Danger at the Border (7 page)

Beside him, Tessa gasped.

He couldn’t afford to glance her way to reassure her that he wouldn’t betray his oath to his country. Border agents were guardians of the United States of America’s borders. Jeff took that very seriously.

He was a part of the frontline of this nation’s defense, protecting the public from terrorists and instruments of terror, both foreign and domestic.

And though what Sherman was doing may not seem like an act of terror, he was hurting the people Jeff swore to protect with vigilance, integrity and professionalism. He would do whatever it took to fulfill his vows.

But there was no way for Tessa to know that he was bluffing. She didn’t know him or trust him enough. Regardless, he had to sell this story to Sherman if he was going to make sure she left this place alive and in one piece.

* * *

Tessa stared at Jeff with a mix of horror and confusion. He couldn’t be serious. Jeff wouldn’t throw out his principles to work for Sherman’s illegal organization. This had to be some sort of ploy.

Yes, she decided. Jeff was trying to gain Sherman’s trust so they could use that to escape. Her mind refused to accept that he’d betray her or his country. But she couldn’t say that about the man she’d seen earlier coming out of the greenhouse.

Ranger Randy. The young park ranger who’d picked her up from the airport had been among the men leaving the greenhouse. Now she knew why the voice of the man who’d called Sherman his uncle had sounded familiar. Randy was Sherman’s nephew.

She’d met Randy’s gaze, and he’d furtively touched a finger to his lips. Evidently, he wanted her to keep from acknowledging him. Why?

She needed to locate him, talk to him and discover if he was friend or foe.

Sherman stroked his chin. “Hmm, now, that’s an intriguing idea.”

“Isn’t it, though?” Jeff said, his voice taking on a coaxing tone. “Think about it. You’ve gone undetected for a long time, but now you’ll be on the radar thanks to Aaron’s carelessness. This whole area will be under suspicion. I can make that suspicion go away.”

“And just how do you propose to do that?” Sherman asked.

Tessa wanted to know that, as well.

Jeff’s smile was sly and so unlike the man she’d come to know over the past few days that she took a step back.

“I’ll spin a story. Give me a backpack full of spice and a jug of the synthetic THC and I’ll say we found them abandoned on the shore. The chemicals leaked into the lake.”

“You think you could pull that off?” Sherman said, doubt filtering through his tone.

“Yes,” Jeff said, appearing full of confidence. “For a price.”

Barking out a laugh, Sherman pointed a finger at him. “Ah, here it is. What price?”

“Ten percent of the profits, and we keep our mouths shut and the authorities away.”

Sherman turned his sharp-eyed gaze on her. “From the look on the doctor’s face, I don’t think she’s on board with this idea, Agent Steele.”

“Then she can stay here,” Jeff said, his voice hard. “Her choice.”

Tessa swallowed back the bile clogging her throat as both men stared at her. She met Jeff’s gaze. His flinty blue eyes regarded her steadily. There was no give in his gaze or his expression. Confusion swirled within her. She prayed this was an act. A very convincing one.

Sherman’s chuckle broke the tension crackling in the air.

“I’ll take your proposition under advisement, Agent Steele.” Sherman shifted in his chair and grimaced. Lines of pain gathered around the edges of his eyes and pinched the corners of his mouth. “Time to return to the house.”

Empathy stirred beneath her breastbone. It was obvious Sherman’s condition caused him great agony, but that didn’t excuse what he was doing.

As they walked across the compound, once again heading toward the house that acted as their prison, Tessa sought Jeff’s attention. She wanted to tell him about Ranger Randy.

Jeff, however, wasn’t cooperating. He kept his gaze ahead and refused to respond to her tugging prompts to gain his notice. When they entered the house, he walked straight to his room and shut the door. Emil cast her a speculative glance as he locked Jeff inside.

Curling her fingers into fists, Tessa moved into the room she’d been given and waited as Emil locked the door from the outside.

Had she been wrong about Jeff?

Had he seen an opportunity for personal gain, and was he ready to exploit it?

She hated to believe that.

She clung to the thought that he was working some angle. But a lingering doubt filled her mind. What if she were wrong about him?

The desire to punch something or someone rose on a tide of anger. She wasn’t one usually prone to violence. She clenched her fists until they ached. Desperate to escape this prison, she’d already searched every inch of the room. The windows were nailed shut, and she didn’t know how to pick a lock.

Frustrated with the helpless, useless despair overwhelming her, she sank onto the bed. Taking deep breaths, she fought for control of the panic welling up from deep within her.

A tear slid down her cheek. Who was she kidding? She had no control over this situation. She had no control, period. Never had. Not over whether her parents loved her enough to stay together. Not over whether Michael loved her enough to accept her as she was. Not over Jeff’s actions.

She had to trust Jeff was the man she hoped he was. But more than that she had to trust God. Because ultimately, He was the only one in control. She sank to her knees. “Oh, God, please, help us.”

* * *

A tapping sound pulled Tessa from her fervent prayers. The room was shrouded in darkness. Beyond the window, day had slipped to night. She’d been praying so intently for a long time and hadn’t noticed the encroaching night. A chill skated down her spine. The temperature in the room had dipped, as well. She reached for the bed covering.

Tap, tap, tap.

She froze and stared at the window. A face appeared. Her heart slammed against her ribs. She clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream clawing up her throat.

Ranger Randy.

She scrambled off the floor and hurried to the window. She mimed that the window had been nailed shut. He nodded. Waved her back, then quickly and efficiently—like he’d done this before—covered the whole window with duct tape, leaving a small hole in the center.

Randy tapped the center point with a small metal tool. A spiderweb of cracks soundlessly spread across the glass but didn’t fall. Randy removed the entire window in seconds. She was impressed. And stoked to have a way out of the bedroom.

“Grab a blanket and throw it over the sill,” Randy instructed in a whispered tone.

Tessa yanked the bed cover off the bed and tossed it over the exposed edges of broken glass in the windowsill.

“Come on,” he whispered. “We don’t have much time.”

With Randy’s help, she climbed out. When her feet hit the ground, her right boot heel hit the edge of a stone and she wobbled. She’d have to be more careful. She couldn’t injure herself now when they were so close to escaping.

Randy gripped her elbow and tugged her away from the house.

“I can’t leave Jeff,” she said, forcing him to stop. “We have to break him out, too.”

Randy frantically searched the darkness. “No time.”

“Either we break him out, or I’m not going.”

“He’s not worth it,” Randy said. “I heard he wants to work for Sherman.”

“Don’t you work for him?” she shot back in a whispered rush.

“He’s my uncle. I don’t have a choice,” he whispered back. “In my family, blood is thicker than anything else.”

“Even polluted water and sick people?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you helping me?”

Scrubbing a hand over his jaw, he whispered, “I don’t know. They went too far by kidnapping you two.”

“All the more reason we have to break Jeff out,” she pressed.

Randy sighed. “Fine, but we gotta hurry.” They rushed to the brightly lit window of Jeff’s room.

Crouched down in the shadows beneath the window, Randy said, “We’re too exposed. He’s got to turn off his light.”

Taking the risk of being seen by anyone watching the back of the house, she stretched to her full height and peeked into the room. Jeff paced in front of the door. She rapped her knuckles on the glass. His head turned in her direction. His eyes widened with surprise, then narrowed to disbelief. He rushed to the window. She pointed to the overhead light. He nodded and quickly crossed the room to flip the switch, throwing the room into darkness.

Randy jumped up and did the duct-tape trick to the window until all the pieces of glass broke out. Within minutes, Jeff climbed out the empty windowpane.

“Hurry,” Randy whispered urgently and ran toward the woods.

Tessa raced after him, aware of Jeff right on her heels. Once they were a good distance from the compound, Jeff grabbed her by the arm and spun her around.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Though his voice was hushed, there was no mistaking the anger in his tone.

“Rescuing you,” she shot back, irritated by his lack of gratitude.

With a growl, he pulled her tight against his chest and lowered his head to capture her lips with his.

Shock stole her breath. Her mind exploded with multicolored stars. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her fingers flexing, digging into his biceps as she returned the kiss with all she was worth.

“Excuse me,” Randy interrupted. “There’s no time for this!”

Jeff broke the kiss. Tessa blinked up at him. Though she could barely see his face in the shadows, she was sure he was grinning, and then they were running back into the dark, dense forest.

She only hoped no one followed.

SEVEN

R
unning through the forest at night without any guiding light wasn’t one of Jeff’s favorite activities. He tightened his hold on Tessa, one arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her as she stumbled over an exposed root. The last thing they needed was a sprain or worse. But he’d carry her in a heartbeat if that was what it took to get her to safety.

“Why did you do that?” she asked in a hushed whisper.

“Do what?” he whispered back, though he had a pretty good idea she wasn’t talking about him helping her navigate the dark forest. He removed his arm from around her waist but cupped her elbow in his palm.

“Kiss me.”

That was what he thought. “We’re running for our lives. You really want to have that discussion now?”

She let out an exasperated noise but ceased asking. Though the light from the moon barely penetrated the thick canopy of towering trees and did little to dispel the gloom of the forest floor, he could see her frustration and her fear. He touched his hand to the small of her back, urging her on.

All around them, the sounds of the night seemed amplified. Birds chirped as they settled for the evening, and an owl hooted high in the trees. Nocturnal crickets created a soothing rhythm broken occasionally by the rustling of some nighttime creature scurrying about, scavenging for food. The thick undergrowth plucked at them like greedy fingers wanting to slow them down. Up ahead, the man leading them deeper into the woods was barely a shadow, tall and lanky, slipping in and out of view. Who was he? Why was the man helping them? Where were they headed?

Why had Jeff given in to the impulse to kiss Tessa?

The questions bombarded him, but he held them at bay, especially that last one. He couldn’t let himself dwell on how right and natural it had felt to pull her into his arms, to hold her close, to feel the sweet surrender of her kiss as she clung to him. Or how grateful he’d been to see her face in the window, to know she’d had a chance to escape and leave him behind but hadn’t.

She’d risked discovery to free him. His heart expanded in his chest until he thought his rib cage wouldn’t be able to contain the emotions flooding through him. All things he could never admit to her.

Taking deep breaths of the pine-scented, earthy forest, he forced himself to stay focused on the here and now. There would be time enough for a Q and A session when they were safe. Just when that would be, Jeff didn’t know. First they had to make it out of the forest to someplace where Tessa would be protected.

Then Jeff would do all he could to take Sherman and his illegal drug operation down.

Up ahead, high in a towering tree, a light blinked, catching Jeff’s attention. Excitement revved in his blood. “Hey,” Jeff called out in a hushed tone.

The man they followed drew up short and spun around. “What?” he asked impatiently.

“The blinking light in that tree,” Jeff said, pointing, though he doubted the man could see the gesture. “It’s a border camera. I’ll climb up and signal for help.”

“Nah. Sherman’s rigged all the cameras in the forest so they’re set on a continuous loop.”

Which was why Homeland Security had no idea that Sherman had built a compound in the middle of the North Cascades woods.

“I can disable it,” Jeff insisted in a hushed tone. “That would warrant NSA to send agents to check it out.”

“It would also send a message to Sherman and let him know which direction we’ve taken.”

“Where are we going?” Jeff debated the wisdom of trusting him. “We should head back to the lake.” They would undoubtedly come across the search party that Jeff was positive was out looking for them right now.

“No way. We’d be caught for sure. We’re going north. There’s a town about fifteen miles away. And a campground even closer.”

Jeff sucked in a sharp breath. “We’ll be crossing the international border.”

“Yes. The Canadians will help. But we have to keep moving. When Sherman discovers you’ve escaped, he’ll tear these woods apart looking for you. He goes crazy when anyone tries to leave.”

“How does he get all those men to come to the compound?” Tessa asked.

“Some answer ads from the classifieds.” The guy shrugged. “Others are from the streets. Sherman lures them in with the promise of a job, a warm meal and a clean place to live. But once they are here, they’re enslaved. Trapped. Held prisoner. He supplies them with all the weed they want. Most don’t try to leave, but occasionally one tries and they are always caught.”

Tessa rubbed her arms. “What happens to the ones that try to escape?”

“The shed. No food or water. Eventually, they comply and go back to work.”

Sherman starved them into submission. Jeff couldn’t wait to bring the man to justice. “Has anyone gotten away?”

“Not that I know of.” He glanced around as if expecting the armed guards from the compound to materialize from behind the trees. “We need to keep moving.”

The man faded into the inky darkness.

“Come on, we don’t want to lose him,” Tessa said, tugging on his hand.

“Who is he?” Jeff asked.

“Ranger Randy,” she said. “He picked me up from the airport and brought me to the ranger station.”

“And he’s working for Sherman?”

“He’s his nephew.”

Surprised, Jeff shook his head. More questions rose, but he pushed them back. He increased his speed, urging Tessa along.

Though the air was cold, sweat gathered on Jeff’s back, soaking into his shirt.

He became aware of a noise that grew steadily louder the longer and deeper they trekked through the dark forest. The sound triggered recognition. A waterfall.

Aaron had said there was a stream not far from the compound. There were many streams and rivers made by runoff from the glaciers at the peaks of the Cascades, which flowed down through the forest and emptied into the many lakes of the national park.

Including Glen Lake, where Aaron’s toxic carelessness had contaminated the water.

Tessa drew to an abrupt halt, forcing Jeff to stop.

“Do you hear that?” she asked in a panicked whisper.

“The waterfall? Yes. It’s pretty close.”

“No, not that. Listen.”

The urgency in her tone prickled his skin. He strained to hear what she had. Filtering out the sound of the waterfall, Jeff heard another noise that sent his heart pounding.

“What are you two doing?” Ranger Randy hustled to their side. “We’ve got to keep going.”

Dread filled Jeff. “Dogs. They have tracking dogs.”

Randy cursed. “We have to reach the waterfall, or we’re done for.” He turned and ran, disappearing into the night.

Gripping Tessa’s hand, Jeff urged her to race after Ranger Randy and sent up a desperate prayer for safety.

* * *

Tessa struggled to catch her breath. The altitude had increased considerably as they raced through the forest, but it was fear constricting her lungs and throat, making the intake of oxygen difficult. Not even the memory of Jeff’s kiss could contain the panic nipping at her heels. She doubted the dogs Sherman used to find them would only nip.

“I didn’t see dogs in the compound,” Jeff said, sounding winded.

“I didn’t, either. But we didn’t see that much of the operation.”

“Enough to know Sherman and his men are dangerous people. The dogs must be kept close by if they’re onto our scent so quickly.”

She tightened her hold on Jeff’s hand, so thankful for his steady and reassuring presence. Though terror and exhaustion threatened to leech her stamina, she pressed on, drawing strength from the man at her side.

He could easily leave her in the dust. But she could feel his restraint in the way he shortened his steps to accommodate her shorter legs, even though she was at the max of her stride. Running had never been her strong suit. Aerobic dance classes at the gym and ice skating were the ways she stayed fit.

She pushed herself harder. They had to make it to the waterfall. The closer they came, the more the noise of the rushing water drowned out all other sounds.

“This way!” Randy called from somewhere to their left.

Jeff changed directions. She lurched and staggered to keep up.

“You okay?” Jeff asked, his voice barely discernible over the roar of the waterfall that now had risen to a deafening decibel.

Knowing that even if she yelled back her response he’d never hear her, she squeezed his hand in answer.

They broke through the old-growth forest to the edge of a wide stream. Moonlight danced off churning water and revealed a towering waterfall framed by jagged, moss-covered boulders.

“We have to cross.” Randy leaned close to yell in their faces. “It’s waist-deep near the base of the waterfall. Once we’re on the other side, we’ll head due north. There’s a campground and ranger station.”

Tessa swallowed back a mouthful of anxiety. The cascading water falling into a wide pool and flowing downstream would be icy cold, not to mention the current would be difficult to navigate. Jeff tugged on her hand to gain her attention. He stared at her, his blue eyes almost translucent in the glow from the moon.

“We can do this.”

She read his lips more than heard his words. She gave him a trembling smile and nodded.

Randy plunged into the water and waded toward the other side of the stream.

Taking a deep breath, Tessa gave Jeff a thumbs-up sign.

He grinned, approval shining through and making her pulse skitter. She wanted to be brave and courageous for him.

Hand in hand they waded into the plunge pool collecting the cascading falls. Her breath caught in her chest as the freezing water soaked through her boots, her jeans and dug into her skin like icy talons. The shifting sand clutched at her boots. She fought to take each step through the current plucking at her, trying to take her downstream. She prayed none of them fell into the polluted water. It was bad enough it was touching their skin.

The water reached her waist, drenching the lightweight jacket and shirt beneath, sending frozen waves of shock through her system. She shivered. Her legs had gone numb. Ice filled her veins. Every cell seemed to freeze. She was becoming a human Popsicle. She had to look to be sure she still clung to Jeff.

A shout rang through the darkness.

She looked over her shoulder to see men and dogs emerging from the forest. One man raised a rifle.

She froze as a scream built in her chest.

Jeff’s arm snaked around her waist and lifted her off her feet, gripping her against his chest to carry her to the stream’s bank.

The sound of a rifle shot echoed over the waterfall. Water spit at her where the bullet tore into the stream a few inches from them. Jeff battled the rough current and the loamy earth. They emerged onto the riverbank and crawled up the side of the embankment to solid ground. Randy pulled her from Jeff’s arms and pushed her forward.

“Go! Go!” Randy shouted.

Tessa ran, her limbs jerky and awkward, numb from the frigid water. The woods offered cover. She had to make it. They all had to make it.

More gunfire erupted.

A man screamed.

Tessa spun around with her heart in her throat. Randy staggered down the embankment and fell face-first into the rushing water. Jeff lunged for him, but Randy was too far out of reach, his body already swirling away in the rapid current.

Tears blurred Tessa’s vision. Jeff raced toward her, looping an arm around her waist and forcing her into the forest.

All around her, trees loomed indistinguishable from each other in her misery. Branches reached out like knives, cutting and ripping through her clothes, her skin. She stumbled over a small shrub. Jeff’s hand on her arm kept her upright when she’d have fallen down onto the decaying forest floor.

For what seemed like forever, they ran, her body abused by the forest, her lungs aching, her heart as heavy as her waterlogged boots.

Finally, Jeff pulled her into the hollowed-out remains of a fallen dead tree.

Shivering, she sat as her mind replayed the image of Randy falling into the frigid water. Was he dead?

A knot of guilt rose up from deep within her soul and constricted her chest. If he hadn’t helped them...

“Shhh,” Jeff crooned in her ear. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed some warmth back into her limbs. “Breathe.”

“Randy.” The word came out on a sob.

“I know, I know,” Jeff whispered, his voice reflecting the sorrow and regret she felt. He pressed her head to his chest. His heart beat in a fast staccato against her cheek. She let the rhythm lull her to a dreamlike state where the cold couldn’t reach her.

“Hey, hey!” Jeff’s voice penetrated through the fog in her brain. “Don’t sleep. You need to stay awake.”

“So sleepy,” she mumbled. Her teeth clattered. Her heart pumped at a sluggish rate. She fought to keep her eyes open. Her limbs had gone numb. And strangely she didn’t care.

“It’s the cold.” Jeff grasped her wrist. Her pulse had slowed, just like her breathing. Even the shivers had slackened. He had to get her to someplace warm and dry where she could shed the wet clothes and shoes. If he didn’t, she was at risk of going into shock.

What he wouldn’t give right now for her bag of essentials.

But it wasn’t only the cold seeping in that was shutting down her system. She was no doubt struggling with witnessing Randy being shot. Jeff would give anything to wipe that memory from her mind, but he couldn’t. Only time would lessen the horror of it.

He listened to the forest, straining to hear their pursuers. The waterfall had become a dull roar underscored by the sound of barking. Jeff had to assume Sherman’s men had crossed the river and were tracking them. Which meant they couldn’t stay within the shelter of this dead tree. It would be only a matter of time, most likely minutes, before they were discovered.

Forcing his numb legs to move, he shifted and got his feet beneath himself. “Come on, sweetheart, we have to keep going.”

Tessa shook her head. The tie that had held her red curls back was long gone now. Her hair fell over her face, muffling her voice, “Can’t we rest more?”

“No.” A sense of urgency niggled at the back of his neck, galvanizing him into action. He slipped his arms under hers and lifted her to her feet. “Just a little farther. Randy said there’s a campground not far from here.”