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KATE PRESSED SOME CHOCOLATE on top of the melted marshmallow and cracker. “Would you like another one, Courtney?”
“No, thank you,” the girl said. Night had fallen but the glow from the fire revealed her subdued expression. And her voice was definitely strained.
“Everything is gluten free,” Kate said, “so you don’t have to worry about anything.” Other than the fact that someone with hostile intentions might be using the blazed trees to follow their trail.
Kate’s eyes met Monty’s and he gave an encouraging nod. All three agents were patrolling the perimeter, and Tyra was holed up in the tent, sulking. There’d be no better chance to speak to Courtney alone. Kate’s instinct had been to tell Jack about the tree blazes but Monty had been more cautious, wary of all three agents.
“Do you feel like having a private call with your family?” Kate asked. “We’d like to contact our boss too. Let her know how the trip’s going.”
“My phone doesn’t work here,” Courtney said. “Besides, I’m only supposed to call at preset times. Unless it’s an emergency.”
“And if there’s an emergency,” Kate asked, “do you know how to use the equipment?”
“No, only Kessler and Logan do. I don’t even know the safe word.”
Monty leaned forward and poked at the fire. “Which one of those guys has been with you the longest?” he asked. He’d quit drinking two hours earlier, as soon as Kate told him about the slashed trees. The knowledge that he’d put away his nightly whiskey underscored the seriousness of the situation, and drove home the fact that they were very isolated.
“Kessler.” Courtney’s voice warmed with affection. “He’s been on my protective detail for three years. And Logan nearly as long. Logan taught me how to drive and we also ride horses together.”
“And how long has Jack been around?” Kate asked. “Does he ride horses back east with you too?”
“Jack?” Courtney’s nose wrinkled with puzzlement. “But he’s not Secret Service. I assumed he worked for your ranch.”
Sparks spattered, lighting up the night as Monty abruptly dropped his stick into the flames. “Do Kessler and Logan think that too?” he asked.
Courtney shrugged. “I don’t know. But Tyra knows he’s not an agent. That’s why she’s upset. She wanted Kessler or Logan to save her, not Jack.”
“Why does it matter?” Kate asked.
“Well, Jack’s good-looking but he’s kind of intimidating. Tyra already knows Logan and Kessler so they’re easier for her to talk to. Besides, it’s their job to protect us. Now she feels like nobody really cares, you know, and that if something happens again there might not be anyone to save her. I asked Kessler and Logan to leave me and go in the river and help, but when I told Tyra that, she was even more upset.”
Kate stared blankly at the gooey cracker in her hand. Obviously Tyra had been hurt when the agents deserted her and charged to Courtney’s side. At the time, Kate hadn’t understood all the reasons. Tyra did appear to be very relaxed with Logan, talking more to him than any of the other men. And if Jack wasn’t an agent, who was he? She looked over at Monty, both of them speechless.
“You’re making a mess of that s’more,” Courtney said. “I thought we were supposed to be careful not to spill food. So we don’t attract animals. Guess I can eat one more if you really don’t want it.”
Kate made an agreeable sound and passed it over. Her appetite was gone anyway. Now it seemed likely that it was Jack who was marking the trail. But he was the one she trusted most. More than that, she liked him. A lot. But perhaps he’d been charming her for other reasons.
Courtney finished chewing, wiped her mouth and rose from the log. “I’m going to join Tyra in the tent,” she said. “See if I can cheer her up. She didn’t talk to me much tonight.”
Tyra hadn’t talked much to anyone. She’d been sulking, retreating to the tent almost immediately after supper. She hadn’t said anything more about not wanting to ride Slider. But now that was the least of their worries.
“See you in the morning,” Kate said, waiting until Courtney crossed the grassy clearing. The tents were pitched away from the fire and lingering food odors, and Monty didn’t speak until Courtney unzipped the flap and disappeared inside.
“We need to find out if marking the trail is normal,” he whispered. “Before we panic. Maybe some other agents are riding in to join them.”
“But wouldn’t Sharon have told you?”
“Maybe she didn’t know. Too bad they wouldn’t let me make a call.” He poked at the fire again, his frustration obvious. Both Kessler and Logan had flatly denied Monty’s request to call the ranch, citing security concerns.
“I’m not going to report our position,” Monty had promised. But the agents hadn’t budged.
Kate glanced around, checking for the radio canister. It must be in the orange pannier, the one with the ammunition—along with the hatchet and anything else that qualified as a weapon. “I bet I could figure out how to use it,” she said. “I’ll check it tonight, when they’re sleeping.”
“They won’t all sleep at the same time. Besides,” Monty added, his expression chillingly serious, “they’d probably shoot you if they thought we were tipping anyone off about Courtney’s location. That’s top secret.”
But someone was trying to give out their location, Kate thought. And while the tree blazes could be innocent, what if they weren’t? The idea of Courtney being snatched made her stomach heave. Would they hurt her? Maybe they wanted to use her to leverage the President and nothing that terrorists ever demanded was good.
“We have to get her back safely,” Kate said, her hands fisting. “Both her and Tyra.”
“You bet.” Monty’s voice was just as resolute. He’d won top regional guide, eleven years in a row, and it was clear he intended to hang on to that distinction. “If necessary, we’ll leave the horses and walk the girls out. I’ll make up a survival pack in case we have to bushwhack.”
Kate nodded. Monty had lived here all his life, tramped every square mile of this wilderness. He could find deer trails no one else knew existed, and that no horse could possibly follow. With a ten-minute head start they could melt away. There was a manned fire tower fifteen miles due south. It would be a rough hike considering the bogs and dense brush, but with supplies, it was doable.
Just knowing they had a backup plan made her feel more in control. The girls might not like walking but if they understood the reason—
Her relief fizzled as quickly as it had come. Judging by Monty’s heavy sigh, it was obvious he’d reached the same conclusion. It didn’t matter that there was a fire tower to the south. That they might be able to hike cross country and shake their pursuers.
Because without any real evidence, there was little chance they could convince the girls to ditch their supplies and all the comforts of camp. It was even more unlikely they could persuade them to walk away from Courtney’s trusted bodyguards.
