Big Sky Showdown. Sharon Dunn

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СКАЧАТЬ Maybe he was part of Willis’s group but spent most of his time away from the main base and had no idea about Zane and Heather being hunted by the others. An operation like this required daily attention. From the size of the plants, they’d been up here for a while. With the limited number of people who came up here outside of hunting season, Willis might have been here through the spring and summer.

      “I guess they’re not likely to get caught this far away from everyone.” Heather scooted in behind him and closed the tiny door.

      “Right.” The more he thought about it, the more certain Zane was that no one besides Willis and his little army would be this far up. The little farm had to be Willis’s. Willis had always been against the consumption of drugs and alcohol, but he wasn’t above selling it to others to make money. This was a larger crop than Zane would have expected, though. What exactly was Willis up to anyway? What was he trying to finance?

      Once hunting season started in a few weeks, Willis ran the risk of being spotted, so it must be something that would happen soon.

      Zane shone his flashlight around, spotting a pamphlet that was authored by Willis. Any doubt that this operation was his fell away. Zane noticed a water container. He lifted it and handed it first to Heather. She took several gulps of water as he skirted around the dirt floor to see what else he could find. He came up with a blanket neatly folded and a heavy-duty sleeping bag on a mat.

      “There’s a little stove here and some canned goods.” He heard Heather’s voice but couldn’t see her through the foliage.

      When he studied the roof, it looked like there was some sort of solar panel set up to keep the place warm. Whoever tended the plants must stay here for extended periods. No doubt he would be back. But hopefully not before Zane and Heather had a chance to take refuge for a little while.

      He worked his way over to where Heather had already fired up the little propane stove and was opening a can of beans.

      He patted the protein bars in his pocket, grateful he could save them for later. “Let’s eat and get out of here. I’m sure someone checks these on a regular basis. The ‘farmer’ might be the guy we saw a few minutes ago, just out for a brief walk.”

      Heather poured the beans into the metal tin and placed it on the gas flame.

      He felt a sense of urgency. “Maybe we should eat the beans cold.”

      She cut the flame. “There’s only one spoon.”

      “You first,” he said.

      She took four quick bites and then handed him the can. He’d finished his third bite when he heard the roar of the ATVs raging down the hill toward them. So much for rest and food. They’d been found again. Time to run.

      * * *

      Bright lights glaring through the clear plastic nearly paralyzed Heather. Zane clicked off the flashlight. She heard him scrambling toward the door. It took her a moment before her brain kicked into gear, and she followed behind him, slipping through the tiny opening and out into the dark night.

      The ATVs loomed down the hill toward them, the engine noises sounding like hungry monsters gnashing their teeth. Her limbs felt heavy and muscles cried out with fatigue from having run so much.

      Zane grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the shelter of the trees. The ATV noise fell away by half, indicating some of their pursuers must have stopped to examine the greenhouse. She kept her eyes on the back of Zane’s head as they fled. They ran until the noise died down to a single ATV and then fell away altogether.

      When the silence of the forest surrounded them once again, they ran and rested and ran some more until the sun peeked up over the mountains. Early-morning light washed everything with a warm glow, and she felt her strength returning.

      They stopped only briefly to eat the protein bars Zane had gotten from Clarence’s saddlebag.

      It seemed to her that they’d been running in circles, but she knew Zane was smarter than that, and knew the area well enough to be choosing their direction carefully. He must be trying to figure out a safe way to get down off the mountain, back to the river and back to Fort Madison.

      The landscape opened up to flat meadow that was partially covered in snow. She shaded her eyes from the glare. In the distance, she spotted a red and blue object that looked out of place.

      She ran toward it. As she drew closer, more colors became evident. It was a backpack. She knelt down.

      The backpack was empty. Another hiker who had been robbed maybe?

      Zane knelt beside her. He bolted to his feet and glanced around.

      Heather stood up, too, studying the partially snowy landscape. She spotted a yellow object attached to the branch of a tree and ran toward it. She pulled the fabric free of the branches, her chest tightening. The fabric was from a man’s bandanna.

      She glanced up just as Zane disappeared into another part of the forest. Her feet pounded the earth as she followed after him, stepping through patches of crunchy snow and into the trees. The canopy of evergreens cut the light by half as she stepped deeper into the forest. Her breath caught when she glanced down at the ground. Dribbles and several huge circles of dried blood spotted the snow.

      Her chest felt like it was in a vice. She tried to tell herself that the blood could be from an animal—but there had been no sign of teeth or claw marks on the belongings they’d spotted. The backpack and bandanna looked like they’d been discarded by human hands.

      Zane burst through the trees. His expression was like none she’d ever witnessed before. Eyebrows knit in anguish, his skin the color of rice. Eyes filled with fear. He glanced over his shoulder and then back at her.

      “What is it?” She stepped toward where he’d looked.

      He grabbed her arm at the elbow. “You don’t need to see this.”

      She pulled away, not able to let go of the idea that she had to know what was going on in these mountains. She darted toward where Zane had come from.

      She found the man’s body propped up against the tree. The body had not started to decompose, so he must have been here a short time. The bloodstain on his chest revealed that he had been stabbed.

      Light-headed, she whirled away, slamming into Zane’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her away from the gruesome sight.

      Her mind reeled. Murderers. She’d been so focused on running for her life that reality hadn’t sunk in until she saw the dead man. They were trapped on this mountain with bloodthirsty killers.

      She rested for a moment in the security of Zane’s arms, trying to calm herself. But her mind raced at a thousand miles an hour. She fought to get a deep breath.

      She could barely get the words out. “What happened...there? Did they kill him so they could get his stuff?” She pulled away from him, then paced back and forth gripping her somersaulting stomach. “Do they have so little regard for life?”

      He stepped toward her. “Calm down.”

      “Calm down?” Her words splintered as they spilled from her lips. Her legs felt like were made of rubber. She’d only come up here to spread her father’s ashes. How had things gotten to this point СКАЧАТЬ