by Lisa Harris
He tried to shove away the intense feeling of overprotection he felt toward Gwen as he forced himself to quicken his pace. While he hadn’t thought about the woman for years, today he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Or worrying about her for that matter.
But here he was, pushing his limits physically as he hurried up the steep mountain trail and praying he could find her in time.
His heart was pounding by the time he got to the top of the trail an hour and a half later. He checked his cell phone, even holding it up above his head, but there was still no reception. The trail at this point forked, with one branch following along the top of the canyon, and the other one heading west and eventually running into a road. Logic told him they’d headed for the road. He quickly drank from his water bottle, then reached into the side of his backpack for an energy bar. The effects of dehydration—muscle cramps, dizziness and nausea—weren’t something to play with, and he couldn’t afford to get sick, especially considering how the lack of sleep the night before had added to his fatigue. He studied the ground in front him at the junction. Something had happened here. One had veered off to the left while two had gone straight.
What had happened?
Had one of the captors left, or had Gwen managed to escape? He studied the footprints again. The single set of prints indicated a limp. Definitely Gwen. She’d attempted an escape. He hurried down the trail, then stopped when the three sets of footprints converged again. He squatted in the middle of the trail and studied the footprints again. Had they found her? He still wasn’t sure.
While his body wanted to rest after the long, rapid hike up the canyon, he pushed himself forward, ignoring the burning in his calves and the pressure against his chest as he followed the footprints.
Noise ahead of him caught his attention.
She was running just inside the tree line. But she wasn’t alone. One of the men who had grabbed her was running after her.
He had to get to her first.
SEVEN
Gwen stifled a scream as Caden pulled her behind the trunk of a thick tree. She faced him, adrenaline pumping through her, along with relief that he’d found her. He lifted a finger to his mouth, signaling for her to be quiet as he pulled her down to the ground.
“Stay down. Don’t move.”
She nodded, but she wanted to keep running, to scream—anything to stop the nightmare she’d been thrust into. This had become a game of cat and mouse, and she had no idea how to escape.
Instead, with her heart pounding, she followed his directions. She’d hoped Caden would come for her, but never thought he really would. And why should he? He didn’t owe her anything. It would have been just as easy for him to continue downriver on the raft and simply call the authorities and let them deal with everything that had happened. Instead, he’d not only backtracked up the canyon and found her, but he’d also more than likely just saved her life.
At least, that was what she was praying.
An eerie quiet surrounded them, except for the footsteps of the men stumbling through the thick brush twenty yards to their left. Still stalking. Still searching.
“We know you’re out there. There’s nowhere for you to go. Nowhere for you to run.”
Caden took her hand and squeezed her fingers, willing her, she knew, not to move. But she was certain they could hear her heart pounding as it pulsed in her ears. He was right. She’d tried running again once. At least if they stayed still there was no way for the men to see movement.
“Come on, Gwen. We’re getting tired of the game. Come out before I lose my patience.”
The muscles in her legs were cramping, but she still didn’t move. The only thing keeping her alive was the fact that they needed her. Without Aaron, she was their only access to the money. But how long could this go on? They’d shot Levi, and now Caden’s life was in danger, too. If someone died… No. They had to find a way to put an end to this.
With no other options, they waited in silence as the seconds ticked by and the men continued searching farther away from them in the dense trees.
“I think they’re gone.” Caden turned to her and brushed something off her face. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “They won’t stop looking for me. Not until they find me.”
“I need you to take a deep breath. I found you, Gwen. And you’re okay. Just take it slow. In…out.”
She felt ridiculous for falling apart on him. But she’d never had to run for her life. Never had someone take her at gunpoint and threaten to kill her. She drew in another breath and let it out slowly, trying to push back the panic mushrooming out of control.
“I’m usually more…composed than this,” she said.
“Like all the other times you’ve had a couple of thugs after you.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “So I’ve never had anyone shove me off a canyon wall, shoot at me or chase me through the woods before. Not until these guys.”
And she didn’t want it to happen again. Ever.
He rested both of his hands on her shoulders for a few seconds, forcing her to look up at him. She caught his gaze and realized she’d never noticed the blue-gray color of his eyes, or how they seemed to change color in the light. Or how they made something stir inside her. She took a step back. She was alive because of Caden O’Callaghan, but that didn’t mean she owed him anything.
Especially her heart.
She took another step. The unwelcome thoughts were ridiculous. Every time she’d seen Cammie over the past decade, she’d been reminded of the man who’d broken her best friend’s heart. She’d listened to stories of how he’d betrayed her. She’d imagined him turning out to be a self-absorbed jerk. But instead, there was no hint of the man she’d created in her mind. He was the one keeping her alive. And he’d risked his life to do it.
“Did they say where they were taking you?” he asked.
“No, but they’re after the money.”
“What money?”
She blew out a sharp breath. “Three hundred thousand dollars.”
“What?”
Her chest was heaving, her hands were shaking and she was having trouble thinking. She forced a slow breath. She had to take control of her emotions and calm down. It was the only way she was going to be able to function and get out of here.
She stared through the trees, thankful that the men were finally out of sight. “This isn’t about me or one of my cases.”
“Then what is it about?”
“My brother.”
She waited for his reaction—clearly, he would be as surprised as she’d been. “What are you talking about?”
He listened while she told him that they hadn’t been randomly targeted on the trail. That her brother had supposedly stolen money from a drug dealer during one of his arrests, and that was why the men had come after them. And it hadn’t been a small sum of money, either.
“Three hundred thousand dollars?” Caden lowered his voice. “Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I were. They had him, but he managed to escape.”
“And they needed leverage to get to him,” he said, “so they came after you.”
“Exactly.” She drew in another breath, determined to get her mind focused. “What next?”
He glanced at his phone. “We need to get phone coverage so we can call for help. It looks like they’re continuing to head east, but there is another dirt road to the north where we should be able to make a call and get ahold of the authorities.”
“How far?”
“We should get connection on the other side of that ridge ahead, where the terrain opens up a bit. But we’ll still need to stay out of sight.”
She nodded.
“Can you walk that far?”
She glanced down at her ankle. It was still swollen and sore, but she’d make it. She had to.
Something rustled behind them in the bushes. Gwen’s pulse quickened. She’d always been a vigilant hiker, watching out for animals and ensuring she kept her distance. She carried bear spray in case of an encounter with a black bear or a mountain lion, even though those encounters were unlikely. This, though, was different. Every noise, every rustling in the trees, was a potential threat because there was someone out there who wanted to find her. Someone who was likely planning to kill her as soon as they got what they wanted, because she’d seen their faces and knew too much.
“Did you learn anything about the men?” Caden asked.
She forced herself to keep moving. “King’s about six inches taller and definitely the one in charge. He seems far more reckless than the other one, Sawyer.”
“He’s young.”
“And he’s more sympathetic. Like he’s not sure he really wants to be involved in this. King, on the other hand…” She paused. “I don’t think he’ll hesitate to actually pull the trigger.”
“He’s done it once.”
Gwen nodded. “Sawyer seems to have limits to what he’s willing to do to get the money. He was angry both at the fact King had shot a man, and at King’s recklessness.”
“All of that helps.”
“Good, but I, for one, have no desire to run into them again.” She checked her cell again, thankful that the terrain was comparatively level at the top of the canyon, but there was still no signal. “How much farther?”
“I’m hoping half a mile at the most.”
She stopped for a moment and pressed her hands against her thighs, trying to catch her breath.
“You need to eat and drink something,” Caden said, pulling his water out of his backpack.
“No. We need to keep going.”
Every step forward was a step farther from the men after them.
“Drink some water, Gwen.”
She nodded finally, knowing he was right. She just felt so tired. But they were almost there…
I need You to protect us, God. Please. Get us out of here alive.
And Aaron… She gave Caden back the water, then took the protein bar he handed her and ripped off the wrapper. Her brother had always been the first one to take on a challenge and never turned down a dare. His job as a bounty hunter had ended up being a perfect fit. He had just the right balance of recklessness and common sense to keep him out of trouble for that profession.
Or at least that was what she’d thought. This time he’d crossed the line. And she wasn’t sure he was going to make it out alive.
“I wish I knew why he did what he did,” she said, shoving the wrapper inside her pocket. “Stolen cash—did he really think he wouldn’t get caught?”
“Most people either don’t think it through or, yeah, they don’t believe they’ll get caught. Selfishness blinds logic. He probably acted on impulse, spur of the moment, and then it was done and there was no turning back.”
“Never thinking about what that effect might be on other people.”
Like me.
Like Caden.
She tried to stuff down her anger, but it simmered in the background. There was no way to erase the damage his decision had caused. Instead, she finished the protein bar and stood up again.
“You’ve changed,” she said as they started walking again.
“Meaning?”
“I’m pretty sure the old Caden wouldn’t have come after me.”
“I would have. You just didn’t know me. Not like you think you did.”
She glanced up at him, puzzled by his response. But maybe she hadn’t really known him back then. Or maybe he’d just changed that much. She worked to keep up with him, determined to ignore the pain. But in the end, it really didn’t matter. Their conversation had suddenly turned into something far too personal, and that was a place she didn’t want to go.
Caden stayed beside her—he was worried about her ankle, while at the same time irritated at her belief that the old Caden wouldn’t have come after her. He’d meant what he said. She didn’t know him. Then or now. But the past really didn’t matter at this moment. There was too much at stake to let the past come between them.
He studied her face, thankful there was a bit more color in her cheeks, but that was mostly from the sun. She needed medical care. Needed to get off her foot. But unless they wanted to risk running into the men again, they needed to try and get as far away as possible.
“I don’t think we should walk along the road,” he said. “We’ll be too much like sitting ducks. But on the other hand, if we can get either a signal or a ride out of here, we’ll be able to finally get the authorities involved.”
He pulled out his phone.
“Anything?” she asked.
“I think I’ve got a bar.” He punched in 911 and prayed that the call would go through.
Something clicked.
“Hello?”
He held up his phone and kept walking.
The call went dead.
“The signal just still isn’t strong enough,” he said, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice. “We need to keep going.”
He bit back the sting of irritation as they continued walking along the edge of the road in silence, staying close enough for them to see any cars that might go by, and yet far enough to stay at least partially hidden. Because the longer they were out here, the longer they were going to be vulnerable.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“For what?”
“For projecting my anger toward my brother onto you. Of course you’ve changed. We’ve both changed.”
He frowned. He’d been happy keeping Cammie in the past, where she belonged. “Forget it.”
“You were right.”
Irritation resurfaced, but he wasn’t going to let Gwen pull him back to that place. The hum of a motor sounded in the distance, catching his attention. He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him.
“Should we flag them down?” she asked.
He pulled out his binoculars, moving until he could get a clear view of the driver coming toward them. “It’s a guy. In the car alone.”
Gwen’s fingers gripped his arm. “You’re sure he’s alone?”
“There’s no sign of the men who took you. I think we need to risk it. You can’t keep walking, and we’ve got to get some help.”
Decision made, Caden moved out into the road and flagged down the car.
The midsized sedan came to a stop and the driver rolled down his window. “Can I help you?”
“It’s a long story, but we ran into a bit of trouble and could really use a lift out of here. At least to where there are signals for our phones so we can call the police.”
The man studied the two of them for another long moment. “Of course. Hop in the back. I’m headed back to my cabin, but there’s a campsite a couple miles up the road. You should be able to get cell reception there.”
“Thanks. We appreciate it.”
He didn’t blame the man for hesitating. Considering everything that had happened over the past two days, he knew they probably looked more like escaped convicts than day hikers. He opened the door and held it for Gwen to climb in, then slid in next to her.
“Thank you so much,” Gwen said. “We appreciate the help.”
“No problem.”
“Are you from around here?” Caden asked.
“Just up for a couple days. I get tired of the city and enjoy a day or two out hiking.”
“It’s stunning out here.”
An awkward pause followed. He’d never been good at small talk, or really interested in it for that matter. But there was something about the man that concerned him. Whatever was going on, the mountains didn’t seem to have relaxed him. Plus, it seemed strange that the man wasn’t curious about what kind of trouble they’d
encountered.
“Are you hiking alone?” Caden asked.
“Yeah.”
“I do a lot of solo hikes around here,” Caden said. “At least once a year.”
He studied the man’s fingers gripping the steering wheel. The subtle scent of perfume lingered in the vehicle. Someone else had been in this car with him. Something was wrong.
“Like I said, we ran into some trouble this time,” Caden said, deciding to feel him out. “Had a couple guys come after us with guns…”
“I’m sorry.”
Caden’s frown deepened. Why didn’t he seem more surprised? It was as if—as if he already knew. Like he’d run into some trouble himself.
“The men are still out there.” Gwen gave him a funny look, but Caden continued, “That’s why we’re trying to get cell reception. We need to get ahold of the authorities.”
The man still didn’t say anything.
Caden decided to press on with his theory. “You saw them, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Two men. Both armed. Probably wearing masks.”
“I’ve been out hiking and—”
“They took someone, didn’t they?” Caden leaned forward. “Your girlfriend…your wife.”
The man slammed on the brakes. “Stop. Please. They’re going to kill her.”
“Tell me what happened. We don’t have a lot of time, but I might be able to help.”
“Help? How can you help? They took my wife at gunpoint. Told me to find a woman matching your description,” he said, nodding at Gwen. “I was supposed to bring her back to them, or they’d kill my wife. I’m sorry… I didn’t… I don’t know what to do.”
Gwen’s fingers squeezed Caden’s hand.
“What’s your name?” Caden asked.
The man hesitated. “Neil.”
“Neil, do you have a phone?”
“No. They took my phone. Told me if I spoke with anyone they’d kill her. What am I supposed to do?”
“Exactly what they told you to,” Gwen said. “Drop me off, and I’ll make the exchange.”
“Why would you do that?” Neil asked.