Fugitive Pursuit

“Do you want to sit down for a few minutes to rest your knee?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m good. Let’s get out of here.”

“Don’t worry.” Lily wrapped her arm around his back and leaned her head on his shoulder. “We still have the advantage with Carter.”

“How do you figure?” Zack steered her toward the checkout counter.

“You were able to find her once. You’ll be able to do it again.”

“Maybe.”

A man around his age rushed to the counter. His name tag read Randy. “How can I help you?”

“Sorry about the ruckus.”

The guy waved them off. “Forget it. No one got hurt, which is the important thing.”

“Lil, where’s the picture?”

Lily pulled the fugitive’s photo from her pocket. Once he took it, Zack unfolded it and placed it on the counter.

“We were searching for this woman, Jamie Carter. She’s not a dangerous criminal so you don’t have to worry. She probably won’t come back, but if she does, can you call the number on the bottom of the page?”

Randy held the paper like it was gold and nodded. “Of course, sir, miss.” His gaze shifted to Lil. And stayed there.

Zack glanced at her, smiling away, batting her eyelashes at the guy. “Thanks.” He pinched his sister’s sleeve and tugged her toward the door. “Let’s go, miss.”

Once they stepped outside, Zack grinned. “He’s too young for you.” He didn’t look at her, but from the corner of his eye he could see Lily glaring at him. They walked in silence back to the truck. The wind shook the tree leaves, which created strange sunshine patterns.

Carter had been prettier than her mug shot, even with the worry creasing her brow. In her picture, her wavy hair dipped past her shoulders. Today, she’d pulled it away from her face, which made her look younger than her twenty-four years and much more vulnerable. His heart almost went out to her.

But it didn’t. He was a professional and she was his criminal.

Inside the vehicle, Lily met his gaze. “You know the others are going to have a word or two for us, right?”

“Yup.” But it would be Zack they’d be angry with, not Lil. A hundred justifications for taking her along on his hunt for Ms. Carter roamed through his head, but none of them would be good enough for his brothers. He shouldn’t have gone, they’d say, should’ve left Lily at work, he’d acted totally irresponsible, blah, blah, blah.

“You can handle it, though. You know you’re one of the best and they’re only jealous.” She clicked her seat belt into place. “Besides, I’m a big girl. I make my own decisions.”

Yeah, he’d push that justification. It hadn’t been his decision after all.

For some reason, he took one more glance across the parking lot toward the wall of trees. Of course, Carter was long gone. He had to admit, the woman’s story intrigued him. So did the worry plastered across her face. Yes, as bounty hunters, he and his brothers heard sob stories all the time, criminals forming paper-thin explanations in hopes of gaining an ally, but Jamie Carter’s impassioned plea had caught him off guard. What if the woman spoke the truth? What if she did everything she could for an innocent kid?

Nah. Just because he hadn’t been out on the hunt in almost four weeks, he couldn’t let his brain freeze. Besides, the courts called Jamie Carter a criminal who needed to be brought to justice. He had to follow the law.

* * *

Two days later, Jamie sat on the blanket she’d set beside her tent and leaned her head against the tree. Excited voices of adult campers and children around her helped to calm her heart. Yes, she could’ve hidden farther into the woods, where no one would find her, but the complete human stillness would leave her with too much time to think. Guilt had a way of creeping through silence.

What was she doing? By walking away from her sister and having fun on a vacation, she’d managed to let one of the most important people in her life get hurt. No, both people if she thought about it. Her sister was dead and her niece had no parents. Well, technically Charlotte still had a father, but if Jamie had her way, the man would never see his little girl again. Drew wasn’t fit to be a father.

Giving up her comfort in her apartment once she’d gone on the run had been a no-brainer. But she hadn’t been prepared for life as a fugitive. She constantly looked over her shoulder, and in another night or two, she’d have to move again to another campground. Too much time in one place made her an easier target to find.

When she and Erin were little, they used to put up tents in the backyard and treat their evening like a grand adventure. These days she was also on a journey but one of a whole different kind.

When she took Charlotte and jumped bail, she knew she had to let go of anything normal—no cell phone, no personal computer, no familiar places. She had grabbed the basics for survival, dropped her niece off with a friend willing to help and pitched her tent in the city park. With a beach on one side and summer campers on the other, she hid out, hoping for the guilt inside her to tamp down in her brain long enough for her to find a way out of the mess she was in.

As a soft breeze floated through the leaves, she glanced around the trees. Sunshine created streaks of light across the dirt paths, reminding her of the joy and happiness bubbling throughout her and Erin’s adventures all those years ago. Soft and comfy sleeping bags had cradled her and her dreams.

Now, she was alone.

Once she put Drew behind bars, she and Charlotte would camp throughout New England, hitting all the best-known parks. Jamie would make sure to share her sister’s love of camping with the little one.

She scrubbed her palm over her face and shifted her gaze to the wallet-sized picture of her, Erin and Charlotte that she kept in her backpack. Inside the bag were a few changes of clothes, all the money she had in her savings account and everything she held dear: pictures, Erin’s favorite Bible, trinkets that friends and family had given Jamie over the years, her own journal documenting her emotions as well as her ideas about Drew’s failings as a sheriff...and as a man.

Men were supposed to love their families, take care of them, cherish them.

Drew protected himself and his reputation.

Her thoughts drifted to the bounty hunter who’d tried to capture her the other day. He was probably good to his family. He seemed to care about following the law, not abusing it. What would it be like to have a man like him in her corner? She pressed her back to the thick tree stump as the image of the man flooded her brain. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes.

But Jamie had no time for romance. Thoughts of Mr. Bounty Hunter were a luxury she couldn’t afford. She needed to stay focused on making up for her mistake, for not being there when Erin needed her most.

Jamie hadn’t heard her ringing phone while at breakfast with her friends on the last day of vacation. Before she got on the road to return home, she’d listened to Erin’s message.

She was ready to leave the marriage, she’d found some incriminating evidence of Drew selling drugs and she needed Jamie ASAP. Noises in the background made Erin whisper and rush her words. She told Jamie she loved her. She started saying something about Mrs. C., an old family friend, but her words were cut off, then the phone had gone dead.

Charlotte, though, the most important person in Jamie’s world, was safe. Jamie wished she could stop by her friend’s house to spend some time with the girl, but she’d never put the child in unnecessary danger. Plus, Greta lived in Massachusetts. The time it would take to get there was precious. Jamie needed to stay focused.

With a heavy sigh, she returned the picture to her backpack, then stretched out on her back. Sunshine through the leaves cast heat and brightness over her. Jamie closed her eyes and willed herself to relax.

With so much pain in her heart, such weariness in her muscles and so many unanswered questions, being at ease seemed a million miles away. Hey, God, do You think You could guide me through this journey so I can protect Charlotte and honor my sister? She was pretty sure He didn’t care about her, but Charlotte? Surely God could come through for a beautiful child.

For a few hours, she’d rest, then she’d head to her grandmother’s best friend’s house. Another neighbor had said Mrs. C. had been gone for a couple months, but she was due back from visiting her son sometime today. Maybe the woman had evidence against Drew that Erin had started gathering while Jamie was out gallivanting with her friends? Surely Mrs. Cecily could give Jamie some insight into...something...

Maybe.

The weight of her battles pushed against her shoulders. Putting up with teenage attitudes, she could handle. Investigating a killer and possible drug pusher, though, was she good enough?

Yeah, her job. Only three years in the classroom and after all her questionable choices lately, she might never be allowed inside a school again. Thankfully she was on summer break, so she didn’t have to consider having a meeting with her boss. At least, not until August. She prayed her boss would show understanding and welcome her back when Jamie put Drew away. If.

Jamie flattened her palms on her stomach. A few minutes of nothingness and then she’d start planning her next move. For a few moments, she just needed...to be.

Something interfered with the brightness of the sun. A shiver scaled her spine. She jerked upright and scanned her surroundings.

A blue jay chirped above her.

She tossed the tent opening to one side and grabbed the baseball bat one of her star students had given her when he got accepted to his favorite college with a baseball scholarship. Wrapping her fingers around the base, she slid behind the biggest tree trunk nearby. Could Drew have found her? But she’d been so careful.

Faint hints of movement within her camping space broke down her confidence.

Did she dare peer around the trunk?

With the bat hanging over her shoulder, she inched forward enough to see an empty spot. She moved a little farther.

But the bat stayed still. “Your time on the run is up.”

Her heart jumped. She jerked her head around. Before her stood what looked like close to two hundred pounds of muscle. The man from the internet café two days ago. The injured one. The handsome bounty hunter. A hint of relief spread out through her chest. At least it wasn’t Drew.

Still, ways to escape his custody surged through her mind as she glanced around him. She’d done it before. She could do it again. Hopefully. Although this time he had her pinned to the trunk of a tree. A hint of cologne or soap drifted to her nose.

“I see the look in your eyes.” He tugged the bat out of her hands and tossed it behind him. It landed by her backpack. “But you’re not going anywhere except to jail.”

Anger for the way she’d left him at the café should have been visible through his expression, but he studied her with calm determination. He was bigger than she’d first thought the other day, wider in the chest. Stronger, probably. Intimidating, definitely.

Yet she didn’t fear for her life.

Jamie swallowed the lump in her throat. How would she get out of this? “Who are you?”

After taking a couple of steps back, he propped his hands on the waistband of his cargo pants. “My name’s Zack Owen. I’m a bounty hunter.”

One man trying to finish her off and one trying to bring her in. Great. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough.

“How’d you find me?” She’d thought she’d been doing well staying off the grid.

“I asked questions. People around the internet café, people on the bus routes, others by the beach and in the park...they all gave you up.”

“How’s the woman from the other day? I didn’t mean to hurt her. It’s just...there’s a lot at stake.”

“Like you trying to blame everyone else for your behavior?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

She lifted her chin. “Not everyone else. Just the man responsible.”

“The courts can sort all that out.” Leaning forward, he took a loose hold of her arm. “Let’s go.”

She couldn’t explain it, but something about him made her want to trust him, to reach out to him for assistance. Maybe going with him could work in her favor. She spent enough time guiding teenagers to her side of the bargaining table. She could do the same thing with this guy.

Except Zack Owen was no sixteen-year-old. The bottom line was she didn’t know this man. Her heart might be urging her to take a chance, but her brain knew better.

She dug in her heels. He stilled, staring down at her with piercing green eyes the color of an Irish countryside. “Look, I won’t put the cuffs on you if you can act like a civil human being.”

“You can’t—”

“Yes, I can.” His grip tightened. “Now what’s it going to be?”

She nipped her bottom lip. Several seconds ticked by. Think of something.

“Come on.” He tugged her toward the camping site parking lot, fifty, sixty yards away.

Jamie froze. Two of Drew’s men stalked toward them. She couldn’t be caught. Charlotte needed her. At least with the bounty hunter she had a chance.

Zack stilled, looked from her to the men. “You know them?”

“Yes. How did they find me?”

“Probably the same way I did.”

She gripped his arm. “I’ll go with you, but let’s go in the other direction.” And she’d pick up her backpack on the way. She couldn’t leave her most treasured items behind.

“Why?”

“Later.” She tried to drag him toward the tent, but the stubborn man wouldn’t move.

Big beefy Charlie, an off-duty deputy, closed in. “There you are.”

Jamie had seen the man next to him once or twice with Drew. Ben was his name. He pointed at her. “We’ve wasted a lot of time looking for you.”

“Who are you guys?” Zack braced his stance.

Jamie inched closer to him until their arms touched. She wanted to take hold of his hand, but she kept to herself. “They’re deputies from my brother-in-law’s office.”

As though the bounty hunter wasn’t even there, Charlie closed the distance between her and himself. “You know what we’re here for, Jamie. The kid. Where is she?”

“I’ll never give up my niece.” She’d die first.

“Sorry, but Jamie’s coming with me.” The bounty hunter slid her behind him. A wave of relief rolled through her. She pressed her palms to his back.

“Not too many people say no to Charlie.” Ben snickered.

Charlie straightened to his full height, only around five feet eight inches, but his bulk made up for what he lacked in height. “I don’t think you understand. We need information from her and we’re authorized to get it however we can.”

The bounty hunter didn’t even flinch. “No, you don’t understand. Your boss has no legal right to threaten her. As a sheriff, he should know he needs to let the justice system work.”

Tension rose like a thick layer of smoke. She’d wanted to get away from Mr. Bounty Hunter, but for the moment he was her only ally.

The other two men chuckled and traded glances. “Get out of my way.” Charlie took a swing at Zack. The thwack when Charlie’s fist connected with the bounty hunter’s jaw resonated through the woods. Zack tossed an uppercut, which snapped the other man’s head back.

Guilt rose inside her. No, she didn’t want to go with the bounty hunter, but she didn’t want him hurt because of her, either.

While Zack tangled with Charlie, Ben marched toward her. Jamie scanned the floor of the woods as she backed up. She needed a weapon. Leaves...rocks...the bat.

Bingo!

She scrambled to reach the bat Zack had tossed aside. Panic flushed through her. Ben yanked on the back of her shirt. “Get over here.”

She grabbed the wooden bat, whirled around and bashed it on his arm. The vibration numbed her fingers, her forearms.

The man howled. He cradled his arm close to his chest, then glared at her with fire in his eyes. “You little...” Ben grabbed her again.

Behind them, one of the men thumped to the ground.

Please not the bounty hunter. Jamie struggled to turn around. Relief flooded her. Zack moved toward Ben, took hold of the man’s injured arm and shoved him to the ground. Another howl.

Charlie reached behind him, tugged something free and...aimed a gun at Zack’s back.

She released the bat. “Look out!” Jamie knocked her bounty hunter down.

The gun went off.

* * *

Zack used his hands to break his fall. Guns? No, this definitely wasn’t good. This bounty was a lot more complicated than he’d ever imagined. He should’ve handed the woman over, but because he cared about the fear he’d seen in her eyes, he was now between a rock and a hard place. With weapons.

Emotions had no business here. He had to think exclusively like a bounty hunter and not as an affronted citizen.

Amid screams and hollers from other parts of the campsite, he pushed himself back up, grabbed the bat and smacked it down on the big guy’s hand as he aimed his weapon for Jamie, who remained on the ground. The gun tumbled across the dirt away from the two lawmen. Both deputies scrambled for the weapon.

Zack yanked the woman’s arm and got her to her feet. “Go!” She teetered for a moment, then ran to the tent. What was she doing? “Come on, Carter!” It took her only seconds to grab a small, plaid backpack. Then they slid in between the trees, deeper into the brush.

“Get after them!” one of the men yelled from behind.

No shots followed. Each second passing without another threat made Zack more nervous. Could he keep himself and Jamie safe?

She shoved a tree branch out of her face as they rushed toward a cabin standing not fifty feet from them. A shot rang through the air. Instinct had him ducking. God, please guide us to safety. He hadn’t brought his own weapon because he didn’t think he’d need it to capture Jamie.

“We’re not hiding in there,” he said matter-of-factly when they reached the cabin.

“No. Come this way.” She rushed around the building and guided him into a denser part of the forest.

“Where’d they go?” hollered either Charlie or the other man from far behind them.

“Head that way!” demanded the other.

Jamie twisted around for a second. Sirens whirred to life in the distance. Fear skidded through her striking hazel eyes. Her skin took on a pasty white color, as though all her blood had dropped to her feet.

He set his palm on her shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll get out.”

Doubts plagued his mind. Options warred within him. His head said to focus on getting her to the proper police and completing his duty, but his gut demanded he keep the determined woman on the run for her safety. Which was the right decision?

He could turn her over now, but something wasn’t right if a couple of off-duty lawmen were ready to shoot first and ask questions later.

Jamie charged along the path laden with trees as though she’d come through here before. But where was she leading him? And how would they get back to his truck?

She stopped. After a heavy breath and a brief moment with her eyes closed, she continued on their trek. He tugged the backpack. “Wait a minute.” He leaned against a tree trunk.

Jamie stared at him with her milky white face and a little less confidence. He had the urge to pull her into his arms and be the rock she clearly needed.

Temporarily, of course. Like he’d do for any friend.

A dark red stain on her shirt caught his eye. Blood dripped off the edge of her sleeve.

What?

“You’re bleeding?” Zack lifted her shirtsleeve. Dark red blood gathered at a gash along her arm. More blood dribbled along her skin. If he hadn’t moved when the man had aimed for him by the tent, he’d be bleeding out. If Jamie hadn’t pushed him down... She’d taken a hit...for him. For a moment, he was paralyzed.

“I’ll be fine.” She tugged herself free. “I’ve had worse.” Her gaze avoided him.

Why didn’t he believe her? Sickness rumbled through his gut. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d been hit?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s just a scratch. Can we discuss this later? I’d like to get away without any more injuries.” She glanced behind them, then forward. “There’s another playground not far from here. You’ll be able to take a bus back to your vehicle.”

He didn’t miss the fact that she skipped talking about herself. She kept her gaze locked with his, as if daring him to argue.

So often his job was black-and-white, right or wrong. After the incidents at her camping site, things had never looked grayer, which was the absolute last place he wanted to be. Emotions led to indecision, which led to vulnerability. He’d successfully avoided that for five years. What was he supposed to do now?

He reached forward to pull a few strands of hair from the corner of her mouth.

She slapped his hand away. Gone from her eyes was any ounce of fear. Survival guided her movements.

He wanted to apologize and yet...he didn’t. Instead, he raised his hands in a surrender motion. “If your brother-in-law is such a bad guy, why haven’t you gone to the state police?”

“He’s got everyone fooled that he’s the perfect sheriff, so no one questions him. By the time we realized what was happening in my sister’s marriage, it was too late. Things kept getting worse. Erin was convinced to try to make the marriage work, especially when my niece came along. Until...”

“Until what?”

“Before she died, Erin had left me a message. She started telling me stuff.”

“About what?”

Jamie shook her head. “I don’t know.” She returned to their path.

Oh, she was definitely a bad liar. But getting the truth out of her would have to wait. Escape first.

As they silently followed the path through the wooded grounds, Zack’s mind whirled with too many thoughts. None of them made sense. God, I know this bounty run has fallen apart, but I trust in Your guidance. If anyone could get Zack out of this mess, He could. Hopefully without Zack having to call in his siblings. Because the latest events would not go over great.

Birds chirped as though nothing was wrong. A soft breeze took the edge off the heated afternoon. The scent of barbeque reminded him that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

The last copse of trees opened to a large park. An area with slides and jungle gyms sat in the center of a bike and walking trail. Children’s laughter drifted toward them along with a puppy’s bark.

“Hold up.” He bent over with his hands on his thighs. If his sense of direction was right, they were still in Champlain Park, the Ponahochet County side, nowhere near his truck. Thankfully his knee had held up in the escape, although a twinge of an ache from his surfing accident remained.

Beside him, Jamie planted one hand on her waist. The other, the one with the injury, hung motionless. The backpack remained slung over her shoulder. Blood continued to drip from under her shirtsleeve. The stain on her shirt had morphed into a mini-explosive pattern. “We need to look at your arm.”

Should he apologize for getting her shot?

“Don’t worry about it.” A hint of blond peeked through the strands of her hair.

“You’re bleeding. You look as white as a glass of milk. I’m waiting for you to pass out on me.” He pinched her shirt fabric.

She jerked away. “Don’t.” The word bolted out of her mouth with as much force as the steel in her gaze.

He froze, his fingers a few inches from her. For several moments, they stood at a standstill, but then her gaze softened. “I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help and I do appreciate it.”

For the first time, he truly saw the vulnerability of the woman standing before him. The difficulties of being on the run lay across her body, in her choices, through her movements. The bounty hunter in him wanted nothing more than to turn her in. The man in him wanted to tuck her under his arm and whisper everything would be all right.