Attempting to stay as still as possible, I tried to silently count my breaths again. It didn’t work this time. I was too freaked.
I tried to see who or what was coming, but I didn’t have a good angle. Footsteps grew closer, and I held my breath, my lungs burning.
“Taylor? What are you doing in the bushes?” It was a voice I recognized. Tuck.
I shot from the brambles and launched myself at him so fast, you would have thought I was an Olympic sprinter. Tuck caught me with a grunt, stumbling back a few steps. I then proceeded to burst into tears.
Tuck patted my back awkwardly. “There, there now. Everything’s okay. You’re not lost anymore.”
I started hyperventilating at the reminder that I hadn’t only been lost, I’d been shot at. I pushed away from Tuck. “We have to go. Someone’s after me.” Tuck’s brows pulled together in a look that was part concern, part disbelief. I tugged on his arm. “I mean it. Someone was shooting at me!”
That had his shoulders straightening and his gaze moving to the ridgeline. Mine followed. Just as I was about to beg him to get us out of there, I heard a gruff shout. “Tuck!” Two people on horseback appeared a ways down the creek, and as they got closer, I saw that it was Walker and Jensen.
I let out a sigh of relief that turned my muscles into mush. Just as Walker slid off his horse, I started to crumple to the ground. He reached me just as my knees were about to hit the dirt. “Fuck,” he barked, pulling me into his arms. Turning to Tuck, he asked, “What the hell happened?”
“I don’t know. I just got here about sixty seconds before you did. She says someone shot at her.” The last statement had the two of them eying one another, having some sort of silent conversation.
Walker carried me over to a smooth boulder. Gently setting me down, he turned to Jensen, who was in the process of dismounting. “J, grab me some water, a granola bar, and the first-aid kit.” Walker’s gaze came back to me, roaming over my face in a way that was full of warmth and comfort. “Are you okay?”
“I-I think so.”
Jensen was by Walker’s side in a matter of seconds, carrying all the items he’d asked for. She studied my face while opening a water bottle. “Here you go,” she said, handing me the container.
As I reached out to take it, my hand shook. I willed it to stop, to steady, but it wouldn’t obey. “Thank you.” It came out as a whisper. I took a small sip and then a larger swallow, it tasted like heaven.
“Go slow,” Walker warned. “You don’t want to get sick.”
I nodded and paused my chugging. Walker broke off a small piece of the granola bar and handed it to me. “Eat this. You’re in mild shock. The sugar will help.”
I said nothing, just took the offered bite and chewed. It tasted marvelous. Walker then began to open the first-aid kit, examining its contents. “Tuck, will you radio in that we’ve found her and tell them to call off search and rescue?”
“No problem.” Tuck walked off, speaking into a radio in muted tones.
Walker gently grasped my chin in his fingers, turning my head first one way and then the other so he could examine both sides of my face. “What hurts?”
I swallowed another sip of water. “Um, everything?” Everything did hurt. Not in a way that made me think I had any life-threatening injuries, but like I would be one giant bruise by tomorrow.
That got me a small grin. “Anything feel broken?”
“Maybe my ass.” He raised a single eyebrow, and I went on to explain. “I fell down the side of the ravine when the guy was chasing me. A rock jabbed me in the ass on the way down.”
Walker’s entire demeanor changed in a flash. His eyes turned hard, glinting in the afternoon light. His shoulders straightened, and his jaw tensed. “What do you mean when the guy was chasing you?”
I glanced down at my hands, not wanting to meet Walker’s gaze. “I was stupid. I went off the trail to try and catch a view of the lake from above, but I didn’t pay close enough attention to where I was going and then couldn’t find my way back. I had finally found the edge of the ravine when a bullet hit the tree right in front of me. Whoever it was shot at least once more, and I took off running. I could hear them behind me, but when I tried to look back, I tripped and went over the side. I landed in those bushes.” I pointed towards the briar patch.
Forcing myself to suck in air before I continued, I counted the seconds of my inhale and exhale. “I tried to see if the psycho was still up there, but I couldn’t spot anyone. I wasn’t sure what to do. Didn’t know if I should stay hidden or try to run. I just didn’t know. But then Tuck found me.” I brought my gaze to Tuck’s. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
Tuck forced a smile when he said, “Always happy to help a damsel in distress.”
Walker whirled on Tuck. “This isn’t something to joke about. She could have been killed!”
Tuck clamped a hand on Walker’s shoulder. “I know, Walk. I was just trying to ease a little of the tension. Bad move.”
There was some sort of stare-down slash silent conversation again. After a few moments, they both jerked their heads in a nod, ending the standoff. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Tuck’s gaze continued to roam the area as if looking at a map that no one else could see. “If you can get Taylor home on your own, I’m going to see if I can find any signs of our shooter. Maybe I can track him back to wherever he came from.”
“I’ve got Taylor, but you need to be careful. This guy could be lying in wait somewhere.”
Tuck slapped Walker on the back. “You know I’m always careful. I’ll call you if I find anything.”
“Call me when you’re back either way. We can debrief.”
“Will do.” Tuck took off towards the wall of the gorge and began climbing it like a spider monkey.