Page 91 of Fatal Witness

They ran for the back of the house. He worried when the gunman didn’t immediately open fire. What was he doing?

Mark had his answer when the gunman started firing froma different angle. He’d anticipated they would try to escape and had moved into a better position.

“He’s closer,” Dani said.

“Yeah. Get to the other side of the house!” When they were out of the shooter’s line of fire, he said, “See if you can distract him with your rifle. I’m going after the four-wheeler.”

“Where is he?”

Mark pointed to a stand of woods to their left. “He’s still on the other side of the road and will have to cross the ravine to get here. Should give us time to get away.”

Dani opened fire as Mark dashed for the four-wheeler. Less than a minute later he drove the all-terrain vehicle to the back of the house and secured Gem in the front rack. Then he straddled the machine, and Dani climbed on behind him.

“Say a prayer.” Mark gunned the four-wheeler, and they shot past the house. They’d almost reached the edge of the clearing when the gunman opened fire again. A bullet lodged in a tree as he wheeled to the left, away from the gunman, then back to the right.

The shooter was still far enough away that he needed a scope, and with Mark not driving in a straight line, he wouldn’t be able to get a bead on them. Seconds later the woods hid them from his view, and Mark released the breath he’d been holding.

They weren’t out of danger yet—anyone as prepared as the shooter probably had an ATV with him. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out they were making a run for the road back to town. If the gunman knew the mountain, he’d know the best way to get there.

44

Adrenaline pulsed through Dani’s body as the ATV flew out of the trees into a valley. She looked over her shoulder. No sign of the shooter.

The four-wheeler hit rough terrain, almost unseating her. Dani wrapped her arms around Mark’s waist and held on as the ATV climbed a rock trail.

He turned his head. “Do you see him behind us?”

“No.” The wind almost whipped the word out of her mouth. “How’s your leg?”

“Okay.”

She didn’t know why she asked—he wouldn’t admit it if it was about to fall off.

“Once we top this ridge, we’ll be going slower as we descend, but hold on tight.”

He didn’t have to worry about that. “How much farther?”

“Barring trouble, an hour.”

Trouble as in the shooter catching up with them or trouble with the trail or ATV? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. “How’s Gem?”

“Fine—she’s trying to get out of the restraint.”

The four-wheeler hit a rock and kicked up, almost throwing Dani off.

“Sorry. Just hang on tight.”

If she held on any tighter, she’d probably cut off his breath. And she couldn’t help noticing the rock hardness of his abs. There was no question that he worked out. Probably ran too.

Running. That was her thing. Or it had been in Montana. So far staying alive was her thing in Tennessee. Maybe when this was all over, Mark would consider letting her tag along on his runs sometimes. Dani shivered. If she was still alive.

Mark steered the ATV up the mountainside over rocks and dirt. At the top of the ridge, he stopped and killed the motor. For a full minute he said nothing, just cocked his ear toward the trail they’d just climbed.

“I don’t hear anything,” he said. “Maybe our shooter doesn’t have an ATV with him.”

“You think he’s still following us?”

“Not on foot. He may be waiting on the road somewhere, thinking we’ll try and get back to it.” Mark dismounted from the ATV and winced as he put weight on his wounded leg.

---