Hunted Love Box Set: Big Game, Bounty, Captured (29 page)

Jakob wanted to slam into the door of the truck and tear it down and get them out. Logic insisted the move would be a waste of valuable energy, so he refrained. Instead, he concentrated on figuring out how they might manage to escape when they got wherever they were going.

At the front of the cargo box, Kate and Rita had found a light somehow, and worked on Falon with the limited resources they had. They'd managed to pack and bind his wound, high in his chest. Bastard needed medical care, but Jakob doubted they were on the way to an ER.

Nothing to do but wait. He dropped to sit with his back against the wall, and considered their options. Kellen's men had confiscated their weapons, so he'd have to come up with something else.

The little light up front revealed nothing, only bright enough to help someone not trip over cargo. He stood and walked around, kicking at uneven spots in the plywood floor, and the two-by-fours supporting the sidewalls. Huh. On the opposite, back near the door, he found half a dozen two-by-four sections fastened to the floor.

He almost gave up after the first three turned out to be screwed down securely. But the fourth one wiggled a little. He gave it a solid tug and it cracked a little, but still didn't really move. A quick inspection revealed only one screw holding it down near one end. He went to the other end and pried it up enough to get his fingers under. After a little work, it came loose with a splintering sound as the screw tore from the plywood floor.

Armed, he felt much better about their situation. A four foot board with a screw sticking out two inches from the end could turn into a lethal weapon in the right hands. And his hands would have no problem making that transition. He sat back down to wait. Kellen would get a shock when he opened that cargo door.

Kate came to sit by him, leaving Rita with Falon. "You doing okay?" Concern echoed through her soft voice.

"I'm good." He slipped his arm around her and drew her close. "Don't worry, Kate. I'll find a way to get us out of this."

She put her head on his shoulder. "I know. When we get wherever they're taking us, I want you to take the chance and get away. If Kellen gets his hands on you, you won't be able to help us afterward. And Falon isn't going to be able to run for a while. I'll stay with Rita and him. You run so you can bring the police or something."

Reluctantly, he admitted she was right. Kellen had a hate-on for him the size of Texas, and fully intended to give him a world of hurt. He'd be no good to Kate and the others beaten half to death in a basement somewhere.

So he sat and waited. Kate dozed a little on his shoulder and Rita talked quietly to Falon, keeping him settled. The truck swayed and rolled, reminding him of a ship at sea. They must be on a highway. After an initial series of turns and sometimes curves, they'd been on a long stretch at a steady speed and no sharp curves.

Probably three, maybe four, hours after they'd been shoved into the truck, it slowed into a long turn with a stop at the end. An exit from the Interstate? The truck turned left and stayed fairly slow, with frequent stops and starts, like traffic lights in a long series. Finally they were moving again, but the truck swayed far more and hit several potholes. They must have gone onto a smaller road, probably a rural two-lane.

Another turn took them onto a bone-jarring road, probably a gravel lane or something similar. Maybe they were close to their destination.

Jakob stood and stretched, wanting to be ready to move when the time came. He wouldn't get far or do much damage if he was too stiff from sitting. The truck took an abrupt turn and came to a stop.

"Kate, go up with Rita and help with Falon. As soon as you're there, shut that light off. It'll give us a slight advantage." He crouched next to the door to wait.

The light went off and plunged them into absolute dark, leaving him with only the memory of his position in relation to the door as a guide. The truck shut off and a door slammed while a motorcycle passed nearby. At least two other bikes stopped and shut off not far from the rear of the truck. Snatches of unintelligible conversation came to him for a moment, then faded away. He continued to wait. And wait.

"Alright, Trip, we're ready. Open it up."

"Yeah, boss." The door rattled and the latch squealed, then a thin strip of light appeared at floor level.

Jakob tensed, weapon ready, and prepared to attack whoever happened to be between him and freedom.

The door came up a little more, enough to reveal that darkness was falling, then stopped abruptly. Someone cursed and said something. "Yeah, man, I know. The damn track is bent. Rental place should be ashamed. Soccer mom wouldn't have a chance at opening it." The door shook hard and went on up.

As soon as it was high enough for him to clear, Jakob went through it, with his boot in the face of the guy working to get it open. The guy went down and Jakob swung the two-by-four against the skull of the nearest standing opponent. The board landed with a sickening crunch and the guy dropped.

A third man waited, ready with a wicked looking knife. With no other enemies in sight, Jakob took the risk of losing his weapon and slashed across the man's forearm with the protruding screw. The man screamed and dropped his knife. Jakob paused a tenth of a second to scoop it up, too, and ran like hell for the clump of outbuildings off to his left.

All around him, shouts and curses rang out as the alarm spread. He sprinted behind a small shed hoping to lose himself in the near darkness beyond. Those bastards better not hurt Kate because of him. If they did, he would… Wait. The position of that shed against the board fence seemed oddly familiar.

He moved along the fence in the heavy shadows and found the gap from the missing board, right where it should be, and ducked through. His feet found the old path, memorized from hundreds of late-night forays as a kid.

Now why the hell had Kellen brought him back to Uncle Frank's place? Surely the criminal wasn't stupid enough to give anyone the home court advantage. The guy didn't get elected President of the Brothers of Sin by making moves like that. He'd have to figure that part out later.

Jakob counted on the deepest shadows around the buildings to conceal him from the Hell Raiders. He had to take his time, careful to avoid any potential traps that might lay along the old trails. If Kellen had taken time to explore the place, he could have easily stumbled onto any part of the network of footpaths and animal trails Jakob had used as a kid to navigate around the place on long summer nights.

Finally, he reached the old cellar near the now mostly dead orchard. Before Uncle Frank's time, that cellar had stored the bulk of the apple harvest through the winter. Inquisitive twelve-year-old Jakob had discovered a second use for the cellar. In the back, behind a heavy shelf, a small door led into a second chamber.

The secret room had made a perfect place for kid to hide whatever treasures he wanted to keep to himself. On his last visit, Jakob hid a few other things there. A .45 semi-auto and ammo, a knife, change of clothes and some other survival gear. It became the last in a series of emergency caches he'd strewn across Uncle Frank's place. The old man thought he was a little touched in the head, since the house had weapons and gear running out the eaves, but he allowed it. Now, Jakob intended to take full advantage.

He armed himself and left everything else in place. Once out of the cellar, he took advantage of full darkness to cross to the hay barn. A ventilation door in the side provided quiet access and he found the undisturbed stash. He lifted the pallet where square baled hay was normally stacked and uncovered the lid of the buried metal box.

The rifle might come in handy, but what he really wanted was the night vision goggles. They would give him a huge advantage in the dark. He added a second knife to his belt and smeared grease paint over his face and hands to dull the shine of bare skin. Armed to his satisfaction, he put everything back, and climbed to loft.

The four foot square door in the front provided access for a conveyor to move the hay to the upper level. It also provided an excellent view of the house. Fortune smiled on him. The door had been left open, probably for Uncle Frank to sweep out the loose hay before putting the new crop up. Whatever the reason, it meant no squeaky hinges to worry with.

NVGs in place, he stayed back in the deeper shadows, and studied the house. Two armed men patrolled outside, and another guarded the door. Through the open curtains of the kitchen window, he spotted Kellen, engaged in what appeared to be a heated conversation with two other men. That made six accounted for, out of the fifteen bikes. Nine more to find. He needed to get to the other side of the house. Unless he missed his guess, he'd find at least one more sentry there on the door, and probably two more patrolling. Nine.

What about the high ground? Kellen should have someone on the roof. Jakob studied the sloped roof carefully and finally found the guy. Seated behind the old chimney, he'd have remained invisible if he hadn't stretched his leg out. So, maybe ten. Search as he might, he couldn't find the others from his current position. Time to move.

He left the barn by the other side, careful to avoid his previous route, just in case they'd managed to track him. Not like there was a shortage of hidden trails anyway. He sprinted the fifty feet to the corn crib and slipped under it to the hollowed out place where he'd played for hours as a kid. From the new vantage point, he spotted another outlaw stationed near their bikes. Eleven. There went the possibility of sabotage, at least until he dispatched that one.

He'd have to utterly incapacitate them in order to win this thing and get Kate and the others to safety. Or rely on stealth and attempt to rescue them without alerting Kellen and his men. Not very damn likely.

He pushed the moral side of his personality into a little box and locked it away. This was life or death and they had his woman. He could afford absolutely no mercy or conscience.

The well-house beckoned as his next destination. He belly-crawled from under the corn crib and stayed down for the short distance. Ten feet away, someone stepped around the well-house and stood facing it. Damn his luck. Guy had to take a leak right then. Might as well get started.

He rose and rushed forward, catching the guy mid-stream. A sharp wrench to the side resulted in a crunch as the man's neck broke. Jakob lowered the body gently, and moved on.

One by one, he either killed or incapacitated every Hell Raider he found. Finally, he was sure he'd taken care of the threat outside. Time to move inside. A quick trip around the house revealed Kate and the others in the front bedroom. Falon sat on the bed and Rita leaned over him, fussing with his wound. The livid mark on her face sent Jakob's blood pressure through the roof.

Kellen and another guy came into the room. "This is the last time I ask. Where did Barger go?"

Kate stood there before him, chin tilted in defiance. "I really don't know. I don't even know where we are. But I do know he's coming. And I know you're going to die."

Kellen stepped back and the man with him lashed out, the back of his hand connecting with Kate's jaw. The blow hardly rocked her, despite the blood that trickled from the corner of her mouth.

A red haze rolled over Jakob's vision, blurring everything but Kate. The bastard had hit her. Hard. Rage locked his muscles for a moment.

Kate looked at the man and smiled, blood smeared across her mouth. "That all you got?"

The man's face contorted with anger. "Bitch!" He drew a fist back.

Kellen stepped in. "Enough, Hack. I want her able to talk. Besides, she's getting married. Can't have her looking like a street ho." He looked back to Kate. "I'm sorry. My buddy here has a real bad temper. I have other business to attend. Are you sure you don't want to tell me where Barger is before I leave you to Hack's tender mercies?"

Damn, he had to move in, regardless of the others. He lifted the .45 and drew a bead on the one called Hack, since he seemed the most immediate threat at the moment. He squeezed the trigger just as the man grinned and winked at Kate. In the next instant, the bullet struck his chest and he took a step back and slumped to the floor, looking shocked.

The next bullet left the barrel as Kellen moved and missed its mark. Instead of his chest, it caught his upper arm. Just a flesh wound, but it made him back the hell up.

Kate nearly fainted when Jakob started shooting. At least, she hoped it was him. The man called Kellen dove out of the room and she took advantage of the chance to slam the door on him.

"Rita, come help me." A heavy chest-of-drawers sat only a few feet away. She threw her weight into it, and with Rita's assistance, managed to scoot it in front of the door as a barricade. It wouldn't keep out a determined invader, but it might give them a little time.

At the window, Jakob broke away the rest of the glass in the window. "Come on, we're going to have to make a run for it."

Kate and Rita helped Falon to the window, and out, then Rita slid through, and finally her turn. Her hands shook violently when she took Falon's arm to help support him. They were probably all in the same shape.

"Follow me, as close and quiet as possible. Falon, can you do it?"

"On your six, man, as long as it's not twenty miles." Falon's teeth flashed in the light spilling through the window. How could he joke at a time like this?

"Anything happens, give a low whistle if you can. Ready? Move out." This side to Jakob was something entirely new. Her easygoing cowboy was gone, replaced by a stranger who meant serious business.

Jakob crouched down and signaled them to stay low, then darted for an outbuilding several yards away. He motioned them to the left of the squat structure and as she rounded the corner, Kate caught a glimpse of a still body on the other side.

They rushed from one building to the next, pausing only seconds each time. Back at the house, men shouted in anger and made all sorts of threats. A motorcycle roared to life and a shot rang out. Silence fell, except for the fading roar of the bike.

"Barger, I will get you. No matter how long it takes, I will have your blood."

Jakob didn't take the bait, just directed them to the next hiding spot. He seemed really familiar with the place.

The noise at the house resumed as Jakob allowed them a couple of minutes to catch their breath before the long haul to the hulking barn a hundred yards away.

The glow of headlights in the distance caught Kate's attention. They turned and headed toward the house. A mixture of alarm and hope flooded her system. Maybe someone had heard the shots and come to investigate? She touched Jakob's shoulder and alerted him to the newcomer.

He lifted the bulky goggles he wore and watched the car's progress. It stopped in front of the house, and the glaring lights someone had turned on to search for them gave good illumination of the man who climbed from behind the wheel.

Alexander Blackwell.

Kate's heart pounded with fear and shock.

"What the hell is going on here?" Alexander's shout brought silence again.

Kellen stepped forward and the two argued.

Jakob signaled them forward to the barn. When they crouched in the deep shadows, Jacob spoke in a low voice. "There's maybe eight of them in good enough shape to search if they get organized. We're going to cut through pasture to avoid leaving a clear trail. We have to be low and quiet, and there will be cattle. All ready?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Move."

The electric fence they had to crawl under left a painful burn on Kate's lower back, and she thought it got Falon too, from the way he grunted. So far, he'd managed to keep up with them, despite his wound, surprisingly.

The short grass of the pasture concealed cow piles by the hundreds, impossible to avoid stepping in. Oh well. She'd had worse on her boots. A couple of drowsy cows lowed in question, but they managed to skirt the sleeping herd without causing a stampede.

When Kate thought she might collapse from the pain in her bad hip, brought on by the stress of the unfamiliar way of moving, they reached a tree line. She made it unscathed under the fence and stood, breathing hard, waiting for Rita and Falon to get under. With everyone safely within the trees, Jakob called another short halt.

"Okay, we're going down an old trail to a creek. Watch for fallen branches. Moon's out now, so there's enough light, but we have to be more careful. If it's still there, and not damaged, I have us a way out of here."

Kate's belly loosened with relief. They were going to make it.

Jakob led once more and she took her turn bringing up the rear. The trail Jakob used only barely existed, with underbrush encroaching and fallen branches every few steps. Staying quiet was next to impossible. Someone stepped on a branch and it snapped, deafening in the still night.

A shot rang out. "I got them!" The shout send ice water through her veins.

"Move." Jakob's low call sent them on a perilous sprint through the trees.

Another shot sounded and Kate heard the bullet impact a tree not far away. They were going to get caught.

But Jakob pushed them ruthlessly and the sound of running water soon covered the noise they created, as well as the commotion of the men searching for them in the forest.

Down a steep bank, she wrenched her bad leg and nearly fell, but righted herself at the last instant. They ran along the water's edge, the swift stream waiting to swallow anyone who fell in.

Jakob stopped again and climbed partway up the bank and prodded at something. He gave a satisfied grunt and a big pull brought him and a cascade of dirt out of the creek side. And a canoe.

"No time to be sure it's worthy. Climb in, we're out of here." He held the canoe at the creek's edge for them to get in. Rita found a pair of paddles in the bottom and pulled them out. Jakob gave the boat a shove and jumped in at the last second.

The current carried them almost to the other side before it propelled them downstream. Jakob used the paddles to steer them through a series of boulders, and suddenly, they reached calm water.

Jakob heaved a sigh. "We're not clear yet, but in a couple miles, we'll be in town. We can get help there."

A heavy tremor ran through Kate's body, leaving her cold and weak. She couldn't believe they'd managed to survive that. Alexander's presence said loud and clear that this whole thing came from him. All to get her land.

The rest of the trip to town went smoothly and Jakob tied up at a small dock. Falon was barely conscious and his wound had bled more, so Jakob had to lift him out of the canoe and onto solid ground. They managed the climb up the bank and reached a small park. Beyond, a sidewalk led into a small town.

"We have about a half-mile to go."

Falon leaned on Jakob heavily, and Kate and Rita supported each other, but they made it. At a twenty-four hour convenience store, Jakob directed them inside.

"Hey kid, call Chief Bellamy."

The young man behind the counter hustled to follow the order while Jakob lowered Falon to the floor.

"Better call the ambulance while you're at it."

Kate collapsed to the floor as well, and leaned back against the counter. "Is it over? Really over?" She felt like she'd been running for a hundred years.

Jakob sat at her side, but kept an eye on the door. "Yeah, I think it is."

Flashing blue lights nearly blinded her just outside the door. A fat, blustering cop pushed in, gun drawn and pointed directly at Jakob's head. "Barger. I should have known. You're under arrest."

Alarm raced along her nerve endings. "Wait! Sir, Jakob saved us."

Rita hurried to confirm. "Bikers kidnapped us. He rescued us."

"Who the hell are you?"

Kate took a deep breath and explained in detail.

Finally, understanding dawned on the cop's face. "That gang that rode through here early this evening."

"Yeah. Tom Kellen and the Hell Raiders. He's a felon and the rest probably are too." Jakob explained in more detail than Kate managed. "They might still be out at Uncle Frank's place."

The cop nodded. "I'll call the state boys in. We're not equipped to handle anything like that."

A rescue squad pulled, lights and siren blaring, and two uniformed medics raced in with a gurney. From there, everything turned into a blur.

The next thing Kate was really conscious of was the damn hospital gown annoying her while Jakob sat in a chair beside the bed they'd made her get into. "I hate hospitals."

He grinned. "I know, baby, but we're safe. A few minutes here won't hurt you."

She sighed. "I guess not."