Shadows of the Mountain Read online

  “Turn Banjo to the southeast,” she heard herself say. “Lead him forward a bit. Then slap him on the butt. That’s what Monty does when he wants him to go home. The other horses will follow.”

  “Thanks, Kate,” Jack said. He led Banjo forward and started clucking, trying to infect him with a new urgency. The horses Kessler and Logan had been riding lifted their heads from the grass, instantly suspicious. If Banjo was leaving, they didn’t want to be left behind. They’d been trailed together for years and were accustomed to following.

  They wheeled and trotted after Jack and Banjo, keen to stay close to the herd leader. Then Dusty fell into line, followed by Oreo, all five horses trotting in formation.

  Slider, though, edged closer to Kate. He stared at the others, clearly anxious about the growing separation but waiting for her direction. “You’re such a loyal boy,” she whispered, her throat tight. “But this is your only chance. Go on. Be safe.”

  She looped her hand around the bottom of his jaw and began jogging, urging him on. His step quickened to a trot, his attention shifting forward.

  Jack pulled off Banjo’s halter, stepped back and swatted the horse’s rump. Banjo leaped forward, kicked out once, then surged into a canter. The other horses followed, bucking and snorting, graceful in their freedom. Slider charged after them, showing an impressive turn of foot, overtaking Oreo and Dusty and already galloping in fourth.

  Kate coiled the lead rope. It hurt to see them running away. As if they’d just chased off their only friends. Banjo would be picking a trail without the help of his rider. What if he led the other horses into a bog? Or tried to cross a dangerous section of the river, the part that even the whitewater rafters avoided?

  Jack walked back to her side, but said nothing. He just looped his arms around her waist as they watched the six horses gallop down the slope. And the fact that he didn’t try to sugarcoat it and openly shared her concern made her appreciate him even more.

  They wasted another precious minute watching the animals. Banjo, the acknowledged leader, was in front. The horses didn’t look tired now, running with their heads high, tails streaming. Luckily, the wind was right. They wouldn’t smell Logan’s horses and be drawn to their animals...where they’d be ruthlessly shot.

  It felt strange to be on foot and daunting that Jack wanted to climb even higher. But though she’d prefer to be on Slider’s back, making a reckless dash for the ranch, part of her was relieved Jack insisted she remain. With him beside her, she felt stronger, bolstered by his confidence and the knowledge that she was helping Courtney escape.

  She almost believed it when she told herself that everything would be okay. That no one was going to die on a bleak mountain. Not Courtney, Tyra, Monty or the animals. And not Jack either. Not if she could help it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  JACK LAY PRONE ON THE rocky ledge, binoculars pressed to his eyes as he studied the five riders below. Any second now, they’d reach the spot where he and Kate had freed the horses. From this angle, he could see the saddles they’d hidden behind the boulders. Kate had taken precious moments trying to conceal their tack, and she’d done an excellent job. Maybe, just maybe, the riders would turn and follow the trail left by the loose horses.

  He tilted his head and checked on Kate. She remained behind him, fifteen feet back.

  “Stay away from the ledge,” he warned, knowing they were within rifle range.

  “Absolutely,” she said, her voice muffled.

  She hadn’t spoken much in the last hour. All their oxygen had been required for climbing. No doubt, she was drained. But the sun hadn’t set yet and if their pursuers kept coming, he had to keep pushing her.

  He turned his attention back to the men. The front rider, obviously Logan’s tracker, raised his arm, stopping the group. The man walked his horse up the trail, his eyes pinned on the ground, then wheeled and trotted back. He spoke with Logan, gesturing in both directions. Nobody dismounted. Their heads swiveled sideways, checking the mountain then swung toward the ridge.

  “They haven’t found the saddles,” Jack murmured. “Good job, Kate.”

  He kept the glasses glued to his face, praying they’d follow the horses. But the tracker twisted in the saddle, still gesturing, as if realizing the party had split up.

  Two riders wheeled and galloped over the ridge. The other three turned and followed the steep trail up the mountain, their horses gingerly picking their way over the rockslide.

  “Damn,” Jack said. “Logan and two others are still coming. But a couple have split off in the other direction. Following our horses.”

  “It’ll be hard to catch them,” Kate said quickly, as if reassuring herself. “Loose horses can move faster. And squeeze through thicker brush.”

  “True,” Jack said, inching back off the ledge. But he didn’t want to look at her hopeful face. Because the two pursuers believed they were following three riders, and clearly they’d push their horses hard to catch up. Even if they suspected the animals were riderless, they couldn’t risk letting them return to the ranch and raise an alarm. And they wouldn’t have to get very close to gun them down.

  “Logan is staying on our trail,” Jack said. “So obviously he thinks I have Courtney with me.”

  “Great. That’s what we wanted.”

  “Yes,” he said, fighting his ambivalence, hating the thought of those desperate men close to Kate. If Logan could slit a fellow agent’s throat, what would he do to her? The man’s frustration when he discovered Courtney wasn’t here might make him even more vengeful.

  Jack dragged a hand over his jaw, weighing his options. There was only one way he could keep Courtney safe, and Kate as well. “This is where we split up,” he said. “I’m staying here. You go on. Keep climbing. Just avoid them until help comes.”

  Her eyes widened, dark against her pale skin.

  “It won’t be long before help arrives,” he said, wrapping her in his arms. “Sixteen hours, max. Just go hide, sweetheart. You’re good at hiding tracks.”

  “No. I don’t want to be alone, waiting. I want to stay with you.”

  He could feel the pounding of her heart, as if it was in danger of jumping out of her chest. She’d never felt so fragile, and it stirred every one of his protective instincts.

  “You can’t,” he said. “I want you safe...and I can fight better without you.”

  “But staying here and trying to hold them off won’t help. That will just make them think you’re protecting Courtney. And Logan will radio those other men to circle around. You don’t even have much ammunition. Maybe we should climb back down.” Her voice turned hopeful. “Run for the tree line. They won’t expect that.”

  He looked down the slope in barely veiled horror. What she suggested was suicide. They’d be cut down before they even reached the trees. And if by luck they made it, the riders would quickly surround them. It was obvious Logan had hired the services of an experienced tracker, and Logan still had five horses.

  “We’ll stay together a bit longer,” he said slowly, realizing she was in no state to make critical decisions. And no wonder.

  She’d witnessed a man’s throat slit by the very agent assigned to protect them. Had been operating on raw courage for most of the day, her body pushed to the limit. Besides, this wasn’t the best spot to make his stand. There were too many animal trails. Logan would just keep him pinned until they had him flanked. Higher ground was necessary, where there was only one approach.

  The more he could stall, the better it was for Kate. And Courtney too, of course. But the fact that he was now obsessed with Kate’s welfare left him riddled with guilt. Courtney was his job. It wasn’t just the President but the entire country that needed her safe. And he couldn’t forget that.

  He turned Kate toward the ledge and pushed her forward. “Keep climbing,” he said gruffly. “Until I tell you to stop.”

  A HAWK SCREECHED A warning. Kate peeked at the bird floating effortlessly to her left then quickly stra
ightened her head. She didn’t want to look down and see the sheer drop, or see how the bighorn sheep clung to the rock at such an impossible angle. Almost the same angle as her.

  Oh God. She pressed her hand against the cliff, determined to keep her eyes locked on the solid rock. But her legs shook from exhaustion, and she felt like dropping to her knees in despair.

  Maybe this was just another nightmare and she wasn’t really walking on a foot-wide ledge, on rock buffeted by winds and her own turbulent emotions. Maybe if she closed her eyes she could pretend she was in a green field with solid fences to keep people from falling. Perhaps then she could even believe that Courtney and Tyra were safe in Washington, and Monty and the animals were all back at the ranch.

  She closed her eyes, imagining a flat field. It worked for a few steps. Then her legs wobbled, leaving her staggering once again. A relentless hand tightened around her hip, keeping her on the inside of the ledge, but at the same time shoving her forward. Jack was always pushing her higher. A part of her resented him for it, even if his hand served as a lifeline, keeping her from falling.

  He talked non-stop too, trying to distract her. He spoke about his ranch in Idaho, and the service dogs he adopted, and how one horse named Suds kept climbing on his porch and drinking his beer. Throughout the range of tales, she’d locked onto his words, forming distinct images of his ranch animals, from the feisty Jack Russell terrier to the loyal Shepherd left terrified by loud sounds. However, she couldn’t quite envision a bay gelding named Suds, climbing wooden steps and actually opening a can of beer. And as her mind jumped from green fields to bomb-sniffing dogs and a horse with a can of Budweiser in his mouth, somehow her rubbery legs kept climbing.

  “Here,” Jack said. Previously his voice had been calm, reassuring. But now it sounded different, almost hopeful.

  She dropped to her knees, unable to stay on her feet without his steadying hand. All she could hear now was their ragged breathing. She realized they were no longer on a narrow ledge but at the mouth of some sort of cavern where there was little danger of plunging hundreds of feet to the rocks below.

  “Don’t move,” Jack said, but she was already prone on the ground, her head pressing against the hard rock, obviously not moving anywhere.

  He knelt beside her, raising the zipper and adjusting the hood of her jacket. “You’re cold and exhausted,” he said “Stay here while I check out the cave.”

  She could feel the concern in his gentle hands, and if she had the energy she’d be marveling at his endurance. Of course, unlike her he wasn’t drained by fear. He probably wished she wasn’t around to slow him down. But he didn’t act impatient. He just wrapped her in his arms, warming her with his incredible body heat. Slowly her chest felt like it was no longer going to explode and it seemed like maybe she was in that green field after all, with Jack the solid fence.

  He smelled of grass and pine and horse, everything she loved, and she rested her face against his chest, just so grateful to be off that ledge. Content just to be held by this man who, at some point in the climb, had become the center of her existence.

  He shifted her to his left, moving her away from the hard outline of his gun, keeping it within reach. Because after all, this was still about Courtney.

  “I’m okay,” she choked. “Just not in shape for climbing.”

  She twisted, gathering her breath and peering out into the murky light. The horizon still glowed pink but night had fallen. In fact, she was surprised they’d been able to climb under such conditions. “Think they’re still following?” she asked.

  “No. They’ll have to stop and wait for morning. There are too many places where they could lose our trail.”

  She gave an involuntary shiver, remembering when he’d jumped to the other side of a ledge, deliberately disturbing some rocks. And how he’d asked her to hold his gun before he made the daring leap. At the time she’d assumed he didn’t want the added weight. Now she figured he’d accepted there was a chance he might fall into the crevasse. And that he didn’t want to risk having their only weapon fall with him. He was looking out for her as much as humanly possible, and the least she could do was hide her fear.

  “So what’s the plan,” she asked, her breathing still ragged. “Make a stand here? This looks like a good spot.”

  She peered into the yawning cave, accepting the further she was from the ledge, the easier it would be to conceal her phobia. They might even be able to find another escape route. “I want to come with you,” she said. “Check out the cave.”

  “A minute ago you were exhausted,” he said with a chuckle. “You sure recover fast.”

  But he reached out his hand, pulled her to her feet and turned on his phone light. It was obvious he was just as eager to discover what lay within that dark cavern, and that he shared her hope they might find another way to evade Logan. One that she fervently prayed would involve considerably less climbing.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED with each step Kate took into the cave. The air grew darker and damper too. But it was comforting to walk on solid bedrock rather than balance on an eroded ledge. She still gripped Jack’s hand and she didn’t intend to let go. This wasn’t exactly a flat field. And a cave could be treacherous, with eroded limestone and bottomless holes just waiting to snatch unwary visitors.

  Jack shared her caution. He felt his way, his steps slow and deliberate as he maneuvered around a stalactite, all the while panning the cave with his light. The sound of dripping water was relaxing, hinting of a larger network of caves. But they saw nothing except dried rodent dung, eerie mineral formations and a scatter of bleached bones.

  “Nothing back here,” he said, sighing in disappointment. “And it’s warmer near the front. But at least there’s water.” He skimmed his light over a large crack at the back of the glistening walls. “Unless there’s another chamber behind that fissure. The opening isn’t very big though. Think you could fit?”

  “I could try,” she said. But she didn’t really want to go in there alone. There might be a steep ledge on the other side. And rescuers never came when you needed them.

  But Jack was already pressing his phone into her hand.

  “I know you’re cold,” he said. “But we can warm up later. For now, you’re going to take this light, squeeze through that hole and check it out. You can hold on to the end of my belt the whole time. I promise I won’t let you go.”

  His voice was so calm, so confident, that she nodded her head, hiding her reluctance.

  He removed his belt. Pressed the hard buckle against her palm, his warm fingers brushing her skin. Then he tugged her to the opening, passed her the light and turned her sideways. Gave a gentle but insistent nudge.

  She inched into the crack, one hand gripping the light, the other clenching his belt. The opening tightened. Rock pressed against her ribs, squeezing like a vice. For a moment it seemed she was stuck. But Jack was holding the end of the belt and she knew he’d never leave her alone, pinned between the walls.

  She blew out her breath, narrowing her chest. Gave a determined wiggle and push, took a small breath, then wiggled some more. Trying not to think or feel. To only move forward.

  Now her ribs weren’t so compressed. The crack seemed to be widening. She wiggled again and pushed, gasping in triumph as the rocky vice loosened, releasing her into another cavern.

  “You’re right!” she called triumphantly. “There is another cave.”

  She panned the light around her feet, checking the floor. Solid rock, no holes to plunge through. She inched forward, emboldened. The air was better here, fresher and not as cold and damp, the cavern not nearly as black. Pinpoints of her light reflected over the walls, bouncing back in a boomerang effect. But that didn’t make sense. Jack’s beam cast too narrow a light to illuminate the entire cave.

  She switched off the light. The cave still twinkled. She strained to see where the light was coming from, but Jack’s belt was too short.

&nb
sp; “I feel fresh air,” she said, turning the light back on and twisting toward him. “Light too. There might be an opening. I’m going to let go of the belt now.”

  “No, wait!” Jack called. “Don’t go too far. Is it a cave? Or a tunnel?”

  “A cave, I think.”

  She dropped the belt buckle and stepped forward, running her light over the walls. “This place has a nice feel,” she said. “It’s different. Wow, look at this.”

  Jack muttered something but she was too busy reading the proclamation on the wall. Those who love here, will love forever. Over a score of names followed and seeing evidence that other people had been here, even if it was graffiti, was absurdly comforting.

  “What do you see?” Jack asked, his frustration obvious.

  “It’s a neat spot.” She peered at the dates. “Like a love cave. But the last entry was made eight months ago.”

  She blew out a sigh. They certainly couldn’t wait to be rescued by lovesick hikers. Still, if people had climbed in here, there must be a way out.

  She followed the wall, her hand on the rock, heading toward the end of the cave with the most light. She walked twenty-one feet, counting carefully, then pulled in a hopeful breath and tilted her head. And there was the sky, dotted with twinkling stars and all the familiar constellations, shining down on her like old friends. They felt unusually close, as if she could reach out and touch them.

  “Wow,” she said, almost reverently.

  “What do you see?” Jack called.

  “It’s beautiful here,” she said. “Like a cathedral, with the most amazing skylight.”

  “Can you get any reception?”

  She pulled her gaze away from the swathe of stars and checked his phone. “Still no bars,” she said.

  “Can you climb out of there?” he asked.