Hayley stumbled over a tree root, righted herself and hurried onward, forcing her feet and legs to keep a swift pace. The adrenaline shakes were on the ebb, leaving her thoughts sluggish and her limbs weighted. If only she could collapse onto the soft, mossy ground and take a long nap. Maybe she would wake up to discover the violence and turmoil of the past sixteen hours had been nothing more than a bad dream.
She let out a snort under her breath. Denial was an exercise in futility. Keeping her mind focused on the next actions for wilderness survival was the only way forward now.
Mack trotted easily along beside her, his panting breaths soft but clear in the morning stillness. Sean’s footfalls behind her were steady if still a bit forest-newbie with snapped twigs and grunts when he clumsily navigated a branch in his way. Good thing they weren’t out on a hunt. But in time he’d learn to move quietly. He’d have to. They were the hunted, not the hunters. A chill quivered through Hayley.
“We should stop soon and hydrate,” Sean said.
“Agreed, but I’m out of bottled water. I have a canteen, but it’s empty. Normally, when heading into the forest I would have had time to fill it at the house. That wasn’t an option this time.” She shrugged, and the heavy pack dragged against the movement. “There’s a stream about a mile from here. We can stop then.”
“Sounds good. Let me carry the rucksack. You’ve hauled it long enough.”
Hayley wasn’t about to protest that suggestion. They stopped and she handed over the pack. Loss of the extra weight afforded her a second wind as they hurried onward. Her perked ears caught no telltale sounds of pursuit.
Could she hope the smugglers would give up on them now that their big weapons deal was thwarted? Hayley firmed her jaw. She was being delusional again. Sean and she were witnesses to illegal activity. From the way Sean talked about this Patterson guy, the smuggling kingpin didn’t sound like someone who would tolerate liabilities.
The terrain began to dip mildly and then severely, slowing their pace as they picked their way carefully. The loamy ground was slick with fallen leaves and needles, so they frequently steadied themselves with their hands against tree trunks. Soon, the shush of slow-flowing water reached Hayley’s ears. A few steps later the ground leveled off, and they stepped out of the trees onto the bank of a small creek. The water was shallow and glassy clear, revealing a stony bottom. The far bank lay only a few yards distant.
Mack crouched by the flowing water and lapped eagerly. Sean stepped ahead of her and squatted at the edge of the creek. He scooped a handful of sparkling liquid into his palm.
“Ouch. Cold,” he said, carrying the water toward his mouth.
“Don’t drink it.” Hayley stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
Sean gazed up at her with lifted brows. “The water’s not pure out here? I don’t see how that can be.”
She stifled a grin. “It’s as pure as nature makes surface water, I suppose, but it still contains all sorts of rotted vegetation, debris and bacteria that our civilized stomachs aren’t equipped to handle.”
“Yuck.” Sean dumped the water back into the stream.
Hayley chuckled. “I’ll fill the canteen and put a purification tablet inside. We should be able to drink it in about a half hour. It’ll taste pretty awful, but it will be safe. When we make camp tonight, we can boil water, or if we can’t risk starting a fire, I have a micro-filter and charcoal purifier we can use. Those options will taste better.”
Sean stood up and wrinkled his nose. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Give me the backpack, please.”
He handed it over, and she knelt at the creek-side. The process of finding the needed items, filling the canteen and adding the purification tablet took only a couple of minutes.
Hayley stood, gripping the full canteen, and gazed solemnly into Sean’s dark eyes. “How serious will that gang be in pursuit of us?”
“A heart attack would be less serious.”
“I’d already come to that conclusion.” She sighed. “But you know these guys better than I do.” She compressed her lips and dropped her gaze. “I had hoped...” She let her voice trail away.
“Hang on to hope.” Sean laid a sturdy hand on her arm. His warmth comforted if his words didn’t. “We’ve survived thus far, and none of those guys have wilderness smarts like you do.”
“My brother’s traitorous friend, State Trooper Glenn Cauley, does. He’s an expert tracker and a dead shot. I should know. Craig and I have gone hunting with him.”
Sean released a long, whistling breath. “We’d better get going, then.”
Hayley jerked a nod, turned and led the way into the shallow creek. At first, the water swirled only a few inches up her thick hiking boots, the waterproofed leather holding the moisture at bay. A few steps later, she reached a deeper stretch about a yard wide and took a leap beyond the portion that would have topped her boots and soaked her feet. The cold water splashed onto her jeans, chilling her legs, but hiking would soon warm her and dry the moisture.
They stepped up onto the far bank and reentered the tree cover. Now that they’d put several miles of distance between them and their enemies, and with the morning only half-gone and a long day’s walk ahead of them, she moderated their pace to a brisk walk.
“This trooper friend of your brother’s has got to be really sweating the situation,” Sean said. “If Patterson insists on him acting as a tracker for his crew, he won’t be able to return to his station. Questions will be asked.”
“How could he return to his station with his plane disabled?”
Sean stepped up to walk nearly level with her. “Neither of us got to see the results of that explosion. I have no doubt the plane carrying the stolen drone was toasted and sunk. Your plane that was tied up on the other side of the dock almost certainly took some damage. But there wasn’t room for a third plane at the dock. When Trooper Glenn landed, he drove his floats up onto the beach and threw out an anchor. From our perspective in the forest behind the workshop, we weren’t able to watch him do that. I didn’t know it until I left the workshop, but that’s why I think it’s possible his aircraft is operational.”
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.