called out, “What’s your name?”
“You can call me Ty.” He might have been smiling. It was hard to tell with the ski mask. “We didn’t expect Emily to have company.”
“I’m Sarah Bentley. I own the B and B and I’ve spent years fighting the oil companies.”
He came halfway across the clearing toward them. “Nice to meet you, Sarah.”
“Stop.” She held up her palm. “I mean it. Not one more step.”
“Fine.” He halted.
“I’m not on your side,” she said, “and I sure as hell didn’t come here to participate in any sort of vandalism.”
“Why are you here?”
“To warn you. There’s nothing to be gained by damaging property. Believe me, I’ve done everything possible to stop the drilling, but Hackman followed all the correct procedures. We can’t win this one. You should go home.”
“You’re not giving the orders.”
“I’d be happy to give you an in-depth explanation of my position. First, tell your friend to put his gun down.”
Ty glanced over his shoulder at the other three men, and then he looked back at her. “We’re going to do this my way. If you cooperate, nobody gets hurt.”
“Why would you want to hurt us?” Emily pulled her cell phone from her pocket and held the screen toward him. “Read the text. You invited us.”
Ty held out his hand. “Let me see that text.”
Dutifully, Emily walked toward him.
Sarah was more apprehensive. This felt like a trap. If Emily got too close to Ty, Sarah feared she would never see her friend again. Darting forward, she caught hold of Emily’s wrist above her glove and tugged. “We’re leaving.”
Emily balked. “I’m just going to—”
“Now,” Sarah said.
Ty came at them, moving fast. His arm shot out and he grabbed Emily’s other arm. With a hard yank, he wrenched her away from Sarah’s grasp, pulling so hard that Emily stumbled and fell to one knee. She let out a yelp.
Sarah didn’t have the physical strength to fight with Ty, much less to take on all four men. Their only chance was to run. She drew back her arm and took a swing. Using her heavy-duty metal flashlight, she whacked Ty below the elbow. “Let her go.”
“What the hell?”
Sarah hit him again. He could have fended her off, but Emily was struggling against him. As soon as he released her, Sarah and Emily dashed toward the trees at the edge of the clearing.
A blast of gunfire exploded in the still forest night. The sound rattled her, but she kept going, dragging Emily with her. Those were warning shots. A semiautomatic rifle wouldn’t miss at this distance.
“Stop,” Ty yelled. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Could have fooled me,” she muttered as she and Emily charged through the trees and found the trail. “No flashlights.”
“Right.”
This section wasn’t wide enough for them to go side by side. Sarah clutched Emily’s arm and guided her, managing a clumsy trot. “Stay close. I know this trail.”
From the clearing, she heard Ty crashing through the trees, yelling that he needed a flashlight. As soon as he had light, he’d locate the trail. When he did, he’d be able to run and catch up to them. They needed a different escape route.
Sarah dragged Emily to a full stop beside a granite boulder that bordered the steep side of the trail. She whispered, “We’re going over the edge.”
“Have you done this before?”
“Sure.” That climb had been in the summer in full daylight when she could carefully pick her way. “We can do this.”
“Show me how.”
“Get down on your butt.” She squatted beside the boulder. The cliff wasn’t vertical, but the angle was steep. Below this ledge was a wider area that descended to a winding creek. “Follow me.”
She dug her heels into the crusty snow, bracing herself so she could control her descent and not tumble head over heels. With her gloved hands, she grasped at rocks and clumps of frozen foliage. Emily followed.
Behind them, she heard more shouting and gunfire. The bursts from the semiautomatic were met with single shots. It sounded like a battle. She could only hope that whatever was happening at the clearing would provide enough of a distraction for her and Emily to get away.
Inching slowly and carefully, she was halfway down the hill when she heard a frantic gasp from Emily. “I’m slipping.”
There was no place for Sarah to go. She steadied herself and prepared for impact as Emily collided with her backside. Sarah couldn’t hold them both. Together, they careened the rest of the way down the incline and sprawled at the bottom.
“I’m sorry.” Emily’s voice was a whimper. “Are you okay?”
Sarah wiggled her arms and legs. No broken bones. Tomorrow, there would be bruises. “I’m fine.”
Huddled together at the bottom of the slope, they listened to shooting and yelling and a car engine starting. Emily stared up the hill. Even in the moonless night, Sarah could see the whites of her eyes and her fear.
“What’s happening?” Emily whispered.
“It sounds like they’re fighting somebody else. Maybe somebody from the oil company?” Sarah glanced at her. “We should call the sheriff. Do you have your cell phone?”
“I dropped it in the clearing.”
“Follow me. Try not to make noise.”
Though Sarah wanted to believe they were invisible at the foot of the cliff, she knew better. Anyone who knew about tracking would see the disturbance at the edge where they’d gone over. They needed to put more distance between themselves and the men in ski masks...or the men from the oil company. One was as bad as the other.
She picked her way through the forest. There were no marked paths in this area, but the trees thinned as they got closer to the creek. She paused to listen. “I don’t hear shooting.”
“Is that good?”
Either they’d left or they were spreading out in the forest to search. “I don’t know.”
Crouched beside a boulder, she looked back toward the ledge. In daylight, she would have had a clear view. She saw the beam of a flashlight and pointed. “They’re coming.”
Emily ducked down beside her. “What now?”
“Stay quiet.”
The flashlight beam bobbled along the path. When he passed the boulder where they made their desperate slide, her tension lessened. Maybe he wouldn’t notice their escape route. Maybe they’d be safe.
The beam scanned the forest. Though she knew the light wasn’t powerful enough to penetrate this darkness, she crouched lower, wishing she could disappear.
The light came back toward the granite boulder.
“Emily?” a deep, male voice called out. “Emily, are you out here? It’s Blake.”
Blake—the hulking, angry ranger—had come to their rescue. Sarah was so relieved that she almost burst into the “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Chapter Two
Blake Randall hadn’t expected to start his duties as best man by rescuing the bride and her very attractive maid of honor, but tonight’s action felt a lot more