Long Road to Mercy (Atlee Pine, #1)(108)

She slipped off her jacket and held up one bare arm, showing her tats. “Mercy was my twin.”

“Was? What happened to her?”

“Somebody came into our bedroom one night and took her when we were six. I never found out what happened to her.”

“God, Atlee. I’m so sorry.”

“I guess that was the reason I joined the Bureau.” She glanced at Kettler. “To make sure other people get justice because…because Mercy never did.”

He took her hand and squeezed it. “Can’t think of a better way to spend your life.”

“I don’t really talk about it. Sort of like you.” She looked around. “But now I figured, what the hell, right? Tomorrow seems a long way off, if it ever comes.”

Kettler nodded and said slowly, “I thought I could beat this on my own. But.” He shook his head. “I’m…I’m going to get some counseling. The VA has a place not that far off. I’ve got to get this figured out. I came out to this place thinking maybe working here would do the trick, but it hasn’t.”

“Counseling is good, Sam. Really good.”

“Well, we’ll have to see about that.” He sighed and looked away. “You ever think about getting some counseling too? With your sister and all?”

Pine didn’t answer him.





Chapter

58



THE HEAT OF THE DAY passed with no choppers coming for them. And no teams of uniformed soldiers with M4s scaling the trails after them, either. The reason might have been obvious: The daylight revealed everything.

The rains kicked in while Kettler and Pine had taken turns sleeping. When they rose at ten p.m., the weather system had passed, and the skies had cleared a bit. They woke Roth, and the three of them ate and drank enough to fuel themselves for the final assault to the North Rim.

As they roped up, Kettler put his hand on Roth’s shoulder. “Okay, Dave, here’s the deal. We got some switchbacks coming up and they’re steep. But we’ll get through them. Then it’s long and rough, but doable. Then we get a few miles of fairly flat terrain. After that, we’re going to head east where the trail forks. There are more switchbacks, and it’s a lot more rugged than the trail to the west, but it’s miles shorter. You just watch me and take it slow and easy, and before the light comes, we’re going to be on paved surface roads. Sound good?”

“But what about the pack? It’s my turn to carry it.”

“Atlee and I have decided to divvy up that duty.”

“But it’s not fair to the two of you.”

“You’ve been down in this Canyon a long time. We haven’t. It drains you. Every person has to look at themselves and see what’s best for the team and mission. Same thing you and your team probably do when inspecting WMDs.”

Roth put a hand on Kettler’s shoulder. “It is. And…thanks.”

Kettler hoisted the lift pack, and they set off.

Roth struggled at times, and even Pine felt herself having to dig down into extra reserves of strength and endurance. She marveled at Kettler, who just seemed to move like a fluid machine. Even with the lift pack, she could see where he was actually pulling the other two along, making the burden of the climb easier for them, and, correspondingly, harder for himself.

They turned east at the fork and reached the steep switchbacks.

Kettler glanced back at Roth and put up his hand for them to stop.

“I’m…I’m okay,” said Roth breathlessly.

Kettler came back down to him. “Yeah, but I need a breather. My calves are spasming a little. And Atlee can take over the pack.”

“Okay, if you say so,” replied Roth, who collapsed to the ground.

Pine gave Kettler an appreciative look.

Then her features tightened.

Whump-whump-whump.

The sounds of the chopper prop came out of nowhere.

“Headlamps off,” snapped Kettler.

They all switched off their lamps.

Kettler grabbed Roth and pulled him under some scrub pines. Pine quickly joined them.

They all squatted there, frozen, as the searchlight started moving across the steep terrain, like a luminous spider gliding over glass.

Pine found herself holding her breath. The only good thing was there was no place here for the chopper to land.

But then she envisioned a cannon opening up on them from the air if the light found them. She gripped the M4 and thought how best to shoot out the chopper’s tail prop, if need be.

It seemed like the aircraft hovered over them for an eternity. But Pine’s watch showed it was only a couple of minutes. Then it rose, moved to the east, cleared a ridge, and was gone.

They didn’t move for a few more minutes, just to make sure.

Finally, when the sounds didn’t return, they all came out from hiding.

“You ready to go?” said Kettler calmly.

“I’m ready,” said a visibly shaken Roth.

Kettler helped Pine on with the lift pack, and they started climbing once more.

Shortly after, the trail steepened considerably.

And the rain started up again, stinging them in the face. As Roth took a step up on a narrow path that was unnervingly close to the edge of a long fall, the stone gave way and part of the drenched trail crumbled.