Escape From the Badlands (18 page)

Oh, God, help me. Help me, please.

Chenko’s tone turned cheerful. “It was a stroke of luck, your coming to work at the clinic. Gleeson had been keeping tabs on you for quite some time at my request. I arranged with him to fake an injury, and Devin took him over. You were so eager to take the job.”

She felt like a fool. In her eagerness, she’d delivered Charlie and Rose into Chenko’s hands.

They continued on, slower now as the passage wound in lazy zigzags further into the darkness. At one point they walked across a path that dropped into a deep crevice on one side, and she held on to Charlie’s shoulders and pushed him in front of her, holding tightly to him. Then the way widened out, the floor bristling with hard rock formations that resembled little trees. She stumbled once and felt Shane’s hand on her arm, helping her up and giving her a comforting squeeze. She felt a surge of guilt at dragging him into the situation. He should have stayed outside, gone for help.

A thought sickened her. The moment he had seen Chenko’s face, Shane became a liability, too. He would kill them along with Rose, and Charlie would be raised by this monstrous man. Her mind raced, trying to come up with some sort of escape plan, but there was only darkness pressing in from every side. Even if she could break away, she could not escape the rocky labyrinth, not with Charlie, and Chenko would kill Shane without a moment’s remorse.

They entered a soaring chamber with stalactites feathering down like graceful fingers. Betsy held the lantern higher, but the light hardly pierced the darkness. In the center of the chamber was an irregular platform of rock, sparks of crystal gleaming where the light hit them.

“Is it diamonds?” Charlie asked.

Chenko laughed. “No, son, that’s…”

He didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence. A figure appeared at the top of the rock. Everyone froze.

Gleeson’s silver hair shone in the gloom. “Chenko, it’s all over. “

“Why, Mr. Gleeson,” Chenko said genially. “My loyal employee. Come to help?”

“I’m not your employee anymore. I worked for you because I thought you had a right to find your son. I didn’t know that killing his mother was part of the bargain. You neglected to mention that you’d killed that waitress and Shane’s sister-in-law.”

“Suddenly grown a conscience? You didn’t mind prying into the life of this young man here, spying on Kelly, or bugging a few phones. Now you’ve got objections?”

Gleeson shifted enough that Kelly could see the outline of a gun in his hand. He shook his head in disgust. “I should have figured it out when you sabotaged Shane’s bike. You were trying to keep him out of the picture while you reeled Rose in like a fish on the line.”

Kelly felt Shane stiffen beside her, moving slightly closer to her as if he could protect her from what was to come. Gleeson lifted the gun higher. “I don’t want to shoot anybody, so don’t make me do it. Let’s walk out of here like civilized people.”

All eyes were riveted on Chenko. Kelly didn’t notice Betsy’s hand in motion until it was too late. She hurled a rock through the air. Gleeson’s attention was drawn instinctively toward the missile, giving Chenko the split second he needed.

He fired three times in rapid succession. There was a scream and Betsy dropped the lantern, which rolled behind a ridge of rock, blotting out the light.

Kelly felt Shane pulling her to the floor as she heard bullets ricocheting through the cavern, pinging against the rocks with thunderous sound. Something sharp scraped her cheek, but she didn’t care. She reached for Charlie to pull him under her, but his hand was suddenly yanked out of hers and she heard his squeal of fear.

“Charlie!” she screamed over the sound of shouting and running feet. Someone moved around her and then Betsy’s light was restored, Shane’s grim face suddenly illuminated as he held up the lantern.

Kelly sat up, heart pounding. Betsy lay on her side, blood leaking from her shoulder.

Gleeson emerged from where he’d taken cover behind a rock. He was also bleeding from a wound on the temple, where a bullet must have grazed him. He knelt next to Betsy. “She got caught by a ricochet. Doesn’t look too bad.”

Kelly was on her feet, scanning wildly. She locked eyes with Shane. The truth nearly squeezed her heart to a stop.

Chenko was gone.

And so was Charlie.

EIGHTEEN

S
hane took the flashlight Gleeson removed from his back pocket. “I took one of the motorcycles from camp. It’s hidden in the bushes. I’ll stay here with Betsy and wait for the police.”

“Sure you’re okay?”

Gleeson grimaced. “More mad that I bought Chenko’s lies than anything.” He looked down at Betsy, whose face shone with fury and pain. “She’ll be all right. Get going.”

Shane nodded, handing Gleeson the lantern, already turning to run down the corridor.

Kelly was next to him in a flash.

“Stay here with Gleeson,” Shane told her.

“I’m going with you.”

“You’ll be safer here.”

Her eyes blazed. “If you leave without me, I’ll crawl through the dark on my hands and knees after you.”

He’d seen that ferocious determination in her face before, and he smiled in spite of himself. She grabbed a handful of his jacket and followed behind as they moved quickly down the passage he believed Chenko had taken. They could not be that far ahead, and Chenko had Charlie to tote along so there was a good chance they could catch him.

Pushing as fast as they could, they scanned ahead as far as they could see for any glimpse of Chenko’s headlamp. Before them the tunnel lightened, the darkness fading to gray as they approached an exit. They plunged out into the predawn as another volley of gunshots broke the silence, slamming into the cliff face behind them. Shane rolled on top of Kelly, carrying them both behind a nearby pile of rocks.

Chenko did not wait to fire any more shots. They heard the sound of a motor gunning. Shane poked his head out in time to see a white pickup careening out into the darkness. “Text your sister, quickly.”

Kelly cried out. “My phone. I dropped it when the shooting started back there.”

“Too late to go back. We might not find it anyway. Let’s go.”

He found the motorcycle and kick-started it. Kelly clung to his back as the bike surged along. As soon as he could, he peeled off on a side road.

“Where are you going?”

“Someplace where we can watch for your sister. We have to get to her before Chenko does.”

Kelly held on tighter as they rose along the path that paralleled the highway. The going was steep in some places, twisty in others. Shane prayed he had chosen the right way. He had only spent a day of exploring the area when he’d first arrived.

The path cut along the top of the cliffs until it dropped down behind some grass-covered hills. “Hold on!” he yelled back to Kelly as he took them off the trail. They bumped and jostled their way to an overlook where they could see the road below. Chenko’s pickup crept along steadily, toward the mouth of the abandoned mine.

Shane turned off the headlight and cut the motor. Shane and Kelly watched as Chenko eased the pickup down a gentle slope in the road that took him out of view. Kelly’s fingers dug into his arm. “Charlie,” she whispered.

He didn’t have a chance to respond. The moment he’d been hoping for arrived. Far down at the base of the cliffs where they had started their journey, a gleam of headlights glowed. He pointed. “Look there.”

“Is it Rose?” Kelly breathed.

“I think so.” Shane got off the bike and turned to face Kelly, who dismounted after him, her eyes filled with fear.

“Listen, Kelly, I know I’ve let you down, but I think I’ve got a way to get Charlie and Rose to safety.” He was afraid to ask the question. “Do you…can you trust me?”

She blinked and looked away.

His heart sank.

Then suddenly she threw her arms around him and squeezed him tight. “Yes, Shane. I trust you.”

He clasped her close, burying his face in her hair, pressing his lips to her neck. After a long moment that was too short, he pulled away, and emotion pounded through his heart with a force he hadn’t felt before.

He’s put people here who love you, who will stay with you.

He realized in a moment of clarity that Kelly and Charlie were the people God had sent.

In spite of the past. In spite of Lonnie’s death. Because he was loved.

His throat thickened as he felt Kelly’s arms around him. And he had what it would take to save them.

“This is what you need to do,” he said.

Kelly found herself reseated on the back of the bike, clinging to Shane as he careened back down the trail in the direction from which they’d come.

Did she trust Shane?

He had broken her heart so thoroughly she thought it would never mend, yet here she was, holding tight to the man she could not erase from her life. She was surprised to find that she no longer wanted to. She pressed her cheek to his back and felt his heart beating, felt the new life that seemed to course through his soul. Something had changed in him, and she only hoped they would live long enough for her to find out what it was.

Shane turned the bike down a steep path that left Kelly breathless, and when he reached the main road, Rose’s car was a half mile in front of them.

Rose. Kelly’s heart leapt.

All this time she’d been waiting and fearing that each precious phone call or text from her sister would be the last one. Picturing her drunk and suffering at the hands of those who would take advantage.

Like Chenko, who believed he owned Rose.

She tried to tamp down the terror she felt when she thought of Charlie there alone, scared, with a father he’d never even met, a father who had set a trap to kill his mother.

Hang on, Charlie. We’re coming.

Shane pushed the bike faster until they were within fifty yards of Rose. All of a sudden, Rose’s small car zoomed ahead.

Shane pursued, but Rose kept up her frantic pace.

“She thinks we’re after her!” Shane shouted.

Kelly had to clutch Shane tightly to keep from being unseated as the chase continued.

Stop, Rose,
Kelly pleaded silently.

But Rose continued to accelerate until she swerved and crossed the narrow road. Her tires lost traction and the car spun, coming to rest against the red cliff. In a moment, Rose was out of the car, running madly up the road.

“Stop!” Shane called, bringing the bike to a screeching halt. “We’re here to help you.”

But Rose kept on, stumbling and tripping, regaining her footing and running awkwardly along the road. Shane jumped off the bike and pursued her, Kelly at his feet.

Rose had no chance against Shane’s long legs, and he caught up with her in a matter of moments, finally grabbing hold of her arm until she tumbled to the ground.

Still she came up fighting, pushing and smacking him for all she was worth.

“Rose!” Kelly yelled. “Rose, stop it. He’s trying to help you.”

She continued to fight until Kelly hollered again. “Stop it, sis. You’re fighting the wrong people.”

Kelly’s voice must have finally penetrated her sister’s consciousness because Rose jerked and went still. Shane held her arms for a moment longer.

“I’m sorry to tackle you,” he said.

Rose’s glance went from Shane to Kelly. Suddenly a brilliant smile lit her face. “So he’s the guy with eyes so blue they could melt your heart?”

Kelly’s face grew hot. “Never mind that,” she said, helping her sister up and ignoring Shane’s amused glance. She took a long look at her wild twin. Rose’s hair was bedraggled, her clothes worn. She’d lost so much weight since Kelly had seen her last, and her eyes were sunken, but she was sober.

Kelly felt tears sliding down her face, and she clasped her sister in a tight embrace.

“I’m sorry, sis,” Rose said. “I’m so sorry. I should have gone to the police long ago, but I was scared he’d take Charlie.” Her face crumpled. “And now he has.”

Kelly squeezed her. “We’ll get him back.”

Rose shook her head. “He wants me dead, and he won’t stop until I am. My only hope is he’ll give Charlie back to you if I hand myself over.”

“No,” Kelly said. “He’s not going to kill you or take Charlie.”

Rose sniffled and wiped a hand over her face. “It’s funny. I was born two minutes before you and that makes me the big sister, but you’re always trying to fix my sorry life.”

The look of utter despair on Rose’s face almost made Kelly start crying again, but Shane put a hand on both of their shoulders. “I’m sorry to intrude, but we’ve got to move or Chenko will get suspicious, since he’s tracking your progress.”

Rose’s eyebrows shot up. “I worried he was listening to my calls somehow; that’s why I stopped calling from my satellite. I didn’t realize he could use it to check my location.”

Shane nodded. “Right now I’m hoping he thinks you’re stopping to get your bearings. We’ve got to move. I have a plan to make this work, but it’s going to take luck.”

Kelly shook her head. “Not luck.” She pointed her finger to the skies. “Help.”

Shane’s face spread into a slow smile, so tender it took her breath away. “A whole lot of help,” he agreed.

Shane turned off the motorcycle headlight and hung back just far enough behind the small car that he would not be seen, he hoped. It felt wrong, all wrong to send the two women off alone to face a killer, but he knew it was their only option. The only way it would work was if Charlie was safely out of harm’s way.

All right. Help is what I need here. I don’t know where You and I stand, and I’ve got a lot of questions, but…

He took a deep breath, summoned more courage than he’d ever felt before, and offered up a prayer.

I need You to help me, Lord.

And that was as much as he could manage. He still felt the shadows of grief, regret and even guilt, but the anger had somehow slipped away.

As they began the final climb that would take them to meet Chenko, Shane dropped farther behind, watching the woman he loved drive slowly into the trap of a madman.

Kelly’s fingers gripped the steering wheel so hard they started to cramp. All the while, Rose kept shaking her head. “I had no idea you were working at the race. With him. I saw the picture in town and it freaked me out. How could he be so close? I decided to run, get away to someplace safe and hide for a while. I thought you were working in the hospital.”

“You should have checked in more often. Come to visit, the way you said you would.” Kelly regretted her words as soon as she said them.

Rose looked away. “I know. I didn’t want you and Charlie or Uncle Bill to see me…”

Her words trailed off, but Kelly knew the rest. Drunk. The addiction still had its hooks into Rose.

Kelly reached out a hand, and clutched her sister’s. “We’ll get you help. You can beat it, but not if you run away.”

Rose sniffed. “I’ve tried so hard but the booze always wins.”

“Not this time,” Kelly said, praying they would get the chance to see her words come true. They pulled to a stop just at the crest of the slope, as Shane directed. It was peppered with shrubs and clusters of rocks. Kelly hoped it would be enough to hide them for the few seconds they would need.

Shane killed the motor and pulled the motorcycle into the shadows. He watched with his heart in his throat as Rose’s car stopped at the top of the slope. In his mind he pictured the topography. The road sloped down toward a flat area at the bottom where the mine entrance lay, barred to prevent unwanted visitors. Both sides of the road were lined with trees and shrubs. Chenko would have driven the pickup to the flat area and parked, waiting patiently for his victim to arrive.

He knew Chenko had been watching, pinpointing Rose’s location the entire time. What was he thinking now, as he knew the woman he’d been chasing for four years was within his grasp? He could practically feel the hatred that coursed off the man, hatred born of loss and rejection. Shane thought how close he’d come to letting his own grief and anger poison his life.

He listened intently for the sound of approaching vehicles. Nothing.

There was no sign of any police presence, and he hadn’t really expected there to be. Unless they’d found Gleeson already, there was no way for the authorities to know where Chenko had demanded that Rose meet him. It was clever. Shane imagined that Chenko had a new identity and funds waiting, meticulous businessman that he was. He would walk away from the race, perhaps with the prize money in his possession, and melt into a new life.

He moved his bike into position, at the top of the slope behind a screen of bushes. He saw Chenko poke his head around the edge of his pickup, cautious. His white face shone like a beacon in the darkness.

Shane could not see his face, but he imagined the smug expression.

You’re mine now. After all these years.

He thought about Kelly. She’d just gotten her sister back, and he was not about to watch Rose ripped away from her now.

“Come on,” Shane breathed. “Just move a little more. Show me that you’ve got Charlie somewhere safe.”

Chenko sidled out from behind the truck, and Shane felt a surge of elation. Charlie wasn’t with him. He’d locked him in the car. Imprisoned, like a coveted trophy locked in a case.

All right, Chenko. It’s time.

Shane saw Rose’s car stop for a moment behind the screen of foliage before it began moving slowly down the slope.