Dangerous Refuge

chapter Forty-six



The third time Tanner tripped over a shadow and went to his knees he admitted that his head had whacked the wheel harder than he thought. Adrenaline was a great painkiller, but it didn’t last long enough. The ringing in his ears was way too loud. And his eyes were having trouble with the faint, tricky light.

Need a few minutes to get my head clear.

He didn’t have them.

Shaye. Get to Shaye. That’s all that matters.

He levered himself up to his feet, waited for the double vision to pass, and kept going. The tricky light and shadows shifting in the wind weren’t helping. His head throbbed, feeling like it was too big and then too small, like the brain and bone were trying to live in the same space at the same time. The gun in his left hand felt wrong, but holding it in his correct hand wasn’t going to happen.

The moonlight barely revealed the next step in front of him. The distant lights of the Bronco were ahead and to the right, up the hill. So were the bigger trees and best cover. That was where Shaye had been.

But Ace held that ground.

Doggedly, Tanner picked his way through jagged blue-black shapes and the coy, flat light of the moon. Every few feet he paused to listen to the night. All he could hear was the heartbeat in his head and the ringing in his ears. His right wrist would have joined the chorus, but it didn’t hurt enough to be heard.

Tanner glanced up the hill and couldn’t see anything useful. If Ace was still up there, he wasn’t allowing the Bronco’s lights to silhouette him.

Wait. Something close. Just ahead.

Automatically, Tanner put his back to a small tree and brought the Glock up into firing position. Usually he didn’t notice the weight of the weapon. Tonight it felt like holding a bowling ball at arm’s length. He could do it for a while, but not for too long. He used his right forearm as a brace and held the pistol pointed at the place where he might have seen motion.

He waited, staring until his eyes hurt.

It was like looking at tar on black velvet at midnight. Nothing to see.

There it is.

Someone coming this way. Not making much noise either. Or the ringing in my ears is drowning out everything else.

He kept the gun up. If the person hadn’t seen him yet, he couldn’t move. Movement drew attention.

There. Again.

His finger tightened on the trigger.

Just a little closer. Be certain of the target.

Wait . . . wait . . .