Chapter 4

4

Jason winced as the pickup hit another pothole, sending a fresh wave of pain through his side. He pressed his hand harder against the wound, feeling the warm stickiness of blood seeping between his fingers. The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in deepening shades of purple and indigo.

Gravy’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel. “We’re not gonna make it, are we?”

Jason’s lips thinned as he did the mental math. “Not by 1700, no.” He reached for his pocket, intending to check the time on his phone. His hand met empty fabric, and a cold realization washed over him. “I can’t believe it.”

“What?” Gravy’s voice pitched higher.

“My phone. It’s still in the plane.” Which meant his team had no way to track him.

Gravy whistled. “That stinks. Bet it was a nice one. They always give special ops dudes the best equipment.”

Jason decided against explaining that he hadn’t actually been employed by the military for years. And yeah, it was a nice phone. Totally hand-designed. Paige, their cybersecurity expert was going to kill him.

If he didn’t die first.

He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. “You got your phone, right?”

Eyes on the road, Gravy patted his pocket. “I got the burner my dad gave me. I figured I should leave my real phone at the house.”

“Smart thinking.” At least one thing was going their way. For now, he’d have to believe the burner was untraceable. “How’s our fuel situation?”

Gravy glanced at the gauge. “Half a tank. Maybe.”

“Terrific.”

The truck lurched as Gravy swerved to avoid a chunk of fallen rock. Jason bit back a groan, tasting copper on his tongue.

“You okay over there?” Gravy’s eyes darted between Jason and the winding mountain road.

“All good.” He managed a tight smile. “Keep your eyes on the road, Dale Earnhardt.”

Gravy snorted, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. “So what’s the plan? You have a plan, right? You’ve always got a plan.”

Jason gazed out at the darkening landscape, considering their options. His side ached, but he’d live, assuming they didn’t end up at the bottom of a ravine or in the crosshairs of whoever had ambushed them. He could contact his team, but by the time they got there, he’d either have Gravy to safety, or they’d already be dead.

“We push on,” he said finally. “With luck, we’ll make the rendezvous by 2100.”

“They said 1700. What if they won’t wait?”

“Then we get creative.” He had to assume Gravy’s father had bought some kind of escape plan for his son. The extraction team wouldn’t get their final payment until Gravy was safely tucked away. They’d wait.

Gravy made a sound. “Creative. Right. ‘Cause that always works out so well for me.”

Despite the pain and the gravity of their situation, Jason forced a grin. Keeping Gravy calm was priority one. Or two. Whatever. A high priority. “Hey, we’re still breathing, aren’t we?”

“Barely,” Gravy muttered.

“Better than not at all.”

“I guess.”

He leaned his head back, allowing himself a moment of rest. They had a long night ahead, and he needed to conserve his strength, but his mind raced, replaying the attack at the airfield. Something didn’t add up.

“Hey, Grav.” He broke the tense silence. “Don’t you think it’s weird we haven’t seen any pursuit?”

Gravy’s brow furrowed. “Sure. Totally. Those punks had us pinned down pretty good back there.”

“Exactly.” He scanned the darkening road ahead. “So why not give chase?”

“Maybe we lost ‘em?” Gravy’s tone was hopeful, but unconvincing.

He shook his head. “Not likely. If they’ve got even half the tech we had in the army ...”

“We’re toast,” Gravy finished, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel.

“You know these roads pretty well, right?” Jason asked, an idea forming.

“Like the back of my hand. Used to go hunting up here with my grandpa. Dad was always on deployment, or whatever.”

“Good. Take the next logging road you see. We need to get off this highway.”

“But the meet up spot?—”

“We’ll figure that out later,” Jason cut him off. “Right now, we need to disappear.”

Gravy nodded grimly, his eyes searching the roadside. A few minutes later, he jerked the wheel, sending them bumping onto a narrow dirt track barely visible in the gloom.

The immediate danger might be less than he’d feared, but that only raised more questions. Whatever game their attackers were playing, he had a sinking feeling they were several moves behind.

He squinted through the encroaching darkness at the looming canyon ahead. The massive peaks on either side were barely visible, ominous silhouettes against the indigo sky. They’d lose cell service soon.

He held out his hand to Gravy. “Give me your burner phone.”

Gravy fumbled in his pocket, nearly swerving off the narrow logging road before extracting the device. “Here. But we’re only supposed to use it if we have an emergency.”

“This counts.”

Jason’s fingers flew over the keypad, composing a terse message.

On route to extraction pt. Running late. Will be on scene by 2100.

The response came swiftly, each word dripping with irritation.

Not okay. U were only to contact this number once. Bye. Bye.

Seriously? Jason fisted his free hand, picturing himself squeezing the life out of the unfeeling desk jockey on the other end of the line. He typed faster now.

Situation urgent. Ran into hostiles. Losing them now.

Will be at extraction pt. at 2100.

The silence that followed stretched for an eternity, broken only by the crunch of gravel under their tires and Gravy’s nervous humming.

Finally, the phone buzzed:

2100. Not one second later.

“Everything okay?” Gravy’s voice cracked on the last word.

Jason forced a smile, though inwardly he seethed at the brusque responses. “Copy that. Our new friends are real charmers.”

They emerged onto a highway, the smooth asphalt a welcome relief after the jarring logging roads. He scanned their surroundings. Still no sign of pursuit. The absence of danger was almost more unsettling than being chased.

A chill crept through him, his wound throbbing in time with his heartbeat. The edges of his vision began to blur, and he shook his head, trying to stay alert.

Gravy glanced over, his face pale in the dim dashboard light. “You’re not looking so hot, Major.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted, his teeth chattering slightly.

Gravy snorted. “No offense, sir, but you are one seriously bad liar. I’m gonna pull over up ahead. Gotta make sure we’re clear, and we need to do something about that bleeding.”

Jason wanted to argue, but the words wouldn’t come. He nodded weakly as Gravy guided the truck off the road, coming to a stop just below a ridge top.

As Gravy worked to bandage his wound, Jason’s mind drifted. Why hadn’t their attackers finished the job? They’d had every opportunity. It didn’t make sense.

“There,” Gravy said, taping down the last of the gauze. “That should hold you till we get to the extraction point.”

Jason mumbled his thanks, his eyelids growing heavier by the second. As consciousness slipped away, one thought echoed in his mind: Why leave us alive?

The gentle rocking of the truck resumed, carrying Jason into an uneasy sleep filled with shadowy figures and unanswered questions.