by Mary Alford
Once they topped another hill, there was no time to rest. They headed down the other side at breakneck speed.
Jamie hadn’t been back here in years, but she could see that Paxton had made an effort to clear the entire space out recently. The dirt appeared freshly turned. He’d told her previously that he wanted to start farming the space behind the house. That explained the clearing out, but Paxton wasn’t one to stick with a plan for long. Maybe this time was different.
With the recent clearing, the countryside was littered with felled trees that made the going slow. Jamie stopped for a second to gather her breath. From behind them, she could hear the men’s voices carrying.
“There’s no one inside,” one of the men said.
Her gaze shot to Gavin. “They can’t have gotten far. Find them,” Dan Miller ordered. He was clearly the one calling the shots. Where was Andy Lawson in all this? Was he trying to keep his hands clean?
Gavin grabbed her hand. “We need to hurry.”
As they rushed deeper into the woods, Jamie spotted what she at first thought was a fallen log. She stopped.
Gavin reached her side. “What is it?” he asked, glancing behind them.
“There.” She pointed to the object, which wasn’t anything as innocent as a log. A body lay face down. Someone was dead in the woods.
“Oh, no... Gavin.” Her deepest fear was that it was Paxton. She couldn’t look. Jamie didn’t want to see her beloved uncle lying dead on the cold, wet ground.
* * *
Gavin knew exactly what she was thinking because he thought the same.
Jamie had turned away. She couldn’t watch. “Please tell me it’s not him,” she whispered, almost as if in prayer.
Slowly, Gavin eased the body over. Momentary relief rushed over him. “It’s not Paxton,” he assured her, but he knew the man lying dead there. And so did Jamie.
She turned. Her hand clapped over her mouth in surprise. “I can’t believe it. That’s Terry Williams. What happened to him?” she asked in shock.
Terry and Paxton had been good friends for as long as Gavin could remember. Was Terry dead because of something Paxton uncovered? The man had a single gunshot wound in his forehead, assuring Gavin this was no accident. The wound was fresh. There was no doubt this had been the shot he’d heard earlier.
“He’s been shot,” he told her quietly. “Terry has to be the person those two took from your house.”
Tears were in her eyes. “I still can’t believe it. Why would someone want to harm Terry? He’s just a kind, gentle soul who’s never hurt anyone.”
Gavin could think of only one explanation. “This thing is quickly escalating. We have to get off this mountain before we end up like Terry.”
“We can’t leave him like this.” Jamie’s voice broke as she looked at the man lying on the ground.
Gavin got to his feet and helped her up. Behind them, he could hear the noise of men making their way through the woods.
“They’re coming up pretty fast.” Gavin did his best to cover the body with leaves. “That’s all we can do for now.” He looked into her eyes. “I promise we’ll come back for him. We’ll give him a proper burial once this is all over.”
She slowly nodded. “Which way do we go from here? I’m all turned around.”
Gavin tried to regain his bearings. He pointed to the right. If his internal compass was correct, that should take them to his family home.
Several flashlights scanned the area behind them. They were all out of time. “Run, Jamie,” he told her.
“There. Up ahead. I see them!” one of the men pursuing them yelled.
“Duck!” Gavin barely got the words out before shots were fired. Bullets flew past them. Jamie dove for the nearest tree, with Gavin close behind her.
They couldn’t stand still and wait for the men to capture them. Gavin pointed up ahead. If they could stay behind tree coverage and out of sight as much as possible, they might stand a chance of reaching the house.
He tossed her the shotgun. “Go ahead of me. I’ll cover you.” She hesitated, not wanting to leave him behind. “It’s okay. Hurry, Jamie.”
With one final look his way, Jamie turned and headed for the next tree while Gavin opened fire, forcing one of the men to retreat.
When there was a lull in the firefight, Gavin dashed after Jamie. The men must have seen the movement because they started shooting again.
Gavin flattened against another tree and edged out just enough to fire.
The air was thick with gun smoke. When a tenuous silence reclaimed the area, Gavin ran as fast as he could. He’d almost reached Jamie when more rounds exploded around him. One hit its mark.
Gavin yelled out in pain as the bullet seared into his left side. He almost lost his footing; his hand touched the ground as he stumbled several times, but managed to keep from falling. It was imperative that he stay mobile and keep moving. Once he was stable, he held on to his wounded side as blood seeped through his clothes.
Jamie had turned at the sound of his scream.
“Don’t stop!” he yelled and waved her off when she started for him. They had to keep going.
It felt as if they’d been running for hours. Ignoring the pain and the faintness, Gavin hit the road just a little behind Jamie. The world around him spun and his stomach heaved as he came close to passing out. They were almost to Jamie’s downed car. Just a little bit farther to Ava’s place. He just had to hang on.
Jamie hurried to his side.
“We need to get out of sight before they catch up.” He pointed to the wooded area on the opposite side of the road. In his condition, it might as well be on the other side of the moon. He wasn’t sure he could make it another foot.
Blood soaked his hand, and his vision blurred. It was a struggle to keep from losing consciousness. He blinked hard and forced back the nausea.
Jamie grabbed him around the waist and together they left the woods. Crossing the road meant they were out in the open and exposed.
His breathing became more labored. They reached the opposite side of the road and Gavin was thankful for the cover of trees. He needed to rest.
“No, we can’t stop. We have to keep moving. It’s not much farther to Ava’s,” Jamie told him, yet putting one foot in front of the other was a near-impossible task. He leaned heavily against her, losing track of time. How long had they been out here?
“There it is,” Jamie exclaimed and he forced himself to focus.
The light he’d left on in the kitchen came into view. He almost lost hope. From where he stood it seemed miles away, and he wasn’t sure he had the strength to make it to the light.
Behind them, he could hear their pursuers. They’d reached the road.
“Go ahead of me. Get to the house. Call the state police.” His words slurred. He couldn’t hang on much longer.
Jamie ignored what he said. She kept her arm around his waist and helped him along as best she could. He winced in pain, his strength slowly ebbing away. They had to reach the house. It was their only chance. If he passed out now, it was all over.
With each step jarring through his injured body, they made it to the edge of Ava’s property.
“We’re almost there, Gavin. Hang on a little bit longer. Please, just hang on.” He barely registered the desperation in Jamie’s voice.
He thought he managed a weak nod, but wasn’t sure if it was real or a hallucination. The house came into view. Almost there. The steps leading up to the porch loomed in front of him like an insurmountable fortress forcing him to stop long enough to catch his breath.
“Come on, Gavin. We can’t stop now. We’re almost there. Just one step at a time.”
Perspiration beaded his forehead. He pulled himself up onto the first step and pain shot through his side. He squeezed his eyes closed, fighting back bile.
&
nbsp; The next step was just as difficult, as were the rest. Once they reached the porch, he struggled and somehow managed to take out the key, yet he couldn’t hold it steady enough to open the door.
“Here, let me.” Jamie took the key from his unresisting hand and slipped it into the lock.
The world around him became fuzzy. Gavin collapsed against Jamie, his full weight almost bringing her to her knees. He had no idea how she managed to keep them both upright.
“Hang on, Gavin,” Jamie said, sounding out of breath. She pushed the door open. His grandmother’s living room flashed before his eyes. It was the same view he had every single time he entered the familiar room. He was coming home.
He mumbled something unintelligible.
“What did you say?” Jamie asked, clearly not understanding. He had no idea, either. The sight in front of him brought tears to his eyes. He loved this old house. Had loved the woman who owned it more than anything. He couldn’t imagine not calling this place home ever again.
“Home.” The word was barely distinguishable. It would never be home again. Not without Ava.
“Yes, we’re home.” Jamie obviously hadn’t understood what he meant, and he was too weak to try to explain it.
She put both arms around his waist and all but dragged him over to the sofa, stopping long enough to catch her breath. She was a slender thing. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for her to haul his six-foot-plus frame from the door to the sofa.
Gavin groaned as pain shot up his side when Jamie managed to lower his wounded body.
Each breath he took hurt like crazy. His shirt was wet with his own blood.
He closed his eyes and tried to gather enough breath into his body. When he opened them again, he saw Jamie hurrying back over to the door. The darkness outside disappeared when she slammed it closed and relocked it, sliding the custom-made locking system his grandmother had installed back into place.
Ava. He’d buried his grandmother today. Gavin couldn’t get the image of her lying in that coffin out of his head. Tears gathered in his eyes again. He slumped down onto the sofa, his world turned sideways. He was barely aware of Jamie saying his name before his eyes drifted shut and everything, including her, vanished completely.
FOUR
“Gavin!” Jamie screamed and ran to his side. He’d slumped down against the sofa seat, his eyes closed. “Gavin.” He still didn’t respond.
Jamie jerked his jacket open and recoiled at the muddy red spot covering his shirt where blood had soaked through. Gavin was in real trouble, and she had no idea how to help him.
“Stay with me, Gavin.” She shook him gently. His eyes barely opened. He mumbled something she didn’t catch before his eyes dropped shut again.
“Gavin, wake up. I need you. Please, wake up.” She shook him harder. It took several tries before he finally roused.
Confused, he stared up at her for the longest time, as if he didn’t know what was going on. Her fear must have registered through the disorientation. He reached up and touched her cheek gently. “Don’t worry, Jamie. It’s going to be okay.” His words were still slurred and he winced. The simple effort of speaking was difficult.
Gavin drew in several shallow breaths then tried to sit up. He clutched his side, pain etched on his face before he slumped back against the sofa.
“Gavin, you’ve been shot. What do I do? How can I help you?” Her voice shook. His pain scared the daylights out of her. The thought of losing him like this was terrifying.
“Check the security system. The monitor is on the desk. We need to see if they followed us here,” he forced out.
Jamie hurried to Ava’s old desk and clicked on the monitor. Five different angles of the property came into view. What she saw there was terrifying. Armed men dressed in sheriff’s uniforms were easing toward the house.
“They’re here, Gavin.” As she watched, three of the men cleared the front porch. Miller was one of them.
“We know you’re in there. Come out with your hands up,” Miller ordered.
Jamie turned toward Gavin who held his finger up to his lips.
“Break the door down,” Miller told one of his men.
The man slammed his shoulder against the door, but it didn’t budge. They didn’t know the advanced security measures Ava had put into place. Steel reinforced doors, with state-of-the-art locking systems on all windows and doors. The place was a virtual fortress. When Ava had first told her about the security upgrade, Jamie couldn’t imagine what the woman was expecting to happen. Now, she was grateful that Ava had taken such extreme precautions.
After several more tries without avail, Miller’s phone rang and he answered it, speaking briefly to someone. “He needs us back there. Let’s go. They’re not going anywhere. Not in his condition.”
Jamie watched the men leave the way they came, her hands shaking.
She went back to Gavin. “We have to get you out of here before they come back. You need to be checked out at the hospital.” He was fading fast.
“We can’t. They’ll be checking all the hospitals. You’re going to have to dress the wound yourself,” he murmured.
Wide-eyed, she stared down at him. “I might hurt you.”
He grabbed her hand, forcing her to be still. “There’s no one else who can help me. It has to be you. You can do this.”
Dread wrapped its slithery arms around her. Gavin was right. She was all he had, and she would do everything in her power to take care of him.
“You’re right. I can,” she murmured without really feeling confident that she could.
As she stared into his eyes, unwelcome feelings resurfaced. She’d spent years trying to deny it, but that didn’t change the truth. She still cared for Gavin and couldn’t bear it if something bad happened to him.
“Thank you.” He managed a smile, and tears filled her eyes. She didn’t want to lose him.
Hugging him close, she was careful not to hurt him more. When she would have pulled away, he cupped her face. “Thank you, Jamie.”
Theirs had been a love story that had ended with two broken hearts. Now they were facing a life-and-death situation in which the outcome was unpredictable. There were no guarantees they’d survive to find Paxton, whether dead or alive.
He let her go and drew in several labored breaths while Jamie prayed for strength.
“You need something to sanitize the wound and some dry bandages.” His voice was barely audible, the injury draining his strength.
“Okay. I’ll get them.”
He smiled at her attempt at bravery. “That’s my girl. You have to be quick, though. We don’t know how much time we have.”
She got to her feet, went to the master bathroom, and she grabbed alcohol and a towel to help with the bleeding. The medicine chest contained only a box of Band-Aids. She’d need something much bigger to wrap the wound up securely. In the hallway linen closet, she found fresh sheets. Ava always kept them available in case someone dropped by for a visit and decided to stay.
Jamie ripped one of the sheets into strips that would serve as bandages. Once she had everything she needed, she went back to Gavin. His eyes were closed again and he was so still.
Dropping the supplies, she hurried to his side, kneeling next to the sofa. “Gavin!”
He slowly opened his eyes, saw all the worry on her face and did his best to reassure her. “I’m okay, I was just resting. Are you ready?”
She wasn’t anywhere close, but Gavin needed her to be strong, and she’d do anything for him.
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Sitting down next to him, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. The wound was a bloody mess. The effort of pulling his shirt free left him drained of energy. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it was going to be dressing the wound.
Jamie didn’t realize he was watching her, no doubt seei
ng all her fears, until he spoke. “I’ll be okay. I’m tough,” he assured her.
She gently wiped the area around the wound clear of blood, then cleaned it with the alcohol. He cringed as the medicine hit the wound and stung. One hand gripped the side of the sofa.
Once she’d finished cleaning the spot, Gavin slumped back against the sofa, exhausted.
“We’re almost done,” she said gently, then folded some of the bandages and placed them over the wound.
“You’ll need to apply pressure until the bleeding stops.” Gavin forced the words out through clenched teeth.
Blood still oozed from the wound. Jamie placed her hands over the bandage and pressed hard. Gavin squeezed his eyes shut and bit his bottom lip.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, hating that she was the one to cause him pain. “I know it hurts.”
It felt as if it took forever before the bleeding finally subsided. After removing the bloodied bandage, she put a clean one in its place, then took several strips of cloth and eased them around his waist until the wound was secured.
When Gavin lay back against the sofa, Jamie hurried to the kitchen and brought a glass of water over. She sat back down. “Here, take a sip.”
She held his head up so that he could drink. He managed a single swallow then collapsed again.
“I’m not sure what to do next,” she said. With Gavin so weak, they couldn’t leave the house. They wouldn’t get very far. If Miller and his men showed up again, would they find a way inside?
He didn’t answer, and she shook him once more. Gavin didn’t respond. Fear gripped her and Jamie grabbed his wrist, feeling for a pulse. It was there, weak but steady.
Jamie leaned back against the sofa. What if Gavin didn’t wake up? What if the men showed up again? When her fear threatened to take control, she hit her knees and prayed.
“We need Your help. Please make him better.”
Still kneeling close to Gavin’s side, she watched him closely. Although he still hadn’t moved and he was so pale, he seemed to be resting more comfortably, which was probably the best thing for him right now. Would they be able to stay hidden long enough for him to recover his strength?