Danger in Deer Ridge (Blackthorne, Inc.)

by Terry Odell

  “But—”

  Grinch dragged his hand through his hair. “Lizzie, we can talk about this later.”

  The truck door slammed.

  “Mom?” Will raced to Elizabeth’s side. “Are we going in an airplane?” He looked at Grinch. “Is this part of the special treat day?”

  Grinch smiled and tousled Will’s hair. “I wanted to surprise you. We need to hurry, though. Can you carry things?”

  Will grinned and flexed his biceps. “Sure.”

  “Great. Go help Mr. Edwards put our gear in the helo.”

  “Helo?” Will cocked his head in question.

  “Helicopter.”

  “Oh, wow, this is so cool. Isn’t it, Mom? We’re going in a helo.” Will wrapped his arms around Elizabeth’s waist. He released her and gave her one of his knowing stares. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  Elizabeth gave what barely passed as a smile. “Nothing.”

  Will frowned and raised his round, brown eyes to Grinch in a knowing exchange. “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll hold your hand.”

  Grinch clapped Will on the shoulder. “I know I can count on you. Now, let’s get the gear loaded.”

  “You play dirty, you know that?” Elizabeth said after Will galloped back to the truck.

  “If that’s what it takes, yeah, sometimes I do. But you’ll be perfectly safe. You’ve got one of the best pilots in the business at the stick.”

  “Don’t tell me. You.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Lizzie, I’m going to have the most precious cargo in the world on board with me. I won’t let anything happen. I promise.”

  She shook her head and stormed off.

  Well, that went well.

  Ten minutes later, everyone was aboard the helo, including a kenneled Chester. The man from the van went into the cockpit while Grinch made sure Dylan was safely strapped in. His son’s eyes shone with excitement, and Grinch’s chest tugged. He crouched down. “Ready for some fun?”

  “Can’t I sit up front with you?”

  Grinch shook his head. “Sorry. Grownups only. But you can listen to what we’re saying.” He set a pair of headphones over the boy’s ears, then took two more headsets to Elizabeth and Will.

  Will gripped Elizabeth’s hand with one of his, and was stroking her arm with the other. “It’s going to be fun, Mom. Don’t worry,” he said over and over. “Grinch will take care of us.”

  She was green-faced, and white-knuckled, and he knew if Will hadn’t been part of the equation, she’d still be in the truck. Or simply racing blindly down the road.

  He made sure they were secure in their seats and squeezed Will’s shoulder. Had the boy been this protective when Victor had been abusing Elizabeth? And for how long? Elizabeth said she hadn’t run until Victor started threatening Will. But had Will noticed something was wrong before then?

  “You’re a big help.” Grinch pointed out the airsick bag. “In case your mom isn’t feeling well.”

  Will’s eyes belonged to someone much older as he nodded solemnly to Grinch. “I’ll take care of her.”

  Grinch adjusted a headset for Will and extended the other to Elizabeth, but it was as if she were frozen in another time, as if nothing around her existed. He cupped the headphones over her ears, gave Will one more squeeze and sidled his way through the cramped helo to the pilot’s seat.

  As soon as he sat, a sense of calm settled over him. He flipped the intercom to the channel matching the one he’d set on the headphones.

  “Good evening, lady and gentlemen, and dog. This is Grinch, your captain speaking. Raise your hand if you read me.”

  He twisted his neck enough to see the boys waving. Will lifted Elizabeth’s hand.

  “Thank you. I’d like to introduce the rest of your crew. On my right is Mister Chuck Edwards, who’s an excellent pilot, even though I’m better.”

  “You can call me Cheese,” Chuck said. “Because I’m Chuck E. Like the pizza place.”

  Although the boys weren’t mic’d, Grinch recognized their laughter.

  He went on. “This is a special mission. Not only is Mr. Edwards a pilot, but he’s a fireman, and our mission is to help them practice night rescues. Sometimes people get lost or hurt in the mountains, and the firemen have to find them and save them. Just like we practice football, they practice so they’ll be ready for any emergency. Are you ready?”

  The boys were straining at their harnesses, their mouths wide open, their eyes bugged. He heard their “Yes” loud and clear.

  “Your job is to do exactly what we tell you. Can you handle that?”

  Another “Yes,” even more enthusiastic than the first.

  He couldn’t help but smile. “All right. It’s time for our pre-flight safety check, and you can listen in until we’re in the air.”

  So far, so good, despite the lie about Cheese being a fireman. The man was a damn good pilot, and he’d saved Grinch’s ass when he was captured. Now if only he could get through to Elizabeth, who looked almost catatonic.

  He and Cheese ran through their checklist, and then they were airborne. He switched radio frequencies so the boys wouldn’t hear what was going on. He’d hoped Elizabeth would have been together enough to listen in, but in her condition, it was probably better that she not hear the details.

  Thankful it was a relatively short flight, he turned his attention to piloting.

  “So, what kind of pull do you have?” Cheese asked. “You finagle a mock fire department training run, and the boss pulls me from mission rotation to ferry you and a couple of kids up a mountain.”

  “It’s not me, that’s for damn sure. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Or maybe the right place.

  He sneaked a peek at Elizabeth. She seemed a bit calmer. At least she was looking at Will as if she saw him.

  “Oh, right.” Cheese hooked a thumb toward the back. “So it’s not the kids. And I don’t think it’s the dog. The woman?”

  “I thought you might be able to fill me in.”

  “Hey, I’ve been on back-to-back missions, and was in the middle of a briefing for the next one when we got the call to haul ass to Podunk, Colorado. Next thing I know, I’m pretending to be a fireman. How did you get them to let you use the bird?”

  “I believe Blackthorne made a sizeable donation to the fire department.”

  “The old man would do that?”

  So, Cheese hadn’t heard any of the scuttlebutt. “This is all speculation, mind you, but rumor has it that the woman—Grace Ellsworth—who helped Elizabeth disappear has some kind of … history with the boss. When Grace ended up in the hospital, the boss took it personally, and he put a priority on keeping Elizabeth and Will safe.”

  “Safe from who?”

  “We thought it was her husband. But what Jinx tells me is that someone is after her husband for something Elizabeth has, he’s cutting out the middleman, and he’s genuine scum.”

  “So, what does she have?”

  “Damned if I know.”

  Chapter 29

  “All right, everyone, listen up.” Grinch’s voice coming through Elizabeth’s headphone set her stomach churning—not that it had ever stopped. She gripped the armrests, barely aware of Will’s hand on her arm. “Please bring your tray tables and seatbacks to their fully upright and locked positions. Check your seatbelts. We’re about to land.”

  Will exchanged a grin with Dylan. Both boys giggled. Will poked Elizabeth’s arm. “He’s being funny, isn’t he, Mom? We don’t have tray tables, and our seats don’t move.”

  Relieved that the message wasn’t one of impending doom, Elizabeth exhaled the breath she thought she must have been holding for the entire flight. Her hands wouldn’t let go of the armrests. She’d have to trust that her harness hadn’t loosened after Grinch had fastened it for her. At least she thought she remembered him fastening it.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting to fall out of the sky.

  A gentle thud. The helicopter noises chan
ged in pitch. Elizabeth hoped it was normal.

  Grinch’s voice came back. “This is our final destination. Please remain seated, with your seatbelts securely fastened until the captain has said it’s safe to move about. And thank you for flying with the Grinch.”

  Will tugged her sleeve. “See, Mom. We made it. Just like Grinch said. And you didn’t throw up or anything.”

  Afraid her voice would fail her, Elizabeth squeezed Will’s hand. Will yanked off his headset, looped it over the armrest and leaned around her, trying to peer out the window. Elizabeth released her hold on the armrest and set her headset next to Will’s.

  No, she hadn’t thrown up. Or passed out. Or wet her pants. She supposed she should be thankful for that much. Mostly, she was thankful she was alive.

  Where were they? Outside, the helicopter’s spotlight illuminated whirling clouds of dust. Beyond, she saw what appeared to be terrain similar to the picnic area they’d left earlier. She grimaced. So help her, if they were right back where they started, Grinch had better watch out. She’d have been happy to wait there. For days.

  Come to think of it, how long were they going to be here playing victims for the fire department’s training? And how were they going to be “rescued?” Surviving one trip in a helicopter didn’t mean she was ever going to climb into another one again.

  She fixed her eyes on Grinch, who was talking to his co-pilot. Now that her brain had come to grips with the fact she was safe, she wondered what kind of a practice mission this was. Surely one fireman wasn’t going to be rescuing lost or injured hikers.

  Before she bounced that one around, Grinch had unfastened himself from his belts and buckles and worked his way to Dylan. He bent down and released the boy’s harness, said something into his ear and tousled his hair.

  Dylan flashed a thumbs-up to Will, who returned the gesture. Will fumbled with his harness.

  Elizabeth stayed his hands. “Wait for Grinch.”

  “I can do it,” Will said.

  “I’m sure you can. But wait anyway.”

  Will rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. Seconds later, Grinch was there, unbuckling Will’s harness. He crouched in the aisle between the two boys. “If you’d like, Cheese will show you the cockpit.”

  The boys shot out of their seats and skittered away. Grinch rested his hand on her thigh. “You all right?”

  “Depends what you mean by all right. I’m alive, and unharmed, at least physically. But I’m still mad at you.”

  He sank into Will’s seat. “I know. But it was the best we could do on short notice. Cheese—Chuck—works for Blackthorne, not the fire department. By pretending this is a routine training exercise, there’s no way Victor or anyone else should be able to track us. This way, we’re totally off the grid. No paper trail.”

  “How long?”

  “I’d estimate a day or so. As far as the boys are concerned, we’re working with the fire department, and we’re going to pretend that we’re very hard to find. Can you help me out with a little make-believe? For their sake?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I told you, you play dirty. But I’ll try. For the boys.”

  “That’s all I ask.”

  Another piece of her brain unfroze. “Where are we?”

  “Another place that’s off the grid.”

  She heard the tinge of evasiveness in his tone. “I thought we had this discussion. You’re not supposed to hide things from me.”

  He didn’t speak.

  She peeked out the window. The dust had settled, and the helicopter’s lights revealed—nothing. “Oh. My. God. We’re camping? I did the helicopter thing, but please don’t tell me we’re camping.”

  “Okay, I won’t.” He grinned.

  “Grinch, stop it. Where are we staying?”

  He kissed her forehead. “Sorry, Lizzie. It’s just … fun … to watch you stand up for yourself. No we’re not camping. Exactly.”

  She tugged at the buckle on her harness. “Grinch.”

  “We’re borrowing a cabin on the edge of the National Forest. My brother’s got connections with some Park Rangers. Technically, only Park Service personnel are authorized to use it, but the occasional stranded hiker has been known to borrow it. It’s not the Ritz, but since it’s not a public motel, nobody should know we’re here.”

  A swirling mass of thoughts ran through her brain, creating a vat of mental stew.

  National Forest. Cabin. Not the Ritz. Park Rangers. She pictured Grinch wearing a Smoky the Bear hat. Bears?

  “Lizzie?” Grinch’s voice seemed to come from the depths of a cave. She met his gaze, concentrated on his voice. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll be safe here. It’s only until things settle down back in town. Blackthorne is monitoring everything. As soon as we get the all clear, we can go back.”

  She wasn’t going to ask how. The thought of Victor wanting Will, of what he might do to get him back, and worse—what he might do if he got custody—sent a surge of anger through her. She clenched her jaw. She’d do whatever it took to keep that from happening. Even if it meant dealing with a bear.

  “All right. Show me this cabin.”

  Grinch turned away, toward the cockpit. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he cupped her jaw, leaned forward and kissed her. Sweet and gentle.

  And damned if she didn’t kiss him back.

  * * * * *

  Grinch sensed the imminent return of the boys and reluctantly broke the kiss.

  “Mom, I got to sit in the pilot’s seat. Helicopters are hard to fly,” Will said. “You have to be coordinated, because you have to use both hands and both feet at the same time.”

  “I’m gonna be cord’nated,” Dylan said. “I’m gonna fly helos when I grow up.” He grinned at Grinch. “Like you.”

  Grinch’s eyes burned as he scooped Dylan into his lap. “You’ll be great. Almost as good as me. Maybe better.”

  “I’m gonna be the best,” Dylan said.

  “Hate to break things up,” Cheese said. He strode down the aisle. “We’d better get the gear unloaded. I have to get this bird back.”

  “I’ll help,” Will said.

  “We’ll all help,” Elizabeth said.

  “Everything out of the helo first,” Grinch said.

  Cheese slid the door open. Grinch helped Elizabeth and the boys out, then lowered Chester’s kennel to the ground. The dog gave a restless whine. Grinch opened the kennel and clipped the leash to Chester’s collar. He handed Dylan the leash. “I’m putting you in charge of Chester. Can you handle that?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay. See that log?” Grinch pointed to a fallen tree about ten yards away with the beam of his flashlight.

  Dylan nodded.

  “You and Chester sit over there. Pretend you’re waiting to be rescued.”

  Another nod.

  Grinch patted both his son and dog on the head. “Chester, guard.” He watched until they were settled, then returned to the task of unloading their supplies. He figured he had enough for three days, five if they stretched it. According to his brother, the cabin wasn’t far from a stream, so he could supplement their provisions with trout.

  Elizabeth stood below the open cargo door, taking the bags and boxes Cheese handed down, and passing them to Will, who set them on the ground.

  Grinch stepped in, taking the heavier items that Cheese had been holding back. Cheese jumped down. Brushing his hands on his flight suit, he said, “That’s the last of it.”

  Elizabeth turned slowly. “I don’t suppose you’ve got a moving van handy. Or maybe a buckboard and a team of horses to pull it?”

  Grinch pulled a pack from the pile and began stuffing it. “It’s not far. Twenty-minute walk, tops. You can wait here while Cheese and I transport the gear.”

  Elizabeth did another slow turn. “Yeah, right. Wait here. With the bears. Where’s a pack?”

  After he and Cheese distributed the goods, Grinch let Cheese take point, leaving him to ride herd
on Elizabeth and the boys. Will and Dylan had the boundless, exuberant energy young boys seemed to manufacture as needed. They each carried a small day pack, proud to be helping. Elizabeth had insisted on carrying “her share,” although Grinch and Cheese toted most of the weight. Compared to a Blackthorne op, this was a walk in the park. Or the woods.

  Her attitude had changed after their quick kiss—not that he thought the kiss had anything to do with it—and aside from her obvious concern about marauding wildlife, she’d accepted his plan.

  Her flashlight beam, in constant motion, played into the distance alongside the trail.

  “The light does more good if you shine it where we’re walking,” he said, falling in beside her. “The trail isn’t exactly a city sidewalk.”

  “Don’t you wonder what’s out there?” she asked.

  “Nothing out there is going to bother us. Between all the noise we’re making, and Chester, we’re perfectly safe.”

  “Maybe it’s not the four-legged variety of wildlife I’m worried about.”

  “I told you, we’re off the grid.”

  Shifting her flashlight from hand to hand, she adjusted the straps on her pack. “You’re probably right. But I’m getting a creepy feeling. Besides, if there’s nothing out there, why is Chester on a leash?”

  Damn, she was good. But if he’d told her about the other two pieces of cargo, well-hidden in the back of the helo, she might have refused to come along. Or would she have felt safer knowing that his boss had taken this mission seriously enough to send a team to protect them?

  Somewhere out in the darkness, Harper and Dalton were keeping watch on the cabin. Elizabeth couldn’t possibly have sensed their presence. Hell, he knew they were out there somewhere and didn’t have a clue where. In and out like the wind, Dalton always said.

  Maybe he should have included Elizabeth in the loop. But she wasn’t a trained operative, and had no experience in the delicate art of subterfuge.

  At the moment, he wasn’t sure he liked the idea that he’d become too good at it.