DeAndre set her down. “The last reports are they ran into the woods to escape Mick Connors. We have every reason to believe they are still alive.”
Aniyah bit back her tears. She had to be strong for Gemma and her friends, but the sight of the wrecked plane was so violent she had to turn away. Silently she made the sign of the cross and offered up a prayer of safety for her friends.
* * *
Reagan knew as the sun began to set that they needed to find someplace to hide for the night. While her ankle was stable, she wasn’t about to try to walk through a forest at night. And they certainly couldn’t use a flashlight or fire for fear of Mick spotting them.
Reagan looked around them. The forest was dense in that spot. The shadows were long as the trees took on a menacing appearance. They were about ten yards from the bank of the stream. They couldn’t see it, but they could hear the rushing water. That was good and bad. It was good because it hid the sounds of their movements, but it was bad because they wouldn’t be able to hear if Mick approached either.
“I think we should go deeper into the woods for the night,” Reagan told Carter who was walking slowly next to her, ready to help her if she needed it. “That way we can hear if someone is coming.”
“That’s a good idea.” He stopped walking and Reagan happily did too. They both looked around until Carter pulled her hand. “Over here. Can you see the large bald cypress trees? If they’re that tall, it’ll be possible to sleep under the lower branches. They’ll provide a roof for us and maybe some warmth if we can find a young one to crawl under.”
Reagan agreed but let out a sigh as she saw the rough terrain to get to the trees. She didn’t need to worry about it, though, because Carter wrapped his arm around her waist and helped take the weight off her bad ankle. He’d been doing it all day, finding little ways to help her when he knew she would be too stubborn to ask for help.
It took them a while, but they finally reached the trees they’d seen in the distance. Carter pulled up the branches of the bald cypress that were about four feet off the ground so that Reagan could slip underneath. Instantly the light was cut in half, and while it was a little sappy, there was enough room to sit up against the trunk and it was far enough away from the stream that they’d hear if someone was coming.
Carter ducked under the branches and sat, resting his back against the tree trunk. He pulled her to him and Reagan leaned her back against his chest and sighed. It felt good to sit, and with Carter’s arms around her, she could almost forget someone was hunting them.
“You know, I envisioned tonight going a little differently,” Carter said as he tried to lighten the mood. He ran his hand gently up and down her arm as he talked. “For our first night as an engaged couple, I had reserved this beautiful room at a bed-and-breakfast in Paris, Kentucky, so we could have one night together without our families descending on us.”
“You did?” Reagan asked with surprise as she turned to look at him. Normally clean-shaven, Carter had a five-o’clock shadow after the long day. “You were so sure I’d say yes?” Reagan poked him in the ribs to let him know she was teasing him.
Carter winked at her. When he smiled, she saw his dimples in the shadows of the setting sun. “I would have loved that,” she said, leaning up to kiss him. His lips met hers softly as his hand tightened on her arm, pulling her closer. She rested her hand on his chest and sighed into the kiss, her whole body relaxing at his touch.
Carter had always had the power to relax her. She hadn’t noticed it until they had been dating for a month. Reagan could admit it: she was normally high-strung. She was an on-the-go person who never relaxed. She would sleep some but not well. She would wake up with her mind racing about what she needed to do or what she should be doing instead of sleeping. She’d never thought twice about it until she realized the nights she slept with Carter were nights she actually slept well. Like now, his touch melted the tension from her muscles. Her body relaxed into his. Her mind stopped racing. Instead she was focused on his kiss, on his touch, and on the way his breathing hitched when she deepened the kiss.
“Let me rub your legs. Your muscles must be tired from compensating for your ankle all day,” Carter said as he moved to shift her from his embrace.
Reagan lay down, feeling the cool earth on her back as Carter’s hands went to work on her leg muscles. She grimaced as he rubbed the knots from her legs. They didn’t talk as he worked. Instead, Reagan found her mind drifting to the last time she talked to her father. Tears pressed against the back of her eyes. She’d said so many hurtful things. She had to survive. She had to tell him she loved him. He must have accepted Carter if he gave him permission to ask her to marry him. Now she only hoped she would see the day that he walked her down the aisle.
20
“We need to stop for the night,” Ahmed called out. They’d been following the stream for miles but now the forest was cast in complete darkness. They could barely see five feet in front of them.
Cy wanted to say no. He wanted to move on, but Robyn needed a rest and there was a greater chance of being ambushed if they traveled at night. At least he knew Carter and Reagan had made it this far.
“I don’t like that we haven’t seen or heard from Mick,” Cy said, voicing his fear as they all closed in around Ahmed and Robyn. They’d been spread out over the forest looking for clues. So far what they found they didn’t like. It appeared Reagan and Carter had left a decoy trail for Mick. Matt and Annie had followed the decoy trail and the resulting trail Mick had left. When they last checked in, they had lost the trail in the darkness and would follow up with them the next day when they had the light to search for the trail.
Similarly, Cade and Marshall had had no luck finding Miss Mambo. They found her trail and blood, but no horse. They were hunkered down for the night and would also continue in the morning.
“Get off of me, Spawn,” Ahmed growled. Cy, deep in thought, looked over and found Ahmed lying on the ground using his backpack as a pillow. However, it was the little red dog lying down on Ahmed’s chest that stuck out. Robyn’s nose was tucked under Ahmed’s chin, her two front paws were on each shoulder, and her butt was curled up precariously close to Ahmed’s family jewels. One wrong move and Robyn’s back paws would cause Ahmed to speak as a soprano for the rest of the evening.
Robyn’s tail thumped and Ahmed grimaced as she licked his mouth. He sputtered, turning his head to spit. “She licked me. In my mouth!”
“Stop frenching the dog and get some sleep,” Miles ordered as he struggled to keep the laughter from his voice.
“This is not a dog. It’s a demon sent from the bowels of hell. Look at her. She knows exactly what she did.” Cy looked over at the dog and sure enough, she was practically smiling as she placed one well-directed tail wag onto Ahmed’s crotch. He groaned, and Cy thought twice about teasing Ahmed.
“Maybe you’re right about her.” The damn dog winked at him. Cy couldn’t believe it.
“I told you all, but you laughed at me,” Ahmed said, sounding like a victor even though Robyn still lay on him as if the big bad soldier were her very own heated dog bed.
“Well, don’t make her mad. Snuggle her, man,” Cy ordered.
Will and Nash shared a look of disbelief as Will rose and walked over to Ahmed. “Come on, sweetheart, you can sleep with me tonight.” Will reached down and Robyn dug her nails into Ahmed and hunkered down. She was not going to be moved.
Will stood and stared at the dog clinging to Ahmed. “Cy’s right. She’s helping us find my son. Grow a pair and snuggle that dog.”
With a low groan, Ahmed reached up and awkwardly patted Robyn’s head. The dog was delighted and shoved her nose against his neck and closed her eyes.