Rocky Mountain Pursuit (Love Inspired Suspense)

by Mary Alford

  He reached the spot where Frank had been seconds earlier only to find he was gone. The adrenaline rush of being back in the line of fire had him gasping for breath. Jase slowly moved to the back of the vehicle. Suddenly, Frank jumped from a crouching position and lunged for the weapon, hitting Jase full force. He teetered backward but somehow managed to keep his footing while the man continued to snatch at the Glock in his hand. They wrestled back and forth for its possession, but Jase kept control.

  Frank jerked one hand free, drew back and slugged Jase as hard as he could in the jaw. The pain was staggering, but he somehow managed to keep his wits about him. Jase shoved at Frank’s chest with his full strength and sent him reeling backward onto the snowy ground.

  Frank quickly bounced back onto his feet and he raised one leg, intending to strike a blow. Jase jerked to one side just in time to avoid the disabling kick. Jase could tell he was well-trained in hand-to-hand combat.

  Frank’s face contorted in fury that his move hadn’t resulted in the desired effect. He lunged for Jase once more, his arms outstretched. Jase caught his right hand and jerked it behind him, throwing him off balance. From nearby, Jase heard Reyna scream and his heart thundered against his chest. Had the second man gone after her? Was she hurt? He had to deal quickly with Frank so that he could help her.

  Jase wrapped his free arm around Frank’s throat and held on tight. It took only a matter of seconds before he was out cold. He laid Frank’s body on the ground, grabbed his weapon from where it had flown, and raced toward the sound of her voice.

  “Reyna? Where are you?”

  “Over here,” Reyna managed, and then screamed again. “Help me, Jase. He pushed me over the edge of the mountain,” she said in a frantic tone. “Hurry, I—I can’t hold on much longer.”

  He spotted the injured man leaning over the mountain’s edge. He was trying to pry Reyna’s hand free.

  With a low growl, Jase grabbed the man up by his shirt collar and punched him hard in the face. He dropped like a rock to the ground unconscious, then Jase got on his knees and knelt close to Reyna. She was dangling off the side. If she lost her precarious hold, she’d plunge some fifty feet to the bottom of the valley.

  She glanced up at him with stark terror in her eyes. “Help me, Jase. I’m... I’m losing my hold.”

  Lord, give me the strength to pull her up, he silently prayed.

  “I’m going to get you out of there, but I need you to relax,” he said with as much calm as he could muster.

  She was crying from fear, but as she looked into his eyes, she slowly nodded. “I’ll try.”

  “Good girl. I’m going to pull you up, but I need you to grab hold of my hand with one of yours.”

  She frantically shook her head. He couldn’t imagine how frightening it was to hear that the only way to be saved was to let go of the one thing keeping you alive. “No, Jase, I can’t. I can’t let go. I’ll fall.”

  He held her gaze. “I’m not going to let that happen, I promise. I need you to trust me, Reyna. We have to get out of here before the rest of the thugs arrive. Please trust me not to let you fall,” he said hoarsely.

  After what felt like an eternity of his heart slamming into his chest, she pried one hand free and he grasped it as tightly as he could. Reyna screamed when her hand slipped for a second in his, and then she was kicking and flailing in the air.

  “Jase, help me.” She looked at him desperately, her eyes pleading to live.

  He needed to calm her enough to pull her up. “Reyna, I’ve got you, sweetheart. But you have to be as still as you can.”

  After another tense second went by, she visibly forced herself to relax.

  “Good. That’s good.” He smiled gently down at her. “On the count of three, I’m pulling you toward me. Ready?” She finally nodded.

  “One. Two. Three.” With both hands on hers, he pulled with all his might and lifted her off the side of the mountain and up into his arms.

  THIRTEEN

  Reyna clung to him and he held her tight. She couldn’t believe how close to dying she’d come.

  “You okay?” Jase whispered roughly as he stroked her hair. His voice held so much tenderness. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. The one thing that kept her from giving up while she was hanging there was the thought of him. She believed she’d been given another chance at happiness with him. She wasn’t about to let these horrible men take that away from her.

  She smiled genuinely and nodded. “I’m alive, so I’m okay.”

  He returned her smile and her pulse beat a crazy rhythm. “Good. We need to hurry, though. We might still have a chance at meeting Aaron.”

  Jase glanced at the man who lay unconscious behind him. “We’ll take their SUV. I’ll leave them in the truck. Once we’re safe, I’ll let Aaron know where to find them.”

  She watched as Jase went over to where Frank lay by the SUV, just beginning to regain consciousness. Jase grabbed him by the arm and lifted him to his feet. “Who are you working for?” he demanded.

  Frank glared at him. “You’re wasting your time. I’m not going to help you.”

  Jase dragged him over to the truck. He found a piece of rope in the bed and secured Frank’s hands, then he put him in the cab and tied him to the steering wheel.

  Once he was satisfied Frank was no longer a threat, he slammed the door and came over to where Reyna knelt in front to the wounded man.

  She had just begun to examine his leg. “Don’t try to move,” she said, and gently pushed him back down when he would have sat up.

  He stared at her in shock. “You’re going to help me?”

  He saw her as the enemy and wasn’t expecting her to show kindness. “Of course. You’re hurt,” she told him simply.

  Dumbfounded, the man slumped back against the ground while Reyna gingerly pushed his pants leg up and examined the wound.

  “How bad it is?” Jase asked while he kept a close eye on Frank.

  “It’s not bad. The bullet didn’t do much damage. It missed hitting a major artery by inches, though. Thankfully, it took a clean exit.” She glanced up at Jase. “It could have hit you.”

  “But it didn’t,” he assured her. “Can he make it without further medical attention?”

  Reyna ripped pieces of the man’s shirt and snugged it tight around the wound. “For a while. This should stop the bleeding.”

  When she had finished, Jase helped the man to his feet and led him over to the truck.

  Once he’d secured his hands to the grab handle, he said, “If you talk, it’ll go easier for you. Tell me who’s behind this.”

  Satisfied he wasn’t going to die, the injured man smirked at Jase. “You think I’ll help you? I’d be a dead man. So will you and the lady soon enough. They’ll have a dozen men here soon. You can’t run forever.”

  “Yeah, well, you and your partner will be here waiting for them when they arrive,” Jase bit out, and then retrieved both men’s phones. “You’d better hope our people get to you before yours—otherwise, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”

  He took the backpack containing the laptop from the truck and he and Reyna got into the SUV. He slowly eased it back down the trail and retraced their path until they were on the road leading to the base.

  Reyna saw him check his watch. “Are we too late?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted gruffly. “I hope not, because it may be our only way out of here.” The clouds had continued to gather in the morning sky and a dusting of snowflakes had begun to blanket the windshield. “I’m pretty sure those men were correct, though. They’ll come here soon and they’ll know we got away.”

  The reality of his words set in. “Jase, when he shot that man...” Tears filled her eyes. “I was so frightened. I thought you were next. I thought I’d lose you.”

  * * *

  His thumb brushed away the tears from her cheeks and he held her gaze a moment longer. “Eddie was blessed to have you in his life, Reyna. You�
��re strong and courageous and—” He jerked in a breath. He’d almost laid bare his heart.

  “I loved Eddie so much,” she said softly, and each word was like a knife. “He cared so much about you, Jase. Now I understand why. I...care about you, too.” She hesitated and he hung on each word. “Being with you these last few days, well, you’ve made me feel special. Important. I haven’t felt that way in a while.”

  His chest contracted at those sweet words. He wanted her to know how important she was to him, too. “I feel the same about you. You’ve made me realize how empty my life has been.” She took his hand in hers and kissed his palm. They smiled at each other because there were no more words needed. If God granted them the future, it was full of promise, in Jase’s book.

  Almost there. It was almost over. He couldn’t let his guard down for a minute, though. Too much was at stake.

  His favorite verse from the Bible came to mind. The one about those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. He needed God to renew his strength right now because they were both running on empty.

  Jase grabbed his cell phone and tried Aaron’s number again. This time, it went straight to voice mail.

  He didn’t like it. How had the men found them? Was it possible someone Aaron trusted was corrupt? His uneasiness increased tenfold.

  He slowed the SUV’s speed to a crawl when he spotted a faded sign for the base.

  “I think we should go the rest of the way on foot just in case.”

  He parked the vehicle off the road and behind a dilapidated building. They got out, bundled up in their coats and started walking. Jase took out his cell phone and dialed Aaron’s number once more, but the call didn’t go through. The phone’s service was nonexistent. As they walked he mulled over the two men who had followed them. He didn’t believe for a second that they had accidentally happened upon them. Did they know about the meet up? What if they were walking straight into an ambush?

  “Is everything okay?” she asked in a worried tone.

  It was hard to reassure her when he his own nerves were creating a storm of doubt. “Yes. There’s no cell service through here.” He felt a stab of guilt. He couldn’t bear it if his mistake ended with her getting hurt.

  “Jase...what’s wrong?” she asked point-blank.

  He turned away from her searching gaze. “Nothing. I’m just ready for this to be over.”

  She blew out a long breath. “Me, too. I’m not cut out to be a spy.”

  Jase tried to smile as he glanced up. Dark, threatening clouds had begun to gather in the sky above, making it appear almost dark. The snow continued to fall harder and in the distance, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. The storm was moving in quickly and the weather was deteriorating. They didn’t want to be out here when the skies opened up full force.

  He gently tugged her closer. “We’ll get through this, Reyna. We will. And when we’re on the other side...” He didn’t finish. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead.

  In the distance, thunder rolled across the horizon and he let her go. “We should keep moving. How are you holding up?”

  “I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  The edge of the storm caught up with them as they drew close to the edge of the base. Ice mixed with the fat flakes of snow fell harder and he feared their window for extraction had evaporated.

  Jase stopped and gave her a hard look. He needed her to understand the importance of what he was about to say. “Reyna, listen, I need you to stay behind until I’ve had the chance to scope things out. Make sure everything’s safe before you go in.”

  Her reaction wasn’t unexpected. “No, Jase, I won’t.” She never broke eye contact. “You could be killed. I don’t want you to go in there alone. Tell me what I should do.”

  He framed her face with his hands. “I need you to stay behind, Reyna,” he repeated. “We could be walking into a trap and I can’t risk something happening to you.” He drew in a long breath. “And if I don’t come back, take the laptop and go back to the SUV.” He dug into his jeans pocket, produced the keys and handed them to her. “Get out of here as fast as you can and get the laptop to the US Attorney’s office.”

  She stared at him with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

  He gathered her close. “Promise me, Reyna. Do that for me if I don’t make it out. Show the US Attorney what we’ve deciphered. Tell him what we suspect. Don’t let them win.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she whispered, “I will, I promise.”

  He smiled at her answer. “Thank you. Are you ready to finish this?”

  She returned his smile. “Yes.”

  They reached a group of run-down buildings that looked as if they had once been the base housing. Jase was on edge and second-guessing his decision to leave Reyna here alone. He prayed he wasn’t making the worst mistake of his life. What if they found her first?

  He spotted one of the houses still mostly intact. “Wait here and give me a second to check things out inside. If you see anything out of the ordinary, come get me.”

  He took out his flashlight, drew his weapon and went inside. He shone the flashlight around. It didn’t look as if anyone had been in there in years. He took a quick look around and then went back outside.

  “You should be safe here.” She followed him inside. He opened his backpack and took out an extra flashlight and the spare phone he’d brought with him and quickly programmed in his cell number and Aaron’s.

  “Keep this with you but don’t try to call me. It should take me about another fifteen minutes to reach the airstrip. If I haven’t contacted you by then, get out of here.” He handed her the laptop and swallowed hard. “You won’t have much time before the brunt of the storm hits. The SUV should stand up to a lot of weather so you’ll be okay. Whatever you do, don’t stop. Keep moving.”

  They stood facing each other and for the life of him, it felt as if he wouldn’t be seeing her again, and that terrified him more than anything.

  “Jase, please be careful.” She reached for his hand and he drew her into his arms, gathering her close. “Promise me, you’ll stay alive. For me.”

  He held her tight and everything around them faded away. She was the only thing that mattered to him.

  “I’m so sorry, Reyna. I wish I could take it all away. Erase the bad things that happened over there. Change the way the last three years went. Eddie’s death...”

  She nodded against his chest. “I know but it’s okay. It makes me realize we’re not promised tomorrow. In spite of everything, you and I are blessed beyond measure and I don’t want to take a moment for granted.”

  She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

  He framed her face with his hands once more. “You don’t do that. Of all the people I’ve met, it’s easy to see you appreciate every moment God provides you.”

  A tiny sob escaped as he leaned down and his lips brushed hers. She kissed him back with urgency in her touch.

  But there were things he needed to say. He couldn’t leave them unsaid, knowing he might never see her again. He ended the kiss, stepped back and drew in a lungful of air. He wanted her to know how he felt about her. “I have to say this, because, well, because we don’t know what we’re facing when we get to the airstrip. And I want you to know how I feel about you.”

  Tears fell from her eyes. “Jase...”

  “I know there are lots of things standing between us right now, including Eddie, but I love you. I love you, Reyna and I haven’t said that to another woman since Abby. But I mean it, darlin’. From the bottom of my heart.”

  “Jase.” As tears continued to stream down her face, she went back into his arms and burrowed close.

  He lifted her chin and kissed her gently one more time. When he would have drawn back, ended their sweet kiss, she clung to him. He never wanted to leave her side, but if they were going to have a chance at a future together, they needed to finish the past once and for all and put it behind the
m.

  Reluctantly, he put her away from him. “I’d better go. Stay here. Stay safe.” With one final lingering glance, he left her for what he hoped would not be the last time.

  * * *

  He loved her. She couldn’t believe she’d heard him correctly until he said it again.

  She was shaking and weak from emotion. Jase loved her.

  Reyna moved as far away from the entrance as possible. Eight minutes. The cell phone’s clock said he’d been gone eight minutes. It felt like a lifetime. Her breath raced through her body at a mile a minute.

  She was scared to death about her own feelings for Jase. She loved him but she’d loved Eddie, too. How could she simply move on with her life? Fall in love again as if her life with Eddie meant nothing? She owed him so much more. In a way, he’d died to protect her. She wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. Would she ever be?

  She glanced out the window as the storm continued to grow in intensity. What if Jase didn’t come back? What if...what if he lost his life trying to protect her? Her stomach clenched in pain.

  She couldn’t think about that now and not rush after him.

  Ten minutes passed. On an impulse that Reyna could only explain as God-led, she took the laptop bag and stuffed it as far into the crumbing fireplace as she could. There was a tiny ledge up there. She placed it on it, then hunkered down close to the ground, her eyes darting around the darkness. The place smelled dank and dusty and the walls had holes in them.

  Something ran across her foot and she clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Just a mouse. It was just a tiny little field mouse.

  If she was going to keep her sanity, she needed help. She wrapped her arms tight around her body and prayed. Lord, we need You. Please help him. Please help me.