Chapter 12
T rina put her arm around Ben, pulling him close as she watched Joel and Royal work. She glanced around, her nerves stretched razor thin. First the explosion and now a long hike through the woods, and they still weren’t safe.
She wondered if this nightmare would ever end.
“What’s going on?” Ben frowned up at her. He still held his stick and whacked it against the tree a few times. “Why are we just standing here?”
Swallowing hard, she strove to sound nonchalant. “Joel and Royal are being extra cautious, that’s all. We’ll be heading to the campground soon, don’t worry.”
“Does that mean we get to camp in a tent?” Ben appeared enthusiastic at the prospect.
She hid a grimace. The very last thing she wanted was to spend the night in a tent.
The bugs were bad enough during the daytime, and what if the grizzly or other animals came out at night?
She didn’t even want to think about it. “No, Ben. We’re meeting Joel’s brother Justin and his dog, Stone.
You remember Stone, right? He looks just like Royal only yellow in color. He is a good tracker too.”
Ben nodded. She was glad he didn’t seem to appreciate the seriousness of the situation. She glanced back at Joel and Royal. The dog hadn’t barked, which she took as a good sign.
Joel shot her a reassuring thumbs-up before he disappeared around a large tree to follow Royal. She instantly felt vulnerable being there alone.
Obviously, Joel wasn’t far, and Royal hadn’t alerted them to danger, but still. She wasn’t at home in the wilderness the way Joel was.
The way all the Sullivans were, she reminded herself. They spent most of their time combing through the forest and mountains searching for and rescuing people in need. As if she needed more proof Joel would never fall for someone like her.
And really, she didn’t necessarily want to learn about hiking in the woods or finding lost people. Sure, it was an admirable job, but she was convinced she’d only get herself lost in the process.
The seconds ticked by in her head in what seemed like slow motion. As panic boiled up inside, she heard Joel say, “Okay, boy. Let’s go back.”
Thank you, Lord Jesus! The prayer came without conscious thought; Joel’s influence related to God and faith were rubbing off on her. She forced herself to relax. This level of stress wasn’t good for anyone, and she needed Ben to feel safe and secure.
Joel emerged from the trees a few minutes later with Royal at his side. “Okay, we can keep going.”
“Great.” She injected enthusiasm into her tone. The end of this hike was near, and she was more than ready to get out of the forest to meet up with Justin and Stone. She stepped back, releasing Ben. “Let’s go.”
Ben didn’t need any urging. He ran ahead, swinging his stick like a sword. As far as her nephew was concerned, this was all one big grand adventure.
Not her kind of adventure, although maybe she could incorporate some of this into her next book. She wished she still had her laptop but reminded herself that her work would be there when they reached civilization.
If they reached civilization. Swatting at flies and mosquitos, she hastened to keep up with Joel and Ben.
Ten minutes later, she was relieved to see a couple of bright orange and red tents through the trees. The campground was close now, and seeing signs of other people being close helped to infuse her with strength and determination.
They were going to be fine.
At least for now. The wave of relief quickly dissipated. She had a bad feeling this was a temporary reprieve. Whoever this guy was, he seemed bound and determined to kill her.
But why? Trina had never hurt another person in her life. That some person had decided to target her was unfathomable.
“I’m hungry,” Ben announced. “I thought we were having lunch?”
“Soon.” Joel glanced at her, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I remember being his age and feeling hungry all the time. Must have a growth spurt coming on.”
“I’ve been reading growth and development books, so I think you’re right about that.” She flushed a little when he looked amused. “Hey, I needed something to guide me. I was advised not to buy new school clothes until the weather changes.”
“I don’t need clothes.” Ben turned his gaze on her. “But another video game would be awesome.”
“We’ll see.” She made a silent promise that if—no—when the gunman was arrested, she’d buy him two new games.
“Aw, Auntie Trina.” Ben kicked at a tree. “Can we at least go back to get my new game?”
“No, Ben.” Joel’s voice was firm. “But keep in mind you still have your original game at hour house.”
“So we can get that one?” Ben brightened.
“Not yet. Soon.” She forced a smile. He sure could be insistent. And it seemed as if the impact from the explosion had already worn off.
Joel was right. Kids were resilient. And the only bright side to all of this was that Ben wasn’t thinking too much about losing his mother.
Joel pulled his phone from his pocket. “Hey, we’re at the campground. What’s your ETA?” He listened for a moment, then said, “Great. See you in ten.”
“Ten minutes?” She couldn’t hide her hopeful tone. When he nodded, she sighed. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yep.” He checked his compass. “Justin asked us to head to the southeast corner of the campground. It’s not too far. We headed mostly south for the past mile.”
Since she had no idea what direction they’d been going, she didn’t argue. Refusing to complain about her aching feet, she quickened her pace to keep up. The sooner they met up with Justin and Stone, the better.
It wasn’t the full ten minutes when a yellow dog came running through the woods toward them. Royal’s tail wagged with excitement as he bounded after his buddy.
“Stone is leading the way,” Joel said with a smile.
Sure enough, a picnic table came into view a moment later. Joel’s twin, Justin, was unpacking a large red cooler.
“What are we having for lunch?” Ben asked, bolting straight for the food. “I’m starving.”
“Do you like fried chicken?” Justin asked.
Ben’s eyes widened as he nodded. “I love fried chicken.”
“Who doesn’t?” Joel asked.
“I’m in.” Any meal she didn’t have to cook was fine with her.
Joel grabbed two bottles of water, handing one to her and the other to Ben. “Drink up, we need to stay hydrated.”
She gratefully drank half the water, then moved closer. In addition to the fried chicken, it appeared they had mashed potatoes, carrot and celery sticks, along with apples and what looked like chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
“Wow, Anna is a marvel,” she said in awe.
“She is.” Joel gestured to the picnic table. “Have a seat. Ben, you sit next to your aunt.”
As if knowing a meal was forthcoming, both K9s crawled under the picnic table to rest.
“Okay.” Ben climbed onto the bench seat. When he reached for a drumstick, she caught his wrist.
“We have to say grace first,” she reminded him.
For a second, she feared he’d argue, but when he saw Joel and Justin both bowing their heads, Ben did the same.
She hid a smile.
“Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to bless this food,” Joel said. “We also thank You for keeping us all safe in Your care. Please continue to guide us to safety. Amen.”
“Amen,” she, Justin, and even Ben echoed.
“Now you can dig in,” Justin told Ben. “There are plenty of drumsticks for everyone, so help yourself.”
“Yum.” Ben took a big bite. “It’s good.”
Joel and Justin waited for her to fill her plate before diving in. They ate in silence for a few minutes, although she noticed Justin gave Joel a couple of meaningful glances as if they needed to talk.
The meal was delicious. When they’d finished the main meal, Justin handed out cookies. “These are from yesterday, but they’re still good.”
She was amazed to hear Anna made large meals like this on a regular basis, but then again, the Sullivan siblings were busy saving lives. She imagined they burned zillions of calories on their search and rescue missions.
Maybe she needed to take a more serious approach to hiking.
“Okay, now that we’ve eaten, what’s the plan?” Joel asked.
Ben bent over to look under the table at the pair of K9s. He didn’t try to sneak them any food, which was a step in the right direction. Then he glanced up at her. “Aunt Trina, can I play with Royal and Stone?”
She inclined her head toward Joel and Justin. “You need to ask their permission.”
“Can I?” Ben repeated.
“Of course,” Joel answered without hesitation. “Just stay close. We need to be able to see you at all times.”
“Okay!” Ben climbed down from the bench seat. “Come, Royal! Come, Stone!”
The dogs crawled out from beneath the table to chase each other and Ben around the clearing.
“I’d like to know the plan too,” Trina said once Ben was out of earshot. “I don’t understand why the police haven’t been able to find this man yet.”
“Griff has been working on it.” Justin’s expression was somber. “Your ex-boyfriend is still missing in action.”
“Robby Rawlings?” Joel asked. When his twin nodded, he scowled. “I hope the Cody police issued a BOLO for him.”
“They have,” Justin said. “And from what I hear, the other guy, Peter Thomas, is still MIA as well.”
“I don’t understand how two men can drop off the face of the earth.” She couldn’t hide her frustration. “I mean, it shouldn’t be that hard to find them.”
“It’s not difficult to go off the grid in a state as big as Wyoming.” Joel grimaced, and added, “But yeah, with technology on our side, I’d think the police should be able to find them pretty quick.”
“They’re working on it,” Justin said. “Griff has been coordinating the law enforcement efforts between Cody and Laramie.”
“Knowing Griff, he’s just as frustrated by the lack of progress.” Joel sighed. “In the meantime, we need another safe place to stay.”
“I’ve already thought of that,” Justin agreed. “I’ve asked a friend of ours, Grady McFarland, if we can use his place. Grady is out of town visiting his sister in Idaho. He said we could use his place no problem.”