Love Inspired Suspense December 2013 Bundle: Christmas Cover-Up\Force of Nature\Yuletide Jeopardy\Wilderness Peril (64 page)

They needed much more than their coats and a protein bar to survive this. The weather could turn seriously ugly without any notice. And even if the weather cooperated, it could still take days to get out of this gorge and back to Tanaken.

Days.

Rick let that sink in. He didn't know if they could last that long.

Finally, he allowed himself to drop next to Shay and sit against the log. Eye level with the fire, he felt the warmth more now, or maybe that was the heat emanating from Shay. He felt her presence keenly but kept his thoughts focused on their problems. Rubbing his temples, he realized he was letting too much of his apprehension show. Fortunately, Shay didn't seem to notice, but stared into the fire. In his peripheral vision, he saw the flames flickering across her face, highlighting the same exhaustion he felt.

Add to everything, he still hadn't found the gun. He needed that gun. He could think of too many situations where that gun would come in handy, not even counting for protection. It wouldn't do much against a Kodiak bear or an Alaskan grizzly, but it was something.

The blaze crackled and sizzled, and just for a moment, Rick allowed himself to rest and let the flames entrance him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Shay yawn. His gaze drifted over to her, cataloging all her contradictions. If he saw her on the street, he'd never guess her chosen career and that she'd been hailed one of the best. She was of medium build, athletic and strong, but her face, her mannerisms and her actions, now that he'd gotten to know her a little better, were decidedly feminine—something she hid from them all back at the Deep Horizon hangar. There she'd never let down her guard or let anyone see her vulnerabilities.

A situation like this could strip away a person's well-crafted barriers. Rick himself was feeling like a battering ram was pounding against the walls of his heart. Not just where Shay was concerned, but for his brother, too. He couldn't stand to think that his brother might be dead, but if he had somehow survived, where was he? Was he held captive at the mining camp? Had he been beaten or harmed?

Rick's gut churned at the thought.

He shoved to his feet, startling Shay. “I'm going to look for the gun.”

She frowned.

“You'll be fine. I'm just over there. It couldn't have fallen far.”

“What about the noise we heard earlier? You never said what you thought it might be.” Her eyes glowed in the firelight and she chewed on her bottom lip, looking so nervous that he wanted to reach out and comfort her. Another time and another place. If Rick were a different person.

Rick looked away. Why did he have to start thinking about her like this?

“I didn't say, because I don't know.”
But that was just one reason why I need to find the gun.

He knew his answer didn't sound convincing, but he honestly didn't have a better one. He truly didn't know what they'd heard. For a moment, he'd even thought he'd heard voices, but it could have been anything at all echoing through the gorge. If they hadn't just escaped being killed, he might have called out to see if anyone answered. Making it back to Tanaken without running into anyone who might try to kill them was his priority.

He slid her one last glance, then trudged away from the firelight.

“Please hurry,” she said under her breath, so low she probably didn't think he'd heard.

I promise...
He bit the words back. What was he doing thinking of making promises?

Rick eyed the cliff side. The moon had shifted and wasn't illuminating much at the moment. Worst case, he'd have to wait until the sun shed some light in the gorge. But even if he didn't find it until then, he at least had to start looking now. Making his way to the Jeep only a few yards from Shay, he stayed hidden in the brush but watched her, searching the area for any signs of danger. He needed that weapon.

In an ever-widening spiral, he searched the ground. After half an hour, he wanted to give up. His gun had been resting on the seat between the two of them in the Jeep. It could easily have fallen out of the vehicle with them when they'd jumped.

And in that case, he should have looked near where they'd fallen. Rick raked a hand through his hair, feeling like the idiot that he was. But it wouldn't do them any good to think like that.

Maybe it had fallen next to the door on the passenger side and was wrapped in that tangle of metal. What hope did he have of retrieving it if it was? And if he found it there, it probably wouldn't be intact and functional.

He ran a hand over his scruffy jaw. He had to try. He couldn't just sit by the fire and do nothing. If he sat down again, he might not get up for hours, and one of those feelings was all over him again, telling him they had to get moving.

For all he knew, those murderers would come back to hide the Jeep. Hide the evidence. Hide the bodies. Why hadn't he considered that sooner?

Time was shorter than he'd thought.

Back at the Jeep, the door light was still shining. Batteries usually died when you needed them the most, so he wasn't counting on it working much longer, but at least he had it for now. Rick would be thankful for small things. He climbed back into the ravaged vehicle and tried not to think about what their bodies would have looked like if they'd been trapped inside. The passenger side was all scrunched up against the driver's side, but he thrust his hand through an opening in the mangle and twist of the door, window, frame and seat. He felt around but couldn't make out much. Would he even know the gun's metal when he felt it?

Yes.

He'd feel the custom tactical grip glove he'd put on it. He'd thought it would give him more control. As if it were only the weapon he needed more control over. He needed control over much more than that. Tugging his hand free, he released a pent-up breath. He'd opened the door so he and Shay could slip out.

Please don't let that gun be at the top of the cliff where they'd fallen.

This was a hopeless search without sunlight, and he'd already left Shay too long.

A scream broke through the night.

Rick jumped, slamming his head against the too-low crushed ceiling. His pulse rocketing, he slipped from the Jeep. Though a mountain lion's scream supposedly sounded like a woman, he didn't think that was a mountain lion. He bolted toward Shay.

Through the brush, he saw the silhouette of a man with a submachine gun standing over her.

Instinct kicked in.

Knife in hand, Rick crept through the reeds and bushes with as much stealth as possible. Quietly, he closed the distance between the Jeep and their rudimentary camp. The guy was big, and Rick would get one shot at this.

Just one.

“Where is the other one?” The man jabbed the muzzle of his weapon at Shay.

Rick had the same question but in reference to a different man. Where was the other one of the killers? He scanned the perimeter.

“He's dead,” she said.

The man jabbed her with his weapon. Rick couldn't stand there and let him kill her. Blinding rage exploded in Rick's veins. That, coupled with the element of surprise, would give him the chance he needed. He charged into the circle of firelight and knocked the automatic weapon from the man's grip. Before he could react, Rick drove him to the ground.

He pressed the blade of the buck knife to the man's throat. “Shay, grab the weapon.”

The whites of the assailant's eyes shone with fear.

“Who are you? Why did you try to kill us?” Something about this man gnawed at his thoughts.

When the guy didn't speak, Rick pressed the knife against the flesh of his neck until it drew blood. “I'll ask you one more time. Who are you? Why are you after us?”

Then it hit him. This wasn't one of the two in the truck.

“Rick,” Shay said, her voice tenuous, trembling.

He ignored her. She would try to talk him down.

“Rick!” This time, the blood-curdling demand in her tone let him know he'd better pay attention.

He hoped she was holding the weapon as he'd asked. Pressing the knife deeper into the man's throat—a simple, clear warning that he'd better not flinch—Rick turned his face halfway, keeping his focus split between the two of them.

Another man pointed a gun at her head.

SEVEN

T
he gun's muzzle bearing down on her temple, Shay fought to see straight, dizziness sweeping over her.

From the moment he'd turned his head, Rick had appeared frozen in time, standing over the man, the knife still pressing against the guy's throat. Rick locked eyes with her and the cold fear she saw in them nearly did her in.

He'd been a marine, for crying out loud. Didn't he have a plan? Was there anything he couldn't do? Blood roaring in her head, she practically screamed at him with her eyes to act.

Though his expression had turned to icy steel, she detected the answer in the slight movement of his head. Not yet. He wouldn't make his move yet, and wanted her to play along.

Her knees quivered, but she dared not allow them to buckle. One wrong move could be the end of them both. The metal dug painfully into her temple, though she refused to cower. But a small grunt under her breath gave her fear away.

Slowly, Rick removed the knife from the man's throat and spread his hands out, his nonthreatening position letting them know he would submit. But he hadn't relinquished the knife when the man he'd threatened punched him in the gut. Rick's strong core apparently kept him from buckling as expected, so the guy went for Rick's face.

Rick sidestepped him and, with one split-second glance at Shay letting her know that now was the moment, he shoved his fist in the guy's face. Shay took her chance to make her own moves against her distracted attacker. She tried to kick him, but he was faster.

His arm wrapped around her throat.

Shay gasped for air.

The man fired a warning shot into the ground near where Rick struggled with the other one. A terror-filled screamed raced up her throat, but she caught and stifled it. Couldn't show her fear.

She might be pathetic and weak, but she wouldn't let them know. Shay had enough practice at acting tougher than she felt, but she'd never faced anything like this before.

“I'll say this just one time.” The man's raspy voice, directed at Rick, buzzed against her ear. “If you cause any trouble, the woman dies.”

Shay just wanted a chance to escape. A chance to live. At some point, this man would let his guard down and then she would have her chance. But that moment wasn't now.

Knocked on his back, Rick lay there, holding his hands up in surrender again—only this time, he meant it. Seeing him in that position crushed her insides, leaving her breathless. He'd tried, she'd give him that. But what could he do when she'd been used to bring about his compliance? Bitterness flooded her mouth.

If Shay hadn't been there, Rick might have gained his freedom quickly. He might have found his brother already.

Rick rose slowly to his feet while the other guy wiped his bloody nose on the sleeve of his camouflage down parka.

“What do you want with us?” Rick asked.

The man standing over Rick grabbed his automatic weapon. “You ask too many questions.”

Questions. Was that why they'd been pursued? Because they'd asked about Aiden?

Shay wondered if that meant the men would kill her and Rick and make sure they were dead this time. Though she couldn't read Rick's hard expression, she didn't think he would go down without a fight. Neither would she. But wouldn't they already be dead if that was all these men had intended?

“First your buddies try to kill us by running us off the road,” Rick said. “Then—”

“You hear that, Joey? Somebody tried to kill them.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“That means—”

“I said shut up. It means nothing.”

“Kemp needs to—”

Joey stood in the man's face. “Shut. Your. Trap. We've got a job to do. So we do it. Let Kemp decide the rest.”

Shay shared a glance with Rick. So this had to do with the man whose plane they had come to repossess after all. But where did the mining claim come into it?

“What job?” Rick asked.

“Shut up,” both men yelled at Rick.

Somebody tried to kill them....
What was going on?
Everything had happened so fast. Though she hadn't had long to see the men in the truck up close, she'd stared into the driver's eyes. Neither of the men possessed the same dark, sinister eyes of the driver who'd pushed them over.

The two sounded as if they were from Long Island or somewhere back East—not that same native Alaskan accent she'd heard from the truck's driver and passenger as the men discussed their demise only a few yards above them.

“Tie them up, then let's get moving,” Joey said.

Joey's partner grunted. “My hands are frozen already. We've been at this all day.”

“Then tie them up and stoke the fire. But we can't be here all night.” The man's gaze searched the darkness around them. Was he wondering about the other men who'd hunted Rick and Shay?

If only Rick had found his gun. Maybe things would be different at this moment. There were too many “if onlys” to think about.

Joey's partner pulled plastic ties from his coat pocket and forced Rick to put his hands together. He drew in a breath and worked his jaw while the guy bound his wrists.

Then he moved behind Rick and kicked his knees, forcing him to the ground again. “Sit.”

After Shay's wrists were bound, she dropped next to Rick by the fire and across from Joey, who examined the handgun he'd held to her head. Shay could hardly believe her eyes. Was that Rick's gun? The one he'd been looking for? She wanted desperately to know but knew better than to ask.

His partner threw some more fuel on the flames.

The fallen trunk at their backs, Rick shifted closer, his body a superficial protective barrier next to her. “Lean against me and get some rest,” he murmured under his breath.

“You should listen to him,” Joey said to her.

His words surprised her. If anything, she'd figured he might kick Rick and tell him to shut up. Why would their captors care if she got enough rest?

She was too tired to ponder it for long. She leaned her head against Rick's broad shoulder and took what comfort she could in his presence.

What had Rick's brother gotten them into?

* * *

Rick maintained his composure, calmed his breathing and thought about everything that had occurred. He could have ended this quickly if Shay hadn't accompanied him to fetch his brother and to fix the broken aircraft.

Having her here made him weak. These men knew that and used it to the fullest.

And his experience from the past made him weaker—he couldn't stand to be so helpless and impotent, unable to save someone.

That alone ripped at his confidence.

In an attempt to settle his mind, Rick tried to think of what vulnerabilities these men might have that he could exploit. Everyone had a weakness, including these two goons, who thought he and Shay would go willingly with them. If he could figure out what they were after, he might be able to use it as a bargaining chip. But why would they bother with them? Why hadn't they simply killed them? The answer had to be they needed them alive for some reason that only Kemp knew about—but Rick wouldn't push that point.

How did all of this connect with Aiden and the plane? Clearly they hadn't known all there was to know about Buster Kemp.

He studied the two men who sat across the fire loosely guarding their captives. So confident they were that Rick and Shay wouldn't escape or even attempt to try that they paid them a bare minimum of attention.

The one called Joey examined the nine-millimeter and the grip glove that Rick had installed. Where had the guy found it? And why had he taken it? Clearly he had no need of it, because he and his partner carried their own lethal weapons. Unfortunately, the sight of the submachine guns brought back unwanted images. Rick couldn't bear to hear those weapons go off.

Shay had hated seeing his gun. He hated seeing theirs.

It was just another reason why Rick had no intention of hiking anywhere with these two. Why go deeper into the wilderness, farther away from a likely rescue and into the outlaws' camp?

He could think of only one justification—Aiden. If there was a chance he was still alive, he had to be at the camp with those men. And if he was, then saving Shay
and
Aiden would become his task.

To do that, he'd have to be at the top of his game. Somehow Rick had to shove aside the doubts from the past that plagued him. Somehow he had to turn this around and get his advantage back. Rick squeezed his eyes closed, shutting out the firelight.

Those two idiots across the fire from him appeared too relaxed. Either that, or they were exhausted and they made the mistake of not hiding it well.

He could kick the flames into their eyes and Shay could make a run for it while he distracted them. And then what?

Face the Alaska bush on her own? He doubted she'd make it far before bullets riddled her back. Rick ground his molars.

He'd have to bide his time.

Finally, the gray light of an early Alaskan dawn colored the strip of sky visible from the gorge.

Joey sprung to his feet and started kicking dirt on the fire. “Time to go.”

Rick didn't much feel like cooperating, but he had to think of Shay and Aiden. Wrists bound, Rick maneuvered to his knees, then stood.

Shay shrank away when Joey tried to assist her to her feet. Rick seethed at the man for touching her, but he hid his distaste lest it cause Shay more harm. The guy might like to mess with her just to get at Rick.

Men could be animals. Rick had seen that for himself too many times.

Joey got in Rick's face and smirked. “Pretty impressive that you survived that fall.”

How did the guy know so much if he wasn't involved in the crash?

“Yeah, I know about that. It was my job to make sure you made it to the camp. But then I couldn't find you anywhere. Except I saw the fire from the road.” Joey held up a night-vision scope hanging from the strap on his weapon. “Saw the Jeep at the bottom of the gorge. Saw her. She was in the picture. So I knew you're the ones.”

Rick's heart hammered. Two men tried to prevent them from making the mining camp, and these men were abducting them to take them there.
Aiden, what have you done?

“What do you know about the men who tried to kill us? What is going on?” Rick steadied his voice. “What do you want with us?”

“I said too much as it is. My point is that I don't know how you survived, but I won't underestimate you. Since I know you're resourceful, I'm going to give it to you straight. We have a ways to go. If you try anything, she gets hurt in a thousand ways you can't even imagine.”

Rick wanted to wring his neck. He inched forward—
Hold it together.

Joey smirked again, satisfied that he'd achieved his goal of getting a rise out of Rick.
“And as an added bonus, if you try anything, you won't see your brother.”

Rick's pulse spiked at those last words.

“Aiden...” His breaths came too fast. “Where's my brother? Why are you holding him?”

Though he'd hoped against hope that Aiden was somewhere safe, his suspicions were now confirmed—these men had his brother. Hearing the man refer to his brother had been too much.

Joey pressed the tip of Rick's own gun into his chest. If Rick weren't bound, he'd quickly disarm the guy—didn't he know that? But it wasn't the gun that held Rick in place. It was Joey's leer and the threats he'd made that still rang in Rick's ears. “You'll find out soon enough. Just remember what I said. One wrong move on your part and you get to watch people you care about suffer because of you.”

Rick felt as if he were in the Middle East again, staked out in the desert. Shay was the stake used on one side and Aiden the one on the other.

Joey's partner strapped the automatic weapon across his broad chest and hiked from their crude camp. Joey motioned for Rick to follow, and then Shay. Joey would pull up the rear, ready to harm Shay using Rick's gun if necessary.

Surreal.

Before Rick did as he was told, he moved close to Shay and whispered, “Don't worry. It's going to be okay.”

He hoped she read in his eyes the words he couldn't say. How sorry he was about this, and that he had every intention of making a grand escape. That he needed her to hold it together, to play along for as long as needed. All things he couldn't say out loud.

To say that terror emanated from her wide eyes was an understatement, and yet she stood tall, held her head high. He was glad that Shay was a strong person, but as a woman she couldn't blend in and pretend she was one of the guys when they got to the camp. Would she be strong enough to face the challenges ahead? His need to protect her stirred to a new level.

In response to his optimistic words—unusual for him—she gave a subtle nod. She was with him.

He could only hope their shared resolve would be enough to get through whatever they were about to face.