Authors: Shady Grace
“Will I be safe from the bears?”
“Maybe.”
“Wolves?”
Her sweet lip curled up at the corner. “Possibly.”
“Mosquitoes?”
“No.”
He was about to ask another silly question when the phone rang from inside. Mary rushed in to answer while Terry tried to figure out a way to convince her to let him stay in the guest bedroom, or preferably in her bed. He didn’t want to admit he was scared shitless to be out here, alone, at night, in the deadly wilderness. He stared at the tree line, so thick he couldn’t see much more than a foot beyond, wondering if a fury predator was watching him right now, and licking its lips.
He shook his head. What a pathetic thing to imagine when he was probably safer here than at home.
Mary returned a few minutes later with a rifle in hand. Terry eyed up the gun and then her. “Did I say something wrong?”
She looked confused. “What?”
Terry glanced in the other direction. “Nothing.”
“That call was about a nuisance beaver. Apparently a man about ten clicks away has had troubles with it before. His road access is blocked off from the dam and he needs it fixed right away. Care to join me?”
As long as the bullet wasn’t meant for him. “Sure. My schedule is clear. We’ll take my vehicle.”
Mary laughed, eyeing him incredulously. “Are you serious? It looks brand-new.”
He shrugged. “It’s a rental. I don’t care if we put a dead beaver in it.”
Terry quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater in the guest room while Mary gathered a few necessities to do her job. He took in the basics of her home, the personal objects scattered about and decided he liked this place. It was quiet and simple, and completely different than home. Gabe was right. Maybe this is exactly what he needed.
They put the gear into the Suburban and headed along a dirt road that looked like it hadn’t been driven on in twenty years. The overgrowth crowded the road, making the turns impossibly tight, Terry thought he’d either take off the paint or ditch the vehicle. Mary on the other hand looked happy to be on the road. Maybe getting away from her house was exactly what she needed.
On a whim he reached over and took her hand in his on the center console. Most women loved to have their hand held while out on a drive. He hoped Mary did too.
He felt her tense up, but she didn’t pull away. Through his peripheral vision, he saw her look down at their entwined hands, then up at him in question. He sensed her fear at having a man touch her like this, when he knew her husband did no such thing. To Terry, it felt good showing her he was right beside her no matter if they were on a Sunday drive or running for the hills.
After a long while of silence and scenic bush road, Terry slowed the vehicle at the first signs of a wash out.
“This must be it,” Mary said. “The guy said he’d be here to show me the pond and to pay me, but I don’t see him.”
Terry scanned the trees but nobody seemed to be around. He parked the truck to the side and shut off the engine. “Might as well take a look around, I guess. Looks like there’s a set of tire tracks before the water, but not sure how old they are. Maybe the guy’s stuck back there.”
Mary got out and grabbed a couple pairs of rubber boots from the back, and handed him the larger pair. “They were Tom’s. Not sure if they’ll fit but you’ll need them.”
The rubbers were a bit tight, but Terry was glad for them considering the pool of water covering the road. They walked along the outer bank, keeping tight to the bushes and even on higher ground the water almost reached the top of the rubber boots. Eventually they came across a fairly large pond, which completely washed out the guy’s driveway, but Terry couldn’t see a house in the distance.
“Are you sure somebody lives here? It looks like any other bush road.”
Mary eyed the pond. “Hard to tell around here. There’s a few people who live off of roads like this in the middle of nowhere. Mima’s one of them. You’d never know of her cabin unless you came across it by accident or flew over it.”
Terry nodded in agreement, remembering Mima’s cabin nestled tight in the mountain range. Even by skidoo the place seemed almost impossible to reach.
About fifty yards away Terry saw a mound of sticks and muck. “There’s the beaver house.”
Mary chuckled. “Well at least you know something about the wilderness.”
Her little jab made him shake his head. “Whatever, woman. I may be a city boy but I’m not an idiot. I do read and watch television when I have time.”
“That beaver will be here somewhere. We just have to wait.” She checked her rifle and walked up to a small hill overlooking the pond. Terry followed, having no idea what else he should do, and knelt down on the grass beside her.
He’d never done anything like this before, and it felt great to be out here like this, in the fresh air without the sounds and smells of the city. A raven sat on top of a mangled-looking spruce nearby, a slight breeze swished the grass around them. It felt like he’d arrived in a different world, squatting beside a woman who lived like this every day.
He stared at her, at the loose strands of hair touching the back of her delicate neck. The urge to trace the tip of his finger along the curve of her jaw, gently cup her neck and force her to face him, was strong. But he also enjoyed simply watching her in her element as she scanned the waterline, waiting for the furry pest to emerge.
“You live for this, don’t you?” he whispered.
She turned and looked up at him. “Not really. I do enjoy it, but I’m also tired of it.”
He frowned. “Why? You seem at peace out here.”
Mary let out a deep breath. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the wilderness, but sometimes I wish for something more. More than the excitement of shooting my gun, or even taking the dogs out for a run.” She smiled, more at herself, he thought. “I’ve never gone shopping at a fancy store. I don’t even own a dress or a pair of high heels.”
He chuckled. “We could change that, you know. I’ll bring you to the city anytime you want. Just say the words.” He stiffened. The words tumbled out of his mouth before even thinking about it.
She smiled at him, eyes bright with wonder, completely unaware of the turmoil he’d caused himself. Terry wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted out of this strange relationship—a real partner by his side, or a friend with benefits? All he knew for certain was that he wanted Mary close to him. He enjoyed her company, her humor, and even the shyness which made her real in his eyes. There was no mincing words or toying with his mind. She said it like it was, and he liked that.
“I’ll think about it,” she said, snapping him back to the moment. A moment later something caught her eye and she lifted the rifle, aiming it toward the pond. “There he is.”
Terry focused where she was looking and saw a tiny spec of brown in the water with a slight wake right behind. He was about to comment on how she couldn’t possibly shoot such a small target, but she pulled the trigger and the bullet hit bang on.
“Nice shot—”
A second shot cracked the air. A bullet whizzed by Terry’s head and slammed into a tree directly behind him. On instinct, he shoved Mary to the ground and pinned her beneath him. As he tried to make sense of what happened, another shot cracked the air, this time hitting the dirt in front of them. “Please tell me there’s hunters around here and we’re just in a bad spot.”
“It’s not hunting season, Terry, and this is private land.” She panted beneath him. “This has never happened to me on a call before.”
“Fuck.” He rolled to her side but kept an arm over her torso. “Don’t move.” He pushed onto his knees and viewed the landscape from their perch on the hill. Nobody was in sight and the bush across the pond was too thick to see beyond.
Mary stared at him, wide-eyed. “What the hell is going on?”
“I’ll explain later. We have to get out of here.” Terry lifted his head higher for a better view. Another shot cracked the air. He ducked and put his body over hers again. That shot could’ve killed him. He felt the air whip across his cheek, but he didn’t want to tell her the truth. “We need to get to the truck right now.”
They crawled back to the rental. More bullets whizzed past them, hammering at the Suburban and the surrounding bushes. Terry shoved a bewildered Mary through the driver’s side door to the passenger seat, and jumped in behind her.
He wasted no more time with talk, and put the Suburban in gear just as a jeep burst through the brush on the other side of the pond.
“Holy shit!” Mary screamed, and gripped the dashboard. “What the hell is happening?”
The jeep plunged into the pond and came straight for them. Pond water spewed over the wheels as it charged ahead full speed. Terry slammed on the gas and spun the truck around, racing back down the road with the jeep right on his ass.
“I’m going to assume that call was well planned,” Terry added, as he swerved the truck around a sharp bend.
“What?”
“That call. Did you know the person or get any other information? Because what happened was the perfect setup for an assassination in the middle of nowhere. Probably never find a body out here.”
Mary remained silent for a long while as Terry tried to lose the jeep. “Oh, God.”
The old gravel road zigzagged around trees and rock cuts, old cut-overs and swamp land. Every time Terry gained some momentum, the jeep would bump his rear end, making him fishtail along the road. He was grateful for the Suburban’s heavy weight and long wheelbase. It would take a lot to flip the big beast.
He swerved tight around a corner, narrowly escaping a large boulder on the side of the road.
Holding the wheel with one hand, he pulled out his handgun with the other. Mary’s jaw dropped when she realized what he was doing.
He aimed the gun at the back of the Suburban and shot out the back window, before firing two rounds at the windshield of the jeep. The vehicle swerved but never lost momentum.
“Don’t forget that hill up ahead,” Mary shouted.
But it was too late. The truck barreled over the hill sending them airborne.
Mary held on for dear life as Terry did his best to control the vehicle as they bounced and fishtailed, breaking through overgrowth crowding the road.
“I could use some help, Mary.”
“What am I supposed to do?” she shrieked.
“Shoot him.”
They swerved around another bend as the jeep touched the back bumper. Terry righted the Suburban and barreled down a short stretch of fairly smooth road. He glanced at Mary, his expression calm as could be. “Do you want to die?”
She stared at him and blinked, her face pale, before she struggled to grab her rifle and aimed it to the back window. He couldn’t have been more proud of her in that moment when she fired round after round at the jeep. She bounced in her seat, but every shot hit the driver’s side of the windshield.
On the next plateau, Terry saw the Athabasca River winding around the rocky hill, and an idea sprung to mind. At the last possible second, Terry feigned left but took a sharp right, smashing into the rear of the jeep as it tried to pass. The jeep swerved and sailed into the air right over the cliff.
“Oh my God!” Mary screamed in hysteria and covered her eyes. “We’re gonna fuckin’ die!”
“No, we’re not.” He slammed on the brakes and skidded to the edge of the cliff. He slammed it in park and left the engine running before he looked at her seriously. “Stay here.”
Mary opened her eyes wide and gripped the dashboard again. “No! Don’t you dare leave me here by myself, you bastard.”
Terry shook his head and couldn’t help his chuckle. “You have a rifle in your hands and you shot a beaver over a hundred yards away. I saw a dime-sized piece of its head as it swam in the opposite direction, and you shot right on the mark, woman. You’ll be fine right here.” He gave her a saucy wink. “I trust you have my back like a good sniper.”
She visibly shook, but she held her rifle like a pro. “Why the hell did I agree to let you stay with me? Why the fuck does bad shit always happen with you?”
He chuckled again. Situations like this were a walk in the park for him, but not for Mary. His grin faded at the thought. He shouldn’t have come here and put her through this. She had been tossed into his dangerous world—just like that.
He needed to see her, and now Mary could be in grave danger. He couldn’t walk away from this thing that had started between them a few months ago, but he had to make sure nothing happened to her. A few months of her face torturing his mind drove him up the wall, and now this.
With Mary sitting shotgun, Terry got out of the Suburban and made his way toward the cliff’s edge. About twenty feet below, the jeep lay in a tangled mess against a huge boulder on a lower plateau. Smoke billowed from the crumpled front end.
He found a spot to crawl down the rocks and cautiously made his way toward the jeep, his Beretta cocked and ready.
The door creaked open and the driver stumbled out. Blood covered the side of his face and neck. Terry immediately lifted his weapon when he recognized the man’s face. He was a hired assassin, and a good one at that. His father had hired him in the past when Sammy was away on another mission.