Atone in Darkness Page 8
He watched as she finished her granola bar and the rest of her water. That small effort exhausted the last bit of her energy reserves. Heck, he was about to crash and burn big time himself. Rather than fight it, he refilled the water bottle one last time and then sat down on the ground beside her. The shelf of rock jutting out above them would offer protection from anyone hunting for them as well as any possible rain.
Marisol was already asleep but shifted restlessly as if trying to find a comfortable position. He slid his arm behind her neck and tugged her over against his body. A second later, she sighed and snuggled in closer. As the dark silence settled around them, he listened hard for any sign they weren’t alone in the area. Satisfied that they were safe for now, he closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep.
• • •
AN ELBOW IN the ribs jarred Chase awake. He almost fought back until his fogged-up brain finally realized that he wasn’t under enemy attack. Marisol moaned and stirred, clearly fighting a battle in her sleep.
He moved away a few inches before trying to wake her. When his first effort didn’t do the job, he shook her shoulder a little harder. “Hey, Doc, you’re having a nightmare.”
Her eyes finally popped open as she jerked upright, looking startled and not a little scared. “What? Where?”
“You were fighting in your sleep. As to where we are, my best guess is that we’re sitting by a creek at the bottom of a hill.”
She was awake enough by now to actually smile at his assessment. “Good enough for me, although I’ve come to suspect we’re somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.”
He’d been thinking along those same lines, but wanted to know how she’d come to that conclusion. “Are you just guessing or have you remembered something about how you got here?”
“A little of both. These trees are Douglas firs and cedars, which are indigenous to that area. Also, I was living on the East Coast when I received the job offer, and I boarded a charter jet in Virginia. I slept the whole flight, even though we must’ve stopped to refuel at some point. We finally disembarked at a rural airfield. I fell asleep again almost as soon as we got into the vehicles that were waiting to take us to the compound.”
When she lapsed into silence for several seconds, he prodded her to continue. “So if you slept through it all, how does that add up to being in the Pacific Northwest?”
“We left early in the morning and arrived late in the evening. I don’t remember any of it, so I lost the whole day in the process. Unless we flew in circles, we had to have come a long distance.”
“Logical. Let’s hope you’re right, because that means I have friends close by.”
She angled her head to look up at him. “The ones you wanted to e-mail?”
“Yes.”
“Will they help you . . . help us?”
Staring out at the night’s shadows, he nodded. “Yes, if they can trace the e-mail back to where it originated.”
Of course, there was no telling what they’d do when they got there. Judging from the number of explosions they’d heard earlier, the bastards might have done more than murder their own people. If they’d also blown the physical structures to hell and back, he could imagine how his friends would react. He knew damn well they’d been hunting for him since his disappearance. They’d be ecstatic to finally hear from him and would come running, only to find nothing but death and destruction.
He hated knowing Jarvis and the others would beat themselves up badly for having gotten there too late. There was no way to save them that pain, not until he reached someplace where he could contact them again. He only hoped they didn’t tell his sister what they’d found until they’d exhausted every possibility.
It would kill Gwen. She’d been as much of a mother to him as a big sister. For years, it had been just the two of them against the world. Then Jarvis came calling and their lives had changed forever. The older Paladin loved Chase’s sister and did everything within his power to make her happy. He’d also taught Chase what it meant to be a Paladin, giving his life purpose and a place to belong.
He clenched his fist, aching with the need to be back with the people who were at the center of his world.
It occurred to him that Marisol hadn’t reached out to contact anyone when she’d had the opportunity. “Is there someone out there looking for you? Well, besides the obvious.”
When she didn’t immediately answer, he glanced down to realize Marisol’s eyes had drifted shut again. Deciding questions could wait until morning, he settled back to sleep more himself when she finally spoke.
“No.”
There was such emptiness in that simple one-word statement. “Because they knew you’d be out of touch for the length of the contract?”
“No, because there is no one who cares where I am.”
No family or friends? He started to ask for clarification, but she’d already turned away from him. Her breathing was too irregular for her to be truly asleep, but he’d allow her that small ruse for now. He had no reason to doubt the truth of that stark statement, and it also explained why the people who hired her had sought her out in the first place. Granted, she must have had the credentials they were looking for, but the real bonus was that they could eliminate her with no repercussions if it became necessary.
He just wished he knew if they’d pulled the plug on the operation because they’d learned what they needed to from her work or if there was some other reason. They’d spent a lot of money and resources to have thrown it away for no reason. So many questions with no answers. Right now he was too tired to make sense of it.
Meanwhile, his companion had curled up on the ground, her breathing deep and slow. Good. While she was asleep, he had something he wanted to take care of. He dragged himself back up to his feet and waited several seconds to make sure the movement hadn’t disturbed her slumber. Satisfied she was too far under to notice what he was doing, he made his way back over to the edge of the creek, where he gathered up seven rocks, all about the size of a softball. He carried them back to the log he’d sat on earlier and pulled out the combat knife he’d stolen from the unconscious guard.
He almost felt as if he should apologize to the high-quality blade for abusing it as he scratched a letter onto each of the rocks. When he was done, he hid the rocks out of sight on the ground behind the log. If his friends did follow his trail leading away from the compound, he wanted them to know they were on the right track.
Having done all he could for the moment, he returned to where Marisol lay sprawled on the ground. Setting a mental alarm to wake up at dawn, he settled in beside her. Like his companion, he’d need all the energy he could muster; tomorrow would be another bitch of a day.
8
* * *
Chase woke just as the sun had reached high enough to lighten the shadows in the depths of the narrow gully. He took care of his own personal needs before prodding his keeper to wake her up.
She groaned as she rolled over onto her back and covered her face with her forearm. “What time is it?”
“Time to get out of here. If they are going to send in ground troops, we want to be as far away from here as we can get.”
That got her up and moving. He watched in silence while she did a few stretches to work out the kinks and then tried to dust the dirt and leaves off her clothes. Next, she pulled a brush out of the side pocket of the pack and used it to smooth her hair back into a tidy ponytail.
When she was done, he pointed to a thicket of small trees about fifty feet from where they stood. “If you need some privacy, head upstream to those trees, but don’t go any farther. When you get back, we’ll have whatever you want for breakfast as long as it’s a granola bar and some water.”
As she headed in the direction he’d indicated, she muttered, “I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”
“Wouldn’t we all.”
He knelt by the creek and scooped up handfuls of water to wash his hands and face. The chill of the water didn’t work as
well as a shot of caffeine to clear out the cobwebs, but it came close. By the time Marisol returned, he was sitting back under the overhang with the promised granola bars and water ready and waiting.
She’d evidently taken time to wash up before returning to their pitiful excuse for a camp. There were wet streaks on her jacket, and her skin had a damp sheen to it. Neither said anything while they consumed their meager fare. Once they finished the water, he refilled the bottle at the creek.
“So what’s the plan?”
He’d given that exact matter considerable thought. “We still have no idea where we are, so other than not heading back the way we came, one direction is as good as another. I think we should follow the creek as far as possible. At the very least, it means we’ll have water to drink. But it’s also bound to run into a larger stream at some point, maybe even a river. One way or another, it should eventually lead us back toward civilization.”
After tightening the lid on the bottle, he turned to face Marisol. “Unless you have a better idea.”
Her dark gaze studied their surroundings in much the same way he had. Finally, she shook her head. “I’ll follow your lead for now. You’ve gotten us this far.”
He picked up the pack and slid his arms through the straps. “We need to cover as much ground as we can. But if you need to rest, say so. I’d rather we have enough energy left for at least a short burst of speed if it should become necessary.”
“Okay.” She shuddered as the import of why they might need to run sank in. They were being hunted by people who didn’t hesitate to kill.
“Start walking, and I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes. I want to do what I can to hide our tracks. Hug the edge of the water as much as possible.”
She hesitated as if wondering what he was up to or maybe doubting he really meant to come after her. Finally, she started walking, picking her way along the edge of the water until she stopped one last time to look back before disappearing around the bend. Once she was out of sight, he retrieved the rocks he’d carved and arranged them on the log to spell out his name along with OK at the end. Granted, his friends wouldn’t be the only ones hunting for them, but that didn’t matter. The bad guys already knew who he was, and he desperately needed any Paladins on their trail to know they were on the right track.
That done, he did one last sweep through the area to make sure they weren’t leaving anything important behind and then headed downstream to catch up with his keeper.
• • •
THE DAY GREW warmer as they trudged along. There were times when they had to climb to higher ground when the stream cut through terrain too rugged to cross safely. Good to his word, Chase stopped to rest whenever she needed to catch her breath. She tried to keep those occasions to a bare minimum, though.
The way Chase paused every so often to listen and study their surroundings was a constant reminder that the enemy was still out there, not to mention helicopters had flown overhead twice already. Each time, they’d heard them coming early enough to take shelter under the heavy canopy of the trees.
For the moment, all was quiet. The ground around the creek had also leveled out enough for the two of them to walk side by side. While she had the chance, she asked a question that had been on her mind since they’d heard the series of explosions the night before. “How many others do you think got away?”
Chase gave her a sideways look before once again doing another three-sixty sweep of their surroundings. “Not many. Some people may have known what the plan was, but most seemed oblivious to the danger and followed orders like a bunch of damn sheep. Those buses were nearly full before we took off.”
She’d worked up a sweat hiking, especially once the sun was high overhead. Right now, though, she shivered despite the warmth of the day. “What kind of sick people do something like that?”
Chase actually laughed, but he was clearly not amused. “Seriously, Doc? You saw what they did to me over and over again, not to mention they called me Number Five. Most likely, I wasn’t the first, or at least not the only poor bastard they played games with. How could you see all of that and not know the caliber of person you were working for?”
It made her physically ill to realize she’d been that blind, that stupid. “You have to believe I would’ve never taken the job if I’d known how it was going to turn out.”
He kicked a handy rock and sent it flying into the water, his frustration and anger all too clear. If she’d been hoping for absolution, she didn’t get it. Instead, he kept walking fast enough that she had to trot to keep up. She did her best, but eventually she slowed to her former pace and let him do as he wanted.
When he disappeared around a bend in the creek, she felt the sting of tears. She’d been worried since the start that he’d eventually abandon her. After all, he wouldn’t be the first person to simply walk out of her life, which was why she’d pretty much been on her own since she was a child. She’d been taking care of herself and making her own decisions for far too long to want to give control over to someone else now. Besides, she hadn’t forgotten that he almost had left her back at the camp. Maybe would have if she hadn’t charged out the door after him.
They both knew he didn’t owe her a damn thing. All she could do was continue on the path they’d chosen and hope the stream would lead her to someplace safe. Once there, she’d contact the authorities and report what had happened. They’d probably think she was crazy, but somehow she’d find a way to convince them to check it out for themselves.
Even if she understood Chase’s anger, it really hurt that he’d walk away without a backward look. She wasn’t a bad person; she had always believed that. Focused and determined, yes, but not cold or uncaring. He knew that she’d tried to help him even if she hadn’t been able to do much. Heck, he’d even admitted that she was in as much danger from her employer as he was. Well, if he’d forgotten that fact, she darn well would remind him when she caught up with him.
She started running, determined to give the man a piece of her mind. She reached the bend in the stream, expecting to see him in the distance. When she didn’t, she coasted to a stop. Had he really left her behind for good? If so, she was alone in the middle of nowhere with no supplies other than the water in the creek.
The realization he’d taken her pack with him made her furious. To make matters worse, the terrain ahead did a steep downward turn, the water in the creek pouring down over a tumble of rocks about thirty feet high. She’d have to leave the water’s edge and try to find a way down and around the waterfall. The only problem was, she had no idea which way Chase had gone. They’d crossed back and forth over the creek twice already to follow the easiest path.
Despite his admonishments to keep quiet, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Chase, you stole my pack. Come back here right now.”
At first she didn’t hear anything except the roar of the water crashing down on the rocks below. But then she picked up another sound, one that sent new fear raging through her. The helicopters were back. Which way should she go? Right now it didn’t really matter.
Just as she took off running, a familiar figure stepped out of the trees on the other side of the creek. “Doc, get your ass over here.”
The familiar aggravation in Chase’s voice eased the knot of fear in her chest. He hadn’t left her after all. She bolted across the water and made her way through the trees to where he stood waiting for her. As soon as she reached his side, he took her hand and retreated deeper into the woods under the protective cover of the enormous cedar trees.
“Damn it, woman. What were you thinking standing out there in the open and yelling like a banshee? What if they have men moving through the woods?”
“I was mad. You took my pack.”
Still snapping and snarling at each other in harsh whispers, they both sank to the ground to rest until the enemy once again left the area. The two choppers made several sweeps up and down the valley. They both fell silent as one of the choppers s
topped to hover directly above the falls.
Marisol leaned in closer to Chase. “Do you think they actually know we’re here, or are they assuming we would’ve followed the creek?”
He kept his eyes focused on the little bit of sky they could see through the trees. “Could be either. If they found where we slept last night, it was a fifty-fifty chance whether we went upstream or down. They’re probably checking in both directions.”
“I can’t hear them anymore. Should we get going again?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. They might be hoping that’s exactly what we’ll do.”
They remained huddled right where they were for another five minutes. She started to stand up, but Chase jerked her back to the ground. “Stay down.”
She was getting tired of his abrupt orders, but because of his superior hearing she did as he said. Sure enough, a few seconds later she could hear the familiar whomp-whomp of the helicopters in the distance. The sound grew louder until they flew directly overhead.
Chase leaned in close, his breath tickling her skin as he whispered, “When we get beyond the falls, we should keep to the trees even if the terrain is rougher. We’re sitting ducks out there in the open.”
“What happens if they spot us?”
They both knew it was a stupid question, but Chase answered it anyway. As he told her back in her quarters, this was hardly her area of expertise. “They’ll either try to take us out from the air or they’ll deploy ground forces down to do the job. Either way, it’s not good.”
His blunt assessment did nothing to lessen her fear, but he wasn’t the type to sugarcoat the situation. It felt like she’d been dropped into the middle of one of those action movies where the bad guys had all of the advantages. Suddenly, it was all too much. How was she supposed to be brave when she couldn’t see any way out of their predicament? No longer able to hide her shaking, she let the tears come. “I don’t want to die.”