Voice in the Wilderness, page 14
part #1 of Against All Enemies Series
“Okay, we'll wait until nine o’clock. But, if anything happens before that, or if you're lying, our blood is on your hands. If you're lying, and I'm still alive, I'm coming after you, Craig. Do you understand?”
“Loud and clear, Mr. Daniels.”
When Brock ended the call, he looked up into KC’s questioning green eyes.
She shook her head then stared at him like she questioned his sanity. “Do you realize you just promised to go after a special ops guy, someone trained to kill you in at least four dozen different ways?”
“Yeah. But he got the message that I would go after him, Kace … you don't look impressed. So, it wouldn't worry you if I were coming after you?”
“Brock Daniels promising to come after KC Banning? I would be totally impressed.” Her lips curled into her coy smile before she returned to her laptop. “Bring it on, Brock. But you might get more than you bargained for.”
He would get exactly what he wanted. But could he do that to KC? Every time he asked that question, war broke out between his heart and his head. After the events of this day, Brock wasn’t sure which would win.
Brock and KC moved back to the study to work. But he hadn’t gotten anything written since Allie incited that kiss. He doubted that KC had either. For nearly five hours they had played a game of hide and seek with their covert glances, each pretending not to notice the other stealing mental snapshots.
Watching KC, laptop in hand, stretched out across the easy chair, barefoot in her green shorts and tank top, was far more pleasant than wondering who Hannan would send after them and when his goon squad would show up.
Brock's cell phone rang. The time on his cell was 7:30 p.m. and the caller ID displayed Craig's number.
“Daniels, we’re passing through Sunriver. Had some holdups. A flat tire and needed gas.”
“So you'll be here about nine o’clock?”
“That's the plan. But we'll go directly to the ranch and park our RVs. Call if anything happens, otherwise, see you a little after nine o’clock … once you tell us where you are.”
“All in good time, Craig.”
By 9:00 p.m., the sun had set over the Cascades. Several small wildfires on the eastern slopes of the mountains provided enough smoke to turn the western sky blood red. Brock hoped it wasn't prophetic of the evening’s events.
The low rumble of an engine sounded from the front of the house.
“It's Jeff, finally.” Allie scurried to the front door.
Jeff burst into the entryway, wrapped his long, strong arms around Allie, and kissed her. After the second kiss, she pulled her head back.
From thirty feet away, Brock recognized that flash of fear on Allie’s face.
Jeff held her shoulders and smiled. “It's okay, hon, I'm clean. No Ebola.”
Brock gave them a few minutes alone, then briefed Jeff on the detection of the router and the imminent arrival of Captain Craig and the Rangers.
Jeff's smile had long since vanished. “So, we were detected. You know, the arrival of someone other than Rangers might be imminent, bro. Down the ridge a couple of miles, a helicopter landed in a field. I couldn't see it very well as I drove by. It was about 300 yards off the road, behind some trees. At the time, I had no reason to be suspicious. But now …”
“Did you see a logo or anything indicating who it belonged to?”
“Sorry. All I know is the color was dark. Dark blue, maybe black.”
“Brock …” KC's hand came to rest on his arm. She looked up at him with fear in her wide eyes. “They’re already here. I think it's time to call your Ranger friend.”
“Yeah. Guess it is. Listen up, everybody. Roundup what you need in case we have to run for it.” Brock hit Captain Craig's number in his call log.
One ring, two rings …
“I'm sorry, but the person you called has a voice mailbox that has not been set up yet.”
Chapter 20
KC grabbed the small pack containing the few belongings she’d brought to Julia’s house and returned to the kitchen where Brock stood with his cell to his ear, pacing the floor.
He yanked the phone from his ear. “Blast it!”
She wanted to put a hand on his shoulder, to hold him, something to show concern for the man she loved. KC stepped to his side instead. “He’s not answering?”
“I think Craig turned off his cell. There are at least a dozen reasons he might do that and eleven of them aren’t good.”
Allie and Jeff strode into the kitchen carrying their bags.
Jeff’s frown deepened. “Bro, you don’t think the Rangers are coming, do you?”
“I don’t know. But we’ve only got about three options here.” Brock rubbed his chin and stared at the wall as if the answer to his dilemma was written on it. “We can run for it in our vehicles, but they’re out there somewhere in the area. We’d be spotted and caught. That would leave us farther from the Rangers and maybe dead.”
“Is hiding in the chapel still an option?” Allie asked.
“Not a good one.” Brock dropped his phone into his shorts pocket and plopped into a chair at the breakfast table. “The chopper landed too close, meaning whoever came in it is too close. If we tried to go down to the ranch, they’d spot us from the ridge and we wouldn’t be hidden, just trapped.”
KC looked at Jeff and Allie both anxiously fidgeting, but holding hands. She looked at Brock’s hands on the table and started to reach for them, then stopped. “I vote for staying here, out of sight in the house, and waiting for the Rangers.”
Brock stood. “All in favor of KC’s suggestion.”
All four raised a hand.
“I’ll try Captain Craig again at about ten o’clock.”
After fifteen minutes of nervous chatter, Brock pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling Craig now.” He keyed in the number and put the phone to his ear. “Same message. His phone is off. Well, it looks like we're on our own.”
“No we’re not. Somebody’s out there,” Jeff pointed toward the kitchen window. “Someone just activated the infrared sensor on the patio light. I saw him jump back behind the trees when the light came on. He had a rifle.”
To think that Hannan’s people were on the property, armed, coming for them, sent KC’s heart racing.
“Great.” Brock shook his head. “We don’t have anything to hold them off with. Anybody know if there are guns in the house?”
Allie pointed toward the stairs. “There might be. I looked yesterday. There’s a gun safe in the master bedroom, where I've been sleeping. It has a funny kind of lock on it. And a scanner thingy.”
“Well, that scanner thingy means we probably can't open it to see if there's a gun inside,” Brock said. “And that rifle Jeff saw is probably an automatic. That's what we need.”
The wild look in Brock’s eyes turned KC’s racing pulse into panic-filled pounding.
“It’s what we need, and I'm going to get us one.”
Brock's final words sent a jolt of electricity through her. “You're not going out there, Brock. No way.”
He circled her with his arms. “Kace, I've got to. At least we would have a fighting chance.”
This was crazy, but she could read his eyes. Brock was serious. KC slipped from his arms. “Over my dead body you're going out there. Don't make me fight you, Brock.” She looked at Jeff. “Grab him, Jeff. And …” KC pulled out a frying pan from the cupboard. “I'll brain you before I let you get yourself shot. Maybe it'll knock some sense into you.”
Brock leaped to her right, sprinted through the kitchen door, and hit the light. The kitchen went dark. He flung open the door leading to the garage, circled an SUV parked there, and disappeared into the darkness.
KC chased after him. She had to reach the side door to the garage before Brock went out. If he made it outside, she would never see him again. Not alive.
She rushed into the garage, closing the kitchen door behind her.
The small door on the far side of the garage creaked.
Too late. He was outside.
If Brock was going to die out there, he wouldn’t die alone. KC scampered across the garage, dropped to the floor, and crawled out the door onto the landscaping rocks lining the side of a large concrete patio.
Brock wouldn’t have gone to her left. His body heat would trigger the patio light. A fatal mistake.
A movement to her right. Another straight ahead.
Ahead to her right, a shadowy figure rose from the rock landscaping and stood. Brock’s profile stood out dimly against the stars.
Directly ahead of her, another figure turned, swinging a long object around toward Brock.
Brock's body twisted, then shot forward.
A thud sounded. Then a grunt.
The person ahead of KC dropped to the ground.
Brock ran and pounced on the fallen man.
Movement erupted from trees and bushes further out on both her left and right.
Whether Brock got the gun or not, someone would shoot him. A few feet to KC’s right, near the side of the garage, the silhouette of a large boulder blotted out part of the night sky.
Brock scooped up what looked like the man's weapon, then sprinted toward the garage.
The belching of automatic weapon fire broke the silence. Light flashed to her left.
Brock dove to the ground. He landed only four feet from KC.
She grabbed his arm and yanked.
Brock swung the rifle wildly at her head.
She ducked. “It's KC.” She jerked Brock’s arm again.
Off balance after his wild swing, he landed beside her in the temporary shelter of the rock.
“Sorry, Kace. Didn’t mean to—”
More gunfire. Bullets ricocheted off the rock, whining through the air. Others thwacked against the side of the garage.
“What were you thinking, going after them with just a rock?” KC whispered. “I ought to kill you.”
“Then I wouldn't be here to cover you. Kace, I’m going to pull this trigger in a minute. When the gun shoots, stay low and get into the garage as fast as you can. Hide behind the SUV parked there. Stay behind the wheel, if you value your legs.”
“No way am I leaving you, Brock. Never again. Get that through your thick—”
Bullets shattered small rocks near them. They both hugged the big rock as rock fragments peppered the garage wall.
“I spotted the two shooters by their gun flashes. Go, KC. Before any others arrive. I’ve got you covered.”
Brock was right. But who would cover him?
KC took off when he sprayed the shooters positions with a long burst. She dove through the garage door and crawled on all fours behind the big SUV, parking her body behind the driver-side front wheel.
Another burst of gunfire sounded, then stopped. Brock must've run out of ammo while trying to cover himself.
KC prayed he would make it. Prayed more intensely than she could ever remember.
When the small garage door opened, the staccato barking of the automatic rifles lasted for at least fifteen seconds. How could Brock not be hit? Then she realized he was kneeling beside her.
His arm circled her waist and pulled her tightly against him.
Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She pulled his head against hers. “Are you okay, Brock? So help me, you better tell me the truth.”
“I'm all right, Kace. Truth is, I almost, uh, you probably don’t want to know …” There was almost a chuckle in his voice.
“How can you joke when—the real truth is, I'd kill you right now, Brock Daniels, if I didn't—I care about you … more than you realize.”
“It's a fine time for bringing up that subject, KC.”
“I'm not sure any time would be fine with you. Now, how do we get back into the house without getting shot?”
“Follow me. They can’t see us and they're not going to rush us when they know I've got an assault rifle.”
“Brock Daniels. Katheryn Banning. Toss your weapons outside and come out with your hands up.” An amplified voice sounded from somewhere near the front of the house.
KC followed Brock through the door and into the dark kitchen.
Several bright lights hit the house simultaneously, coming from different angles. The entire area around the house was nearly as bright as day.
A man’s voice repeated the amplified message.
Brock fiddled with his gun, popped out the clip, and replaced it with another one he pulled from his pocket. “Just loaded my last clip.”
Crouching low, Jeff and Allie moved into the kitchen from the great room.
“You two fools okay?” Jeff asked. His voice sounded a bit shaky.
KC blew out a blast of air. “I'm okay. The fool with the stolen assault rifle can speak for himself.”
“Seriously, bro? How did—”
KC broke in. “How do you think, Jeff? He took out a guy with one of his hundred mile-per-hour fastballs—a three-pound rock—and then stole his gun.”
“I'm all right, Jeff. And, Kace, it was just another rattlesnake.”
Tears came again at the reminder. Brock had saved her life once more. But this one had been coiled to strike Brock, not her.
Evidently Allie noticed her reaction. She gave KC a quick hug. “Now what do we do?”
“For the next few minutes, we’re probably safe. But after that …” Brock shrugged.
“I don't think they'll be anxious to rush us after Brock took out one of their men, and then stole an assault rifle.” KC said.
The bull horn blasted another message at them. “Throw out your weapons and—” the message stopped. Several of the spot lights went out in a span of three or four seconds.
“Something's happening out there.” Brock said. “Let's just sit tight for a few minutes until we know—”
A different voice came from the bull horn. “Daniels, this is Craig. The area is secure. We need to talk.”
“Is this Operation Spoof?” Brock’s voice took on his rarely used sarcastic tone. “How do we know you aren’t one of them, Captain Craig, if that’s who you really are?” “
“Okay. Mr. Daniels, in about sixty seconds, take a peek at your front yard.”
Chapter 21
Brock crept to the left side of the drapes covering the living room window.
Two hands clamped on his shoulders like vise grips. “Don't even think about opening those drapes and putting your head in front of that window.” KC’s voice of authority, a voice she seldom used.
“I'm not exactly stupid, Kace.”
She huffed a blast of air. “Not exactly, but close.”
“Well …” Jeff moved toward the window. “Somebody needs to look out there.”
Allie grabbed his arm. “But it's not going to be you, Jeff.”
Brock had to do it. He had consented to communicate with Craig, so this whole situation was his responsibility. “Make sure all the lights in the house are off. I’ll go into the last bedroom down the hall and see what Craig is up to. He won't know which window we’re using, so I'll have enough time for a quick look.”
The four scattered and soon the house was dark.
Brock hurried down the hallway and positioned himself beside the bedroom window. A tug on his shirt told him KC had followed him.
“Daniels …” Craig's voice came through the bullhorn again. “My team just risked their lives for you, and you still don't trust me? That hurts, bro.”
“Not as much as that ammo in your assault rifles would hurt me,” Brock whispered as he crouched beside the window in the bedroom. He felt for the corner of the drapes.
KC's hand clamped on his wrist. “Let me do it, Brock.”
“Not gonna happen, Kace.” The thought of a bullet ripping into KC felt like a knife in his stomach, hara-kiri. It’s what he would feel like doing if he let anything happen to her.
Brock pushed the edge of the drapes back until a narrow gap revealed lights outside. When he slid his face forward, KC gasped.
He pulled his head back. If he was right about what he’d glimpsed, some of the SWAT team had restraints on their wrists and others lay on the ground. It appeared one was getting CPR. “Craig's men have the SWAT team under control.”
“So we're safe?” The tone of her voice said KC didn’t feel safe.
“Safer than we were fifteen minutes ago. I'm going out to talk with Craig.” Brock waited for a protest.
It didn’t come. Was KC conceding? She would bear watching. KC’s desire to protect, something she’d had as long as Brock could remember, was getting out of hand. Probably because she felt responsible for their predicament.
Brock took KC by the wrist and held her tight enough so she couldn’t pull her arm free. He led her into the great room where Jeff and Allie joined them.
After he parked KC beside Jeff and Allie, Brock moved to the entryway door. “It looks like Craig's telling it straight. They've got the SWAT team under control on the front lawn.”
He turned the doorknob and slowly pulled open the front door.
Craig's silhouette in front of the lights remained still. His hands hung by his sides. All good signs.
Brock walked out the door.
Footsteps sounded from the porch, behind him.
“It's the Banning girl.” A voice came from one of Craig's men.
Brock turned, saw KC, and tried to cut her off.
She shook her head and glared at him.
Trying to stop her was futile. He stretched out a hand.
She took it.
He pulled her close. “One of these days, Kace, you’re going to listen to me.”
“Tell me what I want to hear, Brock, and I’ll listen.”
Her remark was way off the subject.
You gotta stop ignoring her comments, Dude. Maybe for her it’s the main subject.
He thought staying alive was the main subject.
To KC, knowing that you love her might be even more important.
This was no time for a schizophrenic attack from the right side of his brain. But Brock had a sudden urge to kiss her. That would really impress the Ranger commander, wouldn’t it?
