“I’m not in the mood for romance,” Geoff said, striving for a tone of indifference as he struggled to keep his rage at bay. He had to keep Russ talking He needed to know what he had planned.
Russell smiled. “No, I don’t imagine you are.”
A few minutes later, Geoff took the turn that Russell indicated. The road was gravel and obviously a lot less traveled “So what’s going to happen when we get to the waterfall?”
Once again Russell eyed him consideringly. “Planning ahead Geoff?” he asked.
Geoff held his tongue.
After a moment, Russell spoke. “There’s a rather sharp corner in the road just where that waterfall is. You’re going to have to be extremely careful. Nobody likes to see such an idyllic scene marred by a tragedy. Unfortunately, it happens all too often. Don’t you think?”
Geoff thought it through An accident? “So how are you planning on getting back to civilization without the truck?”
“Do you think me totally lacking in foresight? I have a rental vehicle waiting for me, of course”
But the more Geoff pondered the possibilities surrounding an accident, the less likely it seemed. Russell wasn’t telling him everything. Maybe an accident had been his plan when he’d had only Geoff to contend with. He could have struck Geoff, knocked him unconscious, and then put the Bronco in drive to shove it off the road. But, it was unlikely that Russ would be able to do that with both Devon and Geoff. If Russ struck Devon, Geoff would have time to react. If he struck Geoff, Devon would try to do something, although her smaller size and lack of strength made success less likely. Still, considering Geoff’s disappearance the last time Russell had tried to take him out of the picture, he was pretty certain that Russ would want to make absolutely certain that both Geoff and Devon were dead. No mistakes. No more problems.
That meant that Russ probably planned to shoot them both. By leaving their bodies in such a remote location, he ensured that discovery would take a while and he’d have time to put his own plan to disappear into action. No doubt he planned to retire to some tropical island and live on the money he’d made betraying others
Geoff searched for a solution to their predicament, frantically coming up with plans, examining them and discarding them. Devon’s presence made things more difficult, he’d be willing to take more risks if she wasn’t there.
A small wooden sign at the side of the road proclaimed Crystal Falls, 4 km That was probably the place Russell had in mind. There wasn’t much time left.
If only he could get the gun away from Russell. Somehow. Maybe
Geoff studied the area. They weren’t really that far from civilization, but it was remote enough that there wasn’t likely to be any help unless they happened upon a hiker or camper. He looked for something that could give them an advantage. There was forest on the left, and had been for quite a while which meant that it might last for another four kilometers. The best plan of action he could come up with was to slam on the brakes. Hopefully the action would throw Russell off balance long enough to allow Geoff to grab the gun. If that didn’t work, the contingency plan would be to make for the cover of the forest. It was a desperate plan conceived out of desperation, and their chances of success weren’t great, but anything was better than doing nothing. Now if only he could somehow let Devon know what he had planned.
He glanced at her. She was sitting stiffly, her eyes directed straight ahead, her hands clenched in her lap. Geoff reached across the space separating them to grasp her hand, cradling her icy fingers in his warm palm. He heard Russell tense where he sat behind them, but he said nothing so he probably assumed that Geoff was simply trying to offer reassurance to Devon. Which he was—just not the way Russell would imagine. Somehow, wordlessly, Geoff needed to convey the message to Devon to be ready.
He squeezed her hand slightly. She glanced at him. He met her gaze, held it for the space of a second, and then signalled with his eyes toward the floor where he stepped very lightly and casually on the brake Her gaze flew back up to his face, questioning.
She knew something was up.
He stepped back on the gas, speeding up gradually so that when he did slam on the brakes the effect would be greater Then he squeezed her hand gently again, and this time tried to indicate the forest. She glanced beyond his shoulder, knowing that he tried to communicate something Whether she understood or not, he didn’t know, but it was the best he could do
“I thought you said you weren’t in the mood for romance, Geoff?” Russ said as he eyed their clasped hands.
“There’s a big difference between romance and reassurance, Russ. But you probably haven’t had much experience with either one, so I won’t hold your ignorance against you.”
Russ’s eyes glinted coldly at him in the rearview mirror A minute later he said, “It’s just ahead Start slowing down ”
That was the signal Geoff had been waiting for. He slammed on the brakes. Hard. The Bronco fishtailed on the gravel road. He heard Russell swear, but he was too busy fighting to keep the truck on all four wheels to pay him any attention.
The vehicle was still rocking when Geoff leapt up onto the seat and plowed a fist into Russell’s jaw as he was trying to pick himself up off the floorboards of the Bronco. Now for the gun. Where was the damn gun? Geoff searched frantically, but couldn’t see it. Russell was getting up again, and there was an icy look in his eyes That’s when Geoff realized that the gun was still clutched in his hand and this time the muzzle was pointed at him. Damn! Reaching behind himself, he threw his door open. “The forest,” he shouted to Devon. He reached for her hand intending to pull her after him only to discover that she’d already unfastened her seat belt and had thrown open her own door. She had further to go that way!
Geoff waited to ensure she made it around the vehicle and then turned to race for the trees. Her footsteps crunched on the gravel behind him, and for a moment he actually thought they’d make it. And then he heard Devon scream. The sound held a combination of pain, fury and frustration.
“Stop right there, Geoff!”
Geoff halted and slowly turned
Russell had overtaken Devon, and was holding the gun to her throat as he backed toward the sheer edge of the canyon on the other side of the road
“Get back in the truck, Geoff”
“Or what?” Geoff demanded “You’re going to kill us anyway.”
“There are a lot of different ways to die, Geoff Some are much faster than others. Now, if you don’t get back in that truck, I’m going to throw your wife over the edge here ” He indicated the sheer drop into the ravine with a motion of his head. “Then you can listen to her scream all the way down Hell, it’s only a hundred feet or so You might even hear her hit bottom. Have you ever heard bones snap?” Russ kept backing away, drawing ever nearer the edge of the ledge.
Geoff saw the fear on Devon’s face, but ignored it for it would only cloud his thinking. Determined not to get back in the truck while Russell was in control, he sought an advantage. If only he could get close enough, maybe he could tackle him. It would endanger Devon, but then she couldn’t be in much more danger than she was already. They didn’t have many options left.
Geoff gritted his teeth, controlling the almost overpowering urge to rush Russell, to drive his fist into the man’s face and see him go down Instead, he moved forward very slowly, hoping to convince Russ that he was, once again, going to comply with his orders. If he had to die, he was damn well going to do it on his terms, and he sure as hell was not going to allow Russ to make their deaths look like an accident of any kind. Or a murder-suicide. Or whatever he had planned.
“That’s close enough ”
But Geoff kept moving slowly forward
“Get in the vehicle, Geoff. Now!”
“I don’t think so, Russ,” he said almost conversationally
Russell shrugged. “If that’s the way you want it, Geoff. I’ll have to walk a ways to retrieve my car, but, other than that, this place is almost as
good as the next ” Keeping his left arm pinned tightly beneath Devon’s chin to hold her, Russ aimed the gun at Geoff and began to squeeze the trigger. “After all, it could take months for your body to be found in this ravine anyway ”
“No!” Devon screamed. She was about to lose her husband all over again, and this time she was going to be forced to watch him die. She couldn’t stand it! She wouldn’t!
Kicking back as hard as she could, she struck Russ’s shinbone with the rock-solid heel of her ankle boot. What happened next happened so quickly, in such a lightning-fast series of events, that it was almost impossible to determine the sequence
The gun went off, its report echoing and reechoing through the canyon even as Russell thrust her away from him, swearing and shouting, “You goddamn bitch!”
Terror raced through her Had Geoff been shot? But she seemed unable to regain enough equilibrium to search him out properly. That was when she realized that she was teetering on the edge of the ravine Oh, God, she was about to fall!
Whether Russell had forgotten how close they stood to the edge of the precipice or not, Devon didn’t know, but his action had thrust her onto the edge. Perhaps it had been deliberate, for he watched impassively as she fought for her life.
Then, in the final second before she completely lost her balance, she saw Geoff running toward her Pure joy burst within her Geoff was alive! The gunshot must have gone wild.
She reached toward him, and.. fell
Geoff’s fingers grasped only air “Devon!” he shouted Oh, God. Please, no! Steeling himself, he looked over the edge. Hope and worry surged through him. Devon lay unmoving below, but she’d fallen only fifteen feet or so to a narrow ledge As long as she hadn’t struck her head, she could be alive. But he needed to get help as soon as possible. Pain and worry and rage fought for supremacy within him He grasped the rage, used it to gird himself, and turned on the man who had robbed him of so much that mattered in his life.
Ducking to put himself below the path of Russell’s extended gun arm, Geoff charged The gun flew from Russ’s grasp as they crashed to the ground. Both men rolled and fixed their gazes on the weapon, reaching for it as it skittered toward the edge of the cliff. Neither caught it. It disappeared over the edge, falling into the ravine
Geoff cursed silently Okay, so he’d have to do this the hard way. And he’d have to do it fast in order to get help for Devon He focused on winning, not even considering that the barrel-chested old soldier whom he fought not only outweighed him but had more experience
He reared back as Russell reached for his throat with his huge meat-hook hands Evading the man’s grasp, he drove his fist toward Russell’s jaw and heard a satisfying crack But the blow only stunned Russ for a moment. He tried to roll, planning to pin Geoff beneath him and Geoff couldn’t allow that. Drawing his arm back as far as possible, he drove his fist into Russell’s soft belly, leaving the man gasping for air Still, it wasn’t enough to force Russ to slacken his hold. And this time, catching Geoff by surprise, he managed to roll
With his hands around Geoff’s throat, leaning into the hold, Russ began to strangle him Frantically, Geoff gouged at the older man’s face and arms, trying to cause him some injury that would force him to release his hold Nothing worked. Time was running out. Geoff could feel the blood roaring in his ears
If he lost, who would help Devon?
He dropped his hands to the ground, feeling around for a weapon. Any kind of weapon. And finally, his fingers closed on a stone It wasn’t large—only about the size of his fist—but it was heavy Gripping it in his palm, he brought it up and struck Russell on the temple with all the force he could muster
For a moment, Russ only stared at him. And then slowly, as blood trickled from the wound on his head, he toppled to the side—unconscious.
Geoff gasped for air, too weak for a moment even to move from beneath Russell’s sprawled legs. And then, remembering Devon, he scrambled to his feet, dug in Russell’s jacket pocket for the cellular phone the man always carried, and raced to the edge of the ravine. She still hadn’t moved
Growing more frantic by the second, Geoff placed a call for help, praying all the while that the cellular would connect, that the mountains wouldn’t block his reception. Then, with help on the way, he studied the nearly sheer rock face edging the ravine for a way to reach her without rope. Nothing Damn! With no way to aid her himself, he could only wait.
While he waited, he made certain that Russ—who was, unfortunately, still alive—would not be able to cause them any more problems that day. And hopefully for a long time to come. Using Russ’s own jacket, Geoff ripped strips to tie the man’s hands and feet until the police could take him into custody
Devon opened her eyes to a sunlit room painted in pale yellow and white. For a moment, confusion creased her brow. Where was she? And then as she slowly turned her head and saw the rails on the sides of the bed, she realized she was in a hospital. Three huge vases of flowers sat on the stand beside her bed.
She lifted her hand to brush a tickling hair out of her face and froze, staring at the cast on her arm Had she broken her wrist?
As she brushed the hair back from her face, she searched her memory for the circumstances that could have resulted in such an injury. A car accident?
Memory returned with an abruptness and cold clarity that left her head reeling. Russell! He’d pushed her into the ravine
Slowly Devon sat up and took inventory of her physical condition She discovered that, in addition to the cast, both her head and her right leg were tightly bandaged But she was alive.
Alive. Geoff! Was he...? But she couldn’t even allow herself to think the word. Slowly, she pulled back the bed curtain to examine the rest of the room
That was when she saw him
Geoff, clad in jeans and a black T-shirt that hugged his tall form and broad shoulders like a second skin, stood staring from the window, his back to the room. Devon had never seen a more wonderful sight. He was alive!
“Geoff—” Her voice cracked on the single syllable, rusty with disuse. Still he must have heard, for he swung around so quickly it was a wonder he didn’t get whiplash
“Devon!” For an instant he only stared at her as though uncertain as to whether to believe his eyes. His expression was as impassive as stone, but it no longer bothered Devon for she’d learned that his impassive expression was only a mask designed to hide the emotions of a very tender and considerate man. He came forward to grasp her cold fingers in his large warm hand.
And now, before another minute passed, she could say the words she’d wanted to say through that whole terrifying drive into the mountains with Russell. “Geoff, I...I love you.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand to forestall him. “Please. I have to say this now.”
“All right.”
Her gaze slid down to the bedcovers. “I think sometimes that I love you...the new person you’ve become, even more than the man I married. The feelings are so strong sometimes that they’re frightening. But I was wrong to try to deny them. And I was wrong to keep us apart. Will you..will you forgive me?”
He said nothing, and hesitantly, nervously, Devon looked up
Suddenly his jaw clenched and he lifted his hand to gouge at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger as his face twisted with emotion. “Damn,” he whispered.
Then, with a choked sound, he bent to clutch her in an urgent embrace “There’s nothing to forgive, Devon. I love you. And when I thought.. God! It’s a miracle that that ledge was there to catch you. But even so, you can’t imagine how I felt seeing you lying so still on that ledge I was so afraid... ” He swallowed and then simply said, “Thanks for coming back to me And don’t you ever scare me like that again ” His voice cracked with the strain of the emotion he struggled to contain. For a long moment he simply held her close, as though his next breath depended on her.
“Mom!” At the joyous shout, Devon and Geoff separated and looked toward the door “You’re awake
!” Britanny sprinted toward the bed with Tyler following. A smiling Claudette Grayson stepped quietly into the room behind them.
“You’ve finally met your mother,” Devon said to Geoff
“Yes ” It was a simple word, but there was a wealth of meaning in it as he smiled at his mother “She refuses to let the fact that I don’t remember her affect our relationship in the least.”
In the process of leaning over to kiss her daughter and hug her son, Devon smiled. “Well, she’s had longer to gain wisdom than I have.”
“Hey!” Claudette interjected. “Don’t make me sound like an old crone.”
Geoff smiled and walked over to hug the woman he’d accepted as his mother. “You’ll never be an old crone.”
“That’s a good boy!” she said, patting him on the back. “You see, Devon, it only takes thirty-odd years, give or take, to train a son.”
Devon cast a look of mock horror Tyler’s way. “It’s not going to take that long, is it?”
The boy shrugged. “Sure I wanna be just like Dad ”
Devon smiled. She’d waited a long time to hear those words. “And I’ll be very, very proud,” she said, squeezing his hand affectionately She was taking advantage of the fact that he was accepting affection. Who knew how long it would last? Probably only as long as she was in the hospital.
“Well,” Claudette said as she made her way into the room, “I’m glad to see you finally decided to wake up.” She sounded like a mother scolding her child for sleeping too late when there was work to be done.
Devon smiled and looked at Geoff. “How long have I been unconscious?”
“A couple of days.” She saw the reflection of the worry he’d suffered in his eyes. “The doctors kept you sedated. You gave us quite a scare.”
“Russell?” she asked.
“In jail where he’ll be for a very long time if I have anything to do with it.”
Devon picked at the fabric of the blanket and then, seeing Britanny’s wistful gaze, patted the bed beside her in invitation. As her daughter settled onto the bed at her side, Devon considered the other question she needed to ask. It was one of the most difficult. Finally, she cleared her throat. “What about Winston?”
A Season Of Miracles Page 25