Sparrow ducked beneath the water’s surface once more. She’d made it over halfway, but there was still a long way to go. The Mississippi River was nearly a mile wide, even more so with the recent rain. Her energy flagged. She couldn’t swim that long without having to surface for air. But she kept going until her vision started to blacken, only breaking through to the surface when she was on the verge of passing out.
“Sparrow!” Jared stood on the far shore, his muscles bunching to dive in after her. Merc hooked an arm around him, pulling him back at the last second.
Her cover gone, Sparrow continued to swim on the surface, moving with renewed energy. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She didn’t need to look back to know that Jared would pursue her. There is no way he’d let her go. Her only hope was to get to the other side and disappear into the woods.
She was so tired. Swimming against the current was sapping her strength, so she changed route and swam sideways and downriver at the same time, letting the current carry her away.
Why the hell she hadn’t done that in the first place? Stupid girl. She could only blame it on her haste to escape. She hadn’t been thinking about using the river to her advantage. She’d only been thinking about survival.
Finally, she reached the opposite shore, dragged herself onto dry land, and collapsed. She knew her life was in danger, but all she could manage was to lay there for a moment, gasping for breath and trying to summon the strength to move. Something that seemed impossible until she heard a boat engine crank.
Sparrow planted her hands on the ground and pushed up, her arms and legs numb. She shivered, chill bumps covering more of her body than her clothes, but she couldn’t feel the cold.
Jared was speeding across the river, leaving her with only a few precious seconds to get a lead.
Sparrow took off running into the woods. She would keep this path, straight west, until she was deep enough and far enough to put a good distance between her and Jared. Then she would cut back north.
Already, the sun was gaining altitude over the mountains, highlighting her tracks. A blast of cold struck her bared skin, but she pushed on. At least the sun’s warmth would keep her from freezing.
If only she had another secret cave to use as a hide out, she could stop for long enough to make a fire and dry her clothes. Her boots squished with every step and fresh rivulets of water streamed down her face.
“Sparrow!”
Jared’s bellow startled her and she increased her speed. He was too close. There would be no stopping for fire. Sparrow pumped her arms, hoping to heat her body from the inside out, but each time she drew in a breath, her lips trembled and her lungs shook.
Her only hope was to rely on her knowledge of the woods. She’d grown up in them, knew them better than anybody. And while she hadn’t ventured on this side of the river much, it couldn’t be much different from home.
Home. What she wouldn’t give for her trailer and a tall glass of whiskey. She’d have a campfire going in no time. Squirrel would be there too, leaned back on a log. If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the fire kissing her skin.
The first shudder hit her hard, making her stumble and nearly fall. Sparrow grabbed a tree for support and wheeled around, disoriented. How far had she gone? The deeper into the woods she’d ran, the thicker the trees had grown. They seemed bigger, more threatening. Fresh moss scaled the sides of the trees like a disease. The tops of the oaks and pines melded together, trapping the light high above, withholding its life-giving warmth.
Sparrow drew in a deep breath and took off again, the effort taking more energy than it should have. She tried to jog, but it hurt too much to breathe. No matter how hard she pumped her arms, she couldn’t get the blood to flow back into her fingers.
She wouldn’t be able to keep up this pace much longer.
Think, Sparrow think. Squirrel had told her that her small size could work to her advantage. People automatically assumed she was a weakling. But she’d come from sturdy mountain stock. She had that same grit and determination forged in her blood. Forged by the very coal that grew deep in these mountains.
And thanks to old man Squirrel, she had more knowledge about tracking and survival than her entire family combined.
The last of her adrenaline slipped away and the stitch in her side grew too painful to ignore. Sparrow stopped and leaned against a tree. Another chill worked its way down her body, the cold wrapping around her like an ice blanket.
She had to find somewhere to hide and preserve energy. Sparrow flexed her fingers, the movement slow and stiff. Jared hadn’t plunged into the freezing water. He would be moving at twice her pace. It was time to face facts. She had no hope of out-running him. Her only chance was to out smart him.
Sparrow inhaled and stood tall. She lifted her hands over her head and flung them down as hard and fast as she could at her sides, attempting to sling some blood back into her numb fingers. After repeating the process for a few more seconds, she felt some measure of feeling return to her limbs.
She paused and listened to the chatter of the birds, mingled with an occasional bark and chirp. A rabbit scooted past her feet. These were all comforting sounds, familiar sounds. But she had to listen for the unfamiliar. Like limbs snapping and leaves crackling under heavy footsteps. But she heard none of that. Nothing that would give away Jared’s presence or location.
Her chest tightened and realization stole across her. Jared and his team hadn’t acted like normal people. They hadn’t even acted like law enforcement. All their movements had been too precise, too measured. And they carried automatic rifles, not shotguns.
Sparrow attempted to swallow, but couldn’t complete the process. Deep in her gut she knew that whatever those men were, they were deadly. And she couldn’t assume Jared was anything less than an elite tracker.
She strained harder, listening for any disturbances.
Nothing. Not even a leaf crackling.
Slowly she opened her eyes and turned in a circle, studying her surroundings. She stopped in front of a giant old hardwood, its roots raised from the ground like gnarled fingers. He might be a good tracker, but she was better. He couldn’t track her if she left no footprints in the dirt.
Sparrow tilted her head up, almost jumping for joy when she spied all the low hanging branches. The very trees that blocked the warm sun could also save her life.
Sparrow took off at a brisk jog, making sure to clearly mark where she stepped. A ways up she stopped, crouched, and jumped up to grab onto a branch that stretched right above her head. Once she’d climbed onto that, she made her way up the limb to the tree, circled the trunk, and climbed onto the next limb out. It took time and some fancy footwork, but she finally leapt onto the tree next to the old oak. After carefully descending the trunk, she stepped onto an uplifted root. Keeping her footsteps light, Sparrow walked across the series of roots, never touching the ground. When she was on the back side of the tree she leapt as far as she could and landed in a crouch.
That should trip him up nicely and buy her some extra time. Sparrow grabbed a fallen tree limb, still covered in fresh sprouts of leaves, and turned and began walking backwards, brushing the ground to cover her steps. After a few more minutes of slow methodical walking Sparrow stopped to listen once more.
She didn’t hear anything this time. Not the birds, or the squirrels, or even a random deer. Her already racing pulse shot off at light speed. The animals sensed strangers better than humans did. Their lack of noise was a glaring alarm that the threat was near.
Sparrow gently laid the stick on the ground and eased behind the nearest tree, making herself as small as possible. Her heart pounded so loud in her ears she was surprised that the whole damn forest didn’t hear it.
All these years she’d been the tracker. The hunter. She’d never thought she would become the pray.
She sensed his presence, even though she couldn’t detect a sound of a single footfall. Pressing her back into the tree, Sparrow praye
d that she’d covered her tracks well enough to fool him. The cold bark seeped through her already chilled skin. A violent shudder worked through her body and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
The cold seeped into her like poison, taking over her fingers and toes, fogging her mind. She needed to move, needed to generate heat. But Jared’s presence was an even stronger motivation to stay put. Sparrow dug her fingers into the tree bark behind her, the pain keeping her anchored in place.
Every primal instinct screamed at her to run, but she held herself there by willpower alone. She kept her breaths long, and slow, and light despite her wildly beating heart. She didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually the sounds of nature returned to normal.
The deadly presence she’d sensed earlier was gone. She’d tricked him. Elations surged through her veins, and she jumped to her feet only to stumble back to the ground. A wave of dizziness assailed her. She got to her feet again, her legs lethargic and unresponsive. Now she was shivering uncontrollably.
She didn’t need a thermometer to know her body temperature was dropping dangerously low. Sparrow realized with a start that the greatest threat to her life might not be Jared Crowe.
17
The river was nearly half a mile wide where Sparrow had swum across it. Jared had to admire her grit. He knew a lot of grown men who wouldn’t have made it that far, but fear could do a lot of things for a person.
His admiration was cut short by her stupidity. The water temperatures were cold enough to cause hypothermia, especially when she had no chance to get warm. Jared had left his nearly dying brother to go after Sparrow, and now he’d probably have to save her from the deadliness of her own actions. Anger flowed through him as swift and dangerous as the currents in the Mississippi.
Jared still had his duffel. His unit had already taken Hoyt back to get treatment. I should be on that helicopter, not chasing her.
He’d struggled with his decision, but ultimately he couldn’t let her go. He knew Hoyt was in the best possible care. Now, all he had to do was retrieve his prisoner and call for pick up. Easy enough.
He throttled the boat to the place where Sparrow had pulled herself out of the water. The steep dirt bank offered no spot for him to tie up, so he was left no choice but to head down river and tie off to a fallen tree. The last thing he wanted to do was lose this boat after the last one had been stolen.
Jared tied the boat to the tree, heaved the bag over his shoulder, and jumped onto land. He would have to backtrack some, but how hard could it be to find her?
He predicted a few hours at most, long enough for her to freeze and get sloppy. Jared had the best training in tracking the military had to offer. He and Hoyt were at the top of their class in reconnaissance. When he found Sparrow…he didn’t know what he would do. He only prayed he’d manage to keep control of himself.
The image of Hoyt’s mutilated back flashed through his mind. He’d nearly gagged from the smell after Aaron pulled the bandage off.
And it was all because of her. Didn’t the fact that she’d run prove that?
*
Sparrow started moving again, denying herself the temptation to give up. Jared would see her escape as another betrayal and he was already pissed. Her last action might very well push him over the edge.
But no, she couldn’t think like that. She wasn’t going to die out here from the cold or by Jared’s hand; she was pure mountain stock, by God, and she’d sure as hell make it back home. The dip in the river might have slowed her down a bit, but she wouldn’t allow it to kill her.
She continued walking, keeping her footsteps as silent as possible. Careful and quiet.
As she went, she thought back to her happiest childhood memories, her mind slipping easily into a better time, eager to escape the aches and the pain and the cold of the present.
Each summer, she and her friend Susie had swum in Blue Hole pond and sunned on boulders in the hundred-degree heat. She concentrated on the memory of the warm sun bathing her body and the hot rock beneath her.
Susie’s mom had been a whore just like Sparrow’s. The girls had easily formed a bond over the fact they both had junkie mothers and no idea who their fathers were. The memory morphed into another one, only this time there was no sun shining down. There was only her trailer, cold and empty. Their window unit had quit putting out heat long ago. Sparrow had woken up late that morning, shivering. Her mother was still passed out in bed with a strange man.
Sparrow went outside to build a campfire before heading back in to wake her mother. She approached from Tootsie’s side of the bed, having learned early on how dangerous it could be to wake the man.
As gingerly as she could, Sparrow poked Tootsie on the shoulder. “Mama?”
And, just like always, her mom didn’t move.
Sparrow sucked in a frustrated sigh, her young eight-year-old mind not yet comprehending the real reason Tootsie didn’t move. She wrapped her small fingers around her mother’s arm, shocked at how cold her skin was. “Mama?”
Still nothing. Uncaring if she woke the man or not, Sparrow shook her hard. “Mama!”
Her mother never opened her eyes. She was cold, as cold as ice.
The memory wrapped around her, making her shiver even harder. She wasn’t sure how far she’d traveled or in what direction. She didn’t hear the river rushing nearby anymore, though, and when she glanced up to gauge the location of the sun, it had disappeared. Dark storm clouds gathered and made their presence known with a loud rumble.
At that instant the temperature seemed to plummet.
Sparrow had to make a decision. Try to find the river and follow it back home, praying all the while that Jimbo didn’t get to her before she told Miss Kay about his plans, or start searching for shelter.
*
Jared realized his mistake after a good thirty minutes of walking straight out from the river. In the beginning, he’d easily followed Sparrow’s tracks. She had made a mad dash into the woods, disturbing every leaf, stick, and limb in her path. Hell, even if he had never been trained in tracking, he would’ve been able to follow her. But then her footsteps dwindled and disappeared altogether. Foolish as he was, Jared had continued straight ahead, assuming the girl would be too scared and distracted to throw him off course.
Jared grasped that she’d once again fooled him, only this time the only person he could blame was himself. How many times would he underestimate her?
He stopped and checked his compass, careful to turn and head back in the exact direction from which he’d come. Somewhere along this path she’d diverged from her course, and now he would have to find it.
A flash of lightning rent the air, followed by a boom of thunder. The temperature steadily dropped, until Jared’s breath started fogging in front of his face. He slowed on his track back, carefully watching for any signs. A branch broken too high for an animal to make. A disturbance in the leaf patterns on the ground. A footprint.
Each excruciating minute seemed to stretch out longer and longer, putting more and more distance between them. Worry shadowed his thoughts. It was cold out here. Really cold, and she’d completely submerged herself in water just to escape him. He spun around the moment he heard the river. He’d missed it. Dammit, he’d underestimated her completely.
He’d seen proof of her handiwork on the walls of her trailer. Seen her collection of knives and guns and bow and arrows. And still…somewhere in the back of his mind he thought of her as any other girl. Scared, cold, and alone in the woods.
Jared laughed at himself. Idiot. Hasn’t she already proved she isn’t like any other girl?
Jared changed tactics, and followed the trail back from the river, stopping when it started to change pattern, turning from a mad dash to controlled, measured steps, then a fast run. Then nothing. Jared stopped and made a full circle, carefully studying every nuance around him. A couple of squirrels chattered overhead, a tree branch shifted, and a pine cone hit the ground, drawing his gaze up to the b
ranches.
The oak was a huge beast of a tree that had to be at least a hundred years old. Its huge roots jutted up out of the ground, covered in moss.
That’s when he saw it. The moss had been disturbed. Damn girl was a genius. He hadn’t been able to track her because her feet hadn’t actually been on the ground. Jared swept around the tree but saw nothing out of place. Even the most carefully placed footstep could leave a mark.
But she’d left absolutely no trail.
Jared closed his eyes and thought, where would she have gone? Where would anyone in her situation go?
Home.
Jared opened his eyes and headed straight north, his self-assurance growing with each step. He hadn’t picked up her trail yet, but his instincts were firing hot. It wasn’t long before he saw the tree branch and put the puzzle together. She’d covered her tracks. He started seeing footsteps and found the spot where she’d hunkered down behind a tree. No way she could’ve heard him coming through the woods. Hell, he’d barely been able to hear himself. What had given him away?
A raindrop splattered on his face. She wouldn’t make it far dressed like that. After her dunk in the river, she had to be freezing. The rain and temperature drop would only make it worse. He cursed and pulled out his poncho. If he didn’t find her soon she might actually die from hypothermia or exposure. He was in a race against time to save the one girl he’d vowed to destroy.
18
The sun had started it’s descent when he picked up her trail again hours later. His worry for her safety grew with every passing minute, as did his admiration. There were few people in the world he couldn’t easily track, very few, but this slip of a mountain girl was testing him.
But even more alarming was her footstep pattern. She was dragging her feet, walking in an uneven path. Had she injured herself in her bid to out run him? He already doubted her involvement, but to have her really hurt because of him was too terrible to contemplate. She’d headed north and angled toward the river. The terrain had shifted, becoming steep and rocky. Jared ascended another rise and the land leveled out along a ridgeline. Up here the trees were nearly nonexistent, making her easier to track. Until he saw a sharp skid in the dirt where she’d obviously fallen. His fear skyrocketed. Had she tripped and leaned too far to the right?
Reckless River: Men of Mercy, Book 3 Page 14