Chapter 16 #2
Elena looked up from examining Charlie, her fingers carefully probing around his shoulder area where the most obvious swelling had formed.
He had on a tank top—who wore a tank top in weather like this?
—and the skin was already mottled with purple-and-red bruising.
Her left wrist ached in sympathy as she worked, a quick reminder of her own encounter with an airbag.
“His collarbone’s broken,” she finally said, keeping her voice steady despite the concern constricting her chest. “I’m going to move the seat back, Charlie, so we can ease the pressure from the steering wheel. It’s going to hurt.”
“Just do it. I’ll manage.”
“Sully, can you hold him steady? Don’t let him flop forward or backward.”
“Got it.”
As Sully steadied the man, she raised the lever and gradually moved the seat backward. Charlie sucked in a harsh breath but stayed conscious. “Okay, lean him back.” Sully did so. “Gently, easy.” Charlie let out a low groan and panted from the pain. “Sorry, Charlie.”
The man chuckled in spite of everything. “It’s okay. I can’t believe you can say that with a straight face.”
“Can’t laugh while you’re in pain.” She looked up at the others. “He’s stable for now. The break seems clean—no obvious displacement that would threaten surrounding tissue or blood vessels, but he’s going to need an MRI, most likely.”
Elena pulled off her jacket and carefully folded it into a makeshift support.
She positioned it to immobilize his shoulder as best she could.
Her right knee protested as she shifted her weight, the banged-up joint sending sharp reminders that she was pushing it too hard.
Again, she ignored the discomfort. “Charlie, you’re going to need to keep still until proper medical help arrives,” she added, her eyes meeting Sully’s.
“I’ll go after Ollie,” Piper said, pulling out her flashlight.
“No,” Sully said. “You need to take the car and drive until you get cell service. Call for backup and an ambulance for Charlie.”
Piper hesitated. “But—”
Sully straightened. “I’ll find Ollie. We need emergency services and backup. Ollie and Elena connected. I honestly think she’ll trust her before she trusts either of us at this point. And who can blame her? We’ve failed her.”
“Fine.” Piper’s jaw flexed. “I’ll head back toward town until I have a signal.”
“I’ll take you,” Gideon said. “Then we’ll return to the ranch and let Maya and the others know what’s going on and keep an eye out in case Ollie shows up there.”
“Perfect.” Elena turned to Sully. “Ready?”
He nodded, checking his weapon. “Let’s go.”
They plunged into the dark forest, flashlight beams sweeping across the undergrowth. “There,” Elena said. “That branch was broken recently and there are footprints in those leaves.”
“How on earth did you spot that?”
“I was trained to. If I wanted to eat, I learned to track.”
“Elena . . .” His soft shock reached her.
“It’s okay, Sully. You don’t have to feel bad for me. I may have had to go through all of that as a child to be able to do what I’m doing now. Save Ollie.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
It was the only way to look at it. “Looks like she’s running hard, possibly in a panic. I pray she has her meds with her.” She continued to watch the trail. “And there’s a print even you can see. A bigger one that looks like a loafer. I hope his feet are freezing.”
“Probably didn’t expect a chase through the woods.”
“Probably not. Good job, Ollie. This way,” she said, leading Sully to the left. “She’s smart, but I’m not sure if she’ll try to reach the ranch or find a place to hide.”
“My guess is hide. At least until she’s sure no one is around to grab her.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
The forest closed around them, thick and silent except for their soft footsteps and the occasional night creature.
Elena strained her ears for any sound not belonging to nature—either Ollie’s movements or the men who’d tried to take her.
“Ollie doesn’t know these woods,” she murmured, “but I caught her studying maps of the property and the town.”
“Sounds like her,” Sully said.
“She loves to learn. Between the books and the maps, I think she knows where she is. If she keeps going in this direction, she’ll hit the creek that runs near the southern property line of the ranch.
She can see the ranch from there. A little farther and she can cross at Highway 14’s bridge, head back to the ranch entrance, and be at the house shortly after that. ”
“Let’s hope she remembers that,” Sully said.
“I think she will. As long as they don’t catch up to her first, I think she’ll be okay.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
“Amen to that.”
Ollie pushed forward through the darkness, trying to be quiet, but the forest floor crunched and snapped beneath her boots.
Even the moon betrayed her, staying hidden behind clouds.
But every step sent her deeper into the woods and farther from the men who wanted her dead.
Tears clouded her vision while her lungs burned and she slowed a fraction.
The map she’d studied earlier flashed in her mind—if she kept going west and north, she’d hit the creek that ran along the highway near the ranch. And she thought there was a bridge somewhere not too far down.
Just keep moving. Don’t stop.
Voices echoed behind her. Closer now. The men had gained ground.