Hunted in Alaska, page 6
Hayley halted and glared up at him. “You’re just now telling me this?”
He shrugged. “We haven’t had much chance to chat.”
“Fair enough.” She continued walking. “If I were Glenn, I’d call in some pretext for not returning to his station right away. Troopers out here have lots of territory to cover. Then I’d call my brother and lie through my teeth that his sister is fine. No worries.” Her voice became a snarl as she finished her hypothetical narrative. If blood could literally boil, steam would be erupting from her pores.
“Spot on analysis, I’d say.” Sean fell back as they came to a section of thick forestation that allowed only single file progress. “But either of those actions will only be a delay in your brother and outside authorities discovering something is wrong.”
“Yes, but by the time legitimate search parties are sent out, we’ll be so deep into the wilderness we won’t be found unless we help them find us with a signal fire or something obvious.”
“And a signal fire would attract the bad guys, too. Makes me think running might not be the best plan. Maybe we should let them catch us.”
Hayley halted and whirled toward her companion. “Lack of sleep must be warping your thought processes. Those guys have a lot more firepower and more numbers than we do.”
Sean spread his hands, palms up. “I’m not saying we confront them head-on, but a little subterfuge might help us snatch a satellite phone. We’ll have to isolate someone with a phone, incapacitate him and take it off him.”
Her heart did an extra ka-bump, and a small grin formed on her lips. “You mean like a trap?” Hayley’s smile faded. “But who among them has control of the satellite phones? Logic tells me Patterson will have brought one for his crew, and I’m sure Glenn has one.”
Sean frowned. “It’ll be next to impossible to cut Patterson out of the pack. His guys will be all around him—if he even hazards his designer shoes to wilderness trekking. He’s more likely to direct operations from the cabin, and he’ll keep his sat phone with him.”
“That leaves Glenn with the other phone, and he has razor-sharp wilderness awareness.” Hayley huffed. “Isolating and incapacitating him will be like cornering a wolf.”
“Then we’ll have to outfox the wolf.”
“It will be dangerous.”
“Everything about this situation is dangerous, but I’m not about to let anything happen to you. I will get you to safety someway, somehow.” Sean’s gaze locked with Hayley’s, his sable-brown eyes fierce and intense.
An odd sensation went through her, equal parts warmth and unease. The man was too appealing for her peace of mind. Sure, she trusted him to do everything in his power to protect her. After what they’d already been through together, how could she not? But this unwelcome attraction to a man wedded to a career in law enforcement could not be entertained. Her former fiancé Ryan’s misplaced priorities had cost her the life of the only other sibling she and Craig had possessed. The hole in their lives still yawned deep and wide.
Hayley shoved the dark thoughts away. She needed to remember that Sean had already risked his life and exposed his undercover status on her behalf. Didn’t that prove he put people before mission? That he wasn’t like Ryan? An internal shudder rolled through her. No, she dared not soften toward him in any personal sense. The risk to her heart was too great.
Hayley drew herself up stiffly. “I know you’ll do your best, but life is uncertain. I learned that a long time ago.” She forced a smile that might have come out more of a grimace. “We’d better put more distance between them and us if we want to have enough time to stop later and plan an ambush.”
She whirled on her heel and marched off through the trees. Did she spy a mix of hurt and confusion on his face? Maybe, but he didn’t know her history, and now was not the time to explain her reaction. If that time ever came.
* * *
Sean plodded along behind Hayley and her dog, his gut churning. What was with her mixed warm and cool signals? And why did his insides turn to jelly at the thought of her coming to hurt? He prided himself on remaining calm and in control in tricky situations. Such a temperament was essential in the undercover game. But the very idea of violent criminals harming Hayley stabbed unreasoning fury through him.
Could the reaction connect with what had happened to his mother all those years ago when he was a boy? His terrible, costly carelessness? Sean’s gut clenched and his teeth ground together. That was then; this was now. And the situation wasn’t at all the same. Sean physically shrugged the swarm of memories away.
Stay focused. He caught an evergreen bough and pushed it out of his way as he walked on, his boots passing softly over the loamy ground. Maybe he was getting better at wilderness trekking. Just not as good as the woman blazing the way. His gaze followed the slender, graceful figure ahead of him.
Hayley didn’t need his help with wilderness survival, but maybe the depths of his protective instinct had been triggered by the fact that she’d proven as committed as he was to sabotaging the sale of the drone. That impressed him. And she had courageously kept him alive during his sprint to blow up Patterson’s airplane. He wasn’t used to people having his back. Operating solo was also a part of undercover work.
The woman had grit and heart, and he admired those qualities. She was appealing with that wholesome, girl-next-door vibe. Not that he hadn’t been around attractive women. But this particular one tugged at his heart in a way he’d never experienced before. He’d have to get that reaction under control and maintain his cool. A calm and rational head was a necessity if they were to have any chance of survival. They were also going to have to conserve their energies and regularly take in whatever food and water they had on hand or could forage. The foraging bit would be mostly on her shoulders.
“Do we have a fine-dining destination in mind for lunch?” Sean asked, forcing a light tone.
Hayley stopped and turned toward him, a small smile playing on her lips. “Destination? Yes. But I doubt the cuisine will rate so much as a star.”
He let out a low chuckle. “My stomach couldn’t care less about stars.”
“How about you tide over that appetite of yours with a little of this?” She held the canteen out toward him. “The water should be safe to drink now.”
“You first.”
“Skeptical of those pills I put in here?” Hayley quirked an eyebrow.
“Not at all.” He shook his head. “Must be my inner gentleman peeking out.”
She grinned, and Sean’s heart somersaulted. Disheveled and with pine needles strewn in her hair, he had to admit this woman was more attractive to him than any other he’d ever met.
“Your mama must have raised you right,” Hayley said.
A pang tore through Sean. The smile forming on his face soured. “I’m sure she would have if she could have. She passed away when I was seven years old.”
Hayley’s expression sobered. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is that why you and your dad moved away from Interior Alaska?”
“That, and—well, never mind.” He shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”
No amount of time would be long enough to forget the screech of tires and the tortured wail of twisting metal. Or the shrill screams of his mother and himself as the vehicle flipped end over end. And nothing could erase the knowledge that the accident had been his fault. Kind people had told him he wasn’t responsible, but he knew better. His father knew better. The man had made sure his son understood his guilt was why his mother’s family had never again wanted anything to do with him.
Hayley’s gaze went soft, and she shook her head. “You never really get over the loss of someone so close to you. And maybe we shouldn’t want to get over it completely. The pain helps keep the memories alive. I should know.”
Tension bled from Sean’s muscles. At least she wasn’t going to pry more deeply into the story. He’d like to preserve whatever good opinion this woman might have of him. “There’s some wisdom in that statement. Who was it for you? A parent?”
Her gaze went cool and distant.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted. “I shouldn’t have asked.” Sean mentally kicked himself.
“No, I’m sorry. Asking the question was a normal response. My grandparents passed a few years ago within months of each other, but my parents are fine and living in Texas.” Her conscience pricked against the disingenuous answer, but mentioning her twin sister, Kirsten, would bring too much pain to deal with at the moment. She unscrewed the cap on the canteen and took several swallows. “Here.”
Hayley handed him the canteen, and this time he accepted. The water had a chemical tang that wasn’t pleasant, but it was wet and satisfied his thirst. He returned the container, and she attached it to the ring on her pack that was designed for that purpose.
They moved on but shortly came to a break in the trees. Hayley made a motion to halt, and Sean crept up beside her. A large patch of open ground faced them. At least an acre of wild grasses rippling like brownish-green waves in the chilly breeze.
“I’m more comfortable keeping to the cover of the forest but going around this meadow will cost us precious time. What do you think?” Hayley’s gaze met his.
She was asking the wilderness tenderfoot? He frowned and scanned the treeless area.
“I say we should go for it. I doubt Patterson and his thugs could possibly be close enough to spot us.”
She nodded. “I haven’t heard any sounds of pursuit. But more importantly, Mack hasn’t signaled any.”
Her fingers ruffled the hair on the dog’s head. The animal gazed up at her with adoring eyes. Sean’s heart lightened. They had a pretty good team going here. Back at the homestead, they’d succeeded together in a dangerous operation to destroy the stolen drone before it could be sold. Together, they could succeed in fending off Patterson’s crew and either reaching safety or calling in rescue. He had to believe that, or they were done before they’d gotten a good start.
“Let’s hurry,” he said.
Hayley nodded and broke tree cover with him on her heels and the dog romping ahead. Out in the sunlight, the temperature rose significantly. Still cool, but pleasantly so.
“Watch where you put your feet,” Hayley told him. “The last thing either of us needs is a twisted ankle from stepping in a ground squirrel hole.”
“Gotcha, Girl Scout,” Sean answered with a chuckle.
She tossed him a mock scowl over her shoulder, and he laughed.
A spate of barking from Mack drowned the merriment. Hayley halted, gripping Sean’s arm. She shushed her dog with a command. The animal quieted but stood stiffly at attention, ears pricked, moist black nose pointed toward the sky.
“He hears something,” she said. “Listen.”
Sean stopped breathing and strained his ears. A distant, throaty hum caught his attention.
“Airplane,” he murmured to his companion.
Hayley nodded. “It could be Glenn’s plane out looking to locate us, or maybe someone else who could possibly be of help?”
“I think we need to assume the former is more likely.”
“Agreed.”
Sean looked both ways, behind and before them. They’d reached the middle of the open area and would have the same distance to cover either direction they chose to go. The buzz of the plane engine grew steadily louder. They didn’t have much time to reach the woods before being spotted.
“Run!” Hayley cried, surging toward the far side of the meadow, rather than back the way they had come.
Sean raced after her, amazed at Hayley’s speed. He wasn’t having to hold back much to maintain his position on her heels. The woman was in seriously good shape, but the lifestyle out here, as well as her chainsaw-carving profession, would tend toward significant exercise.
The tree line grew steadily closer, but so did the airplane noise. Sean darted a glance toward the sky. No visual yet of the aircraft, but that circumstance could change in an instant. Ahead of him, Hayley suddenly stumbled and then staggered to keep herself from falling face-first to the ground. Likely her foot had found a ground squirrel hole. Nearly impossible to watch for those when running full out.
Catching up to her, Sean snagged her around the waist with one arm and swept her forward beside him. She was limping now. Must have twisted her ankle. But he couldn’t allow an injury to slow them down. Sean dug deep into reserves of speed and charged toward the forest, bearing much of her weight. A step before they reached cover, he looked up again.
There it was. The trooper’s plane, definitely. And whoever was aboard had a clear view of the meadow. Another stride and the trees swallowed them.
Had they been spotted? If so, their enemies would have their location. There was no way to know for sure, but the answer could spell the difference between life and death.
SIX
Even allowing Sean to take some of her weight on himself, hot pins stabbed Hayley’s ankle as she forced herself to keep hobbling onward. She gritted her teeth against outcries as they wound through the trees. Mack had slowed and now trotted beside her injured leg, occasionally brushing against her thigh as if lending support. The dog’s dark eyes kept darting up toward her face, and a soft whine issued from his throat.
“I’ll be okay,” Hayley told him and spared a pat on his head.
The softness of Mack’s thick fur lent an odd comfort to her. Her touch and gentle words must have done the same for him because his whining ceased.
The buzz of the airplane engine traced in a circular motion overhead. Did that mean they’d been spotted? Hayley’s chest constricted. How close to their location were the ones who pursued them on foot?
Sean edged nearer to her. “Is there another cave or something nearby where we can hole up and take a look at that ankle?”
His question jerked Hayley out of her worry cycle. They’d deal with their pursuers when they must. Now was time for them to concentrate on gaining distance. Her injured ankle might slow them down but couldn’t be allowed to halt them.
“No need to stop for triage,” she said. “My ankle’s not broken...at least, I don’t think so. A sprain probably.” She continued to hobble forward, leaning into Sean. The initial stabbing pains were subsiding into a deep ache. “Leaving my boot on is the best support my muscles and ligaments could receive.”
Sean let out a soft hum. “Good point, but getting that leg elevated would also help, which is not—”
“Possible right now.” Hayley finished the sentence for him, then nearly bit her tongue over the accidental return to the annoying habit they’d started at their first meeting. Hopefully, he hadn’t noticed. “No worries. If we stop for a minute, I can dig out the painkillers and anti-inflammatory analgesics in—”
“The first aid kit.” Sean winked.
Yup, he’d picked up on the habit and perpetuated it on purpose. Hayley suppressed an eye roll as he brought them to a halt and slid the pack off his shoulders.
“Listen,” he said and went still with his hand on the pack’s zipper.
Hayley held her breath and perked her ears. The wind rustled tree branches, evergreen needles and leaves. Near at hand, a soft rat-a-tat-tat betrayed the presence of a woodpecker. No other sound caught her attention.
Her gaze met Sean’s. “The plane is out of earshot. What does that mean?”
“Either we were spotted, and our location has been reported, or we weren’t seen, and they’ve gone to search elsewhere. I’d give my left arm to know which one is true.”
“They? You think more than one person is up in the plane?”
“Patterson’s pilot and Patterson himself, probably, in a temporary foray from the cabin that won’t dirty his shoes. I can’t see him ruining his designer suit on a trek through the Alaskan bush. That’s what he has his goons for.”
Hayley crinkled her brow. “Surely, if we’d been located, this Patterson guy would have tried to stay nearby and watch for signs of us breaking cover as we travel.”
“I hope you’re right.” Sean pulled the first aid kit from the pack. “But we should plan for the latter.”
“Agreed.” Hayley accepted the pills from him and swallowed them with a little water from the canteen. “I have a destination in mind. It’s at the outer limits of the area I’m familiar with, but it should offer both shelter and perhaps an opportunity to ambush our pursuers.”
“How far?”
“Miles yet, and the terrain’s about to get a little challenging. Also, we’ll have to pass through a sizable open area of marshy ground.”
Her companion frowned, glancing down at her foot.
Hayley put a hand on his arm. “We can do this. We have to. I’ll be fine to hike without support as soon as the meds kick in.”
“Then let’s take a few minutes and let the pills work.” He motioned toward a fallen log, and they sat down. “What’s for lunch?”
Hayley dug in the pack and came out with packages of trail mix, featuring dried fruit and berries, as well as nuts and seeds. “You don’t have a tree nut allergy, do you?”
Sean shook his head, and she handed him a package. Then she brought out a canine meal bar for Mack.
They finished their meal quickly and stowed away the empty packages.
Sean rose, gazing down at her with his brow furrowed. “How is the ankle?”
Hayley shook her head. “I won’t know until we get going, but it’s not like we can stay here.”
