A second before giving up, someone placed a hand across her mouth.
She reacted by squirming on her feet—heart in her throat, ready to fight back—but the person was larger than her and able to hold her still before she could land a blow. Tabby couldn’t scream, either; she didn’t want the guards to find her.
“Shhh,” the man cautioned.
It was Victor.
CHAPTER 16
Wheatland, WY
Kyla and Meechum walked well into the night. They used the creek bed as cover, and the water itself as a means of hiding their footprints and scents, on the assumption someone would be searching for them. However, when the little creek met a larger stream, they chose to walk a game trail along the bank. Hours after they’d started, they emerged from the trees at the edge of an open area.
“Are we back in the grasslands?” she asked, tired from all the walking she’d done since the cabin. “Because I’m going to throw up if we are.”
The Marine halted. “No, it’s a lake.”
She looked again. The half-moon cast enough light to see the body of water. Her eyes had expected grass, so the mistake was easy to make. “Did we circle around to the lake with the cabin?”
Meechum laughed. “Are you serious? That’s forty klicks north of here.”
She wasn’t in the mood. “I didn’t know you were keeping track.”
“It’s all right. Let’s take a short break.”
Kyla fell to the ground, relieved. Traveling with a Marine had its advantages in land navigation, ambush surveillance, and general security, but it came with a heavy price. Breaks weren’t in Meechum’s vocabulary.
She twisted onto her back, moving to take in a view of the stars. Living under the lights of the big cities back home, the night sky was seldom noticed. As she caught her breath and picked out stars here and there, Kyla wondered if God was watching her from beyond the universe. If so, maybe it was time to ask for a helping hand. Her emotions got the best of her as she tried, and failed, to think up a prayer. A lone tear rolled down her cheek, and she closed her eyes to prevent more from falling…
“Welp. Let’s roll out.” Meechum sounded fresh, almost excited, to get moving again.
Kyla had enough time to thank God for sending the strong warrior woman. For the umpteenth time, she wondered what she’d be doing if Meechum hadn’t been the one to kick her in the face by way of an introduction.
Yeah, I guess God does work in mysterious ways.
“I’m up,” she said, fighting the sound of weariness in her voice.
They walked along the bank of the lake for another half-hour. A faint light appeared on the eastern horizon, signaling a new day. Kyla couldn’t believe it. “Have we been walking all night?”
Meechum chuckled. “You fell asleep when we took a break. I didn’t have the heart to wake you up. I could tell you really needed some rack time, so I gave you an hour.”
“An hour?” It put them even further behind Uncle Ted. Her heartbeat woke up. “We have to find a car, Meech. I want to get to the south, you know? We can’t stop!” Belatedly, she wondered if the other woman ever closed her eyes.
“I know. I’m walking the shore of this lake assuming we’ll find a boat ramp or the car of a fisherman. I’m certain a body of water this size will have at least one vehicle to take. Probably many.”
She looked out on the lake, now appearing in a gray light rather than solely moonlight. It was a few miles long, and about half that wide. The woman’s logic was sound about finding fishermen’s vehicles, so she got moving again. “If there’s more than one car, I’m going to search them all for a charger. I—”
Meechum pulled her sideways into the brush.
“What the?” she hissed, shocked.
“Shh!” the Marine insisted.
As they lay there in the weeds, she heard a car door quietly close.
The hand came off her mouth. Meechum shifted toward the base of a small tree with gnarly bark. She looked one way, then behind them. Finally, after a long pause, she came back over to her. “There’s someone ahead.”
“Did they track us down?” she whispered.
“I don’t know, but I think they’re behind us.” Meechum looked toward the lake. “We might have to go for a swim…”
Kyla already had the rifle in her hands, as did the other woman. She tried to sound confident. “Can we fight our way out?”
Meechum’s teeth glowed in the moonlight. “I like your style, but there are too many. They—”
A man’s voice spoke loudly. “We hear you out there. Come on in!”
They both froze.
Kyla was ready for a fight, no matter what, but Meechum seemed torn. The Marine searched the area as if she’d lost her way.
“What are you looking for?” Kyla whispered.
“There’s no good cover here.” She sighed deeply. “I’ll tell you what. Hold yourself by this tree. Do not, under any circumstances, fire your weapon or make a sound. Do you understand? Remember, my job as a United States Marine is to protect you at all costs. You have to do this for me, all right?”
“Sure. Yeah. I’ll hold my fire. But what are you going to do?” She expected her to say suicide charge, or to pull out a hidden grenade—whatever a badass Marine would do when faced with overwhelming odds.
“Don’t friggin’ move. You got it?”
Kyla repeated herself, a bit annoyed at being talked down to like she couldn’t follow directions. “Yeah.”
Meechum crawled to a nearby tree, then slid onto the more exposed bank closer to the water. In moments, she was out of sight, though her footfalls
