He caught a glimpse of a white shirt through the trees ahead and pumped the brakes, skidding to a stop behind a wide oak tree. He calmed his breathing so he could hear better and listened to the sound of feet bursting through dried leaves as the two boys approached.
They would make easy targets for Nate. Tracking their path into the forest would be simple, even for a novice. And Nate was no novice.
Dak had seen the man track insurgent movements in Iraq on more than one occasion. Even with all the technology and satellite imagery available, it was difficult to replace an expert, boots-on-the-ground tracker. Several instances required someone in the field.
Pressing his back to the tree trunk, Dak waited until the boys sprinted by before he stepped out. "You boys need some help?"
One of the kids shrieked as his head whipped around, but not loud enough for the sound to reach the farmhouse. The other turned a second later and stared in wide-eyed confusion at the man with the rifle across his chest.
"I'm not with him," Dak said quickly, raising his right hand. "I'm here to help you boys escape."
Doubt lingered in their eyes. They shot each other a questioning glance.
"If I was going to kill you, I'd have already done it," Dak added. "You have to trust me."
The boys simultaneously nodded.
"Okay," the dark-haired one with blue eyes said. His voice was deep and his eyes had dark circles under them. The clothes on him looked dirty, as if they hadn't been washed in weeks.
"I know you're tired. And I know your plan. You eight split up to make it harder on your kidnapper. That was a good idea, but we're going to change things up. I'm going to go after him."
"You're going to kill him?" The other boy asked. His blond hair splayed out in multiple directions.
Dak didn't want to put that on the young man. "I'm going to neutralize him. I'll handle that. But I need you two to meet up with the others." He raised a finger and pointed to the ridge in the direction of his SUV. "I have a vehicle on the other side of that ridge. You see the outcroppings of rocks sticking out at the top?" He pointed to several huge chunks of mountain rock jutting out of the hillside.
The boys looked that direction and nodded.
"If you go straight downhill from there, you'll get to my ride. The road is just beyond that."
"That'll take at least fifteen to twenty minutes to get there," the blond said.
"I know," Dak said with a nod. "You can make it." He took the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to the dark-haired boy. "Don't leave unless you see the man who took you coming your way. If you do, get out of here. I'm going to try to make sure that doesn't happen."
He adjusted his finger, circling toward the path the other two boys had taken. "Two of the others are heading toward the ridge in that direction. Shouldn't be hard to find them."
"Why do you say that?" the blond asked.
Dak arched an eyebrow. "You guys aren't exactly covering your tracks." He indicated the trail of tossed leaves and broken sticks on the ground.
"What about the others?"
"I'll take care of them. But if they veer off the path and you happen to run into them, get them to the truck."
The dark-haired kid shook his head. "He'll hunt us down. I know he will. We won't make it to the others in time."
Dak took a step forward, gripping the boy with his steel gaze. The kid looked deep into the jade eyes and saw no doubt, no misgivings. "No, he won't. He won't have the chance. You only have another seven minutes or so until he starts. In six minutes, you're going to hear a loud explosion. Do not, I repeat, do not stop running. And don't let the others stop either."
"Explosion?"
Dak nodded. "A diversion. And trust me, when it happens, he will have his hands full."
The boys searched the stranger's eyes and found all the truth they needed.
"Okay. Thank you," the blond boy said. "Mister…?"
"Don't worry about my name, kid. Probably best you don't know it for now."
"Okay, then."
"Get moving. Time is ticking, and you need every second. Find the others and get to the SUV. It's hidden in a pullout near the road on the other side of that ridge. If you don't find it, get to the road and flag down a car for help."
The boys nodded.
"Go," he barked.
He didn't have to tell them twice. The two young men turned and sprinted in the prescribed direction.
Dak watched them run. They weren't moving as fast as he would have liked, but he understood. They'd been kept here for a while, probably not given the chance to exercise or even go out for fresh air. Their weakened muscles caused a lack of balance and strength, and their lungs had grown shallow in the absence of regular activity.
He still believed they could make it. He just had to make sure Nate was taken down.
When the two boys disappeared among the trees, Dak charged down the hill once more, using the dry leaves to half run, half ski on the slope's surface until he reached the bottom where the land leveled out. Then he sprinted, the timer in his head counting down the seconds.
With one hand on his rifle, pressing it to his chest, he reached up and planted the receiver back in his ear so he could listen in on any unusual activity at the farmhouse.
An eerie sound came through the speaker, filling his head with a haunting tune. He recognized the melody, a song from long ago. He'd heard his grandfather whistle the same tune when he was a child playing with model trains in the garage while his pawpaw worked on inventions. It was an old song from simpler times.
Dak loathed hearing Nate whistle it, but he needed
