Read Online Carved in Stone by Kate Douglas - Free Book Online Page B

reminded her of tiny game pieces. Locating the campsite helped to get her bearings.
    The area directly below them was a small flat clearing about a quarter of a mile north of the spot where she and Nate had climbed yesterday. A small helicopter, the kind that always reminded Alex of a big dragonfly, squatted in the tiny clearing fairly close to the base of the cliff, almost directly below them.
    But this dragonfly didn’t belong here.
    Helicopters were forbidden in this designated primitive area. Roger had explained it to Alex, how he’d needed special permission to drop her so close to the campsite. Otherwise, she would have had to hike over ten miles—impossible with all her heavy equipment—or rely on pack animals to carry her gear.
    Because of the rushed nature of the assignment and the lack of available pack animals in the area, Roger had gotten permission for the flight.
    Alex doubted the chopper below had approval for anything.
    One man dressed in military camouflage leaned against the clear bubble canopy of the small craft. What looked like an assault rifle rested crosswise in his arms.
    A thinner man, roughly dressed and wearing a cowboy hat, stood nearby, partially hidden by an overhanging ledge. His voice echoed hollowly up the rock face, the words faintly distorted in the still air. He called to a third person, who immediately appeared carrying a large bundle wrapped in burlap. The third man handed the bundle to the man in the cowboy hat, who loaded it into the chopper. A second bundle followed, and a third.
    The man in camouflage began to pace around his craft.
    Suddenly he spun about. Raising the gun to his shoulder, he fired off a single shot at the face of the cliff. Startled by the loud report and ensuing echo, what looked like a small hawk screeched and flew out over the narrow valley. Maniacal laughter drowned out the creature’s frightened cry as the man took aim at the bird and fired again.
    Alex sucked in a sharp breath.
    The hawk kept flying.
    Nate clenched his hands into fists. Idiot! This part of the range was a protected peregrine falcon aerie—a breeding ground for the beautiful raptors. In fact, he’d had to wait until the nesting season ended before setting up this study and getting permission to climb in the same area where the birds laid their eggs and raised their young. He breathed a sigh of relief as the bird escaped.
    “Duke! What the hell are you doing?” The cowboy’s angry shout carried faintly up the cliff face.
    Nate strained to hear the answer.
    “You guys are taking too damned long to load the grass. I got bored.”
    “If you’re so damned bored, get your ass over here and help.”
    “I’ll do what I want. Now get outta my face.” Duke fired at the cliff once again, but instead of a single shot, this time a deafening stream of gunfire split the air.
    As the echoes faded, Nate turned to Alex. “Definitely an automatic weapon,” he said.
    A bullet pinged nearby, dislodging a small cascade of rocks and pebbles. Nate grabbed the back of Alex’s shirt and yanked, pulling her away from the edge of the cliff and out of the line of fire.
    She sat up well away from the rocky edge. Her eyes shimmered with excitement and an obvious rush of adrenaline. “What are we gonna do?”
    “Get the hell out of here,” Nate whispered, grabbing her arm and pulling her back once again. “There’s no cell phone coverage here at all. I wish I had the damned radio, but I left it at camp. We need to go back and call Roger.”
    “But they’ll get away. Shouldn’t we stop them?”
    “Us and what army? They’ve got automatic weapons and a helicopter. What do you wanna do? Hit ’em over their pointy little heads with your camera?”
    “I’ve got a better idea.”
    Shaking his head, Nate rolled back onto his belly and inched forward along the rough volcanic surface until he could see over the ledge again. He heard Alex digging through her pack behind him, then suddenly she was there,