Wilderness Target (10 page)

“We’ll figure it out,” he said, shaking the antenna to see if it was going to stay in place.

We?
She wasn’t accustomed to that pronoun. “You say that with so much confidence. Max told the police in L.A. lies about me and they believed him.”

“I know some of the police officers in this town. They won’t fall for that kind of thing.” He rested his palm on her cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”

She relished the warmth of his touch. As she looked into his brown eyes, she wanted to believe him, to trust him. She pulled away, fearing that he would kiss her again. She wasn’t sure what the first kiss had even meant.

He scooted away, as well, and moved toward the ladder. “I’ve got to go see if that fixed it.”

From the roof, Clarissa watched him walk toward the lodge, only to turn suddenly and head into the forest. What had he seen?

TEN

E
zra turned abruptly when he saw the light bobbing in the distance through the trees. He hurried to head off whatever threat was coming toward the lodge, and the people he needed to keep safe.

He ran toward where he’d seen the light, slowing as he drew closer. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have a gun. If he didn’t give them time to draw on him, then he was certain he could handle the two armed thugs. Judging from their earlier encounter, they had minimum training and relied mostly on their brawn and firepower.

Ezra wove through the trees, looking and listening for signs of the men. He saw only one light some distance away, appearing and disappearing in the thick forest. It was a flame, not a flashlight. At least one of the men had made a torch. He searched for a second light but saw nothing. Clarissa had thought that the bigger of the two thugs might not be up for a long-distance hike. Maybe only the younger one had made it this far?

Ezra eased toward where he’d seen the light until the sound of pounding footsteps filled the night. He stopped behind a tree and waited, shutting out extraneous noise and focusing on the uneven footfalls until he knew the man was close. Ezra leaped toward him, wrapping an arm around the man’s neck and twisting, causing the man to fall to the ground.

Ezra reached for the torch before anything caught on fire. He shone it on the man, who shaded his eyes from the light. “Well, now, that’s a nice how do you do!”

“Leonard?” Ezra bent forward as joy surged through him. He reached his hand out to the older man, pulled him to his feet and embraced him. He couldn’t contain his happiness. “How did you get here?”

“You did leave us with a compass and you did tell us where the lodge was. I was closer to here than to the bottom of the mountain. Even if I’d wanted to hike out there, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to break into that van and get the engine started.”

Ezra continued to shake his head. “I’m so sorry. We looked for you.”

“I got all turned around when I went looking for Bruce and that storm came in. Found the camp after you guys must have left.”

“We had to keep moving. So much has happened. We need to get back to the lodge so I can radio for help. You must be hungry. I’ll fill you in while you eat.”

“Sounds good to me.” Leonard pulled the pistol out of his waistband. “I did manage to kill some meat.”

“I didn’t know you were carrying that.”

“I’m a retired detective. I always carry a gun.” Leonard pulled a phone out of his pocket. “The gun isn’t my only cheat. I took this, hoping to get a signal. I’ve got a grandbaby on the way.”

“I’m actually glad you have that gun,” said Ezra. “And if you can get any kind of signal, then the phone will be useful, too.”

They were working their way through the forest toward the lodge when the whirring sound of helicopter blades reverberated in the distance.

Ezra tilted his head and tensed as the chopper drew closer. Since he hadn’t been able to call for help, he wondered who was inside—friend or foe?

* * *

From the yard where she’d been looking for Ezra, Clarissa saw the blinking lights of the helicopter before she heard it. It went down some distance from the lodge, where there must be a landing pad.

She ran through the forest, pushing branches out of the way, but then slowed as she drew nearer to where the craft had landed. The slicing whir of the blades stopped before she came into the clearing. She could hear men’s voices. This could be unexpected help...or something much more dangerous.

She headed toward the helicopter as one man got out. As she drew closer, she got a clearer view of another one sitting next to the pilot. She stopped in her tracks.

Max.

Momentarily paralyzed by terror, Clarissa watched as Max pushed himself out of the helicopter. Then two other men got out, ones she didn’t recognize. She stepped back into the shadows, uncertain if Max had seen her or not. Spinning around, she sprinted through the forest, running so wildly she lost all sense of direction.

She could hear the men coming after her. Max’s commanding voice was distinct from the others. Clarissa ran, not in the direction that would lead her back to the lodge, but away from it. It was her they wanted. Maybe she couldn’t save herself, but she could save the others.

All the trees looked the same to her. She kept running, not sure where she’d end up.

A hand grabbed her from behind. She swung around, ready to fight. Ezra’s familiar face gazed down at her, and he caught her wrist before she could land a blow.

“Where are you going?”

“It’s Max and more of his henchmen.” Fear froze her words in her throat. She could barely speak. Her heart pounded erratically against her rib cage.

He grabbed her hand and ran. The lodge came into view.

“But the others,” she screamed, trying to pull him in a different direction.

Ezra held her hand tighter and kept running. She could hear the sound of the men behind her. They’d come into the clearing. The lodge was still forty yards away. A pistol shot sliced the air by her shoulder. Ezra pulled her to the ground.

She could see Jan through the window. The older woman came out on the porch. Ezra signaled for her to get back inside. Grabbing Clarissa at the waist, he pulled her to her feet. With the strength of his arms bearing her up, they stumbled toward the door of the lodge.

He locked the door behind them and pulled the shades over the windows. The others had come down the stairs. Clarissa registered shock when she saw Leonard.

Ken stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Jan and pulling her close. “They’re back, aren’t they?” Despite his attempt at bravado, the trembling in Ken’s voice gave away his fear.

Ezra hesitated when he glanced at Ken, as though trying to formulate a plan. “There is a pantry off the kitchen that has no windows and a door that locks from the inside. I want you to take Jan there.” He glanced around. “Where’s Bruce?”

“Resting upstairs,” Jan answered. “He doesn’t feel so good.”

Desperation clouded Clarissa’s thoughts. How were they going to get Bruce the medical attention he needed? “I should leave here. I can lead them away. That will give you time to get the radio working and call in some help.” She moved toward the door.

Ezra grabbed her arm. “Clarissa, I’m not turning you into bait again.”

Jan stepped forward. “I agree with Ezra. That’s too dangerous for you.”

They had seconds to decide what to do. Max’s men were closing in.

Leonard stepped forward. “I’ve got thirty years police experience under my belt, and I know a little bit about radios.” He pulled the gun out of his waistband. “I say Ezra goes with Clarissa. I can take care of the others and make sure we get out of here safely.”

She read the turmoil in Ezra’s expression. He felt an obligation to everyone present.

“What if they take us hostage for her again?” Ken asked.

“It won’t come to that,” said Leonard. He cupped his hand on Ezra’s shoulder. “I won’t let it come to that.”

Ezra nodded slowly. “We’ll go out the front door. Make sure they see us. If they don’t take the bait, we’ll come back and deal with them together.”

Leonard turned toward Ken. “Get Bruce and your wife to that pantry.”

Clarissa grabbed her pack where she’d left it by the couch, while Ezra stepped to the door. He pulled the curtain aside and peered out the window. “I don’t see them yet.”

All the others except for Leonard left the great room.

“This is the right thing to do,” she said. At least this way the others had a fighting chance.

“It’s the best choice when there are no good choices.” He peered back through the window. “I saw movement in the trees.” He unlatched the door and then shouted, “Leonard, lock this behind us.” Ezra checked the window one more time and then reached for Clarissa’s hand. He pulled her through the doorway, across the porch and down the steps just as the men emerged from the woods.

One of the men raised his gun right away. The shot hit a post on the porch as Clarissa and Ezra swung around the side of the lodge, running toward the long, narrow garage where the antenna was mounted. Ezra led her inside the building where several ATVs were stored. Everything in the garage was covered in a layer of dust. He pushed a tall tool chest against the door.

The men banged on the door barely a moment later and pushed against it.

“Let’s hope these still have gas in them.” Ezra started an ATV while Clarissa opened the rear door. She had just climbed on the back of the four-wheeler when one man broke down the front door.

Ezra roared through the open back door as the closest thug approached, pulling his gun from his waistband. The garage opened up to rolling hills, which didn’t provide much cover. Clarissa looked over her shoulder. The man was aiming his gun.

“Duck!” Ezra leaned down over the handlebars and Clarissa bent forward, as well. He turned the ATV sharply. The shot hit somewhere to the side of her.

When she looked over her shoulder again, the second man had come out on an ATV and the first had disappeared. Hopefully, to get another ATV, not to go back to the lodge. Right before Ezra steered around a corner, Max came around the side of the shed. He stood at the top of the hill, arms crossed.

The picture of him branded Clarissa’s consciousness and sent a chill over her skin. She turned her head away and held on tighter to Ezra.

* * *

Shifting into the highest gear, Ezra pushed the ATV as hard as he dared over the rough terrain. He could hear the other four-wheeler behind him. Clarissa pressed close to him and held on tight. The rolling hills intersected with a narrow dirt road, and Ezra increased his speed. Gradually, the mechanical hum of the other ATV faded.

“Can you see him?”

Clarissa shifted on the seat behind him. “No.” Maybe their pursuer’s ATV had fallen over, which they were prone to do. Or maybe he’d run out of gas. Ezra’s own gas gauge was dangerously low. They’d be on foot soon enough.

In the distance, they heard the helicopter lifting off, the whirring of the blades growing more intense as the chopper approached. Ezra stood up on the ATV, trying to gain speed and control when they went downhill. The engine sputtered. The gas gauge was on empty.

“Come on,” he coaxed. “Just a little farther.”

At the bottom of the road, the ATV quit altogether. Clarissa leaped off first, turning in a half circle to take in her surroundings. As quick-thinking as she was, she was probably formulating some sort of escape plan.

Ezra checked the storage area under the seat of the ATV. He grabbed the length of rope he found there and stuffed it in Clarissa’s backpack, grateful that she had thought to grab it.

She gazed at him, her eyes filled with questions. To go back the way they’d come would be suicide. Depending on where Don and Zeke were, Max had at least four men and a pilot helping him. They must be communicating with each other. Where could he and Clarissa find safety?

Engine noises, distinct but faraway, permeated the forest. The ATV rider must have fixed whatever trouble he’d encountered. The helicopter grew louder, as well.

“Tree cover.” Ezra took her hand and headed toward the thicker part of the forest. They ran without stopping, the whirring of the chopper blades indicating that their aerial pursuer was still too close for comfort.

They slipped into the thick forest. As she sprinted ahead of him, Clarissa stumbled. Ezra caught her before she could hit the forest floor, holding her around the waist. Both of them were out of breath. He backed up to a tree, still clutching her close.

The noise of the helicopter faded. He waited for his own breathing to slow so he could listen for the ATV. He was aware of his arm around Clarissa’s waist, her palm pressed against his chest. She smelled faintly of flowers. His heart skipped a beat when he looked down at her. Was that trust he saw in her eyes?

“Do you think we lost them?” she whispered.

She didn’t pull free of his embrace. “I’m not sure. Wait awhile longer,” he said.

The minutes passed, with no sound to indicate they were still a target. Clarissa’s proximity made Ezra’s skin tingle, and his heart beat faster. Her mouth was full and inviting. He wanted to kiss her.

He dropped his arm from around her waist and stepped back. The first kiss had been impulsive, born of his need to convince her she mattered. He had stepped over a line. He didn’t know her whole story, but he knew enough to see that people had let her down when she needed them. As much as he wanted to kiss her, as wonderful as she felt in his arms, he didn’t want to do anything to destroy the fragile trust he saw in her eyes.

And he sure didn’t want to revisit the pain his former fiancée had caused him.

She craned her neck from side to side. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Me, either.” He shook his head, doubting that they could have thrown their pursuers off that easily. They were probably regrouping and coming up with a new battle plan.

“What do we do now?”

“It makes more sense to head over the mountain than to go back the way we came,” he said.

“You mean we’ll head toward that little town you talked about instead of back to Discovery?”

“We’re closer to it at this point. I don’t want to risk leading them back to the lodge, and we know they’re probably waiting for us to come that way and head toward the van.”

She nodded. “They won’t be expecting us to go the opposite way.”

“When the others are able to radio for help, they’ll explain what happened. The authorities will send out rescue teams.”

The furrow between Clarissa’s eyebrows deepened, indicating her level of anxiety. “
If
they get the radio working.”

“They’re going to make it,” he said.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What about us? Have you hiked over that mountain before?”

He saw the fear in her eyes. “A couple dozen times. I take advanced groups up there.”

“I don’t know anything about mountain climbing.”

The breeze ruffled her soft blond hair and again he was struck by how fragile she looked, an appearance that belied the core of iron beneath. He stepped toward her, brushing her cheek with his knuckles. “From what I’ve seen, you can handle it just fine.”