“I’m sorry.” Emily’s voice was a whimper. “Are you okay?”
Sarah wiggled her arms and legs. No broken bones. Tomorrow, there would be bruises. “I’m fine.”
Huddled together at the bottom of the slope, they listened to shooting and yelling and a car engine starting. Emily stared up the hill. Even in the moonless night, Sarah could see the whites of her eyes and her fear.
“What’s happening?” Emily whispered.
“It sounds like they’re fighting somebody else. Maybe somebody from the oil company?” Sarah glanced at her. “We should call the sheriff. Do you have your cell phone?”
“I dropped it in the clearing.”
“Follow me. Try not to make noise.”
Though Sarah wanted to believe they were invisible at the foot of the cliff, she knew better. Anyone who knew about tracking would see the disturbance at the edge where they’d gone over. They needed to put more distance between themselves and the men in ski masks...or the men from the oil company. One was as bad as the other.
She picked her way through the forest. There were no marked paths in this area, but the trees thinned as they got closer to the creek. She paused to listen. “I don’t hear shooting.”
“Is that good?”
Either they’d left or they were spreading out in the forest to search. “I don’t know.”
Crouched beside a boulder, she looked back toward the ledge. In daylight, she would have had a clear view. She saw the beam of a flashlight and pointed. “They’re coming.”
Emily ducked down beside her. “What now?”
“Stay quiet.”
The flashlight beam bobbled along the path. When he passed the boulder where they made their desperate slide, her tension lessened. Maybe he wouldn’t notice their escape route. Maybe they’d be safe.
The beam scanned the forest. Though she knew the light wasn’t powerful enough to penetrate this darkness, she crouched lower, wishing she could disappear.
The light came back toward the granite boulder.
“Emily?” a deep, male voice called out. “Emily, are you out here? It’s Blake.”
Blake—the hulking, angry ranger—had come to their rescue. Sarah was so relieved that she almost burst into the “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Chapter Two
Blake Randall hadn’t expected to start his duties as best man by rescuing the bride and her very attractive maid of honor, but tonight’s action felt a lot more natural than getting decked out in his dress uniform and making a champagne toast. When he spotted the two women at the foot of the cliff, he anchored one hand to a tree at the edge of the path and threw down his belt for them to use as a climbing aid.
Emily grabbed his belt and scrambled up the steep slope and onto the path, where she threw her arms around him for a hug. In spite of the cold and the discomfort and a smear of mud on her cheek, she flashed a bright smile. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was afraid something terrible would happen.”
“Something terrible
did
happen,” Sarah growled from the bottom. “Four masked men with guns tried to kill us.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Emily called down to her. “I don’t know why they were there or what—”
“Step aside,” Blake interrupted her as he got into position to help Sarah. Though the threat had been handled for the moment, he couldn’t be sure that they wouldn’t be attacked again. It was imperative to get the women to safety as quickly as possible.
Sarah had removed her gloves to get a firm grip on his belt. As soon as she latched on, she climbed with sure steps. Her boots kicked through the crusty snow and found footholds. As soon as she was within his reach, he grasped her wrist to help her up the last few steps. Her arm slung around his neck. He felt her muscles tense. If they hadn’t been dangling off the edge of a cliff, this hold might have counted as an embrace.
When she stood beside him on the path, she avoided his gaze. “Thanks, Blake.”
“You could have made it on your own.”
“Climbing uphill is easier than coming down.” She straightened her shoulders. “We should get out of here.”
“Agreed. My rental is in the clearing.”
“Is it safe to go back there?” she asked. “How do we know they aren’t waiting to ambush us?”
“We don’t,” he said, “but I doubt they’ve had time to regroup. I got in a couple of good hits before they drove off in their van.”
“You shot them?” Emily squeaked.
Though he was certain that he’d wounded two of the men, he didn’t intend to give her a recap. Emily was so bighearted that she’d want to seek out their enemies and offer aid.
Sarah was different. Her voice was calm as she said, “A couple of good hits, huh? Thanks, again.”
“Let’s go.” He drew his Beretta and snapped a fresh clip into the magazine.
With the two women following, he moved quickly through the trees and back toward the clearing. Staying in the cover of the surrounding forest, they made their way toward the SUV he’d rented at the airport.
“Wait,” Emily said.
“Keep moving,” he said.
“We’re going to be okay,” she said. “Wait a minute.”
His buddy Jeremy truly loved this woman. Blake found her unrelenting perkiness to be somewhat annoying. “What?”
“I see my cell phone over there. Can I get it?”
The bubblegum-pink phone struck an oddly feminine note amid the heavy-duty equipment and pipes. Leaving it behind would provide information to their enemies. He needed to secure the phone but didn’t want to send Emily into an open area where she’d be an easy target if there was a sniper hiding in the trees. He handed his car keys to Sarah. “Get in the vehicle. I’ll grab the phone and join you.”
He watched as the two women climbed into the SUV. He hadn’t expected Sarah to take the driver’s seat, but that was what she did. Then she started the engine and drove toward him, providing additional cover. It was a smart move. He liked having her on his side.
In a few strides, he scooped up Emily’s cell phone and dove into the passenger seat. The road leading away from the drill site was single lane for about a mile before it intersected with a regular two-lane road. If the guys in ski masks were planning to stop them, this would be a good place for an ambush. “I’ll drive,” he said.
“I’ve got it,” Sarah said.
“There might be a need for evasive driving.”
“Then you’d better fasten your seat belt.”
She wheeled the SUV around and drove out of the clearing at top speed, which is exactly what he would have done. The headlights slashed through the dark as she expertly navigated the bends in the road. In seconds, they were approaching the intersection.
At the ninety-degree turn onto the more traveled road, the SUV fishtailed, but Sarah maintained control. On the two-lane road, her boot pressed down on the accelerator. With Sarah at the wheel, the boxy vehicle flew like a sports car, zooming through the trees.
Blake was impressed. “Where did you learn how to drive?”
“Mountains, high trails and frozen lakes,” she said. The lights from the dashboard illuminated her grin. This was a woman who enjoyed going fast—his kind of woman. “I know my way around a skid.”
“At the main road, go left.”
“But the B and B is to the right,” she said.
“I’m taking you ladies into town. We’ll get a hotel room for the night and come back in the morning.”
“I don’t think so.” Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I won’t leave my property unprotected.”
From the backseat, Emily piped up, “Is there anybody else staying at the B and B?”
“The last couple left this morning,” Sarah said. “The whole place is reserved all week for the wedding party.”
Belted into the passenger seat, there was nothing Blake could do when Sarah took a right turn and headed toward her bed-and-breakfast. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He was accustomed to giving orders and having those orders obeyed. Keeping his voice calm, he reminded Sarah of the danger. “They could already be there, waiting for us.”
“You’re right.” She eased off the gas and pulled into a wide space on the road where the snow had been cleared. “We need to call the sheriff.”
“I have it covered.”
“What does that mean?”
Their situation had complications that went beyond the level of the Pitkin County sheriff’s office. When he arrived in the area, he had contacted one of the local deputies, David Kovak, who was former military. “Drive into town. We’ll get settled. And I’ll take care of this.”
“Are you saying that I should leave everything to you?”
He had the feeling that he was walking through a minefield. “I’m saying that I can help.”
Keeping her hands possessively on the wheel, she turned toward him. Her dark eyes shone like obsidian. “I don’t know you well enough to trust you. Not when my property is involved. Bentley’s B and B has been in my family for over a hundred years, and I’m not going to be the Bentley who abandons it to vandals.”
“Your survival is more important than your house.”
“Why do you think this is so dangerous? How do you know?” Her voice was tinged with suspicion. “Come to think of it, how did you happen to turn up at the clearing in the nick of time?”
“I overheard Emily when she woke you.”
“Did not,” Emily said. “I listened outside your bedroom door, and it was totally quiet.”
“I wasn’t in the bedroom.” He hadn’t wanted to go into this explanation while they were parked at the edge of the road. Actually, he hadn’t wanted to explain at all. That should have been Jeremy’s job. But Jeremy wasn’t here.
“What were you doing?” Sarah demanded.
“Checking out the B and B.” He’d gone around the perimeter, tested windows and doors. Jeremy had told him that Bentley’s was a secure location for the wedding, and Blake concurred. “With the addition of a few surveillance cameras, your B and B is practically a fortress.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said. “Our guests have included international statesmen and presidents, starting with Teddy Roosevelt in 1907.”
“Give me my phone,” Emily said, leaning halfway into the front and holding out her hand. “I want to call Jeremy.”
“Not yet,” Sarah interrupted. “Not until we figure out what we’re doing. How about it, Blake?”
He glanced between the two women. It would have been easier to face a dozen Taliban soldiers than to try to talk sense into Sarah and Emily. “I’ll agree to go to the B and B. However, if there’s any sign of disturbance or occupation, we’ll get the hell out of there.”
“Agreed,” Sarah said as she slipped the SUV into gear.
In a few minutes, they were in sight of the heavy wooden stairs that led to the wide porch spanning the first floor. Two lantern-style lamps lit the porch, and another motion-sensitive light came on when they pulled into the parking area in front.
“Are these lights usually on?” he asked.
“Almost always,” she said. “I know they were on when we left.”
He didn’t see any sign of disturbance but intended to use extreme caution. “You and Emily stay in the car. I’ll need the key code for the front door.”
“It’s
F-E-R-R-E-T.
”
“Ferret?”
“The black-footed ferret is an endangered species.”
Beretta in hand, he left the car.
* * *
S
ARAH
KEPT
THE
ENGINE
running as she watched Blake approach her house. For such a big man, he was light on his feet, almost graceful as he went up the three stairs to the porch. With his cargo pants tucked into his black combat boots and the Beretta in his hand, he looked every inch a ranger, skilled in dealing with bad guys. She didn’t doubt for a moment that he’d faced down four masked men. His cool competence under pressure was a little bit unnerving.
Emily climbed into the passenger seat next to her. “What are we supposed to do if somebody attacks Blake?”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” She could barely imagine Blake needing their help. But if she was wrong, if anything terrible happened to him, it was her fault. Sarah had insisted on coming back to the B and B instead of going to a safe hotel. “Open the glove compartment. Maybe he’s got another weapon in here.”
“Why?” Emily asked. “You’re not thinking of going after him, are you?”
“I shouldn’t have let him go in there alone.” Her hand was on the door handle, ready to open it. “Did you find a gun?”
Emily pawed through the glove box. “There’s nothing in here but rental documents.”
Holding her breath, Sarah watched Blake punch the code into the pad by the front door. What if someone was waiting for him on the other side? What if he was met by a barrage of bullets? She couldn’t just sit here like a helpless lump. She cracked the door to the SUV open. “I have to help.”
“Sarah, stop. There’s nothing you can do.”
She glanced over at her lovely, delicate friend. Emily was a pale, blonde princess, the kind of woman who was destined to be rescued by a handsome prince on a white stallion. Not Sarah. She’d always taken care of herself and made her own way in the world. “Lock the doors and keep the engine running. If anybody comes after you, hit the car horn.”
Before she could change her mind, she jumped from the SUV and rushed toward the house. At the same time, Blake opened the front door and charged inside. He must have hit the switches at the entryway because light splashed through the windows on the first floor. There was no sound of gunfire. No shouts. Nothing but the sound of her own footsteps as Sarah ran up the stairs and dove into the house.
Blake stood in the center of the large living room. His face was a mask of chiseled determination. His blue eyes narrowed, and he did
not
look happy to see her. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought you might need backup.”
“Exactly how are you going to help?”
She went to the small supply closet behind the sign-in desk, opened the door and found a baseball bat—a security measure she kept in case of troublemakers and had never had occasion to use until now. “I’m armed.”
“Okay, slugger, follow me and stay close. Turn on lights as we go.”
Watching his back, she trailed him through the dining room into the kitchen and the adjoining mudroom, where the outer door was safely locked. She took it upon herself to peek into the large pantry and the walk-in refrigeration unit, even though she couldn’t imagine anyone hiding in there.
“Look for open or broken windows,” he said. “There are only two other doors down here, correct?”
“One at the end of each hallway.”
To the right, there were four bedroom suites, including her private area. Each had a king-size bed and private bathroom. Blake’s vigilance was unflagging as he entered each separate room and searched with his Berretta held at the ready. His single-minded focus reminded her that this was more than a tour of her B and B.
She and Emily had been fired upon. They’d gone over the edge of the cliff to escape. Clearly, the guys in ski masks weren’t with BOOM. Who were they? Why had they threatened her and Emily? They had to be after something. But what? She had the feeling that Blake knew more than he was saying, and she needed to get some answers from him.
When he bent down to examine the lock on a side door that opened onto a deck, she asked, “What are you looking for?”
“This door doesn’t work on the keypad system.”
“Only the front door,” she said. “I lock the others at night. There’s a set of keys in my room and another set in the front desk.”
“I’ll need copies of those keys,” he said.
Before she could ask why, he was striding down the hallway, and she had to run to catch up. At the other end of the B and B was a reading room with computer hookups that linked into a landline phone system. Wi-Fi was unreliable at the B and B, as were cell phones. Opposite the reading room was a game room. At the far end was the largest bedroom suite with an attached parlor.
After they’d checked the final door, she rested the baseball bat on her shoulder and asked, “Is it safe to bring Emily inside?”
He nodded. “It doesn’t look like there’s been a break-in. Just to be safe, I’ll go upstairs. How many bedrooms are up on the second floor?”
“Eight,” she said, “four single and four double. And the third floor is an open dormitory with twelve single beds. It’s mostly used by scout troops and nature groups.”
“What’s your total capacity?”