Alaskan Courage: Silenced Part 35

For once she kept her mouth shut, but her mind still raced. Had reckless Reef really changed?

Kayden woke, her body in severe pain, her neck stiff. It was dark, except for a small battery-operated lantern set up on a table about fifty feet to her left. She turned, her arms catching with the movement. She yanked, finding herself handcuffed and chained to a wall.

Fear rippled through her.

Where was she? And what did Angela have planned?

"We got it," Landon said, spreading the topographical map across the table.

"Okay," Jake said. "We could use Marshall's help."

"Right here."

He turned to find the sheriff already standing behind him. Marshall nodded. "Whatever you need, Jake."

"What are the likely places Angela might hide out? Hunters' cabins, ski lodges closed for the summer months, even cave systems-though I doubt that's Angela's style. The ferry employee said she'd taken the ferry to Imnek once a week for the past couple months. She could have been searching out a spot and supplying it."

Marshall set to work circling areas in red. "Can't say I know every hunting cabin, but most are in these two regions." He boxed them in red. "We've got two ski lodges, but both areas are pretty heavily hiked and mountain biked during the off-season. We've got a number of wilderness emergency shelters and ranger stations that can all be empty at any given time. An abandoned mine out on the south face of the Eagle Mountain and, of course, a handful of abandoned military bunkers."

"Bunkers?" Jake asked.

"Left over from World War II and the Cold War."

"Like Fort Greely on Kodiak?" Gage asked.

"Yes, but like the majority on Kodiak, they haven't been designated as historical landmarks. They're just abandoned facilities. You'll get groups of teens or vandals partying out there, and the occasional group of eager explorers or history buffs, but for the most part they are just a reminder of Imnek's pivotal location during World War II and the Cold War."

Few people realized the role Alaska played in World War II or how close to American soil the threat had come anywhere other than Pearl Harbor.

"Okay," Jake said, quickly formulating a plan. "Let's split up. I'll call Reef and Kirra, tell them to go ahead with the blocks of hunting cabins. Landon, you and Piper take the old mine and shelters. Gage and Darcy, you'll be with me on the bunkers." He couldn't explain why, but deep down he was certain Angela had Kayden in one of the bunkers. Even so, they had to spread out the searchers. He couldn't take the chance he was wrong.

"And Rodney has organized the search-and-rescue volunteers-they'll head out at dawn, if not before," Sheriff Marshall said.

Gage nodded. "Yes, they're ready to roll."

"We've got to a.s.sume Angela's armed and dangerous," Landon said, "so if anyone locates her, call it in immediately. And remember to keep an eye out for her truck. She'll be keeping it close by."

"For a quick getaway?" Reef asked.

"That, and she had to transport Kayden from the truck to wherever she's holding her. With her broken leg, Kayden couldn't walk too far, especially out in the wilderness."

Please, Father, don't let Angela hurt her.

"We meet back here at the end of the day?" Kirra asked.

"Yes, unless you want to take supplies and camp out. It would save a lot of time not having to make the trek back to town each night."

"That's a great idea," Gage said. "Except we don't have our camping gear with us."

"We can get you what you need," Marshall said. "Just give us a list."

"We can also call Natalie Adams over at Imnek Adventures," Gage added. "She rents out equipment. I'm sure she'll be happy to help."

Jake wasn't so sure, but it didn't hurt to ask. "Let's do this quickly, people," he said, urgency nipping at him. "I'd like us deployed ASAP." Angela already had way too big of a head start.

Forty minutes later, the teams were packed and ready to go.

Reef and Kirra headed for the first grid of hunting cabins, their camping gear stowed in their packs.

Rex was thrilled to be outside, but the fact that the search was extending into a second day had him antsy.

The sun had risen, signaling the beginning of a gorgeous day, but all Reef could think about was his sister in some madwoman's clutches.

He was so thankful he'd been home to help. He couldn't imagine the agony Cole must be going through while trying to make it back.

"Are you familiar with Imnek?" Reef asked.

Kirra shook her head. "We aided in a SAR rescue here last year, but no, I don't know it like I do Tariuk."

"You think that's why Angela brought Kayden here, because it's not as familiar to us?"

"Absolutely." She kicked at a pebble in their path with tremendous force. "I still can't believe she totally fooled me."

That really seemed to bug her. "You weren't the only one she fooled. Kayden thought she was a sweet lady." He hated to imagine what that "sweet" lady might be doing to his sister.

"I know, but the thought that a maniac worked at my shelter, at my home, with my dogs. . . . It creeps me out."

"I can only imagine."

Kirra pointed at the hunter's cabin ahead.

Reef pulled his gun, thankful his dad had taught them all to shoot from a young age, taught them respect for the weapon and for life, but also the importance of self-defense and self-protection.

He focused on the cabin before them.

"I'll head around back while you knock on the front door," Kirra said, "but Rex isn't signaling he smells her."

Reef nodded and knocked on the cabin door, his rifle tight in hand. No one answered. He knocked a second time, then jiggled the handle and found it unlocked. He stepped inside the one-room cabin and waved at Kirra peering in from the back window. Empty. One down, who knew how many more to go. Rex wasn't the only antsy one.

Where are you, Kayden?

40.

The bunkers Marshall had labeled on Jake's map were spread across the island at strategic military points, and it would take them days to reach and explore them all. Jake prayed the rest of the teams were having better luck, moving quickly through their search grids. Unfortunately no one had called in yet, which meant Angela and Kayden were still missing.

It took much longer than he'd hoped for Jake to get to the second bunker on his list. It was more than a simple bunker, as the first had been-it was a military outpost. A large five-story tower loomed over him, and he had no way of telling how deep or wide the underground complex ran, or how long it'd take him to thoroughly search it. Frustration seared through him. Where was the next clue? Why was it taking him so long to find it, and what was Angela doing to Kayden in the meantime?

He surveyed the grounds and found no sign of Angela's truck, though he supposed it was possible she'd stashed it farther away after getting Kayden inside. As he turned a corner, he saw a pair of fresh tire tracks leading up to the east side of the bunker and then off into the woods. Hope tugged at him. Someone had been there recently, most likely last night.

Pulling his Sig, he approached the ground-level opening-it was nothing more than a jagged hole in the crumbling concrete. Judging by the structural damage, he was betting the damage had occurred as a result of the '64 earthquake.

He left his pack outside, carrying only his gun, sat phone, and flashlight. It was best to travel light and be able to move quickly.

Kayden's wrists were chafed nearly raw from the cuffs and her fighting to get out of them. The concrete floor was cold and damp beneath her. She leaned against the wall, trying to make out details in the dim interior.

She still couldn't figure out where she was, and it was maddening. If she hadn't been knocked out, she'd have a better feel for the length of their journey.

She didn't recognize the building-an old run-down factory, perhaps. She'd considered the few abandoned buildings she knew of on Tariuk, but a match hadn't come. Had she been moved off Tariuk? It would have been smart on Angela's part-removing those searching for her from their well-known surroundings, creating a more level playing field. The only ways off Tariuk were by plane, by boat, or by ferry, and of those, the ferry seemed most likely.

The ferry only had two direct destinations out of Tariuk-Imnek and Kodiak.

Kodiak was the bigger of the two, but Imnek had more remote areas once outside the town of Spruce Harbor.

Her bet was on Imnek, but where? She didn't know the island like she did Tariuk, particularly not the buildings. What she did know were the climbing and camping spots.

She swallowed, the movement painful with her dry mouth. How long was Angela going to keep her chained? And where was Angela? Setting a trap for Jake, no doubt. The woman was bent on revenge and appeared to be lacking the normal compunctions of conscience sane human beings had.

Wrestling against her bonds, Kayden yet again found herself fully restricted.

"I admire your persistence." Angela stood in the doorway with a plate of food. "But you might as well accept that you aren't going anywhere." She set the plate on the rusted metal table and pulled a chair up to it. "At least not until your boyfriend arrives."

She fought against the restraints, pain radiating from her wrists up along her weary arms. "He's not my boyfriend." Though she wished he was and planned to tell him exactly that if she escaped this madwoman's clutches.

Angela popped a chip into her mouth. "Formalities matter not. He's clearly desperately in love with you, and that's all that matters."

In her heart she knew her words were true, but n.o.body had said it out loud before. Jake loved her-desperately. And she loved him, but she'd been too stubborn, prideful, and plain scared to ever let him or anyone else see. What if it was too late? "How do you know he'll come?"

"Please. He's been scrambling to find you since the moment he realized you were gone."

"What if he doesn't find us?"

"Don't worry, he's a great detective. Far too capable for his own good. Trust me, he'll find you."

"But what if he doesn't?"

"Don't worry, pet. I've left him messages he can't ignore."

She hated to imagine what that might mean.

"And when he comes?"

Angela smiled coldly. "Payback."

"Payback for what? Putting you behind bars, where you belong?"

Angela dropped the chip she was holding and brushed off her hands. She stood and moved to Kayden, kneeling on her haunches just out of kicking range. "Payback for ruining my life. For taking my husband from me."

"No one took him from you. Your husband made his own choices. He killed himself. Not to mention Candace Banner, and Jake's wife and child."

"Is that what you think?" She stood with a sinister smile. "Well, this is going to be a whole lot more fun than I antic.i.p.ated."

Kayden squirmed, fighting in vain to break free.

"Enough! You're ruining my dinner."

Angela stood with the pole in hand and zapped her again. Before Kayden could brace herself, her world went dark.

Frustration searing through him, Jake left the empty bunker-empty, except for the taunting note he'd found on a broken-down table in what was left of the bunker's mess hall.

You've chosen poorly. Now I get more time alone with your lady. What a shame for her.

Bile rose in Jake's throat. She wasn't leaving him clues, only messages to cut deep at his heart.

He crumpled the note into his pocket and headed for his truck. Unfortunately the tire tracks had only been evidence of teens who had partied inside and left a mess of beer cans and Cheetos bags behind.

The sun was lowering in the sky, and he knew he should make camp for the night-eat, rest, recoup for tomorrow's search-but there was no way he'd sit still while Angela had Kayden. He'd press on through the night, through the days ahead, if necessary. He wouldn't stop until he found her and she was safe in his arms.

He studied his map. The closest bunker was nearly fifty miles away, but on roads long abandoned, it would take him several hours to reach it.

Please, Lord, lead me to her.

He checked in with the others, but unfortunately no one had found Kayden, only an equally taunting note in one of the two bunkers Gage and Darcy had searched. He felt like a rat in a maze of Angela's design, and he hated it.

Please, Lord, don't let me fail.

He climbed in his truck and headed for the next bunker.

"We should find a camping spot before nightfall," Kirra said as she and Reef crossed yet another cabin off their grid.

"I don't want to stop. Not until my sister is found."

She rested her hand on his arm and pulled back quickly at the surprising tingling. "Uh . . ." She cleared her throat, trying to focus. The last time she'd gotten sidetracked by physical attraction it had nearly destroyed her.

This is Reef, Kirra. What was she doing being attracted to him, anyway? Instead of decreasing with the more time she spent with him, her attraction had increased. That had to stop immediately.

"Look, I understand wanting to press on. But once night falls, we could walk within twenty feet of a cabin and not see it. We don't want to miss anything on our grid."

"You're right." Reef sighed. "But I don't like it. It doesn't feel right."

"If I'm remembering correctly, there should be a decent spot up beyond that ridge. It has level ground and a freshwater stream nearby. Plus it'll be a good starting point for finis.h.i.+ng this grid bright and early tomorrow."

"We start at sunup?"