Chapter 8 - The Approaching Hunters
The voice on the other end of the line was silent for a long moment.
Then, Arthur finally spoke through the heavy static.
"Elias, you have kicked a massive hornet's nest," Arthur said grimly.
"Nathan Whitmore is turning the entire state upside down looking for his wife."
"He filed a kidnapping report and labeled you as extremely dangerous."
Elias gripped the heavy plastic satellite phone tighter.
"You know it is all a lie to cover his tracks, Arthur," Elias replied.
"I have the offshore ledgers and the shell company data right here."
"It is enough to put Nathan away for the rest of his natural life."
Arthur sighed heavily on the other end of the secure connection.
"I believe you, Elias," Arthur assured him quietly.
"But moving you out of that forested region is going to be incredibly difficult."
"Nathan has paid off a lot of local authorities."
"We cannot trust the county police to protect you."
Mia stepped closer to Elias, wrapping her arms around herself to fight the mountain chill.
Lily stood quietly by the dusty glass window, looking out at the endless green trees.
"What is the plan, Arthur?" Elias demanded firmly.
"There is an abandoned crop-duster airstrip about ten miles north of your current position," Arthur instructed.
"I can have a federal tactical team and a helicopter waiting there by dawn."
"Can you make it to that location by first light?"
Elias looked directly at Mia, silently asking for her confirmation.
She gave him a brave, determined nod.
"We will be there," Elias confirmed into the phone.
"Be careful, Elias," Arthur warned before the line went completely dead.
Elias lowered the thick black antenna and packed the phone back into his bag.
He looked out over the vast expanse of the valley below them.
Suddenly, a bright flash of unnatural light caught his sharp eyes.
It was the distinct glare of sunlight reflecting off tempered glass.
The light came from a narrow dirt logging road leading toward the base of their ridge.
Elias grabbed a pair of small binoculars from his backpack.
He focused the lenses on the distant patch of moving light.
Three black SUVs were crawling slowly up the rugged mountain pass.
They were moving deliberately, fanning out in a tactical search grid.
Nathan’s security team had finally pinpointed the correct area.
"We need to leave this tower right now," Elias said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.
Mia saw the look of cold alarm instantly wash over his face.
She immediately picked up Lily and held the little girl tightly against her chest.
"Did they find us?" Mia asked, her heart suddenly pounding wildly.
"They are getting dangerously close," Elias answered, rushing toward the metal stairs.
"We cannot risk going back to the cabin for the car."
"We have to travel on foot and head straight for the extraction point."
The sun was beginning its slow descent into the horizon.
It cast long, ominous shadows across the dense forest floor.
The race against time and Nathan's heavily armed men had officially started.
They hurried down the groaning metal steps as fast as safety allowed.
Every snapping twig in the forest now felt like a direct threat to their lives.
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Elias took the lead, guiding them away from the visible trails.
They disappeared deep into the thick, protective brush, leaving the watchtower far behind.
