Alex (In the Company of Snipers) (32 page)

She calmed her nerves as much as she could, but this guy was scary quiet. His dark countenance didn’t change until he crouched at her feet.

“Ma’am?” he said softly. “Whisper and me have come to take you home. Would that be okay with you?”

She lost it right then and there. Her heart broke wide open with relief. Tears gushed and she knew she looked awful, but she was safe. She choked, ashamed her emotion spasmed out of her like it did.

“Hey.” He leaned in quickly, the knife in his hand slicing through the rope at her neck, arms, and ankles. He untied her so fast, his hands moving smoothly over her as he diagnosed, but fear still ruled. The second she was freed she threw herself into his chest, shaking with sobs.

“Save me,” she ground out. “Please. Don’t let them—“

She glanced at the canvas-covered bodies. Nick and Buck were dead. They couldn’t hurt her, but her mind was convinced there was danger. Ethel. Her wicked mother-in-law was out there.

He smothered her to his chest, one arms in a gentle circle around her and the other against the side of her head. “Come on now, darlin, please don’t cry. I won’t hurt you. They’re not going to hurt you ever again. I promise.”

“Where is she?” she asked, her head shaking so hard it bumped against his chin.

“Who, darlin? Are you talking about that other guy?”

“No.” Kelsey didn’t know what other guy Harley was talking about. “Ethel. Where’s Ethel?’

“Who’s Ethel?”

“My m-mother-in-law,” she whispered, still looking around. “She’s still here. She ran, but she’s still here.”

“That was a woman?” He whistled out a big breath. “Damn. That’s one twisted mother-in-law. I’m real sorry. She got away. You want me to send Whisper to find her?”

“No.” She clutched Whisper’s neck with her other arm, and the big dog obliged, licking the side of her face with adoring dog kisses, and then she calmed. She was safe. Whisper wouldn’t let anyone near her. “I need my dog.”

She couldn’t speak. All she could do was hang on tight, so thankful for Whisper and the feel of this man’s arms around her. But then she felt it. A tiny drop of moisture hit her bare shoulder, and it hadn’t come from her. She hiccupped another sob as she leaned away enough to look at the man who had rescued her. Gentle eyes gazed down at her. Another tear fell.

“You’re crying, too?” she stammered.

He wiped his face. “Yes, ma’am. Guess I am. Sorry,” he said softly, his finger tracing a line over her shoulder. “They hurt you.”

He shuddered. There was no reason to answer. She had nothing to hide. With her body exposed the way it was, he already knew what they had done to her. The very real knowledge of what Buck and Nick intended next overwhelmed her with another wave of panic. She clenched this man tight even as Alex’s wise words whispered again.
Never give up. Help might be just around the corner.
And here was that help just like Alex had said. She collapsed, thankful beyond what words could express.

The man shrugged out of his jacket even as he held her, and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her head gently back into his shoulder. He seemed to be shaking as much as she was, his heart hammering just as hard. She stilled. This man was scared, too. He had killed to protect her, but it must have been a hard thing he had done.

“You’re the second person I’ve rescued today, Kelsey girl,” he murmured softly, his words soft and warm against her shorn head.

“Alex?”

“Yes, ma’am. The first person I bumped into last night was my boss, Alex Stewart.”

“Is he ….” She couldn’t say it.
Alive?

“Let’s just say he was bossing me plenty the last time I seen him.” She heard the right words, but she sensed there was more. Too tired to think beyond the moment, she took comfort in the fact that Alex was alive. The shock of the night caught up with her. Tremors hit her hard, and the more she tried to calm herself, the worse she got.

“Who are you?” she asked through chattering teeth.

“Harley, ma’am. My name’s Harley Mortimer. Alex sent Whisper and me to bring you home.” He tipped her chin up to see him. “You okay with that?”

“Yes,” she answered. “I’ve always wanted to meet you.”

His eyes widened. “Me?”

“You’re a good guy. Alex says so.”

A dubious smile shifted over his face before his eyes turned serious. “I need to ask you something. Are you going to be okay to travel?”

She nodded quickly.

“They didn’t ….” He bit his lip, his eyes scanning down to the open zipper of her jeans where her panties showed, and quickly back to her face.

She shook her head. Now she knew what he was really asking. “No. They didn’t do that.” She cringed. But they were going to. Kelsey bowed her forehead to Harley’s chest as uncontrollable sobs racked her inside out. She couldn’t stop. He pulled her close. Even Whisper whined anxiously, his paw on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Whisper.” Harley comforted the dog while he rocked Kelsey. “She’s just scared, but we’ve got her now. She’ll be okay, won’t she, boy?”

Whisper leaned against Kelsey’s shaking back, and she was ashamed. She should be happy, instead of falling apart.

“Okay then.” Harley eased her off his leg and settled her next to the tree again. “You stay here while I get us ready to travel. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” She sighed. Whisper was all over her and his nearness helped. She buried her face in his fluffy mane, remembering all the other times he had loaned his strength. Sobs wrenched out of her, and once again, Whisper took it all in, staring off into the trees as if this was his lot in life, to protect, guard, and to forever be her four-legged warrior angel.

With one arm around him, she watched Harley rummage around camp, locate a gas can, and top off the ATV’s fuel tank. He gathered up all the weapons he could find, and stashed the cell phones he found in his pants pocket. He seemed so efficient, as if he knew exactly what to do. Before long, he was back at her side.

“Are you sure you can ride?” he asked again, his hand outstretched to help her off the ground.

She nodded once she was on her feet, turning aside to zip her jeans, and to zip his jacket up to her neck. She had no more than accomplished those simple actions when a wave of nausea struck. The world spun. She felt his hand at her elbow, holding her steady while he eased her back to the ground.

“Easy now,” he said gently. “Take a minute to catch your breath.”

“Let’s just go.” She couldn’t speak. A wave of darkness rolled over her. Harley and Whisper faded nearly away ….

A gentle hand cupped her neck and water against her lips. Harley was muttering, and Whisper’s fur brushed soft against her hand.

“Damn it, Mortimer. You’re dumb as a box of rocks.” He leaned over her, still coaxing water into her mouth. “You should’ve known she would be dying of thirst.”

She licked her lips and drank from the bottled water he offered. The coolness of it trickled down her throat, bringing relief she hadn’t realized she needed. He tipped her head forward so she could drink better. It tasted so good. Satisfied she’d had enough, Harley eased her back to the ground. She noticed Ethel’s coat had been folded beneath her head for a pillow.

“You okay?” Harley peered down with such a serious face. He brushed something off her cheek.

“Yeah.” She closed her eyes. The truth was she was barely hanging on to her emotions. She was sick, hurt, and the only thing that would truly help would be to feel the safety inside Alex’s arms again. Gathering the last of her resolve, she struggled to her elbows, and then accepted Harley’s hand up and off the ground one more time. She staggered to the ATV.

“I’m ready,” she said wearily, her head still buzzing, but not wanting to admit it to Harley. He took the driver’s seat, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

“You sure?” he asked.

She nodded, waving up hill. “Sure,” she said softly. The blackness was back, creeping at the edges of her vision, a shadow she could almost feel. She focused on breathing, sure this awful feeling would pass. It didn’t. Harley drove nearly to the crest of the small hill before he stopped the vehicle and let it idle.

“You’re not feeling good, are you?”

“No, please. Keep going,” she insisted, but when she turned to face him, the tenderness in his eyes was more than she could bear. He reached his hand to her arm, and she summoned all her strength to return his look without breaking down. “Please,” she begged. “Let’s just go.”

“No, ma’am.” He shook his head. “Listen, darlin. I know men aren’t your favorite creatures right now, but you need to ride over here where I can get a hold of you, okay? I can’t have you falling off now that I found you, can I?”

The moment he put his arm around her, she broke down. The horror of the night swept over her with a vengeance. She needed Alex, but Harley was here. “Would you hold me?”

He did. Harley scooped her tight onto his lap and tucked her under his chin, his arms gentle, safe and strong. She cried like she couldn’t stop. He gave her a cloth from somewhere, and she drenched it in minutes, the flood unstoppable. Sunlight warmed her back and still she cried. It was all too much. She was tired and beat up. Her hair was gone and the few shreds of it left felt like an awful crew cut. What would Alex say when he saw her? She wasn’t even a little bit pretty anymore. Her head hurt, and her heart, too. He might never want her after this. He might make her go home, and she would …. Kelsey gulped. Love reminded her. Alex was never going to make her leave. He loved her, and she didn’t have a clue why she was acting like this. The tears slowed. She sniffed while the weariness of the day took the last of her strength.

She listened, her head against his chest. His heart beat strong and true, a definite rhythm that never faltered. Not even once. He smoothed a hand over her shoulder and down her arm, patiently waiting for her to be ready to move again. Finally spent, she straightened in his lap.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“It’s okay, Kelsey girl.” He brushed her cheek tenderly. “You’ve been through hell. You’re suffering right now, but you’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

She nodded, wanting to believe. Whisper sat at Harley’s side of the ATV, watching.

“So, what brought you and Alex all the way out here to the not so great Northwest?”

“He asked me to marry him,” she whispered, her voice small and breathless. “Is he really okay?”

“Don’t you worry about Alex, ma’am. He’s tough. You oughta know that by now.”

“But they ….” She groped for the right words.

“They beat him up a little, but he’ll be okay. You’ll see.”

“They kicked him so much.”

“Yep, they did, but search and rescue is taking good care of him right now. For all I know, he’s in the hospital and getting fixed up already.” He tucked her under his chin and kicked the clutch. “Come on. Let’s get you some real help. Hang on tight.”

She rested against him again as he maneuvered the ATV one-handed around boulders and logs. He didn’t want to talk about Alex. That’s why he had changed the subject and started driving. The hopelessness of the night stabbed her. Alex was hurt badly. She knew it.

“Whisper and I have you now, darlin, and that means you’ve got the best. The Boss sent us to find you, and you know how he is. He only sends the best,” Harley rambled, and she knew what he was doing. He was giving her hope when there was none. He was stringing her along. “That oughta make you feel a little bit better now, doesn’t it?”

She was silent.

“And you’re safe. And by the looks of it, old Whisper kinda likes you, huh? I could tell. He thinks he belongs to you, doesn’t he? Or maybe he thinks you belong to him the way he was kissing all over you. I mean, you know how dogs are. They kinda choose who they’re gonna love, and I can tell that big old hound loves you, doesn’t he?”

Kelsey slumped against him. The darkness was back. It was winning.

“Talk to me.”

She mumbled something even she couldn’t understand.

“Kelsey girl, I need you to talk to me.” Harley brought the ATV to a halt as he tried to rouse her. “You’ve got to stay with me. Can you do that?”

She wanted to believe, but somehow, in the process of being rescued, all her resolve had fled.

“Come, on, Kelsey. Stay with me. We’re almost there, and then you can rest, okay?” Harley was scared. She heard him talking, but his worried face kept fading in and out of focus. So much darkness. Too many shadows. They wavered close by, threatening and teasing her senses. She closed her eyes to make them stop.

“I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but you and me are going to say some prayers. Can you do that for me?”

She sighed, not able to open her eyes this time.

“‘The Lord is my shepherd.’”

She mumbled soft and low, trying to form the words he wanted her to say. Nothing made sense. Why was he trying to get her to pray in the middle of the forest anyway?

“Good, Kelsey girl. Good job. Okay. Next line. ‘No want shall I know.’”

“No-o ….” He thought she was trying to pray, but she wasn’t. Not anymore.
I’m dying. Just let me go.