North of Nowhere: a Thriller, page 20
The wind was pushing at them, making it even harder to stay the course. Ryan was dragging, and while she was okay, she would be better if she had a five-minute breather.
She heard a faint voice behind her, but they weren’t far. That told her it was now or never.
She steered Ryan directly into the wind that came from the northeast. The snow swirled around, and she hoped it would provide enough cover, plus disguise their change of direction. She was having a hard time seeing and she was wearing goggles; Ryan had lost his in the snow, but his ski mask protected his face from the burn of the icy wind, and he kept his head down.
She couldn’t risk detouring too far from the path that Nick had marked. She counted her steps and then squatted in the snow behind a thick ponderosa pine. There was very little cover out here, other than the snow itself, but a few tall pines at least gave them a bit of shielding.
She hoped no one saw them.
Ryan looked at her, squinted, signed, “Why did we stop?”
She responded, “I’m letting the men pass us.”
He nodded and leaned against the tree.
She pulled out her binoculars and watched the trail.
Almost immediately she saw two figures walking, bundled against the wind and snow. They weren’t dressed appropriately for the weather. It was hard to dress right for a blizzard, but they were wearing jeans, boots, and down jackets—she doubted anyone who’d come up from L.A. had thought to wear thermals.
She recognized Theo by his build, but the other man she didn’t know.
She couldn’t imagine how they were going to get out of the mountains being so unprepared. Even Ryan and Kristen were better prepared, and they crashed in a plane.
She heard an ATV in the distance. She focused on Theo and noted that he heard it, too.
Shit.
Theo and the second man picked up their pace. Ruby knew what she had to do, and she hated the idea … but she really didn’t have any other choice, not if she wanted to get Ryan to safety.
She motioned to Ryan and they started walking behind the men. She stayed as close to Theo as she dared, not wanting to be seen before she was ready.
* * *
Nick was concerned about Kristen, but he was more concerned about the whereabouts of Lance Jackson. If he was close, he’d heard the gunshot and could be coming back.
Nick thought Jackson had ventured deep into the ravine, and he couldn’t imagine that someone unfamiliar with these mountains would be able to locate this exact spot, but he couldn’t count on that. He needed to get everyone out of here safely. And that meant they might have to camp for the night. Definitely not ideal because the blizzard would rage all night, making the hike up to Moonlight Basin even more treacherous.
Best to get out now, if they could.
He took charge.
“We need to go. This storm is going to be brutal, and we don’t have time to argue about it. We’re going through the grove to the base of a steep trail. It’s not going to be easy, but we can do it—if you listen to me.”
Boyd said, “Where’s Ryan?”
“The shooter forced us to split up,” Nick said, “but he’s with someone who will protect him and get him out of the woods.”
“You left my son out here?”
“Aunt Ruby has him,” Kristen said, “and you’re never going to see him again.”
This wasn’t going to help. Nick felt for Kristen—he’d had no idea what she’d been through. There was no way to fix it right now, and he needed everyone working together to get to shelter tonight.
“Ruby? Ruby knew where you were?”
Kristen didn’t say anything. Nick had to get everyone on the same page. “I called Ruby this morning after the plane crash,” Nick said. “Her name and number were in Tony’s personnel file. She had access to a pilot and parachute and jumped in close to Lost Lake, and caught up with me as I was tracking Kristen. She has Ryan, she’s taking him the long way, but I didn’t want to risk them coming into the grove knowing that Jackson is out here somewhere.”
“Jackson?” Boyd snapped. “Who are you talking about?”
Jason said, “Detective Lance Jackson. At least that’s what his identification said. He came looking for Tony, convinced me that you’d hurt my dad, so I led him down here. I didn’t know, Kris,” he said to Kristen. “I didn’t know who he was, I thought he was a good guy.”
She shrugged.
“Jackson wouldn’t hurt Kristen. He’s on my payroll.”
Kristen rushed toward him and Nick barely stopped her before she hit her father.
“He killed my mother!”
“I don’t believe it. Lance? He’s been with me for years.”
“I don’t care what you believe, I was there. I saw him. Either you told him to or Grandmother told him to, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s all your fault!”
She fought against Nick’s grasp but he held firm. “Kristen, we need to move. When we get to town, you can tell Sheriff Paxton everything. She will listen to you.”
“You don’t get it,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what I say, because my grandmother knows everyone important and she’ll call in the National Guard to bring me back if that’s what it takes.”
“Kris, trust me,” Nick said. “I will do everything in my power to help you.”
“I trust you,” she said, her voice cracking. “But there’s nothing you can do. It’s why we ran. It’s the only thing I can do.”
“I think—” Boyd began, but Nick stopped him.
“You don’t have an opinion in this right now,” Nick said. “Let’s go. Boyd, you and I are going to lead; Jason, stick with Kristen. Stay within sight of each other at all times. The grove is partly protected from the elements, but as soon as we get to the end we’re going to be hit with the full force of the storm. We need to be prepared.”
Thirty-two
The ATV was getting closer, the fierce weather making it difficult for Ruby to determine how close. Ryan was dragging and she didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to walk in these conditions. But she admired that he kept going. He was a strong kid.
She could no longer see the two men in front of her, but knew she was on the right path because of their footprints in the snow. Even the wind couldn’t make the trail disappear that quickly.
The storm had come in fast, going from easy flakes to wind and icy snow in less than an hour.
The ATV suddenly stopped. It idled, a lot closer than Ruby thought it had been. She heard a voice, but couldn’t make out the words.
Dammit. Now or never.
She forced Ryan to look at her. “Stay behind me, okay? Hold on to my backpack, do not let go.”
He nodded.
She walked forward briskly, her hand itching to pull her gun, but she couldn’t risk one of Boyd’s men shooting at her and hitting Ryan. The idling ATV grew louder; she made out two standing men. The sheriff was perched on the ATV, bundled in a thick jacket, a logo large and clear on her breast pocket. She wore a helmet.
Theo was talking. He had a gun in his hand.
“Get down,” he was ordering the sheriff. “We’ll take your ride.”
“You do not want to do that,” the sheriff said. “I’m the sheriff, my people know where I am and what I’m doing.”
“Then they’ll be able to come down here and get you. I don’t want to shoot you, ma’am, but I will.”
What an idiot! Threatening law enforcement? That was going to get him twenty years if they ever got out of this.
Ruby stepped into view.
“Theo,” she said firmly.
Theo’s gun hand didn’t waver, but he abruptly turned his head toward Ruby, staring at her as if he’d seen a ghost.
“I’ll get you out of here safely, let the sheriff take Ryan back to town.”
He continued to stare, and then noticed Ryan hiding behind Ruby.
“You were with Tony the whole time?”
He sounded confused.
“I’ll explain everything as we hike back, but Ryan is exhausted. Let the sheriff take him back on the ATV. It’s the right thing to do. It’s what Boyd would want.”
Theo, though he wasn’t the sharpest tack, wasn’t buying her argument.
“I’ll take Ryan back.”
“I’m not handing Ryan back to Frankie.”
Theo said to his partner, “Paul, get the kid.”
Paul fought against the snow to approach Ruby while Theo kept his gun on the sheriff.
“Do not come a step closer,” Ruby said to Paul. “Theo, you know my idea is the only win-win.”
“I take the kid back, and you can find your own fucking way out of this mess.”
“You don’t want to do that,” Ruby said. She spared a glance at the sheriff. The cop looked angry, but she was keeping her hands visible. Good, because Theo could be unpredictable and impulsive.
“Get the kid,” Theo reiterated to Paul.
Ruby pulled her gun as soon as Paul started to reach inside his jacket. “Hands. Now.”
“Fuck, Ruby, you’re going to get yourself killed. Frankie would probably give me a medal, especially when I tell her you were helping Tony.”
“Step back, Paul.”
The sheriff said, “Let’s talk about this. I know these mountains. You’re not going to get out of here on this ATV. You’re going to have to hike out once you get to the lake. Let’s do this together.”
“I’m taking Ryan and the ATV, and we’re leaving,” Theo said. “You can stay here alive, or dead, I don’t much care.”
It seemed to be a stalemate, then Paul said, “Wait, what about me? You’re not going to leave me out here, are you?”
Theo looked perplexed for a second, then he just shook his head. “The kid’s small, we’ll fit.”
“You can’t put two adults on the ATV,” the sheriff said. “You won’t even make it back to the lake.”
Paul ran his hands through his hair. “This is fucked, Theo!” His skin was windburned and his ears and nose red. He wasn’t doing well in the snow, didn’t even have a beanie or scarf. “Let’s just grab the ride and leave them all here. Boyd will never know.”
“I have one job,” Theo said. “That’s to bring Ryan back. And that’s what I’m going to do. Boyd is counting on me.”
“I can’t walk anymore! I’m freezing, Theo! I can’t feel my toes! I can’t do it—I can’t—”
Paul pulled his gun and aimed it at Theo.
Theo shot him and Paul fell to the ground, blood seeping into the wet snow.
The sheriff had pulled her gun, but Theo didn’t hesitate and fired at her. She fell from the ATV and Theo then turned to Ruby. “I will kill you, cuz. Give me Ryan and I won’t shoot you.”
Ruby didn’t want to give him up, but Theo would kill her. She had to check on the sheriff, who was lying on the ground on the other side of the ATV.
“Three. Two.”
“Okay!” Damn, damn, damn. She could shoot Theo, but he would get a shot off and she—or Ryan—could be hit.
“Holster your gun.”
She complied, though it pained her to do so.
Theo walked over to her, but stopped out of her reach. He probably remembered she was a good street fighter.
She ached to fight him now.
She could kill him. It would be surprisingly easy, and that thought terrified her. She never wanted killing a human being to be easy.
But the potential harm to her or Ryan outweighed her desire to end Theo’s life. She also had the injured sheriff to worry about; she prayed Paxton wasn’t dead.
Ryan cowered behind her. Ruby turned, squatted, and signed, “Ryan, Theo is going to take you back to Big Sky.”
Ryan shook his head. He looked terrified.
“Theo is your cousin. He’s my cousin and Boyd’s cousin. He won’t hurt you.” That was the only thing she was certain about. “I will come to find you, no matter what. I promise.”
“No-o-o,” Ryan said in a deep guttural voice that didn’t sound quite natural.
Her heart broke.
Theo said, “Come on, Ryan. Now.”
“He’s deaf,” Ruby told him. “He can’t hear. Dammit, Theo! Why are you doing this?”
“I work for Boyd. Boyd wants his kid. End of story.”
The sheriff was moving on the other side of the ATV. If Theo killed her, he would end up killing Ruby, too.
“Go, Ryan,” Ruby signed. Ryan was shaking as Ruby took his hand and walked him over to the ATV. She lifted him up. She signed, “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
His lip quivered and he turned away from her, so he couldn’t see her hands.
Theo jumped up on the ATV, Ryan in front of him, and immediately turned and sped away, driving way too fast. Ruby swore, ran over first to Paul to check on him.
He was dead. She disarmed him and checked for any ID. She found his wallet, kept it. Someone had to inform the authorities that he was dead.
She then went to the sheriff, praying that the woman wasn’t seriously injured. Ruby would have to set up camp right here and do triage, at least until help arrived.
“Kate, right?”
The sheriff nodded. “Vest,” she said with a grunt.
“Can I check?”
She nodded, and Ruby inspected under Kate’s jacket.
No blood.
“You could have a cracked rib.”
“I’ll be fine. Just need a minute. Catch my breath. That guy?” Kate nodded toward Paul.
“Dead.”
“What’s going on? You let the kid go off with that asshole. You knew him.”
“He’s my cousin. He would have killed you. I could have taken him out, but I couldn’t risk Ryan being caught in the cross fire. I’m sorry.”
“You said Nick went after Jason.”
Ruby told the sheriff everything she knew. “My guess is that Boyd and the other guy he was with—there were four of them, total—followed Nick’s trail, and Theo was following mine, but I backtracked in order to get behind them. I had to—they were gaining on us, and if they had the upper hand—”
“No apologies. We should go. I was serious about the ATV—he tries to go up the trail along Lost Lake, he’ll get stuck or worse, go off the mountainside. It’s dangerous in the best of times, and that’s not today.”
Ruby held out her hand to help Kate up. The cop took it. “Maybe you can explain how we got to this point, because I don’t like to be left in the dark.” Kate took a long drink of water, then slung her canteen over her shoulder.
“How far back do you want to go?”
“We have a few hours. Start at the beginning.”
“The beginning? I figured out when I was sixteen that my father was a leader in organized crime. It goes downhill from there.”
* * *
Brian was making good time on his own. He downed an energy drink and ate an apple he had in his pack and the sugar and caffeine helped keep him moving. Though the storm was picking up, the trees offered some protection, and he was confident he’d reach the path to Moonlight Basin in less than two hours. Once he got to the top, he’d call Wally to come pick him up.
He should never have come out here with that rich guy. No amount of money was worth freezing to death. He felt bad for the kids, but what could he do? He had been honest from the get-go—time was not on their side. He couldn’t control the weather. And honestly? None of them were dressed for this. He didn’t want to be stuck with a couple of Popsicles overnight. They might try to kill him and take his jacket and long johns.
Yeah, it was cold; he was cold. But he wasn’t freezing because he had on the best thermal undergarments you could buy. He’d lived in Montana his entire life, he wasn’t stupid.
Okay, maybe he was a bit of an idiot to come down here in the first place.
He’d been walking for thirty minutes when he sensed that he was being followed.
He stopped, listened, assessed. If it was the rich dude, he was screwed—Brian really wasn’t a killer. He couldn’t just pop the guy. He had a gun with him, but it was just a little .38, something he always had with him but had never aimed at a person. Ever. The idea made him squeamish.
Would he kill McIntyre in self-defense? Brian liked to think that he would. His ma absolutely would, but his ma and his sister were a lot meaner than he was. He just found it easier to go along than fight back.
Brian stepped beside a boulder, squatted. Waited. He had his hand on his gun in his pocket, but he didn’t want to pull it. His gun was cold in his grip. It made him nervous.
Maybe it was the kids. He hoped so. He’d get the kids out of here and be considered a hero. It would be awesome.
A solitary man came into view. He was neither McIntyre nor a kid; he was tall, dark blond hair, broad-shouldered, and had his jacket pulled tight around him. He was watching the ground and spotted where Brian veered to the right.
Shit.
Well, Brian was right—someone was following him. But it wasn’t one of the rich dude’s people.
“Hey,” Brian said. “Are you following me?”
“Yes,” the man said.
“Who are you?”
“Detective Lance Jackson.”
“A cop? Whatcha doing out here?”
“Hell if I know. I was tracking Tony Reed and the plane, then his kids, then I got lost. I came into the trees for shelter and saw you and didn’t really know if I could trust you.”
Brian smiled. “Name’s Brian Krauss, I know a way to town. You need water? I have an extra bottle.”
“That would be great.”
Brian retrieved one of his last three bottles—he was conserving them, but if he was stuck out here in the middle of the night he could make a fire and melt snow, so he wasn’t overly concerned about water right now. He handed it to Jackson.
“Thanks,” he said and drank half the bottle at once. “How long until we’re back in Big Sky?”
“That’d take a full day, but it’s about two hours up to Moonlight Basin Road, and then I can call a buddy to pick us up. Think you can make it?”
