He carefully rocked her back and forth. Frantic. Praying.
Please. Please, God.
From a long way off, the wail of sirens drifted to him. His warning to the men about the park rangers had been accurate. They were coming to investigate the gunshots. If they saw his truck parked on the road, they might use that as a starting point.
It had taken him and Finley thirty minutes to walk here. If the rangers ran, it would take maybe half as long. Except it was dark now. Plus, the rangers didn’t have GPS to guide them.
The men shut off the ATV’s lightbar. A lesser light source remained. The ATV’s headlights?
“Finley, wake up. Please, wake up. Are you okay?”
Nothing.
Why wouldn’t she wake up? Did she have internal injuries in addition to the head injury? She needed medical treatment. Should he pick her up and take her toward the road? He didn’t have his phone or a flashlight. He might injure her worse. He might miss the rangers in the woods and end up costing her even more time.
He’d stay here.
God, don’t let her die.
Ken and the others had come for the gold. But not just the gold. They’d known who Finley was, and Ken had pushed her off the cliff because he’d wanted to hurt her. Why? Revenge? Revenge for his sister’s death?
Eventually, Luke heard new voices approaching. Rangers.
The ATV growled as it raced away, taking the last of the light. Luke could see nothing but black tree branches and gray sky.
He needed to signal the rangers. He rested Finley on the earth, then felt his way back to the site. He lost his footing, slammed his injured shoulder, then scrambled the rest of the way. He switchedon the flashlights they’d brought, pointing one in the direction of the rangers and one toward Finley’s position.
He returned to her. “You awake? Finley?”
Still no answer.
He lifted her and climbed the embankment until he could lay her on the flat surface of the ledge. Then he hauled his arm back and threw his handgun as far as he could down the mountain. If he was caught with a weapon, he’d go to prison for five more years.
He picked up both flashlights and madeXs in the air in the direction of the rangers.
“This way!” he yelled. “A woman is injured, and we need help.”
Carla’s brothers had been forced to leave before they’d dug up all the gold. They’d taken most of it, but some of the bars remained at one edge, half-covered in dirt.
He looked down at Finley, pleading silently for her to come to. If something happened to her, his life was over.
“Here!” Luke called. “We need help.”
People crashed through the foliage. Not rangers, as he’d expected. Police. Four of them. A thin, dark-haired, middle-aged officer ordered him to put his hands up.
Luke did so. “She’s hurt and needs medical treatment. She has an injury to the back of the head.”
Two knelt next to Finley.
“Ma’am,” one officer said as she bent close to assess Finley’s head wound. She didn’t try to move the vest still pressed against it. “Ma’am?” When Finley didn’t react, she rubbed her knuckles against Finley’s upper chest to wake her. “Ma’am. Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes and let me know how you’re doing?”
The middle-aged officer patted Luke down with the efficiency of a veteran. “I’m Detective Romano, Blairsville Police.” He nodded as he stepped away, letting Luke know he could lower his arms.
The officer beside Finley checked her airway, then reached down and wrapped a hand around Finley’s wrist, feeling for her pulse.
“She fell approximately ten feet,” Luke said, “and has been unconscious since then.”
“For how long?”
