“That has to be it,” Jim muttered. “It has to be. Now what’s he going to do? Will he hide out? Come after us? What’s the best way to protect ourselves?” He glanced at Brynn, who was talking in the cargo area to Liam and Tyrone. The three were unaware of the other conversation. And the rabbit.
One man injured and one man sick. And Brynn. Alex leaned his head against the leather headrest. Besand probably had food, extra clothing, and a tent. Alex hoped the tent was freezing and miserable. What now?
“I need to think. I know what makes this guy tick. Just let me think for a few minutes.”
The men all sat silently.
Alex couldn’t get Brynn out of his mind. “For right now, I think we’re OK in here. The dog twitches every time she hears something outside. I don’t think Besand will attack the plane. He’s blind to what’s in here. He’s not stupid enough to come through the entrance.”
“Would he pick us off as we exit?” Ryan asked quietly.
Alex flattened his lips. “What’s the fun in that? That’s not his kind of move. He likes to look you in the face, taunt you first. I can’t tell you how many times he complained about this one old guy who died from a heart attack or something while Besand was working him over. Made him furious. He gets off on the pain. He hates it when it’s over too quick.”
“Yeah, I feel safer now,” Ryan muttered.
“So what’s he going to do next?” Jim’s voice dropped. He met Alex’s eyes with a look that showed total belief in Alex’s opinion about the game in Besand’s head. Alex appreciated Jim’s confidence. He really wanted Jim’s respect.
“He wants me,” Alex stated, meeting each of their gazes.
“And Brynn.” Jim shifted his feet, glancing to the back of the plane again.
“Maybe. He may have said that just to dig at me.” Alex lied. Brynn was just Besand’s type. Tall, athletic, natural beauty.
Jim’s face said he knew Alex lied.
“I can pull his attention away, get him following me. Then one of you following him.” This was met with silence. No one protested; no one shook his head. They all weighed his words.
“Anyone got a better idea?”
Alex felt as obvious as a bright-blue candy wrapper lying in a white field of snow. He left his hood down, wanting to hear the sounds of the forest. The wind had let up overnight and he physically felt the absence of the constant whistling and rustling. It was like his ears were clogged. He pulled on an earlobe and swallowed hard several times, but nothing changed. He wasn’t congested; there truly was a lack of sound.
There wasn’t a lack of snow. Huge, soggy flakes fell. With the absence of wind they fell perpendicular to the ground, creating a white curtain that offered Alex a false sense of security. It also made studying the area around him difficult.
He’d been out for several hours, checking the terrain farther down the southern slope, knowing Thomas was tailing him far behind, looking for signs that Alex was being followed. Alex had trudged far enough to hear the rush of a river far below the trees. Curious, he’d worked his way down to its banks. It was a different river from the one they’d crossed that first day. This one was farther south. And, of course, they were several thousand feet above the location where they’d crossed the other. Where Brynn was almost hit by a wooden missile.
His chest tightened at the image and his fingers twitched as he headed back toward the plane. He’d almost lost her before he even knew her.
He glanced at his cell and nearly cheered out loud at the two bars of service. He’d checked the phone several times that morning, looking for pockets of service but no luck. He immediately dialed Collins.
“Kinton?” Collins immediately answered.
“Guess you figured out this number doesn’t belong to Whittenhall,” Alex replied.
“Yeah, that became pretty clear once we met. What’s going on up there?”
“We’re OK. Could you understand Ryan the other day? The pilots and marshal didn’t make it. Besand is still alive here somewhere. We’re trying to find him. Also we found Tyrone and Liam Gentry. Tyrone’s got a bad head injury. There’s no way he’s hiking out.”
Collins’s reply was full of static.
“Crap. I’m gonna talk fast,” said Alex. He rattled off what Jim and Ryan had decided were accurate GPS coordinates of the plane. “I need you to look into Whittenhall. I think this flight change was set up to let Besand escape upon landing. I think Whittenhall engineered the whole thing, but I don’t know why. It’s got to be for money.”
“Whittenhall? He’s on the take?” Collins’s voice was clear.
“You got someone who can do some research? I think Whittenhall was blackmailing Besand or the other way around.”
“I know the perfect person to look into that,” Collins said. “We’re gonna get some birds up there as soon as the weather clears a bit. You guys—”
The call was dropped. All signal bars lost.
Alex groaned and watched his screen for a few moments, walking in circles, holding the phone up. He felt like a cell commercial. He gave up and stayed low, moving silently—make that crunchily—back in the general direction of the plane. He didn’t look for Thomas. He had a hunch the man could be invisible whenever he pleased. If he didn’t want Alex to see him, then he wouldn’t. Knowing the man was watching his back felt right. Stopping behind a fir, he scanned his surroundings.
Nothing.
He could have been the only person for fifty miles.
How rapidly his priorities had changed. He’d butted in on the hasty team with the single goal of hunting Darrin Besand. Now his priority was the safety of six other people.
There had been no tracks outside the plane this morning. No one could have guessed that four men had shown up in the middle of the night with one of them dragged the whole way on a tarp.
It was utterly silent. He wondered if any wildlife was watching him. Like a bear. The thought of a bear possibly close by bothered him more than the presence of Besand. He knew Besand’s mind; he didn’t know the inner workings of a bear’s brain.
Aim for the brain.
He stepped out from the tree, took a deep breath, and pushed through the snow, wishing he was back in the plane exchanging jokes with Ryan.
Alex had spotted Thomas listening a time or two to their banter, an almost wistful expression on his face. What would it take to get that guy to loosen up?
His lips twisted.
Knowing Thomas, he probably had some fantastic repertoire of clever jokes that could knock everyone’s socks off, but he’d never share. The Alaskan often sweated inside the little plane, and Alex had realized with a shock that the guy was claustrophobic. How in the hell was he handling so many people in so little space? It was probably a remnant of his capture. Alex had watched Thomas mentally work it off, his lips moving as if in a chant and his eyes focused in the distance. What did he say to himself?
Alex had seen Brynn watching the big guy. Assessing, studying, and caring. She’d spoken softly to Thomas a few times. The conversations were too quiet to hear, but Alex knew she was questioning his comfort. Thomas would listen, then shake his head. He didn’t like help from others, but there was always a respect for Brynn in his eyes. For Jim too. Ryan usually caught a few glares or eye rolls from Thomas, but Alex felt the big guy genuinely liked the younger man. Maybe even envied his happy-go-lucky attitude.
Alex did.
Alex made a mental addition to his list of self-improvements for when they got back to the real world. Loosen up. A lot.
Right now he needed to concentrate on finding a piece of scum in the woods. He ducked under a snow-laden branch, feeling like he was playing cops and robbers in his backyard as a kid. Samuel had always been the robber and Alex the cop. Their fenced backyard had been huge with great trees for hiding and building forts. Alex had wanted to be a cop when he grew up, except for a short period when he was nine and he’d wanted to be a fireman. Then a house caught fire on his street and he’d been traumatized by the absolute destruction and smells. He’d returned to his dreams of being a cop.
He’d always wanted to bring down the bad guy.
Gee. I’m living my dream.
But he’d never dreamed he’d be freezing his ass off while doing it or camping in half a plane that’d run out of protein bars.
His stomach growled. They’d be fine without food for a few days, but he guaranteed everyone was going to get real crabby.
He felt the small disturbance in the air by his face before he heard the crack of the gun. He dropped to his stomach, his mouth filling with snow. His body sank into the snow, but he kept his head up slightly as he scanned around him.
Besand? Thomas? Thomas wouldn’t shoot at him, would he?
Alex couldn’t tell the direction of the shooter. The crack of the gun had echoed several times through the forest, almost sounding like several shots. His best guess was the shooter was at two o’clock.
Thank God he’d put several hundred yards between him and the plane.
Brynn clutched at Jim’s arm as the shot echoed its way to the plane.
“That was a gunshot.”
“Yeah, but who shot at who?” Ryan muttered.
“Besand shot,” Jim stated. “Alex and Thomas won’t shoot unless they can empty their magazines into the prick.”
Brynn took two steps for the door and Jim grabbed at her shoulder, holding her gaze with his serious eyes. “No one’s going out there. Not till Alex comes back.”
But what if he doesn’t come back?
Brynn felt the heat wash out of her face and her shoulders sag. She collapsed into one of the chairs. Ryan put an arm around her shoulders. Thomas was out there. He’d help if Alex were in trouble. Alex was consumed with his need to find Besand. He plainly wanted revenge for the death of his brother and all those other victims. Besand had dragged Alex down a graphic path of reliving his killings. Before he’d give up a victim, first he made
Alex listen as he replayed the event. Alex hadn’t told her any specific details—she hadn’t wanted to hear them. But she’d seen the shift on Alex’s face as his humanity disappeared when he talked of Besand’s victims.
Her gaze met Jim’s. His lips were pressed in a grim line.
How can he just sit here after that gunshot?
She was ready to jump out of her skin.
Jim knew what happened when you took someone’s life. He was a trained sniper. The best shot in four counties. For all the times he’d been called on for his expertise, only twice had he fired his gun and killed suspects as they threatened their hostages. One child hostage’s throat had been slit a split second before Jim fired. The girl had been saved, but Brynn knew Jim had suffered nightmares for a long time afterward. Dreams where he hit the girl or his shot made the suspect slice deeper.
The glory from the media didn’t help. They highlighted each event and dragged it out for days in the newspapers. Each time Jim had spent months in counseling and considered different lines of work. But he was a cop through and through. He couldn’t walk away. He knew his shooting skill was a gift for helping others, and he’d learned to deal with his demons. Brynn knew Alex fought his own type of demons. But if Alex were forced to kill Besand, would that wipe them out? Or just add more?
Her mind locked on a question. Has Alex killed before?
Deep inside, she knew the answer was yes.
It showed in the shadows in his eyes. The knowledge of taking another life and the emotional torture afterward. He knew exactly what hell he’d face if he were forced to kill Besand, and he would still do it. She rubbed her upper arms with both hands and paced the short aisle between the seats.
Damn it, Alex. Are you OK?
She heard Tyrone stir and mutter and she turned to look back at him, seeing Liam had already responded. Liam’s voice soothed as he talked to his brother. Jim joined the two men, as always, checking on those in his charge. Once Tyrone and Liam had entered the plane they’d fallen under Jim’s umbrella of supervision; they’d became part of his responsibility.
Tyrone’s head injury was beyond her care. His head hurt like hell, and he couldn’t stand to be jostled or hear loud noises. He needed a specialist and probably a CAT scan. Brynn ran her hands through her hair, swearing at her uselessness. All she could do was give him ibuprofen and she was nearly out.
Liam had contusions everywhere and had brushed off her offers to examine him.
At each offer he’d snap at her, “I’m fine. I know I’m fine. I don’t need you to look.” Then he’d turn his attention back to his brother.
She’d backed off.
Surprisingly, Liam had hated Alex on sight. It was almost like Alex had marked her and Liam could smell it.
She snorted. The two men were like dogs. Carefully circling each other, both alpha, neither willing to back down.
She had to set Liam straight. Apparently, kicking him out of her house hadn’t been enough of a message for him. In his mind, she still belonged to him. But trapped in half a plane in the middle of a snowstorm with seven people wasn’t the time to break up with someone. Again.
Besides, Liam already knew. He had to know. He just didn’t want to admit it. Months of sleeping on the couch had to tell him something. Her refusals to set wedding dates or even exchange rings had to tell him something.
Or is he really that dense?
No. He simply ignored it. He ignored everything she’d told him about how she felt. Maybe he thought she’d change her mind if he didn’t pressure her.
She sat in one of the seats and leaned her head back. Waiting and waiting. It was all she’d done for almost two days. It’d been nearly forty-eight hours since Ryan had spotted the plane. Twenty-four hours since Jim and Thomas had left to hike out.
Seventy-two hours since Alex had entered her life. And turned her heart and brain upside down.
Is Alex all right? She fought down the need to tear out the door and find him. Jim was sitting on the floor by Tyrone with his head in his hands. If she was stressed, Jim was beyond measure. She strained her ears to hear beyond the plane, but today the woods were silent. No wind, no ice pellets. Simply deliciously soft snowfall.
Alex hadn’t changed how she’d felt about Liam. Her feelings for Liam had disintegrated before she’d met Alex. She had been surprised and rather embarrassed how quickly and compellingly she’d responded to another man. A warm flush crawled up her neck as she thought of his gray gaze.
How long had it been since she felt that deep a desire for a man? It was more than lust or simple attraction. She wanted to do things with him. Normal things. Snuggle on the couch watching movies, plant bulbs in the backyard, get coffee at Starbucks. She wanted to know how he liked his coffee. Black? Sugar and cream? She’d bet black. Her eyes watered and she brushed impatiently at her cheeks. He seemed like a no-frills kind of guy.
But how damaged was he inside? Maybe the nurse in her was simply reacting to someone in pain. And Alex had some of the heaviest emotional pain she’d seen since her own.
He might increase her load. He could easily leave her heart in shreds.
Two more gunshots echoed outside. Alex. Brynn grabbed at her armrests, sitting straight in her chair. The thumping in her chest beat a drum solo and her lungs refused to draw breath.
Lurching out of his seat, Ryan fumbled at the door. Jim’s voice filled the plane. “Ryan! Do not go out there. That is an order.” Ryan froze, swaying slightly, his back to Jim, one hand on the door.