Page 6 of Burning Justice

She was ready to thank God that they hadn’t but wasn’t sure if she wanted to open that can of worms. Kane believed in God and said he trusted Him. Even after everything he’d been through, he held tight to his faith. It impressed her enough she’d considered it, purely because by all measures, he should’ve quit trusting God by now. But he hadn’t.

He still believed.

“I think Mack alerted us to something serious.” Kane straightened to standing. “And it would’ve killed us if not for him throwing that rock.”

Maria did the same, straightening beside him. Wanting to grab his hand so she could steady herself, but she couldn’t rely on him any more than she already did. Kane Foster was more dangerous than a land mine any day.

She said, “Someone put a boundary around this location to keep people out. That means he’s here. He has to be. Otherwise, why go to the trouble of making sure no one gets near it?”

Her father was here.

Kane grabbed her arm, and she realized she’d started moving. Going to her dad so she could have him back in her life. Finally, after so long.

“Let me go. He’s here.” She tried to tug her arm from his grasp.

He wasn’t hurting her, but he also wasn’t going to let go. “If he’s in there, then getting killed because you made a run for it through a minefield isn’t the ending either of you wants.”

“There might’ve only been one. Who would go to the trouble of burying land mines all over this place?” She spread her arm, encompassing the trailhead where Mack had stood up and sweeping to the right. All the way past where Mitch was…“What is he doing?”

Their team leader swung his axe at a tree.

“His job?”

She frowned at Kane, about to speak when another explosion rocked the ground farther down the tree line.

Mitch stopped what he was doing. “Thanks, Mack. That was helpful.”

Hammer dragged the kid back into a crouch. “Quit throwing stuff.”

Maria heard Mack reply, but only caught “…see if there were any other…”

She figured he was trying to ascertain the extent of the problem.

Mitch went back to work on the tree, swinging the axe over and over.

“My dad could be in there.” Maria clenched her fists by her sides. “He could be dying, and we’re standing here.”

The tree creaked and groaned, listing toward the trail. It toppled over and hit the ground, creating a single line between the trail and the tree line.

Nothing exploded.

“Sanchez—”

Whatever Kane wanted to say, she wasn’t waiting around to hear it. Maria bolted down the trail, leapfrogged over Saxon, and raced for Hammer.

Someone yelled, “Get her!”

Hammer jumped up, reaching for her.

Maria leaped off the trail, out of reach, the way she’d done a hundred times in track and field. Thank you, youth sports. She landed with her toes on the fallen tree. She whirled her arms but caught her balance, then ran along the tree toward Mitch.

He moved to block her path.

When Maria slid off the end, he caught her. “Stop.”

She caught him right back, clasping his elbows. “I have to know if he’s in there.”

“Even if it gets you or someone else killed?”

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