Shadow Men – 17 – Rafe and Steele

Rather than go back down to where they'd left the car, Rafe and Steele worked their way up the steep slopes to the top. When they got there, they stopped so that Rafe could rest his leg. Steele looked back down toward the cabin, which was partially visible through the trees. "Damned good thing we came this way," he muttered.

Rafe checked it out and had to agree. Two vehicles were parked in the small valley. One, presumably, belonged to their recent hunters. The other stood empty as well. He saw a man in camouflage come out of the cabin. A second one followed moments later and after a brief consultation they split up. One headed around the cabin to the back while the other one walked rapidly toward the gorge.

"I suggest we move it," Steele said. "The Colonel's upped the ante. I recognize those two even from here and we do not want to mess with either of them. They make us look like babes in the woods."

"Then moving on might be a good idea." Rafe had no illusions about how expert he and Steele were. If Steele said those men were better he wasn't about to stand around and find out.

Several exhausting hours later they made it down to the foot of the mountain. Twice they'd heard the sound of a helicopter high above them and knew without a doubt it belonged to the Colonel. Rafe was now limping badly but refused to let Steele give him any help since he knew his partner wasn't in much better shape himself.

They collapsed under some towering trees that hid them from a narrow road just a few yards ahead of them. "Any clue exactly where we are?" Steele asked once they were leaning against one of the tree trunks.

"In Italy?" Rafe replied with a weak laugh.

"God, always the wiseass," Steele grumbled.

"Not always, just most of the time," Rafe admitted while he searched his backpack. Soon he held a military topographical map in his hand. He spread it out on the ground to study. "All right, here's Agnana Calabra. We left via this road." He traced it with one dirty fingernail. "Unless I'm way off base, or this map is, we turned here to get to the cabin. That should be the valley."

Steele leaned against his shoulder to look and wrinkled his nose. "We better find a safe place with a shower. You're in desperate need of one."

"Now who's the wiseass," Rafe grumbled although he agreed they both could use one. "Anyway, when we left the cabin we were headed this way then veered off here to the cave. That look about right?"

"Yeah. Then up and over, give or take here, and down. So we're approximately here—" he tapped the map, "—and if we are then Canolo is close enough we should make it there by late afternoon."

Rafe scrubbed a hand over his face. "If…"

"I know, it's by guess and by golly but we can't spend another night outside. That would be tempting fate in the worst way." Steele stood and reached for Rafe's hand to help him up. Rafe bit back a groan that caused Steele to wrap his arm tightly around his waist despite his immediate protest that he was fine. "The hell you are," Steele said firmly. "So stop trying to play the martyr."

Rafe bit back a reply and they began the slow trek toward Canolo.