“Run!” Reed pushed her forward. Emma ran, doing her best to keep Austin’s dark, shifting form in sight. Her feet pounded against the forest floor. Sadie appeared at Emma’s side, keeping pace.
A gunshot rang out. Dirt sprayed, pebbles hitting against her jeans. She urged more power into her legs.
Lord, please, keep us safe.
The dark cave beckoned, and Emma flew into its embrace. Chest heaving, she turned in time to see Reed join them. He dropped her backpack on the cave floor. Sadie crowded next to Emma, seeking comfort. Reed and Austin both pulled their weapons.
“I want my daughter!” The voice carried across the forest. Molly’s face paled, and she shook.
Emma put her arms around the girl. “Your dad?”
She nodded, tears streaming down her face. “I tried to tell him I couldn’t go with him but he wouldn’t listen. We had an argument, and he pushed me. I fell down the hill.” Molly gripped Emma’s arms. “Please don’t let them shoot him. My dad does drugs and—”
“It’s going to be okay.” She couldn’t do anything about the shooter outside, but she could comfort a frightened child. Molly was only eleven years old. Smart enough to understand the bad decisions her father had made, too young to emotionally cope with the consequences.
Reed and Austin were talking quickly. Making a plan, maybe? Austin again tried to radio in.
Emma moved Sadie next to Molly. “This is my dog. She’s pretty scared, too. Hold on to her.”
Molly dipped her hands into Sadie’s soft fur and a sob rose in her throat. Emma fished out an emergency blanket from her backpack and tucked it around the young girl.
Reed looked at his phone and shook his head. He and Austin shared a tense few words. Emma joined them, keeping her voice hushed. “What is it?”
“Austin’s radio was damaged, and mine isn’t getting through,” Reed said. “We also don’t have reception on our cells. We can’t call for help. Molly’s dad was shooting from the ridge but he’s on the move.”
Reed winced as he lifted his arm attempting to get some reception. Emma grabbed his elbow. “Are you hurt?”
“He took a bullet to the vest,” Austin said, without turning his head from where he was standing guard.
Emma’s mouth went dry as irrational fear gripped her. She ran her hands along Reed’s back. Her fingers brushed against the hole in his lightweight sheriff’s jacket.
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “I’m fine and—”
“And we’re sitting ducks,” Austin said. “Give me your radio. I’ll head for higher ground to see if I can get some reception and call for help.”
“I’ll go.”
“Not with your injury. The bulletproof vest saved your life, but we both know getting shot isn’t painless.” Austin put his hands on his hips. “You’re going to move slower than I will due to the bruising on your back.”
Reed’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Be careful.”
“Always.” Austin slipped out of the cave and disappeared into the shadows. The dark would help him stay unseen. It could also make it easier for someone else to sneak up on him.
Emma bit her lip and sent up another prayer for his safety.
“We need to move,” Reed said.
“Molly’s hurt. And so are you.”
“There isn’t a choice.” he whispered. “Vernon saw us go into the cave, and it’s the first place he’ll come looking. There’s no way out of here. Austin and I used to hike up here as kids. There’s another cave close by with an exit in the back. It’ll give us an escape route.”
Emma crouched down and fished the Taser out of her backpack. It wouldn’t help much in a gunfight, but it was something.
“Molly, I’m going to carry you over my shoulders,” Reed explained softly. “Please stay very quiet.”
The little girl nodded, and he lifted her into a fireman’s carry. His mouth hardened, the only indication the extra weight hurt his back. Holding Molly in that manner left his weapon hand free.
They eased into the dark forest. Cicadas sang. Sweat trailed down Emma’s back as she strained to listen for anything out of the ordinary. A branch snapped. She froze. Reed lifted a finger to his lips. The silence stretched out so long Emma wanted to scream from the weight of it.
Finally, Reed glanced at her and shook his head. He waved her forward. Together, they slipped into the next cave.
How long had Austin been gone? Ten minutes? If he wasn’t able to get reception, how long would it be before Reed’s men came looking for them? A thousand questions and possibilities rolled through Emma’s mind as she arranged the blanket back over Molly. Sadie took her position next to the little girl.
Reed disappeared into the back of the cave and returned. “The exit is clear. Right down that pathway.”
Gunfire erupted, breaking the stillness of the night. Austin shouted. There was the distinct sound of an object—or a person—crashing down the embankment.
Reed took a few steps forward toward the mouth of the cave. He stopped.
“Go,” Emma whispered. She lifted the Taser. “I’ve got this and Sadie for protection. Go help Austin.”
“No.”
“You can’t leave him out there by himself.” Emma wouldn’t forgive herself if they didn’t try to help. She was almost certain Reed wouldn’t either. “You’ve seen Sadie in action. You know she’s capable of taking someone down. I’m not defenseless, but Austin might be. Go!”
He looked past her to the dog and Molly huddled together. “Get farther into the cave, hide in the shadows.” Reed touched her cheek, his fingers as light as a butterfly wing. “Don’t come out no matter what you hear.”
Her throat tightened as the magnitude of his words sank into her skin with sharp claws. Only two hours ago, he’d been holding Lily. Now he was walking into a possible shoot-out with a criminal.
He turned and, on silent footsteps, slipped into the forest.
A breeze blew, whistling through the cave. Goose bumps rose on Emma’s arms. A sense of foreboding washed over her.
