Riley's Journey (25 page)

“Probably just a deer or elk,” Nathan’s soft voice broke the silence. “If it was anything else, Demon would let us know.”

Riley’s knees shook, the strain of the last while taking its toll. The only thing on her mind was the safety of the shelter and their soon hoped for arrival. She was practically at meltdown status when Nathan stopped at the entrance to the rear tunnel. He’d left it slightly open pending their return, and he cautiously nudged Demon forward through the opening. Satisfied that nothing lurked in the dark recesses, Nathan gave the lead rope to Riley while he secured the cave entrance. The horse balked at being led into the dark tunnel, made skittish by her contact and the strong scent of the dog in the confined space. Riley held on tightly as he jerked on the lead rope, backing up and trying to break free, his eyes bulging as he tried to snap at her.

“Nathan! Do something!” she yelped, as the horse stomped down, barely missing a big toe in the process.

“Relax! He can’t do much in here anyway. Grab his ears and hold on.”

“Hold his ears?”

“Yeah, that’ll calm him down somewhat.” Sure enough, when she gathered enough courage to do the deed, the horse settled down. Nathan crooned to him from the dark, his voice soothing and soft.

“He’s better. Sheesh! I thought he was going to bite me,” she complained, scratching behind the horse’s ears.

“He’s not really too used to you yet and this is all pretty unnerving. I’m sure he senses our tension and that makes him more nervous, too.” Nathan took the lead from her, pulling the now docile animal down the tunnel.

“Where are you going to put him?” Hopefully not in the sleeping area, she thought.

“In the outer cave room. I doubt very much they’ll attack tonight, and he’ll be fine in there until we have to leave.”

“Do you really believe they’ll attack?” Her voice echoed depressingly.

They entered the pool room, the horse taking the opportunity to drink. “Yes, I do. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t looking for us. There’s really nothing up here to interest them. All the really good fishing and hunting areas are below and that’s why I opted to live up here, it’s harder to access.”

Nathan busied himself stabling the horse in the outer chamber, and by the time that small chore was completed, he was ashen-faced, staggering slightly as he re-entered the sleeping area. Alarmed, Riley forced him to lie down, worrying that he had over-taxed himself and reopened the wound.

“I could’ve taken care of the horse.” Scolding wouldn’t help, but it made her feel better. A quick check on his shoulder reassured her that the injury was still closed.

“You’re already chief cook, bottle washer and manual laborer. Didn’t think I should make you stable boy as well.” Nathan eased himself back on the bed, grimacing as he made contact with the pillows.

“Yeah, well, the more appropriate term in my case would be ‘stable girl’!” Busying herself pulling off his boots and helping him undress, she ground her teeth in frustration at his stubborn insistence on doing things himself.

Reaching for the long braid that draped across her shoulder, he tugged gently. “I wouldn’t mind a little roll in the hay, stable girl.”

Irritated, she slapped his hand away, but couldn’t prevent a small grin from escaping. “I bet you wouldn’t! Anyone in particular or will any warm body do?”

“Ouch!” he grumbled, “wounded again!”

“Why is it when a man is sick or he gets hurt, all he can think about is sex?” She turned away, intending to end the conversation so he would rest.

“It’s our own special way of ensuring propagation of the species.” He sounded so reasonable and a quick look confirmed he was using his most convincing “innocent” expression.

“Get some rest before I do something to make sure you can’t propagate.”

Flouncing away, she smiled in spite of herself. Realization hit with smashing force as she entered the kitchen area. This could quite possibly be the last night they shared the protection and warmth of the cave, and the loss of that middling level of security was bleak and disheartening. Seeking protection among friends and family was not in the cards and all they really had was each other. Nathan would fight to the death to protect her, but if he didn’t survive, there would be nothing left worth living for. The future seemed cosmically uncertain and worry sat heavily on her shoulders. As if sensing her troubled thoughts, Demon nudged her hand, his dark eyes questioning and concerned.

“We’ll take care of him, won’t we, boy? They aren’t going to get us without a fight.” Scratching his ears, she longed to bury her face in his fur and cry. Demon whined, licking her hand, offering what little comfort he could.

Riley continued petting and scratching the huge dog, his fortitude and courage reflected in his animal eyes. “You aren’t worried, are you? As long as you can be with Nathan, all’s right with your world.” The dog really was a big comfort. Shaking off her morbid thoughts, Riley determinedly put on hold any feelings of uncertainty and loss. Tomorrow would bring what tomorrow would bring and nothing she did tonight would change that. Her stomach growled in protest, attesting to the fact that dinner time had come and gone. Deciding to enjoy what time she had left in their home, Riley took the opportunity to prepare a special dinner, waiting until the last moment to wake Nathan.

Even with her determined efforts, dinner was a subdued affair. Conversation was scarce and, other than the obvious, it was hard to find something to talk about. Who really cared how the weather looked or what needed to be done. Those items were better left to another time and place. Riley was finding it hard to eat in any event. A huge lump formed in her throat, permitting her to swallow only with difficulty, opting instead to spend the time watching Nathan eat, treasuring those mundane movements. She couldn’t fathom losing him now, he was such an integral part of life and envisioning life without him just wasn’t possible. Tears blurred her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. Nathan glanced up, his actions stilled by the look on her face. He reached out, grasping her hand and pulling it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the palm.

“We’ll be okay. Just believe that.”

A small sob escaped. “I want to, but I’m so afraid.”

“I’m always prepared and I’ve stocked the lower caves with provisions over the years for just such a contingency. We can survive down there for months and maybe, just maybe, they’ll move on and we can return.”

“Do you really think so?” Her lips trembled and one small tear slid down her cheek.

“Yes, I do. From what I observed, there aren’t any women or children with the newcomers and I didn’t see anything to indicate family groups would be joining them later on. I think this is just a raiding party and when they get tired of hanging around here, they’ll find someplace else to go.”

Heatedly, anger replaced the fear. “Then why don’t they just go now and leave us alone?”

Gently caressing her hand, rubbing circles with his thumb, Nathan stated the undeniable, “Because they like the hunt and right now, they’re hunting us.”

Slumping in despair, Riley cried, “I hate that! Hunting us! Why are they hunting us? We don’t have anything!”

“We exist, and in what they now consider as their territory. Ancients were pretty specific on what they considered the borders of their hunting grounds. Think about the American Indians, for example.”

Mulling that concept over for a few seconds, Riley reluctantly agreed with the comparison. Boundaries were formed by those who took what they wanted, leaving little for those unwilling or unable to fight for supremacy.

Nathan broke her reverie. “Tomorrow, we’ll load up the horse and move to the lower caves. I doubt they will track us just for pleasure and it’s pretty much out of their way to go down there. Hopefully, they’ll get the idea that we don’t want to fight and are just vacating the area. We can hold out until they leave.”

“I hope so,” she whispered. “I really do, but I have this awful feeling something really bad is going to happen.”

Pushing a loose curl back from her face, Nathan cupped her chin, gazing into her eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to you! Do you understand what I am saying?”

Tearfully, Riley nodded her head, total trust reflected in her watery eyes. “Just don’t let anything happen to you, either.”

“Or the dog,” he grinned.

“Or the dog,” she agreed.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

T
uesday had finally arrived and the team anxiously passed the time until departure, impatiently pacing and fidgeting, excited but nervous. Bags and supplies had been packed for days and everything was in readiness to go. Bethany had calculated and recalculated and was 99.99% positive her figures were correct. That one little percentile still left her with uneasy feelings, but it was either today or never.

Following Bethany’s discovery of Miles’ treachery, Jonas pulled in his computer-expert cousin to aid Dr. Collins. Miles sat at his usual station, sullen and resentful, frequently clearing his throat and glancing nervously around. Bethany hurriedly educated the new recruit as to Miles’ function regarding the specifics of the computer program functions, positioning him behind Miles with instructions to watch his every move. One small error or last minute change could drastically alter her hard won results.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Bethany called as she dashed out the lab door. “I’ve got one last minute thing to do.”

Jonas sauntered casually away from the main group, motioning his cousin to join him, wanting to reiterate the course to be followed after the team departed. “You know what to do,” he breathed.

Nodding, his eyes focused on Miles, his cousin replied softly so as to prevent curious ears from overhearing. “After everything is shut down, we take fat boy there for a long ride.”

Jonas smirked. “Don’t hurt him too much, just take him as far away as you can into the back country and leave him. If he makes it back, fine. Bethany sent all the incriminating records to her attorney and the feds can deal with him. If he doesn’t…well, shit happens. Just make sure he doesn’t know who the kidnappers are.”

His cousin chuckled. “I called in a few favors from some friends who just happen to have some experience, and they were happy to oblige.”

Satisfied that everything would be taken care of, Jonas hugged his cousin and returned to the main group.

“Are we ever going to get this boat on the river,” Micah fumed. “I can’t stand this waiting.”

“Quit your whining!” Geena punched him sharply. “I’d rather they took their time and did it right. Otherwise, we might end up either dead or in limbo somewhere.”

Several team members voiced their agreement with Geena’s observation, adding their own comments and opinions. Most, if not all, were more than willing to wait however long to assure themselves that everything was copasetic.

Micah huffed rudely and turned away. Jonas decided to keep an eye on him—not because he didn’t have total confidence in Micah’s abilities, but because he was showing signs of overstressing. Once they were underway, he’d better settle down or Jonas would make sure he did.

“Do I have time to make one last phone call?”

Jonas turned, seeking the voice. Standing there, dressed in leathers and covered with antique-appearing weaponry and gear, Allie looked even shorter than normal. No longer did she sport the intelligence-making glasses, her small face overshadowed by her huge eyes. She looked somewhat like a lost child.

“I told you to have everything completed by the time you entered the lab,” he informed her harshly. “I don’t make those demands lightly.”

“I didn’t think you did,” she retorted, “but I forgot to call the lady who adopted my cat to let her know what his favorite food is.”

Throwing up his hands in disgust, Jonas stalked away, muttering, “If the damn cat wants to eat, he’ll eat what’s there. Sheesh! What was the Council thinking of when they sent this one.” He almost made it to the door of the lab, but hesitated. “Go make your damn call, but you’d better be quick, we’re leaving shortly.” She scampered out, relief etched on her small features. All this for one stupid cat, he mentally grumbled. She did seem pleased by his concession though.

Bethany scurried in, dressed in leathers and carrying a pack of unknown contents.

“What’s going on,” Jonas demanded angrily.

She paused, catching her breath and readying for the storm she knew would brew. “I’m going with you.”

“Not on your life—no, you aren’t.” He objected heatedly.

“If I don’t go, none of you go,” she answered complacently. “It’s like that game show, deal or no deal.”

“This isn’t a game show and you aren’t the host. You…can’t…go! You aren’t prepared and you haven’t had the rigorous training necessary to survive.”

“I have you! And I’ve had all my shots and my health examination was excellent. That’s all the training and preparation I need. You might as well give up, I’m going or no one goes.” Smiling smugly, she decided the discussion was at an end.

“What brought this on?” he growled.

“There’s nothing left for me here. If this gets out, my career will be over anyway. Nathan is the only family I have and I might just find what I am looking for back there.”