give.
Especially not to a man who carried a gun and would return to his concrete jungle as soon as possible. She would help Lucky get safely off her mountain and out of her life. That would be the end of it.
She sighed. Damn, but the man knew how to make a woman hum. Forget everything. Even Michael—for a few hours, at least.
A squirrel chattered nearby, and Vinnie came to her senses. Forgetting for one night was fine. Now it was daylight again, and there were men out there trying to kill them. She needed to keep her wits about her.
“There’s an overlook up ahead. We can see back down the trail.”
“Right. Wouldn’t want to miss the scenic view. Gee, not like all this white stuff doesn’t look the same.”
He cursed as he trudged behind her, following in her footsteps. She slowed her pace, took pity on him. The man had been shot, after all.
They reached the outcropping of boulders overlooking the gorge just as the sun peeked above the mountain range to the east. The valley below was blanketed in mist, the bank of dark storm clouds to the west a growing threat.
Vinnie sat and drank from her water bottle. The trees were silhouetted in brilliant purple light as the mountains in the distance slowly gained definition. Not far from this spot was where she’d first met Michael.
Strange how the memory didn’t hurt as much as it usually did. Instead of hitting her unawares, slapping at her, today thoughts of Michael seemed distant and remote, hidden behind a veil.
Lucky caught up with her and sagged down against the boulders, gulping down water.
“Nice,” he allowed when he raised his head to peer into the gorge. He quickly pulled his head back, a turtle retreating into its shell.
“You don’t get this in your cities.”
He was silent, looking out over the gorge with wide eyes. City boy, she thought, why did he think it was called Lost River?
“Yes, it’s down there, you just can’t see it for the trees and the steep drop,” she answered his unspoken question as she grabbed her binoculars and scanned back over their trail.
There was a definite column of dark smoke back to the southeast. “I think your booby trap worked,” she said, pointing to the smoke in the distance.
“Bet that got someone’s attention,” he said. “Sorry about your car.”
“It was just a tin box on wheels.” It was amazing how so many things she once thought important suddenly didn’t matter.
“I’ve been thinking,” he began in a solemn tone.
“I was afraid of that,” she said, focusing on a red-tailed hawk with her binoculars.
“One of us has to get off the mountain with this information. After we cross the bridge, I think we should split up. I’ll head to your cabin. You go the long way around, across the ridge top. You can move faster than I can and they won’t be expecting anyone to go that way, on the map it looks virtually impassable.” He paused, and she felt his eyes on her. “You could make it, right?”
She shook her head. The man was transparent. Using her pride to force her to make a choice, the choice he wanted her to make. “I could. But I’m not.”
“I should have taken a chance with that road block. It’s my fault we’re stuck here on this damn mountain!” His voice echoed through the woods around them.
Vinnie raised her hand. “Hush.”
The woods grew ominously silent. She stood on the edge of the ledge and made a quick reconnoiter with her binoculars. In the far distance she could see a line of headlights moving through the morning mist at the base of the mountain. Then a vibration jarred through her, unnatural and foreign to these mountains.
Suddenly her view through the binoculars was filled with a sinister appearing black helicopter. Several armed men were visible through the open doors of the cargo bay.
“Back, into the trees!”
Despite his injury, Lucky was quick to react, tugging at her pack as he scrambled backward into the scrub pines, the closest
Especially not to a man who carried a gun and would return to his concrete jungle as soon as possible. She would help Lucky get safely off her mountain and out of her life. That would be the end of it.
She sighed. Damn, but the man knew how to make a woman hum. Forget everything. Even Michael—for a few hours, at least.
A squirrel chattered nearby, and Vinnie came to her senses. Forgetting for one night was fine. Now it was daylight again, and there were men out there trying to kill them. She needed to keep her wits about her.
“There’s an overlook up ahead. We can see back down the trail.”
“Right. Wouldn’t want to miss the scenic view. Gee, not like all this white stuff doesn’t look the same.”
He cursed as he trudged behind her, following in her footsteps. She slowed her pace, took pity on him. The man had been shot, after all.
They reached the outcropping of boulders overlooking the gorge just as the sun peeked above the mountain range to the east. The valley below was blanketed in mist, the bank of dark storm clouds to the west a growing threat.
Vinnie sat and drank from her water bottle. The trees were silhouetted in brilliant purple light as the mountains in the distance slowly gained definition. Not far from this spot was where she’d first met Michael.
Strange how the memory didn’t hurt as much as it usually did. Instead of hitting her unawares, slapping at her, today thoughts of Michael seemed distant and remote, hidden behind a veil.
Lucky caught up with her and sagged down against the boulders, gulping down water.
“Nice,” he allowed when he raised his head to peer into the gorge. He quickly pulled his head back, a turtle retreating into its shell.
“You don’t get this in your cities.”
He was silent, looking out over the gorge with wide eyes. City boy, she thought, why did he think it was called Lost River?
“Yes, it’s down there, you just can’t see it for the trees and the steep drop,” she answered his unspoken question as she grabbed her binoculars and scanned back over their trail.
There was a definite column of dark smoke back to the southeast. “I think your booby trap worked,” she said, pointing to the smoke in the distance.
“Bet that got someone’s attention,” he said. “Sorry about your car.”
“It was just a tin box on wheels.” It was amazing how so many things she once thought important suddenly didn’t matter.
“I’ve been thinking,” he began in a solemn tone.
“I was afraid of that,” she said, focusing on a red-tailed hawk with her binoculars.
“One of us has to get off the mountain with this information. After we cross the bridge, I think we should split up. I’ll head to your cabin. You go the long way around, across the ridge top. You can move faster than I can and they won’t be expecting anyone to go that way, on the map it looks virtually impassable.” He paused, and she felt his eyes on her. “You could make it, right?”
She shook her head. The man was transparent. Using her pride to force her to make a choice, the choice he wanted her to make. “I could. But I’m not.”
“I should have taken a chance with that road block. It’s my fault we’re stuck here on this damn mountain!” His voice echoed through the woods around them.
Vinnie raised her hand. “Hush.”
The woods grew ominously silent. She stood on the edge of the ledge and made a quick reconnoiter with her binoculars. In the far distance she could see a line of headlights moving through the morning mist at the base of the mountain. Then a vibration jarred through her, unnatural and foreign to these mountains.
Suddenly her view through the binoculars was filled with a sinister appearing black helicopter. Several armed men were visible through the open doors of the cargo bay.
“Back, into the trees!”
Despite his injury, Lucky was quick to react, tugging at her pack as he scrambled backward into the scrub pines, the closest
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