Another shout that indicated he was fine.
He was heading toward the hillside they’d avoided because it was too steep and likely to be unstable with the torrents of rain in the last two days.
She moved again, and this time when she peeked downslope, the mercenary had turned and was scanning the hillside for her.
He hadn’t forgotten her, and he’d clued in to Xavier’s ploy.
A pistol fired. This time, the shot was taken by Xavier, drawing the mercenary’s attention back to him, using one precious bullet.
She ran uphill. She couldn’t let that bullet be wasted. As she ran, she heard Xavier shout, this time the words aimed at her. “I love you. And Fig. Tell Fig.”
She ran without looking back. Her lungs burned, and her heavy pack felt like it could tip her backward and she’d tumble down the steep hillside.
She scrambled and climbed. There was forest between her and the mercenary now. Logs and trees and moss and branches that prevented her from being easily spotted as she clambered over and under.
She didn’t dare look back. She needed to disappear.
But her lungs burned, and she was getting dizzy.
She spotted a thick patch of ferns and branches and burrowed into it. She had to catch her breath, or she might pass out. A long interval passed before her heartbeat began to settle and her breathing was less ragged, vision less blurred.
She pulled out her binoculars and shifted in her fern hideaway, moving fronds to make a window to look downslope. It took a moment to spot the Russian, who was searching the lower slope where she’d been minutes ago.
Xavier’s voice was a distant shout. “You won’t find her. She’s long gone. It’s just you and me now.”
The merc’s gaze ran upslope, and she lowered the binocs lest he catch the shine of a lens—although that was unlikely given the gray weather and steady rain.
She looked again, and saw the man had turned. He must’ve accepted the truth of Xavier’s words and decided the bird in the hand was worth more than her in the bush.
And now it appeared he’d lost track of Xavier, who, she finally spotted, was now upslope of the mercenary. Only a tree between the two men prevented her SEAL from taking a shot.
He was okay. He had the high ground even.
This was going to work. He’d find her after he dealt with the merc and they’d finish the hike together.
She rose slowly, turning her back to both men. She had to keep going. A platoon of SEALs was counting on her to not screw this up.
More shots echoed through the forest, and her eyes burned even as she continued upward, moving more on hands and knees now, pulling herself upward and staying out of sight.
When she reached a small shelf, she saw it was a good place to rest and it had a good vantage point. The perfect place to wait for Xavier after he disposed of the mercenary. Again, they were difficult to spot between the trees, but at last, movement caught her eye, and she raised the binoculars and adjusted the focus.
They were fighting hand to hand now. Xavier must’ve used all his bullets and had managed to divest the mercenary of his pistol.
All at once, the mercenary took a tumble, falling down the steep slope. She watched him grapple for purchase as the ground beneath him gave way.
Satisfaction roared through her. If he kept sliding, he’d hit the steep hillside they’d skirted to avoid.
Xavier was home free.
But then she saw the mercenary grab something attached to his vest and throw it at Xavier even as he dropped out of her line of sight.
Xavier batted at the object, and it flew to his left, out of her view.
A heartbeat later, a loud boom split the air.
The binoculars remained fixed on Xavier. He stood tall, unaffected by the blast. Relief swamped her.
He was okay.
She rose to her feet. She would call out to him, he’d hike to her, and they’d finish their quest.
But before she could draw breath to shout, she heard a crack. Not a bullet, but still loud, like a tree branch but bigger. Far bigger. Like the roots of a tree upending.
And that’s exactly what it was. Only it was more than one tree.
She watched in horror as the line of trees below Xavier gave up their battle to cling to the saturated hillside. The soil turned to liquid. Moss, branches, plants all flowed downward, following the trees that cleared the way as they swept down the hillside.
The uppermost boundary of the slide was just below Xavier. She watched as the ground gave way beneath his feet, and he tumbled down the river of mud.