Free Justified Means (Book One) (The Agency Files) by Chautona Havig

that he could. A true tracker wouldn’t be fooled for a moment, but the average Joe might glance, and seeing nothing blatant, allow his eyes to move along, missing the glaring clues of their presence.
    Just before he arrived at the mini clearing around the second cabin, Erika flung herself from the car and stumbled wildly through the trees. What Keith would have considered as a diversionary challenge the previous day, was nothing less than irritating today. He didn’t have time for this kind of cat and injured, hardly crawling, mouse game.
    It took l ess than a minute to catch her—the delay being that he didn’t feel like running. He simply walked to where she stumbled back and forth between the trees muttering about kidnapping, ransom, and the NSA, turned her around, and led her to the cabin. The door wasn’t locked, but considering no one could know the place was there without extensive exploring in just the right place, Keith didn’t expect to find anything off. Filthy, oh the place would be filthy, but not amiss. He’d miss the electricity most.
    While Erika slept off the rest of her drug-induced somnolence, Keith went to work. He hid her car, brought the food into the cabin, gathered as much water as he could, and jury-rigged a new shackle for her out of the handcuffs. That solved, he went to work on fighting the filth of an abandoned cabin.
    As he swept the single bedroom, he called Karen , hoping for news. Just as she told him the old cabin had been torched, he heard the screams of sirens as they wound their way up the hill. He hated this part. Keeping close to where you escaped always seemed scarier when the danger brushed past on its way home.
    “ Will you be dropping anything?” Karen assured him that a food and supply drop would arrive as soon as they could appropriate a fire helicopter, which prompted him to add, “Make sure you add an air mattress. There’s only one bed. Oh, and new sheets. I don’t have time to wash these before she wakes up.”
    “ We’re sending cheese, beef jerky, a solar battery, kerosene, and personal items for her. They’ll be in pink saran wrap.”
    “ Oh great. It’s that time again.”
    “ Just about.”
    He knew better than to ask, but Keith couldn ’t help but hope. “Are we any closer to nailing these guys?”
    “ If we were, would I be sitting here exchanging pleasantries? I won’t be coming back for a few weeks, though. Until we know how they found you, we’re not coming close.” She covered the phone and then seconds later, said goodbye. “Chopper’s moving out. I’m going to make sure they get the right place. See you in a few weeks.”
    “ Call me.”
    “ Keep your phone charged. Don’t waste that battery on curling irons for Miss Priss.”
    “ I can’t let her have a curling iron and you know it.”
    The noise of the helicopter made it difficult to hear, but Karen’s last words sent a new wave of dismay over him. “… and don’t let her call again. If somehow that’s how they found her—”
    The line went dead. He knew she was right, but he didn’t want to think about telling Erika. He also didn’t want to think of the long trek he’d have getting a letter from Erika to the nearest mailbox in the middle of the night. He also didn’t like the realization that it’d mean restraints while Erika slept.
    She stirred on the couch. He felt guilty for putting her on the filthy thing and made a mental note to request dustsheets for all unused safe houses. If she had been asthmatic, they’d have been in trouble. As if taunting him with concerns that didn’t even apply, the smoke in the air thickened somewhat. 
    In what felt like minutes but almost an hour later, h elicopter blades cut through the air. A glance at his watch showed that time had uncharacteristically flown. He glanced at her and decided to risk it. Once fully awake, she’d still have lingering effects. He’d be able to catch her even if she did run. He hurried outside and