Josh (29 page)

She heard a voice screaming in her head. A voice unlike any she’d ever heard. The voice of a wild, primitive creature fighting for its life.

And then the voice was silenced and her world went black.

C
ole walked into the mudroom to find his two sons sorting through their hiking supplies.

“What’s going on here?”

Quinn barely spared his father a glance. “Jake and I are heading out to the mountain.”

“In this blizzard? Are you both crazy?”

As if to emphasize his words, a gust of wind tossed a spray of snow against the windowpane with such force, it sounded like bullets hitting the glass.

Jake fastened his boots. “We’ve been hiking these mountains since we were kids, Pa. We know what we’re doing.”

“For all you know, Josh and Sierra could be heading home right now.”

“Or they could be facing a madman’s wrath.” Quinn calmly checked the ammunition in his pouch before adding it to his cache of supplies.

Cheyenne came rushing into the room, carrying a parka and her hiking gear. “You’re not going without me.”

Quinn lay a hand on her arm. “I already told you—”

“And I’m telling you that if you and Jake are going, I’m going with you. I won’t be left behind, Quinn.”

He saw the tight line of his bride’s mouth, the slight flaring of her nostrils, and knew he was defeated. “Okay. But we don’t have a clue what we’re heading into.”

“Whatever it is, I’m facing it with you.”

Phoebe stepped into the room carrying several wrapped parcels. “Protein for the trail.” She handed them to Cheyenne. “See that you take time to eat.”

“We will.” Cheyenne hugged her. “I know you’re worried sick.”

“We all are.” Phoebe stood beside Cole as the three young people pulled on caps and goggles before heading for the door.

“Stop by the barn and say good-bye to Big Jim,” Cole called as they trooped out. “He’s out there raging like a bull.”

“Right.” Jake paused and returned to hug his father. “We’ll do everything in our power to bring them home safely.”

“I know you will.” Cole sighed. “As soon as the weather clears, Big Jim and I will be in the air.”

“We’ll watch for you. As we track, we’ll leave you some signs in the snow.”

“We’ll watch for them.” Cole stood in the doorway as they made their way through the knee-deep drifts to the barn.

When he turned, Phoebe touched a hand to his arm, and she could feel the tension vibrating through him.

“I know how hard it has to be, staying behind while they go after Josh. But hold on to this thought, Cole. You’ve faced hard times in the past.”

He nodded. “We all have.”

Phoebe thought about the loss of her young husband, and the strange disappearance of Cole’s Seraphine, leaving him to raise his three sons alone. And then she was reminded of the six graves on the hill behind the barn. “We’ve all faced painful losses, but nobody more than Big Jim.”

“Yeah.” Cole lifted a hand to her face, as though seeking her strength, before he abruptly turned away and shoved his hands deep into his pockets to stare out the window at the snow-covered mountain peaks in the distance.

After watching the rigid line of his back for several long moments, Phoebe returned to the kitchen, determined to remain as busy as possible, in order to hold her demons at bay.

All of them were barely hanging on by a thread.

Sierra awoke and struggled to sit up. As she did, the world began spinning madly and she had to fight a wave of nausea. For several long minutes she forced herself to remain very still while she breathed in and out, in and out, until the nausea passed.

Whatever Sebastian had put in that syringe, it had affected her body in ways she couldn’t understand. She seemed to have no control over her movements.

She lifted her hands, only to see them shaking violently. Her legs felt as weak as jelly. All she could do was lie here, helpless.

She was reminded of Josh, so still and lifeless, and of the ultimate price he’d paid. A low moan escaped her lips. At once she fell deathly silent, sucking in a breath and praying that Sebastian hadn’t overheard her.

She looked around furtively. She appeared to be alone for the moment, deep inside a small cave. The only light came from the entrance, but it was so far away, she could only catch a glimpse of sunlight sparkling on snow.

How long had she been unconscious? The fact that it wasn’t yet dark outside gave her hope that it only been a short time. It would have been an effort for Sebastian to carry her dead weight through the snowdrifts on these narrow mountain passes. Surely she couldn’t be too far from the cave and tent she’d shared with Josh.

Josh. The thought of him lying dead was a knife through her heart. If only she could have taken the bullet in his place.

Josh Conway was the finest man she’d ever known. A kind, honorable, decent man who’d never once taken advantage of her. And what hurt the most was the fact that he’d died believing that she didn’t care.

Hadn’t she tried everything possible not to care about him? She’d done everything she could to convince herself that he was like all the rest of the men who’d ever been in and out of her life. Men who took selfishly and gave nothing. But at every turn Josh had proven her wrong.

And now, without ever knowing how she felt about him, he had given his life trying to save hers.

The thought had her heart breaking. Her eyes filled and she struggled to blink back the tears.

A shadow appeared at the entrance to the cave, blocking
out the sunlight. She reflexively cringed when Sebastian ducked and stepped inside.

“Ah, Sierra, my love.” That cool, cultured voice sounded smugly pleased with himself. “You’re awake. Good. I was beginning to wonder if I’d given you too much of that sedative.”

“I wish you had. I’d rather be dead than here with you.”

“Well. Feeling feisty, are we?” He chuckled. “Good. That’s the way I like my women.”

“I’m not your woman. I told you that when I left Paris, and again when you followed me here to Wyoming and I was forced to sign that restraining order. I’m not your woman, Sebastian, and I never will be, no matter what you do to me.”

He crossed the distance between them and yanked her painfully to her feet. His fingers tangled in her hair, forcing her head back until his face was inches from hers.

When she cried out, he gave her an evil smile. “Oh, dear. Did I hurt you?”

When she said nothing, he yanked harder, until she sucked in a breath at the pain. Still, she refused to let him know how much he was hurting her.

There was no smile on his face now. He had the look of a monster. “You don’t even know what pain is yet, Sierra my love. But I promise you, once we’re free of this hellish place, you shall.”

He gave her a rough backward shove. Her useless legs folded beneath her and, unable to break her fall, she sprawled on the ground, hitting her head hard as she did.

She lay very still, until the stars stopped dancing in front of her eyes.

When she opened them, Sebastian was standing over her, holding the syringe. When she tried to back away he merely laughed. “I may prefer a wildcat in my bed, but right now I need you as docile as a kitten.”

He plunged the needle into her arm and turned away to stride to the entrance of the cave. “I left a message in the snow for my… chauffeur.” He chuckled at his little joke. “Now I won’t have to worry about what you’re doing while I keep watch until my magic carpet arrives. Once we’re airborne and away from this filthy place, the authorities won’t be able to touch me. Or to save you.”

Josh lay perfectly still, wondering at the pressure on his chest. As though he’d been struck by a flying elephant. In fact, the elephant was still there, crushing him.

Or was it a boulder flung by a giant?

Every breath was an effort. The simple act of lifting his arm was so painful, he let it drop like a stone to his side while he lay very still, taking quick, shallow breaths.

He tried lifting his arm a second time and felt the quick, sharp stab of pain that left him gasping.

Unwilling to be defeated, he lifted his hand again and sucked in a breath at the pain. Then, bracing himself, he lifted his entire arm until his body was on fire.

This was a good sign. At least, if he could feel pain, he wasn’t dead. He was very much alive. And hurting like hell.

And then all the vivid details of that scene with Sebastian came rushing back to him so clearly he forced himself to sit up.

Pain radiated through his entire body and he let out a moan of pain and rage.

Sebastian had shot him. At fairly close range.

Why then was he still alive?

He reached into his parka and probed for a wound. There was none. Just that painful heaviness in his chest, as though he’d been beaten senseless. And then he felt the edge of the stone in his breast pocket.

He took it out and stared at the heart-shaped rock that now bore the undeniable imprint of the bullet that had struck. Though the rock had cracks radiating out from the point of impact, it hadn’t shattered, but was still intact.

He experienced a moment of absolute wonder. His life had been spared by a stone. A silly, sentimental stone that Sierra had insisted was heaven-sent.

Sierra.

His own heart sank as the realization dawned.

Besides the gun pointed at him, he’d seen something else. Something shiny in Sebastian’s other hand. A syringe.

Of course. A man like that would have planned every detail. Sebastian would have made sure that Sierra was rendered helpless, so that she was now completely under his control.

Josh had to push aside the wave of fear for Sierra and concentrate on the rules of survival that he’d always adhered to. He was a first responder. He knew what had to be done.

He lay breathing hard, sweat beading his forehead as he forced himself to act.

He plucked his cell phone from his pocket and turned it on. Though it flashed a no-signal warning, he left it
turned on, knowing that even the slightest signal could be tracked by experts.

Just that slight movement had his head swimming, and he had to wait until the dizziness passed.

Despite the trauma his body had suffered, his thought process was now absolutely clear. He knew what he had to do, and was determined to see it through.

He rummaged through his backpack until he located all that he needed. He loaded bullets into his rifle and put the rest of the ammunition in a small pouch, which he tied around his neck, where it would be easy to reach. He zipped his parka and fastened his boots. Then, using his rifle as a crutch, he managed to get to his feet. Swaying slightly, he stepped from the tent and stared around in the fading light.

There was only one set of deep footprints leading away from camp. The thought came to him instantly. With Sierra sedated, Sebastian would have had to carry her.

Sebastian appeared to be a man who had gone to great pains to plan this carefully. Carrying an unconscious woman uphill in deep snowdrifts would be a challenge. Even though Sebastian had the build of an athlete, Josh had a hunch that his campsite couldn’t be far.

He tried not to let his hopes get too high as he began following the deep footprints. It would be dark soon. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d spot Sebastian’s campfire. If not, he would wait, and watch, and listen.

The fact that Sebastian hadn’t returned to finish him off told Josh that the gunman thought him already dead. That gave him a distinct advantage.

He was forced to move slowly, so as to conserve as much strength as possible for a confrontation.

The thought of Sierra in the hands of Sebastian gave him the impetus to keep moving when every fiber of his being was screaming for rest.

Though his body was a mass of pain, he had no intention of stopping until Sierra was safe.

I
’m worried sick about Josh, Clemmy.” Big Jim stood with his hand on the tombstone, speaking softly to his wife, as though she were right beside him. “That boy and I have always had a special bond. I swear, sometimes I can feel his pain before he even knows he’s hurting. And right now, I sense big trouble. It’s that madman who’s been stalking Sierra. If he should find them in this snowstorm, they’d be caught completely unaware. And we know our Josh. He won’t think twice about his own life when it comes to saving someone else.”