Page 74 of Operation: Reckless Angel

“We can’t just lie in wait and shoot them,” he said.

“Why not? They killed Penny, and they’re trying to kill us.”

Roth had to admit she had a point, but he also knew he had to try to bring them in alive to be tried and convicted for their crimes. He wouldn’t try to explain all that to her now. He merely said, “We try to take them alive.”

They reached a section of the lake where a running stream fed into it. It was shallow, and the bank on the other side of the stream was only about ten feet away. They could wade in and go upstream, disappearing in the dense woods before the two men tracking them saw them. This gave them the best chance to evade their pursuers. He and Jackson could reacquire the Sheriff later.

Roth stepped into the stream. He breathed in deeply to quell the panicked sensation that assaulted him with the ice-cold water hitting his feet and legs. The water only came up mid-calf. “Come on, we’ll lose them by wading up the stream.”

“We’ll freeze,” she insisted.

“Trust me, Bree,” he said, pulling on her hand.

She glanced behind her at the two shafts of light wielded by the two men who hunted them. They were getting closer. She felt him tug on her hand again. She stepped into the water, the water invading her boots, pouring in to soak her feet. It was cold, icy cold. It hurt like a million needles simultaneously punctured her feet, ankles, and calves. The shock of it caused her to gasp for air and her heart suddenly raced in her chest.

“Breathe,” Roth whispered. “And move, come on,” he said, pulling her deeper as they crossed the stream.

They rushed to get upstream and around the bend, the woods concealing them. They remained in the water near the bank and trudged through the steady current at a good pace for five minutes. They passed two tiny cabins. Up ahead, around another bend, was another cabin right where the stream met another lake. Roth set his sights on that cabin.

“I can’t feel my feet,” Briana whispered through chattering teeth. She felt frozen all over and she was exhausted. Her head throbbed. She still felt dazed from the explosion, and she was beginning to feel nauseous. She suspected she was injured from the explosion, but wouldn’t voice her concern yet. They had to get some place safe first.

“I’m looking for the best place to get out that we can conceal our exit and I think up by that cabin, is it,” he said.

Briana gazed at the cabin he pointed to. It was so far away. She didn’t think she could make it, but she pushed herself to keep moving forward, moving one heavy leg and then the other. They were just steps away from the rocky bank beside the cabin when her legs gave out and she plunged completely into the frigid water.

Roth felt his hand that held Briana’s tug downward. He looked to find her fully submerged in the water. He holstered his weapon and reached down with both hands to scoop her up. Her entire body trembled, and she bordered on unconsciousness. He glanced behind them and scanned all around. No one and nothing. Not even a sound. He climbed the loose rocky bank and stepped toward the cabin, which was elevated on stilts at the edge of the lake. The underside of it, below a deck, only had a dusting of snow and there was a door into the cabin.

He carried her to the door. He peeked in through the open dark blue curtains. The little light that spilled in from the window on the door revealed a kitchen. He was just about to break the window when he noticed a rock the size of a baseball that didn’t match the rest of the rocks. He picked it up and turned it over. As expected, it had a slide on the bottom. He found the key to the house inside.

Roth brought her inside and laid her on the floor against the wall. Then he kicked around a bit of snow that had been disturbed by his steps, so his tracks were covered. He did this all the way to the door before closing it, relocking the door, and closing the curtains on the window. The snow was coming down harder now. That would help to conceal his tracks as well. He lifted Briana and carried her to the back of the cabin and into the bedroom that was there. He laid her onto the foot of the bed on the outside of the comforter. He saw several folded blankets on a chair in the room, as well as shelves of folded clothes in the open closet.

Roth closed the bedroom door and used his phone’s flashlight to illuminate the pitch-black room. He dug his comms out of his pocket, only now realizing how frozen and stiff his hands were. “I need backup,” he transmitted as he began to strip Briana’s wet clothing from her.

“I’ve got your location on the tracker system,” BT replied. “Big Bear and Jax are also on comms. What’s your situation?”

“We’re hunkered down in a cabin. We didn’t leave a path to the door. They shouldn’t be able to re-acquire us here. It should be safe until you can get back up in the area.”

“Who and how many are in pursuit?” Jackson asked.

“I only saw the Sheriff and one of his deputies,” Roth reported. “They set the Weston house on fire and shot Penny Weston fatally. The house exploded. They cut us off from our vehicle.”

“The nearest FBI office is in Portland. I’ve already been in contact. Several agents are en route,” Shepherd advised. “And the Air National Guard Base in Bangor is on alert, waiting for my request for assistance. Is there a suitable LZ near your location, Crash?”

“BT’s going to need to pull maps and footage of the area. From what I’ve seen on my hike in, that’s a negative. There’s not much space between the trees. We got soaked and need to get warmed up before I can go out and scout the immediate vicinity.” He had the outer clothing stripped off Briana. He was worried about her. She was less than responsive. “And I need to perform a medical eval on my MP. She’s not in good shape.”

“Advise if you need a medical evac, Crash,” Shepherd stated. “I’m going to scramble a squadron from Bangor. ETA should be about an hour.”

“Roger that, Big Bear,” Roth confirmed.

He pulled the bed sheets back and laid her on the bed with her head on one of the pillows. He grabbed the blankets and covered her with all of them. Then he discarded all his own clothes, and he slid in under all the covers beside her so their body heat would help to warm them.

“Sit tight until we contact you,” Shepherd transmitted.

“Roger,” he replied. Then he switched his comms to receive only, but not transmit. “How are you doing?” he whispered to her. He held her tightly to himself and was already beginning to feel warmer.

“Better,” she replied. Her teeth had stopped chattering, but her body still shivered.

“I’ll have to admit, all the times I thought about getting naked with you, this scenario isn’t quite what I envisioned.”

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