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Hawke sat leaning against a tree, listening to the birds settling in for the night and the hushed movements of the night creatures coming alive. Kitree had finally drifted off to sleep after eating and watching the rabbit carcass burn in the fire.
He’d decided that tomorrow they would make their way toward the hunting lodge. It was eating him up that he’d put people in danger. Kitree had agreed to be left with Dog in a safe place while he checked out the hunting lodge. He didn’t need her to decide to wander off looking for help after he left her. So far, she’d proven trustworthy and willing to listen and obey when given an order.
“Stay. Guard,” he ordered Dog in a quiet voice and headed back the way they had traveled earlier in the day. He wanted to make sure there wasn’t anyone following them. He’d doused the fire before dark to keep the glow of flames from being detected. They’d gathered good dry wood that had made barely any smoke. But he wasn’t taking any chances. If someone was following them, he wanted to get a jump on them, rather than the other way around.
Hiking by himself, he covered the miles they’d hiked that day in a couple hours, taking a more northerly course, but close enough to the original trail he’d notice anyone tracking them. He found the spot where they’d spent the previous night without seeing anyone. He checked for any sign of extra tracks and spotted none. It appeared the man had followed the horses. All the more reason for him to get to the hunting lodge as quickly as he could.
Taking a southerly route back to where the girl and Dog slept, he made up his mind they would take the most direct path to Charlie’s Hunting Lodge. He hoped the meal he’d given the girl would help her with the grueling hike they were going to embark on tomorrow.
«»«»«»
Kitree wiped at the sweat dripping into her face. Hawke had told her that morning that they were headed straight to the lodge and the traveling would be hard and fast. But she hadn’t thought he’d take her on a trip like this. She swatted at the brush as it slapped back at her after Hawke pushed through. It was becoming evident to her that there wasn’t a direct trail to the lodge. They had crawled over logs and shoved aside brush a half hour into the start of the day.
“I need a drink,” she said to the bush swishing back in place in front of her.
Dog stuck his head through a gap between the bushes and licked his lips.
“You, too?” She drank from her water bottle that was quickly going down, then cupped her hand and gently poured water into her palm for Dog to lick up.
“What are you two doing?” Hawke asked, pushing the bush to the side.
“We’re thirsty.” She glanced up at the man. He was sweating as much as she was. “Are you drinking water?”
“You shouldn’t waste your water on Dog. He can drink any water he finds.” Hawke raised his canteen and drank.
“He looked thirsty to me.” She put the lid on her water bottle and asked, “Are we getting close?”
“It’s going to be after dark when I leave you and Dog under a rock outcropping about a mile from the lodge.” Hawke capped his canteen and watched her. “You still promise you’ll stay where I leave you until I get back?”
She nodded. “As long as Dog stays with me, I’ll be okay.” She patted the animal on the head.
“Good. I’ll do reconnaissance and decide if it’s safe or not. If it’s safe, I’ll be back in the morning to get you. If it’s not, I could be back sooner, or possibly later, depending on what I find.”
“We’ll stay there until you come get us.” She had a thought. “What if you can’t come and you send someone for me?”
He pulled his badge on a chain out of his shirt. He held it down for her to read the numbers. “If I send someone, they’ll have this with them. Besides, Dog, Horse, and Jack, this is my most prized possession.”
She peered into his eyes. He had the look she’d seen in her daddy’s eyes when he looked at her and Momma. The badge meant a great deal to him. That was why she’d trusted him. He took his job seriously. And why they were headed to the lodge to make sure no one had been hurt.
Kitree brushed her finger tips over the warm metal of the badge and memorized the numbers. “If they don’t show me this, I’ll sic Dog after them and run straight up the mountain so you can find me.”
“It’s a deal.” He slipped the badge back inside his shirt, and they started hiking again.
«»«»«»
Mid-June was one of the prettiest months to be wandering about in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. The wildflowers were blooming and the early summer grasses were bright green and lush. It also helped that the sun stayed up longer, giving them more daylight to navigate the terrain.
Hawke knew he’d pushed Kitree to near exhaustion. He was ready to collapse himself, but he’d leave her to snuggle in her sleeping bag with Dog and make his way stealthily down to the lodge.
“This is where you’ll hang out until I come get you,” he said as they walked up to a granite outcropping with a small cave dug into the earth under the outcropping.
“Dog, go,” he ordered Dog to go into the cave and see if anything chased out.
“Do I have to stay in the cave?” Kitree asked, staring at the gaping hole.
“Only if you see or hear someone coming.” He set the pack down beside the opening as Dog wandered out. “Keep the pack and your sleeping bag near the opening so you can pull it all in with you if you hide.”
He glanced down the mountainside wishing there was a view of the lodge. The tall pine and fir trees along with the leafy alder hid this spot well from anyone using binoculars from the lodge.
“If you hear aircraft, plane or helicopter, stay under the rock. We don’t know if it’s help or the people out to hurt you.”
Her stomach growled.
“Get something to eat, but same rules as always. Make sure all empty wrappers are put in a sealed bag and all food is sealed. There are animals out here, that if they smell food, could come looking for it.”
Kitree’s eyes widened. “Dog will protect me.”
“Yes, but help him stay safe by not leaving anything unsealed.” This was the first time Hawke had given her orders. Now wasn’t the time for her to not follow his directions.
“I’ll make sure everything is sealed. I don’t want anything to happen to Dog.” She patted the animal’s head.
Hawke nodded. “Good.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll get back here as soon as I can. I wish I had more provisions to leave you with, but we didn’t expect all the circumstances to have happened.” He tapped the pack with the toe of his boot. “I’m leaving the radio with you. If for some reason, I, or no one else, comes to get you in three days, you use that to contact authorities. Hopefully there should be someone close by to get you before the bad guys.”
“Where do I say I’m at?”
He grinned down at her. Luckily, he’d been up here a couple of times with both his counterparts at the Fish and Wildlife. “Tell them at Hawke’s perch. My co-workers know where this is.”
She smiled. “You and Dog come here a lot?”
“It’s one of our places we like to stand watch from.” While the lodge couldn’t be seen from here, he used binoculars on many occasions to watch the hunters going to the lodge on the north rim trail. He could see if they had been successful or if it looked like they packed more kills than there were people in the party.
“Stay quiet. Don’t build a fire. There is a spring up the mountain a short distance. Tomorrow at first light, go up there and fill your water bottles. Don’t go out any later, someone in the sky could see you.”
“Okay.”
Hawke patted Dog on the head. “Stay with Kitree. Guard.” He turned and headed down the mountainside.
“Hawke?”
He looked back up at the outcropping and girl and dog. “Yes?”
“Be careful.”
“I will.” He waved and smiled, but his gut was squeezing with apprehension. He didn’t dare take her into the lodge without knowing what the circumstances were. Her best bet at staying alive was to stay here, alone with Dog. But that didn’t mean Hawke liked the situation.
«»«»«»
It had been years since Hawke had second-guessed himself as much as he did hiking the mile down the mountainside to the hunting lodge. His first five years as a State Trooper he’d been on patrol and wished he could have made different judgement calls several times, but since working as a game warden, he’d never doubted his actions, until today.
He eased out of the trees at the back of the barn and scanned the area beyond to the landing strip. There it was. The blue helicopter he’d watched fly overhead the day before they had someone following them. His instinct had been correct. As much as he hated to admit it, leaving Kitree up on the mountain had been the right call.
Now to see what was going on without being seen. The maximum people the helicopter could carry was four. That meant there was the possibility of five people here that wanted the girl dead. And could be holding Dani and her employees captive.
He used the tool room door to enter the barn. He hadn’t seen Horse or Jack in the corral. If they weren’t in stalls in the barn, there was a good chance someone had taken them on down the trail to the guard station before the man following them arrived. There was a narrow door that couldn’t be seen from the inside of the barn that led into the tool room. It had been Charlie’s secret door, he liked to use it to disappear and awe the greenhorn hikers.
Using that door, he barely moved the board and peered into the dark interior of the barn. If someone were in the barn, they’d have a lantern or flashlight on. It didn’t make sense to be sitting in the dark.
He pushed the door aside and stepped out of the tool room. Using his memory, he walked over to the stalls and was greeted by two soft noses and a nicker from Jack.
“Hey boys. Quiet. We don’t want anyone to know I’m here,” he whispered, running a hand down their long faces. Knowing his animals were safe, Hawke retraced his steps to the opening. He entered the tool room, crossed, and peeked out the door before leaving the barn.
He stayed hidden behind the barn and moved along to the side closest to the shower house and lodge. It made sense that if the people who worked here were being held captive, they would all be in the lodge. Unfortunately, the only windows in the back of the lodge looked into the two guest rooms, Dani’s room, and the dining room. If they were all in the great room, it was going to be harder to determine what was happening.