Page 54 of Trail to Trouble

He eased back down, and she depressed a button on the bed, causing it to rise, lifting him into a more seated position.

The cast on his arm seemed a mystery to him, and he studied it for a few seconds before returning his attention to his family.

“You’re going to be just fine. Do you remember what happened?” Mom asked.

He thought for a moment. His mind was blank. Yet here he lay in a hospital bed, so something surely happened, and it wasn’t good.

Thankfully, she told him he’d be fine because between the throbbing headache and the pain in his shoulder, he wouldn’t have drawn that conclusion.

He cleared his dry throat.

“Do you need some water?” his sister asked.

He nodded.

There were two bottles of water on the side table. She opened one and poured it into a glass.

When he lifted his left hand to take the glass from her, his arm felt heavy, as if a twenty-pound weight was strapped to it.

What in the hell?

Mom grabbed the glass from Cici and brought it to his lips as if he were a tiny child who couldn’t do it himself.

The cool liquid soothed his scratchy throat.

“Hannah?” was all he could muster before his throat went desert dry again.

He took another sip of water.

“So, you do remember,” Mom said.

“I was guiding three ladies. We were going to Lover’s Leap today. Where are they?”

Mom pinned her bottom lip between her teeth and locked gazes with Dad. Cap and Cici stared at the floor. What in the hell happened?

Dad leaned toward him. “Hunter, you were shot today. In the shoulder.”

Adrenaline coursed through his veins as his gaze flew to his shoulder. But his arm was in a cast.

“What? Why?” was all he could mutter.

Mom’s eyes watered. There was more.

“We don’t know why. Chief Ricco is hoping you can shed some light on this. It looks like it has to do with one of the women you were guiding.”

Hannah.Dread coiled in the pit of his stomach, making him nauseous.

“Are they okay?”

Again, his parents shared a glance.

“One of the ladies was shot as well...she didn’t make it,” Dad said.

Hunter’s nerves rattled, and a quiver rocked his body. He squeezed his eyes shut. A vision of Alyssa’s face came into focus. Her big, dark eyes widened as her body fell forward, landing hard on the unforgiving rock formation. He flinched as he recalled the gunshots that rang out. His eyes popped open.

“We jumped over the falls.”

“Yes. You remember,” Dad affirmed.