Chapter 1 #3
Nicole squinted through the trees, trying to catch sight of the drone.
Branches swayed in a steady breeze. A black object appeared and disappeared, before appearing again a short distance away.
It was likely circling the area, searching for them.
Outrunning it was impossible, especially now that Maddy had fallen. Their best option was to hide.
Nicole dropped to the ground next to her sister. “Follow me.”
On hands and knees, she crawled several feet to a large downed pine. Brambles grew around it, two or three feet tall. Their thorny branches grabbed her clothes and scraped her skin.
After instructing Maddy to hunker down next to the tree trunk, Nicole crouched beside her and covered them with the brambles as best as she could.
They were both in muted colors—faded denim shorts and T-shirts, Maddy’s a medium beige and her own a dark shade of olive green.
If they stayed completely motionless, maybe the drones wouldn’t detect them.
Unless they were equipped with infrared cameras. Then it wouldn’t matter. The machine would pick up their heat signatures.
Now it seemed to be hovering above them, with the sound of a thousand swarming bees. She didn’t look up. She didn’t dare move or even breathe. But it didn’t matter. They’d been spotted. Why else would the machine be still, suspended several yards above the earth?
A deep bark set her nerves on edge. Hopelessness washed through her. The men didn’t just have drones. They had dogs. Oh, God, help us.
Without rising, she turned her head to look. A German shepherd emerged from the underbrush.
Nicole threw herself over her sister and tried to prepare for the coming agony, whether from the deadly canine teeth or the sharp blade of the knife.
Whatever was in store, neither of them was likely to make it out of the forest alive.
* * *
“Caesar!”
K-9 Officer Braydon Feldman crashed through the woods in hot pursuit. What had gotten into his dog?
The loud buzz of a drone filled the air, but that wasn’t what had made his dog temporarily lose his mind. The German shepherd was too well trained to react to loud noises. Or to take off without a command.
Judging from the barks just ahead, Caesar had found whatever had caught his attention. Braydon skidded to a stop. His dog was sitting in front of a downed tree, barking at something Braydon couldn’t see.
“What is it, boy?”
Caesar pivoted his head and released another bark before falling silent. Braydon glanced upward, where the drone was visible through a break in the trees. Whatever—or whomever—Caesar had found was likely the object of its surveillance.
Braydon reached for the pistol at his side. He’d been backpacking in these woods for the past five days and hadn’t considered drawing his service weapon once. Not knowing what was hiding in the brambles in front of him, that was about to change.
He approached slowly, pistol drawn. The thorny vines tugged at his jeans as he stepped closer.
A woman lay face down, legs tucked under her, straddling someone much smaller.
“Ma’am?”
The woman stiffened but didn’t look up. A muffled sob escaped from the child.
Braydon frowned. They didn’t look like criminals hiding out from the authorities. No, someone was after them, likely whoever had put that drone in the air. He scanned the forest before sliding his pistol back into its holster.
“I’m a cop. Let me help.”
She looked up at him but didn’t release the child. Leaves clung to her dark hair, which flowed around her face in wild disarray. But it was her brown eyes that snagged him. They were wide and filled with such fear, it shot straight to his heart.
The child still hadn’t moved but was visibly shaking. They all needed to get out of there. He pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen. No service. He wasn’t surprised. They couldn’t get much more remote than this.
For him, that had been by choice. When he’d left Florida and set out on his backpacking adventure, he’d been looking for peace and quiet, the opportunity to hike and sketch and enjoy nature.
And maybe get his head back on straight.
Except for his planned trip back to civilization today to restock supplies and wash his dirty clothes, he’d have been fine with not seeing another soul the entire two weeks.
He extended a hand. “How about letting Caesar and me get you two to safety?”
Her gaze shifted from him to his dog and back again, but she still didn’t rise. He’d told her he was a cop, but why should she believe him?
After pulling his wallet from his pocket, he opened it and turned it to face her.
“Here’s my badge.” It occupied the space opposite his driver’s license, protected by the clear plastic sleeve and showing the agency he worked with—Pensacola Police Department.
“Caesar here is my K-9 partner. You can trust us.”
Relief flashed across the woman’s face. She released the little girl and stood, tucking her hair behind her ear with one shaking hand.
She was petite, dressed in jean shorts and a T-shirt with the words “Broken crayons still color” emblazoned across colorful squiggles.
She reached for the child. “Come on, Maddy. This nice policeman is going to help us.”
The girl complied, but as soon as she was on her feet, she narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t look like a policeman.”
He smiled. “That’s because Caesar and I have been camping, so I left my uniform and his vest at home.”
That seemed to satisfy her. After a glance upward, he looked at the woman. “Who does the drone belong to?”
“Some men. One of them kil—” She looked down at the little girl, brow knitted.
“He attacked our dad, then realized we were there and came after us.” Her gaze flicked to the drone hovering overhead.
“They know where we are. They’re watching right now.
” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “We can’t get away.”
He looked up at the drone. The FAA prohibited shooting them down. The act came with stiff penalties—up to twenty years in prison.
He pressed his lips together. He was used to enforcing the law, not violating it. But if he didn’t do something, they’d likely come face to face with killers.
“Should I get rid of the drone?”
Her eyebrows drew together. “How?”
He withdrew his pistol, took aim and fired two shots. The woman and child both flinched. The buzz sputtered and died, and the object tumbled from the sky. Better to be in trouble than dead. Of course, under the circumstances, the owners of the drone weren’t likely to report him.
The woman’s eyes lit with respect as well as relief. “You’re a good shot.”
“Like I said, I’m a cop. I’m guessing the owners of that drone might arrive at any moment. Can you ladies run?”
“We can.” She gave him a small smile. “We’ve actually done a lot of that today.”
They probably had. “By the way, my name’s Braydon.”
She nodded. “Feldman.” Another smile. “I read it on your badge. I’m pleased to meet you, more than you can imagine. I’m Nicole, and this is my sister, Maddy.”
He consulted his compass and slipped it back into his pocket.
His sense of direction was exceptional, but it never hurt to confirm that he was headed where he intended, especially when navigating thousands of acres of woods.
He took off at a slow jog. Although Nicole was eight or ten inches shorter than his six feet, she matched his pace. Even little Maddy kept up.
A tree branch swiped him across the cheek, almost catching him in the eye. Thorny vines grabbed at his clothes. Jeans protected his legs, but the girls both wore shorts. By the time they got to safety, their legs would be a bloody patchwork of scratches.
He slowed and looked down at Nicole. “The man who attacked your father… How did you escape him?” It couldn’t have been easy, dragging a child along.
“I had Maddy hide in the roots of a downed tree and then led him in another direction.” She sucked in several panting breaths. “I couldn’t outrun him. I hid behind a tree, picked up a heavy branch and waited for him.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You hit him with it?”
“Yeah, knocked him down. That gave me a chance to get away. I looped back to where Maddy was.” She sucked in several more rapid breaths. “While we were hiding, he walked past us. He was on the phone with someone. That’s who brought the drone.”
She fell silent, except for her labored breaths. He had questions, but it wasn’t his investigation. For now, he’d protect them. When they made it back to civilization, he’d get them to the local authorities to make a report.
Nicole looked over at him. “Where are we going?”
“To my truck. Then I’m taking you to the police station.”
“Good. I’d like to get someone out to check on my dad as soon as possible.
” She shook her head. “As far as making a report, I have no idea who these men are or why they came after my dad. I saw the one guy up close when I hit him with the branch, but there was nothing distinguishable about him—ordinary features, no scars or tattoos.”
“Any idea which direction they’re coming from?”
Nicole pointed behind her. “That way. Our property borders this edge of the national park.”
Good. At least they weren’t running toward their pursuers.
He looked down at the little girl. She seemed sweet and extremely shy.
Other than her statement about him not looking like a cop, she hadn’t spoken a word since he’d found them.
How much of her quietness was innate and how much was due to trauma, he couldn’t say.
She’d probably need some serious counseling once this was over.
Braydon slowed to a stop. “We need to take a break and catch our breaths.”
They’d come a good mile, putting a reasonable distance between them and their pursuers. Nicole and Maddy had to be tiring. He was getting winded himself. Thirsty, too.