He stomped on the accelerator and the Volvo leapt forward. He heard a tiny sound from Valeri, that was all. Then they were bouncing and crashing toward a line of trees.
He scraped through somehow, taking twigs and leaves with him. Behind him, he could hear the angry jays screeching in fury as they soared into the air. The roar of a car engine echoed across the lake, and again he smiled. They would have to come off the road to follow him, and he didn’t think they’d risk it in those black monsters.
It was only a matter of time before the thugs picked up his trail, however. He had to get out of there—and fast—or he could run into an ambush farther up the rise.
He glanced at Valeri. She still sat clutching the dash, her eyes shut tight and her lips a thin, pale line. “Relax,” he said, feeling sorry for her. “I’ve done this before. We’ll be okay.”
She opened one eye to look at him. “If that’s supposed to reassure me, it’s not working.”
“Sorry.” He twisted the wheel again as a jagged rock rose up in front of him. “We don’t have much choice at this point.”
He bounced past the rock, wincing as he heard the sound of scraping metal. He’d probably left a few square inches of paint behind to point the way.
To his immense relief, he saw a paved road ahead over the next rise. If he could just make that, he told himself, he might just have enough head start to make it out onto the main road.
The car creaked and groaned with every jolt, until finally the wheels hit firm terrain and they could race along the smooth, winding curves without danger of losing their teeth.
Valeri sank back against the seat with a little sigh. “Where did you learn to drive like that?” she muttered. “The Andes?”
He grinned. “Monte Carlo. In my rebellious youth I raced cars.”
She nodded. “I should have known.”
“The experience has come in handy a couple of times.”
“Did you ever win?”
“What?”
“The Monte Carlo.”
“Oh. No. I was usually bombed out on Scotch before the end of the race.”
“I should have known that, too.”
“I quit after I smashed up my third car.”
“The racing or the drinking?”
“Both. It took me a few years longer to give up smoking. Now I have no objectionable habits.”
She gave him a look that showed she clearly disagreed, but she wisely refrained from answering. After a long pause, she asked, “How do you think they found us?”
“Sabhad’s goons? They could have spotted the car when we came into the area. Or they might have had someone posted close by your apartment, seen us drive by and followed us.”
“All the way here?”
“As long as we were heading in the right direction, why stop us?”
He saw the main highway up ahead and braked to a halt at the stop sign. He barely hesitated before turning the car left, heading into the setting sun.
“So where are we going now?”
“Back toward Sabhad’s mansion. I’m going to scout around and hope I can pick up a few clues as to where your father might be.”
She looked alarmed. “Isn’t that dangerous? They’re bound to still be looking for us.”
“I’m sure they are. But I don’t think they’ll figure on us going in this direction.”
She didn’t look convinced, and he added, “Quit worrying. I know what I’m doing.”
“I hope so. I just wish I knew—”
“Damn.” He stared into the rearview mirror.
“What’s the matter?”
He caught the urgency in her voice and wished he could reassure her. “We’ve got company.”
She looked over her shoulder, her eyes fearful as she obviously caught sight of what he saw in the mirror—four black cars, one behind the other, kicking up dust about a half mile behind them. “Can we outrun them?”
“Not a chance. We’ll have to do a little cross-country jogging again.”
“Great. I’d just got my heart rate back to normal.”
He took another look in the mirror. “Well, fasten your seat belt tighter, sweetheart, because we’re off again.”
The cars were close enough now for the drivers to see him veer off the road. He had to pick his spot. He saw it when he was almost on it—a rough trail leading up behind a crop of large rocks.
He plunged onto it, skidding and sliding, and then the tires grabbed and they were once more playing mountain goat up the steep slope.
This area was even rougher than the terrain around the lake. Without the trees and the water to soften the ground, the wheels had less traction, and the car bucked and kicked like a wild rodeo bull.
Nat clung to the wheel, hoping like mad that his hardwon skills wouldn’t let him down. After several minutes of tortuous progress, he saw a small rise ahead. He couldn’t see beyond it, and prayed there wasn’t a drop on the other side.
There just wasn’t anywhere else to go, except to turn back. By now Sabhad’s men were too close to make that a feasible choice. He aimed the car at the rise, his gaze fixed on the uneven horizon.
They hit the top, and bounced over. Nat swore. He could see nothing but sky—hell, his luck had finally run out. He felt the wheels leave the ground, and knew it was out of his hands now. All he could hope was that the drop wasn’t too deep and that they landed squarely. They might be shaken up a bit but they’d be all right.
Two seconds later, they hit with a bone-jarring thud. For a wild moment he thought he had it under control. The car rocked, bounced and hit again. This time the off-side wheels came down first. Before he had time to catch a breath, the car flipped over on its side with a deafening, splintering crash that echoed across the canyon like thunder.
His upper body slammed into Valeri before being jerked back by his seat belt. He hung above her, concerned to see that she was unconscious. She must have hit her head on the dash.
He had to get them out of there. He sniffed the air, but so far he couldn’t smell smoke. Even so, he couldn’t waste any time. If an explosion didn’t get them, Sabhad’s men probably would catch up to them soon enough. They must have heard the crash for miles.
He opened the door above him and shoved it open. Then, wedging his foot against Valeri’s seat, he undid his belt. It took him longer than he liked to get her out of her harness and up through the door. By then, to his immense relief she showed signs of coming around.
He slid off the car and eased her to the ground. Her dark hair covered her eyes and he brushed it back, careful not to touch the darkening bruise from her first wreck. She was going to have one hell of a headache when she woke up.
She whimpered then, and opened her eyes. She moved her lips, moistened them with her tongue, then whispered, “What happened?”
“We flipped. Are you okay?”
She nodded, then winced. “My head.”
“You banged it again. Sorry.”
“I’m getting used to it.”
“Can you sit up?”
“I think so.”
He helped her sit upright, and she looked over at the car. “I guess we’re not going anywhere in that now.”
He grinned, relieved that she seemed to be all right. “You guessed right. We’ll have to go the rest of the way on foot. But we’ll have to move it. Those goons can’t be far behind.”
She nodded, started to get up, then sat back down with a thump.
Worried now, Nat crouched down beside her. “What’s up? Are you dizzy? You didn’t get another concussion, I hope.”
“I don’t think so.” She peered up at Nat, looking as if she were peering through a thick fog. “Where are we going?”
“To Sabhad’s mansion to find your father.”
She shook her head. “No, we don’t need to. He’s not there.”
Nat let his breath hiss out. “You’ve remembered where he is.”
“Yes.” She smiled, dazzling him for a moment. “I’ve
remembered everything.”
“So where is he?”
He hoped she’d tell him that her father was safe with friends. But she looked around her as if expecting to find him tucked behind a rock somewhere. “He’s back at the lake. Or near it, anyway. There’s an abandoned gas station just down the road from the campground. He’s waiting there.”
Nat held out his hand. “Good girl. Let’s get going.” He pulled her to her feet.
She staggered, and might have fallen if she hadn’t grabbed onto him. He closed his arms around her in an instinctive move to catch her.
For a moment she tensed, then relaxed against him. Her eyes met his, and immediately he could feel the tug in his groin. For the space of a heartbeat, the world disappeared and there were just the two of them, floating in a haze of hot need and unspoken promise.
He knew she understood the question that had to be burning in his eyes. He saw the answer in her face, and his elation at the prospect tied him in knots. But not now. His time with her would have to wait. And it would be all the more worthwhile for the waiting.
It was with real effort that he grasped her upper arms and moved her away from him. “Can you walk?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. I just want to find my father now.”
“Okay. But the minute you start feeling faint, you let me know. All right?”
Valeri nodded, passing her hand across her forehead in a little gesture that told him her head was hurting. The evening breezes were already making their presence felt, cooling the earth. If they didn’t find her father soon, they’d have to hole up somewhere for the night. It was a long walk back to the campground, and he wasn’t sure she could make it even that far.
She stood for a moment, looking around her, then she walked over to the car. “I need the clothes I bought,” she said, peering into one of the windows.
Nat sighed. “Hang on, I’ll get them for you,” he muttered, and clambered up onto the car. They’d been lucky, he thought, as he lowered himself through the door. This car hadn’t burned like the last one—which was a miracle, considering the amount of gas spilling from the ruptured fuel tank.
He grabbed up two plastic bags, then hauled himself out of the car again and back to the ground. “I’ll carry them,” he said when she held out her hand. “You just concentrate on staying on your feet.”
She gave him a tired smile. “Thanks.”
“Sure.” He knotted the bags together and threw them over his shoulder. “Okay, let’s go. We may have some climbing to do before we get to the lake. I want to avoid the roads and trails as much as possible.”
“What about my sunglasses? They were on the dash.”
“They fell off. They’re broken.”
She looked as if she were about to cry.
Nat felt an odd pang of helplessness as he watched her. “I’ll get you another pair as soon as we hit town,” he said gruffly.
“It’s okay.” She started to move ahead of him, but he held up his hand.
“I’ll go first. Just step where I step, okay? There shouldn’t be too many rattlers around, but you never know.”
Valeri followed him without a word, and for the next hour he led her over some grueling terrain while he concentrated on cutting the trek as short as possible.
She kept up with him, but he could tell she was getting gradually weaker as she scrambled over boulders and down gravel slopes with treacherous footing. In spite of scraped hands and a grazed knee, she kept going without one word of complaint. His admiration for her grew by leaps and bounds.
It was almost dark by the time he spotted the lake, partially hidden by the surrounding trees. “There it is, up ahead,” he said, nodding in that direction. “Now, where’s that gas station?”
“All I know is that it’s not far from the entrance to the campground.”
“Well, we didn’t pass it on the way in, so it has to be a bit farther on.” She stumbled and he caught her arm. “You all right?”
“Tired.” She gave him a weak smile.
“How’s the headache?”
“Brutal. I should have filled out my prescription while we were at the store.”
“If you had you’d have been surrounded by cops before you got outside.”
She looked startled. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You’ll feel better once you get some rest and some food inside you.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
He gave her an encouraging smile. “Almost there. You’ll think it was worth the hike when you see your father again.”
“I just hope he’s still there. It’s been at least three days. He might have given up and gone somewhere else.”
“He doesn’t have anywhere else to go—unless he hitched a ride, and I doubt he’d risk that.”
She looked scared. “What if he’s gone without food and water all that time?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He tightened his grip on her arm. “Come on, lean on me. It’s not much farther now.”
Together they made their way down the last hundred yards, with Valeri leaning more and more of her weight against him, until finally, by the time they reached the road, he was supporting her with his arm around her.
She seemed to do better on flat ground. Even so, he kept his arm about her as they trudged around the bend. He didn’t want to admit he enjoyed the pressure of her warm body against him.
She gave a little cry as they rounded the curve and saw the deserted gas station. A rusted pump stood forlornly in the middle of an empty yard beneath a large sign declaring the station closed. A phone box, its glass panes shattered, stood nearby.
The sight seemed to revive her. She pulled away from him and hurried down the road to where the door hung open on the run-down wooden shack.
He called out a warning, but she ignored him and disappeared inside. He was right behind her, every nerve tensed for whatever might be waiting.
He needn’t have worried. One glance inside the building told him that it was empty. There was nowhere to hide in that barren room. If Alex Forrester had holed up in this place, he wasn’t here any longer.
Chapter 8
Valeri slumped against the wall, unwilling to believe that all their efforts had been for nothing. She heard Nat’s step behind her and didn’t even bother to turn around. “He’s not here,” she said dully.
Nat slung the bags onto the ground and looked around. “I can see that. Are you sure this is the place?”
She nodded, barely able to make the movement count. “I’m positive. He described the campground, with the lake and the boat ramp. He must have called me from that phone outside. He described the gas station and he said it was just down the road from the sign that said Sylvan Springs.”
Nat sighed. “I guess this is it, then.”
She made the effort to look at him. “What do you think happened?”
Nat shrugged. “Hard to say.”
She watched him prowl around the room, peering at the floor and out of the grimy window at the back. “There’s no sign of any scuffle, and no blood. He either walked out of here on his own, or he went willingly with whoever was with him.”
She hated to voice the question, but she needed to know. “Do you think Sabhad’s men have got him?”
He lifted his head, but it was dark now and she could barely see his face. She couldn’t read his expression, but his voice held conviction when he answered her. “No, I don’t think so. Otherwise they wouldn’t be so anxious to get their hands on you.”
“Then where could he have gone?”
“My guess would be the town. He probably got tired of waiting for you.”
She was exhausted. Her head hurt and she was dying of thirst. The crushing disappointment of finally reaching the gas station only to find her father gone seemed overwhelming. Even so, she was determined not to let herself admit defeat. “So what do we do now?”
“You hold on here. I’m going to look around. There’s a bathr
oom out back. I’ll take a look at it.”
She nodded, barely able to keep her eyes open. How she longed for a soft bed to lie down on. Even the memory of that motel bed, with her wrists tied, was appealing.
Nat disappeared, and she slid down the wall until she could sit on the floor. It felt good to get the weight off her feet. She leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes. The place smelled of fungus and rotting wood. The damp seemed to creep down her arms, raising goose bumps on her sunburned skin.
In spite of her discomfort, she had almost dozed off when the squeak of the door told her that Nat had returned. She opened her eyes and found him bending over her.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Just tired. Did you find the bathroom?”
“Right outside. It’s even got running water. At least we’ll be able to wash up and have a cool drink.”
“Wonderful. I feel better already.” She made an effort to smile, even though she knew he probably couldn’t see it.
“Here.” He thrust her bag of clothes into her hands. “You go first. Get into some clean clothes. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel.”
She took them from him. “How far do you think it is to Sylvan Springs?”
“Too far for you to get there tonight. We’ll stay here the night and leave first thing in the morning.”
“Can’t we hitch a ride?”
“You really want to take that chance? The cops have probably got an APB out for you by now. And Sabhad’s men could be anywhere.”
She wanted to argue, but she didn’t have the strength. He was right. Even if she could make it there without collapsing, she didn’t have the energy left to search for her father tonight. She needed rest, sleep. Though how much sleep she’d get on the bare floor of a cold and drafty shack, she shuddered to think.
She left the door open in the bathroom so that she could see what she was doing. Moonlight flooded the area, giving her enough light to see her faint reflection in the cracked and filthy mirror.
She looked a little wild. Her hair was tangled and windblown, and she wished she’d thought to buy a comb in the chain store. She’d have to ask Nat to borrow his again.
The sink was chipped and stained, but water flowed from. the faucet. She washed her hands, then cupped them to get a drink. The water tasted slightly metallic, though it was cold and wet—the two main essentials right now. She drank it down greedily.
The Mercenary And The Marriage Vow Page 12