Chapter 1
You could see it in his eyes. The look was different. The fear departed the grey-blue eyes, darkening with a depth of determination. The cold of the gnarled maple tree against his back added to his growing security. After all, this was his forest. He knew it well and even as random tendrils of moonlight sifted down through the distorted, moss-covered branches giving the grove of ancient maples an eerie ambience, he felt safety. With renewed courage and a subtle motion, he turned. His face slid against the rough-grained bark until his eyes looked back into the meadow he had crossed in a run, just moments before.
Even though Nolan Harrison’s face was half-hidden by the wide trunk of the tree, one could not mistake the boyish good looks, giving him an appearance younger than his 28 years. The high cheekbones and full eyebrows usually brought people’s attention to his eyes now sparkling with reflected light as a lone, wandering, night cloud passed from under the half-moon.
Nolan caught the faint movement across the brush covered meadow. The first of the three intruders who stalked him, stepped into a bramble of ferns. With just his face visible above the wide leaves, he panned slowly from left to right across the thicket of maples Nolan was nestled in. Nolan spun back behind the tree with a sudden realization. Just as he could see the moonlit face of the intruder, they would be able to see his fair-colored skin if he was not careful. Silently, he slid further into the shadows.
Ever since he was a boy, Nolan had been enthralled by the forest and nature in general. Fittingly, destined circumstances finally brought him to the Olympic forest in Washington State where he was stationed for the past 18 months. Momentarily, his memory shot back to his previous life in the city and how a failed marriage brought him to this remote, serene location. It reminded him how life has its twists and turns and even the worst of situations very often ends as destined with a bright ending. Most often, if you are patient, you will realize there is a reason things happen in the manner they do.
A gust of cool wind brought Nolan’s thoughts back to the present. His hand reached down to the forest floor and pushed aside the fungus growing at the base of the tree. Digging his fingers into the cool, moisture laden soil, he pulled a handful up and coated his face with a thin layer of the dark mud. His light brown hair, cropped short at the sides, but falling past his collar at the back, completed his stealthy appearance.
He turned and slid his face around the tree to look at those who hunted him. His face merged with the bark and with the dark green, denim shirt he was wearing. He was now as one with his forest. His lanky, six-foot frame camouflaged into the branches and his movements blended with the moss as it swayed with a regal splendor, enticed to and fro by the wind that came from the sea coast – some thirty miles to the west.
Barely opening his mouth he muttered, “Everything happens for a reason. Shit. So why are these three men after me?”
His knuckles turned white as he pressed them into the tree. He needed the stab of pain to keep his mind focused on the three strangers who arrived earlier in the evening – the three men who killed his partner John. The knuckles pushed even harder. There was no time. The grieving would have to come later. Right now, his mind needed to stay focused, else he would be joining John under the shadow of death.
His mind recounted what he knew of the three intruders who stormed into his forest station house just hours ago as the early evening sun was setting. The rugged clothes they wore appeared normal enough for the remote terrain of the mountains. They all wore similar hiking boots, long, dark pants and cotton shirts. Each wore a different non-descript color that would keep them from getting too much notice. They also wore thin leather jackets – although the leather did not appear to be a type he had seen before, having a wider grain to it. That, along with a slight accent to their words which was hard to place, gave Nolan a feeling this was not where these people belonged.
All three men were shorter in stature. One had long hair that was heavily thinning across the top of his head. The other’s hair was lighter colored with a distinct military cut. The third man, who seemed to be the leader, had black, gangly, unkempt hair.
The leader was still kneeling behind the tall ferns, considering the meadow, some 50 yards across. Methodically, his eyes panned from under the crop of black hair, across the moonlit meadow, taking in every section of the fern and brush-covered ground. His head stopped moving side to side as he noticed the plants beaten down in a thin path from his position to the trees ringing the far side of the meadow. Moving his left arm, pointing once to the left, then once to the right, he gave silent directions.
Squinting into the dark background, Nolan saw two dark figures raise and with careful steps, move in the two directions the leader indicated. Their footfalls left light crackles as they tread first through the low scrub and then disappeared into the trees ringing the meadow. Nolan knew it would take some time for either of the two men to flank him. Having always been a good observer, his senses told him he would have to be careful. From the hand signals and the flanking movement, he determined the men had military training. Fortunately, he also saw by their hesitation, they were not very comfortable in the forest – his forest. He was confident he had the advantage. The three intruders were coming into his world where he had the experience. They did not know it yet, but these hunters had just become the hunted.
