Jeremy prowled the area with a flashlight. He was searching for footprints, tracks, anything that would tell him where Amanda was. Kiera collapsed on one of the logs around the fire ring, too exhausted to speak.
It was Ben who pitched the tent and Brad who made a fire. It was Ben who loaned Jeremy his infrared camera so the Sheriff could peer into the darkness and see heat signatures. His strength kept them all going.
“I want to keep moving,” Jeremy stated as he paced the campsite.
Kiera closed her eyes. Could she make it in the dark? She’d have to try. She started to get to her feet when Ben put a hand on her shoulder. “No,” he said, and Kiera sat back down. “We’re tired and there’s good chance we’ll injure ourselves if we try and keep going. We’ll start fresh in the morning.”
“She’s out there. What if—” Jeremy turned his back. Kiera’s heart broke for him. She knew he had visions of Amanda hanging on a hook in a tree like Bobby Angelos or tied up and dehydrated as Kiera had been. Neither prospect was acceptable to her either.
She laid a hand on Ben’s at her shoulder. “I can do it. I’ll be careful, Ben. We have to keep going.”
For a moment, she thought Ben would refuse. But he nodded abruptly and began to pack up. She breathed a sigh of relief. They’d rested for three hours, and Kiera hoped it would be enough to get her to Fanning Creek.
The next few hours were a grind. The dim light from flashlights barely kept her feet on the trail. It was Ben’s steady hand that stopped several dangerous tumbles. He watched over her every step and she marveled, not only that he care for her that much, but that she liked it.
It was a moonless night with very little air movement, so every breath she took was an effort in the muggy atmosphere. Stifled and in pain, she trudged forward. Without much thought she followed Jeremy and he seemed driven by demons none of them could understand. Sure Amanda was at Fanning Creek, Jeremy set a break neck pace down the mountain. Even the deputy was huffing and puffing by the time they reached the bottom.
Morning was beginning her usual sequence as the small troop hit level ground. Fanning Creek was less than a mile away and Kiera could only put one foot in front of the other. It occurred to her that though they might reach Amanda, they wouldn’t have the strength to help her.
The rush of the creek reached her ears and a fresh morning breeze fanned her face. Kiera’s muscles were jelly but she took strength in Ben’s hand that rested lightly on her back. By Kiera’s calculations, they had done sixteen miles in ten hours. It was exhausting, but exhilarating as well.
They broke through the brush that hid the campsite at Fanning Creek and Jeremy peered into the dirt for signs of his quarry. Black circles stood out on his dark skin, and his features were pulled taut with lines. Kiera was spent, but Ben still had some energy as far as she could tell. “You go ahead, Ben. Help Jeremy. If anyone can find her, you can.”
She collapsed by the creek and took a long drink. As she splashed water on her face, she shrugged off her pack. She leaned against a rock by the shore and closed her eyes. The three men fanned out. She could hear them. The crackle of Jeremy’s radio as he notified his base that he had arrived at Fanning Creek. The deputy’s heavy breathing was audible to her left. Even Ben’s silent footsteps didn’t escape detection since he rustled bushes as he searched.
She opened her eyes, her gaze drawn down stream to the clump of trees where they had found Bobby. She rose to her feet. Shaky, but determined, she grabbed a camera and a radio before she started down stream.
Before, it had seemed that group of Douglas Fir was close to the campsite, but Kiera soon found the noises from the others faded as she went further toward her destination. The morning light was only just giving illumination to the woods and covered the ground with its usual dank fog. Visibility was fair at best. It was difficult to shake the eerie sensation that there was something or someone hidden in those droplets.
She reached the clump of trees and entered the circle where they had stumbled onto Bobby’s broken, bleeding corpse. For a moment, she thought she saw him again, but it was her imagination. The hook was gone, along with the rope, as evidence from the last time Jeremy had led his men up there. Small flags were laid out where blood spatter had landed.
There was no body. Amanda wasn’t here.
Relief made her dizzy. She took a shaky breath and turned away towards the creek. What was she thinking? She’d been a fool to come her alone without telling Ben or the others.
There was that feeling again. She stopped. Her gaze scanned the trees. Someone was watching her and it made her skin crawl. This wasn’t a friendly feeling at all. Like the one on Dead Man’s Trail and at the Stones, it had an animalistic yet intelligent sensation to it. It wasn’t really possible to “feel” someone watching her. But she did. Her instincts were screaming at her to get away and get away quickly.
Her breath came in gasps as she increased her pace. She broke through the brush and the creek rushed and flowed in front of her. In haste, she hoofed it up stream to find the others. The sensation of being watched was still there. She’d swing her head and glance over her shoulder to see nothing but morning fog and trees. Her lungs hurt, her legs ached and she had no idea why she was running.
When a burst of sound came from her radio, she stopped breathing for a moment. A sigh came out when she realized it was Jeremy on the radio demanding a check in. She clicked on the radio and switched it to send a message when she froze.
At the campsite in front of her, with a gun aimed towards the trees to the north where Jeremy was searching, stood a figure in camouflage.
Time slowed. In a heartbeat, she realized she was down wind and the person didn’t know she was there. But her abandoned pack and clear trail would reveal the direction she had gone easily. This person was aiming for Jeremy.
Off to her left were some thick bushes and Kiera slipped into them. The figure whirled and searched for where the rustling sound came from. To Kiera’s relief, a covey of quail were poised to fly near her and all she had to do was wave a hand and they bolted into the air.
It worked. The figure, hooded and garbed in hunting clothes, turned back to the northern edge of the campsite and snuck towards Jeremy’s location. Kiera scrambled as quietly as she could into the trees to the south and contacted Jeremy. “It’s Kiera, Jeremy. An armed person is on the northwest edge of the campsite and heading to your location. I repeat, the person is armed with a shotgun.”
“Kiera?” Jeremy responded. “I read you. Stay where you are.”
She whimpered. Someone was going after her best friend with a gun and where was Ben? What if he got hurt? Where was the deputy?
She crouched low as she stepped through the trees just west of the campsite. As she snuck across the trail that came down from the mountain, she almost screamed when a hand gripped her arm and yanked her into some brush. A hand clamped over her mouth.
For two seconds, she thought she was dead. Then, she got a glimpse of Ben’s tense features and went still. On impulse, she flung his hand away from her mouth and planted a desperate kiss on his. His hand tangled in her hair and he returned her kiss with a passionate response.
It was over in a moment and she leaned back. “I was so scared when I didn’t know where you were.”
“Back at you.” He stroked her hair. “Now, let’s see if we can’t help Jeremy out.”
They both stood and a huge explosion ripped through the valley. Startled birds screamed in protest, and Kiera’s heart jumped. A shout and several thuds sounded from the east and Kiera and Ben both pounded towards the noise.
They found Jeremy straddling a prone figure on the ground with blood pouring from his shoulder as he gripped his victim’s shirt and pounded his head into the ground. “Where is she, damn it!” He growled. Kiera didn’t recognize him and just stared. “Tell me or I’ll kill you.”
“Jeremy!” She rushed to him and pulled on his jacket. “Don’t, Jeremy.”
“Tell me!”
The deputy finally showed up. Brad helped Ben wrangle Jeremy away from his prisoner. Kiera flicked the hood back from the camo sweatshirt.
Shirley McBride.
The older woman’s grey hair was pulled back away from her face, which was twisted in hatred and anger. She sprang to her feet and swayed a bit. As she bolted for her discarded shotgun, the deputy blocked her and Ben picked up the weapon. “I haven’t done anything, Brad. You have nothing on me.”
“Right, Shirley. You were just out hunting. The only problem is that there isn’t any hunting season open right now.” Brad’s young face seemed older, sadder. “What are you doing here?” He asked her, his tone mild.
She glared at him. “I’m camping.”
Jeremy whirled around and Kiera tried to hold him back. “Make her tell you where Amanda is. She knows where she is.”
The older woman took a step back and smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. “Oh, did you lose her again, Sheriff? That’s too bad.” The parody of the woman Kiera had known all her life wrenched her guts. Whatever she thought she’d known about Shirley McBride was a lie.
“You—” Jeremy’s growl barely gave Kiera time to step in front of him and try and stop him.
“Jeremy! Stop!” Her voice rose, but he kept coming, his blue eyes riveted on Shirley McBride. Kiera pushed as hard as she could on his shoulders and Ben grabbed his arm.
Finally, Jeremy clenched his teeth and froze. He uttered words in the Hoopa language that Kiera didn’t understand, had never heard before. But Shirley had. Every vestige of color drained from her face. “I don’t believe in the Oh-mah, little boy,” she sneered. But her voice trembled.
“You invoked him, old woman. The blood is on your hands.” Jeremy resembled a madman, but something in his posture made Kiera shiver. An age-old curse from his lips brought centuries past to life.
“Oh-mah is a tale for fools.” Shirley spat at him.
Jeremy leaned forward and Kiera stared at his stone cold features. He was no longer the Sheriff, her friend, her companion. He was a Hoopa warrior with the curse of the Oh-mah on his lips and the Hoopa mantle in his blood. His voice was low, purring, deadly. “Remember this, Shirley McBride. The Oh-mah claims those who take from him. What you steal from the Oh-mah will be stolen from you. Don’t ever sleep, old woman. He will find you.”
By the time he stopped talking, Shirley was shaking. Her gaze flicked to the Little Trinity, the taboo mountain, where the stones lay in everlasting silence and John McBride’s soul wailed in agony.
The moment passed and Kiera shook her head. He was Jeremy again, not an Indian warrior. His badge was a reminder of why they were there and Jeremy composed himself.
Shirley McBride, however, was clearly shaken.
“What do we do now?” Ben asked Jeremy. “We came here to find Amanda.”
The Sheriff glared at Shirley. “She knows where Amanda is. Ask her.” His tone was calm, collected.
Ben turned to the older woman. “Well?”
The woman pursed her tight little lips closed. Kiera glared at her. “She came from the eastern slope of the Little Trinity. That’s where John took me when he kidnapped me. It would stand to reason Shirley would do the same.”
“Right. We’ll go.” Jeremy hefted his shotgun.
“What about her?” Brad asked and nodded at Shirley.
Jeremy’s gaze was cold. “I don’t care. Take her gun away and let her loose. Make sure she doesn’t have any other weapons and set her on the trail back. Watch her leave. She may circle back but it will take her a while.”
“What about my pack?” The woman’s blue eyes narrowed on Jeremy’s back.
“That’s right.” Jeremy’s tone was very deceptively mild. “Search it, Brad. One day’s worth of food and water, no more. She’ll either go home or starve.”
“You bastard.” Shirley spat the words at him.
“My men will meet you at the trailhead in twenty-four hours. If you don’t show up, they’ll tell me.” Jeremy cocked his shotgun. “Next time, I’ll kill you.”
He turned away and started to hike up the trail. Shirley shook her fist at him. “You just wait, Jeremy Covey! I’ll have your badge for this!”
None of them even glanced back as they left the old woman with Brad. The deputy pointed towards the trail home and Shirley McBride walked through the brush out the western trail.
The steep climb was difficult for Kiera, not only physically, but emotionally. The last time she’d taken this hike, her hands had been bound and she’d been blindfolded. To step here now, in the bright sunlight as it cleared the morning fog away, was an exercise in courage. Again, it was Ben’s presence, his hands, which kept her going. They’d had very little rest in the last forty-eight hours, and Kiera didn’t know how much she had left. If they found Amanda and she was injured and weak, they’d have to dig deep to get her out.
The trail wound around and they came to the plateau that overlooked the northern section of the Trinity Mountains. The peak of Little Trinity was visible and cast a shadow over the group. Jeremy allowed them to stop and rest.
Just like the last time Kiera had been at this spot with Amanda on a stretcher, she fell to her knees and dropped to the ground. She was toast.
“Kiera? Are you okay?” Ben’s concern broke through.
Her throat was dry. “Water.”
Immediately, Ben had a bottle at her lips and she drank. Ben stood. “Jeremy, she’s done. She can’t do any more. We need to stop here.”
“Where did John take you, Kiera?” Jeremy’s demand penetrated her dulled senses.
The stones. She couldn’t tell him about the stones. She’d never told anyone. Ben found out by accident. But Jeremy stood there with his hands on his hips and authority oozing from every pore.
She glanced at Ben. He nodded very slightly. She took a deep breath. “There’s a trail. Show him, Ben.”
Jeremy glared. “How does he know?”
“Because we were trying to get away from John and we needed to hide off the trail.” She told him as Ben dragged her to her feet. Her knees buckled twice but she finally made it on both legs.
She and Ben led Jeremy to the faint trail that led to the peak and the hidden crevice opened in the rock. The stones appeared just as suddenly and the wildflowers were in glorious bloom.
There, beneath a tree, lay a very still body.
Amanda.
Ben and Jeremy rushed. Kiera hobbled. They reached her side and found she was bound hand and foot. Her face was bruised but she seemed unconscious. Jeremy shook her, both hands on her shoulders. When she woke up and found Jeremy leaned over her, tears rolled down her face. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Give her water,” Kiera ordered.
They untied her and gave her water, which she barely drank before she flung her body into Jeremy’s arms and sobbed.
“I got a call that you were hurt and when I got in my SUV, someone knocked me out. They dragged me over that trail for hours. I don’t know how long.” Her tears soaked his shirt and he stroked her back. “I thought I was dead. I thought—Oh, Jeremy, I was such an idiot.”
“Trite, but effective,” Kiera murmured out of the side of her mouth to Ben. He smirked and grasped her hand.
“Effective is good,” was all he said.
“Baby, it’s okay. You’re safe now. Did you see who it was?”
“No, but I smelled him.” She leaned back and tightened her lips. “You can’t fake that smell.”
“What smell, honey?” Jeremy frowned.
“The smell of that cologne. Gavin McBride’s cologne.”
After they helped Amanda down the trail, Kiera took one last glance back. The afternoon sun shone over the grass and the grey stones. Here, the feeling of being watched was so different. Threatening? Yes, but not the malevolent sensation she’d had a Fanning Creek.
There was no movement, no breeze there, and Kiera wondered if Amanda had that same eerie feeling while she’d
been tied there. They broke through the brush and onto Dead Line Trail.
Jeremy had practically carried Amanda away from that small oasis of trees and stones, but now Kiera laid a hand on his shoulder. “Jeremy. You can’t carry her all the way down. Let us help.”
Instinctively, he shifted Amanda closer to him. Amanda lifted a hand and stroked his face. “Let her help.” Her voice was soft and quiet. Jeremy pressed his lips to her forehead and set her down.
“Can you walk at all?” Kiera inquired.
“It’s my leg.” Amanda indicated her bandaged foot. “Gavin was very put out that I couldn’t move quicker.” She winced and Kiera’s eyes narrowed on her face. The woman’s shoulders shifted restlessly when she’d mentioned Gavin’s name.
“He hurt you.” Kiera strode forward and lifted her shirt. There were bruises on her lower back that were a dark, angry purple. “He kicked you.” Indignation flooded her system and a growl escaped Jeremy’s throat. Kiera dropped the shirt back in place. “You’re in no condition to walk. Looks like we’re carrying you again.” She tried to smile, but Amanda’s haunted expression stopped it dead.
Jeremy was on the radio to his deputy who was hiking his way up the western slope after making sure Shirley McBride took the trail back. “The best thing to do,” Jeremy said, “is to camp at Fanning Creek tonight and get an airlift out. It will take the damn helicopter hours to get up here and it’ll be dark by the time they can make to Fanning Creek. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning.”
“You don’t want to try Dead Line Trail again?” Kiera asked him.
The Sheriff shook his head. “No. All the equipment we need to make a stretcher is down at Fanning Creek. We might as well wait for the airlift.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Kiera was aware of what he wasn’t saying. They’d hiked up that mountain and left all their gear because Jeremy was full of rage and worry. She was his best friend. He thought he’d messed up.
She exchanged a glance with Amanda.
Legend Hunter Page 21