Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
J enna followed behind Parker, stepping slowly and cautiously. They’re both searching for any more booby-traps.
Inside, she was churning with anger. Olson was playing with them. Like this was a damn game.
She blew out a breath. But he was close. They could catch him. They would catch him.
She hated that they had to move at a snail’s pace.
“We must be clear of any traps by now,” she said.
“We don’t know that.” Park’s tone was low and clipped.
“Park, we’ll lose him. It’s worth the risk.”
His gaze locked on her face. “No. It’s not.”
She reached out and touched his arm. “We’re clear. We need to run him down. Owen is still ten minutes out.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “ Dammit .”
“Come on.”
He nodded. “Avoid any piles of leaves, or any disturbed earth?—”
“Got it.”
Park broke into a fast lope, and Jenna rushed to keep up with him. They raced through the trees. A branch slapped at her arm, and she ignored it. In places, she and Park leaped over piles of leaves and dried branches.
Her chest was heaving a little when they finally reached a clearing. Park jerked to a halt.
“Stop.”
She obeyed instantly. That spooky sixth sense of his… She was coming to depend on it.
He pointed.
She saw a mound of leaves. They looked dry and didn’t look disturbed.
“Cover me,” he said.
She pulled out her gun and lifted it. Turning in a half circle, she looked for any movement.
He cautiously moved into the clearing and knelt beside the leaves. He nudged them aside carefully.
She saw the explosive device.
Shit . Olson was still planting traps for them.
That’s when she heard a repetitive thump, thump, thump in the sky. She smiled. “Owen is almost here.”
Park carefully moved along the edge of the clearing, pausing to study the ground. “Olson went this way.”
They moved into a jog. Park was on high alert, and she knew he was still keeping an eye out for more traps.
The trees thinned out and Jenna slowed. Olson could be waiting for them, and she didn’t want to be caught with no cover. He’d pick them off easily.
“Any sign of him?” Park said.
She shook her head.
“I’m going to climb up a tree and take a look. Stay in cover.” He gripped a branch, then pulled himself up in an easy display of strength. He climbed up the branches and disappeared from view.
She pulled out her satellite phone and hit the button. “Owen.”
“We’re close,” Owen replied.
“We can hear the helo. We’re at the bottom of the mountainside, where the trees thin out.” She gave him the coordinates. “Olson’s close.”
“Have you got eyes on him?”
“Negative. Parker is in a tree, trying to spot him.”
“Okay. We’ll do a sweep of the area. See if we can get a bead on him.”
“Acknowledged.”
A moment later, Park dropped out of the tree. She almost jolted. He hadn’t made a sound. There was a fierce frown on his face. “No sign of him.”
Her heart dropped. “He’s rabbited. I was sure he’d stay and fight.”
Park’s frown deepened. “I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Her chest tightened and she scanned the trees again. Where the hell are you, Olson?
A moment later, a blue-and-white helicopter came into view, sweeping in over the trees.
“They’re looking for him,” she said.
Parker nodded.
Crack .
In the air, the helicopter jolted and moved quickly to one side.
Crack .
“ Fuck . Olson is shooting at the helicopter.” Jenna grabbed the satellite phone. “Owen?”
“We’re under fire. One pilot’s been hit, so has the engine.”
She watched as the helicopter swung west, the pilot clearly fighting for control.
“Olson’s got a sniper rifle,” Park said. “From the shots, I’d guess that he’s north of our location.”
“Owen, Park thinks Olson is to the north.”
“The pilot’s going to land,” Owen said. “We’ll move to the south.”
She saw the helicopter start descending.
Her pulse raced and she dragged in a breath. At least they hadn’t crashed.
“We need to check that they’re okay.” Park watched the helo until it disappeared from view. “Plus, we need more ammunition.”
She nodded, frustration crashing into her. She wanted to track down her prey. Olson was getting away. She cursed.
Park grabbed her arm. “We’ll get him.”
With Jenna by his side, they raced to the area where the helicopter had landed. It was in a flat area with no trees.
Park felt the tension coming off her. She wanted to be chasing Olson.
He glanced up at the mountains. They’d get him. They wouldn’t give up.
A second later, they cleared the trees and he saw the helicopter. Several state troopers and Owen were milling around it.
“Owen!” Jenna jogged over and gripped the young marshal’s hand. “Are you okay? Anyone injured?”
The younger man nodded. “We’re all alive. One pilot got hit by shrapnel in the face and neck. The bullet shattered the glass.” He nodded over to where a man in a white shirt sat on the ground. His shirt was sprinkled with blood and another state trooper was treating him.
The second pilot appeared, circling the helicopter. He was older, with a gruff face. He was checking the exterior of the aircraft.
He walked toward them.
“Chris, this is US Marshal Jenna Sheridan, and Parker Conroy,” Owen said. “They’re hunting the fugitive on the ground.”
The pilot nodded.
“What’s the verdict?” Owen asked.
“I can fix it,” the man said.
“You’re sure?” Jenna asked.
“I’ve been working on birds of all kinds my entire life. The bullet hit the engine, but the damage is minor. Oliver copped the worst of it.” His gaze moved to his injured co-pilot.
“Okay, do whatever you need to do.” Jenna looked back at Owen. “Olson is on the move, but he’s close. This is our chance to stop him. If he gets away…”
“We’ll never find him again.” Owen frowned. “We need to wait for the helo to be fixed.”
She shook her head. “If we wait, we’ll lose him.”
Owen looked at Parker.
Park inclined his head. “She’s right. It’s why Olson shot at the helo in the first place. He wanted our backup gone.”
“Parker and I have this,” she said. “Olson is running. He feels us closing in. He’ll mess up and make mistakes. We can’t give him a chance to regroup or he’ll get away.” Her face hardened. “And then he’ll kill again. I’m not letting that happen.”
Park reached out and touched her back. He hated seeing her upset, and knew that she still blamed herself for the Hoskins.
Owen didn’t miss the move, his gaze narrowing on Park’s hand.
“I’ll have her back,” Park said.
“Okay.” The young marshal sighed and focused on Jenna. “I know you’re too stubborn to listen anyway.”
“I listen, I just don’t always do what you think is right.”
“Be careful. I didn’t believe you when you first told me how dangerous Olson is. I do now. We’ll get in the air and head your way soon as we can.”
Jenna nodded. “Thanks, Owen.”
The marshal turned to Parker. “Take care of her.”
Park didn’t need the order. “I will. Besides, she can take care of herself.”
Jenna met his gaze and gave him half smile. “Let’s move, Conroy.”
Soon, they were running through the trees at a decent pace. Park didn’t need to stop to find Owen’s trail. He hadn’t hidden it.
Park frowned. “He’s heading north.”
Jenna slowed and pulled out a map. She studied the terrain, then sucked in a breath. “Toward the public campground.” She shoved the map back in her bag. “There could be people there.”
Park bit back a curse. This time, it was Jenna who set the pace. She picked up speed, and Park made sure to stay two steps in front of her, keeping an eye out for booby-traps.
But it didn’t seem that Olson was stopping to set them now. No, he was moving fast.
They were both sweaty and breathing hard when they burst into the campground.
It wasn’t fancy, but it had a breathtaking view of the mountains. There were some wooden picnic tables, a water pump, and in the distance, some toilets.
There was one large, red tent set up. Two fold-up chairs sat beside it. The front entrance of it was unzipped and flapping in the breeze.
“No.” Jenna took off at a run toward the tent.
“ Jenna .” He followed, pulling his weapon.
She slowed down and dragged in a breath. She pulled her own gun from its holster.
“You good?” he murmured.
She nodded but she had a dark look in her eyes. He knew she was afraid of what they’d find inside.
Then she nudged the flap open wide. With her gun aimed, she entered the tent. Park moved right in behind her.
A second later, she shoved the gun away and released a breath. “US Marshals. You’re safe now.”
Park sidestepped Jenna and saw the older couple tied up on the ground in the tent. The man had blood running down the side of his head. It looked like he’d been hit with the butt of a gun. The woman’s dark hair was disheveled, her eyes wide. Their mouths were taped up.
Jenna untied the woman, while Park freed the man. He ripped the tape off the man’s mouth.
“Oh, thank the Lord,” the woman said shakily.
“You’re safe now,” Jenna said. “I’m US Marshal Jenna Sheridan. What are your names?”
“Phil and Brenda Cochran,” the man said.
“Okay, Phil and Brenda.” Jenna’s voice was low and soothing. “Don’t worry. We’re going to take care of you. Can you tell me who did this?”
“A man.” Phil swallowed. “Um, he was tall, fit, had brown hair.”
“Red,” Brenda added, her voice thin and still shaky. “His hair was reddish-brown.”
“He’s a fugitive that we’re tracking.” Park checked the man’s head. “Looks like you need some stitches, Phil.”
“He was so…frightening,” Brenda said. “His eyes were cold.” She shivered.
The pair were lucky to be alive.
“What did he want?” Jenna asked.
Phil swallowed. “He took some food, my hunting knife, and our vehicle.”
Jenna cursed. “What model car? What color? What’s your number plate?”
“It’s a Toyota 4Runner. Blue.” Phil rattled off his plate.
Jenna pulled out the phone. “I need to relay the information to Owen.”
“Go,” Park said.
She stepped outside and he heard the murmur of her voice.
“Marshal Sheridan is going to call in help,” Park told the couple. “You’re safe now.”
Brenda grabbed Park’s hand. For the first time in ages, he didn’t yank his hand back.
“You’ll capture him? You’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else?”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
“You look like a man who keeps your promises.”
Park nodded.
There was a rustle of nylon and Jenna stepped back inside. “They finished repairs and the helicopter is coming this way. The state troopers have the details for the 4Runner and have put out a BOLO alert.”
Park met her gaze. “Good. Let’s chase his ass down.”