Angel Fire

Chapter Fourteen

Andrea splashed water on her face at the river, letting out a satisfied groan. She was hot and sweaty, and it felt oh so good.

“Wish we had time for a bath,” she said longingly.

“Sorry,” Cameron said. She bent down next to the fire ring and felt the ash. “They camped here last night. We’re making better time.”

“How far ahead are they?” Tori asked.

“I’d guess a few hours still,” Cameron said evasively. She walked over to the stream too and knelt down, splashing her face much as Andrea had done. “I don’t think we’ll catch up tomorrow though.”

“We’ve still got most of the day left,” Tori said.

“So do they,” Cameron said. “When you fill your water bottles, don’t forget to add the purification tablets.”

Andrea ran her wet hands through her hair, then pulled it back in a ponytail and slipped it through the back of her cap. She was aware of Cameron watching her.

“I think I’m going to get my hair cut,” she said, wondering what Cameron’s reaction would be.

Cameron glanced at her, then slid her gaze to Tori before looking back with raised eyebrows. “Oh? Why?”

Andrea shrugged. “I’m hot and sweaty, and I don’t like it on my neck. It would be something different. And I wouldn’t have to do this to get it out of my face.”

“But if you cut it off, you won’t be able to do that.”

Andrea tilted her head and frowned. “Right. That’s my point.”

“But…” Cameron looked again at Tori and turned slightly, giving them a little privacy. “Andi? Like cut it short? No.”

“No? Why not? Yours is short.” She looked around Cameron to Tori. “Tori’s is short.”

“First of all, mine is not that short. You’re the one always reminding me that I need a cut,” Cameron said as she ran her fingers through her sandy hair. “Now Hunter here, that’s short. Please say not like that.”

Andrea very nearly rolled her eyes.

“Sam wears hers shorter now too,” Tori said from behind them. “Not that it was ever really long. About like yours.” She paused. “It was like blond silk. And when she asked my opinion on getting it cut, I told her no way.” Tori smiled. “She cut it that same day.” She shrugged. “And I love it now.”

Andrea nodded. “Yeah. I think I’m going to get it cut.”

Cameron threw up her hands. “Whatever. Cut off your beautiful hair if you want to. It’s your hair.”

Tori laughed. “Yeah, I think that’s the line I used too.”

Andrea smiled and shook her head as she filled up her water bottles like the others were doing. Cameron had already scoped out the area and determined that they did not cross the river. Of course, that didn’t mean that they didn’t cross it later on.

They walked single file again, with Tori between them this time. Andrea knew Tori was worried about Sam, but she’d done a good job of hiding it. Even her bickering with Cameron had lessened. Or Cameron’s bickering with her. They were both strong-willed and thought they were right. Andrea had learned how to temper Cameron’s stubbornness. She wondered if Sam could control Tori with just a look too.

She tried to imagine what Sam Kennedy was like. Tori’s affection for her was deep, obviously. Andrea imagined her to be soft where Tori was hard. She imagined Sam was a people person, making up for Tori’s rather gruff demeanor. Of course, Tori’s behavior in this situation might not be anything like who she really was. Stressful situations usually exposed all sides of a person.

While their pace was quick, Cameron had to stop a few times to get her bearings. At one point, she lost the trail under a canopy of thick trees. They were walking on nothing but pine needles and nothing looked disturbed. Andrea and Tori waited while Cameron crisscrossed the area, finally finding a mark Sam must have left.

“Here.”

Andrea walked closer. It was but a small indention in the earth, and she wondered how Cameron had even spotted it.

“Are you sure?”

Cameron paused. “No. Son of a bitch,” she muttered. “Stay here. Both of you.”

Andrea nodded, and she looked at Tori who was watching Cameron intently. Cameron went back to where they’d lost the trail and backtracked a bit, then got back on it. She walked carefully, perhaps putting her feet where she thought Angel and Sam had walked. When she got to the bed of pine needles, she stopped.

“What’s she doing?” Tori whispered.

“Because of the ground cover, Angel might have used that as an opportunity to take a sharp turn,” she said. She looked at Tori. “She’ll find the trail. Don’t worry.”

Tori nodded, but her eyes remained glued to Cameron.

Cameron looked up. “Andi, come here.”

Andrea nodded and joined her.

“Keep on my mark.”

Andrea stood where Cameron had been, then watched as Cameron went left and right, ten spaces out, then back. She repeated this three times before she found their trail again. It was nearly twenty-five feet from where Andrea stood.

“Got it.” Cameron pointed to a broken tip on the limb of a young pine. “She’s doing good.”

Before they’d gone ten steps, however, a single gunshot—far off in the distance—broke the silence. She and Cameron exchanged glances.

Tori tilted her head. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah. It could be anyone.”

Andrea could see the panic in Tori’s eyes.

“It could be Sam,” Tori said as she headed up the hill.

Cameron grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“That could be Sam!” Tori yelled, yanking her arm out of Cameron’s grasp.

“It could be anybody,” Cameron said. “We stay on their trail.”

Before Tori could reply, another shot was heard. Tori flinched and Cameron grabbed her arm again.

“We’re still a couple of hours behind them, Hunter. You think we’re the only people out on this mountain? That could be anybody. We’ve got to stay focused.”

Andrea wished she could take solace in Cameron’s words. But she didn’t. And she knew Tori Hunter didn’t either. They were in the middle of nowhere, not close to a trail. The chances of that gunshot being from a third party was slight. She knew it. Cameron knew it. And most likely Tori knew it.

“Come on.”

Tori nodded but didn’t speak. Andrea noted her clenched jaw, the hands that were balled into fists. She could only imagine what she was thinking.

* * *

Sam shook her head. “I’m not sure that I can do it.”

“They taste like chicken, Sam.”

Sam looked at the two squirrels he held up by the tails. Cute, fuzzy little squirrels. She looked back at Angel skeptically.

“You ate the fish,” he reminded her.

“Yeah, fish. Not cute little squirrels.”

“Think of them as rodents then.”

She laughed. “Oh, yeah. That’s helping my appetite right there, Angel.”

“Well, there’s some more of that beef stew you like so much,” he said as he pulled out his knife. “I’m going to clean and skin them. You don’t have to eat them if you don’t want.”

“We’ll see.”

She went about gathering wood for their fire. There was still a little daylight left and she was surprised that he’d stopped already. Not that she was complaining. The last hour had them steadily climbing and her legs were like jelly.

She looked back from where they’d come. It was an endless sea of trees and brush, smatterings of rocks and open spaces. The stream they were camped at was little more than a spring. The water was cool and clear, but barely three feet wide. No chance for fish. But it would allow her to clean up even if it wasn’t wide or deep enough for a bath. Her gaze left the stream and slid to where Angel had gone downstream to clean the squirrels. She wasn’t sure what was the least appetizing—the horrid beef stew or the idea of eating a squirrel.