Page 55 of Trail to Trouble

“Where is Hannah? What about Bianca?”

“They are both with Chief Ricco.”

“So, they’re okay?”

“Yes.”

Relief washed through him. Suddenly, question after question bombarded his weary brain.

“Who did this?”

Dad shook his head. “We don’t know yet.”

“How did I get here?”

Cap stepped forward. “Hannah saved you. She’s one tough cookie, that one.”

“Of course, you saved her first,” Mom beamed proudly.

“Huh?”

“To get away, you leaped over the falls with Hannah tucked in your arms,” Mom said.

Yes. He remembered now.

“That’s how you wound up with a broken arm and four broken ribs. Not to mention all the cuts and bruises.”

“Ya hit your head pretty good, too. But I’m sure with as hard as that is, there’s no damage there,” Cap joked.

Cici punched Cap in the arm.

“I remember jumping. It seemed like the only way to get away. To not be so exposed standing on top of the falls. But the last thing I recall is running with Hannah to get more distance between us and the shooter. I don’t recall making it to the road.”

Hunter closed his eyes. A vivid picture of him and Hannah climbing out of the pool of water below the falls came into view. Despite the pain from his body slamming against the rocky ledge of the falls, adrenaline carried him as he and Hannah ran through the woods. That’s it. Running through the woods was the last thing he could recall before waking up in this hospital bed.

“Hannah stashed you. You lost too much blood and were in so much pain that you passed out. Hannah hid you and found the road you instructed her run to. She ran all the way to town and got Chief Ricco,” Dad informed him.

He didn’t recall giving her instructions, but obviously he had, or she probably never would have made her way out of the woods. Well, with as smart as she was, maybe she would have figured it out.

Hunter swung his gaze around the small hospital room.

“So, how did I get here?”

Cici and Cap both grinned.

“We saved your ass,” Cap said as he pointed between him and Cici.

“Huh?”

“Hannah led us to where she stashed you. Well, us and Chief Ricco. Luckily, the shooter didn’t find you again.”

“We don’t know who or why someone shot at you guys,” Cici said.

“Yeah. About that. What in the hell? Who would do this?” Hunter asked.

“Chief Ricco is investigating this. The girls don’t seem to have a clue as to who did this. It’s rumored it could be Hannah’s ex-boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I guess he’s a piece of work,” Hunter replied.