Page 13 of Far From Sherwood Forest

He sighs as he takes a few slow steps toward me. “I’m guessing you don’t care about this being fair considering you have agun. That’s cheating, you know.” Stopping in front of me, he peers up into my face. “But if you’re wanting this to be like oldtimes, Sheriff, you do know what that means, right?” He pauses and smirks. “You’re going to lose.”

I want to shoot him right now just for calling me that again.

Instead, I lean forward until my face is inches from his, dropping my voice low. “Run, Robin.”

As he moves backward toward the woods, he keeps his gaze on me. The moment he reaches the tree line, he turns to head deeper in.

But he’s still notrunning.

Raising my gun again, I pull the trigger. A deafening report echoes off the trees as the bullet strikes the one closest to Robin, bits of bark flying through the air. He ducks, covering his head with his arm.

It’s only a little after hunting hours, so gunshots won’t be completely out of place. Even if someone does call, it’d just get routed to me anyway.

It’s worth it to see another spark of fear in Robin’s eyes as he peers back at me.

But then it’s gone as he mutters, “Dick.”

He breaks out into a sprint, disappearing into the darkness of the forest. I don’t waste any time before I follow after him. I know he’s quicker than me, but I’ve spent every waking moment of the past couple months scouting this entire park. I know it like the back of my hand. Even in the dark.

Robin is still close enough that I can hear him crashing through the brush, so I follow the noise, keeping a tight hold on my gun.

The hunter’s bow is a little louder than the ones he used to use, and I hear it as he releases an arrow.

I duck.

It goes whizzing above my head and a little to the left.

A warning shot like I gave him.

“We don’t have to kill each other, Henry!”

“You’re right.Ijust have to killyou.”

He starts running again, and I chase after him once more. I keep my ears open for another sound from his bow, but none comes. I quickly realize that he’s making a wide arc through the woods, and it doesn’t take much guessing to figure out what his plan is.

Letting him think he’s getting away with it, I stay behind him but start cutting a bit into the inner curve of his path. I reach the edge of the trees before he does, stepping into the clearing several seconds before him. He doesn’t see me as he runs straight for the driver’s side door of my truck.

As he reaches for the handle of the door, I lift my gun and fire off another shot. This time, the bullet grazes his hand, the one holding the bow. He drops it with a shout as he jumps back from the truck.

“Like I said,” I say, stepping further into the empty campsite and keeping my gun raised. “Still a little thief.”

Robin turns toward me, his chest heaving as he holds his left hand with his right, blood dripping between his fingers. And, yet, he still has that fuckinggrinon his face.

“Oh, come on. Give me a break. A madman just chased me through the forest with a gun. The least you could do is let me borrow your truck to escape.”

“Don’t you get it, Robin?” I take one more step forward and stop. “You’re done escaping.”

Then I pull the trigger.

I was sure I was about to die. It would’ve been good timing, to be honest.

After being chased through the woods by the old Sheriff of Nottingham, I was feeling a bit more like myself. Or…myoldself. It was like I had forgotten how to wear a mask because I hadn’t needed it in so long. I hadn’t needed any disguises since I became the man I am now—someone who actually fits in this world. It’s been nice not having to play pretend, but…

Then Henry had to come barging in and throw me completely off balance.

That old mask was back on.

With the adrenaline from the chase still flowing through my veins, I wasn’t afraid. If he had decided to kill me right then, at least I would’ve denied him my fear.