“Sahdev is a doctor,” I said carefully, clutching at every shred of hope. “There aren’t many doctors left in the world. If the Wilcox Brigade has any sense, they’ll recognize his value.”
“I hope so.”
“And remember Libby, the pregnant woman. Jerrilyn Wilcox ordered the men not to smoke around her. Jerrilyn obviously cares about the baby’s health. If she’s smart, she’ll want a doctor to deliver the baby.”
If she’s smart; that was the critical question. Would Sahdev’s medical expertise take precedence over her racist animus? Dear God, I hoped so.
“What do we do?” Hannah asked. “I’m all turned around. I don’t know the way back to the road. If we take off in the dark, we could end up going miles in the wrong direction.”
“There are flashlights in the backpacks, but I don’t like the idea of lighting up our location, on the off chance the brigade is hunting for us.” I squinted, trying to see into the murk. “Look over there.” I pointed to a cluster of juniper trees. “How about we settle down under the trees until the sun comes up, then we’ll figure out how to get back to the road.”
“Good plan.” Hannah jumped up and offered a hand to tug me to my feet. Clutching each other’s arms, we walked toward the trees, feeling our way carefully over the rough ground. We sat on the dirt in a sheltered spot between the trunks of the three trees.
“Are there rattlesnakes in central Oregon?” Hannah jumped to her feet and turned around in a circle, scanning first the ground and then the branches of the junipers. “They don’t climb trees, do they?”
Crap. Predators. What kind of wild critters would we have to contend with tonight? Levi said that cougars took down deer in La Pine, less than two hundred miles away. Could a cougar be stalking us right now? How about scorpions or deadly spiders? Not a clue. I wouldn’t mention other wild animals to Hannah, in case I frightened the girl.
I’m not squeamish about snakes in general, but I’d never want to come face to fang with a poisonous one. I searched my memory for what little I knew about them. “Honestly, I don’t know if rattlesnakes live in central Oregon, but even if they do live here, I doubt one is going to drop out of a tree. Don’t they prefer dark places, like under a rock? And I think they sleep at night and come out when it’s sunny and warm.”
“Okay.” Hannah sat back down and unzipped the go bag. “What’s in here?”
My heart constricted. My memory dredged up an image of Miles showing me the emergency backpacks he had prepared. My dead cousin had packed everything that might ensure our survival, stacking the odds in our favor, but he hadn’t been able to outsmart the flu that took his life.
Focus. I cleared my throat and pushed away the bittersweet memories of Miles. “Food and water. A first aid kit. A folding knife. Flint matches, not that we’d be building a fire tonight. Socks and a sweatshirt. If you’re cold, there’s a mylar thermal blanket, the kind that reflects radiant heat back toward your body. There’s a baggie of dry dog food too.”
Hannah chuffed out a breath. “We better not be stuck out here so long that we’re tempted to eat dog food.”
She twisted the cap off a bottle of water and took a few swallows, then unfolded the mylar blanket and spread it on the ground. Sitting cross-legged on the blanket, she slipped a sweatshirt over her head. Hannah was wearing shorts and her legs were bare.
“How about you try to get some rest?” I suggested. “I’m wide awake. I’ll take watch.” I dug in my backpack, grabbed the sweatshirt, and pulled it over my light jacket. With my long pants, I’d be warm enough. “Do you want to lie down?”
Hannah curled on her side, resting her head on her elbow. I shook out my thermal blanket and spread it over her. She shivered, probably more from fear than actual cold.
“We’re going to be fine.” I tucked the blanket under her legs. “We have everything we need to survive and we’re only a few miles from the house.”
Hannah nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. A minute later, her eyes flew open and met mine. “I bet Levi is freaking out.”
“I bet he is.” No point in denying it. “That means you need to rest up, so you’ll have the stamina to find your way home tomorrow.”
She nodded and closed her eyes again. After a while, the tension in her face relaxed, and she fell asleep.
I quietly took the folding knife from my backpack and opened it, exposing the blade. As a defensive weapon, it wasn’t much, but if a cougar or any other predator attacked, it was better than nothing. Putting my back against a tree trunk, I drew my knees to my chest and clutched the knife. The moon now rode high in the sky, casting a dim light over the landscape.
Ripper had told me how he’d trained himself to stay on the right side of consciousness while he stood watch, his mind and body relaxed, yet ready to instantly react to any threat. I dropped my eyelids into slits and willed my muscles to slacken, all while keeping my ears pricked for any suspicious sounds.
Ripper was probably standing watch right now, too. From their perch overlooking Valhalla, Ripper and Kyle were keeping an eagle eye on all the activities at the ranch. I sat up straight, my eyes wide open. Duh. I’d overlooked the obvious. Ripper and Kyle would see the vehicles return. They’d watch the brigade members march Sahdev across the property. Thank God. Even if Hannah and I managed to fall down into a gully, Ripper would know what happened to Sahdev, and he’d be planning a rescue.
I leaned back against the tree, weak with relief.
I half closed my eyes and tuned my ears to the sounds of the night. In the distance, coyotes yipped. Occasional gusts of wind stirred the branches above me. Tumbleweeds scuttered over the ground, propelled by the same breeze that made the branches dance. A twig snapped, and my hand tightened on the knife hilt. Holding my breath, I opened my eyes.
Hector ambled into view, a rabbit dangling from his jaws. The picture of nonchalance—absolutely unconcerned about the ruckus he’d stirred up—he dropped the bunny and stretched his hind legs, yawning.
Good dog. Job well done. At least as far as Hector was concerned.
You little shit. It’s a good thing I love you so much.
I patted my leg and Hector sauntered toward me. He plopped onto the ground and laid his head on my lap.
“Are you hungry, sweetheart?” I whispered. I took the baggie of dog food from the pack and dumped a cup onto the ground. While Hector chowed down, I cracked open one of the bottles of water and poured some into a collapsible camping bowl. He drank greedily, apparently parched after his little adventure. I refilled the bowl, then took a few sips from the bottle myself.
Sated, Hector stretched out on the thermal blanket next to Hannah, who flung an arm over his neck in her sleep. Hector was a good watchdog. If any animals approached, he would alert.
Collapsing against the tree trunk, I allowed the wave of exhaustion to drag me under. The sky was streaked with light when I woke up. I shuffled to the far side of the tree and peed, then stood and scanned the surrounding land. Nothing but sunbaked rolling hills as far as the eye could see.
“Kenzie.” Hannah sounded panicky.
“I’m here.”
I rounded the tree. Hanna was sitting up, scrubbing her hands over her face. Her gaze fell on Hector. “Where did you come from?” She hugged him, scritching his ruff. “Who’s a good boy?”