Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

T he night air hung thick and still as Gil crept across the main room behind Jess. He worked to quiet his breathing, doing his best to ignore the pain radiating through his battered body, though every step shot pain, which seemed to focus on his ribs.

She paused at the curtain that covered the outer doorway and peered around its edge. He should be the one protecting her, not limping behind.

She stepped back and motioned for him to look through the same crack. The darkness was too thick for him to read her expression, but he leaned in and squinted to see the landscape outside. The moon wasn’t bright but cast more light than inside the cave. It only took a second for him to focus.

In the distance, a lone figure stood silhouetted against the inky sky. Jedidiah.

Jess's hand found Gil’s in the darkness, and he intertwined their fingers. Her grip held determination and strength.

Protect her, Lord. Her and the baby both . He was still so weak, he wouldn’t be nearly enough to keep her safe. Only God could accomplish that feat. Gil couldn’t remember a time he’d been so completely reliant on the Father. Please, Lord .

Jess gave his hand a squeeze, then pulled away. He inhaled as large a breath as his ribs allowed, then raised his rifle and shifted deeper into the shadows of the opening, where he could see Jedidiah and the path Jess would take.

If Jedidiah saw Jess, would Gil have to shoot him? He’d not hesitate if Jess’s life were in danger, but a rifle blast would bring all the guards on the double. He and Jess would have only seconds to run. They’d decided that if someone saw them leaving, they’d sprint toward the creek where their tracks would be covered.

He had to be ready for anything.

Jess adjusted the pack on her back, then dropped parallel to the ground and crawled on her toes and elbows through the tall grass, moving left of the mountain.

As she inched her way forward, Gil couldn’t breathe, praying that Jedidiah's keen eyes wouldn't spot her slender form slithering through the underbrush. Each second felt like an eternity as she crept farther from the safety of the cave, farther from him.

Jedidiah hadn’t shifted, his dark eyes scanning the night. Did he sense her there, a shadow hiding among the swaying grass?

Gil kept his rifle aimed at the man. If he so much as waved his barrel in Jess’s direction, Gil would be ready.

At last, she reached the tree line, about twenty strides away. Relief washed through him.

Now came his turn.

He gathered his strength and lowered to the ground. He lay on his belly as she had, but had to roll to the right so he didn’t put weight on his left side, where his ribs screamed in pain. The rocky earth dug into his tender flesh as he crawled, gripping his rifle with one hand. Every movement hurt. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to keep moving.

Inch by excruciating inch, he dragged himself forward, his eyes fixed on the trees where Jess had disappeared. The tall grass itched his face, and despite the cool autumn air, sweat ran down his brow, the salty drops stinging his eyes as he fought to maintain his focus. Just a little farther. He could make it. He had to.

"Stop!" Jedidiah’s bark cut through the night.

Gil whipped his head sideways to see the threat. The man held his rifle aimed directly at Gil.

He froze, his mind racing. He was too far from the trees, too exposed. If he jumped up and ran, he'd never make it before Jedidiah cut him down.

A shot rang out, shattering the stillness.

Gil tensed, waiting for the impact. But Jedidiah’s gun hadn’t sparked.

He staggered back with a roar, his rifle dropping as he clutched at his shoulder.

Gil struggled to push up to his feet. This was his chance. “Run, Jess!” He shouted the word, his heart screaming for her to get far, far away from this place.

She screamed.

And it didn’t sound like she was running. Why?

He finally straightened, one hand gripping his injured ribs while his feet propelled him forward.

He couldn’t see her well in the shadows of the trees, but was she struggling against someone? Is that why she hadn’t run?

He surged forward, raising his rifle. But before he could take aim, a fist slammed into his jaw, knocking him backward. He stumbled. Pain exploded through his face as he fought to keep his balance. His vision swam.

Through the haze, he made out men emerging from the shadows, their guns trained on him and Jess. They were surrounded, outnumbered.

Finished.

The reality of their situation crashed over him.

They had failed. And the aftermath might prove worse for Jess than anything she’d faced before.

She struggled against the iron grip of the man restraining her, her eyes frantic. "Gil!" Her cry pierced the night, a plea and a prayer all in one.

He tried to move toward her, but rough hands grabbed him, wrenching the rifle from his grasp.

The pain in his ribs flared, stealing his breath.

Lord, please. We need a miracle.

Gunshots cracked the air. How many guards had come running?

The men holding him jerked and spun.

What was this? They seemed surprised, their attention snapping to the new threat.

Through the chaos came a sight he could barely believe. He must be dreaming. Out of his mind from pain. Or maybe unconscious.

Horses galloped into the fray, and were those…Jude and Miles? And Two Stones too.

Hope surged through him. Where had they come from? This had to be a hallucination.

But the bullets whizzing around them were very real. The man holding him jerked, his grip loosening. Gil fought to get his arms free, pushing through the fire in his middle.

The scene unfolded like something out of a dream, surreal and impossible, yet undeniably real. An answer to a desperate prayer.

Two Stones leapt from his horse beside Gil, slamming into the man who still held him. They grappled on the ground, fists flying and grunts filling the air. Gil staggered back, his ribs screaming with each movement, but he couldn't give up now. Not when Jess needed him.

Jude appeared at his side in an instant, hands gripping Gil's arm. "Let's get out of here." He tried to hoist Gil onto his horse, but Gil fought him.

“Jess. We have to get her.” He pointed at the trees where she struggled against her captor. Even in the shadows, he could see the way she fought with every ounce of her strength. She must be terrified.

Jude’s gaze flicked from Gil to the chaos erupting around them.

Bullets whizzed past, the sharp cracks of gunfire exploding in the night.

“Miles,” Jude shouted. "Take Gil and cover me!" He swung onto his horse and plunged his heels into the gelding’s side.

Having mounts definitely gave his brothers an advantage.

Miles was already standing beside his mare, firing at the advancing guards. Two Stones had dispatched the man who’d held Gil and now leapt onto his own horse, leaning low and to the side so he wouldn’t be a target as he shot toward the guards clustering in the trees.

There were so many of them. No shots came from the direction where Jedidiah had been, though. Either he lay dead or he’d moved around to join his men.

Gil turned back to Jess in time to see Jude had reached her and somehow freed her. He was now pulling her onto his mount.

Thank You, God .

They had to escape.

Jedidiah’s men seemed to have multiplied by ten. Even so, somehow, none of their shots had landed—either in horse or human.

Gil moved to his youngest brother and reached up for the saddle. “Let’s go!” But his rib made it impossible to pull himself up. The struggle alone lit his body on fire. He collapsed sideways on the saddle, sapped out.

Then Miles pushed him up, and Gil landed in the seat. He hunched low over the animal’s neck, grabbing his ribs to quell the flames inside. The pain seared hot, stealing his focus. He could only make out blurry movements in the black around him.

Miles climbed up behind him, and the horse pivoted, then shot into a run.

The animal’s pounding hooves shook every part of Gil, keeping him in that hunched position. One hand pressed hard against his ribs to hold them together, the other clutching the saddle to keep himself aboard.

Jess . He had to make sure Jude got to her. Had the guard harmed her before his brother intervened?

Had she’d been struck or injured badly enough to hurt the baby?

His stomach nearly cast up its accounts right there.

He lifted his head enough to see a horse in front of them. Two riders. Jude in front, and behind him…

A woman with a long braid. Jess .

She sat upright, so maybe she wasn’t hurt. That was more than Gil could have hoped.

Thank You, God. He let himself slump, honing his focus to staying on the animal and keeping his pain tamped down so he didn’t black out.

T he horses splashed through the creek as Jess gripped the saddle she was seated behind. She couldn’t see anything ahead unless she leaned around the bulk of man in front of her, but thick woods lined both sides of the water.

How long had it been since she and Gil crept away from the apartment? Not more than ten minutes surely, or fifteen at the most.

She had no idea who these three strangers were who’d appeared from nowhere on horseback and saved her and Gil.

Guardian angels or kidnappers? She’d never seen them before. They seemed to know Gil, but that offered little comfort. Her father's men were clever and not above deception. Jedidiah might have hired mercenaries from town for this very situation.

The horse she rode stayed in the lead, the rescuer/kidnapper keeping them in the creek bed. Jess had pointed them in this direction so the water could conceal their tracks. But staying in the creek meant they had to move slower to avoid all the hazards in the water.

How long until Jedidiah’s men saddled horses and pursued them? Her father only owned six mounts—seven if they used Gil’s horse too—and the animals grazed in a valley south of their mountain. It would take the guards a few extra minutes to catch and mount the horses, but then they could move at a faster pace if they stayed on shore, not worrying about leaving tracks.

How much time did they have?

She twisted in the saddle, and her eyes found Gil, slumped over the neck of the horse he rode, just behind her. The younger man sitting behind him met her eyes, but she didn’t waste energy on him.

Was Gil alive? Surely, he was. If he’d been shot, wouldn’t they be tending the wound or trying to stop the bleeding?

Still, she had to know. "Is he all right?"

Gil raised his head, and relief swept through her. Pain marked his features, and he slumped again, but he was conscious.

"I'm fine, Jess. Are you hurt?" His voice sounded tight and weak.

The question raised the memory of rough hands, the explosion of pain when the guard plunged a solid blow to her jaw. Because of the angle he’d held her, he’d not been able to use his full force. That probably explained why she didn’t have a broken jaw. Yet her head throbbed, the pain shooting through her ear. She would have a bruise there, no doubt.

"I'm fine." She looked to the man riding with Gil. "He has a broken rib. Be careful with him."

The fellow looked barely more than a youth, but dipped his chin. "I've got him.” His voice sounded a little like Gil’s. Or maybe that was her imagination. Wishful thinking?

She turned forward again, blinking back a sting of tears. The pain and fear and…all of it. It caught up with her. The last hours, her father’s cruel decision, Jedidiah’s threats, Gil’s injuries. Ezekiel’s death.

It was too much. Too much.

She couldn’t think about any of that or she’d collapse in a puddle and drip right into the creek.

She focused on the jarring trot of the horse beneath her. The night air. The chirping crickets. The moon that gave just enough light for them to see by.

Each stride took them farther from her father's grasp. And brought them closer to...what? She didn't know.

She needed to know who these men were.

She leaned forward so the man in front of her could hear. "Who are you?"

He turned his head enough for his words to reach her. "I'm Jude. Gil's brother." He nodded to the men behind them. "That's Miles with Gil, and Two Stones bringing up the rear."

Gil's brothers.

Relief flooded through her. Not kidnappers or hired guns, but family. Thank You, God. He’d heard her desperate pleas and sent rescuers.

"How did you find us?"

Jude guided his horse around a cluster of larger rocks on the right. "We’ve been looking for Gil and our other brother, Sampson. Trailed someone from town earlier today but lost him.” He sounded miffed, and confused. “Guy just disappeared.”

Into one of the secret cave entrances, no doubt.

“Anyway, we set up camp near the mountain and heard a gunshot. Got there as fast as we could."

Wow.

These brothers had come for Gil. They’d risked their lives, riding into the fray without hesitation to save one of their own.

Gil would have done that too. These Coulters were unlike anyone she’d ever known.

The creek curved ahead. Soon, they’d reach the place where it split into two streams. She leaned forward again to speak above the splashing water without yelling. "The creek divides up ahead. The right fork winds through a valley. The other flows into a river. I'm not sure if Jedidiah knows about the split. Maybe he does." She couldn’t imagine he’d done much exploring, but he knew everything. He likely had maps of the terrain in all directions from their mountain.

"The river will give us more options to lose them," Jude said. "We'll pray God leads them the other way."

Before today, she might have scoffed at such a prayer. How often had she prayed that God would make her father a different man?

After she learned about the baby, she started praying God would help her escape.

Tonight, He’d answered that prayer. In a way so much more remarkable than anything she could have imagined. Now, it seemed truly possible that He would point Jedidiah’s men the wrong direction. He really could do anything.