33

 

Dressed in shorts and a tank top, Katie stood near the big living room window of her house looking eastward toward the Cascades. At 5:00 AM it was twilight in the low lands, but the mountain tops were blazing red, orange, and yellow, while the high, wispy clouds above turned from pink to a golden yellow with the approaching sunrise.

A car turned the corner on the boulevard and rolled down her street. A very nice car. She did a double take as the car stopped in front of the house. A European luxury car. Josh had said his parents were into money and things, but they weren’t just into money, they had it.

This was going to be a fun, relaxing day, and she wouldn’t approach the subject of contention until the trip home. Unless Josh brought it up. But he probably wouldn’t. He didn’t like conflict.

Katie hurried to the street, where Josh stood holding her door open. She kissed his cheek. “Good morning, Josh.”

He smiled. “Yes, it is. A very good morning. And the forecast for La Push…eighty degrees and sunny right on the beach.”

She slid in and set her bag by her feet. “Good thing I brought sunscreen.”

Josh focused on her legs. “Kate, with your tan, I doubt that you’ll need it.”

Soft leather caressed her bare legs, and the seat conformed to her body as if tailored for it. She scanned the dash. Everything was extravagantly luxurious.

Josh slid behind the wheel, looking very nice in cargo shorts and a tank top.

“This car is incredible. Is it your dad’s car?”

He swiveled toward her before starting the engine. “Yeah. Dad saw your picture on the news yesterday. He was, how shall I say this, very impressed. Offered me his car when I told him you and I were going to the beach.”

“Be sure to thank him for me.”

The engine was purring now, a deep sound that hinted of power to spare.

Josh tapped the controls for the sound system as they rolled down the street. “It’s got an incredible stereo. What kind of music do you like?”

She probably wouldn’t get contemporary Christian music from Josh’s agnostic father. “How about the really old oldies?”

“Lift the lid on the console.”

She pushed a button and the top of the console rose.

Inside, the spines of at least thirty CDs were carefully arranged by year. Billboard hits beginning with 1957 and going into the early 80s.

“Cool. Must be your dad’s collection. What do you say about us getting lost in the 50s and 60s today?”

“You pick the year, Kate.”

When the powerful car accelerated down the on ramp to I-5 South, Katie slid in the disc for 1962 and hit the randomize button.

A slow, soft song started with piano and a stringed bass, then an unmistakable voice crooned beautiful, soft, poetic words.

Katie gasped and looked at Josh from the corner of her eye, not wanting to meet his gaze.

Josh was doing the same thing to her.

She flipped the CD case nervously in her fingers, then stopped and ran a finger down the back until she found the track that was playing, a song about someone who couldn’t help falling in love, by who else—the king of rock ‘n roll.

Josh took his right hand off the wheel and left it laying across the console, palm up, invitingly empty.

Katie wasn’t about to comment on the song or its message. It hit far too close to home.

Josh wasn’t saying anything, either.

In a few more seconds, some random song would play and she could avoid the message and her feelings. She took Josh’s hand, closed her eyes, and leaned back in her seat, her heart beating so hard Josh could probably feel it in her fingers. The moment would end and would probably be forgotten. Girl, who are you kidding?

Katie drew a deep breath and exhaled as the song ended. She opened her eyes, and the next song started. But it wasn’t another song. The song was repeating, driving its message home.

“Josh, the randomizer isn’t working.” Her words came out in a hoarse whisper.

“It’s working fine, Kate. But it does stop randomizing when someone pushes the repeat button.”

So Josh was responsible. What would she do about that? Nothing.

She closed her eyes, relaxed in the soft leather seat, and squeezed his hand.

Eventually, her pulse rate dropped to near normal, and she listened to the soothing melody and voice while trying not to analyze the lyrics, or Josh, or her own heart. Then she slipped into the gray fuzziness of her fatigue.

 

****

 

Katie’s eyes popped open. The sun shone brightly. She looked out the windshield. Tall spruce and cedar trees told her they were on the outer Peninsula.

Josh’s huge hand was still wrapped around hers.

The music was no longer playing.

He glanced her way. “You must have been tired, Kate.”

“Where are we?”

“We just passed Ruby Beach.”

“You mean I slept for 150 miles?”

“Yeah. I assumed you were tired after the past forty-eight hours, so I let you sleep.”

“And captured my hand, I see.”

“I think I’ll keep it.”

“You can have it for today. Then…we’ll see.”

“I’ll take whatever I can get.”

“Mom warned me guys were like that.” She gave him a smirky smile.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Kate.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“Changing the subject…which beach did you decide to go to today?”

“Beach 2, below La Push. We’ll need to stop in Forks, buy lunch to go, then we hike in about a mile, walk a quarter mile down the beach and voilà, we have a huge sandy beach all to ourselves. It doesn’t have coconut trees, but it’s as close to a South Sea island as we’re going to find in the Pacific Northwest.”

He shot her a glance before entering the winding stretch of road leading to the Hoh River. “Regardless, it will have what I want on it.”

Josh was not being subtle today. Did that donnybrook with the president give him a little more spunk? No matter what it was, Josh had changed, and much of the change had come in the past twenty-four hours. Maybe on the drive home she could probe to see what had transpired.

In a few minutes, they entered the south edge of Forks. Katie looked at the clock on the dash. 8:30 AM. “How fast were you driving while I slept? You gained a half-hour, Josh.”

“But I kept you safe, Kate. Night before last, I endangered you enough for a lifetime.”

“Let’s forget about night before last. Now, what can we get to eat that won’t go bad in our packs in three hours?”

“Junk food.”

“Josh, I won’t let you do that. You have to stay in shape and stay healthy.”

“And why are you concerned about what I might look like a few years from now?”

The implication of her words was obvious. She didn’t answer.

“Kate?” He would keep pushing until he got an answer.

“After what we’ve been through together, I’ll always be concerned about you.” Maybe that would keep Josh at bay for a while.

“You’re getting soft, Kate. A lot softer than when we made that trip to Whistler.”

Josh pulled into a parking space at the big supermarket.

Katie jumped out. “Come on, let’s get lunch.”

At 9:10 AM, they pulled up to the Beach 2 trailhead.

Katie surveyed the parking area. “Good. There aren’t many cars here yet. Let’s go claim our private section of beach.”

Josh parked and slipped out of the car. He opened the back door to get his pack. “Would you mind telling me why privacy is so high on your priority list today?”

“Yes, I would mind.” She slid out and turned toward Josh. Beyond him, on La Push Road, a large, dark sedan flew around the turn toward them, and then braked hard.

Katie gasped. “Josh! It’s them!”

He saw the arriving vehicle.

A gun jutted out the nearest window of the sedan.

Josh dove onto the trunk and slid across it. He landed on the ground beside Kate. When he pulled her to the ground, the window above them exploded.

The spray of bullets came wrapped in a staccato of popping sounds. An automatic rifle.

Josh’s big hand clamped on her shoulder. “We jump down the bank, keep the car between us and them, and run down the trail.” He hooked her arm. “Now, Kate.” He yanked her to her feet and pushed her ahead of him, shielding her body.

Katie leaped over the guard rail and landed on her feet on the trail, eight feet below.

Josh landed beside her as the popping sound resumed.

Dirt exploded into the air underneath the guard rail two feet above their heads.

Katie sprinted down the trail. It cut back sharply to the left.

Josh was right behind her.

She rounded the turn, giving them temporary shelter. Katie slowed as they climbed a steep hill. She looked up the trail. The trees at the top would provide more shelter from bullets. She yanked on Josh’s arm. “Hurry.” She sprinted all out up the hill as Josh’s feet pounded on the trail behind her.

In the distance the crunching of gravel came from the parking area. A dark-haired man and woman ran toward the trailhead, each carrying a rifle.

Katie stumbled.

Josh’s strong hands grabbed and steadied her. “Let’s get over the top of the hill. We’ll be out of sight. We can lose them.”

Ten yards from the hilltop, the trail widened and Josh pulled alongside of her. “How far to the—”

Bullets chewed up the spruce tree beside them, filling the air with the pungent odor of evergreen tree sap.

Josh clamped two powerful hands on Katie’s hips. He lifted her off the trail and sprinted to the top of the hill at an incredible speed. At the top, he set her down and nudged her forward.

Despite the danger, she noted Josh’s incredible hand and arm strength.

More bullets tore up the ground as the line of exploding dirt raced toward them.

Josh tackled her from behind and rolled her to the ground.

Bullets decapitated a small tree, six inches above Kate’s head. They pruned the bushes beside the tree.

The shooting stopped.

“Go, Kate! I think they’re reloading.”

They sprinted through the forest at a breakneck pace, jumping patches of mud and protruding tree roots.

“To the beach or through the woods?” she yelled at Josh.

“We can outrun them if we stay on the trail. Build up a lead. Then lose them near the beach.”

“But, Josh, there are big steps, maybe 200 of them, descending the hill to the beach.”

“Let’s run them, too, and then run the beach until we run completely away from the shooters.”

“OK. But I don’t know where the beach leads.”

“Kate, it leads to safety. Just run!”

They sprinted side-by-side on the trail until it narrowed, passing through a thicker stand of trees.

Josh moved behind her again. He was shielding her. Every move he had made over the last five minutes he had made to protect her.

She wanted to stop. To tell him that she loved him. But they couldn’t stop. And now she might never get that chance, unless they got away from their pursuers. “Josh, let’s leave them in the dust.” Katie kicked in her afterburners and sprinted at top speed, concentrating on her stride and her breathing. Had she run away from Josh? She listened as she ran.

His feet pounded the trail a step or two behind her.

The trail suddenly plunged downward.

Katie could smell salt water.

The big stairway lay only a few yards ahead. They needed to slow down, or they would fall on the steps. A sprained ankle would be a fatal injury at this juncture.

“Concentrate on the steps, Josh. I’m slowing so we won’t fall.”

The trail angled downward and Katie hit the first step. The steps varied in length and height, making traversing them a matter of intense concentration.

She slowed further to take the steps two or three at a time. But her legs were still weak from the sprint. She lost her balance and pitched forward.

A powerful force caught her belt and yanked her upward.

She caught her balance and slowed once more to control her body as she bounded two steps at a time. In another ten seconds she rounded a sharp switchback, and saw the base of the steps thirty yards ahead. “Almost down, Josh,” she managed between deep breaths.

Another obstacle loomed ahead of them. Where the trail flattened at the base of the steep hill, a tangle of driftwood logs of all sizes lay between them and the smooth sand on the beach.

“Watch out for the driftwood, Josh. Some of the logs might roll.” Kate hit the bottom of the hill and leaped onto a log, then picked a path across the driftwood, jumping from log to log. Only one more leap and then sand. Pain screamed through her right ankle as a log rolled out from under her foot. She groaned as the muscles in her lower leg began to spasm. She had sprained her ankle. Kate fell forward onto the sand, clamping her hands onto her injured leg stretched out in front of her.

“How bad, Kate?” Josh panted the words.

She groaned again. “Doggone it! Blast it!” She pounded the sand with her fists as incapacitating pain shot up and down her leg, which had gone stiff as a board. “Bad, Josh. You should leave me—”

Josh’s strong arms scooped her from the sand and pulled her body against his.

She circled his neck with her arms and put her head beside his so Josh could see. He slowly accelerated down the beach, headed for the packed sand near the water.

The tide looked to be halfway in or out, Kate couldn’t tell which.

Either way, it didn’t leave much packed sand for Josh to run on. Somehow, he managed to reach a near sprinting speed.

A quarter mile ahead, the beach turned to the left.

Katie glanced over Josh’s shoulder. Still no sign of the two gunmen. She would check again before they rounded the bend.

Her ankle pain was subsiding somewhat. Maybe the sprain wasn’t as bad as it initially felt.

She put her mouth next to Josh’s ear. “Slow down. Save your strength. I don’t see them behind us. If we don’t see them at the bend, let me test my ankle. The cold seawater might help. It will stop any swelling.”

“Tell me when, Kate. You know, you’re heavier than you look.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s all that muscle. You’re all muscle. I can feel it.”

“You’re not supposed to be noticing how I feel.”

“It’s OK. Necessary, right now.”

“Ten yards to the bend, Josh. Then set me down by the water.”

“But you’ll get sand in your—”

“It’s OK. Just do it.”

“Setting you down now, Kate.” He veered toward the surf and lowered her to the sand.

Katie pulled off her shoe and hopped on her good foot into the fifty-degree water. When she plunged her injured foot into the water, a movement caught her eye.

Far down the beach, at the trailhead, two figures emerged, both carrying guns.