Page 153 of Beneath the Mountain Sky

Liam surveys the area and the tracks further. “They’re too small to be a car or a truck. You couldn’t get one up here anyway. ATV likely.”

Connor nods, suddenly even more on alert as he scans the trees around us. “Probably the easiest thing to get up to this area.”

An ATV?

The engine sound I heard the day I was taken fills my ears.

Could that have been an ATV?

Killian pushes to his feet. “Stay close to the treeline…”

He doesn’t explain the order, but we all know better than to question one that comes from him, especially in the tone he just used.

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end the farther we climb.

As more and more evidence of recent occupation starts to appear…

Freshly chopped wood.

Empty gas cans.

A stack of plastic milk crates and a board laid over them, creating a makeshift workbench of some sort.

Immediately in front of me, Killian reaches for his axe, unlooping it from his pack. His fingers tighten around his favorite weapon when he could have pulled the gun he carries at his hip. Beside him, Connor does grab his, though, glancing back to ensure Liam is okay behind us.

He brings up the rear, skillfully covering our backs and searching the thick woods that could contain literally anything.

A crack cuts through the air at the exact same time the trunk of a tree seems to explode, shards of wood flying only a few inches from Killian’s head.

KILLIAN

The unmistakable crack of gunfire rings through the air, echoing off the wall of stone containing the gorge and reverberating through my chest. I turn and slam into Willow, knocking her to the ground and pinning her down, using my body as cover.

Her confused yelp fills my ears, quickly followed by five more shots in rapid succession.

They hit the tree trunks on either side of us, sending splinters flying.

I try to shift to support some of my weight off her, but a sharp pain slices through my left upper arm as another crack sounds.

I hiss at the sharp burn. “Fuck.”

Willow glances back with panic-filled eyes as blood drips from the wound down and onto her. “Killian! What?—”

“Stay down!” I grit my teeth through the pain, trying to ignore it in favor of keeping a clear head about what’s happening. “Someone’s shooting…”

Connor and Liam…

I glance over my shoulder and find them pinned behind a fallen log, trying to give themselves cover from the shooter. “Where is he?”

Connor peeks up and looks, then immediately ducks down again as another shot hits the log where his head just was. “Shit.”

The sound of shots will have the sheriff and everyone else in the search party running this direction to help us fast, and they couldn’t have gotten very far.

But it doesn’t do anything to give us a way out of this.

If we can’t locate the shooter, we can’t neutralize the threat.

Pushing up into a squat, trying to keep myself as small as possible while also covering Willow from the direction the shots seem to be coming, I urge Willow to crawl forward, deeper into the trees. “Let’s go, Honeybee.”