Finding Forever (Smoky Mountain Lawmen Book 1) (20 page)

After
Gemma was sure she was a mile in she stopped and looked around.  She could hear
water close by and wandered to a small river running through the trees.  The
forest was still dense even here and she had no idea how the bastard was going
to find her.  Eager to get Caleb out of the madman’s clutches, Gemma decided to
help him along.  She lifted her face to the trees.  “Alright, you bastard!  I’m
here!  Now come out and let Caleb go!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Rustling
from behind her had her whirling.  A figure stepped from the trees about ten
yards away, a hand fisted in the back of Caleb’s t-shirt.  Gemma was shocked to
recognize the man as a member of her equine rescue league.  She’d had
encounters with the man, Derek Sutton, before and he had always been friendly. 
She never would have suspected him of the murders.

Shoving
aside her shock, Gemma ran toward the boy.  “Caleb!”

Sutton
lifted a pistol and aimed it at Caleb.  “That’s far enough, Ms. Mabley.”

Gemma
skidded to a halt and swallowed down her fear.  “Caleb, are you okay?”

“Wanna
go home, wanna go home, wanna go home,” he muttered rapidly in a small voice.

Gemma’s
heart broke for the little boy.  Any normal child would be scared out of his
mind in a situation like this.  Caleb, with his inability to cope with change,
had to be utterly terrified.  He was holding up remarkably well though for an
autistic child.  Rather than becoming hysterical in the face of stress his
brain had simply shut down.  Gemma was grateful.  If he had reacted violently,
she doubted Sutton would have bothered to keep him alive.  At the very least
he’d be unconscious.

“I’m
here now, Sutton.  You need to let him go.  Let him loose, call the authorities
and tell them where he is.  You can take me wherever you want so long as he’s
safe.”

Sutton
scoffed.  “And let the police track us from here?  I don’t think so.  I’ll turn
him loose when you’re dead and I’m long gone from here.”  He gestured for her
to come closer.  “We’re going to go for a short walk to where I’ve got things
stored for you.”

Gemma
walked closer. 

“You
go in front, so I can keep an eye on you,” Sutton said, watching her every
move.

Gemma
did as he asked.  She needed to find the right opportunity to try to take Caleb
and run, so she intended to cooperate as much as she could until the time was
right.  She walked deeper in to the trees.

“Turn
left,” Sutton directed. 

Gemma
did and about fifty yards in she saw a tiny clearing where an ATV sat parked
next to a tree, a duffel bag tied to the back. 

“Sit
down against that tree,” Sutton commanded.  Gemma complied and pulled Caleb
down with her.  He walked over to the bag and pulled out a length of rope. 

Sutton
threw the rope at Caleb’s feet.  “Tie her up, kid.”

Caleb
didn’t respond.  He simply sat next to Gemma and rocked, muttering that he
wanted to go home.  Sutton kicked the boy’s feet.  “Do it, kid!”  Caleb
whimpered and buried his head in his knees.

“Stop! 
Stop!” Gemma yelled.  “He’s autistic.  He’s not going to respond to you.  He’s
locked inside his mind now, because you’ve scared him to death by kidnapping
him.”

Sutton
growled.  “Fine.”  He knelt down and grabbed the rope, laying the gun aside.

Gemma’s
heart thudded in her chest.  Now was her chance.

Quick
as lightning, Gemma pulled the knife from her boot and lunged.  He saw her and
moved at the last second, so her aim wasn’t true, but she managed to stick the knife
into the left side of his chest near his shoulder instead of his neck as she’d
been aiming.  He bellowed and fell back as she rose and pulled the knife free.

Gemma
gave his pistol a swift kick and it went skittering into the undergrowth.  She
grabbed Caleb and hauled him to his feet.  “Come on, Caleb!  We have to run!” 
She took off into the trees, pulling Caleb behind her. 

She
wove a complicated path through the trees, doing her best to pay attention to
where she was, so she could circle back and head toward the car.  She ran as
fast as she could and still keep Caleb upright.  As it was his feet missed
every other step as he practically flew in the breeze behind her.

“Gemma!”

She
looked back at Sutton’s bellow.

“That
was a very bad idea, Gemma!”

No,
it was a fantastic idea, you sadistic bastard
, Gemma thought. 
She never thought she’d ever enjoy hurting someone, but she had gotten a strong
sense of satisfaction out of stabbing Derek Sutton.

Using
the sound of his continued bellowing, Gemma swung perpendicular to the man and
slowly started to go back toward the road.  She’d run generally north, but she
had veered east as well.  She needed to go back west some to come out near the
cruiser.

Then
she heard a noise that brought back all the fear.  The low growl of an ATV
engine echoed through the trees. 

Shit
!  She’d never be
able to outrun the ATV.  But with his wounded shoulder he wouldn’t be able to
shoot and drive.  He’d have to be right on top of them to get a shot off. 
Hoping she had confused him enough, Gemma took off straight north.  They
wouldn’t come out right on top of the car, but they’d be fairly close.

Ben
pulled up behind the cruiser.  The other cars that had followed Ben’s breakneck
speed up the mountain roads pulled up behind him.  People spilled out of the
other vehicles and swarmed around Tristan and Ben.  The plan was to fan out in
the direction of the wildlife preserve.  He had been praying the entire drive
up here that they weren’t too late.  Gemma had done a bang up job of trapping
the officers.  They had spent precious time trying to break through the door
before they had broken the window—Gemma had disabled the lock on it—and tumbled
out into the rose bushes lining the side of the house.  They had emerged
covered in scratches, their clothes in tatters, and furious, but otherwise unhurt
several minutes after Gemma had fled.  Ben was just thankful they had gone back
into the house to search for clues.  Knowing why she fled had helped them
figure out where she was headed once she left the cruiser.  They were at least
fifteen minutes behind her now though and they couldn’t go as fast as she had
likely traipsed through the woods if they were going to search adequately. 

Ben
looked over the crowd, determination to end this with Gemma and Caleb safe
settling into his bones.  “Everyone fan out!  Standard search distance.  Stay
alert.  Sutton’s likely armed and he won’t hesitate to shoot.”

The
search through the woods was indeed slow going.  Their efforts were hampered by
the fact that they didn’t dare call out and alert Sutton to their presence. 
Everyone was moving with the utmost care, trying to stay as silent as
possible. 

Ben
tried to keep his thoughts silent as well.  He couldn’t let himself dwell on
what could be.  The thought of life without Gemma was enough to bring him to
his knees if he let it linger in his head for more than a fleeting thought. 
Instead, he focused on maintaining correct search procedures and looking and
listening for anything out of the ordinary.  He drew on every ounce of Special
Forces training he’d had to aid him in the search.

So
intent on his surroundings, Ben started as the crack of a gun pierced the
silence.  Everyone halted waiting to hear more.  They were between a half and
three quarters of a mile from the road now and had been searching for nearly a
half hour.  Tristan’s voice whispered across the radio strapped to Ben’s belt.

“To
the southeast?” came the crackly barely there voice.

Ben
looked to his right and caught Tristan’s eye.  He nodded and brought the radio
to his mouth.  “Everyone move toward the sound of the shot.  Quietly,” he said
just loud enough to be heard over the radio static.  “And be ready.”

He
hooked the radio back to his belt and moved more swiftly toward the area the shot
had come from, eyes and ears peeled for Sutton. 

Where
is the sonofabitch?
 
Ben had to force his muscles to unclench the further he went.  Tensing up would
just make him miss if he got the chance to take a shot at the bastard.  And if
Sutton gave him even the slightest reason to shoot Ben intended to take it.  He
had no qualms about shooting the man.  Not after all he’d done and especially
not after he took Gemma and Caleb hostage.

Ben
heard the ATV before he saw it.  Its throaty growl was headed toward the search
party.  He motioned those closest to him to get behind some cover.

The
radio crackled to life.  “Agent Davidson, this is Deputy Maxwell.  I have Ms.
Mabley and the boy.  They’re safe.”

Relief
crashed over Ben, nearly bringing him to the ground.  He allowed it to flow
through him for a moment before he steeled himself, a new determination to
bring down Sutton settling into him.  There were no boundaries now.  Nothing
for Sutton to hide behind.  It ended now.

“Get
back to the vehicles with them, but try to keep quiet until I give the all
clear.  We don’t want him to find you if he happens to slip through our net,”
Ben said into the radio.

“Copy.”

He
barely had time to put away the radio before the ATV came into view.  Sutton
drove single-mindedly in the direction where Ben knew Maxwell had been
searching. 

“Gemma! 
I know you’re out there.  I saw you!  Damn you, bitch!  When I catch you you’re
going to regret stabbing me.”

Ben’s
mouth quirked up. 
That’s my girl
.

He
motioned to Tristan that it was go time and stepped out from behind the tree. 
“Sutton!  It’s over!  Lower your weapon and step off the ATV!”

Sutton
jerked at the sound of Ben’s voice.  He regained his composure quickly though
and fired several shots toward those advancing on him.  Ben barely ducked
before he was leveling his weapon and firing on Sutton along with the deputies
within range.

Several
shots hit the man’s torso and he toppled off the ATV, which then came to a rest
against a tree a few feet away.  Ben advanced quickly, kicking Sutton’s gun
away from where it had fallen when he had hit the ground.  He checked for a
pulse, but knew from looking at the wounds peppering Sutton’s chest that there
wouldn’t be one. 

“He’s
dead,” Ben said rising.

“Agent
Davidson!” 

Ben
turned.  One of the deputies was beckoning him over and reaching for his
radio.  “Detective Mabley’s been hit.”

Gemma
sat on the bumper of one of the sheriff’s cruisers.  Caleb was settled inside
one of the ambulances resting now—the crew had sedated him because he had
started to panic.  One of the EMTs wandered over and thrust a water bottle at
her.  They had wanted to put her in the ambulance too and check her over, but
she had refused.  Other than being tired from her run through the woods and
some scratches from tree branches she was fine.

Her
brother on the other hand—she had no idea.  She had heard the call come in over
Jake’s radio as they made their way back to the road.  He had had to
practically drag her the remaining distance to the rescue crews because she tried
running back to the scene to get to Tristan.  They had passed one of the
ambulance crews and Gemma had heard the ATVs engine growing closer, presumably
to pick up one of the paramedics and bring him or her to the scene more
quickly.

Now,
she just had to sit here and wait for them to emerge from the forest and pray
that Tristan was okay.

She
stared and stared at the trees, willing the group to come out, Tristan walking
on his own and laughing over how terrible a shot Sutton was.  She bit her lip,
forcing the tears to stay at bay.  There was no way she was going to break down
now.  Tristan was a fighter and he was going to be fine. 

She
wished Ben was here.  She could really use some of his strength right about
now.

Ben
broke through tree cover and quickly picked Gemma out of the crowd.  She sat on
one of the cruisers.  When she saw him she stood and ran to him.  He met her
half way and scooped her into his arms. 

Gemma
sobbed against his chest and Ben just tightened his arms, eternally grateful to
have her safe.  He planted soft kisses on her hair and stroked her back until
she calmed down enough to look at him through teary eyes.

He
bent down and kissed her hard, once.  “I’m so glad you’re alright,” he said,
emotion causing his voice to rasp.

She
hugged him tight again.  “I love you,” she said.

“I
love you too, honey.”

Pulling
back once more she looked up at him.  “How’s Tristan?”

Ben
drew in a deep breath, buying time on how to word what he wanted to say.  “He’s
alive.”

Gemma
paled.  “Okay.  How bad is it?”

Ben
clenched and unclenched his teeth, trying not to think about all the blood that
had been covering Tristan and the ground beneath him.  “The bullet struck his
neck just above his shoulder.  He was bleeding heavily and unconscious when I
got to him.  He’s in good hands now with the paramedics.  I ran back here as
soon as they arrived because I needed to see you.”  He cupped the back of her
head, holding her steady, emotion making his hands tremble slightly.  “To make
sure you really were alright.”  He looked back toward the trees, willing the
shaking to stop now that he had her back in his arms.  “They shouldn’t be far
behind.”

As
if he had magically conjured the ambulance crew, they broke through the trees then,
Tristan sandwiched between the deputy driving the ATV and a tiny slip of an EMT
balanced on the very back of the vehicle in the minute amount of space
remaining on the seat.  She had her hands clutched tightly on the deputy’s
sides on either side of Tristan, her body pressed tightly to his, his arms
dangling over hers as she pinned him in place while the deputy quickly steered
the ATV to the empty ambulance.  A thick bandage was wrapped tightly around
Tristan’s neck and shoulder, crossing bandolier-style across his chest to hold
pressure on his wound.  As soon as the ATV stopped several deputies raced over
and grabbed Tristan, lifting his unconscious form onto the stretcher.  The tiny
EMT hopped into the back of the ambulance and guided the stretcher inside,
barking orders at her partner to get them moving to the closest clearing so
Tristan could be airlifted to Asheville.

“Ben?”

He
nodded and grabbed her hand, heading for his car.  He knew without asking that
she wanted to be on that chopper.  With the threat against Gemma gone, Ben was
happy to give the woman whatever she wanted.

They
followed the ambulance to where the medical helicopter had landed in the yard
of a private home nestled on the mountain side.  The paramedics quickly loaded
Tristan into the helicopter.  Ben handed Gemma inside after her brother.

“I’ll
meet you at the hospital,” he shouted over the rotor-wash.

She
nodded as the nurse onboard the chopper closed the door.

Gemma
stared blankly out the window of the surgery waiting room.  Tristan had
continued losing blood on the flight to the hospital, albeit not as fast thanks
to the EMT’s tight pressure bandage, and the doctors had rushed him into
surgery to stem the tide hours ago.  Ben had tried to coax her into resting a
bit while they waited, but she was still too wired.  Pacing the room and
watching the cars and people below had given her something to do while she
prayed fervently that her brother would live. 

The
door opened and Gemma whirled to see a fatigued surgeon walk in.  She hurried
over.

“Are
you Detective Mabley’s family?” the man asked.

Gemma
nodded, her hand clutched to her throat.  Ben had come up behind her.  His hand
landed on her shoulder and Gemma leaned into his touch, grateful for his
strength.  “I’m his sister.”

“Your
brother came through surgery fine.  The bullet nicked the carotid artery on the
left side of his neck, but we were able to fix it.  He’ll be in the ICU once he
leaves recovery just because he lost a tremendous amount of blood.  Once he’s
recovered some from that and is awake he’ll be moved to a regular room.  He’s
strong and healthy, so he should bounce back fairly quickly.  All in all he’s
extremely lucky.  Another couple of millimeters to the right and he never would
have made it out of the forest.”

Gemma
sagged against Ben, relief making her knees give out.  Tears trickled down her
face.  “Can I see him?”

The
doctor smiled softly.  “I’ll tell the nursing staff to come find you once he’s
been moved upstairs to the ICU.” 

Gemma
turned into Ben’s arms as the doctor quietly left and melted as she let the
relief flood through her and the fear dissipate.  She wouldn’t truly relax
until Tristan was awake and well on the road to recovery, but it was a start. 

It
struck her then that their ordeal was finally over.  Sutton was dead and
Tristan was going to be okay.  She clutched Ben tighter as more waves of relief
crashed over her.  She was just so tired now.  As soon as she saw Tristan for
herself, she just wanted to sleep.