest with you, Stacey,” he told her. What is she up to now? “What do you want to know?”

  “Will Thompson take the bonds and let us walk out with Marcus?”

  “Not if we do it his way,” Cord told her quietly.

  Stacey felt as if her heart skipped a beat when she received the answer she had dreaded hearing. “But what choice do we have? I know he will hurt Marcus to get what he wants.”

  “We have to force him to make the exchange on neutral territory. He’s desperate to get his hands on the bonds. We can use that against him.”

  “What if he threatens to hurt Marcus?” she shivered, remembering Thompson’s threat to make her godson scream over the phone to get her cooperation.

  “We stay strong to save the boy’s life. We threaten to destroy the bonds.”

  “Oh, Cord,” Stacey stared into his dark eyes and whispered, “I don’t think I’m strong enough to—to take that kind of chance with Marcus.”

  “Lady, you are one of the strongest people I have ever met. Remember you told me you could do anything you had to, no special treatment? Well, you have to do this, Parker, and I’ll be there to help you.” Cord put an arm around her shoulders to give her a quick squeeze. Then he moved away looking in his pack for the ropes and a flashlight. “Come on, Parker. Show me the way.” He held his hand down to her.

  She took it and he drew her to her feet. Fighting the urge to kiss her, he slowly let go of her hand.

  Stacey brushed off the seat of her jeans and led him around the ridge, deep into the trees to a grouping of white pines. “Up there.” She pointed into the upper branches of the tallest pine.

  Using his light, Cord saw there was at least ten feet of tree trunk before the first branch. Farther up near the top of the tree, he could barely make out an odd, dark shape dangling from a limb. “How did you ever find them?” Cord shook his head. “How on ea
rth did Brooks get them up there?”

  “There are some marks on the tree trunk. He tried to make them look like something a bear would make marking its territory, but a bear wouldn’t wipe out the tracks. Can we get to them?”

  “I think so, but it won’t be easy. Hold the light. Point it either straight up or straight down and cover it with your hand or flip it off in between. We definitely don’t need any visitors.”

  “Okay. Are you going to try to get them tonight?” Stacey expected him to refuse.

  “No. You are. You’re going up to make sure the bonds are there. I’m too heavy for the branches. Besides, I can let you up and down with the rope. I don’t think you could hold my weight.” Cord searched around until he found an oblong shaped stone slightly larger than his fist. He tied the rope securely to the rock while she held the light for him. “Point it down here while I fix the rope then up in the tree and stand against the tree trunk. I don’t want to hit you with it.”

  Stacey did as he instructed. She watched as he moved back slightly and made sure the rope wasn’t tangled. After tying a loop in the free end, he slipped it over his boot to keep the end from following the rock over. She saw him draw his arm back and throw the rock up into the branches and over the limb above the one holding the dark shape. The rock brought the rope crashing through the smaller branches to hit the ground with a thud on the other side of the tree.

  Cord found the stone and untied the rope. He tested the strength of the branch by tugging on both pieces of the rope. The limb groaned, cracked then fell to the ground when he applied his weight. With a muttered curse he reeled in the rope and repeated the procedure. This time the limb was stronger and held.

  “Okay. Let’s get you rigged up,” Cord told Stacey as he tested the limb to prove it would hold her. “This is going to be fun, Parker, better than a ride at the fair.”

  “Yeah, right.” She stepped closer to Cord for him to get her ready to go up in the tree. “No wonder Brooks didn’t get them down even if he knew where they were,” Stacey grumbled. “The little weasel probably chickened out. I still haven’t figured out quite how he got them up there.”