Page 12 of Fear for Her Life

Nodding, Kane heaved in a deep breath. “Thank you, I figure that’s my only option at the moment. We don’t want a kid witnessing the takedown of serial killers or running across them in the forest. I just hope she didn’t witness the murder.”

“If she hightailed it on a horse, there’s a good chance she did.” Wolfe’s horse sidestepped and danced sideways along the trail. “I figured they holed up in the cabin overnight, and maybe found a change of clothes. If they’re wearing regular clothes, we won’t be able to distinguish them from local hunters.”

“Styles here.”Styles came through the coms.“We found signs of a horse and some kid’s footprints. The cabin’s been ransacked, but from the prison clothes tossed all over, I’d say the prisoners are all dressed like regular guys.”He paused a beat.“We have a kid out there alone in danger. I’ve read their files. These men really love to kill kids. We need to locate her ASAP.”

Kane took two seconds to consider the options. Children in danger took priority over everything. “Follow the tracks of the horse and locate the girl. Send her with one of Blackhawk’s cousins to the res. He’ll know a safe way through the forest. Right now the res is the closest place, and no one will get in there.”

“How can you be sure?”Styles wasn’t convinced.“Blackhawk’s people aren’t going to be there to stop serial killers getting onto the res.”

“Yes, they will. They are aware of the threat.” Blackhawk stared at Kane and his mouth turned down. “The prisoners would need to cross the bridge from this side of the forest. The elders will have people there to stop them. I doubt they’ll be able to find the bridge. The trails through the forest and into the res are known by only a few outsiders. Most people who visit come by road.”

Kane tapped his mic. “Find the girl. We’ll keep moving in from this side. There should be a number of empty cabins along the river. The prisoners might stop to hole up there, so check them out. It would be better for us to do the same. Right now, the escapees don’t know we’re chasing them. The moment we light a fire in the forest, they’ll know—smoke from a cabin they’ll ignore. You know the deal: take turns sleeping and stay alert.”

“Okay, gotcha.”Styles paused for a beat.“I nearly said, ‘yes, sir.’ It felt like I was back in uniform. I’ll run it back at you. We find the girl, send her off with Blackhawk’s cousin. Locate an empty cabin and hunker down for the night.”

Glancing at Wolfe’s sudden grin, Kane shrugged. He took charge naturally, and everyone accepted it without comment until now. “Copy that.”

“We’ll call you with our coordinates when we stop for the night. Over and out.”Styles turned off his com.

“Military police.” Wolfe continued to ride beside Kane. “I’ve worked with him on many cases, and he worked alone before Beth Katz joined him at Rattlesnake Creek. He’s a maverick and follows his own rules, but he gets the job done. Rattlesnake Creek is a mining town with a sheriff and no deputies. Styles wades into the brawls there and no one gets killed. One look at his revolver and they seem to fall into line.”

All he needed was a maverick loose cannon in charge, but Jenna had found him responsible, and as an ex-MP, at least he had the skill set. Kane dismounted and dropped Duke gently on the ground. “As I’m in charge, I figure it’s time to take a break. Maybe if we sit here for a time, escaped prisoners will come to us.”

“We can live in hope. I’ll unpack the supplies.” Raven dismounted and led the packhorse to a tree and secured it before opening the saddlebags. “I know this area of the forest down that way.” He indicated along the trail with his chin. “There are three cabins in this area owned by the forestry and used as hunting cabins. The first one is about six miles away. There is another closer to the river, so I figure if the prisoners planned to hole up in one, it would be the one close to the river. They wouldn’t know about the one inland. None of them have ever lived in this county. I checked that out before we left. These guys are walking around blind.”

Kane smiled at him. “I’m starting to like these odds.”

“There is only one main problem that I can see if we hole up in the cabin, and that’s the horses.” Blackhawk’s dark gaze moved across Kane’s face. “If they steal our horses, they’ll take the advantage.” He looked from one to the other. “We’ll need to take the horses to a safe place. I’ll stay with them.”

“I’ll take first watch.” Wolfe took a pack of sandwiches from the bag and sat on a boulder. “I’m used to working late.”

Kane glanced at his watch. “We still have three hours of daylight left.” He looked at Raven. “It’s slow going along these small trails. You sure you can find this cabin?”

“Oh yeah.” Raven held up his satellite phone. “I have the coordinates of every cabin I’ve found. I buy many of the abandoned ones from the council or the forestry. Making them available for vacations is a lucrative business.”

Astounded by his ingenuity, Kane poured coffee from a Thermos and reached for the sandwiches. “You never cease to amaze me. Is there nothing you can’t do?”

“Not yet but I usually draw the line at killing people.” Raven shrugged. “It goes against my Hippocratic oath.”

THIRTEEN

The person who created the phraseliving a nightmarecouldn’t have possibly imagined what Amy Clark had suffered over the last twenty-four hours or so. How long had it been since the wreck? Time meant nothing to her. She lived between each heartbeat, dragging every breath past a sore throat and into aching lungs. Taken as a hostage, she’d foolishly imagined they would keep her in reasonable condition if they planned to use her as their frontperson to get inside cabins without being shot. That naive impression had stopped the moment they’d entered the cabin where they’d murdered the old man. The memory of what happened next crawled over her skin like maggots on dead flesh. On arrival at the cabin, Margos had sent her to the bathroom to clean up. Covered in blood from the guard shot during the escape, she foolishly believed the foul smell was getting to him. Blood had dried on her face, and brain matter clung to her. The stink of death had gotten worse by the minute and she’d welcomed the chance to get clean. The bathroom had a shower and the water had been deliciously hot, but the moment she stepped out and wrapped her towel around her, her life had changed forever.

The prisoners had been locked up for a long time, and naked and smelling of soap, she quickly became a toy for them to play with, and when she complained, they’d beaten her. The threat to kill was always there. In fact, they wagered which one of them would break first and cut her throat. The episodes of abuse came between the time spent in the small kitchen preparing meals and making endless cups of coffee. Seeing daylight pour through the windows had acted like a signal. Playtime was over. The prisoners acted as if they had a mission, but they discussed nothing in front of her, although she’d caught the name of a place: Louan. She’d been allowed to clean up and dress before cooking breakfast. Apart from a few sideways glances and coarse remarks, they didn’t touch her again, each of them intent on moving on.

She’d seen signs of a girl in the cabin, and the men concluded she’d maybe been a visitor, but as they left the cabin, pushing her ahead of them, she’d noticed a yellow ribbon snagged in a pine tree on a trail heading in the opposite direction. If a young girl had been inside, she’d thankfully escaped and would be raising the alarm. Any other time, hiking in a lush green forest with new growth all around and the scent of wildflowers would have been a delight, but not with three serial killers breathing down her neck. They followed the river until they’d spotted a drone. She figured the cops had sent it to find them, but it turned out to be another mystery. When Margos waved as if greeting an old friend, it flew low and dropped a parcel.

Amy stumbled to a halt. With her hands tied behind her and attached to a rope like a dog, escape was impossible. Exhausted from lack of sleep and hurting all over, she tried to keep positive. Hunters roamed the forest, and seeing her tied, they might alert the cops. It was her only hope. Right now, she must be of use to them. The moment that changed, she’d become another name on a long list of victims. They’d all been waiting for the delivery. Although they spoke in hushed tones, excitement was streaked all over their faces. She took a few steps backward as Margos unwrapped the box and tossed the lid to one side. The container carried pistols, ammunition, and satellite phones. Moments later, Margos received a call. He’d made no reply, just listened and disconnected. After distributing the phones and ammo, he told them they should split up and sent the other two prisoners along the riverbank.

“Keep heading north. I’m going inland.” Margos waved the others away. “You’ll get a message if that changes. We’re being tracked, so don’t leave the trail.”

“I want the woman.” Callahan raised his chin and his eyes flashed with anger. “You said, fair shares in everything,”

“No.” Margos shook his head. He straightened his burly body and clenched his fists. “Don’t mess with me. I need her as a lure. You can have her when we’re done here.” He pulled on the rope, turned his back on them, and headed into the forest.

As they moved through the trees, terror gripped her.What were they planning? Dear God, are they planning on killing another innocent soul? Whatever, I’m disposable unless I can find a way to escape.

“Hold up.” Margos pulled on the rope tied to her hands. “Sit there.” He pointed to a fallen log.

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