Chasing the Night - Iris Johansen [6]
Running.
Pushing through the bushes.
The earth soft beneath their feet.
Two miles to go.
It was the helicopter. Catherine could hear it plainly now.
And if she could hear it, Munoz’s men would be hearing it.
Kelly glanced up at her in panic. “Are they coming after us?”
“Not yet.” But it wouldn’t be long. Munoz was dead, but his men wouldn’t chance there being anyone left alive to bear witness. “We’re almost there.”
But five minutes later Catherine heard crashing in the bushes behind them. How close?
The glade was just ahead. She could see the blue lights of the helicopter as it started to land.
But Kelly was faltering, slowing.
“No!”
Catherine grabbed her hand and half pulled her, streaking toward the helicopter. “Only a few yards more.”
Ron Timbers stepped out of the shadows and was opening the door of the Apache helicopter for her. “You cut it close, Catherine. Her father?”
“Dead.” She pushed Kelly into the copter and climbed in after her. “Tell that pilot, Neely, to get out of here. They’re only a step behind us.”
Timbers glanced at her shirt as he jumped in after her and headed for the cockpit. “There’s blood all over you. The kid?”
“No. Kelly is fine. Tell that pilot to move!”
He was already moving. Seconds later they were lifting off.
But not soon enough.
A bullet buried itself in the fuselage of the copter.
Another shattered the windshield.
Kelly froze. “Are we going to die now?”
“No.” Catherine’s arms closed fiercely around her. She hoped she was telling the truth. They’d be okay if they didn’t get the gas tank. “I’ve got you. We’re out of here.”
Another bullet struck a rotor with a loud ping.
“Just a minute more, and we’ll be out of range,” Timbers called back to them.
If they made it through that minute.
“Your heart’s beating so hard,” Kelly whispered. “Are you scared?”
“Yes, it’s stupid not to be scared if someone’s trying to hurt you. You just have to hold on and either wait or fight back.” She smiled down at her. “But you have to realize that they can’t really hurt you. Maybe your body, but not what you are inside. That’s what’s important. None of the rest matters.”
“All clear,” Timbers called back to them.
Catherine gave a sigh of relief. “But it seems we don’t have to worry about anything right now. We’re on our way. In a few minutes, I’ll call Agent Venable and tell him to meet us at the airport in Bogotá. He’ll be very relieved. Everyone has been worried about you.”
Kelly was silent a moment. “But Daddy is dead.”
It was natural that after the first explosion of danger was over, the girl’s hideous memories would surface. Distract her. Keep her busy. “I need your help.” She sat up and reached for the first-aid kit fastened to the wall. “I’m hurt and bleeding a little. Will you bandage it for me?”
“I’m not sure I know how.” Kelly’s eyes widened as she watched Catherine take off her black shirt and saw the deep cut in her side. Her lips tightened. “But I’ll try. Tell me what to do.”
“First the antiseptic. Take a pad and clean the wound. The bleeding seems to have almost stopped.” But it had bled enough to make her feel woozy, she realized. “I’m a little tired. Don’t be afraid if I fall asleep.”
“You mean pass out,” she said bluntly.
“I guess that is what I mean.” She leaned back against the wall. “But if I do pass out, it won’t be for long, and the pilot knows how to take you home to your mother.”
“My mother doesn’t want me.” Kelly was dabbing at the wound. “That’s why I live—lived with my daddy.”
Great. After a nightmare like this, the kid didn’t even have someone to hold on to until she healed. If she healed. No, Catherine wouldn’t accept that possibility. Kelly would heal. She was strong, or she wouldn’t have been able to survive what had happened to her. Just that time in that tent with the remains of her father should have made her catatonic. “Your mother may want you more than you think. Sometimes when parents quarrel, things are said that aren’t really true.”
“No,” she whispered. “Daddy said she feels uncomfortable around me.” She put