Aimée Thurlo - Restless Wind

Assured he’d done what was needed, Hastiin Sani rummaged in his pocket for matches and set the list on fire, holding it until the last second, then letting it fall to the floor. It burned another few seconds, then he stirred up the ashes with his shoe, making certain nothing remained intact to read. “Now let’s hurry and finish up with those boards before the man reaches into his pocket and discovers what happened.”

They worked hard, managing to pull another board loose. It looked as if she’d be able to make it out now, and maybe him as well if he maneuvered through sideways. She looked at him, and he nodded, signaling her to go through first. Just then, they both heard footsteps right outside the door.

Hastiin Sani reached through the hole they’d made and pushed open the window that had been boarded up. “Go now!”

“Not without you.” Dana reached out to grab his hand but he’d already moved away and headed toward the door.

“Hurry!” he whispered harshly. “Those names cannot fall into their hands again. Once they start working you over and pain’s all you feel, you’ll talk. And no one can blame you. Then they’ll kill you. This is your one chance. If you want to live, run! I’ll buy you as much time as I can.” He jammed a board beneath the door in an attempt to wedge it shut.

The door shook and came open just a few inches. Dana climbed up onto the windowsill, but before she could swing her legs outside, two men burst into the room. Unable to leave her friend, Dana jumped back down to the floor, picked up the closest board and swung it around like a baseball bat, hitting one of the men in the shoulder. The two syringes in his hand flew across the room.

Hastiin Sani kicked the second man in the chest, knocking him back into the edge of the door. As the kidnapper struck the back of his head against the wood, he groaned and staggered back.

Dana knew that they were in a fight for their lives. Their attackers hadn’t been carrying dart pistols that time. They’d had those syringes. The men had come back to kill them now that they’d been judged to be of no further use.

She fought hard. Her attacker, anticipating another swing of the board, ducked as he rushed her. But she’d already changed tactics, and this time jabbed him in the gut. He doubled over in pain.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hastiin Sani kick his attacker’s legs out from under him. Then, in a lightning fast move, he jumped on the man, locking his arms around the man’s neck.

When her own assailant looked up, pain clouding his eyes, Dana jabbed the end of the board directly into his kneecap.

The man cursed and howled as he fell forward, grabbing his knee. Hastiin Sani was on him immediately and delivered a swift blow to the back of the man’s head to take out her opponent. But it wasn’t over. She could hear other men shouting, moving into the cabin from outside.

Hastiin Sani slammed the connecting door shut and jammed one of the boards under the doorknob. Then he put his shoulder to the door, intending on holding them back with his own strength.

“Go!” he ordered.

“I’ll come back with help.” Dana jumped up onto the sill, and swung her legs outside. As gunfire erupted, she looked back and saw the holes that had appeared in the door. Then, to her horror, she saw blood seeping from wounds on Hastiin Sani’s back. Yet, somehow, he managed to stay on his feet.

“Trust no one,” he said, his voice thick with pain.

Dana jumped out, hit the ground, then took one last look back. Hastiin Sani was sliding slowly to the floor, blood covering his shirt. But he was still alive. Clinging to that, and knowing she had to bring back help quickly, she raced to the tree line, using the bright moonlight to guide her.

Dana crossed into the forest, knowing her footprints would be hard to track in the dark. She was barely twenty feet into the woods when she heard footsteps directly ahead of her. One of the men must have circled around to intercept her. If he’d come from the cabin, that meant he was extremely fast on his feet-much faster than she was.

Fear invaded every nerve in her body. Think! He didn’t know where she was, not exactly. It was too dark among the thick vegetation, and he wasn’t using a flashlight. She could duck down and hide, remain absolutely still, then wait until he went past.

Holding her breath, she crouched at the base of a thick piñon, and waited. The footsteps seemed to be coming from the direction of the road, not the cabin. Maybe someone had heard the sound of gunfire and was coming up the mountain to help. But the chances of that were slim-false optimism. The kidnappers hadn’t been worried about noise, so there probably wasn’t another human being around for miles.

The footsteps came closer, and she crouched even lower, searching the ground for something to use as a weapon. There were small, crooked pine branches, but nothing big enough to call a club. That left her with one choice-the large rock near her left shoe. She reached down and grabbed it.

Hitting while holding a rock was better than hitting him with her fist. She looked down at her hand. As far as fists went, hers were pathetic. The closest thing she had to a callus came from holding her grading pencil too tight.

She kept her eyes on the area around her. It was a still, clear night. She heard a soft sound-nothing more than the rustle of a gentle breeze through the leaves. The next instant a big hand clamped over her mouth.

She struggled wildly, trying to hit backward with the hand that held the rock, but her captor clamped his arm around her, pinning her arms to her chest in a viselike grip as he lifted her to her feet.

“Be still. I’m on your side,” a rich masculine voice breathed in her ear. “Ranger Blueeyes, remember?”

She instantly became aware of his hard, muscled chest and strong arms. A second later, he eased his hold. Her heart did a tiny somersault as she turned and gazed up at him. “I thought you were…”

“Dead? Not even close.” He had a rifle slung around his shoulder and a knife in the scabbard hooked to his belt. “Now where’s Hastiin Sani?”

“He’s…” Dana’s voice broke, but she swallowed back her tears. “My friend needs help,” she managed to say.

There was a flicker of sympathy and other gentle emotions in his eyes, then his expression hardened. “I heard the shots. I’ll go get him, but I need to know what I’m up against. How many are there and do they know you’ve escaped?”

“I saw four men. Two of them were injured in the fight as I escaped. But there may be more.”

He nodded, then handed her a set of keys. “My truck’s parked about a quarter of a mile down the road. Stay there and lock the doors until the police arrive,” he whispered. “I’ve already called them.”

“I don’t think you heard me right. My friend is back there,” she said, anger rippling through her. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re armed. Let’s go help him.”

She noticed the butt of a pistol sticking out of his pocket. “You’ve got a rifle, a pistol and a knife. Give me the knife so I can defend myself and I’ll show you where he is. We need to get to him before it’s too late. He was bleeding badly.”

“Your choice,” he said, handing her the knife. He looked past her, then brought the rifle to his shoulder. “Get down.”

He fired a shot, then motioned for her to follow him. “Hurry, and stay low!” he whispered. “At least two of them are on the move.”

They moved quickly to their left. Behind them, there was the sound of bullets striking the tree where they’d been, and nearly simultaneous gunshots from somewhere to their right. They circled as quietly as possible, then stopped behind a rock. The cabin was about fifty yards to their right, and she could see the front fender of the van on the other side of the building. Two more shots rang out, ricocheting off a rock several feet behind them. At least one of the men had moved along with them.