Page 125 of The Unlikely Pair

If at first you don’t succeed, chuck another pinecone.

I take a deep breath and throw the second one at the fire, landing it right in the middle.

BOOM.

It goes off like a bomb, sparks flying and the fire roaring to life.

I throw another one in for good measure, listening to the explosion with satisfaction.

The sentry is on his feet, and seconds later, the two other guys come stumbling out of their tents, torches blazing.

“Shit. Fire!”

There’s panic in their voices as they see not only their sparking campfire but all the other fires Toby has lit, which make it appear a wall of fire is descending towards their camp.

And they do exactly what Toby and I hoped they would. They run in the opposite direction of the fire, towards the lake. Only two have guns, and only one grabs his pack from inside their tent.

As soon as they’re out of sight, I’m in the campsite, rummaging in their tent, frantically trying to see if they left behind the item we need.

“Holy fuck, is that a wolf?” I hear a voice yell in terror.

Looks like us leaving the carcasses scattered around has worked to attract our furry friends. Which is hopefully driving the men to the exact place we want them.

My breath comes in ragged gasps and my heart pounds in my ears as I rummage through their gear. A spare headlamp. A sleeping bag. All useful things, but not the holy grail, not what we so desperately need.

Then, in my frantic searching, the side of my hand hits something.

I pull it out.

A satellite phone. Our ticket out of here.

I grab the phone and put it in my pocket. As I emerge from the tent, screams tear through the air.

I can’t help grinning.

Bingo.

That was what I spent the second part of my afternoon doing. Repurposing the net from the lake by placing it across the ravine Toby fell into and covering it with branches and twigs to disguise the fact it was not solid ground.

By our calculations, men distracted by wolves wouldn’t spend too much time double-checking to ensure each of their steps was secure.

Talking about the ravine, it’s time I headed there.

I race through the shadowy forest, my makeshift spear clasped in my hand. Brambles snag at my clothes, but I barely feel them. I have to get to Toby, have to make sure our plan worked, that he’s safe.

I arrive at the ravine and skid to a stop at the edge, my breath coming in sharp gasps.

Peering into the ravine, I see two lights shining down there.

Two of them. Two of them.

My heart races frantically. Because two is not three.

And we need three.

Either the third terrorist’s light was knocked out by the fall, or they are still out here somewhere.

Where the hell is Toby? The ravine was our rendezvous point, and he should have been here ahead of me.