Megan made her way back to where she had left her bag. She was debating her next move. Did she go in, playing dumb and needy or did she sneak in and try to go undetected while she looked for Caitlin? She watched the people working. They seemed normal doing things she and her own group of people did on a typical day.
“What do you think? Should we go for it?”
Duke appeared uneasy. Megan looked around; trying to see what had him nervous. She didn't see or hear anything.
“Okay, let's play up the injured leg and poor woman all alone.”
Duke didn't move. Megan instantly knew something was wrong. Someone was out here! She should have known they would have better security than a stupid line of barbed wire!
Before she could move, a hand clamped over her mouth. An arm wrapped around her chest and pulled her backwards into the trees. Megan bit down on the hand.
16
“Ow, dammit, stop it, Megan!”
“Wyatt?”
Megan spun around and saw Rosie and Jack trying to hold back a laugh. Wyatt was standing there with his brow furrowed and looking at his hand where she had just bit him.
“Why would you do that? You don't sneak up on a person and then do that,” she said frantically waving her hands at his injured hand. “How stupid. And why would you do that?” she asked again.
Wyatt glared at her, “Because you were about to alert those two men holding very big guns to your presence. I didn't want you ending up being held captive as well.”
Rosie and Jack pretended to be busy whispering, but Megan knew they could hear the exchange.
Wyatt continued, “You want to talk stupid? Stupid is a one-legged woman walking twenty miles by herself to go into an enemy camp and demand they give back a little girl they may or may not have kidnapped.”
Megan jerked back as if she had been slapped.
He was mad. No, furious. She had known he would be upset, but she didn't count on him being this angry.
“I am about sick of you thinking you’re Wonder Woman and running off on your own to save the world all the time. I am tired of having to worry about you and wondering what kind of danger you’re in.” Wyatt stepped close to her, grabbed her face between his hands, “STOP running away, dammit! Let us help.”
Before she could say a word, he kissed her.
Wyatt stepped away from Megan wondering if he should apologize but then decided he was still too mad. After they’d discovered that Megan had set off on her own, Jack and Rosie had decided to make the trek with Wyatt while the rest of the group stayed at the cabin. They didn't want to appear too threatening and hoped that with Rosie and Megan, it would help soften the approach. So long as Megan didn’t go off half-cocked; otherwise they were all in trouble.
Fortunately, they made good time and managed to catch up with Megan before she did anything stupid. Well, more stupid than heading off into the forest all alone and already injured.
Megan actually seemed relieved to see him as she jumped into his arms hugging him tightly. When he set her down, she smiled and waved at Jack and Rosie. Rosie grinned. Jack shook his head at her and waggled his finger. She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.
“I don't want to get into it all now but believe me, Megan, this isn't over. We are going to have a long talk when we get home.”
Megan met his eyes. He thought she was going to give some flippant response, but instead she said she was sorry. Her voice cracked as she spoke.
“Fine. But still not over it,” he said grabbing her hand and gently pulling her back into the trees a bit more.
“We brought along as much of the stuff to barter with that the three of us could carry,” he explained.
Megan frowned staring at the straps straining against Wyatt’s shoulders. “I don’t recall seeing the kitchen sink on the list of things to barter.”
Wyatt knew she was making an attempt at humor but he wasn’t in the mood for it. Leveling her with a stare, he adjusted the pack. “It would have been a much easier load if Chase had come along as we’d originally intended but as it is, we made do with our revised options.”
He could tell from the way Megan visibly winced that she understood his meaning.
“Our plan is to go to the front gates there,” Wyatt pointed to an area off to the left.
“Oh, I was going to go under the fence there and sneak into the camp to take a look around. I figured if anyone caught me, I’d play the injured woman card.”
Megan's declaration earned another glare from Wyatt. “Which is why you should have waited for us or let us do it like we had planned.”
Wyatt's firm tone came across a little harsher than he had wanted based on the warning look his mom gave him.
When he had discovered she had set off on her own, he had been scared to death and mad as hell. This morning, they had covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time. When they came across what they assumed was her camp and saw the bear markings, his anger had turned to terror. She had put her life in serious jeopardy this time and it scared him to death.
He didn't want to live without her. The idea of something happening to her made his nerves feel raw. Wyatt was convinced he couldn't possibly go on if she were to be seriously hurt or killed. He loved Megan and Caitlin and those feelings helped him to empathize but he still wasn’t happy with her choices. She had to learn to trust him and lean on him and on the rest of the group.
“We need to approach like we are friends and not here to tear their camp apart,” Wyatt explained.
“That works but what if they decide to shoot us?” Megan asked in all seriousness.
Wyatt rolled his eyes, “I don't think they want to shoot us, Megan. They probably would have already done that if that were their plan. It isn't like they didn't know where to find us.”
“Fine, let's go.” Megan was anxious to get inside and find Caitlin. She just knew her daughter was in there somewhere.
The foursome slowly walked to what appeared to be the entrance into the camp. Several men carrying semiautomatic rifles stood in front of the makeshift gate. They raised their rifles when they saw them approach.
Wyatt held up one of the backpacks, “We would like to make some trades if you are interested.”
A short, stocky man looked Wyatt up and down before turning his gaze to Megan.
“You're the ones that killed Kyle.” When he said that, the others shifted the barrels so they pointed directly at them.
Wyatt winced and he felt Megan and Jack tense beside him. He was hoping that had all been forgotten. Clearly not.
Another of the men stepped forward. Wyatt remembered him from that fateful day on the hill. He was the one who demanded Evan walk away.
He looked weary, but didn't appear to be set on revenge. At least, that’s what Wyatt hoped since he was the only one not pointing a gun at them.
“I'm Bryan. I'm sure you remember me,” he said extending his hand to Wyatt.
Wyatt shook his hand and he felt Jack relax his stance. “I do. I'm Wyatt. This is Megan, my brother, Jack, and my mom, Rosie. We wanted to see if we could exchange some goods. We brought what we could carry.”
A small crowd of people gathered behind the gated entrance. People were clearly interested to see the newcomers. Megan smiled down at a little boy clutching his mother's leg. Wyatt watched her scan the area knowing that she was looking for Caitlin.
They were invited inside the camp and Bryan led them to a picnic table that sat next to a large fire pit where both Megan and Rosie gratefully sat down. There were several tents set up not too far from the fire pit, as if they thought the heat from the fire would actually keep them warm through the cold winter.
He did his best to study the camp without looking too obvious. They didn't want to offend their hosts.
Evan emerged from the small cabin that was tucked between some trees. He held Wyatt's stare as he approached the table.
“What are you doing here?” His tone was harsh as he stared at the group his hands balling into
fists.
Megan spoke up, “We wanted to see if we could exchange some things before winter sets in.”
Evan looked at her, focusing on her outstretched leg.
“What happened?”
She looked to Wyatt and he debated how to answer, but decided she’d better tell the truth if they wanted to make friends and find her daughter. Giving her a reassuring nod, she turned back to Evan.
“Hunting accident. I fell down a hill,” she said sheepishly.
Bryan focused on her. “You hunt?” His voice revealed his surprise.
Megan nodded, “Yes.”
“We need food and guns,” Bryan quickly stated before Evan could say another word.
Evan glared at Bryan.
Wyatt and Megan looked at each other. The last time they had encountered these two, it was a similar situation. Bryan was the voice of reason. Evan was clearly the leader of the group, but he didn't seem in control.
Thinking it would be better if he did the talking, Wyatt reached his hand out to grab Megan’s giving it a little squeeze. If they were going to find out anything, they needed to get on Bryan's good side. Evan may have thought he was in charge, but Bryan was the one who called the shots.
“We can probably work out a deal,” Wyatt said, looking directly at Bryan, cutting Evan out of the conversation. “What do you have to trade?”
Bryan turned to a boy who looked to be in his late teens.
“Daniel, will you please go get Sharon and tell her to bring the stuff we have to barter.”
“Do you barter with others?” Jack asked.
The revelation took Wyatt and the group by surprise. If they could expand their trade market so-to-speak, it would really help. However, it could also put them at risk. If they went around flaunting everything they had, the other groups may try to take it. They could band together and overpower Wyatt's family.
“We do, sometimes,” Bryan answered slowly seeming reluctant to answer.
No one spoke after that and there was a tense silence as the men chose to stand around the picnic table rather than sit.
“Maybe we should all sit?” Wyatt asked hoping to break the tension a little.
“Oh, yes, sorry, pardon my lack of manners,” Bryan said gesturing for everyone else to sit. He looked at Megan, “You walked all the way here on that bum leg?”
“Yes, I—”
Wyatt cut her off. “She was going a little stir crazy so she demanded she come along.”
Daniel came back with another woman each carrying a box.
Sharon smiled and introduced herself, as she set the box she was carrying on the table and Daniel followed. Wyatt quickly looked them over. Much like his own group, it was evident from the clothes they wore that they’d all lost weight. A few of the men were sporting beards in various stages from long and scraggly to trimmed short. Evan was the only one who was clean-shaven and he had a few nicks on his chin for the trouble. Of the women standing there, one had opted to cut her hair short while the others were wearing what he’d come to refer to as the traditional hairstyle; a ponytail.
“We don't have a lot, but I'm guessing you don't need a lot,” Sharon told them as she looked from one to the other. Wyatt decided the woman wasn't quite as naive as she looked but he also had to admit that based on appearance, they were definitely the better off of the two groups.
“So, we have some toothpaste,” Sharon said reaching into the box and pulling out a couple boxes of Crest. “We also have some tomato seeds and lots of herbs.”
Rosie perked up, “Oh, yes. I would love some of those herb seeds.”
Wyatt looked at his mom, but she was all business now.
“We have some moonshine, home brewed, and it is sure either to peel paint or get a person fabulously drunk,” Rosie offered.
Everyone laughed, and some of the tension of the exchange dissolved. Humor was always a great way to oil the wheels of any deal.
Rosie opened her backpack and pulled out several pairs of wool socks.
Bryan reached out to touch them before withdrawing his hand. “Oh yes, we really need some clothing, especially socks.”
Wyatt looked at the wistful look on his face. There was no way these people would survive the winter if they were sleeping in tents.
Megan stayed quiet as they all talked about what they needed, missed the most, and what they had to trade, chatting as if they’d bumped into old friends in line at the grocery store. She wasn’t here to chat or make friends. While none of them seemed suspicious, maybe they were simply hiding it well. As they talked, Megan took advantage of the attention being drawn away from her.
Looking around the area, her eyes settled on a large outbuilding set farther back behind the cabin where Evan came out. That would be a very good place to hide a little girl.
Megan casually stood. Duke watched her. When Evan looked at her in question, she thought fast.
“Bathroom?”
He motioned to an area where a couple of old shower curtains hung.
She hid her cringe. Oh, boy had she become spoiled with the outhouse and compost toilet. “Thanks. Come on, Duke.”
Evan turned his attention back to the conversation. The others were exchanging goods and listing out what they would like to trade next time. Evan's group had ammunition, but was lacking in guns. The guns the guards had were actually all they had. The semiautomatics were not the best for hunting when accuracy was at stake, which was their priority as well.
They worked out a deal to exchange a gun for three boxes of .22 ammuniton. The .22s were running low at the lodge and were preferred when hunting small game. It would be a win-win for both groups.
The conversation faded in the distance as Megan focused her attention on the barn. She was going to have to go behind the curtain and into the trees to stay out of sight.
“Let's go get our girl, Duke.”
17
Megan slowly opened the main door that led into the barn squinting as she stepped into the darkened interior. The barn was old, dilapidated and the roof looked like it would cave in at any time. Loft windows shed some light inside but given how dirty they were it wasn’t much.
“This isn't creepy at all, is it Duke?”
She doubted the dog understood sarcasm but she felt better that he was with her.
“Do you smell her, boy? Is she in here?”
It was eerily quiet. Megan wished she had brought along her headlamp. Instead, she was forced to rely on the windows high above that did little to illuminate the dark corners of the barn. The smell of old straw almost made her gag. Clearly, they weren't using this building to sleep in. If she had the choice between a tent and a barn, she would definitely choose the barn. They had a valuable resource that they were ignoring.
Or were they? Megan carefully walked down the center walkway, checking each stall. Spotting something in the back of a stall, she scurried in expecting to find Caitlin cowering inside. Carefully lifting the old horse blanket, she sneezed loudly as a cloud of dust flew up in the air. Throwing the blanket back, she was disappointed to find an old rotted cardboard box with what looked like rusted tools.
The next stalls were completely empty.
Caitlin wasn't in here. Megan wanted to cry in frustration even though she was relieved to know Caitlin hadn't been held prisoner in this dark, stinky, barn.
“No luck, Duke. Maybe she is in one of those tents.”
Looking up, a beam of sunlight hit the wall in front of her and Megan's breath hitched when she saw Caitlin's hunting rifle mounted to the wall, above the door she had come in.
Reaching her hand up, she traced her fingers along the barrel making sure it was real.
Spinning around, she quickly searched each of the stalls a second time. This time, she used her foot to kick the straw around, just in case she was hidden underneath. When she didn't find her the second time through, her mind started to race.
There was no loft. Maybe there was a trap door. Usually barns had some kind o
f storage space. Megan dropped to her hands and knees, crawling along the floor, looking for a secret door.
“Caitlin! Caitlin, answer me baby!”
Duke started barking in response to Megan's shouting.
Wyatt froze when he heard Megan shouting. Looking around, he suddenly realized that she’d never returned from using the toilet. What the hell had she done now? He looked at Jack who was about ready to spring up as well.
“What’s going on?” Evan demanded.
“Let me explain,” Wyatt began but Megan shouted again.
Evan glared at him before jumping up from the table and running towards the barn with Wyatt in hot pursuit. Everyone that had been at the table quickly followed. Something was wrong.
They arrived in the barn to find Megan standing in the center of the walkway, shouting Caitlin's name. Evan grabbed her arm and started to drag her out of the barn and Wyatt saw red.
He lunged at him. Evan fell backwards without releasing his grip on Megan's arm and all three went down like a pile of bricks.
Megan cried out in pain, bringing Wyatt to a dead stop.
“What is it? What happened? Are you okay?” Wyatt asked when he realized she was hurt.
Megan was lying on her side, curled into a ball rubbing her ankle. She was groaning, but not speaking.
Rosie ran in moments later, “What happened, dear? Point to where it hurts.”
Megan hissed and pointed to the injured ankle.
“I knocked her down, mom,” Wyatt admitted.
“You did what? Why would you do that?”
Wyatt rolled his eyes, “I didn't do it on purpose, mom.”
Megan rolled into a sitting position, “I'm okay. The fall twisted my foot. It will be okay. It just kind of hurts.”
Rosie made a tisking sound, “Well, I imagine it does. We need to get you off that leg for a bit.”
Wyatt helped Megan stand up keeping his arm around her waist to support her.
She drew her shoulders back, pointed a finger at Evan and gave him a look that would send anyone running.
“Where is she?”
Her voice was low, but there was no hiding the anger bubbling beneath the surface.
EMP Lodge Series (Book 2): Dark Hunt Page 11