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He stepped in front of her, then reached behind and put her hands on either side of his hips. “Hold onto me. Stay close. It’s not far.”
Gripping the hard muscles of his abdomen, she stepped carefully after him. The sun had completely set, and it was so dark she could see only darker shapes on either side of her. She slipped her fingers inside his waistband and gripped tight. She didn’t want to get separated from him. She was already completely disoriented.
“Here we are,” he said quietly after a few minutes. He slid his fingers over hers and eased them out of his waistband. Turned around and gripped her fingers for a long moment, then twined their fingers together.
“I think you’ll be safe here,” he said. He led her over a stump and behind a leaning tree. “You can sit down here, and you’ll be hidden. If someone comes with a flashlight, it won’t be me. If you hear anything, lie on the ground. Keep your face down. Don’t make a sound. Okay?”
She nodded, a short, choppy jerk of her head. “Stay… please stay safe. Don’t do anything stupid.”
She was close enough to see him smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t. I’ll be back to get you, okay? Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I trust you with my life, Cody,” she said in a low voice.
His smile faded. “Thank you, bae.” He pressed a quick, hard kiss to her lips, then led her into the tangle of fallen branches. “Right here,” he whispered. “Don’t come out for any reason.”
Her mouth tingling, she nodded. “I won’t,” she said. “I promise.”
“Good. Thank you.” He cupped the back of her head and kissed her again. His mouth was urgent against hers and he lingered for more than the previous quick kiss. “I’ll be back, Sierra. I promise.”
She lowered herself onto the dry leaves that carpeted the ground and watched him vanish in front of her. She appreciated his words, but knew they were a promise he couldn’t make.
* * *
Cody made his way back to the SUV, taking care not to make any noise. He’d heard the truck pull into the park entrance and wanted to be in place before they spotted his vehicle.
As the big truck rumbled closer, he reached into the car and grabbed a handful of zip ties, then stepped behind the tree he’d chosen for cover. He’d turned the lights back on, which would alert the followers to where the car was. But it would also illuminate the people in the truck when they stepped outside.
The lights of the approaching truck became brighter, then the truck rolled to a stop. They’d spotted his car.
Leaving the truck’s lights on, the doors on both sides of the truck opened. Three people stepped out. Men. All of them held guns.
There’d be two or three more men in the vehicle that hadn’t arrived yet. But he’d bet money these guys had alerted the people in that vehicle to meet them here.
The three men approached his SUV cautiously. One of them pulled out a flashlight and aimed it at the windshield. But Cody was pretty sure they wouldn’t be able to see a thing with the headlights blinding them.
The three men spoke in low voices, in a language that wasn’t English. Probably Russian. Holding their guns in front of them, they edged around the sides of the truck, using the trees as cover. One man passed directly in front of him.
Cody pulled out his taser, grabbed the guy’s shirt and zapped him. He crumpled to the ground, but Cody held him up to prevent him from making noise when he crashed.
Moving quickly, he bound his hands and legs. Cut several strips off his shirt, stuffed a couple in his mouth and used the rest to tie the gag in place. Now he couldn’t warn his buddies.
Hoisting the man over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, he retreated farther into the woods. Set his burden down behind a large tree and propped him up against the trunk.
Then he moved silently toward his SUV.
The other two men were shining their flashlights into the windows. They said something and began moving. One came toward Cody. The other went in the opposite direction. Clearly looking for their buddy.
Cody waited until the man on his side of the truck was into the tree cover and out of sight of his partner. Then he tased, gagged and tied him up, just as he’d done to the first man.
Finally, he heard the other man call, “Ivan?,” followed by more words. Cody judged his distance by his words, which were becoming louder. “Yakov?”
Cody smiled at the panic in the man’s voice. Panic was good. It made people stupid.
The panicked guy stepped in front of Cody’s SUV, into the headlights’ illumination. He held a gun, and his head swiveled from side to side, moving faster and faster. He called again, and his voice wavered.
He rushed toward the trees, and Cody waited until he was close. Once he ran past, Cody tased him. Repeated the binding with the zip ties and the gagging.
Once all three of them were secure, Cody pulled out his phone and called the sheriff. “Got a few more Russians for you,” he said when the sheriff answered the phone. “They’re in the park that’s about thirty miles south of Williams. Near the first picnic area. I’ll toss them into the back of their pickup truck so you won’t have to hunt for them. I’m guessing there’s another truck with two or three more men close by, but they haven’t shown up yet.”
