Page 60 of Sanctuary (The Wanderers 1)

Chapter 18

Ledger had taken the far left side of the arc he and his partners created to find their woman. He was closest to the road, keeping his eyes peeled in every direction, but especially the road. He didn’t want to miss Layla if she happened to be waiting along the edge of the trees.

They wasted no time, moving at a jog, keeping silent as they covered as much territory as possible as quickly as possible.

It was Ledger who spotted the car they’d passed parked on the side of the road after they’d gone some distance. He gave a whistle to let his partners know he would be breaking ranks to check it out.

Gun in one hand, knife in the other, he closed the distance to the car, finding it empty. His chest pounded as he realized those two assholes had parked and headed into the woods on foot. If they found Layla before Ledger or one of his partners… He didn’t even want to consider that possibility.

Layla was smart. She had survival skills. Ledger was sure of it. He also knew she had weapons and knew how to use them. But she was no match for two men.

Grateful to find the car unlocked, he opened the door. After popping the hood, he rounded to the front of the car, opened the hood, and reached in to disconnect the battery. If by chance those two assholes did find Layla, they would have difficulty taking her with them. Hopefully, they wouldn’t easily determine why their car wouldn’t start.

After quietly shutting the hood, he jogged back into the thick trees off the side of the road. A renewed sense of urgency lit a fire under him.

Where are you, princess?

Ledger wanted to call out to her so she would know they were coming, but that would alert the two assholes also looking for her. He needed to remain silent, trying to keep even his footsteps as soft as possible.

Minutes ticked by, long minutes that felt like an hour. Suddenly, he heard a different kind of whistle coming from Jay. He recognized the pitch. The kind of whistle that indicated danger.

Ledger stopped moving for a moment, listening for further information. Jay was the closest man to Ledger, but Ledger couldn’t be sure how far the whistle had come from.

Continuing forward, Ledger took easier steps. Carefully planting his feet each time to avoid detection.

A scream to his right made his blood run cold, but the scream didn’t come from one of his partners. Nor did it come from a woman. It had to be one of the men they were hunting.

The rustle of leaves and branches to his right made him jerk his attention in that direction, gun drawn. He was relieved when Jay broke through the foliage, dragging a man behind him. The guy was gagged—apparently with his own shirt—hands tied in front of him. He was struggling to no avail.

Jay was much larger and stronger. The man never stood a chance. Jay stopped as he approached Ledger and hissed under his breath. “Fucker easily admitted he and his friend came out here hunting for a woman. He doesn’t know where his friend is. They split up. Guy valued his balls enough to surrender.”

The man’s eyes were wide with terror. Good.

Ledger stepped closer, grabbing the man by the throat. He was several inches shorter and should have spent a lot more time working out over the past decade if he intended to be any match for the likes of Ledger and his partners. Or perhaps even Layla.

“If you’re lying, asshole, we will cut your balls off and feed them to you.”

The guy whimpered and shook his head.

“We need to find his partner. ASAP.” Jay’s gaze met Ledger’s, brows risen, easily communicating that he didn’t want to admit to this fucker that there actually was a woman in the woods.

“Found their car alongside the road a few minutes ago,” Ledger informed Jay. “It’s no longer operational,” he added cryptically. Jay would understand. Ledger would never render a car inoperable. There was no room for that kind of waste in today’s society.

Jay nodded understanding. “Keep moving. I’ll stash this asshole in the trunk.”

Ledger turned back to his task, jogging alongside the road again, keeping just out of sight as he scanned back and forth. The rustle of branches preceded heavy breathing, and Ledger instantly swung toward the sound, careful to keep himself hidden. He didn’t want to lift his weapon yet. There were still two people missing. One of them was his woman.

A shadow on the road caught his attention seconds before he saw her. Blessed angels. He needed to be careful approaching her. She was holding a gun. If he took her by surprise, she might shoot first and ask questions later.

He wasn’t about to shout for fear the missing asshole might also hear him. Instead, he rushed toward the edge of the tree line arriving yards in front of Layla, crouched down, and called her name as softly as possible when she was finally parallel to him, only feet separating them.

She jerked to a stop, spinning toward him, gun drawn, chest heaving as she scanned the area.

“Layla, it’s Ledger. Lower the gun. Come to my voice.”

She finally let her body relax, her shoulders dropping as she eased her arm to her side and rushed toward him. He reached out and snagged her around the waist, pulling her into his embrace, holding her tight. His free hand slid up into her messy ponytail, cupping the back of her head as his lips pressed against her temple.

He eased the gun from her grip and tucked it in his jeans as he slid her pack off her and set it on the ground.

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