Bitter Wild by Jennie Leigh Page B

she pulled away and looked into Jesse’s eyes.
    “How
did you manage to get away from him?”
    He held
up a key ring. It was attached to a small pocket knife.
    “He
checked all my pockets, but he never thought about looking at my shoes.” He
gave Casey a tremulous smile. “I always tie it to the laces so I’ll never be
without a knife. You know, like you said. Anyway, he tied me to a tree last
night and I used it to cut the ropes.”
    Jack
gave the boy an admiring look. “That was smart thinking, son.”
    Jesse
shrugged. “I knew he’d kill me once he figured out that I’d led him into a
trap.”
    “So you
did tell him to take the ridge trail.”
    Jesse
nodded. “His map said there was a bridge. I told him it was right. It was late
when we started up the trail and I knew he’d never make it to the top before
nightfall. I cut my ropes and ran down the trail as fast as I could. I finally
got scared that he’d come back down and catch me so I decided to hide. I guess
I fell asleep.”
    Casey
reached out and smoothed his hair away from his face. “I’m proud of you,
Jesse.”
    Jack
watched the boy’s chest puff out. He smiled to himself, then turned to look up
the trail. Jester was up there somewhere, waiting for them. He turned back to
Casey.
    “Now
what?”
    She
looked up at him. “Now we go up there and find him.”
    Jack
shot the boy a quick look. Casey glanced down at him. “Jesse, I want you to
stay right here, okay. Don’t go anywhere.”
    He
frowned at her. “I can help.”
    Casey
shook her head. “No, I need to know you’re here, just in case something
happens. You’ll have to go get help.”
    Jack
realized she was giving the boy a sense of purpose as the kid nodded. “Okay,
Casey. You can count on me.”
    She
patted his shoulder, then turned to Jack.
    “Let’s
get this thing done.”
    They
got on their horses and continued up the trail. Jack never took his eyes off
the path in front of them. He kept expecting Jester to pop out at any moment.
Finally, Casey reined in her horse and dismounted. Jack did the same, moving to
tie his horse to a tree beside hers. Then he moved to her side. She glanced up
at him.
    “The
summit isn’t far, now. It only makes sense to go the rest of the way on foot.”
    Jack
nodded. “Okay, but I go first.”
    This
time she didn’t argue. He moved up the trail, scanning every tree and rock. He
realized quickly that the dog was actually the one taking point, though. It
stayed several years ahead of them. For once Jack was glad the beast was there.
It took almost an hour for them to reach the top. Jack didn’t dare go any
faster for fear of walking straight into an ambush. The trees gave way to open
rocks and Jack realized that neither Jester nor his horses were anywhere in
sight. He scrambled up the final rise and found himself standing only yards
away from a sheer cliff. He took in the bridge that spanned the ravine, then
turned to face Casey.
    “He’s
not here.”
    Casey
could see that much for herself. She also saw a number of other things. The
breeze that had been with them all morning was stronger up here. Off to the
west she could see that the clouds were getting thicker. She walked over to the
bridge, then turned around to search for any sign of Jester. Two horses didn’t
just disappear into thin air. She backed away from the edge of the cliff and
carefully made her way toward the tree line several yards away. She searched
the ground there for a few minutes, then came to an abrupt halt when she found
what she was looking for. She turned and called out to Jack.
    “I’ve
got something.”
    Jack
started to come to her, but she shook her head. “Stay there.”
    She
stayed with the trees as she worked her way back to the trail. Jack was waiting
for her when she finally reached it. She shook her head. “He’s gone. The fool
tried to follow the river.”
    Jack
frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “There
are two bridges across the river. This one and another