The sharp peal of a woman’s scream tore through the air. An avalanche of leaves and branches blew into view along the eastern horizon where the sun had already dipped behind the mountain.
Blake moved doggedly eastward, toward the place where the leaves had rushed like a scarlet waterfall. Marissa’s scream echoed in his heart and head. Why hadn’t she made another sound? Was she unconscious? Was she dead? Did she fall or was she pushed? Rocks pressed against the soles of his boots, forcing gruesome images of Marissa into his mind. If she’d fallen as far as those leaves had tumbled, only to land on a pile of stones...
He forced himself to stop when the mound of earth and leaves came into view. Blake watched the perimeter for movement before inching forward to seek the pile’s core.
Empty.
The setting sun cast shades of red and gold through the storm clouds giving the world a suddenly sinister appearance. He was thankful not to believe in omens. A small line in the earth caught his eye and he followed it steadily toward a rocky cliff ahead. The mark was consistent and deliberate, like someone dragging a broken limb or foot. He stepped cautiously over the leaf-covered ground, careful not to lose the trail or step headlong into Nash’s trap.
Several feet farther, the mark stopped abruptly before a large oval stone. A thin sheet of moss drew him closer. Marissa had specifically mentioned the moss. The moss is gorgeous near the caves’ mouths.
Blake moved stealthily toward the rock, senses peeled and muscles tensed to spring. The cave’s mouth came into view seconds later, darkened by shadow and nearly invisible in the hillside. A mass of fallen rocks guarded the way.
He turned his back to the hill and eased forward, listening for footfalls, ragged breaths or any other sign that this was a trap. The hairs on the back of his neck stretched to attention as a long willowy shadow moved over the ground.
A feral grunt erupted, and Blake dropped back on instinct. Clay-scented wind rushed over his face. A thick, gnarled limb cut the air with a whoosh, missing his head by an inch.
He pressed off the ground in a flash, lunging for the shadow with his arms wide. His shoulder connected with the soft and narrow center of his attacker.
Marissa squeaked as air pushed from her core, and Blake’s arms wound around her on instinct to cushion their collision with a cave wall. A massive branch clattered at their feet.
Joy filled his chest and lightened his heart. She wasn’t dead, and Nash didn’t have her. He cradled her to him as fat tears fell over her red cheeks. She sobbed into his shirt, and the moment of happiness was quickly replaced with fear. Her skin was like ice, covered in gooseflesh and red from the beating rain. “You’re freezing.” He stepped back and unzipped his jacket.
She teetered against the wall, balanced precariously on one foot.
“You’re hurt.” He squatted for a better look at her right leg. Blood had soaked through the material of her pants, down to her sock and into the top of her shoe.
Marissa gripped his shoulders and pulled him upright. “It’s fine.” Her teeth chattered. “Nothing’s broken. My ankle is twisted. I can’t put weight on it, and my shin is banged up from the fall. Something cut into my leg when I landed in the pile. My right calf is scratched pretty bad, but I’ll live.” She looked into his eyes with the saddest smile he’d ever seen. Another attempt to be strong and compartmentalize the horrors, he guessed. “Let’s get out of here.”
Blake helped her into his wet jacket and hugged her tight, willing his warmth over her. “It’s not much, but it’s dryer than you.”
She zipped the offering up to her neck with trembling fingers. The chattering of her teeth increased, and her lips seemed to grow whiter. “I saw the fires on the news. Nash did that.”
“I know.” Blake rubbed his palms over her thin arms, hoping to create some heat from friction. “Smart girl.”
“No,” she sniffled. “No. I opened the door to invite the deputy inside, but Nash was already there. He forced his way inside. I fought back, but I had nowhere to go.”
“It’s okay. You got away again. That’s all that matters.” And getting her off this mountain. Blake assessed the cave for bats and bears. He couldn’t see either, but he didn’t want to stick around and press his luck. Marissa needed medical attention. “Is Nash hurt? Was he with you when you fell?”
“Yes, but I don’t know if he was hurt.” Marissa curled in on herself, measuring her breaths and breathing puffs of steam into the frigid air. “He’s got a hunting jacket on. It’s baggy and falls past his hips. I couldn’t see any wounds. He might’ve been a little slower today.” The inflection in her voice indicated further that she really wasn’t sure. She was traumatized. Frightened and bleeding. “But he’s mad,” she whispered, “really mad.”
“Okay.” Time to go. “Help’s on the way. We just need to hold down the fort.” A small smile formed on his mouth. “I told West you’d be hiding in a cave.” This woman was so much more than he could ask for. He needed to get her home safely so he could tell her exactly how true that was.
She wobbled for balance on her good leg. “I was in the larger cave about fifty yards up but I blew it,” Marissa said. “I heard West’s voice coming from a radio, and I thought you were right outside. I ran straight into Nash.”
Blake hugged her closer. “He took the deputy’s radio.”
Marissa nodded.
“That’s when I fell over the hill,” she said. “He got a hold on me, and I did everything I could to shake him loose. He tried to hang on, but I went over the mountain. I figured the fall was the lesser of two evils,
