EMP Lodge Series (Book 1): Dark Retreat Read online

  The plan formed in her mind. It was risky and it terrified her, but it was the only way to save the others. They had put their lives on the line and now it was her turn to repay their kindness.

  Her plan hinged on the group realizing she was gone and going to look for her. She had left a note, but deep down she knew Wyatt wouldn’t simply accept her departure. He would look for her and he would ask her to come back. At least she hoped he would, if not, her plan could get her and her daughter killed and the men would still kill the group. It had to work. It had to.

  27

  Wyatt headed to the kitchen, started coffee and waited for Megan to join him. Every morning she rose with the sun. His mom had already been down and was now back upstairs working on her puzzle. Maybe Megan was exhausted and decided to sleep in.

  He watched as Duke scratched at the door to get in the room. He had gone back to sleeping with Ryland, but liked to lay with Caitlin in bed while Megan enjoyed her coffee with Wyatt.

  Wyatt had grown fond of their time in the morning when it was just the two of them chatting quietly. He had felt like he had known her all of his life. She was funny, beautiful, and Wyatt was convinced she had been put on this earth just for him.

  He waited a few more minutes. Something wasn’t right. Megan would have heard Duke scratching. She wouldn’t leave the dog outside the door. They had bonded after Duke saved her life. Alarm and fear had him moving to his old bedroom door.

  Tapping quietly on the door, “Megan? Megan are you guys okay?”

  Kyle couldn’t have gotten into the house and hurt them, not with the new security measures in place but something wasn’t right. He turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door. The bed was empty.

  She’d left him; running away in the middle of the night. He was mad and hurt at the same time. It was devastating. He had grown to care for her and she hadn’t even said goodbye. Wyatt knew she’d been struggling since the attack. His mom cautioned against pushing her too hard so he’d given her space. Megan was a loner and pushing her to stick around would only drive her away. Apparently, it had.

  Finding the note she left on the dresser, he stared at it.

  WYATT,

  I CAN’T THANK you enough for the kindness you’ve shown both me and Caitlin. Please tell the others thank you and I’m sorry.

  MEGAN

  NOPE. He wasn’t going to accept some stupid apology written in a Dear John note. She was going to have to face him and tell him she was leaving.

  “I’m going out,” Wyatt told his brother who was now sitting at the bar in the kitchen.

  “Uh, okay. Any place in particular or just to stretch your legs?” the question was sarcastic. Typical teasing between brothers.

  Wyatt glared at him, “Just need a little fresh air.”

  He wasn’t sure where he was going. He walked outside and looked around, trying to think where she would go. He didn’t think she would go into town. She knew it was best to stay away from the population right now, especially after what happened in the school. But would she go east or west?

  Wyatt took a deep breath of the cool mountain air and checked his watch. It was almost eight o’clock already. Hard telling when she left, but he doubted she would make Caitlin walk all night. She couldn’t be more than a couple miles away.

  “You have to let her come back on her own, son.”

  His mom had come out and was standing next to him.

  He didn’t answer her, just stared off into the forest.

  “You know that old saying, if you love them, set them free and all that. She will realize how much we can offer her and how much safer it is for her and her daughter. Have some faith.” She reached out to touch his arm, “I miss her, too. And I know she was very fond of you, whether she was ready to accept it or not.”

  Wyatt looked down at his mom. Her eyes were glistening and he knew she was trying not to cry. Rosie had grown to care for Caitlin and Megan a great deal. She viewed Megan as a daughter and Caitlin as her grandchild.

  His mom was right. It was stupid to go out looking for Megan. He didn’t know where she was and even if he did find her, was he going to club her on the head and drag her back? No. She knew how to find them.

  When she realized how tough it was out there, she would be back. Another thought crossed his mind. What if Kyle found them first? What if she ran into him? Wyatt hoped she was smart enough to stop and take the bag he left for her.

  He would have to find a way to stay busy while she found her way, praying it was sooner rather than later. Wyatt knew he’d go out of his mind with worry for her. Thankfully, the weather was mild right now, but it had rained last night making for a cold, miserable night without the proper gear and she didn’t have any.

  MEGAN QUIETLY TALKED with Caitlin as she led the way through the trees. She was really glad Wyatt had taken her into the forest every day. They had covered a lot of ground and he had made sure she always knew how to find her way back to the lodge from wherever she was. She was no geography wizard, but she had a good idea where they were.

  Her plan hinged on Kyle primarily wanting to kill her and Caitlin. It was a terrible thought, but after his first attempt and what Caitlin had told her, she was convinced that was his goal. She couldn’t let the others die for her.

  She had to get Kyle to follow her away from the lodge. She hated the idea of using her daughter as bait, but she was counting on Wyatt, Rosie and the rest of her new friends to take care of Caitlin should the worst happen.

  They crossed the stream relatively easily. Now, she needed to climb the hill that would put her above the lodge. Kyle’s men would be coming at an angle that would give them a clear line of sight to her on the hill. Hopefully, they would come after her and skirt around the perimeter of the lodge.

  She was relying on Albert being in his perch and seeing the men. He could warn the group about the intruders. Just in case he wasn’t, she had a backup plan.

  “Okay, sweetie, remember what to do?” Megan asked Caitlin only slightly out of breath after their mad dash up the hill.

  Caitlin nodded. “Yep,” she said with enthusiasm.

  Megan hadn’t wanted her daughter to be afraid. So, she’d made it into a game as best she could, while stressing the importance of her following exactly what she was supposed to do.

  Now they waited. They stood at the top of the hill. Megan had unfolded the shiny metallic blanket and stretched it between two sticks. Wyatt had told her how to use the Mylar as a signaling device should she get lost and need help. She wasn’t lost, but she wanted to make sure Kyle and his men saw her on the hill.

  Megan thought back to when Wyatt had brought her up to see the water cistern. He had such high hopes and big dreams. She prayed Wyatt and his family would live long enough to see them come true.

  Lost in thought, Megan jumped when she heard a loud male voice cut through the silence of the forest.

  “Up there!”

  Megan felt as if she had been punched. The men had spotted them. That was the plan, but it still scared her.

  She casually looked down the hill and could see one of the men standing and pointing to where they stood. They were playing pretend she told Caitlin. They were pretending they were having breakfast on the hill and weren’t afraid at all.

  Megan told Caitlin not to look at the men. She didn’t want them to know they knew they were there. Kyle pushed his way to the front. When he saw them up there, there were some hand gestures.

  Megan leaned forward, “When I say go, you do just what I said, okay?”

  Caitlin nodded. Now she looked a little worried. They stood up. Megan assured her everything would be okay.

  Megan turned and saw Kyle racing out in front of the men. The men were clearly going to try to flank the hill. That was not what she wanted. Megan took off running down the hill, into the forest and away from the lodge.

  Caitlin was beside her until about halfway down, “Now, Caitlin. Go!”

  Caitlin didn’t hesitate
and ran off to the side towards a small trail that Wyatt used to climb the hill. It would lead Caitlin right into the backyard behind the blind while Megan led the men away from the area. She knew someone would be there and they would take care of Caitlin.

  She secretly hoped Chase, Jack or Wyatt would come out to help her, but she assumed they would likely be out hunting, scouting or doing more work on the fence line. She was on her own, how she always wanted to be, but this time, it didn’t feel quite so comforting. Right now, it was terrifying.

  Megan once again felt the sting of tree branches cutting across the skin that had finally healed after her last adventure through the forest. Her face was burning as prickly pine needles scratched and poked.

  The rough terrain was difficult to navigate. She tripped and fell, banging her knee and scraping her hands, but Megan got up and ran again. While she could hear the men behind her, she didn’t think they could see her but she didn’t risk turning to look behind her. Megan knew where she was going and wasn’t going to stop until she got there.

  As she burst through a small clearing, Megan saw the tree where Wyatt and she had sat almost daily. This is where they talked about life, their future and he told her about his time in the service. The place held special meaning, which is why he chose this place to leave the bag. The bag was supposed to have a gun in it, which initially she rejected. Megan was counting on the bag being there now, with the gun.

  She looked around and saw nothing. She could hear Kyle shouting for her to stop. Not a chance, buddy!

  Her breathing was so fast she thought she would pass out. Megan needed to get her wits about her. Leaning against the tree, she put her head back and slowed her breathing. She was going to have to fight the guy. How she could possibly win when he had a gun and she didn’t was beyond her, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.

  Opening her eyes, she caught a slight movement. There, just above her was the bag. He did leave it! She quickly jumped and grabbed the strap of the bag yanking it down. Snapping the bag open, she thrust her hand inside, feeling around for the heavy metallic item she needed. Her fingers wrapped around the grip and she pulled the gun free. She checked the chamber and almost cried when she saw it was empty.

  Emptying the bag onto the ground, she grabbed the box of ammo. Kyle burst through the trees and was covering the ground between them so fast, she didn’t have time to load the gun. One second she had her hand on the box of bullets and the next she was slammed into the tree trunk. Little spikes of broken branches and rough bark jabbed into the back of her head and her back.

  He knocked the gun out of her hand and kicked it while she struggled to get out of his grip.

  “Where’s the brat, Megan?” he was seething.

  She smiled, “You won’t get her, Kyle.”

  He backhanded her across the face making her cheek feel like it exploded. Her eyes filled with tears, but she fought the urge to cry. Instead, she kicked out, but he was ready for her. He smacked her again. The sting from the first blow actually lessened the pain of the second. She could feel blood in her mouth, but smiled anyway.

  “If you think they will protect her, you’re wrong. My men are already headed that way. They will kill them all.”

  Megan shook her head, “No, they won’t. You underestimate Wyatt.”

  “Whatever. I don’t have time for this.” Kyle let go of her head and stepped back, pulling the gun from his waist.

  A gunshot in the distance made Megan cry out. She envisioned her baby being hurt. A scream from the very core of her being erupted from her mouth.

  Kyle raised the gun with a sinister smile. “You should have kept a better leash on that brat of yours. None of this would have happened if she would have minded her own—”

  Megan’s eyes widened as she stared just over Kyle’s shoulder. He turned to see what she saw but didn’t get the chance to react. Wyatt tackled him with the success of an NFL lineman. A loud oomph exploded from Kyle’s mouth but the blow wasn’t enough to knock the gun from his hand. He managed to roll and get off a shot, hitting Wyatt at point blank range.

  Megan screamed again and rushed to pick up her own gun. She quickly loaded it, keeping an eye on the two men rolling around on the ground in front of her. Wyatt had managed to knock the gun from Kyle’s grip, but he was rapidly losing blood and Megan could see him losing strength as well.

  She held the gun and waited for the right moment. Wyatt managed to break free of Kyle’s grasp. That split second was the only window Megan needed. She took the shot. It hit Kyle square in the chest, killing him almost instantly. The look of shock in his eyes would have been funny if it weren’t such a dire situation.

  28

  Wyatt lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath. His arm was on fire and he could feel the blood gushing. Megan ran to him, tearing off her jacket.

  “Hold on,” she told him wrapping the jacket around his arm. “We need to get some pressure on it.” When he tried to sit up, she told him to lie down.

  Wyatt wanted to yell at her and kiss her at the same time. When he saw Kyle holding that gun on her, he nearly lost his mind. Caitlin had come running down the hill, shouting her mom needed help. Everyone but Chase had heard the commotion and come running.

  Jack had shot into the air signaling Chase there was trouble. They had talked about what they would do should something like this happen, but talking and doing were two different things. He hadn’t waited for anyone else. He tore up the path. He knew Megan was going for the gun he had left for her.

  But he didn’t get the chance to tell Megan how mad he was and how happy he was to see her. Kyle’s men arrived on the scene and one of the men was going a little crazy. Through the screaming and yelling, Wyatt realized he was Kyle’s brother. This can’t be good.

  “What did you do?” A younger version of Kyle was screaming and waving his gun between the two of them.

  Wyatt pushed Megan’s hand away and sat up. His head spun, but he couldn’t show weakness. He took a deep breath and got to his feet, with Megan’s help. He pushed her to his side, blocking her from the lunatic waving a gun all over the place.

  “You killed him! You killed my brother! Why? Why would you shoot him?” the man screamed.

  Wyatt held up his one good hand. His other arm hung limply at his side. Megan was still holding her jacket around his arm. She showed no signs of letting go.

  “You need to calm down. Your brother attacked her and then shot me.”

  “Because you tortured him! You held him as a prisoner and beat him.”

  Now Wyatt was the one confused. “What? What are you talking about, man?”

  “Drop the guns. Now.” Chase’s voice was low and deadly serious.

  The men who had been with Kyle spun around. Wyatt turned slowly. His head was spinning and he could feel blackness trying to pull him in.

  Chase and Albert stood in front of Jack and Ryland who were standing in front of Willow, Rosie and Caitlin. They each held a weapon, including Ryland. Caitlin had a baseball bat. She was so tiny, but she looked mighty ferocious. Even his mom, who truly wouldn’t harm a soul, was holding a .22. He wanted to laugh at the picture his little family made looking all tough, but that would probably detract from the vibe.

  “He tried to kill my daughter and then me,” Megan spoke up. “I shot him.”

  Wyatt quickly contradicted her. “I shot him. We were wrestling on the ground and the gun went off.” He was not going to let Megan get hurt for doing the right thing.

  Megan looked at him as if he was crazy. This guy wanted revenge and he was not about to let Megan be the one he targeted. Not again.

  “He would never hurt a child,” the man argued.

  “Evan, what do you want us to do here?” One of the men who looked very uncomfortable holding a gun asked the question. Clearly, the guy wanted nothing to do with shooting or being shot.

  “Listen,” Megan started. Wyatt could tell she was using the voice a mom used to soothe a toddler w
ho was throwing a tantrum. He knew the voice because his mom still used it on him to this day.

  “My daughter saw him kill a young man a couple weeks ago. Not here,” she added when Evan started to shake his head. “We were in the forest, maybe ten or fifteen miles from here. Caitlin saw him and he saw her. He fed her deadly nightshade berries and it almost killed her,” Megan’s voice broke.

  A collective gasp could be heard behind them. Wyatt didn’t know if it was from Kyle’s men or from his own family. The world had gone very black and he couldn’t seem to focus his eyes.

  A little voice broke the silence, “He hurt him. He said the man was just sleeping, but I know that isn’t true. He had brown hair,” Caitlin looked around and pointed to Ryland, “like him. The man kept saying he was sorry, but the bad man hurt him.”

  “Jessy.” The man who had spoken up earlier murmured the name. “It was Jessy McCaulin, Evan. Kyle said he ran off after he caught him stealing, but Jessy’s sister said he saw Kyle,” he stopped. “He saw Kyle take Veronica into his tent. Veronica didn’t want to go in the tent. You know?”

  Wyatt knew exactly what the guy was saying. Kyle had raped this Veronica girl and Jessy saw it. He was killed because of what he saw, just as Caitlin was nearly killed for what she witnessed.

  Evan shook his head, “No. I don’t believe that for a minute. Veronica is a slut. Kyle didn’t have to rape anyone.”

  Wyatt mustered up reserve strength to put Evan in check. “Don’t talk like that in front of the kids. Kyle is dead because of what he did. It’s no one’s fault but his own. He did this,” he said jabbing a finger at the dead man lying on the ground.

  “Let’s go, Evan.” The man looked at Megan and apologized. He turned and started to leave. The rest of the men followed except Evan.

  “No! I will avenge his death. You can’t simply kill my brother and get away with it.”

  Chase and Jack put themselves between Wyatt and Evan.

  Jack looked at him, “You can leave now or join your brother. Don’t come back and don’t ever threaten our family.”