Page 18 of Canyon of Deceit

SEVENTEEN

Day two into the hike, and I’d wished a thousand times that I’d done more prep-training.

Missions like this required physical endurance, certainly more than a few hours over terrain designed for sightseeing and photography.

Not testing rock footholds. Every time I stuck my foot on hard ground and walked a path less than two feet wide, I envisioned a mountain cat pouncing on me, sending me into the gray depths below. My legs and back protested every step.

Some Ranger-cowboy I’d turned out to be. My wild streak shifted to constant self-talk to stay hydrated and alert for who was watching our every move.

The wind blew steadily around thirty miles per hour, sending a chill through my jacket.

The gusts would increase as we climbed, and the temps would drop ten degrees from the trailhead.

I’d endure the bitter cold and keep my mouth shut.

My lack of expertise in hiking steep inclines slowed us down.

Every moment decreased the likelihood of finding Alina Ivanov alive.

On the edge of a rock cropping, Therese stopped and lifted her binoculars in a northern direction. I joined her and she pointed to rock formations. I adjusted my binoculars.

“See the narrow trail winding around the cave and on to the top of that peak?” she said. “Zoom in and you’ll see trampled brush indicating the kidnappers’ route.”

I focused on the area. “I’m there.”

“Follow the trail up and to the left.”

I focused on the steep terrain. “Loose stones have fallen over the brush, like someone slipped.”

“My thoughts. Chandler can lead them anywhere, but their ability in navigating the trail is another matter.”

“Unless he wants us to follow him.” I continued to pan the area. Movement near a northeastern ridge caught my attention. The backs of two adults and a child between them. “There you are.”

“You see them?” Therese peered in the same direction. “They’ve moved off the trail. I’d say a good two hours or more from here.”

Meaning my inability to keep pace was a disadvantage. I pulled out my satellite phone and connected to Sergio. I checked my coordinates and the proximity of the kidnappers. The FBI team had set out at 11:00 a.m. yesterday, camped last night, and hiked about four hours behind us.

“Do you want a helo with backup and medical help?” Sergio said.

“Wait until we’re closer. I want to pin down their location first. Then bring in the big guns. No point alerting the kidnappers and deal with how they might retaliate.”

“Why not allow the FBI to help?”

“Not an option. Waiting takes time.”

“Rusty, keep me informed. I can get a helo in the Dog Canyon area with short notice. We can figure out what to do from there.”

“We’re covering a lot of area.” No point telling him about rescue teams spending hours and even days tracking lost hikers. Therese could verify the stats in a heartbeat, and we had our phones and flares. “How’s Rurik holding up?”

“FBI twenty-four seven protection. He objected at first but agreed after they relayed the dangers. Not sure about his mental state. Nothing showed up on his cell phone records.” His pause told me of his apprehension.

“You’re looking at two desperate men who’d think nothing of using Alina as a shield. ”

I’d thought about the same thing—and other barbaric actions.

We picked up our pace, and in two hours we hiked to where we’d spotted the kidnappers with Alina, but no sign of them.

I studied the trail, although Therese’s skill set was more advanced than mine would ever be.

I veered off and detected the toe print of a tennis shoe leading uphill over rocks and dead shrub.

Therese followed the single shoe print. She stood on a narrow rock overlooking the steep terrain and peered through her binoculars. The grim look on her face told it all. The wind whipped her hair back, whispering a gust could blow her away.

“The wind is picking up,” I said.

She kept the binoculars glued to her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Have they disappeared?”

“Appears so. The shoe print angles off the trail. I’m not sure why. Probably Chandler destroyed them. The climb is strenuous for an adult.”

The view displayed nature, raw and beautiful. “What’s on the other side of those mountains?”

“More of the same.”

An icy burst swept by me like a bad omen. “Spotting them in the open was no accident. There’s a reason they allowed us to see them.” Suspicion clamored in my head. “We’re walking into a trap.”

Therese surveyed the area. “If we take the western trail, it leads to a clearing lined on two sides with boulders. Not big, but if they’re waiting to ambush us, that’s where they’d hide. We’d be easy targets.”

“So, we’ll outsmart them. How can we get behind the clearing?”

“It’s a hard—”

A burst of wind knocked Therese off-balance, and I caught her—or she’d have toppled headfirst into a canyon. A shot rang out and a bullet bounced off a rock not a foot from her. I rolled her back from where we’d been standing and sheltered her body while rifle fire exploded around us.

The bullets stopped. “Are you hurt?” My blood pressure soared for the woman beneath me.

“I’m good. They expected us to walk right into their line of fire.”

I rolled off Therese, taking in every inch of her. Droplets of blood stained her lower-right pant leg. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing, really. The bullet grazed me.” She inspected the wound like she’d done with footprints and broken twigs.

“You’re lucky the bullet didn’t do more damage.”

“I’ve hurt myself more stumbling and falling.”

I crawled to the upper rock where we’d stood and searched the area with my binoculars.

“Blane, you’ll get yourself shot.”

“I’m staying down. Somewhere they’re watching what we’ll do next, and our best chances to survive are to take the unpredictable route.”

“Any movement?” she said.

“No. The rifle fire came from the north. Chandler’s a crack shot, and yet we’re still alive.” The wind had saved her...

“You and I know exactly why I’m alive.”

I refused to say God, although I had no belief in coincidences.

“Chandler is playing games with us, which follows his MO. My question is why? What’s the goal here?

Waiting on confirmation that Rurik’s wired the ransom, then hightailing it out of here?

” I shook my head. “That’s crazy. He’d have received notice within moments of the transfer.

” I searched the northern rocks where I wanted to be.

She pointed to a golden eagle soaring above us. “Like many Native Americans, I believe the bird symbolizes majesty, power, truth, wisdom, and honor.”

“I could use a few answers.”

“Me too.” She’d already ripped open an antiseptic pad, cleansed the minor wound, and placed a Band-Aid on her leg.

“Can you walk on that?”

“Sure. Do we move east and attempt to approach them from behind? The hike is grueling there.”

“Sounds like the best trail to take. With your wounded leg, Chandler will expect us to head straight to where he or they fired the shots.”

“One more time you’re right,” she said. “He’ll find ways to inflict pain until he’s looking at us through his rifle scope again.”

“Therese, listen to me.” I captured her gaze. “Head back to the trailhead, and I’ll go on alone. The FBI will find you. I have supplies, my weapon, a compass, and sat phone. No need to put yourself through this. Once I have zeroed in on Alina’s location, I’ll call for backup.”

“Impossible.” She sucked in a breath and added weight to her leg. “I’m ready. Finding Alina is more important than running from a jerk who fired on us.”

I scowled at her. “Rest a few minutes. Might give you a change of mind.”

“Not going to happen. I’m afraid of Chandler and whoever else is out there, but God’s with me.” She offered a fragile smile.

“He shot you. He’s dangerous. Has no value for human life. Think of your loved ones who would mourn your death. Do you want them to experience such heartache?”

“My distant cousins understand my personality and so do my friends. They are familiar with how I live.”

“There’s a difference between courage and acting foolishly.”

“Then I’ll take the former.”

I gave up convincing her for now. She had the tracking skills, and I had the gun power. We needed each other.

Chandler, what motivates you? He had so many charges against him in the US and other parts of the world that he might be planning to slip into seclusion.

How did the ROC’s scheme to assassinate Edik Baranov and assist in kidnapping Alina entice Chandler?

In planning an assassination, murdering Daria Ivanov, and kidnapping Alina, where did all the players fit?

The answers weren’t available to me, but I determined to work all the harder.

I came here to rescue a little girl, and I had no intention of leaving empty-handed or any of us leaving in a body bag.

The clichéd phrase “This isn’t my first rodeo” blew through me like the wind.

But this time I rode an unbeatable bronc.

I called Sergio and apprised him of the shooting. “Can you check to see if any of those on our list have crossed paths in areas other than Houston?”

“I’ll see what I can find out. A helo with armed Rangers is headed to Dog Canyon. The FBI is also working with intel in Moscow. I’ll check in as soon as I have anything.”

I slid my phone into my zippered pocket and sensed Therese frowning. “What’s bothering you?”

“Reality. Fear is dancing through me to the tune of how to make it out of here alive with Alina. I haven’t lost my optimism.” She swallowed hard. “Chandler’s proven his actions are more like a rabid animal, and that’s not good for any of us.”

We both had our analogies of Chandler. I needed to pay attention to how Therese handled fear.

Stress was normal, and even a good thing for self-preservation.

Except headaches and other physical symptoms paved the way for mistakes.

She’d read those in others, but did she have the discernment to see the same in herself?

I adjusted my backpack for the trek ahead. “Those odds were laid out right from the start. Are you hiking back to the trailhead?”

She lifted her chin. “I’m being honest with my partner.”

I expelled a frustrated sigh. “You’re not alone, and while we’re talking truth, the best way to outsmart him, or them, is to put ourselves in their shoes. That’s my number one rule of negotiation.”

“I understand. Tell me more.”

“The game of cat and mouse doesn’t work when the mouse understands the cat’s instincts. I’ve spent our hiking hours putting my feet into his boots. The only way to square off with Chandler is on even ground.”

“Theoretically, you make sense,” she said. “But how are we to implement it?”

I directed my attention east. “Just like the choice we made to find Alina in these mountains. Get behind them and beat Chandler and the elements at their own game.”