by H. L. Wegley
Ivan threaded the heavy-duty nylon bands through the restraints around each girl’s wrists, and then through the large steel ring attached to the post. He zipped up the two large bands binding all four girls to the ring.
Jennifer tested the post by pulling and pushing on it. It was firmly set into the ground, possibly in concrete.
“Pull all you want to, old lady. That post isn’t going anywhere and neither are you. And remember, I’m still listening. So don’t do anything stupid.” He scanned the four girls, and then headed towards the door.
When Ivan opened the door to leave, the wind howled outside. It would drown out whispers, once he closed the door.
When the door shut, Jennifer turned to the girls. “Listen, the FBI knows approximately where we are, and they’re trying to get here through the storm. We need to be ready for a rescue attempt, but we can’t let Ivan or the others see any change in us.”
“How do you know help is coming? Nobody saw them take me.” Katie’s face was filled with doubt.
“I know because I’m the one who discovered what Trader was doing and where he was doing it.”
Kirsten’s eyes were full of suspicion. “Then why are you here like us?”
“Because I took one too many chances. I wanted to know where the shack was located so I could tell the FBI exactly where to come. They know it’s in this area, but we weren’t certain it was along this trail. I made a big mistake, and they caught me.”
Jennifer carefully omitted details for their protection.
Katie and Kirsten were frowning.
Mel scooted around the post, closer to her. “Please don’t make him hurt me again.”
“I’ll try not to do that, Mel. But remember, I didn’t make him do anything. Trader chose to do it, because he’s an evil man, the very worst kind.”
“I’m afraid, Jenn. It hurt so much when he shocked me.” Mel’s tear-filled eyes overflowed.
Jennifer lifted her elbow and draped an arm, as best she could, around the small girl’s shoulders. “Mel, I know you’re afraid. But we don’t have to give in to our fear and let it overcome us. For people like us, people held captive, God wrote some very special things, things I believe with all my heart. Talking about captives like us, God’s Word says ‘when these people were oppressed they cried out to God. He heard from heaven, and because of His great compassion, He sent deliverers, who rescued them from their enemies.’”
Mel leaned against her shoulder. “Did He really say that…to us?”
“He said it to some other captives many years ago, captives He set free. Then He made sure it was written down in the Bible for us to read. I read it earlier this week.”
Mel nestled her head against Jennifer’s neck. “I hope He sends our deliverers soon.”
“Me, too. But in the meantime, we don’t have to let fear overcome us. God said nearly four hundred times in the Bible to the people who trust Him, do not be afraid. He also said, the people who love Him, He will deliver. He will protect the people who trust in His name. When they ask for help, He answers them. He’s with them when they’re in trouble, and He will rescue them and honor them. All we have to do is trust Him, love Him, and ask Him to help us.”
Katie stared at the wall across the room. “If God is so good, why did He let Trader take us, and probably other girls, too?”
Jennifer slid her hand around the bands, placing it over Katie’s. “What God wants, Katie, is to be a personal God to every individual. He wants the relationship to be based upon love. So He doesn’t make people love Him. That would be a false love. Some people, like Trader, choose the opposite of what God wants. They choose to do evil. If there is going to be any real love, there has be a choice for each person to make. Some people make a bad choice—a very bad choice. But in the end, God promises to punish the people who choose evil, instead of choosing Him. So for right now, we get to love God, but we have to put up with some evil people. Does that make sense?”
Katie stared at the wall. “Let me think—”
The door opened.
Mel lifted her head from Jennifer’s shoulder when Ivan entered the shack.
He walked directly to the girls and checked their bonds. He smiled, cut the bands holding them to the post, and studied Jennifer.
The moment Ivan began surrendering to his own proclivities, Jennifer saw it in his eyes. He stared into her face. She also read his facial expression, and what she saw frightened her. His gaze began systematically exploring her. It turned her stomach and made her feel contaminated.
Ivan stepped closer.
Jennifer steeled herself for what was coming.
19
Lee crept along the trail, occasionally using his cell phone for light. Out-manned and out-gunned, he needed to surprise them.
In the darkness, nothing about the trail looked familiar, but judging by the distance he’d walked, he should be near the fork. Sounds. Barely audible sounds, but they didn’t belong to the storm. They were human voices. He slid behind a bush.
Two men stepped onto the trail. They must have come from the north fork, and they appeared to be walking towards the vehicle in the parking lot.
If, as he and Jennifer suspected, there were three men, only one man would be guarding the girls. This might be his best chance to free them.
Knowing where two of the men were changed everything.
After he gave the two men a minute or so to clear the area, he would take the north fork and find the holding location. If he could move close enough, he would incapacitate or, if necessary, kill the guard, take his weapon, and flee with the girls. Even if the two heard his gunshot, it was nearly a half mile to the parking area, four or five minutes of jogging along the trail through the trees. He would have time to hide the girls in the forest.
It was a good plan.
He headed down the north fork. Nearly a quarter mile down the trail, it curved to the right. When he rounded the bend, a light shone through the trees.
The source of the light was a small building. It had one window and one door.
He prayed there would be a shooting angle from outside the window, one that did not endanger the girls. But before taking any action, he needed at least one glimpse inside.
The end of the building provided a safe approach, one that kept him out of sight.
He stopped and checked the trail behind him. There were no signs of the other two men.
He dipped his hand into the muddy soil. The dark mud oozed between his fingers as he applied it to his face.
He checked the .38. It was fully loaded.
From the edge of the window he could only peer in at an acute angle. It was enough to see the shadow of a man projected onto the wall beyond the door. But which way was the man facing?
Lee inched forward and slid his mud-covered face in front of the glass, then pulled his head back to process the image.
The man sat on a stool, his side exposed to the window. He was looking at the back left corner, probably at the girls. An assault rifle lay across the man’s lap.
Lee could shoot the lone guard through the window before the man could raise his weapon. But he needed to be certain of the girls’ positions before firing any bullets into the room.
He slid his entire face in front of the window and peered into the room.
The man stood, rifle in hand. “I said strip, old lady!” The gunman barked the order.
The urge to kill this brute grew until it was almost uncontrollable. He took a calming breath and assumed a two-handed firing stance in front of the window.
The brute faced a huddle of bodies in the back corner of the room.
“Stand up now!” The man snarled.
One of the girls moved to stand, but the man’s body hid her.
She was directly in the line of fire.
He needed a safer shooting angle, but somehow he had to intervene before this brute could have his way.
“Start undressing, old lady.”
“No!” A
single-word reply came, clearly audible above the wind.
The voice was unmistakable. Jennifer.
The reality hit him like a slap to his face. His hand shook as rage replaced rationality.
The man moved forward.
Lee’s hand stopped shaking. His thoughts cleared.
The gunman reached for the girl’s shoulder. When he did, his body moved to her right.
Lee was staring into Jennifer’s face, fighting to control an explosion of emotions. His finger tightened on the trigger, but Jennifer was still too close to the line of fire. He would have to use his knife.
The man shoved Jennifer downward onto the floor.
When she hit the floor, she swung her right leg up, landing a strong, well-placed kick.
The brute roared in anger and pain.
Lee pulled the trigger twice. Two loud pops sounded above the noise of the wind.
Bullets ripped two holes in the man’s upper torso. The shots knocked the man against the back wall. The brute slid to the floor, writhing.
Lee burst into the room. When the goon tried to get up, Lee used a savage, chopping motion to smash the handle of the .38 into the man’s head, driving it down until it bounced on the wooden floor.
Blood exploded from the guy’s head wound, splattering across the floor and onto the wall.
The man lay still.
“Lee!” Jennifer scrambled to her feet. She tried but failed to put her bound arms around his neck.
Lee wrapped his arms around her as muddy drops fell from his cheeks.
Jennifer was smiling through her tears. She struggled to wipe the mud away with her bound hands.
Those restraints needed to come off. He opened his knife and sliced through the nylon bands, slinging them across the room.
They landed on the wounded man’s bleeding head.
“Jenn, I thought the wave—”
“Hush,” Jennifer whispered as she pulled his muddy face to hers,
It was a passionate, gritty kiss from a gritty woman, and it tasted like dirt, but it was a kiss he would never forget.
After the kiss, reality returned. “Let’s go, Jenn. We’ve got to get the girls out of here before the other men return. They probably heard the shots.”
20
The girls weren’t moving. Were they bewildered, because he had punctuated such violence with a kiss? “Jenn, help me out here.”
Jennifer turned to the girls. “Come here, girls.”
The first girl was a beautiful, tall, blonde teenager.
Jennifer raised the girl’s hands.
Lee slid his left hand between her bound wrists, exposing the nylon bands, and sliced them with his knife.
“Lee, this is Katie. Katie, Lee is my fiancé.”
“Your fiancé?” Katie’s brilliant blue eyes opened wide in surprise. “But you’re—”
“Katie, I’m twenty-six years old and I work for the National Security Agency.”
“But…I thought you were one of us.”
“I am, Katie. We’re in this together. My fate would have been the same as yours.”
“Hello, Katie.” Lee noted her intense blue eyes.
The next girl, a stunning, dark-eyed brunette, shoved her hands out.
“Lee, meet Kirsten.”
“Hello, Kirsten.”
The smallest girl, with light-brown hair and large, innocent, blue eyes, extended her hands.
“And this is Melanie. You can call her Mel.”
“Hi, Mel.”
The man on the floor remained still.
“I’m taking this goon’s weapon. Girls, grab any flashlights you see and any ammunition. Don’t leave them anything they can use against us. Jenn, do you still have the keys to your car?”
Jennifer slid her hand into her jeans pocket. “I’ve got my keys,” she said as she grabbed a flashlight sitting against the wall. When she looked over at the man on the floor, her voice grew thick with revulsion. “Lee, that’s Ivan. He’s still breathing, but I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
Lee grabbed the rifle and the full clip of ammunition sitting by the door. “Well, it makes me feel better. If he lives, he’ll get to serve his entire term in the federal pen. Now let’s get out of here. We’ll hide along the trail. Girls, try to be as quiet as you can and don’t be afraid regardless of how close Trader and what’s his face—”
“Jacko,” Jennifer spat the name.
“No matter how close they get. We have weapons as good as theirs. If we’re quiet, we also have the element of surprise. And we have God on our side. Now follow me.”
The path leading to the shack was dark. No bouncing flashlight beams and no sounds except the wind. He led the group down the trail.
Jennifer held the .38 in her right hand and extended her other hand back to Mel. The three girls walked single file, hand-in-hand behind her.
He noticed Katie had taken on the role of rear guard. Because she was the oldest? No. There was something else about her.
Jennifer had watched him scrutinize Katie. “She’s smart, Lee. That’s the best place for Katie, watching our backside.”
“Good. But from now on, let’s whisper until we know they’re nowhere near.” He pointed the light back towards the girls. “Did you all hear?”
Three heads nodded in unison.
He slowed their pace from a fast walk to a cautious amble. If he could keep the girls out of Trader’s sight, he could keep them safe. As he watched the trail ahead, he also monitored the bushes alongside for a hiding place.
A flashlight poked him in the ribs. “Lee, I thought I saw a light up ahead. Probably Trader and Jacko.”
“Turn our light off and follow me. Calm the girls, Jenn.” He veered off the trail to their right.
Despite the darkness, they negotiated the first few feet easily, but then the forest floor became littered with rotting logs and bushes. They stumbled over the obstacles, and Trader’s light grew brighter.
A large bush lay directly ahead. He huddled the group of five behind it.
Though the wind had diminished some, it still whistled through the treetops, effectively muffling the low-pitched sounds of human voices. They were well hidden, safe, while Trader passed by them.
A sharp crack sounded.
Kirsten gasped and recoiled in horror from the branch she had broken.
Trader’s light swung their way. Then it lit up the area around them.
Jennifer’s arm curled around Kirsten’s shoulders.
Lee leaned close, taking in part of her whispered words, “… don’t be afraid for I’m with you. I’m your God. I’ll strengthen you and help you…”
The light moved on. Trader was moving up the trail again, with Jacko following.
Lee’s gunfire, when he shot Ivan, would force Trader to go back to the shack. From there, even if Trader moved twice as fast as them, they should be a few minutes beyond the parking area before Trader could reach it.
“Jenn, you can turn the light back on, and what do you think about this?” He whispered his plan to her as they moved. “Keep in mind that Peterson’s team could be here soon to rescue us if we have to remain hidden in the forest near the campground.”
“It sounds good. But what about their vehicles? They can use them to catch us.”
“What vehicles? I’ll slash their tires when we go by. I won’t leave them enough good tires for even one car.”
“OK, Ripper, let’s do it. When do we start?”
“In another thirty seconds, we won’t have to worry about them hearing us if we break any more twigs.” Lee put his arm around Kirsten and gave her a hug.
Jennifer pulled the other two girls close.
They stood like a five-man football team, huddled, arms around shoulders, heads nearly touching, as the quarterback called the play.
Katie, Kirsten, and Mel seemed alive again.
No one can survive without hope.
He would give as much hope in the next few seconds as he could.
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21
Lee spoke softly to the girls. “In a few seconds those goons will be safely out of earshot. That’s when we’ll start running to Jenn’s car.” He outlined their plan, including the risks that might leave them hiding in the forest short of the car. “We’re all in this together, and we all must depend on each other to escape. But we have Someone else on our side, Someone Trader doesn’t have. God. Let’s pray to Him now.” After Lee finished his short prayer, he stood silently for a few seconds, and then lifted his head. “It’s time. Let’s go.”
Kirsten slipped her arms around Lee’s neck and gave him a firm hug. The other two girls followed her lead.
What he hoped for, prayed for, had happened. They were a team now.
When all five stepped onto the trail Lee set a fast walking pace, and then increased it to a jog. As he loped down the trail, his fingers ran over the gun he’d taken from the shack, planning his actions if he needed to fire it. Would the weapon be in automatic or single-shot mode if he pushed the safety lever down? He would have to defer that, and other determinations, until later.
Lee lowered the gun and patted his jeans pocket feeling for his knife.
Jennifer poked him in the back with what felt like the butt of her .38. “Still the worrier, I see.”
“I’ve just got, you know, concerns.”
“Déjà vu? Seven months ago?”
“No, Jenn. Don’t even think that.”
“I wasn’t serious. I only noticed you checking for your knife.”
“If Ivan had played his little game a few seconds longer, you would have seen me slash something other than tires.”
“You stopped him with my .38. Let’s forget about Ivan.”
A short burst of automatic-weapon fire sounded from far behind.
“That was Trader. We can forget about Ivan now,” Lee whispered. “We’re getting close to the parking area. When we arrive, take the girls and run to the campground. I’ll slash their tires and sprint to catch up.”
“OK, but hurry. Don’t spend one more second there than you have to.”