Paradox Valley

by Gerri Hill

  Corey smiled slightly and nodded. “I guess we can squeeze in.”

  “Good. Because I’m not going in there alone.” She started to get up, then stopped. “And you’ll bring your gun, right?”

  Butch laughed. “I thought you hated guns.”

  “Yes. But I hate scary monsters worse,” she said as she got up. She really wanted to brush her teeth but didn’t dare go to the creek alone. Her teeth would have to wait until morning.

  Corey got up too and brushed her jeans off with her hands. “I know we don’t have clocks but watch the moon,” she said to the others. “Give us about three or four hours’ sleep and then we’ll relieve you.”

  They all looked overhead at once, finding the moon. It was about a quarter of the way up. Dana had no idea how Butch would be able to tell when four hours had passed. Corey went over to Butch and sat down beside him.

  “Here…follow my arm. Break the sky up into eight sections. When the moon gets to four, wake us up. It’s not exact by any means,” Corey said, “but it’s the best we can do.”

  “Okay.”

  “Miss Jean? You sure you’ll be okay on the first shift?” Corey asked.

  “Like I said before, I know how to use this shotgun, Captain.”

  Corey nodded. “You know, you don’t have to address me as ‘Captain,’” she said.

  “I address you as ‘Captain’ for the same reason you address me as ‘Miss Jean.’”

  Corey smiled at her. “I understand.”

  “I hope that’s okay,” Jean continued.

  “Yes, ma’am. That’s perfectly fine. And I’ll try my best to get us all out of here in one piece.”

  “We would all appreciate that, Captain.”

  Dana thought it was a sweet exchange between the captain and Miss Jean, and she couldn’t help but smile. Of course, she too hoped Corey got them all out of here safely. She went to where she’d laid her bedroll and picked it up, waiting for Corey.

  Corey motioned to the tent and Dana followed. Corey didn’t seem to be having any trouble seeing.

  “I hope your night vision is better than mine,” Dana said. “Because I can’t see a damn thing.”

  “I imagine if something comes up tonight, Lucky will be the first to hear and see it,” Corey said.

  “Something?”

  Corey squatted down and reached for the bedroll. “Something…a person, a wild animal.” She glanced up at her. “Little green men from another planet.”

  Her voice was teasing, but Dana could find no humor in the statement.

  “If you’re trying to put me at ease, that’s not helping.”

  “No?” Corey stood up again. “You want the side against the wall or the door?”

  “Not the door,” she said as she got down on her knees to crawl inside. “If something comes in, I want them to have to go through you before they get to me.”

  “Okay. Be right back.”

  Dana’s eyes widened. “Where are you going?” she asked quickly.

  “To get my pack. And my gun.”

  “Hurry,” she said tensely. She sat down on her bedroll, her eyes glued to the door. It wasn’t so bad, though. She could see the fire and make out Butch and Jean. Lucky was lying between them.

  When she heard Corey come back, she scooted over, giving her room. The tent was obviously intended for one person or a couple who didn’t mind getting cozy with each other. Corey got in next to her and lay down but did not zip up the tent.

  “Or would you rather I close it?” Corey asked. “I thought you might feel better if you could see the fire.”

  “Is there enough wood to keep it going?”

  “He’ll add to it enough to keep a flame, not much more,” Corey said.

  “Okay.” She stretched out on her back. “I hate sleeping in clothes.”

  “Feel free to take them off,” Corey said. “I won’t mind.”

  Dana again recognized the teasing in her voice. “Is that how you handle stress? By being playful? Teasing?” She heard Corey’s quiet sigh before she answered.

  “I haven’t been playful or teasing with anyone in…in nearly five months now.”

  Dana rolled her head to the side, seeing Corey’s profile in the shadows of the tent. She appeared to be staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t any of her business, she knew, but curiosity got the better of her. As Jean had said the other day, if you look deep into Corey’s eyes, you see a tortured soul, although Corey did well to hide it. Had she lost someone? A lover?

  “Want to talk about it?” she asked quietly.

  Corey turned her head to the side to look at her. “I’ve done a lot of that already. Faked my way through it, got cleared.”

  “What happened?”

  Corey sighed again. “You should get some sleep. We’ll have a long day tomorrow.”

  In other words, Corey didn’t want to talk about it. But Dana’s curiosity was high. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, trying to keep her questions inside, trying not to pry. It didn’t help. She tried another approach.

  “You’ve been a little distant today.”

  “Have I?”

  Dana nodded in the shadows. “It’s like your mind is elsewhere. What’s going on?”

  Corey laughed quietly. “I don’t even know what’s going on here, much less what’s in my mind.”

  They were quiet for a moment, then Dana remembered a conversation they’d had earlier. “Tell me about your team,” she coaxed.

  Corey turned her head quickly toward her. “What about them?” she asked abruptly.

  “You mentioned them once, but not again.”

  “So?”

  Dana shrugged slightly. “Intuition, I guess…they’re not here with you. Are they on your mind?”

  Corey turned her head away from her, staring up at the ceiling. Her long, heavy sigh made Dana regret her question.

  “No, they’re not here with me. They won’t ever be with me again.”

  So it wasn’t a lover she’d lost. It was her team.

  “Tell me about them,” she whispered.

  “God…they were my…my family. They were all I had, really. We were so close, all of us. They were my team, yet they didn’t treat me like their commander. We worked as one, no one greater or lesser than the others.”

  Dana didn’t say anything. She lay there quietly, listening to the shift in Corey’s breathing. She could hear her own as well as she tried to guess what had happened to them.

  “We were on assignment, in Pakistan,” Corey continued. “Bad intel all around. We were ambushed. It was a bloodbath.”

  “Were you injured?” Dana asked quietly.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I was. I probably should have died right there with the rest of them.” She paused. “Sometimes I wish I had.”

  Dana reached over and touched her arm. “Please don’t say that, Corey.”

  “It’s the truth. I’ll be honest, I was a basket case. Took a couple of months to recover—physically—but then, I couldn’t deal with my loss,” Corey said. “I certainly couldn’t function as a soldier. The shrink they sent me to wasn’t helping at all, and I got sick of talking about it.”

  “So you faked your way through it?”

  “Yeah. Got cleared when I shouldn’t have. But Harry—that’s General Brinkley—is a family friend, and he put me on special assignment,” she said. “For the last four months I’ve been living in solitude at my little cabin, doing pretty much nothing. Existing, not living.” She turned her head toward Dana. “He’s the one who brought me in on this mission. I think he—and everyone else—expected it to be fairly routine.”

  Dana gave a nervous laugh. “Routine?”

  “I know. I’m still holding out hope that it was just a meteor.”

  Dana realized her hand was still touching Corey’s arm. She didn’t pull away, however. “I’m sorry about your team,” she whispered in the darkness.

  Corey didn’t say anything but again, Dana heard a quiet sigh.

  “Go
odnight, Dana.”

  The words were spoken quietly, and Dana returned them, letting her eyes slip closed. They were on their backs, their shoulders touching. She relaxed, trusting Corey to keep her safe for the few hours of sleep they were allowed.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Corey heard movement and—as she was trained to do—was wide awake within seconds. It was only Butch stirring, adding more wood to the fire. Jean was no longer sitting up and Corey spotted her prone figure on Butch’s bedroll. For a moment, she panicked. But then she remembered Lucky and found the dog sitting beside Butch, undisturbed. She relaxed again, only then noticing that Dana was curled up next to her, her hands wrapped around Corey’s arm securely.

  It felt nice and brought some solace to her as well. She doubted Dana even knew that she did that. The nights they’d shared a bed, first at Anna Gail’s house then at Jean’s, Dana had moved close to her during sleep. Last night at Jean’s, Corey had been tempted to pull Dana into her arms, seeking the same comfort that Dana apparently had been looking for. In the end, she had remained still. They were strangers, thrown together in an uncertain and stressful situation. There was no need to complicate things.

  But the contact felt good, she acknowledged. It had been so long since she’d shared her bed with anyone…she couldn’t remember the last time she’d even had a lover. And when she’d lost her team…well, she’d lost her only close friends. Since then, her interaction with others was strained, to say the least. Her life lately had been empty and void of any human contact. Harry had been right to kick her ass into gear. If he hadn’t sent her out on this mission, she’d still be holed up in the cabin, watching the days waste away…much like her life had been doing.

  However, it appeared that this particular mission wasn’t one that she was trained for. She’d never been up against a nameless, faceless enemy before. Maybe if she had her team…maybe they could figure it out. Here, she was relying on three civilians, one of whom was seventy-five years old. Butch could most likely handle his rifle, but after the incident in the barn with Hal, she wasn’t certain how far she could trust him. And Dana? Dana hated guns. But first thing tomorrow, she was going to get a quick lesson. She’d give Dana her Beretta. It was easier to use than the new Glock she had. She could already hear the argument Dana would have, but it wouldn’t be up for discussion. They all needed to be armed. They all needed to be prepared.

  Prepared for what, however, was still the question.

  * * *

  “Hey…wake up,” Corey said as she nudged Dana with her elbow.

  After they’d relieved Butch and Jean, Dana had stayed awake for maybe an hour, then had rested her head against Corey’s shoulder, falling asleep again. Corey didn’t mind. It felt good just having someone there with her, even if they were asleep. Lucky, too, had dozed off, but he’d jerked awake a couple of times, staring off into the darkness. She’d followed his gaze, her hand tightening around the Glock she held, but after a few seconds, Lucky would settle down again. Other than that, the night was quiet and still…and dark. Now, dawn was approaching, turning the sky nearly purple as the darkness was pushed to the west. She needed to get the fire going again. She had an uneasy feeling, and she wanted to head out early. There were too many unanswered questions running around in her mind. Mainly, if six men started out, why were there only four bedrolls and three horses? What happened to the other two men? And of the four remaining, Hal made it back home, but without a horse. How did he get there? And where were the other three men? Judging by the blood she’d found and the drag marks, they were badly injured. Were they able to get on a horse and make it to Paradox for help? She shook her head. Too many questions and no damn answers. Well, hopefully they’d find the helicopter soon. They might even stumble upon the squad that Sutter sent in. That was what she really hoped for, but it would be blind luck if they did.

  She glanced over at Dana and nudged her once again. “Dana…wake up,” she said, louder this time.

  Dana’s eyes fluttered open, then she lifted her head, finding Corey’s gaze.

  “I fell asleep,” she said unnecessarily. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. It’s been quiet.”

  Dana ran her hand through her hair a couple of times, then rubbed her eyes. “The sun will be up soon,” Dana said. “I’m not sure I’ve ever looked forward to a sunrise as much as this one.”

  Corey holstered her gun, then moved to the fire, using a stick to stir the embers. A few small twigs caught easily, sending sparks and smoke swirling up.

  “Wake the others,” she said, a little more abruptly than she intended. “I want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

  Dana stared at her as if sensing something was wrong. “Do you think we’re in danger here?”

  “Just a gut feeling,” she said honestly. “I feel like we should move on, that’s all.”

  Dana got up quickly. “I’ll trust your gut then.”

  It wasn’t long before the four of them were sipping coffee and nibbling on the sausage rolls that Jean had made for them. No one was attempting to carry on a conversation, and she assumed they were all dog-tired. Corey was used to existing on a few hours’ sleep a night. They were not.

  It wasn’t a particularly cold morning, but the fire chased away some of the chill in the air, as did the hot coffee. She finished the last of hers then stood, silently signaling an end to their breakfast. The sun was still low in the sky by the time they saddled up and headed out with three extra horses in tow.

  They continued following the creek and conversation was nearly nonexistent. Whether it was from fatigue or fear, Corey didn’t know. She looked back at Dana a couple of times with raised eyebrows, and Dana had given her a brief smile each time. She was being a trooper, she’d give her that. And Jean…well, Jean was holding her own, riding confidently in the saddle—this time on the horse she called Daisy. Lucky was leading the way, pausing several times to splash in the creek before running back out again.

  “He sure does love the water,” Butch commented, breaking the silence. “I may join him for a bath soon.”

  “That sounds nice,” Dana said. “Will we camp along the creek again tonight?”

  Corey knew the question was directed at her, and she turned in her saddle. “I hope we come upon the helicopter soon. Hard to say where we’ll camp.”

  “What are the chances it’s somewhere along the creek?” Butch asked.

  “When they originally flew in, they were using the creek as a landmark,” she said, repeating what Duncan had told her.

  “When you said you’d been camping…that was just for show?” Dana asked. “You hadn’t really been out?”

  Corey nodded. “That was my cover story. But technically, I did spend one night out,” she said. “They dropped me off at the checkpoint, and I hiked the road until dark. Then back at it the next day.”

  “I don’t understand why it was such a secret.”

  Corey sighed. “Does it really matter now?”

  Dana shrugged but didn’t reply.

  Silence again as they continued on, the horses’ hooves rolling the rocks from time to time. Lucky barked once and took off through the creek to the other side, chasing a rabbit that they’d scared up from its daytime hiding place. Butch called him back, and the dog stopped, returning to them but not before splashing around in the water first. Corey thought a bath sounded good, but she did wonder how the four of them could accomplish that feat. There was only a smattering of trees and brush near the creek but not enough to provide any kind of privacy should they get in the water. She let a small smile play on her lips…maybe she and Dana could share a bath.

  She sighed and brought her attention back to the task at hand. There was no time for any nonsense like frolicking in the water naked. Even if it did sound like fun. Because there was no time for fun either.

  She estimated they’d ridden three or four hours when they came to a fork in the creek. She got her binoculars out and stood up tall in the sad
dle, scanning the area in front of them and across the creek too, just as she’d been doing every several hundred yards or so. She was actually shocked when she spotted something. So shocked, in fact, that she passed right over it. She swung the binoculars back around, her heart beating excitedly. It was the wreckage. Finally. Before she could tell the others, Butch spoke.

  “Looks like there was a camp over there,” he said. “Recent fire ring.”

  Corey lowered the binoculars, nodding where he pointed. They were close to the helicopter, and all she wanted to do was push on, but she knew they were tired and most likely hungry.

  “Let’s rest,” she said.

  “Thank God,” Dana said. “My ass is numb.” Then she looked quickly at Jean. “Sorry, Miss Jean. My butt.”

  “I know what an ass is,” Jean replied. “Mine’s pretty numb too.”

  “I’ll help you out of the saddle, Miss Jean,” Butch said.

  Corey landed on the ground easily, then walked over to hold Daisy as Butch took Jean’s arm and helped her down. Dana was moving around and holding her lower back as she stretched her legs.

  “I’m pretty certain that once this is over with, I won’t want to see a horse or a saddle again for a long, long time,” Dana said.

  “It’s an adventure,” Corey teased.

  “Yes. I keep telling myself that,” Dana said. “Can we take time to eat something?”

  Corey shook her head. “No. I think I spotted the wreckage,” she said. “We need to go.”

  “You did?” Dana asked excitedly. “That’s good, right? Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Where?” Butch asked.

  Corey turned and pointed across the creek, down past the fork. “About a thousand yards or so, I’d guess.” She walked to the creek and splashed water on her face, only to have Lucky join her, his tail wagging wildly as if he wanted her to throw something for him. She picked up a rock and absently tossed it into the creek. To her surprise, he dove after it, sticking his head under the water and coming up with a rock. It wasn’t her rock, but still…

  “I’ll be damned,” she murmured when he brought the rock to her and looked at her expectantly. She picked it up and tossed it in again, a smile on her face. She’d always liked dogs, but they’d never had one. Her mother said they moved around too much to keep one. Corey’s protest that other families had them fell on deaf ears. When she was older, she realized that had simply been her mother’s excuse.