Page 57 of Mountain Captive

Serena moaned and stirred between them, and they pulled apart a little. Their situation was truly awful—stranded and lost, pursued by people who probably wanted to kill Rand and Harley and make Serena’s and Chris’s lives miserable. But Chris was no longer afraid. Was this what it was like to be in love?

RANDWOKEBEFOREDAWN, cold and stiff and hungry. He tried to extricate himself from the tangle they had slept in without disturbing the others, but Chris woke up. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“I’m just getting up to stretch my legs.” He stood, wincing as he straightened his aching limbs. “I’m going to see if I can find us some water.”

Outside, the damp chill of early morning stung his skin. The sky had lightened from black to sooty gray. Rand picked his way across a stretch of gravel into a clump of willows. Just beyond the willows, a spring seeped from the ground into a moss-rimmed pool. He knelt and scooped water into his hand. It was clear and sweet smelling. He drank deeply, scooping water into his mouth over and over. They would all probably have to be treated for the giardia bacteria that was endemic in mountain waterways, but that was a small price to pay for freedom.

A buzzing startled him and he leaped to his feet, searching for the source of the sound. It came from the sky. He looked up and saw a drone hovering overhead. He immediately crouched and burrowed farther into the cover of the willows. Had the drone seen him? The sheriff’s department had a drone they were using to search for Chris. Was this it? Or did it belong to the Vine?

He waited until the drone was out of sight, the sound of its buzzing fading, and hurried back to the miner’s shack. Chris and Serena were both up now, and Chris was braiding Serena’s long dark hair. “I found a spring,” Rand said. “The water is cool and sweet.”

“I’m so thirsty,” Serena said. She rubbed her stomach. “Hungry too.”

“I know.” Rand patted her shoulder. “I’m hoping we’ll be safe and eating a good dinner by tonight.”

“Did you see anything to indicate which way we should go?” Chris asked. She finished the braid and wrapped the end with a strip of what looked like torn T-shirt. Dark shadows beneath her eyes and her pale complexion betrayed her weariness. But she was still the most beautiful woman he knew. The memory of the kisses they had shared last night sent heat through him. He believed she was starting to trust him, and he hoped that would lead to a future together.

She was looking at him curiously, and he realized he hadn’t answered her question. “I didn’t look around much.” He hesitated, then added, “I spotted a drone. I don’t know if it saw me or not.”

“What’s a drone?” Serena asked.

“It’s like a miniature helicopter with a camera attached,” Rand said. “It can fly around and take pictures of anything on the ground. Do you know if the Vine has anything like that?”

She shook her head. “I never saw anything like that.”

Rand glanced at Chris. “The sheriff said he would be using a drone to search for you. I’m hoping this one belongs to them, but I wasn’t sure, so I stayed out of the open.”

Chris dusted off her hands. “Let’s get a drink and see if we can figure out where to head next.”

Rand led the way to the little spring, and they took turns drinking the water. Chris walked along the stream for a short distance, then returned. “I can’t tell if it goes anywhere or not.”

“Let’s climb up a little higher and see if we can find a spot with a better view of the countryside.”

They moved slowly up a steep hill behind the ruins of the cabin. Even Serena was moving with little energy today. If they didn’t find help soon, they were going to be in real trouble. No food, little water and little sleep were starting to take their toll. At the top, Rand studied the land spread out before them—a cream-and-brown-and-gold expanse of rock, like taffy spilling from the pot. Clumps of trees and falling-down mine ruins and rusted equipment dotted the landscape as if scattered by a child’s hand. He fixed his gaze on a narrow band of white cutting across a slope below.

“Is that a road?” Chris asked.

He nodded. “I think so.” Probably a backcountry Jeep road, but if they could reach it and head downhill, they would eventually come to a more major road, with traffic and people and the help they needed.

They set off, grateful for the easier downhill travel but at the same time aware of how exposed they were on the treeless slope. He kept glancing overhead, wondering if the drone would return.

As if responding to his thoughts, a distant buzzing reached them. “What’s that noise?” Serena asked.

Rand scanned the sky. The drone was flying straight toward them. There was nowhere to hide. He dropped into a squat. “Get down,” he said. “If we can blend into the rock, it might not see us.” It was a trick used by prey animals—freeze and hope the predator doesn’t notice.

They huddled together on the ground as the drone passed over them. It didn’t hover or circle back. Was it possible they had avoided detection again?

They hurried on. Rand was anxious to reach the cover of the trees. They were almost there when a much louder sound cut the air—a deep throbbing he felt in his chest. “It’s a helicopter!” Serena shouted.

“Run for the trees!” Rand yelled.

Chapter Seventeen

They ran, but the helicopter was gaining fast. They were still a hundred yards from the tree line when the first bullet struck a rock near Rand’s feet, sending chips of granite flying. “Spread out!” he shouted. The farther apart they were, the harder it would be for whoever was firing to get them all.

Chris headed off in a sharp diagonal. Serena took off after her. Rand headed in the opposite direction. Another bullet hit a boulder near him. A fragment of rock hit the side of his face. He wiped at it, and his fingers came away bloody. He put his head down and kept running.

He was almost to cover when gunfire ripped from the trees. Yet the bullets weren’t aimed at him—but at the helicopter. The chopper rose sharply and veered away. A man in black tactical gear stepped out of the trees, a rifle cradled in his arms. Rand froze.

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