Acquiring Trouble

and Cade transportation.”
    “I don’t get it.”
    “You will s oon. I just need to splint my ankle and then we’ ll be ready to move.” Miles took the crowbar and placed it along his leg . H e secured it as tight as he could against the side of his leg and ankle using medical tape.
    “Captain! You’re bleeding again.” Mariah pointed to his side where the gunshot wound had gone through him in w hat seemed like a lifetime ago.
    “It’s not bad. We need to get moving.” Miles grabbed Cade and awkwardly carried him to the mat. Laying him down he pulled the two end s of the ce nter seatbelt over Cade, clicked them together , and pulled tight , securing Cade to the mat.
    “Oh. But, how am I going to fit? There are no more seat belts .” Maria asked as she tried to help him get her to the mat.
    “Sorry, but you’re just going to have to hold on. Can you do that?”
    “Yes, but do you really think you can drag us all the way to civilization?”
    “I don’t need civilization, I just need a horse.” Miles helped Mariah down onto the mat and pulled out his satellite phone. Dammit. It was junk now. There was no other option. He had to get them to their rendezvous point by himself. Miles put each piece of rope over his shoulders and star ted down the mountain.
     
    It had been the longest two hours of his life. He knew he had barely covered four miles when off in the distance he saw a river running through the valley. Hope soared. Where there was water, there was civilization.
    Sure enough before he even made it to the grassy banks he saw a boy leading two trail horses. “Mariah, stay he re and don’t make a sound. I’m getting us some better transportation.”
    He spent every a fg h ani he had to buy those horses and send the boy on his way with the story that the horses spooked and got away . He also negotiated three - minutes use of the kid’s cell phone. He took the horses up the mountainside and stopped them where Mariah and Cade were hiding behind a jagged rock.
    “You and I will ride this one and I’ll put Cade on the other. The rendezvous point had been moved. We just need to get to the other side of the border. It’ll take about two hours so hang on, we gotta move fast. ”
    “Let’s go , cowboy.” Mariah grabbed a hold of his neck as he lifted her onto the horse. Miles tied Cade to the other horse with the rope and then mounted behind Mariah. The boy had told them they were around fifteen miles from the border. The terrain was flat in most parts, but they’d hit some rocky patches too, so they’d have to alternate between trotting and wa lking the horses.
     
    Miles’ ankle throbbed as he kept a tight grip on both Mariah and the reigns. She had grown very pale the last couple of miles. They were so close now, but the rebels had to be expecting them to be heading toward the border, unless they thought they were dead. B ut Miles doubted that. He was sure they would’ve found the car by now and followed the very clear trail that was left when he was dragging Mariah and Cade.
    Up ahead he saw the marker for the border. He urged the horses into a gallop and kept an eye on the sky. The helicopter should be here any minute. He looked at his watch and felt a rush of adrenaline come over him. Four minutes until Bravo team arrived. He had never felt such relief as when he crossed over the border and into Tajikistan. His destination point was one mile in and he would be there right as the helicopter arrived. 
    Miles pushed the horses into a gallop as he heard the sound of the helicopter blades off in the distance. But his excitement died in an instant. He heard rebels yelling behind him. He turned and saw at least twenty men on horseback ch arging at him and closing fast.
    Gunfire rang out as they fired at them. Mariah started praying as she held on for dear life. Miles unholstered his gun from his thigh and returned fire blindly over his shoulder as he urged their mounts forward.
    Suddenly his horse screamed out and stumbled. He tried to urge the horse on, but it was useless, the horse was going to collapse and they’d be trapped when the animal fell on them. Pulling the hors e to an immediate stop he jumped off, momen tarily going blind as the white- hot pain shot through his leg when he hit the ground. He caught Mariah as the horse went down.
    “Get on Cade’s horse and ride as fast as you can while I hold them off!” He heaved her up and then handed her the rope used to guide the horse.