Page 18 of Valor (Long Hot Summer: Christian Romantic Suspense #2)

CHAPTER FIVE

The road to Badlands National Park was familiar, but that didn’t make her feel better. The feeling in the car was completely unfamiliar. Heather tried to breathe deeply and get her emotions under control. Dad might be at the coordinates they’d found. It could also be a trap. The men who took him could be waiting for her and they’d want the thumb drive.

Allen had insisted they leave the real one at the police station and would pick it up again afterward, before they went to her house. He carried a lookalike in his pocket in case those coordinates had been left to start a trade. She still didn’t want to go back to her house. Home had always felt like the one place she could be herself and relax, even though it was also her business. She doubted she could ever relax there again.

“What’s on your mind?” Allen asked her as they exited off I90, heading for the park. Even that far away, areas of lightly striped rock dotted the landscape, foretelling the beauty that was to come.

She’d always loved the Badlands. So many people came to South Dakota to see the monuments and the Black Hills, the historical sites and the museums, but the Badlands always seemed like a secondary point to the travelers she spoke to. For her, it was the main attraction.

“Life isn’t what it was two days ago. I’m shocked things could change so much, without warning.” She gripped the handle on the door as much for support as for tactile reassurance. “I don’t know how to handle this.”

“I’d be surprised if you did. Most people couldn’t handle this in stride. If it makes you feel any better, I think you’ve done really well.”

His quiet words bolstered her, but did little for her anxiousness. “What do I do? Normally, I’d have prepared for a hike. I’d have all my gear. I don’t have anything for safety or even gloves to protect my hands from the rocks. They are acidic. We’ll have dryness and mild chemical burns if we have to touch them, not to mention our oils damage them.”

He slowly nodded his head in agreement. “Would it help if I told you I called the Park Service after you finally fell asleep this morning and told them what we were up against? They not only offered a guide, but equipment. We won’t be going in there alone. Plus, the Park Service has jurisdiction over the park. If anything illegal is going on there, they want to know.”

Heather closed her eyes and let images of the park wash over her. While it was called the Badlands, to her, God’s beauty showed through. When sunlight broke over the tops of the rock formations, splashing light over everything around, it was proof of God’s artistry. That might never be the same for her after today.

“Couldn’t they have left one part of my life untouched? They ruined my house, they took my father, they threatened me. Now, they’ve ruined the one place that is most like church to me. This is the place I’ve always felt my heart open to pray. They are ruining that too.” Tears burned her eyes.

“Nothing can take God’s peace from you. No human is strong enough. He will still be with you. He’ll restore that for you.” Allen’s words held so much confidence she assumed he had to have been through something just like her situation.

“How do you know?”

He glanced over at her for a split-second, then back onto the long, straight road that led to the loop. “When I was young, that place was a small fishing hole. I didn’t go to church, but I’d had an elementary teacher who was a Christian. While she never proselytized, that was how I knew there was a God. She created a natural curiosity that I quenched by looking for answers.”

“I think everyone needs a quiet space, be it a church, a closet, or nature.” She wanted to believe her world would be right again, but couldn’t see it now. Maybe God could, but she couldn’t, which was what faith meant. She had to have faith that the place she met God would be restored or He’d find her a new one.

“So, who are we meeting?” She changed the subject because feeling so much doubt left her ashamed. Was her faith that small?

“His name is George, and he’ll be guiding us to those coordinates using his GPS. That’s better than what my phone could do. He’ll know the safest way to get there.”

She nodded, searching her memory for any of the rangers named George. She knew a few of them, but not all. “I don’t know him. I suppose he’s safe though. There’s no way these men could know you were going to call in so early in the morning to have a plant in there.” Suddenly, her thoughts would only go to the worst possible scenario. Maybe she was in self-preservation mode.

“I was actually shocked there was anyone there to answer the phone. I don’t think that’s usual.” He laughed. “George said they were there working on some restoration project before the park opens.”

God had to be looking out for them. “Good. If he knows that area, then having him around won’t be strange if there are people staked out at that location. But if they’ve been seen before, he might recognize them.”

“That could work in our favor or against. If they go to the park a lot, he could assume they’re just usual visitors. I’ll let him know it’s likely he’s seen these people before. I wish I could’ve gotten a forensic artist to come in so you or Oliver could’ve given us a sketch of the men who took your father.”

It had only been a day and already her mind was wiping the memory like it was aware the image of those men put her in danger. “Being a photographer, I’m actually pretty good at drawing. I could try. Maybe tonight.” She closed her eyes and tried to call to mind the image of the man who’d chased her out of the bushes and into Oliver’s garage.

Her heart clattered as she remembered racing for her life into the garage, the shot embedding itself into the flimsy metal of Oliver’s split two-stall garage door. She remembered thanking God Oliver had left the right side open. Without it, she’d probably be dead.

“That would be helpful. If we have a drawing, we can put it out to the television stations and start getting leads. If you’re really good at it, maybe we could hire you on cases like this?”

She wasn’t trained for that and wanted nothing to do with law enforcement after Luke had left her. There was no way she would ever want a job where it might be expected that she make police work more important than family or relationships.

“I’m not sure that’s a job I would want. No offence, but officers can be singularly focused, and I don’t ever want to be that way.”

Glancing at Allen to gauge his reaction cemented her feelings. His jaw tightened where he clenched it. Of course he loved his job. How could he do such dangerous work if he wasn’t completely invested? They had to be focused. While she’d thought that was wrong after Luke, she now saw the benefit to the officer, but she still didn’t want a relationship with one.

“How about on an as-needed basis? It would help me in rare cases like this.”

Heather took a deep breath. Allen had done nothing but help her. He’d put his own home in danger. He’d given up his privacy, taking her to a place he hid from everyone else. She owed him.

“I could do that. Not often, but if you needed me to help, I could. Assuming I have the right talent. I could be horrible.” She’d only ever drawn landscapes. Faces were completely different.

“Thank you. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do with our force for a long time. We’re a pretty quiet town, but every once in a while, that kind of thing would help a lot.”

Did that mean he appreciated her? Why did that make her stomach flip? And why did she feel talented and worthy, whereas other men had been quick to point out her flaws? She hadn’t even proven herself yet, and he was ready to hire her.

The sign to the park came into view on the nearest hill and Heather braced herself to drive inside. There was no turning back now. Whatever was waiting for them in the park, she’d have to face it.

“Here we are,” she held her trepidation in check. Allen shouldn’t have to worry about her any more than he already was.

“I’m going to go past the entrance gates to the main parking area. We’re to meet George in the back.” He glanced at his watch. “And we’re right on time.”

Allen flashed his badge at the woman in the booth at the entrance, and she waved him through. They’d obviously arranged entry in advance. Heather zipped her coat and prayed as Allen parked the car. She had no weapon and didn’t want to carry one without knowing how to use it. At least the two men with her would be armed.

Allen turned to her and touched her shoulder. Even through her coat, warmth spread down her arm. “I want you to promise me that if anything happens, you stick with either me or George.”

She nodded, already knowing she would stick close to Allen. “I will.” There was no way she would intentionally get separated from either of them. Finding her way out of the park without guidance would be incredibly foolish. She might not be able to find her way out if she got too far from the road. It wasn’t like she looked at her coordinates every time she trekked through the park to take photos.

“It will be weird walking through this place without the intent to take pictures.” She looked around the area for any of the rangers she knew.

“Oh, I think you should plan to. Use your phone and take images as we go along. If you get lost or separated, you can find your way out by backtracking from those.”

She hadn’t thought of that because she was too distracted by worry about herself and her father. “True. I’ve got a full charge thanks to the cabin with the weird electrical system.” She grinned because the light in her room had randomly turned on in the middle of the night, scaring her awake where she’d curled up on the couch after talking to Allen most of the night.

She knew he’d only done that because she needed the reassurance that he was doing everything in his power to look for her father. He didn’t hold a grudge, which was another mark in his favor.

George, or who she assumed to be George, came around the building and waved to Allen. Within minutes, she was inside a private area in the main building just inside the park. A few yards away, visitors were buying souvenirs and planning maps while she was gearing up for a hike that would hopefully take her to find her father.

“Ready?” George looked between them. His olive-green and brown uniform stood out, even with all the gear he had to wear to protect him from the rocks.

She gave a nod. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Allen gave one nod. Decked out in gear, he was even more formidable, and far too attractive. His broad shoulders and muscular arms stood out against the fitted gear. She turned away from him. This was about Dad, not Allen. Yes, he was helpful, but she couldn’t let him distract her from her purpose. Maybe Allen was right. She needed to stick to one of them and George might have to be the one she chose for her heart’s safety.

* * *

Allen followed George to a ranger vehicle that clearly denoted it was with the Park Service. He let Heather sit in the front with George, since she knew the park better than he did. He’d never been in a situation where he’d second-guessed himself so much.

Why couldn’t he focus on the task at hand? Getting Heather’s father back and keeping her from the clutches of whoever wanted information—then to probably kill her—was priority one. He shouldn’t be thinking about recruiting her to work for him. He shouldn’t be thinking about taking a hike with her after this was over to get her perspective of the park. Those were things he couldn’t ever do. Not with his secrets and not with Ed feeling as he did. She would take it as the ultimate in disrespect to ignore her father’s dislike.

At least he was pretty sure Heather didn’t know what those secrets were, but her father did. How he’d known was a mystery. One he didn’t want to think about when he needed all his brain space to work on this case. His daughter obviously respected her father’s opinion if she was willing to carry campaign signs for him and had defended him multiple times.

George drove for about forty-five minutes on the longer loop around the park, then pulled into a scenic overlook where there were quite a few parking places. That early in the morning, it was completely empty other than them.

He watched Heather get out of the truck and slide on protective gloves. She wore a helmet, and her hair hung in a golden braid down her back. Pensively, she glanced over the horizon. “Where do we climb down from here?”

“We don’t,” George answered. “We have to walk down the road a little, to a spot where the road dips. If we tried descending here, we’d hurt ourselves and the rocks.”

Allen followed orders, knowing not only that he had little power within the park, he was out of his element. Other than a few rides through, he’d never explored. The Badlands were picturesque and a great place to see antelope, but that’s all he’d really noted.

George led them down the narrow road, though they stayed off to the side wherever possible. The curvy pavement put them in danger of getting hit by people going faster than the speed limit as drivers headed through. Finally, they reached the point where they would leave the road and head into the places usually deemed off-limits.

Heather gasped, catching Allen’s full attention. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

She slowly shook her head as she lowered to crouch just off the trail. “Look.” She pointed to a spot that was much more trodden than he would’ve expected.

“That’s blood.” The drops weren’t fresh, having dried to a brownish crust over the crumbly rock, but it was clearly blood. “We don’t know if it’s your father’s.” He wanted to immediately reassure her. “It could be animal. It could’ve been from a hiker days ago. We don’t know.” Even though he’d told her from the beginning to be prepared for the worst, now he wanted to give her hope.

Allen glanced further down the obvious trail. “I would guess this marks the way. They didn’t hide from us.”

George’s expression changed in an instant. “The difficulty will be keeping to the trail they’ve left for us, while also watching for an attack. If this weren’t here, they wouldn’t have any idea which way we’d be coming from. I’d be shocked if they weren’t keeping watch for us, especially since you said they wrote the coordinates on the threatening postcard.”

A treacherous trail lay ahead of them and there was no way around it. “The only good thing is that we won’t be guessing. If this weren’t here, we’d have to do a lot more hiking, looking around for exactly what it is we’re hunting for,” Heather said.

George glanced back and forth between them as he extended his hiking pole. “That’s true, but there were no other cars in that lot behind us. If they’re squatting in my park, where are they parking? We drive through every night to make sure no cars are left. Camping isn’t allowed outside the restricted areas. It’s possible they’re there often, but not there right now. Which means they could be coming and surprise us.”

Molten acid churned in his empty stomach. He should’ve eaten when he’d had the chance, but sugar made him sleepy, and he was already tired from staying up all night. “Then let’s get in there and get out as fast as we can.” Hopefully, they wouldn’t be carrying a body with them.

Heather fell into step in front of him with George in the lead. He saw every time her foot slipped a little, heard every hitch in her breath when they had to descend or ascend. So far, everything around them was quiet.

George held up his hand for them to wait. “Rattler in the path,” he muttered. “Give it space.”

Heather held completely still a few feet behind George. Allen let them watch the snake while he kept vigil over everything else. They couldn’t have planned a distraction like that, but it was exactly the kind of thing he’d use to get the upper hand if he needed a distraction.

The snake coiled, rattling its tail, and lowering its head.

“Back up a step. I want to be out of strike range,” George whispered. “I’d rather it went on its way.”

Allen inched back, and so did Heather. Part of a rock above them crumbled, falling down between them and the snake. It hissed and lunged toward George. Heather screamed and dove off the trail, leaving him face-to-face with the serpent.

Allen backtracked a few paces as it slithered toward him. His heart pulsed in his ears and all he could see were those fangs hanging out of the dark slit of a mouth. The snake seemed to enjoy the game, winding closer to him.

“Allen, head up a little. It can get there, but it probably won’t. It sees you as a threat and you’re in its path,” George said, though he seemed far away now.

Allan braced himself to climb the fragile rock, feeling bits loosen under his gloves. Taking his eyes off the snake took every ounce of trust he had, but the ranger would know better. In Wall, they didn’t have snakes like they did around the Badlands. Even just outside of the area, in places like Norris, snakes were common.

“He’s gone.” Heather sighed quietly. The sound reassured him. She’d either been worried about him or that the snake would turn back on them. He couldn’t believe she could go from actively disliking him one day to caring for his safety the next. Her trust was a start.

George silently headed back along the trail, looking at his GPS every few minutes. “Odd,” he said. “I assumed this trail would take us to the coordinates. They are close, but not the same. Either this trail is from someone else, or they gave you misinformation.”

“Or they used a different, less accurate, way of reading it,” Allen said, recalling his search with Heather the night before had yielded different information.

“That’s possible too. What would you like to do? We can go to where they told you to or follow where this leads? We’re getting further away from that spot, so we need to decide right now which path we choose.”

Heather glanced back at him with her brow deeply furrowed. “I don’t know the answer. Do we have time to check both before we meet your friend this afternoon?” She gently moved the cuff of her coat away from her watch, careful not to rub against her skin. “We’ve got four hours, but it’ll take over an hour to get back to the ranger station and another hour to get back to Wall.”

Allen agreed. “And we’re not there yet. I’d say we have one shot. They gave us coordinates. Let’s assume they knew what they were talking about.” He hoped he was making the right choice or Heather might hold it against him. Seeing what was on that thumb drive was just as important as following the trail though.

George turned away from the beaten path and trekked up a slight incline. In the bright sun, the striations in the rock were harder to see, making everything around them a light beige color. Dust clung to his dark gloves and clothes. He felt gritty from head to foot, and dry like he needed to drink a gallon of water and swim in a lotion bath.

After about ten minutes, George directed them down into a low area. “That’s where the coordinates say you should go.” He pointed into a valley that resembled a cup. “There’s nothing down there.”

Allen stepped forward. “Let me check it out. Heather, stay here with George.”

Part of him wanted to be the one who stayed behind, not because he didn’t trust George, but because he didn’t want Heather out of his sight. He slowly chose his steps, trying not to slide down the steep decline.

At the bottom, there had been recent activity with lots of disturbance of the rock. There were small piles at the base, like someone had dug there. “Are there minerals here that would be worth something?” Allen glanced up at George for confirmation. Why else would someone be digging in the middle of a protected park?

“Other than agates, I don’t think so.” George glanced around the area. “See anything down there? Holes? Tunnels?”

Allen did a slow circle, taking his time to inspect everything in the small, enclosed area. “None that I can see. But there have been people here recently. There are gouges that look like someone used a pickax.”

He was convinced they’d given the wrong coordinates. Heather wouldn’t want to leave if she believed even a little that her father was here in the park. He wouldn’t want to if he were in her shoes. “We can try to go back to the path and see where it leads.”

George looked uneasy for the first time since they’d set out. Even the snake hadn’t really phased him. “We’ve been away from the path for over twenty minutes. Anyone who came in after us could’ve passed our position by now. While I was reasonably certain we’d be walking into an area with no one there, now, I’m not so sure.”

Heather looked at him, silently pleading for him to take her side when she hadn’t said anything aloud. How could he know her well enough already that he knew exactly what she wanted him to do? “Do you want us to go alone?”

George shook his head. “Not on my watch, but you need to understand the danger. If someone starts shooting, we have nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.”

Allen looked at Heather to make sure that’s what she wanted to do. He wouldn’t let her think for a second that he wasn’t doing everything he could to get her father back. When she dipped her chin slightly, he knew. This was the path they had to take.

“We’ll go.”

George set off heading the way they came. The way back was much more treacherous, as it was ascending rather than descending. Allen’s muscles complained at the exertion. He’d be sore tomorrow. This wasn’t anything like the exercises he did to keep fit.

After a little while, Allen heard a soft moaning sound. With the rocks surrounding them, he couldn’t tell where the sound came from. Heather froze and held her arms wide.

“Do you hear that?”

George strode ahead, making up ground. Allen kept pace with Heather as she tried to keep up. George stopped and looked down into a crevice between two outcroppings.

“It’s coming from down there.”

He hadn’t finished the sentence before bullets exploded from the hole. George and Allen yanked Heather out of the way as they dove for cover. Heather screamed, and all Allen could see was the red patch blooming over her arm.

“We can’t go in there without help. I’ll get someone to keep watch. They have to come out sometime. When they do. We’ve got them,” George said, pulling out his radio.