Chapter 18

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

Heidi liked to think she was tough. But she knew she wasn't. Maybe she was mentally tough, and she could do challenging things within an office environment.

But having a tracker cut out of her without any anesthesia was not on her list of things she wanted to conquer.

Stephen had given her a stick to bite down on, and she was glad for that. Otherwise, she would have cried out.

Tears had streamed down her face as the blade cut into her skin.

Thankfully, Stephen was fast and efficient.

A few seconds later, he held out his knife. A small metal chip rested on the bloody blade.

She blinked as she stared at the small device.

She took the stick from her mouth and saw that she'd left teeth impressions on it. But it was better than crying out.

"It's so small," she muttered.

"That's all it takes." He looked back at her shoulder. "I don't have anything to bandage you up with right now. The cut is small, though—less than an inch."

"I'll be okay." Her skin felt tingly and sore, but the pain wasn't unbearable, especially now that it was over.

Later, she'd want to put some antiseptic on the wound. For now, she put pressure on it to stop the bleeding.

"What now?" Heidi stared up at Stephen.

Why did she think he had all the answers? She knew why. It was because he did seem to have all the answers. He knew what he was doing in this situation, and she found immense comfort in that fact.

"I'm going to make sure I leave this tracker somewhere far away from us. In fact, I need you to stay here a moment. I'm going to run up the hill and throw it in the opposite direction of where we're headed. That should buy us a little more time."

As worry surged through her, Heidi grabbed his arm. "Are you sure? What if they catch you?"

"I'm sure." His voice was unwavering. "I'll be careful."

She stared at him another moment before nodding.

Then Stephen handed her his gun. "But hold onto this just in case."

She stared at the weapon, her hands suddenly trembling. Or maybe they'd been trembling all along, and she just hadn't noticed. She wasn't sure. Either way, this whole situation had her on edge.

In the blink of an eye, Stephen darted away, and she was left under the rock overhang alone.

The silence suddenly felt unsettling.

She grasped the gun, pleading with God she wouldn't have to use it.

The minutes ticked by. How far had Stephen gone? In her mind, he would be there and back in five minutes.

The farther away he was, the better, she supposed.

Then she heard a stick crack.

Had that come from Stephen?

Or had it come from one of the guys following them?

Stephen heard another stick crack.

He looked up. Saw the man who'd been following them earlier.

The guy had appeared on the crest of a hill.

Had he been lingering in the area, waiting for a signal?

Maybe.

The good news was that the man hadn't spotted Stephen yet.

Stephen ducked behind a tree, his heart thudding against his chest.

The man stood between him and Heidi.

If the guy picked up on a signal, it would lead him south to where Stephen had left the tracker. But it would still be nearly impossible for Stephen to get back to Heidi without being spotted.

He needed to carefully think this through.

Right now, he'd stay put. But if the man appeared close to discovering Heidi's location, Stephen would be forced into action.

He peered around the tree and watched.

The guy paused again and glanced at his phone.

Then he glanced to the left and right before finally starting north.

All Stephen wanted was to be back with Heidi. To see her for himself and know she was safe.

Could he sneak back down to Heidi while this guy was distracted?

Maybe. But it would be risky. His best bet would be to stay where he was.

However, that wasn't going to be possible for long.

He watched as the man walked toward the tracker. He paused in the area Stephen had left it. The man's foot moved along the ground, sweeping away some leaves.

Then he bent down and picked something up.

Stephen's lungs froze.

He'd found it.

Thank goodness they hadn't been on the other side of those rocks earlier or they would have been discovered. The thick granite had been the only thing stopping that signal.

What would this guy do now?

As the man glanced around, Stephen ducked back behind the tree.

His heart pounded in his ears. Had the guy seen him? He didn't think so, though he couldn't be certain.

Then the guy raised his radio and began speaking into it.

Stephen knew exactly what he was doing.

He was calling backup to this area so they could thoroughly search it.

Stephen couldn't let him do that.