Dangerous Mountain Mission, page 3
Smoke rose up in the air. Probably not enough to be noticed by anyone in Fort Madison, the little town they’d hiked in from. The three men who had been after them would see it and know where they were located. They hadn’t flown that far before landing.
Still trying to clear his mind, he placed his hands on his hips. What now? They needed to get off this mountain before the thugs found them. “Can you guide me back down to Fort Madison?”
She crossed her arms and glared at him, then angled her body so she had a view of the smoldering plane.
“Look, I understand your suspicions, and I’m sorry I wasn’t up-front with you.” The less she knew the better, for her own safety. “I’m a drug enforcement agent. I was set up by another agent so it looks like I was working with drug dealers. I needed to get this plane back. It has evidence that could clear me.”
“And you came up here all by yourself? Don’t you people usually work as a team? Even if you are a DEA agent, I’m sure they end up on the wrong side of the law all the time.”
Without the evidence, he had no idea who in the home office would even believe that he’d been framed. As far as the agency was concerned, he’d gone rogue. Though DEA work involved a level of deception with undercover work, he knew it was for the cause of justice. He was a man who always tried to do the right thing. It bothered him that his character had been so smeared by Lee’s frame-up. The only thing that bothered him more right now was the way Abigail was looking at him with suspicion.
“Look, we both need to get out of here and back to civilization as fast as possible.” He took a step toward her.
Her mouth twitched, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Please trust me. I’m one of the good guys.”
“Trust you?” The word seemed to upset her, when he had hoped that it would build a bridge between them.
“Abigail, what are you going to do? Those men are armed and they still have gear and food.”
Again, she studied him for a long moment, probably considering her options.
He took a step toward her. “I need your expertise to get out of these mountains as fast as possible, and you need my protection in case those guys do catch up with us.”
She stared at him, her mouth drawn into a tight line. “I wish I had my backpack.” She turned sideways in the direction from which they had come.
He let out a breath. At least now she seemed to be in problem-solving mode. Maybe she was starting to come around, regardless of what she might think of him. “Going back for your gear is not an option. The fire is dying out in that plane. I’ll go back in there and see if there’s anything we can use.”
A raindrop hit his nose. Good for drowning the fire, not so good for staying dry.
Abigail jogged toward the forest. “We can stay drier in the trees.”
He liked the use of the word we. She seemed to understand the need for them to stay together. Really, he needed her more than she needed him. She was an experienced guide. She probably knew how to defend herself against man and animal. He was a city boy and could not navigate his way out of a paper bag in an environment like this.
By the time he reached the edge of the forest, the drizzle had turned into a downpour. The fire would be put out that much faster. Unless other people were close by, the chance of the smoke alerting someone other than the criminals that a plane had crash-landed was close to zero. The fire hadn’t burned long enough and the smoke hadn’t risen high enough for it to be seen in town.
It was possible that there were other hikers in these mountains who might alert authorities once they returned to Fort Madison. But Fort Madison was a three-day hike away. Help from the outside was not something they could count on.
Abigail found shelter underneath the long branches of an older evergreen. She crouched down and pulled her knees toward her chest. He sat down beside her. The rain pelted against the higher branches, but he and Abigail remained relatively dry.
“We need to assess what we have to work with. I have a Swiss Army knife I always carry with me, an energy bar in my jacket pocket and waterproof matches,” Abigail said matter-of-factly.
He liked that she was thinking about how they were going to get off this mountain. “I have a gun with eight bullets left in it.” He rifled through the pockets of his jacket. “And a metro pass, a very old piece of hard candy, a couple of paper clips, a pocket Bible and a tire gauge I forgot to put back in my toolbox the last time I checked my tire pressure.”
She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “That is not very helpful. Even MacGyver would say that’s not much to work with.”
He laughed. “You watch that show, too?”
The faintest hint of a smile, a spasm almost, lit up Abigail’s face. “I might have caught a rerun a time or two. That show’s been around forever.”
He liked her smile, however brief it had been.
Her expression turned serious once again, eyebrows drawn close together. “You didn’t follow my instructions. When I told you how to pack, I said there were some essential things you needed to have on your person at all times.”
“I know. I didn’t think I’d be hiking out,” he said.
“Rule number one about being in the mountains—you always hope for the best but plan for the worst.”
“Yes, I remember you said that.” He leaned a little closer to her. “Sorry I’m such a bad student.”
She pulled away. She was still a little prickly. Maybe her coldness was about something more than just him.
“By landing where we did, we have gotten quite a ways from the main trail, which is the most direct route back into town,” she said.
“But you can get us back into Fort Madison?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course I can. It’s what I do for a living.”
“We can’t wait here much longer. Hopefully, that fire will die out.”
He listened for a moment to the rain falling on the higher branches, creating a sort of melody.
“Yes, I suppose we need to get moving as quickly as possible.”
He imagined that she was thinking the same thing he was. Though they had a head start on the three men, waiting for the plane to stop burning would cost them valuable time, but hiking with no supplies could be costly, too. It was just a matter of time before the men tracked them to this spot.
THREE
With the rain still falling, Abigail ventured out of the trees to look at the plane wreckage. She was grateful for the baseball hat she wore and the waterproof jacket. Though it was spring, the mountain temperatures could still dip into the teens. She had dressed in layers. She was grateful to be warm and mostly dry.
Jesse followed behind her as they stepped out into the open. The plane was smoldering, and the stench of smoke and melting plastic was still heavy in the air. Her eyes watered.
She removed the bandanna from around her neck and placed it over her mouth.
Jesse coughed. “You think of everything, don’t you?”
“It’s called being prepared.” There was a slight edge to her voice that caught her by surprise. Searching a drug plane for something that might help them survive with a man who might be a criminal was not her idea of a good time. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound snippy.”
“It’s all right.” He touched her shoulder. “I should have listened better when you gave me instructions before we left town for this trek.”
Again, that stab to her heart sent waves of anger and sadness through her. Brent had destroyed her ability to trust her own judgment. She had no idea if Jesse was being honest with her or not about being framed. He seemed apologetic and almost...nice. She clenched her jaw. Nothing is as it appears.
She was certain of only one thing—they needed to work as a team if they were going to get back to town. When she stepped into the plane, the toxic smell of burnt plastic was even stronger.
Jesse drew up his jacket collar over his nose and mouth. “Whoa, we better get this over with as quickly as possible. I’m sure breathing this stuff isn’t good for our lungs. I’ll look toward the back. You search the front.”
She opened a box behind the copilot’s seat and the storage pouches beside each of the seats. After searching for several minutes, she came up with a water bottle, several packages of candy and a hat. She tossed the hat toward Jesse. “Put that on. It will help keep the rain and sun out. What did you come up with?”
He caught the hat and placed it on his head. He pointed at the tarp that covered the drugs. “We could use that for shelter if we had to.”
The drugs looked like they had been only partially damaged. The fire had consumed some of the plastic the bricks were packaged in. She shivered but not from the cold. How had she gotten connected to drugs and drug dealers? She had lived a really sheltered life and hadn’t even rebelled as a teenager like her brothers had. All of this was so out of her frame of reference. Maybe if she hadn’t been so naive, she would have realized what a player Brent was. And maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess with Jesse. “Yes,” she said, “bring the tarp.”
She grabbed a lined jacket that was hanging over the back of the copilot seat. She could fashion a makeshift backpack out of it.
“Also, I found this.” He held up an unopened energy drink and a bowie knife. He put the energy drink in his pocket and zipped it shut.
The knife gave her the shivers all over again. “Let’s get out of here.” She pushed open the pilot’s door and jumped out.
Jesse didn’t follow her. He must have still been searching for something—what, she didn’t know. A cold wave of fear washed over her. Was he looking for drug money?
She tilted her head toward the sky. Dark clouds all around, no sign of blue sky. The storm was probably going to last awhile.
Abigail retreated toward the trees. She pulled out her Swiss Army knife and slit the lining of the jacket she’d grabbed at the bottom hem. She cut holes at the ends of the sleeves and in the shoulders.
Jesse finally joined her.
“Find what you were looking for?”
“No,” he said.
So, he wasn’t going to be forthcoming about what he was searching for. “Turns out those paper clips you had in your pocket might come in handy.”
He dug through his pockets. “Well, what do you know.” He handed them to her. His fingers brushed over her palm. “Maybe I’ll earn my MacGyver certificate after all.”
She straightened the paper clips and then drew them through the holes she’d cut in the jacket, so the ends of the sleeves were attached to the shoulders. She put the candy and the water bottle in the backpack she’d just made. “Toss that knife in here, too.”
Admiration spread across his face. “Wow, I’m impressed.” He stepped toward her and placed the knife and drink in her pack. “What about the tarp?”
She handed him her knife. “Cut a hole in it and use it for a rain poncho. This storm is going to last for a bit.”
As if to confirm her prediction, lightning flashed in the sky, followed by thunder a few seconds later.
He slit an opening into the center of the tarp. “What about you? Won’t you get wet?”
She was touched by his concern for her. “My coat is waterproof.”
“We better get moving.” A wave of fear passed through her. “Those other men will catch up with us sooner or later, right?”
He nodded and tipped the brim of his hat to her.
They stepped out of the forest into the downpour. Abigail assessed where they were based on the mountain peaks. She didn’t doubt her ability to get them back on the trail, but it would take some doing. She wasn’t familiar with this part of the forest, but she knew if they moved in the general direction of the mountain peak referred to as Angel’s Peak, they would intersect with the trail. When they got closer and the immediate landscape became familiar, she would pinpoint the trail’s location with more accuracy and then figure out the best way to avoid the men. Maybe by staying close to the trail but not on it.
For now, all they had to do was keep Angel’s Peak in front of them.
They stepped out into the downpour, hiked across the wide-open strip of land where the plane had gone down and entered the forest on the other side.
They walked side by side without speaking, their footsteps pounding out a rhythm. Fear and doubt played at the corners of her mind. Heading back to the trail was the quickest way to get back to town, but it was also the most obvious. Those three men had followed her and Jesse up the mountain without being spotted, so it was clear they had some tracking skills and were in good shape.
In her mind, she saw the different topographical maps she’d studied of the various areas she’d camped and all the places she’d taken clients in these mountains over the few months she’d worked for Big Sky Outfitters. She still wasn’t sure what the best strategy for avoiding the men was. Trying to come up with a less obvious way down the mountain could get them lost. They did not have the food or gear for that.
The forest thinned as the rain pelted her hat and drizzled from the trees. They stepped out into a flat area, where it looked like a forest fire had passed through. The grass had not grown back in yet. The ground was muddy, causing her hiking boots to make a suctioning sound with every step.
Jesse slid, his legs going into a split before he righted himself. “Kind of slippery out here.”
“Yes, watch your step.”
They trudged on through the slick mud. Jesse’s tarp poncho made swishing noises as he moved. The rain tapped out a rhythm.
He did a double step to catch up with her. “Look, I’m an extrovert. This silence is killing me.”
He’d been plenty talkative on his way up here, mostly about the sports he played and music he liked. Nothing in his conversation had hinted that he was in law enforcement.
She had spent most of her time trying to teach him how to read the landscape. Since she had thought he would be hiking out alone, she’d tried to explain possible scenarios he might encounter and what to do.
She didn’t really see the point of getting to know him better. “I’m an introvert. I like the silence.”
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and kept pace with her. A moment later, he started to hum what sounded like the annoying theme song from a children’s program her niece watched.
“Okay,” she said. “You win. If it will stop you from humming that song, we can talk.”
He smiled. “Good.” He glanced over his shoulder. His smile turned grim and his voice dropped half an octave. “Never mind.”
She spun around. Behind them, at the other end of the muddy field, two of their three pursuers barreled toward them.
* * *
Jesse scanned the landscape around them.
Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.
They were out in the open, exposed. Some rocks at the edge of the field looked to be their only option.
“Get over there as fast as you can,” he said, directing Abigail toward the rocks.
The mud bogged them down. And now the hillside slanted up.
Abigail glanced over her shoulder. “Those trees are closer. It’s easier to go across than up in this sticky gumbo.” Abigail had already redirected her steps.
Where the wilderness was concerned, he’d trust her choices over his. He slipped a few paces behind her. “We shouldn’t bunch together.” Better to have two targets than one.
Abigail jogged through the mud in a sure-footed way. He stumbled behind, running in a zigzag pattern so it would be harder to shoot him. The tarp he wore as a rain poncho slowed him down.
The men had changed course, as well. Eddy had stopped to line up a shot, while Pretty Boy sprinted toward them. He wondered what had become of the third man, the one with the dark, slicked-back hair. Cell phones didn’t work in the high mountains. But what if the men had some other way to communicate to bring in even more men to the hunt?
The special phone Abigail had given him in case he got lost on his way down was in his backpack. Lost forever, or maybe the men had found it and used it.
Abigail drew nearer to the trees.
The percussive bang of the rifle shot leaving the barrel of the gun pummeled his eardrums, but he did not hear the bullet hit, which meant it must have sunk into the mud. Abigail disappeared into the trees with a backward glance at him. His feet felt weighted down by the amount of mud on them. He lifted his legs, pumping fast and hard even as the mud suctioned around his boots. Pretty Boy had closed the distance between them and Eddy had run a dozen yards in order to line up another shot.
The trees were ten yards away. He saw no sign of Abigail—she must have kept running. He sprinted, fixing his gaze on the edge of the forest. The trees grew larger in his field of vision. Another bullet from the rifle traveled through the air. This one split the bark of the tree inches in front of him just as he entered the forest.
His heart beat a little faster, knowing how close he’d come to taking a bullet. A vibrating branch indicated the direction in which Abigail had run. There was no trail to follow in this part of the forest. The ground cover of pine needles, leaves and broken branches was thick. Some of the mud came off his boots, but he still felt like he was running with weights on his feet.
He caught sight of Abigail’s blond braid flying as she ran. He hurried to catch up with her. He could hear the thugs yelling at each other as they entered the forest.
Abigail traveled steadily uphill. She must have had some kind of plan or route in mind that would throw off the pursuers. As the trees thinned, the terrain grew drier, populated with tiny pebbles and then rocks. He caught up with Abigail.
His words came out between gasping breaths. “Do you know where you’re going?”
