by Tanya Stowe
The man pushed upward, rising above Cal, but his feet slid, too. Powerless to stop his forward momentum, the guard fell forward, arms outstretched to stop his fall. As he came down, Cal rolled toward him, swung and struck the man’s chin with the butt of his gun. The guard fell flat and didn’t move.
Cal rose, carefully placing his feet. Drina ran forward and almost bowled him over as she threw her arms around him.
Prying her loose, he pulled her toward the car. “We have to hurry.”
As they reached the closest vehicle, he opened the door, grabbed the keys out of the ignition and tossed them into the dark woods. He did the same with the next. When they reached the last car, he pushed her toward the passenger side. Drina had just opened the door when another explosion rocked the forest. Flames jumped above the treetops.
“Oh, Cal. Your home.”
She looked at him through the open doors. His features settled into something hard and grim. “Get in.”
He slid in without another word. With one last glance back, Drina climbed inside. Cal put the vehicle in gear and eased the car around, careful to avoid the ditches on both sides.
Drina held her breath as the big vehicle slipped on the ice and slid precariously close to the edge. Cal eased to a stop and shifted to four-wheel drive. As the gears kicked in, he pressed on the accelerator. To Drina’s relief, the wheels caught and moved down the road, crunching icy snow beneath them.
Drina released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. She closed her eyes and leaned back. Something on the dash began to beep and she jerked up to see the seat belt symbol.
“Buckle up.” Cal didn’t take his gaze off the road.
The incongruity struck Drina and she laughed, giving in to sudden, overwhelming relief, but Cal’s harsh features never eased. Her own smile faded in the face of his bleak expression.
Wet and cold, she shivered and reached for the heater controls. She had to search for them on a dash full of electronic equipment. She didn’t recognize any of the symbols. At last she found one she thought was the heater and gave it a tentative punch. Hot air flowed out of the vents and Drina raised her hands, turning them over in the warmth.
“Take your coat off so your clothes have a chance to dry.”
Thankful for something to do, she pulled the backpack off her shoulders and unzipped. By the time she’d thrown them both in the back seat, her fingers were beginning to tingle with the heat.
As Cal turned onto a main road, Drina rubbed at her prickling cheeks and hands. Cal’s white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel made her nervous. Maybe she needed to keep her coat and computer closer.
“Where are we going?”
“Back to the base as fast as we can go.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t safe.”
“My house is...was a safe house. Most safe houses have a beacon that sends a signal to headquarters. Now that it’s been destroyed, the beacon will cease. My handlers will immediately send extraction teams to preapproved meeting points. At this time the safest one is on the base.”
Drina studied his face in the shadows. She saw nothing familiar in the harsh features that hours ago had seemed so dear.
“Does that mean... Cal, did you set off the second explosion? Did you destroy your own house?”
“Yes.” His lips sealed into a hard, thin line.
“I’m so sorry...”
“Don’t feel bad for me. I deserved to lose my home.”
She caught her breath. “I...I don’t understand.”
They reached the main road. This larger thoroughfare had already been plowed. He turned onto the smooth, wide street and sped up but he didn’t release his grip on the wheel.
“The simple truth is you could—should—have been on your way to another safe location. My house would have been empty when they arrived. But I asked my handler to hold off, so I could find a way to salvage my work.”
It took a long moment before his words sank in. She shook her head. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. You thought your house was safe.” She paused. “How did they find us?”
“Because I wasn’t doing my job. They planted another tracker on you. Once I found the first, I should have checked, should have thought to look for more. But I was too busy feeling sorry for myself, and afterward I was too...distracted. Now we’re on the run again. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
“Distracted. You mean by me?” Cal didn’t answer.
Whatever Drina meant to say next was silenced by a crackling radio on the dash. She jumped as the disembodied voice flowed through the car. “Philips? Do you copy?”
Cal turned up the volume and leaned in closer.
“Yeah. I’m here.”
“They got away. Stole Carter’s car.”
Cal leaned back, a smile flitting over his lips. Obviously, he derived some satisfaction in the fact that he’d chosen the car that belonged to Carter.
“We think they’re headed down the mountain. Set up a blockade at the highway. Stop them before they reach the main freeway.”
Another voice crackled. Drina recognized Carter’s. “Can the chatter, you idiots. Norwood’s got his own radio.”
The radio clicked loudly and the static ended in silence. Cal turned the dial off.
“Well, I guess that answers that. They must have had spare keys. Both vehicles are up and running. Now the two of them are close behind us.”
They came to the two-lane main street. Streetlights cast a yellow tint on the pristine snow, and muddy slush already filled the gutters. Instead of slowing, Cal sped up, though the speed limit was lower.
“Aren’t you worried about attracting attention?”
Cal shook his head. “At this point I’d be happy to see a policeman, but I’m sure they’re all assisting the outlying residents.”
They came to an intersection and he made a quick turn. The back end of the car slid across the road. Drina cried out and Cal eased off the gas.
“Sorry. It came up on me suddenly.”
“What do you mean it? Is there another route down off the mountain?”
Cal didn’t answer. This dark, intense Cal was a stranger.
He slowed, turned right and came to a full stop. A large yellow caution sign blocked the middle of the road. The words in bold, black letters read Closed. Do Not Pass.
Drina glanced at Cal as he accelerated and drove around the sign. The road had been plowed even though it was closed to traffic. A narrow ribbon of black, just wide enough for one car, stretched down into inky blackness.
Drina looked at Cal again. His shoulders tensed. He might not be willing to look at her but he seemed acutely aware of her every move...every concerned look she sent his way.
He tilted his head to the side, almost as if he was trying to ease a pain in his neck. “I think they sent plows from Bakersfield to help. They probably took this route since it’s shorter, but the road is steep and twisting. It’s too dangerous for the public. That’s why it’s blocked off. It follows the path of the Kern River down the mountain. It won’t be easygoing, but we don’t have a choice.”
Drina focused on the narrow ribbon of black road. Some of Cal’s grim attitude seeped into her. He was picking and choosing which of her questions he would answer. Was that because he didn’t want to tell her about the danger they were heading into?
If true, how many other things had he purposely not mentioned? As they sped down the steeply inclined, slick highway, Drina had to admit her confidence in Cal had been severely shaken.
They drove for a long, tense while before Cal bit off a soft, muttered sound.
“What? What’s wrong?” She glanced up to see his gaze fixed on the rearview mirror.
Before she could turn around to look, he said, “Drina, are you wearing the shoes I bought you?”
“Ye
s. My other shoes are...were in your cabin.”
“So the only thing that is yours originally is your computer?”
She nodded. He glanced her way, his features harsh. “Pull out your computer.”
The tracking device. He thought the device might still be on her. Realization spurred her to flip off the seat belt and reach behind her seat. Pulling out her computer, she let the backpack he’d purchased for her at the sporting goods store slip to the floorboard. She tugged the pliant case off the laptop and looked it over. Nothing.
“I don’t see anything. What am I looking for?”
“It’ll be small, like a round battery but black. Check again.”
She switched on the map light and conducted another quick visual examination of the computer’s hard exterior. Nothing seemed unusual until she flipped it over and noticed one round foot was larger than the other three. Attached to one of the black feet was a larger black circle. Using her fingernail, she pried the tab loose and held it in her palm.
She stared at the object like it was a black widow crawling across her hand. Then she punched the window button. Frigid air blasted in.
“Wait! Don’t throw it out. We can use it.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “Are you crazy? How can we use it?”
“Trust me.”
She halted. “I’m not sure I should.”
For the first time he took his gaze off the road and glanced at her. Lights from the dash highlighted his frowning features. “All right. I deserved that. But it’s too late anyway. They’ve already found us. Look back.”
She turned. Above them on the side of the mountain she saw only darkness. Then twin beams of light flashed high above them as a car took the outside of a curve.
“Oh, no.”
“Watch closely. Are there two cars or just one?”
Twisting for a better position, she fixed her gaze on the mountain curves they’d just passed.
“Just one, but it’s gaining fast. What do we do now?”
“Get down off this mountain as quick as we can.”
“Or die trying?”
Cal exhaled. It sounded tight and slightly frustrated. She had more to say, but they took a sharp curve and the tail end of the SUV slid precariously close to the edge of the road. Her words were lost in a gasp.
Drina gripped the door handle and the console and didn’t breathe again until Cal eased out of the turn, away from the steep drop-off leading to the frozen river below. He tapped the brakes to slow down. Drina looked back. The lights of the car following them seemed even closer. She wanted Cal to speed up but another switchback curve loomed in front of them.
Cal slowed even more. Drina cringed as headlights flashed through their vehicle. The car was right behind them. An engine revved, bringing the other SUV closer still.
Drina turned to face the front. If they were going to be hit, she wanted to see what was ahead of her. She gripped the handle again.
Cal deftly turned into the curve, narrowly avoiding the other driver’s attempt to ram the back end of their vehicle. The tail end slid...and slid until Drina was sure they were headed over the edge backward.
Finally, the back wheels caught. Traction pulled them forward and they shot down the hill with the other car close behind. Cal sped up. Another curve loomed ahead.
“Slow down, Cal! We’ll never make it!”
* * *
Cal pumped the brakes, slowing the car and coming almost to a stop with the front end pointed toward the edge. He eased forward until the vehicle’s nose bumped the guardrail. With his gaze locked on the rearview mirror, he spun the wheel in the opposite direction, away from the drop-off.
Drina turned in her seat.
Trying to ignore her white-knuckle grip and pale features, Cal focused on his task and gave the car a little gas. The wheels caught and moved, nudging the guardrail again and bouncing back...just enough. He hoped it appeared as if they’d slid into the rail and were stuck.
His foot hovered over the gas pedal, ready to gun it. The other SUV came around the curve fast. Seeing them at the side of the road, the driver revved his engine, prepared to ram the tail end of their car and send them over the embankment.
With the SUV headed straight for them, Cal hit the accelerator. Their vehicle jumped forward, toward the side of the mountain, away from the drop-off.
The car behind nicked their corner fender and crashed into the guardrail. Their SUV spun around on the slick road. Drina screamed. Cal rotated the wheel in the direction of the spin. The car swung around once...twice...then slid to a stop against the side of the mountain.
Cal looked over his shoulder. Red taillights disappeared off the side of the road, plunging down the steep drop-off.
He released his breath. His shoulders sagged and for a long moment he leaned against the steering wheel. Then he shifted into Reverse and tried to back out of the ditch. The tires spun, but finally caught, and the car reversed. As they backed up, their headlights flashed on the tire tracks left by the other car.
“Do you think they’re dead?”
Cal couldn’t spare a glance for Drina. He threw the car into forward gear. “We’re not stopping to look.”
The four-wheel drive kicked in and they headed down the mountain at a brisk but safe speed.
As they took more curves, Drina continued to look over her shoulder. Finally, she turned back around.
“I think they’re alive. I saw lights and movement halfway down the mountain.”
Cal shrugged. “That means they’ll be coming after us again.”
Drina shook her head with a sharp, abrupt movement.
Cal gritted his teeth. “Would you rather I stopped to help the men trying to kill us?”
“No. Of course not. It’s just—you seem so...different. So cold.”
“This is how I should have been from the beginning. Cold. Impersonal. Professional. Maybe if I had been, I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw her shake her head again. “I don’t think a professional would have sacrificed the security of the nation for one little life. Maybe you regret saving me, too.”
He jerked his gaze from the road to look at her. “No. Not ever. That was the only thing I did right.”
Apparently, she had no quick comeback for his sincere comment. She leaned back on the headrest and closed her eyes. Glad for a reprieve from her caustic remarks, Cal focused on the road, and silence reigned within the car. At long last, the mountain curves eased into a straightaway and he was able to speed up.
Drina lifted her head. “Is that a freeway ahead? Are we off the mountain?”
“Yes, it’s a main road, a highway. But we’re still in the mountains.”
Now that they’d left the twists and turns behind, Cal sped toward the highway on-ramp. He slowed to read the signs, then accelerated the way he wanted to go.
Drina glanced his way once...twice. “The sign says the base is the other way.”
“I know. This direction leads to Los Angeles and the CIA’s main regional office.”
“So we’re not going to meet your extraction team?”
He nodded. “We are. But I want Carter and his men to think we’re headed to safety in Los Angeles. I’m hoping they won’t expect us to double back.”
He drove in silence a while longer before they came to an off-ramp. Pulling off to the side, he hit a button and rolled down the window. “Still have that tracker?”
Drina opened her hand. “I’ve been holding it so tight, it’ll probably be imprinted on my palm forever.”
“Throw it out there.” Cal nudged his chin in the direction of a white, snow-covered field.
Sticking her arm outside the window, Drina flicked her wrist and sent the tracker spinning. It disappeared into the darkness.
Cal pu
lled back onto the road, crossed the overpass and pulled onto the highway headed back the way they’d come. “Now...if they’re not waiting for us, we’ll be free and clear.”
“What do you mean waiting?”
“This highway joins the main freeway at the base of this pass. They know we have to come down one side or the other. I hope they follow the tracker to this side...and won’t leave someone watching for us at the crossroad at the other side.”
“What do you think they’ll do?”
He shook his head and glanced in her direction. “If it were me, I’d send people to watch both intersections. But they’re short one car. Maybe that’ll be our saving grace.”
The lights of the dash illuminated her full lips and he watched them thin into a hard line.
“Carter and his men already called ahead to have their cronies set up the road blocks. Don’t you think they’ll have someone watching the Los Angeles connection? That’ll leave Carter and friends free to wait for us where we’re going.”
“We just took the shortest route and made great time. I’m pretty sure we’ll beat all of them to the crossroad.”
“Well, at least you’re covering the bases...now.”
The tacked on now ground into Cal’s senses. Obviously, she was not happy with his revelations about his multiple mistakes. Truthfully, she couldn’t be angrier with him than he was with himself.
Gripping the wheel, he clenched his teeth. He deserved to lose his home and everything in it. He should have checked all of her gear, back at the Red Rock tollbooth. He should have realized Carter was smart enough to track the money and the possibility of an escape attempt on his part. But when Cal saw Drina on the shack floor with Whitson’s gun pointed at her, something had changed. A switch had flipped. Suddenly, all that mattered was getting her away, out of harm’s path.
Cal gripped the steering wheel. Those feelings had only intensified. He’d held her when she sobbed, and laughed when she came back at him with fast quips. He admired her convictions and felt pain when she discussed the loss of her boyfriend. She confused him. Muddled his thinking. Made him yearn for something he wished he’d never lost.