Gone Away (13 page)

“I’m okay.”

“You’re bleeding. The inside of your arm is wounded. That shot was meant for your torso. It was a missed shot meant to bring you down. Those people aren’t the only hunters in this area, and the four-legged kind have a far better sense of smell.” Mason led the way away from the trees. The land dipped, but not as steeply as it had at the gully. There were fewer trees for cover and more grass and shrubs.

They ran along the base of the hill. Riece tugged on Mason’s arm, pointing to a darker spot along the hillside. “There,” he said.

Mason nodded and followed Riece to the possible bit of shelter. It wasn’t really so much a cave as an indent in the hill. There was enough room for them to squeeze inside and out of sight. Mason pulled some grass closer to the opening, then turned and used both feet to shove dirt toward it in an effort to disguise the fact they’d gone inside.

“Do you think they saw us?”

“Don’t ever think otherwise until you can prove it.” Holding his finger to his lips, Mason pushed Riece farther back and at the same time inched toward the opening. He held his breath and listened for a bit before shaking his head. “I don’t hear anyone.” He turned back to Riece. “Let’s do something about that arm.”

Riece was rifling through the bear bag. “Our canteen is here, filled with water. The first aid kit,” he said and pulled it out and dropped it on the ground beside his leg. “Our phones are gone.”

Mason opened the first aid kit and took Riece’s arm. “It was a long shot that they’d leave our stuff alone. They obviously found our camp and probably reasoned we’d go back there for supplies and communications.” He took alcohol wipes from the kit, tore them open, and wiped the gash on Riece’s arm clean.

Riece sucked in a harsh breath and hissed, then bit down on his lip. Mason ran one hand through his hair and said softly, “Sorry.” He smoothed a Telfa pad over the wound and used some gauze wrapped around Riece’s arm to make sure it stayed there. “That’ll do for now and keep you from attracting a curious bear.” When Riece chuckled Mason looked at him and frowned. “That wasn’t a joke.”

“It still was kind of funny,” Riece said.

“Okay. Yeah, it was.” Mason gathered the wipes and packaging and stuffed it all back into the bear bag. Mason gave in to the urge to pull Riece into a tight hug for a moment. He reluctantly let go a few seconds later and took some deep breaths. “They want us out in the open. There are more caves on the other side of the hills and also a road another few miles beyond that. Tyler shortcuts down it a lot when he’s running late on his deliveries.”

“Go there?”

Mason nodded. “I think so. If Tyler uses that road, it’s reasonable to think other people do as well.” He pulled two sealed bottles of water from the bear bag. “Looks like they left us a gift.” Mason handed one off to Riece. He cracked open the other and took a drink from it. The canteen was full, but that water he dumped out. When Riece raised his eyebrows, Mason explained, “Let’s not trust that they didn’t put something in here our purifiers won’t take care of.”

“Drugs?”

“Maybe. These are still sealed, and I’m guessing that was to encourage us to think the canteen wasn’t tampered with,” Mason said. He scooted closer to the entrance and peered out.

Riece moved behind him and gripped his arm, whispering, “See anyone?”

Mason shook his head and crept forward until his head and shoulders were clear of the small fissure and looked around. He twisted onto his rear so he could see up the hill. “I think this is the best we’re going to get.” He crooked one finger at Riece and shoved completely away from the tiny cave. Cautiously he stood up, taking a few more steps away. Now he was standing completely in the open. Turning in a circle, he scanned the countryside. Seeing nothing unusual, Mason leaned down and wagged his fingers at Riece to follow.

Riece crawled from the cave. Mason bent and gripped his uninjured arm to help him up.

Pointing up the hill, Mason said, “It’ll be shorter going that way.”

“But we’ll be out in the open,” Riece said.

Mason nodded and added, “You up for this?”

Riece nodded. “I am.”

Adjusting the bear bag on his back, Mason took a deep breath. They looked each other in the eye, and Riece gave Mason a thumbs-up. Mason dipped his head toward the hill, turned, and sprinted up it, Riece right on his heels.

THEY GOT
to the top of the first hill without incident and started down the other side. There were more trees along one section of the hill, and they ran for the cover provided. Once in the refuge provided by the trees, Mason slid to the ground, taking Riece down with him. He put one hand on Riece’s back to hold him in place while Mason sat up far enough to look around. When Riece gripped his arm, Mason turned to him.

“Look,” Riece whispered.

Mason patted Riece’s shoulder and said, “Good job.” He reached behind him for the bolt he still had tucked away in his belt.

“What are you going to do?”

“Time to even the odds. I’m done being hunted.” Mason slipped the coil of rope from his shoulder and laid it beside Riece. “When I call you, bring this to me. Stay down and keep out of sight no matter what happens. Make sure you get to that road.”

“Mason, what—”

Mason moved away from Riece, turned back, and held his finger to his lips. Keeping as low to the ground as possible, Mason crept forward. They were at the base of one hill. Close to the top of the next hill was the youngest of the hunters. Mason kept low, maneuvering carefully as he made his way around until he was directly below the kid.

Since no one was shooting at him, it was reasonable to think he hadn’t been spotted. The kid’s back was to Mason. He seemed to be scanning the area toward the road with a spotting scope. His rifle was resting against his back, held in place by a strap slung over his shoulder. Getting him would mean going into the open and completely exposing himself to anyone watching. It might be a trap, but it was a chance Mason felt he wasn’t in a position to turn down.

Mason moved into a spot that put him behind the kid. He turned and glanced back at Riece, offering him a thumbs-up and a wink. After taking a succession of deep breaths and blowing them out, Mason sprinted up the hillside. Mason’s only real advantage in this situation was that the element of surprise was, for the moment, on his side.

Moving silently, Mason got close enough to the kid to grab him with one arm around his neck. He pulled back so the kid was off-balance and trapped against Mason. Pressing the bolt point under the kid’s jaw, Mason snarled, “Make a sound or so much as twitch unless I tell you to and I’ll gut you like a fish.” He gave the bolt a shove. “Got it?”

The kid sucked in a breath and nodded. Mason turned them in a circle. He put his mouth right against the kid’s ear. “Where are they?”

Nodding to the woods Riece and Mason had recently left, the kid barely whispered, “There.”

Mason swung them around so he could use the kid as a shield. Moving as fast as possible while still being cautious, Mason forced the kid down the hill and closer to where Riece was hiding. As soon as they were in the cover of the trees, Mason spun the kid around, backed up a step, and smashed his fist into the kid’s face with enough force it knocked him out cold. Mason stepped back and let him fall, not bothering to stop his descent.

“Riece,” Mason hissed, raising his voice barely above a whisper. When Riece sprinted toward them, Mason held out one hand. “Keep down.”

Riece bent his knees as he moved and covered the bit of distance between them. “What are we going to do with him?” He took the rope off his shoulder and handed it to Mason.

Mason yanked the kid’s go pack off and shouldered his rifle. He rolled the kid onto his stomach, jerked his arms behind his back, and tied his wrists together. He pulled the kid to his knees and held him steady with one hand. “Can you hold him up for me?”

Riece nodded. “Sure.” He used both hands against the kid’s shoulders to steady the unconscious boy.

Mason wrapped the rope around the kid’s chest and middle, fashioning a harness that held his arms tightly to his back. Then he wrapped it around the boy’s neck and used the free end as a leash. “We’re taking him with us.”

Riece arched an eyebrow and said, “Interesting rope work.”

“Yeah, I’m full of surprises,” Mason said and winked. He hauled the kid to his feet and shook him. “Wake up, asshole.”

The kid moaned, and Mason gave him another shake. The boy tried moving his arms, shook his head, and began sputtering, “What the fuck, tree nigger?”

“He’s awake,” Riece said.

Mason nodded. “And charming as ever.” Holding the rope with one hand, he bent and scooped the go pack off the ground, holding it out to Riece. “Carry that, would you?” Riece nodded and put it over one shoulder.

“That’s mine.” The kid struggled. His face turned red after a minute of trying and not succeeding in getting loose. “Let me go! My uncle’s gonna find you, and then you’re both dead.”

“Uh-huh,” Mason said and jerked on the rope. The kid was forced to scramble forward or fall on his face. He pointed at the kid. “You shut your mouth or I’ll gag you.” The kid spit at him, but kept silent. Mason turned to Riece. “We have about a mile to go in that direction until we come to the road.” He waved in the general direction of their destination. “Check his bag for a phone or radio.”

Riece pulled the go pack around so he could search the compartments. “Hunting knives, extra ammo, flares, bottled water, binoculars and….” He pulled out a radio and held it up, wagging it back and forth. “Here.”

Mason took the radio and strapped it to his belt. He readjusted the rifle, and they headed for the road. As they walked he turned the radio up enough that they could hear any chatter from the other hunters. After covering what he judged to be about half the distance to the road, he stopped and plucked the radio from his belt. He adjusted the frequency so he’d be able to reach anyone in a truck.

“Tyler should be out on deliveries,” Mason explained to Riece.

Every time the kid balked, Mason yanked on the rope. Riece gave him sidelong glances but offered no comments. Mason was going to attempt to try and not hurt the kid, but he certainly didn’t have to be nice to him.

When they came to a place where the trees were thicker, Mason put one hand on the kid’s shoulder and shoved him to the ground. “Sit down for a minute.”

“I can’t feel my arms,” the kid complained.

“You’re lucky I let you keep your arms. Now shut up.” Mason turned in circles, scanning the area surrounding them while he spoke into the radio. “This is
Special Agent
Arquette,” he spoke into the radio, glaring down at the kid. “McCall, come in.” He waited, tapping the rope against his thigh, then spoke into the radio again, “Tyler?” Lifting his finger he waited again for an answer, muttering under his breath, “C’mon, Tyler, where are you?”

“Maybe he’s not in his truck?” Riece suggested.

Mason looked at his watch. “He’s always in it at this time.” He tried the radio again. “Tyler McCall?”

“Hey, Mason, what are you doing on here? Where the hell are you, man? When you didn’t check in, one of the rangers came to ask me a bunch of questions. People have been looking for you. They’ve got the FBI coming in. Something about a license plate you called in and some runaway seventeen-year-old kid. So, you know, they came to me,” Tyler said. His last sentence sounded strained and angry. It made Mason cringe and sigh.

“Sorry about that. We ran into some trouble, and I think that kid is who I’m bringing in. Can you meet us? We’re about a half mile from that side road off Mallo you take as a shortcut,” Mason said.

“Christ, they’re looking for you in the wrong direction. I can be there in about an hour, maybe less.”

“Thanks. And bring the beer truck,” Mason said.

“Uh… sure.” Tyler sounded confused but Mason could trust him to do as asked. Locking the kid, who was now under arrest, in the back of the truck would be much safer than having him in the back of a regular vehicle.

They came to a patch of land that was flatter, but still had enough trees for cover. Mason breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the road through the branches. Motioning for Riece to sit, Mason pushed the kid down a few feet from him. He called Tyler again. “We’re just around the bend south of the creek with a bridge over it. I’m going to stick to the woods until I see you.”

“Um… okay. I guess this will make sense eventually,” Tyler responded.

Once the radio was off, the kid’s mouth started to run. “I know my rights. You can’t keep me tied up like this. You haven’t even read me my rights.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “Watching TV doesn’t really give you all the information. I haven’t done that because I haven’t asked you any questions. When we get back and you’re arrested for real, don’t worry, you’ll be read all sorts of things. But if it makes you feel better, you do have the right to remain silent, and I highly suggest you exercise that right.”

Riece had been sitting quietly near the tree line, watching the road with binoculars. Mason spent the time pacing back and forth behind Riece and the kid. He’d stop every few minutes and peer at the road. When the sound of an engine rumbled through the air, he turned in that direction. “Does Tyler drive a blue refrigerator truck?”

“Yep.” Mason reached down and grabbed the kid’s arm, pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go.”

He led the way to the road and immediately recognized Tyler’s truck. It wasn’t necessary for Mason to wave since they were standing out on the roadside now, but he did so anyway. When Tyler stopped the truck, Mason said to Riece, “I’ll put him in the back and we’ll ride in the cab.” He waited until Riece had climbed inside before asking Tyler, “Keys?”

With the truck still running, Tyler dug in his pocket and pulled out an extra set, tossing them to Mason. He glanced at Riece, then leaned over a bit and looked Mason up and down. “Are you all right?”

Mason nodded and Riece said, “We are now.”

“I’ll be right back. Keep the doors closed and locked and windows up. Don’t open up for anyone other than me. Anyone comes at you with a gun, hit the gas pedal hard.” Mason pushed the truck door shut and walked the kid to the back. Taking a good look around as he unlocked and opened the truck’s cargo door, Mason motioned inside. “Get in.”