Page 32 of Honoring Lena

Seventeen

Lena stuffedanother protein bar into her backpack and slid the water bottle in the side holder. Her plan was simple: distract Carter with a bear hunt so he wouldn’t be upset about Marshall leaving. All night, she’d tried to tell herself that she wasn’t disconcerted with him leaving, that she was worried about what Carter would do. She couldn’t lie to herself when she broke out into a cold sweat as fear crashed over her that morning with one look at Marshall. The organization could decide to just take him out of the equation completely. She didn’t want that for Carter, didn’t want him left without both parents who loved him so much.

She understood and respected Marshall’s need to get back. Didn’t mean she couldn’t secretly wish the helicopter would break, and Marshall would have to stick around a little longer. It wouldn’t, of course. Bjørn was meticulous about his stuff, and his dream since high school was that helicopter. There was no way he’d let anything slip past him when it came to his “baby girl.”

“Penny for your thoughts.” Marshall came up beside her and grabbed a protein bar.

“I was just hoping that the helicopter would have mechanical problems so you could stay.” She turned from the stuff she still needed to pack and leaned her back against the counter. “I don’t want you to go.” His eyes widened, and she quickly added, “It’s not safe.”

She turned her gaze out the kitchen window at the fireweed stalks, half-full of blossoms. She bit the inside of her cheek as worry pounded at her brain. Would the petals make it all the way to the top and summer close into a quick fall before he got back? Lena wasn’t sure she could stay up in such a harsh spot if Carter had to spend the winter up away from his dad, but she didn’t have a plan B.

“Hey, everything will be okay.” Marshall placed his hand on her shoulder.

She stuffed the worry down and brought up her shield of strength that had gotten her through troubles. Life didn’t have any guarantees of security. Letting the fear of an unknown future hinder the present wasn’t the Rebel way. She could focus on the what-ifs, or she could do all she could in the now to wield the what-ifs under control.

“The minute you get to Anchorage, call Stryker.” Lena used her commander voice. “Don’t contact anyone else until you are in their protection.”

His lip tweaked on the side as he slid his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. “Roger that. Any other commands?”

“Yeah.” She raised an eyebrow in her best you-better-listen expression. “Figure out a plan fast. I don’t think Carter will want to be away from you very long.”

“Carter, huh?” His smile came out full force, dimple included, making her heart skip a beat.

“Daddy, Eena, I see the ’elicopter!” Carter dashed into the room from the back of the cabin before Lena could respond, the stomp of his boots loud against the wood floor.

Marshall’s smile turned sad as his gaze lingered on her a moment before following Carter out the door. Lena stared after them, a sense of foreboding skating up her spine. She shook it off, stuffed the remaining items into her pack, and stomped out the door. She had to show Carter that being in the Alaskan wilderness was an adventure, one he could tell his daddy all about when he returned to them.

Marshall held Carter, who stood on the porch railing. The kid bounced up and down on the narrow board in his excitement as Bjørn touched down. One thing was for sure, the boy would keep her busy. Hopefully busy enough not to worry about Marshall.

“Born!” Carter waved wildly as Bjørn climbed out of the cockpit.

“Let’s go see if he needs help.” Marshall lifted Carter from the railing.

Movement past the helicopter grabbed Lena’s attention. She placed a hand on Marshall’s back before he could put Carter down. If it was a bear, she wanted them all safely inside. She cupped her hands over her eyes to shade them from the sun and scanned the trees and brush. She swallowed as a hard rock settled in her gut. Why was she so hyped up? Animals were a part of being in Alaska.

She shrugged, hoping the motion would relax her overactive mind. As she lowered her hands, men emerged from the forest like ground wasps bursting from their hive. The rapid pop-pop of their guns as they fired at the helicopter sent her pushing the Rands off of the backside of the porch toward the woods. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see Bjørn bailing into the trees by the helicopter.

Would they catch him? Would they just kill him on the spot? How had they found them in the first place?

“Go into the woods,” she harshly whispered as she scanned behind them, her Sig ready in her hand.

Men swarmed the helicopter, then continued toward the cabin just as she pushed Marshall into the thick undergrowth. Had they been seen, or had the intruders been more focused on Bjørn? She searched the woods where her brother had disappeared but saw nothing. She needed to move, get the Rands to safety.

The helicopter exploded in a hot billow of fire, causing her to duck and Carter to scream. Bjørn would freak. Lena took one last look as the door to her cabin was kicked in. A few men scanned the area while the others stormed into the cabin.

Good.

Lena would take advantage of the fact they hadn’t been seen.

“Let’s go. Stay low until we get deeper in the woods.” She urged Marshall forward, keeping her hand on his back as he dashed into the dark forest.

Would she be able to keep them alive, fighting the dangers of the wilderness and an organization that seemed to stop at nothing to get what they wanted? She adjusted her pack on her back, glad that she had packed extra food for her and Carter’s bear hunt. She’d just get them somewhere safe and call in the cavalry. Gunnar could extract them and find Bjørn.

Wait. The SAT phone still sat nestled in the charger. Lena inwardly groaned and stumbled over a root, quickly righting herself. Bjørn had arrived before she’d grabbed it. There wouldn’t be a rescue, at least not anytime soon.

Marshall hiked Carter up in his arms as he pushed through some black spruce that had grown thick together. Thank goodness the Alaskan terrain would hide their escape. It wasn’t fun to trek through, but hopefully those after them wouldn’t be able to track them as easily as they could somewhere else.

A jumble of rocks were piled before them, and Lena pulled on Marshall’s shirt. “There. Stop there.”

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