CAISEY SLAMMED INTO the back door but it didn’t open. Her mind blanked as dust and splinters of the cabin rained down like a blizzard. The sheriff was shooting at them. Her fingers flexed on the grip of her gun and she glanced back to see the sheriff kick the remnants of the door away and enter the cabin, but he didn’t see them. His feral eyes darted around as he wielded the shotgun over his head and then started smashing. The coffee table, the lamp. He pulled down the bookcase and kicked the couch over.
Gabe yanked the lock and they rushed outside where she shoved him sideways out of the line of sight. The sheriff yelled and cursed, his boots darting from one end of the wood floor to the other as he raced around. Another gun blast echoed through the clearing behind the cabin. Gabe ducked and yelped, his eyes wide.
Caisey didn’t move as she breathed…in…out. Feet solid, finger on the trigger ready to shoot a fellow cop. It was like the world slowed down. She could smell the needles that had settled in the clearing like a carpet. A dirty cop, even if it was just a smudge it didn’t much matter, he was still a cop. All she had was suspicion and no evidence. Except that he was trying to kill them.
Glass shattered.
“If he’s broken my computer I’m going to—” The shotgun went off again and they both flinched.
“Let’s move out. He hasn’t found us yet, he’s too busy doing damage. We should be able to get away.”
Together they ran for the trees, and Caisey angled right to head in a big circle back to her car. They needed to get off the mountain while the sheriff was busy destroying her dad’s cabin and Gabe’s stuff. All she needed to do was get to a public place where she could find Liam and get out of Buckshot, Colorado, the preferred home of crazies everywhere. Gabe could get on with his life and she could forget she ever thought coming here would be a good idea. The whole day had been unreal and this just capped it like a nightmare case that got thrown out in court.
An engine revved—less power and a throatier pitch than a car engine. She glanced back over her shoulder, but there were just trees. Still, the sound echoed through the clearing.
Gabe turned. “You are not serious.”
Caisey glanced at him, her gun angled toward the ground. “What is it?”
The engine was gunned and the sound grew louder as it neared the trees. Gabe had to shout over the sound. “He found the keys to my ATV. I’m going to kill him if he wrecks it. It’s brand new.”
Caisey grabbed his arm again and they ran between trees. She was practically pushing him along, one hand on the chords of his back. Over fallen tree trunks with no path to follow, they stumbled and ran. Keep Gabe safe. Get to safety through miles of forest she was unfamiliar with. Ignore how much her leg hurt.
Sweat on her forehead chilled in the mountain air. Gabe twisted to the right and she was forced to follow or abandon him and end up lost. “Where are you leading us?”
“Away from the crazy sheriff.” His breath was coming fast, just like hers. He wasn’t as bulky as Liam but leaner and more toned, apparently from drinking tea and eating soy turkey of all things. He hadn’t been a health nut years ago. Did he run too? It didn’t seem like they shared much else in common.
Quit getting distracted.
Caisey glanced around. “Head back to the car.”
“So he can shoot us? No way. We’re going to the river. We can follow it back into town.”
“You know I have a gun, right?”
“You wanna go back and shoot him? Be my guest. But I won’t stick around to get shot too.”
“You think he’s going to shoot me? I can take him out before he even gets in range.”
Gabe glanced back at her, his face twisted in a frown. “But he has a shotgun.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She hissed the words. “Now can we please stop giving away our position by shouting at each other?”
The ATV was gaining. Its engine screamed, climbing the hill behind them. She liked the idea of high ground and scanned the area for somewhere to set up a covered position. There was nothing around them but trees, though she heard water running nearby. Weren’t you always supposed to make for a river when you wanted to get out of the wilderness? That led you to a road, or something.
“We need to go east more.” His words wouldn’t penetrate. Was he still talking about the river?
The ATV engine revved. The trees broke and Gabe pulled up short in the clearing. Caisey bumped into him and his arms shot out to keep her from pushing them both forward—she looked around him—off a cliff?
“Are you kidding me?”
Caisey nearly pushed him over the edge, she was so mad. It was a dead end, which was what they were going to be in a minute. She couldn’t see the bottom, and still knew she wasn’t going over the edge. No way. This wasn’t it for her. It couldn’t be. She wouldn’t let—
The ATV emerged from the trees behind them. Caisey spun. Gabe’s hands settled on her waist and he pulled her close so he was tucked with his chest against her back. If she moved back at all, he’d be over the edge of the cliff.
This was crazy, but she kind of liked that what happened to one, happened to both of them. And there was no time to mull over how nice it felt, sort of right that they were stood like that. Destiny wasn’t going to matter much when they were dead.
Thanks a lot for leading us here, Gabe.
She looked down the length of her gun at the sheriff, finger on the trigger ready to squeeze. His hat was missing, hair mussed, and eyes wild. No shotgun.
“Did you kill Emma?” Caisey sucked in a breath. “Did you kill your niece?”
The ATV engine revved. The sheriff grinned. “Arturo’s plan is fine. Mine’s better.”
Gabe’s uncle?
Mud sprayed out the back as he gunned it forward. Caisey side-stepped to get out of his way, praying they could get clear of his aim. Gabe matched every step until they were practically running, but there wasn’t enough space to make a break. He was too close. The ATV angled toward them.
He was going to hit them.
They were going to go over.
She fired two shots into the sheriff’s coat at point blank range. The force jerked both her and Gabe back, but the ATV kept coming.
Gabe’s arms tightened and then they were falling.
**
Gabe hauled Caisey up by her underarms, climbed the bank of the river, and laid her on the grass. He sat beside her and hung his head, sucking in cold air to get his breath back. The weight of the river soaking his clothes made him want to sink into the earth. He was so tired.
Water rushed by them. The torrent had swept them downstream before Gabe could even gather his thoughts enough to grab Caisey and try to make it to shore. The struggle for land had drained the strength from his muscles so that he shivered, dripping onto the dirt.
Caisey hadn’t moved or even stirred. Had she swallowed water…or hit her head? She was breathing, but her skin was cold, as cold as he felt—like the water had cut through to his marrow. Gabe hauled her onto his lap, desperate for warmth. He ran his fingers over her head and brushed wet hair away. She was still out.
All around them were trees—the river and acres of pines that covered the mountains and stretched up on either side of the water like a giant ‘V’. Gabe held her in his arms and looked up at the blue sky while his muscles shook. The sun shone enough to warm his skin, but it wasn’t more than forty-five degrees. How long would they last out here, soaking wet?
The sheriff was dead. All he had to worry about was getting them out of there, as if that wasn’t enough by itself.
God, I don’t even know if I have the energy to walk.
He shifted her and got his feet under him. With Caisey draped in his arms, Gabe kept his focus on putting one foot in front of the other. And again. And again. So long as he followed the path by the river they would eventually get somewhere. They were alive. What more did they need? Well, probably medical attention and blankets. A latte would be nice, and a veggie burger.
A squirrel skittered through the undergrowth to his left and up a tree trunk. The sound was like the clatter of pans in a silent kitchen. Gabe blinked at the disturbance and started walking again. His head swam. Caisey needed to wake up. He wouldn’t be able to carry her much longer. Wouldn’t be…
Couldn’t…
He stumbled and went down on one knee. Pain shot up to his hip and he cried out. Caisey moaned, her head rolled, and she muttered something. The words smoothed from their jumble and she murmured about a blade. She shifted on his knee and started to push away from him. Gabe tightened his hold, but it only made her push harder until she was struggling to get free.
“Caisey, what?”
Her eyes flew open and she screamed. The sound echoed around the canyon until he thought she might set off a landslide. Gabe set her down fast—probably too fast—and scrambled away. She sucked in a breath and the screaming stopped.
Before she could start again, he lifted his hands. “It’s okay, you’re okay. Caisey, you’re fine.” He took a breath to get himself to stop talking.
Caisey reached for the holster on her hip but it was empty. Her eyes were still wide and bright, like she wasn’t thinking clearly. Well, neither was he. All he could think about was getting out of there.
“Caisey, it’s me. Gabe.” He crawled to her and reached out, but she flinched. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe.”
Her lip quivered and tears filled her eyes. Before Gabe could do anything, she took a deep breath and burst into sobs so fierce they shuddered through her. Once again he gathered her to him, stroked her back and tried to figure out what to say.
It took a while, but eventually she calmed down.
She rubbed her leg, as though massaging a knot in the muscle. Did she pull it?
“I-I shot…the sheriff.”
Gabe couldn’t help it. He had no idea why it was funny, but he started laughing. “But you didn’t shoot the deputy?”
“What?” She leaned back and looked up at him. “Why are you laughing at me?”
“It’s a song.”
She shoved his shoulder and scooted off his lap. “Is this really the time to start joking, when I’m upset? And…and I was being serious.”
She’d spoken so fast he couldn’t even process her words. “Why is your accent all weird?”
Caisey rolled her eyes and winced. “Ouch. I must have bumped my head.” She reached up and touched her temple. Apparently she wasn’t going to explain why she suddenly sounded British. It took him a moment for his brain to catch up, but he remembered about her Grams.
Gabe reached over and picked out the bit of leaf that was stuck in her hair. “I’m surprised you can be coherent, actually. Do you feel okay?”
“I’m soaking wet in the middle of nowhere and you’re asking me if I feel okay? Maybe you’re the one who hit your head.”
Gabe took a cleansing breath. “We should get moving if you think you’re up to it.”
Caisey wobbled to her feet. “Lead the way, my man. And I shall follow thee, wherever thou shall goest—”
She cleared her throat. “Sorry. I think my brain might be rebooting.”
He glanced over at her. She was still pale, which couldn’t be good when you were blushing. Gabe took her hand and they walked together along the bank of the river. “Headache?”
She scrunched up her nose, which he took to mean she did. He’d wanted her to stay in Buckshot longer so they could have more time together, but not this way. Now the sheriff was dead, Emma was still missing and they were miles from a phone.
Gabe scanned the steep ravine walls and tried to get his bearings. He needed to get them out of there, but had to admit that holding her hand was nice, even if her fingers were like ice. Walking by her was nice too, as was being the man who would get her back safely to her family.
It was a dream to want her to stay, but just for a little while he was content to pretend they were somewhere else. She was undoubtedly spoken for, but Gabe was going to give himself this gift before he had to watch her walk away. They could be anyone, or just a couple out hiking. Bound together by more than one date and seventeen years of nothing but the dream of a memory.
Caisey blinked up at the sky. “I’m hungry. What time is it?”