by Sharon Dunn
Hopefully the volunteer fire department would get here faster to help.
The bank manager was so dazed he wasn’t even questioning who Zane was. He pulled the gun from the unconscious security guard’s holster and slid it across the floor. Zane picked up the gun.
Zane stepped over the broken glass and out into the early-morning sun. Heather waited for him. He handed her the gun. “I saw you didn’t have yours.” He pointed toward the car. “Over there.”
They both ran to the car. He unlocked it, and she got into the passenger side. He knew the road that would take them up to where the helicopter had landed. He shifted into Reverse and hit the accelerator, burning rubber as he left the parking lot and zoomed out onto the two lane road.
Heather gripped the armrest. Zane pushed the car to go faster up the country road. Anxiety encroached on his thoughts. He didn’t want to have a showdown with his brother. But he might not have a choice.
They rounded a curve. He could see the bright red of the helicopter in the brush up ahead. He slowed the car and pulled off to the side. “Best if we approach on foot. You stay back.”
“You might need my help,” she said.
They didn’t have time to argue. He clicked open the door. “Use your best judgment.” They’d been through enough that he knew she’d be smart about what she did. She knew when to take a risk and when to refrain. And there was no one he trusted more at his back.
Zane bent over and hurried along the road. Heather followed but at a distance. The helicopter came into view again. He dived to the ground and watched. Only one man paced beside the chopper, someone he didn’t recognize. He must be the pilot.
The Jeep was parked to one side, but Jordan and Willis were nowhere in sight. What was going on here?
Zane craned his neck and noticed that Heather was no longer behind him. She must have slipped into the brush to have a different vantage point. Zane moved in a little closer. Now was his chance to take the pilot out while Jordan and Willis weren’t around.
As soon as the pilot turned his back, Zane pulled the gun and sprinted. He hit the pilot on the side of the head. Zane caught him and laid him on the ground. He saw Heather now on the other side of the chopper, hiding in the grass. The two bags from the bank were already loaded on the chopper.
He scanned the foothills. Jordan and Willis had left to go get something—maybe more loot, such as the profits from the marijuana sales or some other theft they’d committed.
Heather continued to hide in the brush. Zane crouched by the chopper and scanned the hills all around him.
Cold metal touched the back of his head.
Willis’s voice cut him to the core. “I don’t think you’re going anywhere today.”
* * *
Heather watched in horror as Willis put a gun to Zane’s head. Jordan stood behind Willis, holding a metal box that was covered in dirt.
“The pilot is out,” said Jordan.
“I see that. Revive him.” Willis kept his gun on Zane’s head as he reached down, pulled Zane’s gun out of his waistband and tossed it aside.
Heather’s heart pounded against her rib cage as she gripped the gun. She wasn’t that good a shot. If she missed, Willis would shoot Zane right away. She needed to be closer.
Jordan disappeared inside the chopper and then poked his head out and walked over to the pilot. What was Jordan up to? Was he really just going to let Willis shoot Zane after he’d helped get them safe across the river? She could only guess that a split loyalty had driven Jordan’s choices. The younger brother had probably never imagined it coming down to this.
She had to act quickly. She moved in closer trying to line up a better shot.
Jordan worked to revive the helicopter pilot by slapping his cheeks.
“March away from the chopper over to those trees,” Willis commanded Zane. “All of this could have been yours if you had stuck with me. Now your brother gets the lion’s share.”
Jordan stopped and looked up, but then returned to reviving the pilot.
Heather scrambled out and lifted the gun. She stood on her feet, aimed the sights toward Willis and pulled the trigger.
Willis stopped short and spun around. She didn’t know if she’d hit him or not. He raised his handgun at Heather. Jordan jumped up, placing himself between Heather and Willis. Willis either didn’t notice or didn’t care as he pulled the trigger. Jordan crumpled to the ground.
Heather screamed.
She dived down to help Jordan as another shot was fired. Jordan opened his eyes and smiled at her. She reached up to his neck where she still felt a pulse, but blood seeped out of his side onto the ground.
When she looked up, Zane had taken advantage of Willis’s momentary distraction to jump him from behind. Willis’s gun was in the brush and the two men wrestled in hand-to-hand combat.
Zane was going to have to deal with Willis without her help. She kept her focus on Jordan, who needed medical attention fast. She said his name several times before he focused on her.
“You’ve been hit,” she said.
Jordan gripped her arm as he struggled to get the words out. “I was going to stop him. I was the only one who could. Just had to wait for the right moment. So sorry it had to go this far. Never had the chance. Willis must have sensed something.”
So that had been the plan.
“I’m going to get you to a hospital.” She laid him down gently on the ground.
“Sorry for what I did to you.” Jordan’s voice was weak as he turned his head to one side and closed his eyes.
Heather ran over to the parked Jeep. The keys were still in the ignition. She fired up the engine and drove it to where Jordan lay prone and bleeding out.
The helicopter pilot had just started to stir. She remembered what the bank manager had said about an ambulance having to come from far away. Jordan didn’t have that kind of time.
She ran over to the pilot, hoping and praying that he had no loyalty to Willis, that he was just hired help. He was blinking rapidly and rubbing the side of his head, but he didn’t seem hostile, just looked up at her with a puzzled expression when she approached.
“You have to take me and this man to the hospital in Badger.”
“That’s not what I was hired to do.”
She gripped his collar and drew him close to her face. “Your orders have changed. Help me lift this man on that chopper.” She spoke in a tone that meant business, hoping that would keep the pilot from arguing.
The pilot threw up his hands. “I don’t care as long as I get paid.”
Jordan moaned as they lifted him into the backseat. Heather crawled in beside him to keep pressure on his wound.
The blades of the chopper sliced through the air as the pilot fired up the engine. She couldn’t see Zane or Willis anywhere. Their hand-to-hand battle must have taken them into the trees.
The helicopter lifted off. She wrapped her arms around Jordan and whispered in his ear, “It’s going to be all right.”
“Zane?”
“He’s going to be okay, too. You did good.”
As she searched the ground down below and saw nothing, she prayed she was telling the truth on both counts.
TWENTY
Zane could feel years of pent-up rage smoldering and growing hotter as he lifted his hand to hit Willis across the jaw. Willis blocked his punch. Willis had extensive martial arts training, and though he was older than Zane, his skill level was much higher. Not to mention Zane was exhausted after hard days of being chased through the mountains with limited supplies and little rest.
Zane spent way more time dodging blows than he did delivering them as Willis backed him into the high brush.
He could hear the helicopter taking off. He’d caught a glimpse of Heather and the pilot loading J
ordan into the backseat. Jordan had stepped between Heather and Willis’s bullet. Why he’d played along with Willis’s schemes to this point was anyone’s guess, but it was clear now where his loyalty lay. He prayed his brother would be all right.
For Jordan and for all the young men who’d been led astray, he wanted Willis to go to jail. Willis swung his leg for a high kick. Zane ducked out of the way as rage boiled over inside him. He lifted his hand to land a blow, but Willis reached up to block it. He switched to the other arm and then double punched Willis. The sudden move caused Willis to take a few steps back.
Zane charged toward him and knocked him to the ground. They rolled until Willis was on top. Willis hit Zane twice across the jaw, first with one fist and then with the other. The blows left Zane stunned and unable to focus. Willis got to his feet and dashed off through the brush.
Zane shook off the dizziness and bolted to his feet. When he came out from the brush, Willis was perched in the Jeep, turning the key in the ignition. The Jeep was backed up and then Willis shifted, lurching forward and then gaining speed on the dirt road to rumble past Zane.
Zane ran to catch up with it, pushing his tired legs to go faster. He jumped in the back of the Jeep. Willis shot over his shoulder without looking. He must have had a gun in the car. The bullet hit the metal sides of the car. The car swerved and Zane was nearly thrown out. He plunged to his knees and inched toward the driver’s seat.
Willis placed the pistol on his shoulder again while he kept his eyes on the road. Zane flattened himself as another shot reverberated through the air.
Willis pulled out onto the main road and increased his speed. Zane struggled to get upright as the wind rushed around him. Willis jerked the wheel back and forth in an attempt to throw Zane out.
Zane held on and crawled toward Willis, who held the gun in one hand and drove with the other. That left him without any hand free to protect himself from attack. Zane wrapped his arm around Willis’s neck, so Willis’s chin was in the crook of Zane’s elbow. Zane squeezed.
Willis slowed down but lifted the gun.
Zane released Willis from the neck lock and lunged for the gun. His hand wrapped around it as the car veered into the other lane and down a bank. The Jeep rolled, landing upside down. Zane was thrown free and impacted with the hard ground as he stared up at the bed of the Jeep. Metal creaked all around him.
Zane flipped over to his stomach and crawled out from underneath the Jeep, grateful that the roll bars had kept him from being crushed. Willis was not in the driver’s seat. Zane pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around. Willis was running away up the ditch, favoring one foot. He worked his way up the bank and stuck his thumb out for a ride.
This man was not going to get away, not on Zane’s watch. Zane pushed himself to his feet, groaning from the bruising his legs and arms had taken in the crash. All the same, he ran hard to catch up with Willis as a car drew nearer on the road and started to slow down.
Willis ran a little ways down the road. The car came to a stop. Willis reached for the passenger-side door. Zane pumped his legs even harder. Willis got into the car. It rolled into motion just as Zane grabbed the passenger-side door handle and yanked it open.
The driver shouted in protest.
“Go, this man is a lunatic,” Willis said as he reached to click his seat belt in place.
Zane grabbed Willis and pulled him out of the car as the surprised driver hit the brakes. Willis rolled down the bank and Zane lunged after him as the images of his brother and the other young men flashed before his eyes. He landed enough blows to Willis’s face and stomach to debilitate him.
Zane was out of breath as he stood over Willis, who drew his legs up toward his stomach and struggled for air.
“Is there something I can do?” the driver of the car, a fortysomething man, shouted from the road.
“This is the man who needs to be arrested...not me,” Zane called back. “He just robbed the bank and is trying to make a getaway.”
The light of understanding came into the man’s eyes and he nodded.
“Do you have a cell phone? Please call the sheriff. This man needs to be taken into custody.” He doubted the sheriff was still being held hostage.
“Yes, I do.” The driver returned to his car.
Zane stood over Willis, ready to subdue him if he decided to fight back or run. He heard sirens in the distance.
Willis caught his breath but remained on the ground with his legs drawn up to his stomach. “Maybe you won this round. But I wasn’t at the bank. Your brother was. He’ll be the one going to jail...if he makes it.”
Zane felt as though a sword had been stabbed through his gut. What would happen to Jordan was still uncertain. He only hoped that Heather had been able to get him medical help fast enough.
* * *
Heather sat on the hard plastic chairs of the hospital waiting room. Jordan had been wheeled in for emergency surgery as soon as the chopper had landed. That was over an hour ago. She’d talked to the police in Badger but they didn’t know where Zane was.
Her chest felt like it was in a vise being squeezed tighter and tighter. Jordan had risked his life to save hers. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he didn’t make it. It would tear Zane to pieces, too. Her heart squeezed even tighter. If Zane had made it himself. What if Willis hurt or killed Zane and then got away? She could not bear the idea of the loss and the injustice of it all.
A nurse in scrubs came out into the waiting room. “You’re the woman who came in with Jordan Scofield.”
Heather jumped to her feet. “Yes.”
“His next of kin is not here?”
Heather shook her head. “Um... I’m hoping he’ll be here soon.”
“I guess I can tell you. Jordan came through the surgery. We were able to stop the bleeding and remove the bullet. He should be waking up shortly.”
Heather nodded, not sure what to say.
“As soon as his next of kin gets here, please let us know.” The nurse turned on her heels and disappeared around a corner.
Heather sank back down into her seat, feeling numb. Though the news about Jordan had lifted her spirits, anxiety plagued her thoughts. What would she do if Zane didn’t make it? She’d thought she’d be on a plane back to California by now, leaving Montana behind her, but that wasn’t an option anymore. So much had changed.
Even with all the danger, there was something special about the high country of Montana and something even more special about Zane. She wasn’t that crazy about getting on the plane anymore.
She stared up at the television that was on in the waiting room. A local news story flashed on the screen. She saw a Jeep overturned in a road—Willis’s Jeep.
Her heart racing she hurried over to the receptionist. “How do you turn the sound up on that TV?”
The receptionist lifted the remote and pointed it. The sound of the local newscaster filled the room. There were shots of the sheriff’s car and Willis being led away in handcuffs, but none of Zane. The female newscaster signed out. “Reporting for KBLK in Fort Madison, this is Elizabeth Tan Creti.”
Her spirits sank. What had happened to Zane?
She felt a hand on her shoulder.
“I always was a little bit camera shy.”
The sound of Zane’s voice filled her with exhilaration. She fell against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She took in a breath and relaxed for the first time since she’d gotten on the chopper. Zane had made it.
“Jordan?”
She pulled back and looked up into his eyes glowing with affection. “He’s just waking up from the surgery. We can go see him in a bit.”
Zane nodded. She reached up and lightly touched the scratch on his face.
“Took quite a bit to get Willis under control.”
&nb
sp; “But you did it.”
He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “We did it.”
The word we echoed through her brain. They made a pretty good team. She felt pulled in two directions. Her whole life was in California.
The nurse came around the corner. “Jordan is awake. You can see him.” She glanced at Zane. “You must be the next of kin. Brother, right? I see the resemblance. He’s in room 212.”
Zane nodded. He grabbed Heather’s hand. “I want you to come with me.”
The walk down the long hospital corridor seemed to take forever as they made their way to Jordan’s room. What kind of future lay ahead for Jordan? Clearly his loyalty was no longer with Willis, but he had been under the other man’s control for so long. Getting free of that kind of brainwashing would take time and hard work.
The two of them stood outside room 212. Heather took in a breath and prayed for a healed relationship between the brothers and clarity on why she was so conflicted about going back to California.
TWENTY-ONE
Heather and Zane stood on the summit where her father had wanted his ashes spread. The landscape took Heather’s breath away. From this vantage point, she had almost a 360-degree view of the area. She could see Fort Madison off in the distance and the river winding its way through the valley.
“I see why my father loved this spot,” she said.
Zane had kept his word and helped her fulfill her father’s last wish, a week later than planned.
Zane stepped closer to her. “He told me he came up here to pray. He said you could see all of God’s creation for miles.”
Zane had made a sacrifice to take her up here so quickly. Jordan was still in the hospital. He was going to be okay physically. While he would be held accountable for the crimes he had committed over the past several years, the sheriff seemed to think Jordan would receive a light sentence in exchange for testifying against Willis.
Heather walked over to Clarence and pulled the thin wooden box out of his saddlebag. “I suppose I should do what I came to Montana to do in the first place.”