by Mary Alford
“They’re here now.”
“Okay, listen to me carefully,” Tim said urgently. “Aaron has a four-wheeler stashed in the red barn at the far corner of the place. If you can reach it, head east. The easiest place to cross the mountain is there. You won’t be able to make it all the way over on the four-wheeler, but it’ll give you a head start.” He paused to catch his breath. “Once you summit, there’s a ranch in the valley about five miles on the other side. It’s owned by an older couple, Don and Linda Warren. Tell them Aaron sent you. They’ll help you. They’re good Christian folks.”
Jase abruptly dropped the receiver back into its cradle and glanced up the stairs. Reyna stood at the top of them, fully dressed with the tote slung on her shoulder and fear etched all over her lovely face. She took the stairs two at a time. “What is that?” she said in a panicked tone.
He raced to the door and jerked it open. Then he stepped out onto the front porch and listened. In the distance was the sound of chopper blades cutting through the thin mountain air. He’d been right. They were almost here.
He slammed the door shut. “A chopper, and it’s close. They’ve found us. We have to leave right now. Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
“That’s my girl.” He managed a weak smile for her sake. After he stuffed the laptop bag inside his backpack, they hurried out the back door. The chopper was almost right on top of the house now. He could see the barn up ahead of them. Just a few more yards. “We’re almost there,” he yelled over the noise.
Reyna stared up at the sky. “I don’t understand how they keep finding us.”
“That’s a good question.” It was something that puzzled Jase, as well. Had they run every single Jeep in the state of Colorado as Aaron suggested? It was a long shot that he didn’t buy. But, if not, how could they have known to search near Aaron’s place? He’d destroyed both their phones. There would be no way to track her unless...
The bag.
Other than the watch, which, according to Reyna, hadn’t left her possession, it was the only thing left that she’d brought with her. Jase grabbed her bag, dumped the contents and quickly searched through each item. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He picked up the bear key chain and examined it closely. On the bottom of the animal it looked as if someone had cut a hole in it. Jase ripped it open and found what he was looking for. A small tracking device. He yanked it out.
“That’s how they found us. It wasn’t your phone after all. They planted a tracking device on your key chain. You said they searched your house. They must have done it then.” He tossed the device into a snowbank.
“Then why didn’t they find us before now? Especially since we’ve been at Aaron’s cabin for a while?” Reyna asked, perplexed as they continued to walk at a fast pace.
“The mountains have a way of playing havoc with signals, especially when the weather turns ugly like it has recently. They probably couldn’t pick up the signal until now.” Jase glanced up as the chopper’s light found them and followed their every move. He grabbed her hand. “Run, Reyna. We have to get to that barn over there where Aaron stored his four-wheeler. It’s our only chance to escape.”
They had barely cleared the front of the workshop when the sky lit up like lightning and the earth around them rumbled and shook, then exploded with shock and awe.
* * *
The dust and debris from the explosion mushroomed in all directions, covering everything in an ash-gray veil. Reyna couldn’t see more than the distance of her hand in front of her.
Jase.
She stumbled to her feet. Fear pumped adrenaline through her body. She’d lost sight of him in the chaos that had ensued after the explosion from above had propelled her backward some ten feet in the air. It reduced the garage and workshop that was behind the house to a pile of rubble in a matter of seconds. Reality settled in. She and Jase should be dead.
Pain shot up her arm. Her wrist was severely sprained and swelling by the second. Her hair was matted with blood, and she was scraped and bleeding in several places, but she was alive and in one piece.
She ignored her pain. All she could think about was finding Jase. As the dust began to settle, she spotted him lying in a crumpled heap a few feet behind her. She ran to his side.
“Jase!” He was bloody and lying at an awkward angle. The blast had embedded bits of shrapnel in his face. Reyna shook him hard and he opened his eyes.
“Are you hurt? Can you move?” She did a cursory exam of his limbs. Nothing was broken.
“I’ll be okay,” he rasped. “We have to reach the barn, Reyna—” Before he could finish, a series of explosions rocked the earth beneath them, taking out the barn. She screamed as it went up in a blaze of fire.
Reyna covered Jase’s body with hers until the immediate danger had passed.
They stared at the raging inferno that had now become their world.
“Jase, they took out our only means of transportation,” she whispered in dismay.
“We have to keep going. We can’t give up. We can’t let them win.”
He struggled to stand and Reyna draped his arm over her shoulder and slowly helped him to his feet. He leaned heavily against her.
The chopper circled back around and began to search the ground below.
“We have to reach that tree coverage over there. They won’t be able to find us in it. Thankfully, the backpack survived the explosions.” Jase grabbed it and heaved it onto his shoulder, and then he noticed the way Reyna cradled her injured wrist against her body. “You’re hurt.” He touched her wrist and pain blurred her vision.
“It’s just a sprain,” she said through gritted teeth. “Let’s keep going.”
He obviously didn’t believe her, but their options were limited.
The chopper’s light continued to pan the surrounding area. It found them and honed in.
“Run, Reyna,” Jase grabbed her uninjured arm and urged her toward the trees while the spotlight mirrored their every move.
They reached the edge of the tree line as a round of bullets fired from an automatic weapon whizzed past their heads, kicking up the ground around them. Reyna shrieked and Jase pulled her along behind him into the thick trees. He glanced up at the chopper, which had temporarily lost sight of them in the dense growth. “It’s looking for a place to land. They’ll have troops on the ground within minutes. Reyna, there’s only one way out of here. We’ll have to cross over that mountain.” He nodded toward the looming monster before them.
Traversing the mountain meant they’d be facing even more treacherous weather conditions, including subfreezing temperatures, and Reyna would be going into it with an injured wrist.
She drew in a breath. The pain in her wrist had become excruciating. “Do you have something we can use as a sling? That will help keep it immobile.”
Jase quickly took off his jacket and ripped part of the liner out, then tied it around her neck in a makeshift sling. “Better?”
“Much. Thanks.” It actually was. She’d do what she had to do, bear the pain with as much grace as she could, because she wanted to bring Eddie’s killers to justice.
“Let’s keep moving. It’s our only chance. As cold and as miserable as the weather is, it’s probably the only reason we’re not in custody or dead by now,” Jase said.
God had been watching out for them. They were truly blessed to be alive.
“At least we shouldn’t have to worry about them tracking us. We just have to get across that mountain somehow. There’s an older couple on the other side who can help us.”
That would be the hardest challenge of all. Reyna peered back over her shoulder at the death trap they’d narrowly escaped. She could see the lights of what she assumed were four-wheelers coming their way. There were men on foot, also.
Jase saw it, too. “Listen to me,” he said with a raw urgency in his tone. “We have to stay one step ahead of them long enough to find out the names of the killers and bring them to
justice. Can you make the hike?”
She tried to sound more confident than she felt. “Yes, I’ll keep up.”
He managed a weary smile. “Good. This looks like the spot Tim mentioned. It should be the easiest place to cross. We can’t afford to use any lights so it won’t be easy.”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s get out of here.” She couldn’t stand looking at the carnage behind them any longer.
Something akin to admiration flashed in his eyes and he smiled. “Okay. This way.”
On the other side of the mountain range was another set of problems. Where could they possibly run that these people wouldn’t find them?
Reyna wasn’t sure which was the lesser of two evils. Staying and facing the traitors behind them or summiting that mountain range. She prayed they weren’t signing their death certificates.
NINE
They’d been climbing for hours and Reyna wasn’t sure how much farther she could go. She was drained and the weather hadn’t let up. The wind screamed around the mountain, and several times they had to brace themselves just to keep from falling. Ice mixed with rain had long since soaked through their clothing and they were both close to succumbing to the elements. The pain in her wrist made her sick to her stomach and blurred her vision.
Jase realized she was in serious trouble. “How bad is it?”
“Bad,” she said through a clenched jaw.
He pulled out his cell phone. “I’m going to try and reach Aaron. Maybe he can suggest an easier way out of here.” He listened for a few minutes and then ended the call. “There’s no cell service. We’ll never make it over this way. We’re not even halfway up the mountain.” He glanced behind them. “I can see their lights. They’re gaining ground. The chopper is scanning every square inch of the area, which is the only thing that has kept them from locating us before now. We have to find another way out.”
Jase squinted at the face of the mountain. “Wait, I think I see something. It looks like a small opening in the mountain.” He pointed to it and Reyna tried not to get her hopes up. “It looks like a mining shaft, maybe. We can take shelter in there for a bit. Hang on a second and I’ll check it out.”
Jase went into the opening and she waited outside. He came back in a matter of minutes. “It’s not much, but it’s our only option right now. You need to rest your wrist and we both need to warm up.”
Reyna had only been in a couple of caves in the past exploring with Eddie. Being in an enclosed area normally gave her the creeps, and as she followed Jase inside, she tried not to freak out too much at the scurrying sounds around her.
“I’m going to do my best to conceal the opening. At least give us a fighting chance. I’ll be right back,” he assured her as if sensing her uneasiness.
With Jase gone, Reyna tried not to lose control. She counted off the seconds. One. Two. Three.
“That should keep them from spotting it. I’m hoping they’re not going to expect us to summit the mountain but find an easier way out,” Jase said as he came up behind her. He retrieved his flashlight and flipped it on. “Let’s see how big this thing is.” He headed deeper into the cave and Reyna clutched his hand and was practically glued to his back. Jase stopped abruptly when she let out a frightened yelp as something ran across her foot.
He reached up to steady her. “He’s probably more afraid of you than you are of him. Chances are they haven’t seen a human around these parts in years.”
She was behaving like a child and she knew it. They had been running for their lives for hours; they’d narrowly escaped death many times, and she was going to freak out about a few rats? Still, she gripped his hand tighter. He laced his fingers through hers and shone the light down a narrow passage. “Some of these old mines can go on forever. Maybe the people who operated it made another way out of here.”
The passage was so low that they had to bend over to walk. Reyna could feel the walls closing in.
They’d gone a short distance when the pathway dumped into a large open area. The ceiling above them had to be more than fifteen feet tall. She breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“This will do,” Jase said, shrugging off his backpack. “We should be safe here and no one from outside will spot a fire. I’m going to see if I can find some wood. You rest your hand.”
For once, she was happy to oblige. She sank down against the rock wall. “How are you holding up? Are there any residual effects from the explosion or your shoulder injury?”
“No, I’m fine. And I must say, both of you are looking pretty good, considering.”
She sat up straight and stared at him. If he were seeing double, then he could have a serious concussion and...
He laughed and she realized he was teasing her. Trying to lighten the moment.
“Sorry. Bad joke. Even worse timing. I’ll be back in a jiff.”
She smiled up at him, then relaxed against the wall. She couldn’t believe what had taken place over the past forty-eight hours. She thought she’d been so careful. Using a disposable phone, borrowing Sara’s car, and yet they’d known where she was all along using a simple device placed inside her key chain. It was terrifying how unrelenting these criminals were.
“I found some usable firewood.” Jase came back carrying an armful of it. “Who knows how long it’s been sitting here, so let’s hope it lights.” He stacked wood into a pile and then fetched some paper and matches from his backpack. It took only a few minutes for the fire to catch. Satisfied, he nodded. “The only problem is the wood is dry, so it’ll burn fast, but there’s lots of it. I’m thinking the miners spent the winter up here.”
Reyna inched closer to the fire. It was blissfully warm. “I can’t imagine living in such primitive conditions during the winter.”
“Yeah, those old-timers had to be tough to survive. We should be safe for a little while. Let me have a look at your wrist.”
He squatted next to her and gently unfastened the sling from around her neck.
“They know we’re still alive. They’re not going to stop until they kill us.” Reyna barely got the words out. She was beyond exhausted. She couldn’t imagine how Jase must feel.
Their eyes met and held. “They’re going to try. I’m not going to let that happen.”
Her head swam. “How can they simply explain away what happened here tonight? Won’t people question it? I mean it’s a virtual war zone back there.”
“They are good at making people and things disappear,” Jase said, clenching his jaw. “They’ve killed before many times and will sweep this under the rug. Make up some story—perhaps say it was a lightning strike that started the fire. Those things happen up here all the time. No one will be the wiser.”
“They’re going to try and blame this on Eddie, you...me.”
“Not on my watch. Eddie wasn’t a traitor and neither are you. We just have to find the missing piece that will help this make sense. Without that information, we can’t tie the documents to the Fox if he is the one behind this. We can’t even prove there’s a threat. We need a name.”
She hated the frustration she saw in his eyes. She wished there was something more she could do to help. “I know.”
“Did Eddie ever mention what his unit was doing prior to his death?”
“No, and I asked. As I said, he had changed. When he came home for his mother’s funeral...” She stopped, the memory still painful.
“I’m sorry,” Jase said, sympathy flickering in his eyes. “I didn’t know she had passed. Eddie told me about the cancer...”
Jase’s concern touched her profoundly. He was such a caring person. It amazed her how someone who had been through so much had managed to keep a gentle side.
“Thanks. Like I mentioned before, when Eddie came home for her funeral, he was like a shell of the person he’d once been. He was so afraid, jumping at shadows. He kept calling someone. When I asked him who he was trying to reach, he wouldn’t tell me. He just kept repeating that if anything happened to him, I needed
to come find you.” Hitching in a breath, she leaned closer to him. “He told me that at least a dozen times or more. When it came time for him to return to duty, I could tell he didn’t want to go.”
“Do you think Eddie might have been trying to reach Kyle?” Jase asked, and she could see the thought troubled him.
“He never said. He just shut me out.” Reyna shook her head. “Jase, do you think those men back there are CIA?” There had to be a reason for Eddie’s cryptic warning. “Did Eddie’s own people end up taking his life?”
“I don’t want to believe it, but whoever’s behind this has to have a contact within the CIA. How else would they have gotten the names of agents and the locations of the safe houses?” Exhaling roughly, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “We have to figure out who’s behind this, Reyna, and we don’t have much time.”
He grew silent for a moment, then reached out and gently examined her wrist. “It doesn’t look too bad. If we had something to wrap it with, that would help.”
“It won’t stand up to another day of hiking. We need to find another way off this mountain.” She voiced what they both knew.
Jase nodded solemnly. “You’re right.” He removed his jacket again and tore off more strips of cloth. “Let me know if this is too tight.” Taking one of the strips, he wound it carefully around Reyna’s wrist. “How’s that feel?”
She flexed her hand. “Good.”
He tied the sling around her arm once more. She was exhausted and discouraged, and, try as she might, she couldn’t keep those things from showing. She hated revealing any weakness. In the operating room, she was fearless. But here, she was way out of her league.
“We can’t keep fighting them, Jase. I can’t keep fighting.” Tears sprang to her eyes. She didn’t have the energy to stop them.
“Hey...” He cupped her face and brushed away her tears with his thumb. “Don’t give up, Reyna. We’re not finished yet. I’m not going to let them get away with what they’ve done. I just need you to keep fighting.”