Page 58 of The Perfect Revenge
“Let’s call it in,” Ryan shouted.“Let the park service people know that their ranger is in need of serious medical attention.Looks like a GSW to the abdomen.”
“Should we set down?”the pilot asked.
“No!”Jessie shouted.“If he opened a channel fifteen minutes ago and was shot since then, that means they’re close.Let’s search the area.”
"Jessie, we can't just leave him," Ryan objected."He needs medical attention, and we don't know when other help will arrive."
Jessie stared at him hard.She understood what he was saying, but she didn't care.
"My priority is my sister.You can stay here, but I'm finding her before it's too late."
As he looked down at the ranger, Ryan seemed to weigh the options.After a moment, he looked back at her.
“Okay.I’ll stay,” he said before turning his attention to the pilot.“Drop low so I can jump out.Then head south following the trail.I see footsteps headed in that direction.”
“Those could be from anybody,” the pilot protested.
“It’s all we’ve got,” Ryan told him.
The pilot shook his head in frustration but dipped down anyway.Once they were hovering just a half dozen feet off the ground, Ryan jumped out.The copter immediately rose into the air again.As it turned and followed the path of the trail, Jessie’s eye caught something up ahead in the darkness.
“Was that a muzzle flash?”she shouted, pointing in the direction of the brief blink of light.
“I was watching the trail and missed it,” the pilot said.“Where exactly?”
“Near the base of that mountain off to the right,” she said, leaning into the cockpit area so he could see where she was pointing.“Go that way.”
He turned slightly to follow her guidance.As they got closer, Jessie wondered if she’d been imagining it when she suddenly saw another light.This one definitely wasn’t a muzzle flash.It was bright and moved back and forth like an enormous firefly flitting in the air.
“You see that?”she shouted, realizing what she was seeing.“That’s the flashlight from a phone.Someone’s signaling us.It’s got to be Hannah.”
A few seconds later, they were at the light.The copter hovered over it, and Jessie looked out the window.The spotlight shone down.Below them, lying on a flat rock jutting out from the mountain, was her little sister.It wasn't clear if she was hurt, but at least she was alive.
Jessie was about to ask where they could set down when a gunshot rang out.The window cracked, and Jessie found herself staring at a bullet hole.
“We’re under fire!”the pilot shouted, pulling up quickly.
The copter shot up a couple hundred feet in mere seconds.From there the pilot shined the spotlight in the direction that the shot had come from.After a few seconds, it rested on a figure near the base of the hill.Jessie recognized him.It was Dallas Henry.
“You got a loudspeaker on this thing?”she asked the pilot, who grabbed the microphone and flicked a switch on his display panel.
“Go for it,” he said, handing over the mic.
“Dallas Henry,” Jessie said, her voice booming through the hills, “this is the Los Angeles Police Department.Toss the weapon away and move to the main trail.Once there, lie down on your stomach with your fingers interlaced behind your head.Comply with this order now.”
Henry looked up at them.He seemed to be weighing his next move.Then, without warning, he raised the gun and fired again.The copter veered left, sending Jessie slamming against the door.After regrouping, she unholstered her weapon and yanked open the door of the copter.
“Dip down fast,” she instructed the pilot, “and keep that spotlight in his eyes.”
The pilot didn't ask for reconfirmation.Instead, he descended, dropping a good hundred feet while keeping the spotlight on Henry.Jessie leaned out, straining against the seatbelt as she aimed his gun.
“Lower!”she shouted.
Ryan was a much better shot than her and she wished that it was him pointing the gun.But considering the situation, she was the only option.
“I can’t get much lower safely,” the pilot told her.“We’re only seventy-five feet off the ground.”
“Okay,” she said, taking aim.Below her, Dallas Henry stared up, trying to pinpoint where to shoot with the spotlight in his face.Jessie tried to shut everything out, focusing on the guy’s lower half.She took a deep breath.Then she fired.
