by Mayer, Dale
She tucked her head up against his heart, smiling at the strong beat under her ear. She trusted him. “If you don’t mind. I’m just going to…” a big yawn caught her unaware. When she could she finished with, “…close my eyes.”
“Sleep. We’ll stay here for an hour at least.”
That must be how long he was expecting the rain to last. Nice that Mother Nature followed his orders too.
She closed her eyes and slept.
*
Feeling her body go limp in his arms, Markus adjusted her weight slightly so she was tucked up more securely. He didn’t want her falling sideways. He was content to sit and watch the world go by but of course given the time of night and the weather, there was a special kind of magic all its own.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He could catch a few minutes and power nap himself. He checked his phone once again. A message had come through from Mason.
Hostages released. Gunman shot. Transported to hospital. All secure.
Good. Just what he wanted to hear. He’d rather have been in the middle of the action but given the lovely bundle in his arms and stirrings of emotion for a woman after all this time, well, that was something else to enjoy. He quickly texted back a simple message that they were waiting out the elements before continuing their progress.
As he hit send, he watched the circle just continue to spin. The message was going nowhere. He put his phone away and rested his head back. He figured they had another hour or so of walking. Waiting for the weather to let up wasn’t going to hurt. Especially given her energy levels.
He’d just give himself a few moments too.
Footsteps jolted him awake. The gray early dawn surrounded them. Not quite dark and not quite morning. Senses alert, but his muscles relaxed, he heard someone walk ten feet to the left. Had someone from his team come after him? That was a surprise. Something must be up.
Except the footsteps were off to the side, and continuing. His men wouldn’t make that mistake. Did they know for sure there weren’t more gunmen? He narrowed his gaze and waited. Or were there? They’d taken the gunman down, and said all secure. Did that mean they had the two men in custody as well?
But…were there more?
What about Barry? Was he a part of that mess? At the time Markus hadn’t been sure. And hadn’t wanted to take any chances so left him in the pump house. With the others captured he’d figured the authorities could figure out his involvement. If they’d found him…
The footsteps were just close enough he wanted to slide down lower. The blanket he had wrapped around them was metallic. Hard to avoid. And noisy as shit when moved. Not good. He waited… The footsteps slowed. And approached.
“Well, there you are.” And the old man gave him a wide tooth stained grin.
Jake. Of course.
Chapter 9
She woke to low voices. But she was still tucked securely against Markus’s chest. She didn’t want to return to reality if it meant moving. He was very snuggly. Not that he’d appreciate her saying that. She opened her eyes to see Jake, Mary’s father, speaking with Markus.
“My girl is fine. But I heard you were out here looking for the little one, so I came to make sure all was well.”
“She’s weak and tired but unharmed.”
“Good. The cabin has been emptied out now. Mary is home and resting. She’s upset about Boomer.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“Not sure. Doesn’t look like it. Skull fracture. He’s in a coma. His prognosis isn’t good, but they are keeping a close eye on him.”
Markus shifted under her cheek. How sad to think that Boomer could die from this. How unfair.
She lifted her head and stared at Jake. “Hello, Jake.”
“There you are.” He squatted down beside her. He had a low brim hat and a heavy hunting jacket keeping him dry. She really had been unprepared for a race in the wild.
She smiled and dropped her head back down again. “Thanks for coming out and looking for me.”
“Couldn’t leave you out here alone, now could I? I figured this guy wouldn’t have any trouble, but when neither of you showed up again I figured I might have to come and rescue the military man too.” But the snigger in his voice belied the seriousness of his words.
Markus snorted. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
She shifted so she was sitting on the ground and stared around. “It’s barely light.”
“Ha, the sun will be up in no time.”
Maybe it would, but it wasn’t yet and that sucked. Although the longer she looked around the easier it was to see the shapes of the trees. Her eyes just needed adjustment time. Markus hopped to his feet, looking fresh and awake as if he’d slept eight hours. She, on the other hand, felt like someone had squeezed her through an old wringer washing machine and hung her out to dry. Her legs ached and her stomach…
It growled as she stood up stiffly. But there was no way she was going to ask for another power bar. Only she didn’t have to as Markus had pulled out another one and handed it to her.
She grinned and ripped it open.
“How can you eat those things?” Jake asked. “You need real food.”
“I’m starving. So they taste wonderful.”
Giving her a sad look he shook his head. “No wonder you’re skin and bones. Nobody can live like that.”
“Well, I tell you what, when we get back I’ll be happy to eat as much real food as I can.”
He snorted. “You’re going to need to find a place. With Boomer hospitalized, the diner won’t be open for a bit.”
“And that means I don’t have a job either.” She stared up at the lightening sky and sighed.
“Enough of Alaska?” Markus asked with humor.
She turned to look at him, realizing maybe it was time to move on. “Maybe,” she admitted softly. “Maybe it is time to go home.”
There was a weird ping and Jake looked at her funny, then fell to his knees.
And collapsed onto his belly and didn’t move.
*
Markus grabbed Bree and shoved her to the ground behind the fallen tree they’d been leaning against. On the ground he checked Jake. He was alive but unconscious. He’d been shot, the bullet grazing his head. Enough to knock him out but not shattering his skull.
“Oh my God, oh my God.” The litany of low shocked whispers sounded behind him. Markus grabbed his phone even as he moved to stop the bleeding. This was not good. No reception… He dragged Jake to lie in front of Bree.
“Press here.” He placed her hand over the wound. He grabbed Jake’s cowboy necktie and folded it up as a pad, tucking it over the wound, then tied it tight around Jake’s head. Using a knife, he cut away a strip of Jake’s shirt and used the fabric to bind the wound. Head wounds always bled a lot.
“Is he going to make it?”
“Hopefully,” Markus whispered. He stared at her and knew she was tired and her brain was not functioning fully, but she needed to understand. “Jake was shot. The shooter is still out there. If he’s coming in for a kill shot things are about to get ugly. I don’t know if he was after Jake or us, but chances are good he’s coming to finish the job.”
Her color grayed but she gave him a clipped nod. As if she’d already managed to shake off the shock and understood the trouble they were in.
Good. He needed her alert and moving. “I’m going to take a look. I won’t let you out of my sight, but I want you to stay here and keep pressure on this wound.” He grabbed her chin so she looked up at him. He studied her worried gaze. “Don’t call out for me. Do you understand?”
She swallowed hard but nodded. “Hurry back.”
He smiled and melted into the half-light around them. She huddled close to the unconscious Jake and he lost sight of her as she lay down beside him. Good, that would make it harder for the shooter to find her too.
Markus moved through the trees, going in a wide circle to come up behind where the shooter had been standing.
There were several large thick-branched trees there. He stepped back slightly and studied them. The shot had been downward. So the shooter had been elevated and this was likely where. But was he gone? He narrowed his gaze and studied the land. He could see where the shooter had gone up the second tree from the scuffed bark and broken branch. He quickly checked the other trees to see if he’d gone up more than one. But there was no sign of his passage on any of the others.
Checking the ground out, he realized one set of tracks came in and a second returned ten feet from the first but in the opposite direction. So he’d been and gone. But why and where had he gone now? Markus quickly climbed the tree to look from the vantage point the shooter had been at. There. He stopped, realizing he had a clear view of where Jake had been standing. Even from here he could see the bright pink of Bree’s sweater sleeve as she reached over her head and stretched her arm out beside the injured man. He couldn’t see much else, but it was clear enough to pinpoint her position. There was nothing else to see from up here, but he spent a careful few minutes studying the geography around them. Markus slid back down the tree and quickly returned to where Bree was lying.
There were tears rolling down her cheek. She looked up at him and didn’t say anything.
Ah hell.
He bent down and reached a finger to Jake’s neck, there was a pulse, but it was faint. Too faint. “He’s still with us.”
She didn’t say anything for a long moment then she whispered, “He doesn’t look good. He didn’t regain consciousness either.”
Damn it. Jake, you better make it through this. Bree had seen enough death. Hell, they both had. He stepped back and tried his phone again. No signal. He grabbed the GPS location and sent another text. It looked like the last one had gone through finally. He followed up with a text message warning them of a sniper.
His job was to get Bree back to safety.
He had no intention of failing that job. Now he had to get Jake help and fast.
“Let’s go.” He held out a hand to help her to her feet.
“We can’t leave him here,” she said in shock.
“I’m not planning on it.”
She studied Jake then him. A hesitant look came over her face. “Can you carry him?” When he didn’t answer right away, she added, “If you can’t, I’ll wait here with him.”
“No you won’t.” Markus bent down and gently lifted Jake’s limp body over his shoulder. Thankfully the old geezer was very thin and not very tall. “Stay on my right,” he instructed. “And let’s move fast.”
Chapter 10
Poor Jake.
Good deeds should be rewarded not punished. He was a harmless old man who’d wanted to help. They needed to get back as fast as possible for his sake. She didn’t dare slow them down.
She didn’t know how to explain to Markus how much it meant to her that he was doing this, but thankfully he didn’t seem to require more from her. Other than to keep up.
And that’s when she realized with him carrying Jake, he wasn’t going to be able to help her out if she couldn’t keep up with him. She gritted her teeth and determined that shouldn’t make a difference.
She regretted that decision quickly. The ground was barely showing in the half-light, it was rough and uneven and Markus’s pace was brutal. She might have been able to keep up before she got sick, but there was no way she was up for a several mile hike in the half-light at this pace now.
She hit her limit a few minutes later and ignored it.
And lost her footing and fell. She shakily dragged herself back upright and swayed in place. Markus pointed to a stump up ahead. She eased down on the fallen wood, her body shaky and her legs trembling too hard to hold her upright.
Markus appeared in front of her, that all too knowing look in his eyes as he studied her.
“The heart is willing,” she confessed. “The spirit is still intact, but I fear my body is going to let me down.”
Immediately he shook his head. “No, your body hasn’t let you down. It has been hurt and needs to heal.”
“So I let my body down?” she asked with a note of humor. She took a deep breath and went to stand up and her legs collapsed under her.
Markus shifted Jake from his shoulder to his arms and dropped to his knees.
“Climb on my shoulders,” he instructed.
“No way,” she protested. “You can’t carry both of us… Leave me behind. Go and get Jake the help he needs then maybe someone can come find me. I’ll be ready to go again by then,” she said in a bracing tone. Surely rest was all she needed.
“We don’t have time to argue. I’m not leaving either of you behind. Now get on.”
She went to protest again, but his glare had her slowly closing her mouth. She didn’t weigh that much, but both together was a huge load. Markus wasn’t listening.
So be it. Then he’d have to admit defeat too. He’d learn he couldn’t do this soon enough. Like she had. Liking the idea and realizing the chances of it happening were still small, she scrambled onto his back.
“Now, go up to my shoulders.”
“That’s going to hurt,” she warned, but awkwardly she made it to the top of his massive shoulders. “I feel like a two-year-old up here,” she muttered.
He laughed, and damn if his shoulders didn’t shake with the motion. He shifted Jake so his arms wrapped around her legs, and in a movement and display of strength she envied, he stood up.
“Jesus, I guess you eat spinach for breakfast, huh?”
He chuckled again. “Maybe you should try it.”
“Maybe I should.” Now if only she liked the taste. Still, if that was the secret behind his impressive strength, she’d eat it regardless. “Unbelievable.”
But he didn’t answer this time, he was busy marching forward at a pace she hadn’t been able to keep up with when carrying only herself.
She could feel the power under her legs, the sense of determination, but there wasn’t the sense of being overwhelmed like she’d expected. How could he do this? And for how long? Surely this was too much.
But silent and determined, he strode through the forest carrying both of them.
Then she realized he barely made a sound.
How was that possible?
*
He was taking a chance making them a bigger target, but he’d not heard a sound for the last half hour. The woods were deserted. He needed to get Jake help and like hell he was leaving her behind. What kind of guy would do that? He was big and fit and never had he appreciated his inherent strength more than he did now.
He kept up the grueling pace until his communication device went off.
Bree had dislodged the earpiece and it hung on his shoulder now, but the voice was legible.
Hawk.
“ETA?”
Markus kept moving as he assessed the time to the cabin. “Less than thirty.”
“Do you need assistance?” Hawk’s calm voice was easily audible.
“Not for myself. Jake is unconscious. Need a medic.”
“Yes Markus needs assistance, don’t listen to him,” Bree exclaimed loud enough for Hawk to hear. “He’s carrying us both for heaven’s sake. Who are you people? Gods? He can’t be human.”
Hawk’s voice, surprised but tinged with humor, said, “Markus?”
“Yeah, she’s on my shoulders.”
“I’m sorry,” Bree said instantly. “I couldn’t keep up. It’s really his fault, you know. He was walking too fast.”
“Was he now?” Hawk murmured.
“Yeah, although that might have had something to do with the shooter.”
“Shooter? Explain.” Hawk lost the teasing note, his voice sharpening to a steely point.
“We got shot at. Markus would probably say that was my fault too,” Bree answered before Markus could get a word in edgewise. “Of course I was okay with dying as I’ve been there before and made peace with it.”
“Markus?”
Markus knew what Hawk was
asking for an explanation of, but there was no explanation for someone like Bree.
“She is right. She was on the edge of death and she did pull back from it so in theory she’d be okay with being shot too,” he said with dry humor.
Bree smacked him up side the head lightly. “That doesn’t mean I want to get shot,” she cried out. “Same as I didn’t want to get left behind either.”
“You got left behind? Who left you behind?”
“Markus.”
“Did not.”
“Well, you were going to.”
“Was not.”
“Well, you should have,” she cried out in exasperation. “I’m on your shoulders like a little kid.”
“Could have walked,” he said dryly. Hawk must be loving this.
“Well, you know I couldn’t have,” she countered. “I couldn’t walk anymore.”
“So therefore, I’m carrying you,” Markus snapped, irritation getting the best of him.
“Well, you should have left me behind.”
“No, I shouldn’t have.”
Markus grinned when he heard her muffled shriek of frustration.
“Are you always like this?” she cried.
“Like what?”
“Bullheaded.”
Hawk gasped as he choked a laugh back. “Glad to hear you sound like you’re doing okay. Four of us are at the cabin waiting.”
“Then keep an eye out for the shooter. He’s likely expecting us to return there. I don’t want to be picked off one by one.”
“Two by two,” Bree interjected. “Actually in this case he could pick all three of us off at once.”
“I’ll go out and pick him off first.”
“What? He can’t do that,” Bree said as Hawk rang off. “What if he shoots the wrong person?” Her voice rose as she added, “What if he shoots us?”
“He won’t,” Markus growled in exasperation. “He’s the best tracker we’ve got. If there is a shooter out there, then he’ll find him.”
“You should let me walk. Carrying me is too much. It’s making you cranky.”
He didn’t bother answering, he just made sure she couldn’t unhook her legs while he powered forward.