Mojave Rescue

by Tanya Stowe

  He didn’t take the time to answer but drove farther into the desert and began another doughnut spin, kicking dust high into the air. He did it three more times until a huge, dirty cloud filled the sky around them.

  Then he bumped back onto another road leading deeper into the desert and a nearby solar farm. The farm covered a two-mile square block of solar panels mounted on poles and tilted toward the morning sun in the east.

  More dust billowed into the air as Cal circled again. The dust cloud he’d created completely concealed them. Between the glare of the solar panels and the dust, Drina doubted they were visible to the cars following them.

  Cal guided the car up the ramp leading to the fence and locked gates surrounding the solar field. He gunned the gas, ramming the gates. The chain and lock gave way and the gates flew open.

  “Do you see Carter and his men?” Cal asked as he deftly handled the wheel on the gravel road.

  Row after row of solar panels blocked her view of the freeway and the distant overpass. “No. I can’t see anything over the panels.”

  “Good. Keep watching. Let me know if you can see them or the freeway. If we can see them, then they can see us. I’m trying to throw them off and buy us enough time to reach the base.”

  Cal kept on the outer back rim of the field, headed the way they’d come. Between each row of panels was a lane wide enough for the SUV to pass through.

  As the dust cleared, Drina scoured the freeway for any sign of vehicles following them. She soon spotted Carter’s cars, barreling down the freeway, headed in their direction.

  “I see them. They’re coming this way.”

  Cal slammed on the brakes, pulling the SUV to a stop at the end of the closest row of solar panels. They were completely hidden from view by the massive panel.

  They waited. The car’s engine gave off a low hum. At last, a cloud of dust kicked up and traveled down the dirt road that led deeper into the desert.

  “They missed us. They’re going away!” Drina couldn’t contain her excitement.

  “For now. It won’t take them long to discover we doubled back.” He pulled down the narrow row between the panels until they came to the exterior service road. Cal turned onto it and plowed through another locked gate at the far end of the solar field. They bumped onto the frontage road and within moments they were crossing the overpass, headed toward the base gates.

  “I can’t believe we lost them so easily.” Drina spoke softly, almost as if the men following them could hear.

  “They won’t be far behind us. We just need to get to the guards before they realize their mistake.”

  Zooming down the two-lane road, headed toward the buildings in the distance, Cal glanced her way.

  “The guards may have questions when I show them my ID card. Just let me do the talking. I’ll get us through. My team is probably already waiting for us at the rendezvous point. We lost precious time changing that tire.”

  He glanced her way, expecting a response. She reached behind and pulled her backpack onto her lap. She ached to tell him about the call she’d made to Bill.

  Her emotions must have shown in her features because he said, “Are you all right?”

  She nodded again. “Yes. Just anxious to get this over with.” Her tone was tight, clipped. She couldn’t help it. Lying to Cal didn’t feel right. Maybe she should tell him the truth, explain why she’d called.

  The moment was lost as Cal slowed to a stop at the gates. A uniformed guard approached the window. Cal pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

  “Morning, sir.” The soldier was young. His features set. Was it Drina’s imagination or did he look nervous?

  Cal handed him the card. The young man nodded. “This isn’t your vehicle, Mr. Norwood?”

  Cal hesitated. “No. I’m borrowing it from a friend while mine is in the shop. Is there a problem?”

  “No, sir. None at all.” The young guard glanced up and over the car. Drina followed his gaze, looking to her right, out her window. Another guard stood beside the car with his gun pointed straight at her. She screamed.

  Cal’s head jerked around. Other guards hurried out from behind the building and the sides, all pointing their guns at the SUV.

  The young guard with Cal’s ID still in his grip motioned. “Keep your hands off the steering wheel, sir. Hold them up where we can see them.”

  Another guard opened Drina’s door. “Step out of the car, Ms. Gallagher.”

  Cal’s head jerked in her direction again, surprise written in his features. He quickly recovered and tried to cover his reaction with a calm mien. “Do as he says, Drina. I’m not sure what’s going on, but everything will be all right.”

  “Step out of the car, sir.”

  Cal obeyed as Drina, clutching her backpack, was led around the front of the vehicle. When they were standing side by side, Bill and a group of men in suits exited the guard shack.

  Relief flooded Drina and she ran into Bill’s arms. He gripped her tight. “I’m so glad you’re safe!”

  Drina nodded. “We’re both safe. I wouldn’t be here now if not for Cal.”

  She turned back. Surprise had wiped Cal’s features clean...just before a frown furrowed his brow and shaped his face into a look Drina would never forget. It was so full of hurt, Drina cried out.

  “No, it’s not like that.” The soldiers ignored her, still holding their guns pointed at Cal. Desperate, she turned to her mentor. “Did you hear me, Bill? Cal saved my life.”

  “Of course. Of course. Smith, have those men lower their weapons.”

  Drina recognized the man beside Bill as part of Cal’s security team. Smith signaled to the soldiers. They pulled their rifles back but held them in a ready position and kept a tight semicircle around Cal.

  Something wasn’t right. Drina looked from Bill to Smith and back to Cal, who stood frozen, his posture slumped and his features slack. Cal acted as if he didn’t care what was going on around them...as if he’d lost the battle.

  But we’ve won. We’re safe!

  Alarm rippled through her. “Tell them to stand back, Bill. We’ve had enough of guns and threats.”

  He nodded to Smith, who signaled to the soldiers. Instead of moving back, they pointed Cal in the direction of a blue air force van parked on the other side of the road.

  “What’s going on?”

  Bill wrapped his arm around Drina’s shoulders and pulled her in the direction of another van. “Don’t worry. We’re just moving to a more secure location. We don’t want to sort through all this out here in the open.”

  He led her away.

  “I want to go with Cal.”

  Bill shook his head. “Smith has to conduct his own debriefing. It has nothing to do with you. You can join up with Norwood when it’s all done.”

  Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Smith open the sliding door of the van. Cal climbed in like a man walking in his sleep. Obviously, he felt betrayed, defeated. Her call to Bill was a confirmation that she’d lost all confidence in him.

  She didn’t mean to betray him but she had to do what she thought was right. She had to trust where logic had led her, had to trust her own judgment. Didn’t he see that? Didn’t he understand? She needed to talk to him...to explain.

  “I want to ride with Cal.” She moved forward but her mentor grabbed her elbow.

  “Smith has some questions for Cal. He doesn’t want you there while he asks them. Trust me. They’ll sort this out.”

  He lifted her into the van and she sagged back against the seat. Bill’s words eased her concerns but only a little. She wouldn’t feel right until she spoke to Cal.

  They drove far from the gates, past the building where she was first kidnapped. The new location was remote, on a rarely used portion of the base called the rocket site. To her right were massive metal stands, built to mount
and test rocket engines for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects first initiated by the US government in the race to the moon. The stands had long ago fallen out of use and were abandoned. Now they rusted on a lonely hilltop in mute testimony to a bygone era.

  Drina shivered and turned away. “Where are we going?”

  “Smith has secured a location for us. It’s quiet and safe.”

  They drove past a work team on the side of the narrow road. To a man, the workers in hard hats and yellow vests stopped and stared as the caravan passed.

  “I guess it’s not as quiet as you supposed.” Drina’s discomfort added sarcasm to her tone.

  Bill leaned forward and said something to the man next to the driver, who lifted his cell phone and began to text. Bill eased back into his seat, his features calm, collected, as if nothing was amiss.

  But something was wrong. Drina felt as if she were walking on a bed of rocks, uneven and tricky. Nothing felt right...not from the moment she’d seen Cal’s defeated features and they’d ushered him into a van away from her.

  Perhaps she’d been on the run so long she’d forgotten how to relax. Or maybe her adventure had taught her to be cautious. She wasn’t sure. She only knew her senses were on full alert.

  They followed Cal’s van to the top of the hill. It pulled around to the back of a cluster of buildings, out of Drina’s sight. Her van stopped in the front. The door slid open. A man in a suit helped her down as Bill stepped out and took her arm, leading her inside the older building. It appeared to have been built in the fifties, with low windows and linoleum floors that had seen better days.

  Bill escorted her to a back room. Sunshine fell from a mud-streaked window onto a large, old-fashioned metal desk. A rotary phone rested next to a wide paper blotter that had yellowed with time.

  “Does that even work?” Drina asked, gesturing to the phone.

  “I doubt it. This place has been out of use for a long while. Would you like some coffee or water?” Bill asked as he eased into a chair behind the desk.

  She shook her head. “What are we doing here?”

  “We’re waiting for a signal. Smith hoped the men chasing after you might attempt to follow you onto the base with their fake IDs. The soldiers are waiting to see if any cars matching the description of your kidnappers’ vehicle arrives. Of course, we don’t want you anywhere near there if they do. You’ve had enough shock and trauma. Once Harris gives us the all-clear signal, we have a helicopter waiting. Your parents are worried sick. I promised them to get the three of you together as soon as possible.”

  “My parents? You contacted my parents?”

  “Of course, Drina. You’ve been missing for days now. We had to contact them.”

  His tone sounded so concerned, so solicitous. It should have warmed her. But it didn’t.

  “Is that your computer you’re clutching so tightly?”

  She nodded.

  “Set it down. Try to relax.”

  Biting her lower lip, she eased her bag onto the desk. The man behind her pushed a chair forward. The legs squeaked across the linoleum like fingernails on a chalkboard. The sound sharpened Drina’s senses, awakened something dead inside her. Two thoughts jumped into her mind.

  First, Bill had a helicopter at his disposal. Maybe like the one that had chased them through the wind farm?

  Second, Bill said the guards at the gate were waiting for vehicles that would match the description of the vehicles chasing them.

  But he never asked her for a description.

  Why? Because Bill already knew what the vehicles looked like?

  Cold washed through her. She started to tremble. Linking her fingers together, she gripped them to hold them still. Cal had been right all along. Bill was the boss.

  Ten

  Drina looked at the man she had called a friend and mentor. He was watching her with a direct, piercing gaze.

  “Is everything all right?”

  Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I think maybe shock is setting in. I think I would like a cup of coffee.”

  He gestured to the man behind her but didn’t move from his chair. She’d hoped he’d get up, leave her alone for a moment so she could gather her thoughts.

  She had to get away, out from beneath his all-too-knowing gaze. “I need to use the restroom. Is there a bathroom in this building?”

  He gestured to the door. “To the left. It’s at the end of the hall. We’ll have that coffee for you when you get back.”

  She stood on shaky legs and almost tripped as she moved from the office. An exit door framed the end of the hallway. An old-fashioned bathroom sign extended from the wall, marking the entrance. As she walked toward it, she glanced through the glass top of each office door, searching inside for someone...anyone. All she found were more abandoned desks.

  Where was Cal? Was he in a different building?

  By the time she reached the bathroom, her legs were so shaky she couldn’t stand. She opened the door, stumbled into the cold and fell against a row of dirty white sinks, holding herself up with sheer effort.

  The bathroom smelled old and so foul she gagged. Suddenly, she was gasping, heaving with full-blown panic. She needed air. Needed to breathe...and think...and find Cal.

  Above the stained sinks was a row of clouded windows, all closed and locked. Drina climbed on top of a sink to reach the latches. They were stuck tight with disuse and age, but she finally managed to pull one up and slide the window open. Leaning forward, she dragged the cold, crisp air into her lungs.

  After a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes...just in time to see Cal, his hands bound behind his back. Carter stood behind him, using the butt of a gun to shove Cal into the back of his black SUV.

  Drina gasped and almost cried out. Pressing her fingertips to her mouth, she stifled her cries as Carter hit the back of Cal’s bowed head. He slumped over the back passenger seat. Carter shoved the rest of his body into the vehicle, slammed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Then he sped off, leaving a trail of gravel and dust.

  Hot tears spurted from Drina’s eyes and flowed over her hands, still pressed tightly to her lips. She slid off the sink and collapsed to the floor.

  All the pieces suddenly fit together. Bill’s piercing gaze as he studied her, wondering if she suspected. His calm, calculated tone. He lied so easily. Fooled her so completely...for years.

  Bill was the leader Cal had been so earnestly trying to expose. From the beginning he’d suspected Bill and worked to keep Drina safe from him. Now she had betrayed the man who had saved her life time and again, handed him over to a man who would kill him at his first opportunity.

  Drina sobbed into her hands, trying to stifle her cries from her captors. There was nothing she could do. She was trapped as completely as Cal. She couldn’t help him any more than she could help herself. Bill had no intention of sending her home. She doubted she would even leave the base alive now that he had her computer.

  Fresh tears racked her body and she shook with fear. She’d been such a fool, so very, very wrong. Cal had been right...about everything.

  Please, Lord, forgive me.

  Her thoughts came to a stumbling halt.

  Had she just prayed?

  Of course she had. And it wasn’t the first time. Memories of prayers tumbled through her mind. When she’d waited for Cal on the hill, she’d prayed the quad would start. At the cabin, she’d prayed that Cal would be waiting for her by the vehicles when she emerged from the snow-filled gully. Those were just a few of the times she’d silently turned to God. Now that she realized it, she could remember countless other times when she had unconsciously sought God’s comfort and help. Not just in the desperate times since her kidnapping but for years.

  Cal had been wrong about one thing. He’d told her faith was a lot like falling in love. Make a conscious choice and l
et it happen. Once your mind makes the choice, your heart will follow.

  But in her case, her heart had made the choice a long time ago. Her mind and stubborn will just refused to follow.

  Well, that time was over.

  Biting her lower lip, she closed her eyes and whispered, “Lord, please help me. I’ve been so wrong about You, about trusting my own judgment over Yours. I know I was wrong, but please, please, don’t let Cal suffer for my mistakes. Help me find a way to help him. I don’t care what happens to me, just don’t let him die. He deserves more. Please, Lord...”

  Her whispered words broke into sobs and she sagged against the gritty, filthy floor. She felt as dirty as the broken tiles.

  * * *

  Cal opened his eyes slowly. Sharp, shooting pain made him close them again. He heard a voice growling into a phone.

  Carter.

  “I don’t care what you say. This whole thing has fallen apart and Norwood killed my partner. No way am I gonna let him live...and he’s gonna suffer before he dies.”

  The harsh, strident rumble of another voice sounded clearly over the phone.

  “Yeah, well, you go ahead and take off without me. I’ll find my own way out of here.”

  Cal opened his eyes just in time to see Carter throw his phone across the front seat. The car swerved around a sharp corner and Cal rolled onto the back of his head. He bit back a groan as he touched the spot where Carter hit him.

  Although, why should he bother to control his response? It was over. He’d lost. Everything he feared had come to pass and he was about to die. Drina had betrayed him. She didn’t trust him. She’d turned her back on her fledgling faith and placed her trust in a man who wanted to kill her—would kill her—and there was nothing Cal could do to stop it.

  From the sounds of it, Carlisle had his helicopter waiting. He’d spirit Drina to someplace where no one would ever find her, and when Carlisle was finished with her, she’d disappear. Just like what was about to happen to him.

  The vehicle swerved again. Cal rolled forward and used the movement to test the handcuffs on his wrists. Tight. Painfully tight. Sticky moisture indicated he might have cut himself on the zip tie edge of one wrist.