no money, and so she could only take what she could easily hide, which wasn’t much given her flimsy shirt and burgeoning belly.
Making sure she wasn’t being watched, she walked toward the back. If there was no one in the rear of the store, she could simply duck out the service entrance with whatever she could grab fast.
When she was sure she was unobserved, she slipped a packet of ham in the elastic band at her waist. She reached for two more that she placed at her sides, disguised by the loose fit of her shirt.
Behind her, she heard the roll of a grocery cart, and she bolted for the doorway leading to the back of the store. Her fingers were on the door when a hand reached out and captured her wrist.
She let out a startled cry and stumbled back, staring up at the man who held her.
“Ma’am, would you come with me?” he asked politely.
Oh no. How had he seen her? Where had he come from? A policeman, of all things. To her further horror, the packages of ham slipped down her leg and fell out of her pants onto the floor.
He didn’t look angry. There was an odd expression in his eyes. He gently helped her to her feet, and to her further surprise, he led her out the back way instead of making her run the gauntlet to the front and onto the street where she would be in plain sight of anyone passing.
But her fear of discovery shattered her.
Numbly she allowed the officer to lead her out the back door into the cool spring morning air. Her gaze darted left and right, and she decided her best escape route was to her right where a clump of aspens led to a denser grove of trees.
Seizing her moment when his grip loosened on her wrist, she twisted and struck out with her foot, kicking him in the back of the knee. His leg buckled, and he let her go. She ran for the trees as if her very life depended on it.
Behind her, the policeman cursed and gave chase. She was nearly to the trees when he grabbed her arm and pulled her up short. She started to go down, but he cradled her body into his and rolled so that he took the brunt of the fall.
She landed on top of him and their eyes locked. She started to struggle, but he held on tight.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he bit out. “I didn’t want to haul you to my office in cuffs but if you don’t cease and desist immediately, I’ll not only cuff you but I’ll carry you back over my shoulder.”
She went still, her eyes welling with frustrated tears.
“Aw now, don’t cry,” he said in obvious discomfort.
He stood and helped her to her feet, maintaining a tight grip on her arm at all times. His scent hovered over her nostrils, strong and masculine—but there was something else, something faint that stirred a distant memory.
“My name is Duncan Kennedy. I’m the sheriff here. I’d like us to go to my office so we can have a talk about what you were doing back there.”
What was she going to do? He led her along the back side of several businesses before he ushered her inside the fourth building down. She quickly realized his “office” was in fact a cage where they kept humans.
She panicked, backing away, twisting her arm to try and gain her freedom. Duncan grabbed her around the middle, trapping her arms against her sides. Then he simply picked her up and carried her the rest of the way inside.
He set her down in a chair against the wall and then reached back to drag another one over until he sat directly in front of her, preventing her from getting up and going anywhere.
“Now, perhaps you can start by telling me your name.”
She stared back at him, the knot of fear swelling in her throat.
“No? Okay, then tell me why you were stealing food.”
When she remained silent, he let out a sound of exasperation.
“Look, lady, I can’t help you if you won’t cooperate.” He glanced down at her belly, and his gaze softened. “When are you due?”
How strange a question was that? Due for what? She focused on a point beyond his shoulder, refusing to meet his gaze again.
Duncan sighed. “I didn’t want to have to do this, damn it.”
He reached for a set of keys attached to his belt. Carefully lifting her arm, he pulled her upright and led her over to one of the human cages. He inserted the key and opened the door just as she realized his intention.
“Nooooo!”
Her wail caught him off guard, and she wrenched away from him, running for the back door. He caught up to her, placing his hand on the door in front of her face so she couldn’t get out.
He picked her up as she struggled and flailed. She hit at him, doubling her fist. He didn’t seem bothered by her resistance in the least. He strode back toward the cell and promptly set her down inside.
Before she could launch herself at him again, he shut the door with a clank and locked it.
She stood there stricken as he stared at her from the other side of bars. Her hands cupped her arms and moved up and down as a deep chill settled over her skin.
“It’s not my habit to lock up pregnant women. Especially one as desperate as you seem,” he said grimly. “But you haven’t given me a whole lot of choice in the matter. When you’re ready to give me some information, holler, and we’ll have a talk. Until then I’ll see about getting a meal sent over for you.”
She watched in anguish as he walked away. She ran to the bars, gripping them tightly in her hands. Shaking until the rattle echoed over the bare floors, she vented her frustration and her abject terror.
Once again, she was caged, deserted by humans, locked away like an animal. This time she had a child to nurture. Her hand went to her belly as panic flooded her all over again. What would happen to her baby?
She pressed her forehead between the bars and closed her eyes. Why hadn’t Hunter and Jericho come back to her? Why had they broken their promise?
The helicopter touched down a mile from the cabin. Hunter and Jericho both leaned forward in anticipation. K-man turned around to look at the two men.
“I don’t like this, damn it. You’re in no shape to be out of the hospital, much less for me to leave you alone on this damn mountain. If you need this Kaya so bad, let me go get her for you.”
“No,” both men said into their receivers.
“No,” Hunter said again. “We appreciate everything, K, but we gotta do this ourselves.”
K-man swore but he didn’t say anything more. Hunter and Jericho ducked painfully from the helicopter. Hunter glanced over at Jericho as they headed to where their truck was still parked. K-man lifted off, and soon the helicopter disappeared in the distance.
“You okay?” Hunter asked when they reached the truck.
Jericho was pale, his forehead beaded with sweat, but his lips were drawn tight in determination.
“I’m fine,” he said shortly. “Let’s get the hell back to the cabin.”
Hunter quickly switched out the battery, connected the cables then slid into the driver’s seat.
Neither man voiced his biggest concern, but it lay between them as Hunter drove up the switchback. When they reached the trail that led to the cabin, he turned off the road and bounced over the rocky terrain.
Jericho grunted but didn’t offer any complaint.
If they hadn’t both been so sick with worry over Kaya, Hunter would have never allowed Jericho out of a hospital bed. K-man hadn’t wanted either of them out of the hospital where they’d been pieced back together by talented surgeons, but Hunter could walk, and walk he had.
He breathed a sigh of relief when they topped the rise and the cabin came into view. He roared up to the front door and cut the engine. Jericho was already stumbling from his seat.
“Kaya!” Jericho called as he hurried inside.
Hunter went in behind him, but his nape prickled as soon as he entered the cabin.
He looked around as Jericho went to search the bedrooms, but he knew Kaya wasn’t here. The cabin was too still, too shut in. He went straight to the kitchen. His fingers clenched into tight fists when he saw the em
pty cabinets. A few cans lay on the counter, tipped over, and empty bread wrappers were piled neatly in the corner.
Jericho rushed into the kitchen behind him, his eyes wild.
“She’s not here, Hunter. Goddamn it, she’s not here!”
“She ran out of food,” Hunter said in a quiet voice. “She had to have gone hunting. She’ll be back.”
She had to be back.
“What the hell do we do? She’s out there alone, probably thinking we ditched her like her family did.”
The desperation in Jericho’s voice matched Hunter’s own mounting panic.
“You’re in no shape to go out after her,” Hunter said. “You stay here in case she comes back, and I’ll go out on the mountain to see if there are any tracks.”
“Find her, Hunter. Find her and bring her home.”
Hunter nodded and let himself out the back. It wasn’t as easy as it had been in winter with over a foot of snow on the ground to yield its secrets. He searched for hours, and only when it became too dark to see did he return to the cabin, praying the entire time that Kaya had returned ahead of him.
Jericho sat on the couch in the living room and looked bleakly up at Hunter when he walked in the door.
“She’s gone,” Jericho said. He covered his face with a hand and rubbed almost violently through his hair, hair that was still growing back. “She thinks we left her just like her family did. I wonder how long she stayed here, telling herself we were different.”