Mountain Ranger Recon

by Carol Ericson

  “Where’s my mommy?”

  Ian’s heart lurched at the sob in Travis’s voice.

  She scooped a phone from the pocket of her jacket. “Mikhail, we’re here.” She waved an arm over her head. “Can you see us?”

  She paused, and then, “Yes, yes, I’ll turn the brat around so she can see him. Why did you agree to this? It’s lunacy, and Farouk is not going to like it. That’s why we grabbed the boy. She’d have to make the climb or we’d kill him.”

  Ian could almost believe the woman could hear his teeth gnashing.

  She fumbled with the bunched-up sling and grabbed Travis under the arms as she lifted him over her head. “Do you see your mommy down there? She’s just leading my friend on a hike. Nothing to worry about.”

  Travis bicycled his legs, his heel banging the woman’s forehead. “I want my daddy.”

  Ian’s chest tightened. Your daddy’s right here, Travis. And he’s going to protect you forever.

  “Is she satisfied, Mikhail? I’ll be more than happy to turn over this kid when we get the case.”

  Apparently, the appearance of Travis did satisfy Meg, because the woman dropped her phone back into her pocket and began to wrestle a squirming Travis back into the sling.

  “Walk. Walk.”

  Ian eased out a breath. Maybe Travis sensed his presence, because it would be a helluva lot easier to take down this woman if she didn’t have his son tied to her body.

  “I’ll gladly let you walk, but you’d better hold my hand, because if you take a dive over the edge, the deal’s off.”

  The tall woman hunched slightly as she gripped Travis’s hand and moved away from the edge of the cliff. They shuffled down the trail and adrenaline pumped through Ian’s system.

  Filling his lungs with air, he launched from his hiding place, going airborne. He saw the woman’s wide eyes and open mouth as she looked over her shoulder before he tackled her from behind. She released Travis’s hand and went for her pocket. Ian smashed his knee against her wrist and she cried out in pain.

  Jerking his head up, he caught sight of Travis, his mittened hands covering his mouth. “Sit down on the rock, Travis. It’s okay.”

  When he had the woman pinned to the ground, the side of her face mashed into the dirt, he plunged his hand in her pocket and pulled out a gun. With one hand, he released the chamber and spilled the bullets on the ground.

  He reached into her other pocket and grabbed her cell phone. He chucked it against a rock where it broke apart. He didn’t have any rope to tie her up and he didn’t want to shoot her in front of Travis. Shifting his body to block Travis’s view, Ian slammed the woman’s gun against the back of her head.

  Blood spurted from the wound and Ian dragged her from the trail into the bushes. Not that he expected anyone on this trail, with Rocky Mountain Adventures closed and the skies threatening snow.

  Wiping his hands on his jeans, he turned to Travis, who was wide-eyed and silent. Ian’s gut twisted. He never wanted Travis to witness his violence. Would his son shrink from him now…the way Ian shrank from his own father after one of his rages?

  Ian dropped to his knees and held his arms wide. “Everything’s okay now, Travis.”

  Ian’s heart hammered painfully against his ribs as Travis watched him from beneath lowered lashes. Then Travis jumped from the rock and flung himself against Ian’s chest.

  With his throat tight and his eyes squeezed shut, Ian stroked his son’s soft curls. “You’re going to be fine, Travis.”

  Now I have to save your mother.

  THE SIGHT OF TRAVIS on the ridge had eased the tightness in Meg’s chest. Would they keep their word and release him once she made this climb? She didn’t have any other choice but to trust them.

  But she trusted Ian more.

  Mike hadn’t realized the phone next to the computer was an open line, or that she’d pressed the speaker button as soon as she laid eyes on the gun in his hand. She hadn’t heard Ian’s voice over the phone, so hopefully he’d caught on quickly, and was privy to the conversation. She’d stayed behind the desk to make Mike come to her, not that she could’ve moved her leaden legs anyway.

  She hoped Eloise had accepted her lame explanation of Travis’s disappearance from the nap room. She didn’t need Pete Cahill swarming all over town, looking for Travis and putting his life in jeopardy. Mike and Katrina, he’d called her “Katrina,” must’ve unlocked the dead bolt on the back door in the nap room that led to the side of the house, and then crept around later to kidnap Travis.

  “Okay, you’ve seen your son. Let’s get down to business.” Mike pointed up. “Do you see that ledge with the greenery? My property is right up there. You can do it, can’t you Meg? Even with your sore shoulder?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why did you try to kill me if you needed my help? Or did you think you’d be getting Matt to help you?”

  Raising his dark eyebrows, he shrugged. “I wasn’t trying to kill you, Meg. I was trying to kill the CIA agent—who might be on his way as we speak, so let’s get going.”

  Meg swallowed. “Well, you’re a lousy shot.” She perched on a granite boulder and untied her boots to slip on a pair of climbing shoes.

  He handed her a radio. “Take this so we can have some communication when you get to the top. I want to know the condition of the case when you reach it. It should be concealed with some branches and leaves.”

  She slipped the radio in the front pocket of her vest and then stepped into her harness. She fed a length of rope through a self-locking device on the harness.

  Mike studied her from his deep-set eyes. “How are you going to get my case back down?”

  Meg nudged a coil of rope and bungee cords with her toe. “I can strap it to my back. How heavy is it?”

  “It’s not heavy at all.”

  His answer surprised her. She didn’t have any idea what constituted a trigger for a nuclear device, but she figured it would be heavy. “What’s in the suitcase, Mike?”

  His lips flattened against his teeth. “That’s not your concern, Meg. Just know it’s not dangerous on its own.”

  “Okay, Mike. I trust you.” She sneered, trying to match his expression. If she’d seen that look on his face just once while he and his fake wife were on her hike, she’d have pegged him as evil from the outset.

  Would’ve saved everyone a whole lot of trouble.

  IAN STRETCHED OUT flat on his belly, a few feet from the edge of where the cliff dropped off to the ledge that was Meg’s target.

  From his vantage point, Ian had watched Meg make her steady climb up the cliff face. She climbed swiftly and surely, despite the increasing snow flurries and her injured shoulder.

  From below, Mike held his gun on her ascending form, although how he thought she’d escape from that sheer wall of rock, Ian couldn’t fathom.

  Meg had a few more feet before she hoisted herself over the edge and reached the suitcase. Ian scooted closer to the edge, shielded by the scrubby bushes that clung to the side of the mountain.

  When he saw Meg’s face, he called out, “Meg. I’m here.”

  Her hand faltered for a moment before her face broke into a smile that could melt the snow. It melted Ian’s heart, anyway.

  She twisted her head over her shoulder. “Mike can’t see you, can he? They have Travis here somewhere.”

  “I have Travis, Meg. I took him from Mike’s partner after she showed him to you. I heard your entire conversation with Mike.”

  Her smile got even bigger as she reached for the next handhold. “Where is he?”

  “He’s safe with Felicia at your house. He’s fine. How’s your shoulder holding up?”

  “Thank God…and you, Ian. My shoulder’s fine, but Mike will be expecting his suitcase down there. Even though he no longer has Travis to hold over my head, how am I going to get down with Mike waiting for me with a gun?”

  “Don’t worry about that. I have it all worked out. Come on now, just a few more feet and you’
re home free. If you hadn’t already started the climb by the time I got back from securing Travis, I could’ve saved you the ordeal.”

  She exhaled and grinned. “I do this for fun. It’s no ordeal.”

  “You’re a stud, Meg-o.” He should’ve known she’d have his back. He should’ve always known that.

  Her head became level with the lip of the ledge and she hoisted herself over, landing on the flat surface of rock. Like a conquering hero, she rose to her feet and waved her hands above her head, signaling to Mike that she’d made it.

  Not that it was going to do him any good now.

  Her radio crackled and Mike said, “Check the suitcase.”

  “Good idea.” She rolled her eyes at Ian. Crouching down, she brushed the branches and debris from a hard-sided carry-on-size suitcase. “Mike was right. It is light.”

  Ian frowned. “It’s light? Is it still intact? Maybe it broke and lost its contents in the fall.”

  Meg ran her hands around the edge of the case. “It’s intact…and locked.”

  “Is it okay? Is it okay?” Mike’s voice rattled across the radio.

  Ignoring Mike, Meg set the case down and opened and closed her hands, stretching her fingers. “What now, Ian?”

  Pointing to the sky, he said, “We wait for Buzz.”

  “Buzz is dropping from the heavens, or what?”

  The sound of thwacking blades answered Meg’s question. Buzz to the rescue, and right on time.

  Meg’s mouth dropped open. “Didn’t you tell him it was dangerous to fly a helicopter up here?”

  “Sure I told him. That’s how I convinced him to do it.”

  Mike’s frantic voice crackled and hissed. “What’s going on? What’s that chopper doing here? I told you, Meg, no funny business. We have your son. One phone call to Katrina and he’s dead.”

  Meg pushed the button on the radio with a deliberate finger. “You’re mistaken, Mike. Katrina doesn’t have my son, and I’m afraid there’s going to be a lot of funny business.”

  She chucked the radio off the cliff where it bounced on the rocks below. Turning to look up at Ian, she said, “What do you want me to do?”

  “Can you strap that suitcase on your back?”

  “No problem. That’s what I had in mind for my descent.”

  Gunshots rang from the canyon below, and Meg ducked. “Can he hit us from down there?”

  Ian stretched to his full height. “No. We’re safe up here, unless he pulls out a rocket launcher for the chopper.”

  While Meg fed a rope through the handle of the suitcase, Ian waved his arms at Buzz, hovering closely to the big rocks that jutted out from the side of the mountain.

  Ian knew, if anyone could handle this mission, it was Buzz.

  Someone riding in the chopper with Buzz lowered a ladder over the ledge where Meg bravely stood, legs apart, case strapped to her back. Ian wished he could be in her place, but he knew Meg could handle it.

  “Grab the ladder, Meg.”

  Ian’s jaw ached with tension as he watched Meg climb the swaying ladder one rung at a time. He didn’t take a breath until Buzz’s partner pulled her into the chopper.

  Then Buzz edged the chopper to Ian’s position. As Ian reached for the ladder, he heard a movement behind him. With one hand on the first rung of the ladder, he twisted around. Katrina, blood streaming down the side of her face, charged him with a knife clutched in her hand.

  Ian released the ladder to reach for his gun. A shot rang out from the chopper and Katrina dropped to the ground and rolled off the cliff, her body taking the place of the suitcase she’d so desperately wanted.

  Ian looked up to see Buzz leveling his weapon out the window of the helicopter. Buzz nodded once.

  Just like old times.

  MEG FINALLY RELEASED her hold on Ian when Buzz touched the chopper down on the landing pad next to the Rocky Mountain Adventures office. When she saw Katrina coming at Ian with a knife, her heart had leaped into her throat, strangling all sound. Luckily, Buzz had seen Katrina, too, and was able to fire his weapon out the window.

  Ian had radioed the sheriff’s department to take care of Mike, but they hadn’t heard anything yet. The madness wasn’t over, and the tension of the day still had a grip on Meg’s neck.

  Dylan, Buzz’s buddy, whom he’d snagged from the Schriever Air Force Base, hopped out of the chopper first, followed by Ian, who helped her out.

  Once Buzz had secured the chopper, they all clambered into the empty Rocky Mountain Adventures office.

  Buzz hoisted the battered case onto a desk and opened the top drawer. “Do you have a letter opener in here?”

  Ian’s cell phone rang and he glanced at the display. “It’s Cahill. I’m going to put him on speaker.”

  Meg handed a letter opener to Buzz as Ian talked into the phone. “Do you have him, Sheriff Cahill?”

  “We got him, Dempsey, and then he took some kind of suicide pill. Croaked right in front of us.”

  Ian swore. “Did he say anything before he offed himself?”

  “Not much of interest to us. He rambled about having others, and when we told him his partner in crime was dead, he seemed to think that was pretty funny.”

  “Funny?”

  “Yeah, he said something about Katrina being some guy’s girlfriend, and how Prospero would pay for her death.”

  Meg clutched her hands in front of her, twisting her fingers. Was Ian still in danger?

  Ian exchanged a look with Buzz. “What was the guy’s name, Cahill? Do you remember?”

  “I didn’t completely catch it.”

  “Could it have been Farouk?”

  “Yeah, sure. It could’ve been. Is this business over now, Dempsey? Do you boys have what you want?”

  Ian quirked an eyebrow at Buzz. “It’s never over, Sheriff, but it’s over for Crestville. Your residents can start getting ready for ski season in peace.”

  Ian ended the call and blew out a breath. “Katrina was Farouk’s girlfriend?”

  Buzz shook his head as he worked on the lock. “This is looking more and more like Farouk’s own operation. He’s not working for anyone else. He’s the boss this time, and the boss is going to be in a rage when he learns about his girlfriend.

  The lock clicked and Buzz said, “Got it.”

  Meg squeezed in between the two men as Buzz flipped the latches of the old-style suitcase and raised the lid.

  Ian stiffened beside her and Buzz slammed his fist on the desk so hard the little vials in the sealed plastic trembled.

  “Wh-what are they?” She wrinkled her nose at the cushioned case fitted in the bottom, with a clear box lined with narrow vials containing…nothing.

  Ian ground out through clenched teeth. “Farouk is playing with fire…biological weapons of mass destruction.”

  Meg stumbled back. “Is it dangerous like that, contained in those vials?”

  “Not in that hermetically sealed plastic box. And if that didn’t break getting tossed out of an airplane, we’re safe.”

  Buzz scratched his chin. “We thought it was a trigger, or device of some sort. What does Farouk plan to do with this? And what exactly is this?”

  Ian tapped the label affixed to the plastic case. “Look, it says ‘H1N9.’ It must be some kind of mutated flu virus. We need to turn it over to the Centers for Disease Control. How exactly does biological warfare connect to plans to assassinate Okeke? And where does Jack fit in?”

  Buzz snapped his fingers. “Jack’s last job before he disappeared concerned some doctor, didn’t it? Doctor…virus…maybe we’re getting warmer.”

  “I don’t like it, Buzz. Look how close that madman got to Meg and Travis, and now it’s personal, isn’t it? You killed Katrina. Farouk’s never going to forget that.”

  “That’s my problem.” Buzz clapped Ian on the shoulder. “I’m heading back to D.C., and then New York next week.”

  Ian gestured toward the case. “Do you think this is it?”

  “No
t by a long shot. Mike admitted, before he killed himself, that they had more.” Buzz snapped the case shut. “Like you told the sheriff, it’s never over.”

  A few hours later, as she and Ian stepped through the front door of her house, Meg ran to Travis and scooped him into her arms. She sent Felicia home with many thanks and few explanations.

  Ian didn’t want to leave Travis’s side, and insisted on giving him a bath. With water splashing in the background, Meg checked her voice mail. She smiled. Matt had regained consciousness and was out of danger.

  Meg replaced the phone and chewed her bottom lip. Were any of them out of danger as long as people like Farouk plied their trade?

  “Hey, this is one clean boy.” Ian strode into the living room, carrying Travis wrapped in a towel, his damp head poking out of the top.

  “Everything okay?” Ian wedged a finger beneath Meg’s chin.

  Her lips slid into a smile. “Matt’s doing better.”

  “But Meg isn’t?”

  “I’m worried about…” Her arms flailed at her sides encompassing everything.

  Ian hitched Travis on his hip and pulled Meg close, his warm breath stirring the wild strands of her hair. “You have nothing to worry about, Meg Dempsey. I’m here with you now and I always will be. I’m not afraid anymore.”

  He kissed Travis’s soft, rosy cheek and then pressed his lips against hers. “You can lean on me, and I’ll lean on you, too.”

  She wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist, trapping their son between them. She had her husband back, and with him by her side, she had nothing to fear.

  Epilogue

  A cold blast of apprehension whooshed down his back as the sounds of the village, teeming with people, reached his ears. It had seemed smaller from his mountain perch.

  He ducked behind some scrubby bushes and adjusted the cloth around his neck to cover his head and lower face. He sucked in a sharp breath as pain knifed between his shoulders. The arduous walk from the mountains had taxed his battered body.

  He had no idea what he was walking into. His location in the mountains, where he’d awakened on that ledge, would indicate that he’d come from this village. Why had no one looked for him?