False Security

Don’t even flinch.

But she couldn’t hear the thoughts he willed at her.

He saw now what must have drawn the shooter’s attention—the small bush near the fir under which she’d taken cover shook. That shaking bush gave away her location.

What are you doing, Olivia? You can’t afford to move right now.

This wasn’t working. Zach could no longer stay where he was and wait it out. The guy would shoot and kill Olivia. He simply waited for his shot. Zach would need to draw the man’s attention to himself. But he didn’t have a good shot from this position.

He would fire his weapon anyway. That should do the trick.

He sucked in a couple of breaths and got ready to run. It was a risk, but one he was willing to take for her.

Standing, he pushed from the tree and fired rounds as he ran toward where the shooter waited.

A bullet grazed Zach’s jacket, slicing deep enough to cut across his skin. He dropped to the ground and crawled forward to a tree.

Another rifle shot rang out.

Olivia screamed.

FIVE (#uc1d17cac-c789-57ee-a5b9-b951a9064ecc)

She screamed again.

And wanted to keep on screaming.

She couldn’t take much more of this.

She’d run from her hiding place when she’d seen Zach make his own move from the tree, firing his weapon. For her part, she’d been trying to draw the shooter away from him when she’d noticed the man taking aim at Zach. She simply couldn’t let that happen. She could see the shooter from where she’d been hiding, but apparently Zach couldn’t see him while he tried for the other one.

Olivia didn’t have a firearm so she only had one option.

Draw the shooter’s attention away from Zach.

By moving the bushes, she’d given herself away. It had been a risk she’d been willing to take in order to give Zach a chance. Besides, if the shooter had taken him out, then Olivia would be left with no way to defend herself.

That gave her an idea.

Since she needed a weapon, she could take the downed shooter’s rifle with the scope, along with any other weapons he had.

Olivia had been the one to run after the hunters in the first place. Her rash decision had caused this trouble. She’d gotten her and Zach into this. She would get them out, despite her promise to Zach to remain in that one spot. At the time, it made sense. But no longer.