Bad Nights (13 page)

Pausing at the cave mouth, Morgan stepped carefully over the vine, then hurried inside. When she saw Jack, she dragged in a breath and let it out before starting to speak.

“Thank God you're up. I saw them.”

He'd expected more time; now he began revising his timetable as he craned his neck toward the trees beyond the clearing. “I don't see anything.”

“They're still in the woods. He must have a couple of search parties out. Two men are coming this way.”

“They may not find the cave,” he said, knowing that was a long shot. And either way, they had to be prepared, starting with removing the evidence that they'd been here.

“Come on.” He ran back to the place where they'd camped out and scooped up the sleeping bag and one of the packs, looking around for more signs that someone had been here recently.

She stuffed the wrapper from a power bar into her pack and slung it over her shoulder.

Jack led her to the back of the cave, stopping to shove the sleeping bag into the crevice where he'd dropped the bandages the evening before. It was too bulky to go down easily, but he finally succeeded in cramming it through the wider part of the opening. Once freed, it dropped out of sight.

“Remember that natural chimney I found yesterday? I want you to take one of the packs and start climbing.”

“What about you?” she asked, her voice rising slightly as she looked from him to the cave entrance and back again.

“I'll come after you as soon as I take care of them.”

“Where does that thing go?”

“I'm not sure. It was too dark to see last night, but wherever it is, it's better than being caught in here.”

She looked back toward the cave entrance. “There are two of them and only one of you.”

He gave her a cocky grin. “One of me is better than two of them.”

They had to hurry, but he spared a moment to pull Morgan into his arms and hold her tightly against the length of his body. She clung to him just as fiercely. He'd surprised himself by the impulse to gather her close, but it had felt entirely natural, like something fundamental had changed between them. Last night they'd been skittish around each other. Not now.

“It's going to be okay,” he said.

“Be careful,” she answered.

“You too. Now go on. There will be light coming down the shaft.”

As he watched her run to the back of the cave, he thought about the change between them. Not just his feelings for her. Today they were working as a team, maybe because that was the only way to stay alive, he told himself.

***

Morgan headed farther back into the cave, following the light coming down from above. When she reached the natural chimney, she hesitated. The idea of leaving Jack alone to face the militiamen made her stomach knot, but she knew he had to keep his total focus on them, and if she were still in the cave, his attention would be divided between them and her.

Knowing that climbing up the shaft was the best course, she tucked her gun into the waistband of her jeans and inspected the vertical tunnel. Craning her head up, she saw hand- and footholds that Jack had probably used to climb, but she was shorter than he was, and it was too much of a stretch to reach them. Standing on tiptoes, she fought to pull herself up. It was no good. She simply couldn't reach high enough.

Panic welled inside her. Now what? She could run farther back into the cave, but then Jack would have no idea where she'd gone.

Then she saw the rocks that had fallen onto the cave floor. The largest one was too big to carry, but she was able to roll it back and set it on the floor under the natural chimney. By standing on it, she could reach the first handhold. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled herself up, then braced her back and legs against opposite walls of the shaft, waiting a moment to catch her breath before she began to climb.

Finally, she started upward, knowing she was behind schedule and listening for any sound of trouble from below. She kept climbing, reaching for handholds, then pulling herself up and bracing her feet in the holes she'd previously used for her hands. The light grew brighter as she ascended. It was hard work for someone her size, but she kept going because she knew it was her only alternative.

Looking up blinded her with a shaft of sunlight, and she kept her head down. But she still missed a foothold, and she slipped, fighting not to cry out as she fell a couple of feet before she caught herself.

She'd torn the skin on her fingers, but she was sure she hadn't given herself away.

After catching her breath, she began to move upward again, this time being more cautious. When she reached the top, she stopped and allowed herself to rest again.

She'd done it!

Cautiously she poked her head out and saw that she was on a rock-scattered ledge above the front of the cliff. The view of the ground was blocked, and she carefully maneuvered herself around a boulder to look down. When she saw two militiamen approaching the cave entrance, she quickly ducked back down, hearing as they talked indistinctly.

They were out early. Presumably to capture or kill her and Jack.

She'd only caught a glimpse of them coming through the field, but she was pretty sure she recognized them as some of the men who had gathered around her burning house the day before. Both were young men in their mid-twenties, she judged. Both seemed wary of approaching the natural barrier of the rock wall.

As they came closer, she could hear their voices drifting toward her.

“This looks like a dead end. We can go back and report to Trainer.”

The other man made a scoffing sound. “Come on! He doesn't want to hear we didn't find them. Could they have climbed up?”

There was a pause before the first voice answered, “Doubtful. Unless those vines are strong enough to hold them.”

“But there could be caves.”

“Okay, we'll poke around.”

The sound of their footfalls told her they were moving along the wall the way Jack had done the day before, probably using their hands instead of a stick.

***

Jack waited several yards back in the cave. He was in shadow. The men out there were in the sunlight, which would make it difficult to see him.

As he stood with his pulse pounding, he listened to them talking. It was Jessup and Hamilton. Jessup thought they should turn back and contact the rest of the militia force. Hamilton wanted to investigate the cliff face. Too bad for them.

“Wait a second. There's something here,” Hamilton called out.

Jack braced himself, waiting.

“Be careful. They could be in there. Or an animal.”

They disappeared from his line of sight. Then Hamilton moved in front of the cave mouth, sweeping his left hand along the vines while he held a pistol in his right.

Hamilton moved in closer, his leg brushing against the vine that Jack had strung across the ground in front of the cave.

The rocks he'd positioned above the entrance fell, raining down around Hamilton and knocking him to the ground, but Jessup was too far back to get caught.

Knowing that he had to act before Jessup collected his wits, Jack raised his gun and fired, the report reverberating painfully in the confined space. But the light behind Jessup made it hard to see the man clearly, and Jack only got him in the arm, which wasn't enough to stop him.

Jessup fired, completely missing his target. But Jack got off a second round. This time it hit the man in the chest, and he dropped.

Jack rushed forward and checked Jessup. Blood spread across the front of his uniform shirt, darkening the camouflage pattern. The bullet had penetrated his heart and killed him. Moving on to Hamilton, Jack found the man stirring. Not wanting to risk another shot, he brought the butt of his gun down hard on the militiaman's head.

Then he pulled both men into the cave. The shots were unfortunate. They'd bring the rest of the militia running. The question was, where were they now and how fast could they get here?

***

Shane stopped in his tracks. “Shots.”

Max nodded. “Coming from that direction.” He pointed ahead of them.

In the next moment they heard one of the militia guys shouting, “Over this way!”

“Where are Jessup and Hamilton?” someone else called out.

“Maybe they're down.”

“Hope that son of a bitch, Barnes, didn't get them.”

Max and Shane exchanged glances. Barnes was the alias Jack had used when he'd approached Trainer. So he
was
on the loose.

Shane and Max followed the men, hanging back so as not to be spotted but staying close enough to keep tabs on the group.

They both heard men running through the underbrush. Ahead of them they saw a wall of rock.

“This is sure following Cunningham's directions. I mean staying out of the action,” Max muttered.

“Yeah, but if Jack is in trouble, we're jumping in.”

They saw the men close in on the wall of rock, fanning out, moving cautiously closer. Some stood back with their guns at the ready while others looked for something behind the vegetation that covered much of the surface.

The men were too close to see what Shane saw, a woman peeking out from behind a rock about thirty feet above ground level.

Her hair was blond. Her eyes were light, and she matched the picture of Professor Rains that they'd seen on the George Mason University Web page, only she looked like she'd been sleeping rough rather than getting prepped for a publicity photo.

Jack dragged the two bodies farther back into the cave, around the bend where they couldn't be spotted from the entrance.

Then he ran farther back and found the shaft where he had climbed up the evening before. Craning his neck up, he looked for Morgan and didn't see her.

He'd told her to go up there, but had she been able to make it?

When he saw that the large rock on the cave floor had been pushed to the bottom of the shaft, he breathed out a small sigh. She must have had trouble reaching the first handhold and used the rock to give herself a little extra height.

Tucking his gun into the waistband of his jeans, he began to climb. Below him he heard footsteps in the cave, then shouts.

“It's Hamilton and Jessup.”

“Jesus Christ, what happened to them?”

“Looks like they ran into Barnes and the woman.”

“There's no evidence anyone was here.”

“Except these two dead men. Go farther back. On the double.” The order came from Trainer.

The men must have hesitated, because the militia leader barked, “I mean now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jack had become a sitting duck. If anyone looked up the natural chimney, they'd see him. He climbed faster, straining his ankle. He ignored the pain, knowing he had to get out of the shaft before anyone thought to consider it as an escape route.

He made it to the top and saw Morgan breathe out a sigh as he threw himself onto the ground beside her. Moments later he heard a voice from below again. She reached for his hand, her fingers clamping on his. Although he squeezed back reassuringly, he had no idea what was going to happen next.

Below them men were talking.

“The cave goes back for a long way. With low narrow tunnels. You could get lost back there easy.”

“There's some kind of vertical passageway.”

“They could have gotten out that way.” The speaker was Trainer. “Preston, you climb up there and see.”

“And if he's up there?”

“Shoot him.”

“He's in a better position to shoot me than I am to shoot him,” the troop protested.

The militia leader's voice turned dangerous. “Are you refusing a direct order?”

“No, sir.”

The kid was right, of course. Well, not about getting shot. The minute he got to the top, Jack was going to kick him in the face and send him tumbling back down the shaft, hopefully onto Trainer's head. Nobody down there would be sure he hadn't lost his grip on the rock walls and fallen. Which would give them more time to get away. But to where exactly?

He moved his mouth to Morgan's ear. In a barely audible whisper, he said, “Did you have a chance to check this place? Did you see a way out?”

She shook her head, then edged to the side of the ledge and looked over. When she gasped, he tensed.

“There are more guys down there. Maybe they're coming up here.”

His chest tightened, until he lifted his head and followed her gaze. It was Shane and Max.

“My partners,” he whispered, thankful and a little surprised that they had come. He hadn't expected it, since he'd known Cunningham didn't want any ties from the man known as Jack Barnes to Rockfort Security—or to himself.

He stood and waved to them and saw them zero in on him. But he had to duck back down when his attention was drawn from the shaft. The sound of heavy breathing told him that Preston was almost at their level.

Seconds later, the top of the man's head appeared.

Jack lunged for him, shoving him backward, into the shaft. He lost his grip on the rock and went hurtling down, landing on the stone below with a sickening thud.

“Christ!” someone gasped.

“Is he dead?”

“Did he fall?”

“I think he was pushed.” The comment came from Trainer.

As he listened to the voices from below, Jack eased himself up again and waved his arm at Shane and Max, letting them know he was okay.

They gave him grins and A-OK signs before their faces sobered again. They all knew Jack and Morgan weren't out of the woods yet.

From below Jack still heard men talking, but he couldn't make out much through the babble of voices.

***

Wade looked at the man sprawled on the cave floor. Preston was one of his most loyal recruits. He was holding perfectly still, breathing hard.

Wade came down beside him. “What hurts, son?”

“Everything,” he answered in a barely audible voice.

“Did you see Barnes up there?”

Preston didn't answer. He'd passed out, but he was moaning.

Wade looked at his gray face. Could he spare men to get him back to the medics at camp? He ruthlessly weighed the pros and cons and decided they'd have to deal with him as best they could here.

He asked for the medical kit he'd brought and gave the man a shot of morphine. It was the best he could do at the moment.

But what had happened to him, exactly? He could have fallen, or that bastard Barnes could have been up there and pushed him back. There was no way to know.

“We've got to find out what's happening up there,” he said. This time he looked at Graves. “Go out to the front of the cave. You can get far enough away to see what's happening up there.”

“Yes, sir.”

Graves started toward the cave mouth. Before he could step into the sunlight, a shot rang out, and he jumped back.

Was Barnes already on the ground? And opening fire on the cave mouth?

How was that possible? Or was Barnes still above them and someone else was on the ground?

***

From his high perch, Jack heard a shot ring out. Looking toward his buddies, he saw that Shane had drawn his sidearm and fired toward the mouth of the cave. One of the troops must have tried to come out, and he'd given them a clue that it was a suicidal idea.

The men inside returned fire, but Shane had already joined Max behind a screen of boulders. They'd pinned down the guys inside, but there were more militia in the cave than there were Rockfort Security agents outside. Eventually the troops would break through. And the shaft was still a problem. Someone else could come up that way.

Looking around, Jack saw several boulders. “We have to block this exit,” he told Morgan.

She followed his gaze and nodded uncertainly. “Can we move them?”

When he heard noises in the chimney again, he said, “We have to, or they'll keep coming.”

He heaved at the closest boulder, bracing his legs and straining his upper body with the effort, but he barely moved the large chunk of rock.

Morgan joined him, and they both pushed, again having little effect.

Knowing that a person's leg muscles were stronger than his arm muscles, Jack turned around and braced his back against the rock wall behind him. Planting his feet against the boulder, he pushed with every ounce of determination he possessed, feeling the wounds on his thighs burn and his ankle protest.

Morgan sat beside him, imitating his maneuver. As they both shoved with their legs, the boulder teetered, then moved a few inches. Breathing hard and putting out a massive effort, they kept pushing, and it finally settled with a clunk into place over the chimney.

Someone below let out a loud curse. Jack would have cheered if he'd had the breath to spare.

With the top of the chimney blocked, the voices inside were less distinct now, but he knew they were angry that they couldn't get at him from that angle now.

He looked along the narrow strip where they were precariously perched. “Let's hope Shane and Max can keep them inside while we get down,” he muttered.

He moved along the ledge, with Morgan following. Before they tried to climb down, they'd have to get farther from the cave entrance to avoid getting shot by the men inside.

As if to confirm his assessment, a barrage of bullets came from the interior, and Max and Shane returned fire. Jack hoped they had enough ammo to keep the militiamen inside until he and Morgan could get to safety.

He led her along the ledge, keeping one ear trained toward the mouth of the cave. The ledge got narrower, and he was starting to think that they might have to go back and try the other direction. But finally he came to a place where there were something like natural steps leading to the ground. Or perhaps someone had carved them long ago in the side of the cliff to give access to the ledge.

He pointed. “This way.”

Morgan nodded.

He went first, making sure all the steps were solid. Still, there were several big gaps where he had to turn and help her.

When they came to a particularly long drop, he eased himself down, then held out his arms to Morgan, bracing himself against the side wall of the stairway.

“I can't make that.”

“Yes, you can.”

When she finally jumped into his arms, he held her for a long moment before turning back to the descent. As they made it to the ground, his relief was palpable, but he knew they weren't home free yet.

“I'm going to join Shane and Max.”

“I'm coming too.”

He might have said it was too dangerous, but it could be just as dangerous to leave her here. If someone got to the mouth of the cave and spotted her, they'd have too good a shot.

“Okay.” He led her farther to the right along the cliff, stopping when he judged they were far enough from the cave.

“I don't like it, but we've got to cross the field and get into the trees. Then we can head back to the rocks they're using for cover.”

She nodded

“I'll go first. If nobody fires at me, then you follow.”

She looked torn.

“Wait for my signal.”

He dragged in several breaths of air and let them out, then dashed across the open space, half-expecting bullets to pound into his back. But he made it safely, then gestured to Morgan.

She started her wild dash, and he stood with his heart pounding until she'd reached the shelter of the woods.

He gave her a considering look. “I don't suppose you'll stay here.”

“I'm going with you.”

With a firm nod, he started off, circling around toward the rocks where he could see Shane and Max pinning the militiamen down.

“Duck low.”

They did, but Trainer must have spotted them because another barrage of shots rang out just before they threw themselves behind the barrier.

“You okay?” Max asked.

“I've been better.”

Shane turned to Morgan. “And you're Morgan Rains?”

“How do you know?”

“We researched the owner of the burned house. Sorry we're meeting under these circumstances. I'm Shane Gallagher.”

“Max Lyon. We're Jack's partners at Rockfort Security.”

“I'm glad you're here,” she answered. “How did you know where to find us?”

“We went to your place first, where we found the militia guys heading out,” Shane answered. “We followed them. Then we followed the sound of gunfire.”

“I assume they were trying to smoke you out of the house,” Max said.

“Yes,” Morgan answered. “When they realized Jack was in there with me.”

“Sorry about the house,” Max said.

“Better it than us.”

Shane made a rough sound. “I'm thinking that we can give the bastards a dose of their own medicine.”

“Like how?” Jack asked.

When Shane leaned forward and told the others what he had in mind, Jack laughed. “Poetic justice.”

“I want you two to start back toward Morgan's house. We're in better shape to do this part,” Shane said.

“The hell you say,” Jack protested.

Shane gave him a sharp look. “Don't play hero. Get the hell out of here. You can get to my Cherokee. It's down the road from the house. Drive closer, and we'll join you as soon as we can.”

Jack nodded. He hated to admit it, but he knew he'd slow them down if they all left together.

Shane handed him a set of car keys. “We'll be there as soon as we can.”

Jack looked at Morgan. “Let's go. This time, we belly crawl across the field. At least until we get out of range.”

They started off, making their slow way toward the woods and avoiding drawing fire.