CHAPTER THIRTY
David nodded at Emma. “Go, baby.” When Emma broke into a stumbling run, he fell into step behind her to block a cheap shot by one of the so-called hunters jeering and laughing at them. Once he and Emma were out of the deadly duo’s direct line of sight, David caught up with Emma. “Wait.”
She skidded to a stop. “We have to keep going. Those men are too close, and I don’t trust them to give us a ten-minute head start. They’re too eager to play their horrible game.”
“Running with our hands tied behind our back throws us off balance.” He turned his hands until his wrists faced each other, fisted his hands, bent over slightly, and whacked his wrists hard against his backside twice. The zip tie snapped, and David’s hands were free.
Marty and Jerome had removed David’s Sig and cell phone. With any luck, the phone was in the front of the van. Had the men discovered his knife?
“Hurry, David.”
He checked his boot and breathed a sigh of relief. The Hunt Club team missed his boot knife. Excellent. At least he had a weapon. Even if he’d been without weapons, David wouldn’t let the two teams win this sick game. He’d kill them with his bare hands if he had to in order to protect Emma.
He loosened Emma’s zip tie. After shoving the plastic strip into his pocket, David clasped Emma’s hand and led her toward hard-packed earth and rocky surfaces. No time to teach her how to avoid leaving telltale signs of their passage.
As they ran, David scanned the terrain ahead. Where had Marty and Jerome taken them? Couldn’t have been far from the safe house. Based on the position of the moon in the night sky, he and Emma had been unconscious for perhaps an hour or less.
As long as the Hunt Club team hadn’t killed Jon, Eli, and Jackson, the operatives should be awake and aware that David and Emma were missing. Since he and Emma would have been dead weight, Marty and Jerome must have driven the van to the cabin and dumped them into the back of the vehicle. With the security cams around the cabin, one of them must have captured a shot of the van and hopefully the two men. Photos plus a lock on his cell phone would lead Wolf Pack and David’s brothers to this general area. If his phone was in the van, and if the operatives were still alive.
Were they still in Morgan County? The area seemed familiar, but David couldn’t quite place it. Up ahead, the land rose at a steep incline. In his tactical boots, he could navigate the terrain without a problem. Emma, on the other hand, would be at a disadvantage in her running shoes. Not enough traction.
David changed direction, heading toward the right where the tree cover was thicker and the land rose at a gentler incline. He needed a higher elevation to orient himself. What he wouldn’t give for a good pair of night-vision goggles about now.
A twig snapped nearby.
David froze, stilling Emma, his attention shifting ahead of them and to the left.
A brush of fabric against a tree followed by a muffled curse.
One of the members of the second team closing in on their location? If one of his brothers or a member of Wolf Pack were here, the approach would be silent.
David searched for a safe place for Emma to wait while he slipped behind the approaching hunter. Spotting a large bush with dense foliage that stood in front of a thick stand of trees, he tugged Emma that direction. He motioned for Emma to hide behind the bush.
Once Emma was out of sight, David hugged the shadows, placing his feet carefully to silence his approach as he circled closer to his quarry.
What if this was a legitimate hunter? Although unlikely, he had to be sure before he did something irreversible.
A rustle fifty feet ahead. A faint light glimmered, then, “What?” a man said, voice pitched low. “Nothing yet. They can’t be far. The woman will slow him down. You see anything?” A pause. “They have to be close. I can’t wait until I get my hands on her. Might have a little fun before we kill her. Text if you spot them. The man’s dangerous.” The light disappeared.
David had his confirmation. This man wasn’t an innocent hunter. He was part of the second team hunting for him and Emma. Waiting until the hunter moved past him, David came up behind the man and caught him in a sleeper hold. Seconds later, the hunter lay on the ground, unconscious. One glance at the man’s face confirmed he was a member of the Hunt Club team who breached Emma’s second safe house.
Working fast, David confiscated the man’s handgun and shoved the Glock into his own empty holster. He removed the hunter’s boots and socks, then the laces, and tied the hunter’s wrists and ankles together. David shoved the socks in the boots. After stripping the hunter’s belt from his pants, he used the strip of leather as a gag, cinching the belt tight at the back of the man’s head.
That done, he hoisted the man over his shoulder and carried him to an outcropping of rocks. He’d hoped to find a deep crevice to dump the man in. Instead, he found a ravine steep enough that the hunter wouldn’t be able to get out on his own, and the fall wouldn’t be fatal. Not ideal, but it would have to do.
David heaved the hunter off his shoulder, laid him on the ground, and pushed him off the side. The man rolled down until he hit the bottom and remained motionless. One down, three to go, and he’d scored another weapon.
The Glock wasn’t his first choice of weapons. A gunshot would bring the other hunters running.
Alert for the hunter’s partner who must be in this area, David retrieved the hunter’s boots and worked his way back to the place he’d hidden Emma. “It’s safe for the moment, Em.” When she came out of hiding, David tossed the boots into the darkened interior of her temporary shelter and held out his hand.
She slid her hand into his and squeezed. “You’re okay?”
“Yep. Let’s go.” Hoping the hunter’s partner was looking for him and Emma in a different quadrant, David tugged Emma in the direction where he’d encountered his quarry. How far behind them were Marty and Jerome?
As they hurried up the incline, he scanned ahead for the easiest path for Emma. The moonlight was a blessing and a curse. The light that allowed David to navigate with ease also made them easy to spot if they weren’t under cover.
“Where are we going?” Emma whispered.