by Rita Karnopp
“Does that sound right?” Summer gripped Running Crane’s arm. The sputtering of the chopper blades forced smoke into the entire body of the craft.
“Damn it! We’re going down. I’m gonna kill Worthington if I live through this,” the pilot shouted.
Chapter Nine
Running Crane slipped his right arm through his backpack and pulled Summer against him with his left. No doubt Worthington was behind the chopper problems. He’d figured out a way to eliminate three of his loose-ends—Bradley, Summer and him. The bastard showed no mercy. Running Crane didn’t even want to think about Nah’ah. One thing he was sure of: once Worthington hurt that woman, he’d be lucky to survive a day. The people wouldn’t stand idly by and let him get away with it.
He noticed Bradley pressed the blanket across his face to keep from breathing in the smoke, and Summer coughed and slid Nah’ah’s sweater up over her nose.
The billowing black smoke whirled with force and Running Crane pressed his face into the sleeve of his jacket. The chopper jerked right and left and he gripped Summer’s shoulder, protecting her the best he could. Their rapid descent increased the fear building within him. He didn’t even like carnival rides.
The rattle of trees scraping the chopper’s belly wasn’t a good sign and the early morning light gave the pilot little help.
“Lean down,” he yelled. The chopper slammed against a granite rock wall and bounced in the other direction. The blades scraped and squealed, yet they still whirled as they descended upon the encroaching ground.
Hitting hard, the chopper skipped ahead and slammed hard a second time. “Grab Bradley so he doesn’t get thrown out,” he shouted. Pulling Bradley against their legs, Summer grasped him by the arm and Running Crane caught his belt and held tight.
“Thanks guys,” Bradley said through swollen lips. He wrapped his arms tightly around Summer’s chair legs.
If they survived, Running Crane promised himself Worthington would stand charges for four counts of attempted murder if there was a way to prove he had anything to do with the chopper’s crash.
The force with which they hit the ground nearly took Running Crane’s breath away. He struggled against the strain of Bradley’s body pulling on his biceps.
Crashing metal filled the space…then silence. Running Crane wondered if he’d been unconscious long. He slowly opened his eyes, realizing immediately he no longer gripped Bradley’s belt. Smoke and the jet petroleum filled Running Crane’s senses and his instincts snapped him to alert.
Adjusting to the dim morning light, he sat upright slow and easy. Summer leaned against him and he gently raised her head, struggling to see if she’d been injured.
“Summer…Summer,” he said, tapping her cheek with his palm.
She drew in a deep breath, then opened her eyes wide and searching. “We landed? We survived?”
“We’re not in heaven…that’s for sure.” He unsnapped both their seatbelts.
“You two need to get out of there now!” Bradley shouted from outside the chopper. “I think she’s going to blow.”
Running Crane pulled Summer from the seat and swung her toward Bradley. “Help her out…I’m right behind.”
Without wasting any time, Running Crane grasped Summer’s hand and ran full throttle, hobbling the best he could with his injured leg. They made it to several large boulders before the first explosion shook the earth and sent metal sailing to the sky and dropping helter skelter to the ground. They barely sat upright when a second explosion followed.
The jet petroleum burned hot and furious. “What about the pilot?” Running Crane asked, pulling Summer against him.
Bradley pulled his fingers through his hair. “He’s dead. The nose of the chopper slammed into a rock, killing him instantly. I got lucky with you two holding onto me. If you hadn’t, I think I’d be mince-meat out there somewhere. I owe you both my life.”
“Think nothing of it. You’d do the same for us, I’m sure,” Running Crane watched the fire.
“I also appreciate you’re coming to my rescue at StoneHouse, Summer. You took a chance standing up to Worthington like that. He was planning on killing me and I really believed you talked him into getting me to a hospital. I should have known better. You do realize this chopper failure was no accident?”
“Oh, yea, no doubt about it,” Running Crane said. “I’m beginning to believe there’s more going on here. We know about the land, oil and gold. We know the government just might purchase land back from any non-Indian owner. It still seems like we’re missing something.”
“You really don’t think that’s enough?” Summer brushed dirt from Nah’ah’s sweater.
Bradley cleared his throat. “I agree with Summer. If that gold strike is anything like he thinks, it’s worth billions in today’s market. I’d say that’s more than enough reason for Worthington’s…determination. He won’t risk that document surfacing and exposing him. He’d lose the land agreement and go to prison. He has enough money invested at this point, so he’s not the kind of man to back down or out.”
Running Crane stood and extended his hand toward Summer and pulled her up against his chest. He lowered his head and pulled her lips into his. He’d wanted to do that the minute she sat next to him on the chopper.
“When and how did the two of you happen?” Bradley slowly got to his feet.
“By accident,” Summer said. “We both fought it and lost. I’m not sure why I…doesn’t matter. We’re taking it slow and see what happens.”
Running Crane kissed her, first soft, then with more meaning. They already knew what happens.
“I see you’re taking it slow,” Bradley laughed. “Okay, we need to get serious here and make a plan.”
“The plan I want to make is rescuing Nah’ah,” Summer said.
Running Crane retied the bottom of one braid, then the other with red cloth. “We can do one of two things. We can stick together and go rescue Nah’ah or we can split up. One group going to get Nah’ah and one of us going for help. I think splitting up makes more sense.”
“I agree with you, Running Crane,” Summer said. “It seems like we’ve been down this road before.”
“We’re forgetting something,” Bradley licked his swollen lip. “Worthington thinks we’re all dead. I know Domonique will be an erupted volcano when she hears our chopper went down and it appears there are no survivors.”
“So…are you two in love…or are you undercover?” Running Crane stared at his old friend.
“It’s complicated, because a year with Domonique does weigh heavy on a guy. She has her sweet spots, but she’s a barracuda like her father underneath. I don’t want to hurt her…but to answer your question, I’m not in love with her and I’m still undercover. Does that make sense?”
“You haven’t changed much, have you Bradley Wild Horse.” Summer stretched her neck, suddenly realizing her body ached. “Is your father also undercover…or is he really—”
“You really need to ask?”
Running Crane rubbed his jaw. “Word is he’s been taking kickbacks from Worthington for over a year. You know anything about that?”
“Son-of-a-bitch! Who’d you hear that from? You know my father and he wouldn’t do anything like that. Someone is spreading rumors to make him look guilty. Maybe he’s protecting the tribe by taking money to make Worthington believe he’s one of them.”
“I hope that’s the case, Bradley,” Running Crane drew in a breath. “I saw Stuart Wallace was one of the guys at the house when they brought you to StoneHouse. What’s his part in all this?”
“Nice guy. He and his brother have done everything from running guns to selling narcotics. Then they suddenly were working with the Perkins brothers. A real deadly foursome. That Jordan Perkins got his inside track on the tribe’s business from someone inside. Word is your father is somehow involved, Summer.”
“Great…I accuse your father so now you’re accusing mine? Damn it, Bradley.” Summer kicked a small rock and it sailed
into a large boulder making a loud snap. “We’re wasting time and our advantage here. We need to do more and talk less. What’s our plan?”
Running Crane didn’t miss the strained control Summer expressed in her tone. She was one hundred percent correct. They were losing their edge the longer they delayed making a decision. “Okay, I think Summer and I should go back and see if there’s any way we can get Morning Star Timber Wolf out of that house and away from Worthington.”
“I figure we are about five miles south of StoneHouse and we might be about two miles from the edge of Saint Mary Lake.” He looked at Bradley and realized he still looked somewhat uneasy on his feet from the beating Worthington gave him. “If you hike to the lake, you might find someone already at their summer home. Call Detective Tom Buggeta and let him know where we are and what’s been going on. What do you think?”
“I can do that. Worthington might not be at StoneHouse when you get there, but there’ll still be two men guarding your grandmother, Summer.”
“So do you know where Worthington is going?” Running Crane wondered what Bradley wasn’t saying.
“He…I’m not certain, you understand. I have suspicions and gossip only to substantiate…but—”
“Bradley, out with it!’ Summer rolled her eyes.
“I think he’s in a relationship.”
“He has a girlfriend? This is important—why?” Summer pulled her hair back.
“Vulnerability. Your grandmother is yours, my father is mine, and it looks like right now you are Running Crane’s weakness. We find out who she is and we might even get her to talk.”
This changes things. Running Crane wondered if they should be pursuing this lead instead of going after Nah’ah. “If we were to get this woman, we could trade her for Nah’ah. We would for once have the edge. If this girlfriend talks, even better.”
“I get what you guys are saying…but leaving Nah’ah at StoneHouse with—”
“They won’t hurt her, Summer,” Bradley said.
“Like Worthington wouldn’t hurt you? You’re…were supposedly his daughter’s boyfriend. He didn’t hesitate to decide to kill you. Never underestimate what he will or won’t do.” Summer shook her head. “We can’t take that chance.”
“How would we learn who she is? We’re going to have to make a decision what we’re going to do and quick. We’ve lost so much valuable time just in talking. Come on you two, we need to get out of here before someone spots us and Worthington realizes we’ve survived that wreck.”
“I vote we all head to Saint Mary Lake and quickly get help.”
Running Crane scanned the tree line. “Domonique is going to be our ace.” Their stares told him he’d made the right decision. No one would be expecting it.
“Meaning?” Bradley rubbed his arms, generating some warmth in the chilly morning air.
“We get to a cabin and you call Domonique. You explain her father tried killing you. She doesn’t have to know the three of us survived…only you. Get in close and find out who her father is taking to his bed.”
“I start asking questions about her father and she’ll see through it right away.”
“You never ask her about her father? How were you planning on getting evidence against him?” Summer shook her head.
The cool air and warm earth worked together and once again a hazy fog rolled in. “This is good and bad. They won’t be able to search for that chopper in this fog. On the other hand it won’t take much to get turned around in this thick mist. Come on, let’s get moving. I’ll lead, Summer hang onto my backpack and Bradley grab the back of her sweater.”
“How do you plan on moving in this? We could walk off a cliff and never know it until we hit bottom,” Bradley shouted from behind.
“I know there’s nothing but shrubs and tall grass from here to the tree line. If my guess is right that will be about a good mile. We can feel our way from tree to tree another good half-mile. By then this should thin out if not lift completely.” Running Crane wondered if he was doing the right thing. If his hunch panned out…Bradley would accidentally let go of Summer’s sweater and disappear into the fog.
* * *
Summer wanted nothing more than to stop and catch her breath. They’d been walking most of the early morning and she considered refusing to take another step. In the last few minutes it seemed the fog had lightened as did the light.
“I think the fog is lifting,” she whispered.
Running Crane didn’t answer and Summer fell silent. Did she hear a single drum beating softly in the distance? There it was again. It seemed to be warning her. Were those footsteps down the trail?
“Stop!” she whispered, pulling Running Crane back against her, dragging them to the ground. He fell on top of her, nearly knocking the wind from her lungs.
“What—”
“Shhh,” she whispered.
“Come on, Stuart, I know they headed west.”
“I can’t see a fucking thing. How the hell did any of you survive that crash? Let’s stop a minute, I can hardly breathe.” He dropped to the ground.
“Don’t talk so loud. A voice can carry a mile in the stillness of morning.”
“Shit, Bradley, I think I stepped in deer shit. I wish I’d never run into you. I’d be back at StoneHouse drinking a beer and sitting in front of a warm fireplace. Why not just let them go?”
“I bring them back to Worthington and he’ll know I love his daughter and I’m in it for the long haul.”
“Aren’t you just a bit pissed he tried killing you in that chopper?”
“He’ll pay for that one once Domonique finds out.”
“Why didn’t you take them down when you had the chance? Shit you was hiking with them for Christ’s sake.”
Running Crane rolled off Summer and inched closer to the ground. He wished his suspicions were wrong about Bradley.
“It’s that two against one thing. Summer’s had several years of defensive training so I didn’t want to take a chance.”
“How come you know so much about Summer?”
“Her grandma likes to brag about her every chance she gets. She’s wanted me and Summer to hook up ever since we was kids. I think she’s too much like her grandma. Snoopy damn old woman. My dad thinks she walks on water,” Bradley said. “So I decided I’d better get a gun and backup. You saved us valuable time by heading out.”
“Worthington figured you’d get about a mile or so before crashing. I drew the short stick and had to make sure none of you walked out alive. He didn’t even give a shit I hurt my ankle when that damn ledge gave way. Hurt by my own damn trap. Pisses me off.”
“Worthington is still at StoneHouse?”
“Naw, he’s gone into Babb to meet up with some chick.”
“You know who she is? I’ve known the man for some time and I’ve never seen him get involved before.”
“I understand she’s quite the looker. Worthington usually uses and leaves them, but I guess this one has grit and he’s suddenly thinking with his Johnson. He meets up with her at some place called Montana’s Duck Lake Lodge. I don’t know. Can’t imagine the guy being anything too gentle, if you catch my drift.”
“That’s not something I care to even think about, Stuart. It’s downright nauseating. I’d guess those two will need a rest pretty damn soon. Running Crane’s leg must be killing him.”
“You faked that beating awfully good.”
“This fat lip ain’t faked. Damn thing cracked and hurts like hell. We’ll ease over that next ridge. Get up off your ass and let’s get moving. We’ll need to stop talking and step lightly.”
“Your Injun blood is showing.”
“Shut the fuck up and get moving. I’ll follow you.”
“Why are you following me? If there’s a booby trap it’ll get me instead of you?” Stuart laughed. “I ain’t as stupid as you think. I’ve got skills, don’t you forget that.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s get moving.”
Summer held her
breath as Bradley and Stuart passed within yards of where she and Running Crane lay. It seemed they remained motionless for hours after the men moved on, yet she knew it must have only been minutes. She sat, moving slow and silent.
“That was interesting,” she whispered.
“I say we change our strategy and head for Babb. Bradley will lead Stuart to Saint Mary Lake. We’ll wait until Worthington leaves his love, then we’ll move in and find out what she knows.”
Summer gave his plan some thought. A light drizzle settled in and she shivered. “If it means getting warm and something to eat, I’m with you all the way.” She forced a quiet laugh she didn’t feel.
“I know you want to help Nah’ah, but I think we’ll be helping her more this way.”
“You might be right, it’s…hard to know she’s being held against her will and at gunpoint. I don’t think she’s being fed well and this kind of stress isn’t good for her.” She took the hand he offered and allowed him to pull her to her feet. “How’s the leg feeling?”
“Considering what it’s gone through, not bad. At least I can limp along without a crutch. And I’m beyond starving, too.”
She gazed at Running Crane and realized he was more handsome than she remembered. In the early morning light he somehow had the appearance of having stepped out of 1820. Just looking at him made her heart beat fast.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason.”
“Come on…tell me just once what you’re thinking.”
Summer smiled and pressed her palm to his cheek. “I was just thinking how much you look like pictures of our men from years ago. You have those strong, square cheekbones and high forehead. I love how you’ve managed to keep your braids. I’ve always liked that about you.”
He gently pulled her against him and lowered his head. She stretched to meet his kiss. She slid her palms around his neck and pulled him in closer. The heat of wanting him warmed her.
“Let’s get moving before Bradley and Stuart figure out we’re not ahead of them.”