LS02 - Lightning Lingers (15 page)

"Don't go there," he said, cutting her off. "Jake is not your dad."

"The circumstances are eerily similar." Another thought entered her mind. "I wonder if Jake's plane could have been tampered with before he left. Jake and Katherine came here before the flight. There was time in between Jake's decision to fly her to Mexico and when they took off. What if someone got to the plane?"

"I'm sure there's security at the airport."

"It was a charter flight. Security is not as tight at a private airfield. And I know that Jake flies executives from MDT all the time. They're very familiar with that airport and those planes."

"It's something to consider," Michael said carefully. "We need more information, Alicia."

"I should go to the airfield and talk to Rusty again, ask him the questions I should have asked. I was so shocked; I couldn't think." She glanced up the stairs. "But first, I should make sure Mom's all right."

"Does she have a friend who could come and stay with her while we're waiting for news?"

"I'll ask her."

"We'll make sure she's okay and then we'll go to the airfield. We're going to find Jake and Katherine, Alicia."

She wanted to believe him, but she had no idea how they would do that.

* * *

Katherine's lungs were protesting at their frantic run through the forest, and she had a pain in her side that was getting worse by the minute, but thinking about stopping with armed men in the area didn't seem like a good idea. She shifted her tote bag to her other shoulder. The computer, guidebooks, and maps as well as her wallet and cell phone were weighing her down, but she really didn't want to leave them behind.

Jake kept up a steady, fast pace, flinging her the occasional worried look over his shoulder, but he obviously knew her well enough to know she could keep up. She wasn't going to quit, not until she stopped breathing.

She didn't know if they were going in the right direction but staying in the trees seemed like the best idea. They hadn't heard or seen anyone come after them in the past hour, but the men obviously had transportation, and they did not, so she had no idea how long they could stay hidden.

Jake slowed down and finally stopped, his chest heaving with exertion as he drew in quick, ragged breaths. "You okay?"

She nodded, not having enough air to speak just yet. She put her bag on the ground and rolled her aching shoulder.

"You need to drop some of that weight," Jake said. "Just take your wallet and phone and leave the rest."

"We might need the computer," she argued. "I can carry it."

Jake opened his backpack and pulled out a water bottle and tossed it to her. "Drink."

She was happy to soothe her throat with cool water. Between the smoky fire and the running, she felt parched. She drank about a quarter of the bottle and then handed it back to him. "Your turn."

"I'm okay. We'll save it for later."

"You need water, too," she insisted. "You don't drink, I don't move."

"You're so damn stubborn."

"And I know how to avoid dehydration. We have enough problems."

Jake took a long drink and then put the bottle into his backpack. "Let's keep moving."

"Aren't we going in the wrong direction, Jake? We should be heading south. We're getting farther away from Nic Té Há by the minute."

"That would have been preferable, but that direction had less cover, and we had to make a snap decision. We can't go back. At some point, we'll head east and then eventually south."

"At what point would that be?"

"When we feel like we're safe and no one is following us."

She couldn't imagine feeling safe after what she'd seen in the woods.

"When it gets later in the day, I'd like to head back up into the hills, but I want us to get far enough away so no one can spot us once we start to climb and don't have the trees for protection."

She couldn't argue with his plan. In fact, she was pretty damn happy to have him with her now. She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't survived the crash, or if he hadn't kept her from running up to those men and announcing her presence.

It was the first time in their relationship that Jake had been the more cautious one. He'd done a good job at keeping them safe.

"How long do you think those men will look for us?"

"Impossible to say."

"I wish I knew if they were connected to TJ's situation."

"So do I. I also wish I could get a message to everyone back home. It kills me to think of what our families are going through, not knowing if we're dead or alive."

"Just keep reminding yourself that we are alive, that we're going to make it back," she told him. "Your mom and sisters are not going to lose you."

"I'd like to believe that," he said heavily. "But I have to admit I wasn't expecting anyone to come after us—to blow up the plane, for God's sake."

"I wasn't, either. If you hadn't stopped me from yelling out to those men, we might not be alive right now."

"I had a bad feeling."

"Your instincts were right. What does your gut tell you now?"

"That we're up against more than Mother Nature. It's not going to be easy, Kat."

"But we're going to make it." She reached for his hand and gazed into his eyes. "I need you to believe it, Jake. I need you to help me make it true."

He gave her a long look, then said, "I believe it. You don't have to worry. We'll be okay."

It was exactly what she'd wanted him to say. Whether it was true or not, she'd needed to hear his reassurance.

"Thanks."

He squeezed her hand. "Ready to run again?"

"Yes."

She jogged and walked behind Jake for several more hours. A few dark clouds soaked them with rain, but she couldn't worry about being wet. Every step forward could take them closer to safety.

They headed into the mountains around four o'clock, hoping the shadows thrown off by the taller peaks would shield their presence. The hillsides were steep and often slippery, making the journey that much more difficult. Aside from stopping to get water or catch their breath, they kept going, knowing that they had to make each minute of daylight count.

Finally, their climb brought them to a plateau. Katherine set her bag on the ground and shared the second-to-last bottle of water with Jake as they looked out at the view. She saw an endless sea of trees and some grassy areas that could possibly be farmland, but it was difficult to tell from this distance.

"There's a road over there," Jake said. "See that brown patch that winds through the trees? It looks like there's a river down there, too. A road and a source of water leads me to believe there might be people nearby."

"That road is at least a few miles from here."

"Should we try for it?"

She hesitated. "We won't make it before dark. And once we get down in those trees, it will be easy to lose our way."

"Maybe we should spend the night here and go at first light."

As much as she didn't want to spend the night on the mountain, she thought it was the best decision.

Jake pulled out his phone. "Hey, wait a second, I have two bars now."

"Really?" she asked hopefully. "That's the first piece of good news I've heard all day."

"I'm going to send a text to Rusty and Alicia. Maybe they can trace the signal of the phone and that will help them find us."

"Can you have them check in on my mom? She may not be able to understand that I'm missing since I'm gone all the time anyway, but I just want someone to see if she's worried or upset about anything."

"Of course." He typed in a brief message stating what he knew about their position and asking them to send help as soon as possible. He hit Send and it seemed to go through. "I think it went."

"I hope so. We might finally catch a break." She sat down with a groan of relief. "I think I have ten blisters, one for each toe."

"My feet have taken a beating too." He gave her a smile as he sat down next to her. "Can I just say that you've been amazing today?"

"You can definitely say that."

"You haven't complained. You haven't slowed us down. And you haven't wasted time arguing with me."

"I only argue with you when you're wrong."

He rolled his eyes. "Just take the compliment."

"Thank you. You've been great, too, Jake."

"Today reminds me of when I used to think we made a good team. We complemented each other."

"At least part of the time."

"There was more good between us than bad. I don't think I remembered that until recently."

She nodded. "It's easier to focus on the end instead of everything that came before. We're going to need to be a good team for a while longer if we're going to get out of here."

"Agreed."

She reached for her bag and pulled out the candy bar she'd won the night before. "Time for chocolate."

"I thought you ate that hours ago."

"I never had time." She opened the wrapper and took a bite. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted. It's like a piece of heaven."

"Way to rub it in."

"I won it fair and square."

"I know you did; that doesn't make it easier."

She took another bite, then broke the bar in half and held out the other piece to him. "I'm willing to share."

"No way, it's yours. I was just giving you a hard time."

"I know, but it's
ours
. I wouldn't feel right eating the whole thing. Come on, take it."

"You should save it for later."

"If you don't take it, I'm going to throw it down the mountain."

"That would be a stupid thing to do," he said with annoyance.

She shrugged. "And not sharing it with me would be a stupid thing for you to do."

He took the chocolate. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

He demolished the bar in two bites. "I have to admit that was good. The best thing I've tasted in years. I just hope you won't regret your generosity when you wake up hungry in the morning."

"The only regrets I've had involve moments when I was being selfish, not generous." She paused, her gaze on the view for a long moment. Then she turned her head to look at him. "I know I've been self-absorbed the last several years, Jake. I need to work on that."

"There's a flip side to every negative trait. That dedication helps you to accomplish your goals."

"But I don't want my accomplishments to be at the expense of others. When I get home, I'm going to make things right for TJ and my mom. I can't believe that her condition has gone downhill so fast or that she changed doctors without telling me. I wish TJ would have called me and told me to get my ass back to Corpus Christi sooner. I don't know why he didn't do that. If he needed help, he should have asked."

"He did ask; that's why we're here," he reminded her.

"I'm talking about before Friday."

"Is it possible you missed some phone calls or texts?"

She frowned. "It's definitely possible, but if there was a big problem, I would respond."

"Maybe TJ didn't want you to come home. He wanted you to finish what you started."

"It's possible. He's always supported me."

"Is there any chance your mom will get better?"

"The prognosis isn't great, but there are new drugs coming out that might slow the progression of her disease. I need to do some research. It's not my field, but I definitely need to become an expert in it. I asked one of my friends, who's a neurologist, to look in on my mom this week. Something is a little off with her care, and it needs to get straightened out."

"Then that's what you'll do. When you put your mind to something, you usually succeed, Katherine."

"Wow, another compliment. That chocolate must have gone to your head."

He grinned. "I just call it like I see it."

"You're like me in that regard, Jake. You go after what you want, too."

"Sometimes," he conceded. "Not always."

"What haven't you gone after?" she challenged.

His answering look sent a chill through her.

"You," he replied. "I should have gone after you, Kat. I should have tried to change your mind. I should have done better by you."

Goose bumps ran down her arms. "I don't think you could have changed my mind back then."

"What you said yesterday about me being the drowning man and you being the one who couldn't rescue me because I wouldn't let you…"

"Yes?"

He held her gaze for a long minute. "I didn't see myself as drowning until you said that yesterday. I knew I was angry, reckless, a little out of control. I wasn't giving you enough attention, but I never realized that you thought I was in real danger or that you had to save me."

"I was afraid for you, Jake," she admitted. "You were so light and easygoing on the outside that most people didn't realize how deeply you cared, how intense your emotions could be. But I could see how much pain you were in behind the partying and the thrill-seeking dares, and it scared me. Of course, as you know, I scare pretty easily, so that's probably not saying much."

"The big stuff doesn't scare you," he said quietly. "Spiders, yes, you're a big baby. Riding on the back of a motorcycle, no way; you could recite statistics of motorcycle deaths in your sleep."

She couldn't believe he remembered that. "I didn't want you to be one of those statistics."

"I think you were more concerned about ending up a statistic yourself, and that's okay. Back then, sometimes I needed someone to pull me off the edge." He took a breath. "But sometimes I think you needed someone to get you to that edge."

His words reminded her of the dream she'd had the night before when he'd asked her to jump off a cliff with him to save her brother. She'd tried to say no, but in the end she'd taken his hand…

Jake had always gotten her to the edge, which was partly why she'd broken up with him and ran as far away as she could get.

"Nothing to say?" Jake prodded.

"What can I say? We're different people. We were good for a while, but when life got tough…"

"We were young, Kat. We didn't know what we were doing."

"I can't argue with that." She paused. "I'm glad we got a chance to talk things out."