EIGHT
Gage shook off the daze. Dragged in a ragged breath. I’m alive.
He let that fact sink in as he stared through his cracked windshield at the dark forest, partially illuminated by the headlights. They had surprisingly remained on despite the crash. Stiff, he released the seat belt and pain stabbed across his chest. The seat belt restraining him had both bruised him and saved his life.
The airbags had deployed this time due to the frontal impact when he’d collided with the other driver. But he’d gone through a second collision. A huge tree branch pierced the passenger-side door.
Oh, God...
If Sadie had been there...
He couldn’t even think about it. The rest of the vehicle’s damage he couldn’t see in the dark. He twisted slightly and from where he sat, it looked like the vehicle’s back end had struck a tree.
That could have been a deadly impact. But Gage had survived. He doubted his SUV had fared as well as Gage, though he’d feel it tomorrow.
He hung his head, taking it all in. Thank You for protecting me, God.
The other vehicle had flipped a few times. Had its occupants survived? Gage tried to open his door but it wouldn’t budge. The frame had buckled. He climbed over into the back, squeezing through the crushed metal and kicked that door opened. The hinges squeaked and it fell off and tumbled to the ground.
Gage carefully stepped from his SUV, noting it was precariously twisted against the tree. His gut tensed and his knees shook. But he didn’t have time to comprehend the wreck—to some degree, he’d asked for it when he’d battled the pursuer, but he’d had no choice but to battle or surrender to certain death.
Now...he had to finish this once and for all. He moved around to the passenger side, fighting the devastating image that came to mind had Sadie remained with him, and dug around the floorboard for his phone. His fingers touched something—his cell!—and he urged it closer and snatched it up.
Pulling his firearm out from his shoulder holster, he held it at temple index ready—muzzle up at the side of his head. With his free hand, he used his cell to call for backup and emergency services as he approached the other vehicle, which had rolled several times and now rested upside down. Fortunately, the headlights continued to shine, as well, and would warn approaching vehicles there’d been a wreck. Good thing this wasn’t a frequently traveled road, but on the other hand, a busier road could have prevented their pursuer’s bold attack in the first place.
He might take time to place additional warning markers, but he needed to check on the driver of the other vehicle, which had stopped rolling smack in the middle of the highway.
It could have gone right off the edge.
God, please let them still be alive. Apprehending whoever had attacked them tonight could end this or at least give them answers that would lead them to Karon’s murderer and Sadie’s abductor. Funny how his main mission and purpose for this investigation was to find out what the two incidents had to do with his maritime drug runners investigation but all he could think about was protecting Sadie.
Headlights from other vehicles on the road appeared a couple of miles out. They’d be here in under a minute. He didn’t want to get into a gun battle on the road. Someone else could get hurt. He hoped Sadie had remained at the boulder like he’d instructed her so she would be safe—he’d go back to get her when this was over, but he didn’t want her anywhere near this scene and so close to whoever wanted her dead.
Lowering his firearm to low ready, he carefully crept toward the vehicle, uncertain what he would find. An assailant waiting to shoot him down in the street? An injured person or a body?
He hoped he’d find only one person and that person wouldn’t be too injured for Gage to assist him out. He wanted information and he wanted it now. Who had abducted Sadie and was still trying to kill her—and now Gage too—and why? Who had killed Karon? He shoved down the fury and focused.
From this side, he couldn’t see anyone in the vehicle. He continued around to the other side. Other cars approached and slowed. There was no way they could make their way around this mess until the authorities arrived to clear it. Bracing himself, he crouched low to peer inside, his heart pounding.
And found the driver’s seat empty.
As well as the passenger’s side. He crouched lower and looked in the back.
That meant their assailant had escaped. The airbags had deployed so maybe his or her injuries weren’t severe.
Sadie...
Now his advice to her to remain hidden at the rock didn’t seem like such a great idea. Gage wanted to kick himself.
God, please...please keep her hidden and safe!
He gauged the distance back to that rock. Was she still there and hiding? He needed to go find her. But he also needed to remain at the scene of the accident. There was no way her assailant knew he’d dropped her off back there.
No way.
Still.
Gage made his decision. Sadie was his priority. He hiked up the road, leaving behind the wreck and a line of cars.
Emergency sirens blared, growing louder. Good. They could take care of the mess, though they would wonder about the two empty vehicles. But his goal was to find Sadie to make sure she was safe.
I never should have left her!
He’d had no choice. He’d keep reminding himself. He had to leave her somewhere safe.
But in leaving her, he had also put her at risk. He jogged up the incline. Would she see him and head toward him? As he grew closer to the rock, a sense of dread engulfed him.
It was quiet. Too quiet. He would have expected to hear her say something by now. Admittedly, he loved the way she said his name. Come on, Sadie, let me hear you say my name. Or if he didn’t hear her voice, he would expect to at least see her athletic form appear, her hair shining in the moonlight.
Gasping for breath after his rush up the hill, he reached the rock. Marched around it.
She wasn’t there.
“Sadie! Where are you?”
Nor was she on the road heading toward the crash.
His heart dropped to his gut. Gage positioned his weapon, used a flashlight and searched for the sign of a struggle.
But saw none. Obviously something had happened, but what?
Jesus, please don’t let her be in trouble. Please, help me to help her! “Sadie!”
A Washington State Trooper vehicle pulled up next to him, shining bright lights. The troopers jumped out and pointed their weapons at him. “Put your weapon down!”
Oh, no, no, no, this wasn’t how this was supposed to go.
But Gage was no fool to argue with them. He did exactly as he was told and set the gun on the ground. “I’m Special Agent Sessions with CGIS. I called for backup. Please allow me to show you my badge.”
The officers approached, but kept their weapons at the ready. Gage handed over his credentials. “We don’t have much time here. I’m looking for the woman who was with me and also our attacker. The SUV driver. He escaped. I need your help.”
Gage hated taking the time to explain everything that had happened, but once he obtained the officers’ full cooperation, that would mean more people searching. That was for the best. Wasn’t it? He’d forget about the time lost. Now that a host of law enforcement and emergency workers had arrived, the light traffic on this lone highway had begun to move again.
“You don’t think she ended up down there, do you?” The older trooper shined his flashlight over the edge.
Gage’s gut tensed. “I hope not. I don’t even want to think like that. Let’s search the woods. If she’d felt threatened, she would have run to the woods to hide.”
“Why not toward the accident and where she could find you?”
“Maybe she wanted to, but she couldn’t.”
The troopers agreed, and they all headed towa
rd the dark woods of Olympic National Forest—the beauty of moss and twisted vines would be lost on them in the dark. Through trees, flashlights beamed and voices called.
And the entire time he tried to hold onto hope that she was still alive, the truth burned a hole in his heart. He’d failed what had quickly become his primary mission—keeping Sadie safe.
Oh, God, I’ve lost her...
* * *
Branches whipped her face and she stumbled on gnarly roots and slipped on moss in the temperate rain forest. Olympic National Forest—she never dreamed she’d be running for her life through such a beautiful place. If she survived this, could she ever enjoy the forest again?
Gasping for breath, she refocused on one thing: getting away.
Have to keep going. Have to keep running.
Literally fleeing for her life, she relied solely on the moon, which barely filtered through the dense canopy, if at all, to guide her way. She headed west and tried to remain parallel to the highway until she could turn and run into the road where the accident had happened. All those emergency vehicles that were sure to have arrived along with the law enforcement could keep her safe.
Except she had the feeling that she’d gotten lost, despite her efforts to remain oriented. She’d trekked north and should have intersected the road by now, but it wasn’t there. She couldn’t see the emergency lights through the thick woods. Couldn’t hear the sirens or law enforcement voices. Had she gotten disoriented, after all?
A panicked whimper threatened to escape.
Gage, where are you?
When she’d heard the sound of metal crunching, the clash of two vehicles as the two SUVs collided and bounced off one another—one of them flipping and the other skidding into the woods, she’d feared the worst. What if Gage had been killed? People had died in less-dramatic accidents.
All she could think about was Gage. Getting to Gage. How could she wait for him when she had no idea if he would even come? He could be injured or dying without her help. She could search for the cell phone in the wreckage and finally make that call for help.
Without a second thought, she’d left the hiding place behind the rock to go check on the accident and see if he was injured.
Sadie had plodded along the shoulder, praying and trying to shove back the tears so she could be strong and do what needed to be done. That’s when she’d heard the grunts of a man half limping and half jogging up the road.
At first she’d thought it was Gage coming for her, but right before she called out and exposed herself, the moonlight had revealed that it wasn’t him at all. It was someone else.
Was it just a random stranger—a vagrant hiking the road?
She doubted it. Realization had taken much too long to dawn when it finally hit her this could be the man after her—he’d crawled out of his wrecked vehicle and was now trying to escape Gage...or did he actually know where she’d hidden? No. That couldn’t have been it.
But if she didn’t find a place to hide, he would walk right into her because he headed straight for her. Had he seen her yet? But if she moved, he was sure to see her then before his path intersected where she stood.
She’d had two choices. The woods across the road, the Olympic National Forest, or the rocky cliff just beyond the boulder where she’d hidden.
Right. There had been only one choice. She’d taken off into the woods. She’d planned to make her way around back to the wreck so she could check on Gage and also call for help.
But the man had seen her.
He’d followed her into the woods! That had left no doubt who he was. What an idiot she’d been. Still, life hadn’t given her any good choices.
As she continued running and dragging in enough breath to keep up with her frantic heart, the man had been closing in on her. She could not believe how fast a limping man could move, but he’d kept up with her and even gained ground, and now sheer terror kept her running without a clue which direction she went.
She should have found the road by now. Should see something or somebody who could help. Now what was she going to do?
Pausing next to a tree, she leaned over and sucked in a breath. Sweat coated her back and ran down her face, even in the cool night. She peered behind her. The sound of branches snapping and bushes being trampled met her ears. A large animal would have made less noise.
What do I do? I don’t know what else to do. I can’t keep running...
If Gage had survived that wreck, then he would find her. She had to believe he’d survived.
Just get away. Get as far away as you can.
She stumbled forward and hit the ground hard. Pain shot up her knees. Her breaths came hard and fast. She’d made too much noise. She scooted over to a large gnarly tree to hide. Waited and listened.
Crunch...crunch, crunch...crunch, crunch.
The limping man.
“I know you’re there.” The man’s breathing rasped.
Sadie kept silent. He wanted to taunt her so she’d give herself away. She wouldn’t take the bait. But her breathing was far too loud. She held her breath, but her lungs burned, screaming for more oxygen.
The crunching, limping footfalls drew nearer to the gnarly tree.
Her heart pounded. She couldn’t control her panic. Palms sweating, she felt around for something with which to defend herself. But...nothing. There was nothing. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed her head against the tree back and willed herself to be invisible.
He was close, so close. She could hear him. Feel him. The hackles on her neck raised.
God, please let me be invisible. Please don’t let him find me in here.
Her heart pounded so hard, so loud in her ears, she was sure the man could hear it in the quiet forest.
Then, she heard his breathing. Had she imagined his hot breath against her cheek, causing her hair to tickle her face? If she waited one more second, he would grab her, he was that close.
Sadie had to make a run for it. Again, life gave her no choices.
Shoving from the tree, she pushed off to make a mad dash, but pain rippled over her head when he caught her by the hair and jerked her back against him. He wrapped his arms around her and pinned hers against her, so she couldn’t fight or hit him. But she could kick and scream—and she gave it all she had.
Screamed as loud as she could.
“Who are you? What do you want from me?”
He whispered into her ear, “Everything.”
Shouts came from somewhere in the woods—which direction, she wasn’t even sure anymore. Didn’t care.
“Over here!” she screamed.
He shoved her onto the ground, smashing her face into the forest floor of ferns and moss. “I will kill you here and now if you do that again.”
He could have killed her then had her head hit that rock.
Hope surged.
A rock!
She reached for it. Wrapped her fingers around it, hoping it wasn’t half buried in the dirt. The man hefted her up to carry her off. Sadie twisted around and slammed the rock into his temple. He dropped her. Stumbled forward. She didn’t wait around for him to recover and ran toward the voices. “Help! I’m over here!”
More voices resounded. Flashlights beamed. Sadie ran toward them. Relief fueled her every step. All she had to do was find them before he grabbed her again. This time he likely would kill her.
“Hey!” Someone shouted from much too close. Strong arms pulled her around and against a hard chest.
Oh, no! He caught her again! “Help!”
She fought to get free, but he grabbed her wrists and held them tight. “Sadie, it’s me. It’s me!”
It finally registered that the familiar, handsome face, and the comforting voice, belonged to Gage. Only his face appeared haggard, and his voice had sounded distraught.
She released a
long sigh and practically collapsed against him.
“Gage. Oh, Gage...”
He hugged her to him. Wrapped his arms around her. “I thought I’d lost you—” his voice cracked “—I thought I’d lost you,” he said, softer then. “I’m so sorry.”
“And I thought you’d been hurt in the wreck, or even killed. I couldn’t know.” A sob broke free. “I had to go check on you and then he came after me. He’s back there. The man...someone should go after him.”
Releasing her, Gage held her at arm’s length. “What happened?”
“He tried to take me. I hit him in the head. You’d better hurry if you’re going to get him. He has a limp—maybe he was injured in the wreck—but it doesn’t slow him down that much.”
The search party approached. Gage explained their attacker was in the woods and had a limp. Deputies and a few troopers took off into the woods. They’d likely call in park rangers on the manhunt, as well.
“Let’s get you home.” Gage moved to carry her in his arms. “Though I’m not entirely sure where that is.”
“No, it’s okay. I can walk.” But Sadie wished she hadn’t said the words. What would it feel like for Gage Sessions to carry her in his strong arms? Against his broad chest? She’d be so close to his face and would rest her head against his shoulder, safe and secure. It would feel entirely too good. And that’s why she absolutely had to extricate herself from his proximity.
But later. Much later. She could at least walk as close to him as possible. After the close call on both their lives, she would soak up the comfort he offered. They were friends, after all, and could handle this. Still, something in her heart had shifted toward him about the time he pulled her from the ocean. The guy was her hero. In fact, considering he’d saved her life, she might even consider him on par with superheroes. But she couldn’t let herself fall into the hero-worship trap—fall in love—like Gwen Stacy with Spiderman.
That didn’t end well.
NINE
He tugged her close and guided her through the woods and down an incline, shining the flashlight to light their way. He wished she would have let him carry her. He’d wanted to feel her fully in his arms again. To know that Sadie was safe and sound. He couldn’t afford to let himself process through the emotions racing across his heart, but neither could he ignore them.
Thread of Revenge Page 8