though. You’ve seen the placement of that cabin, Rani. You know a person could walk within fifty feet of it and not see it unless they knew exactly where to look. Ike built it, years ago. Well, that’s not entirely true. He found what was left of it and renovated it. I’m going to stash you in the cabin and leave the truck some miles from the cabin. While I’m backtracking to the cabin, I’ll begin setting up traps.”
“Ben,” she said with great patience, “you could call in Colonel Gray and his Scouts and be done with this matter in no time.”
“Of course I could.” He smiled grimly. “But it’s much more personally satisfying this way.”
“And men say women are complicated.”
The snug little cabin was built against a rather large hill, or a small mountain, as Rani called it. Only a small part of the cabin showed; the rest was part of the terrain itself, with the back rooms built into the earth. Ike was convinced that outlaws had built the place, back during the wild west days. Trees hid the cabin, the trees so close to the small porch they could be touched while sitting on the porch.
The cabin had a large combination den and kitchen. One big bedroom with a small fireplace. The smoke from both fireplaces was angled out into the rear, toward the cave at the back of the cabin, finally filtering out only-God- knew-where-probably miles away.
Part of the cave was used as a storage area. Ike had followed the cave for, as he put it, “One hell of an uncomfortable distance.” He had followed it until it branched off in three different directions, becoming so narrow and small a cat would have trouble getting through.
So Ben and Rani were safe from the rear, from both sides, and from above.
Ben and Rani worked three full days cutting and hauling and stacking wood for the fireplaces, most of the wood coming from downed trees. They only cut green wood when absolutely necessary. They filled up the storage area with enough wood to last them the winter, for the cabin was very snug, built as it was into the hill.
Ben killed two deer and dried most of the meat, storing it. For the first time in weeks, he and Rani enjoyed fresh meat, Rani fixing a roast for several meals, and a stew out of the rest.
The first of the new year, the weather turned rough, with cold winds and rain that quickly turned into sleet and then snow.
When they awakened on the second day of January, they were snowed in tight.
Chapter 34
Jake Campo stood in the blowing snow, his big hands balled into fists. He stood looking first to the north, then at the obvious clues standing out like neon signs.
“He’s baiting us,” Texas Red said. “He’s daring us to come after him.”
“That’s the way I read it, too,” Jake agreed. “Throwing down the glove and challenging us to pick it up.”
“Huh?” Red said.
Jake looked at the man. Dumb son of a bitch! he thought. “All right, boys. You start cuttin” sign,” he ordered a dozen men. “Rest of you make damn sure the trucks and jeeps are ready to go. Can’t nothin’ but a four-wheel make it in there. This weather ain’t gonna last. They’ll be blizzards and then it’ll warm up enough for us to move. We might be able to move one day and be holed up for a week. But we’re gonna get Ben Raines. This time, we’re gonna get him.”
Ben radioed in to Base Camp One and gave Cecil his map coordinates on scramble. “Ike’s hidey-hole,” he told them.
Ike grinned at the message. “Man, he’s way back in the timber. It’d take a full battalion to dig them out of there. Shit. I stashed enough ammo back there to fight a whole war.”
“I think we should contact Colonel Gray,” Gale said.
“No,” Cecil nixed that. “If Ben wants Dan in on this, he’ll contact him. I get the feeling this is, well, personal with Ben.”
None of them liked it, but that was the way it was going to be.
Ben told them about Sam Hartline and the Russian.
Gale tensed at the news. Her dark eyes filled with hatred at Ben’s report.
Tina put her hand on the smaller woman’s shoulder.
“We’re going to have to do something about that situation,” Ben concluded his report. “Just as soon as I can pinpoint the location, we’ll begin making plans to put an end to the obscenity. Raines out.”
Ben turned his set off before Base Camp One had a chance to say anything else.
“It’s a vendetta,” Gale said. “It’s for and because of that little boy.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Ike said. “But you’re right. Some of the people who brought that bunch of kids back said they’d never seen anything like the sight of those bodies Ben piled up around that old house. I’d hate to be in those outlaws’ boots when they do catch up with Ben.”
Ben stepped out on the small porch. Under a clear blue sky, the land lay white and cold before him. Ben’s lips curved in a warrior’s smile as he lifted his eyes above the tree line.
Smoke from half a dozen fires plumed into the sky. They were miles away. But there they were, lines of silvery gray lancing into the blue.
He called Rani outside and pointed to the smoke.
“So they’re here,” she said.
“No,” Ben corrected. “They’re there. A long way from finding this place.” He smiled. “They’ll be stumbling around the deep timber for a week. And taking heavy losses as they do.”
“From your traps?”
“And from me. Did you finish with those sheets yet?”
She sighed. “Yes. But I don’t like it, Ben.”
“I used to fish in this area, Rani. Back when we knew some semblance of peace. Before the central government elected to make war against us. I fished up here many times, with Ike and Pal and Cecil.” And with our wives, he thought in silent memory. Salina, Lila, Valerie, Megan. All dead. Most of them never buried. Their monuments the majesty of the timber where they lay. “I know this land, Rani. Know it well.”
She had picked up on Ben’s hesitation. She opened her mouth to speak, then thought better of it. Sometimes old memories are best left alone.
“Come on,” she said, tugging at his arm. “Let’s see how good a seamstress I am.”
Rani had taken insulated coveralls and cut and sewn a snow suit over the coveralls, making it out of bed sheets. Using white shoe polish, Ben had made snow boots out of insulated hunting boots. His small pack was also covered with white fabric, as were his web belt, canteens, and ammo pouches.
“When are you leaving, Ben?”
“An hour before first light in the morning. I want to watch the smoke today, try to judge where they’re going.”
She smiled despite her fears. “Then let’s make it a memorable evening, General.”
“Delighted, Miss Jordan.”
“Ms.”
“But of course.”
Jake Campo squatted in front of a roaring fire, trying his best to get warm while his men struggled with tarps and tents. He looked over at Texas Red. They touched glances and understood each other.
Both knew coming into the snow and deep timber after Raines had been a terrible mistake. But they couldn’t back out now. That would cause them the loss of respect from their men. The outlaws couldn’t afford that. They had to finish this thing once and for all.
Forty men, Campo was thinking. We lost eight teams of men and Raines didn’t have to fire one lousy shot. And the desertions. Jesus. Guys were just quitting them left and right.
He looked around him at the cold camp. Maybe, maybe if they were lucky, there was a hundred and twenty, maybe thirty guys left. But he knew these were the hardcore men. Murderers and rapists and nut cases. Most didn’t have enough sense to quit.
This would be the base camp for a week, maybe longer. They would search every square inch of these woods, chart it on a map, and then, if they didn’t turn up Raines, move on. Jake knew they had plenty of food and sleeping bags and ammo. It was just a matter of finding Raines.
They would start in the morning.
