Amy shrank into the back seat, holding the map in her lap. “The cemetery. That’s where the map indicates.”Please, Lord, let Nash find what I left behind. Let him understand that I’m alive. Let the lady from the gas station call the ranch.
The bearded man behind the wheel grunted his displeasure as they pulled through the cemetery gates. He parked.
“Get out,” Scar-face ordered, pointing a gun at her.
Amy climbed out of the vehicle, the map clutched in her trembling fingers. The cemetery was quiet.
“Show us.” The bearded man gestured toward the cemetery.
She walked toward the largest cottonwood tree. Her mind raced, trying to think of how to get another message to Nash, how to buy more time, how to survive this nightmare.
“Here,” she said, pointing to the base of the tree. “According to the symbols on the map, it should be—” She stopped, letting uncertainty creep into her voice. “Wait.”
Both men turned toward her. “What?” Scar-face snapped.
Amy looked at the map again, then toward the mountains. “I think I misread the elevation markers. We need to go to the caves closer to the mountains.”
The bearded man lunged forward and ripped the map from her hands, his eyes scanning the document with fury. “What is this?” he growled, holding up the torn edge. “Where’s the rest of it?”
Amy’s blood turned to ice, but she tried to keep her cool. “That’s how it was.”
“No. It. Wasn’t.” He pulled out his gun and pointed it at her.
“You little—” Scar-face started forward, but the bearded man held up a hand.
“Get on your knees,” the bearded man said quietly, his voice more terrifying for its calm tone.
“Please,” Amy whispered, but she slowly sank to her knees on the hard ground.
Scar-face moved behind her, and Amy felt the cold metal of a gun barrel press against the back of her head. Her entire body began to shake uncontrollably as terror flooded her system.
“You thought you were clever, didn’t you?” the bearded man said, crouching in front of her. “Tearing off part of the map, sending us on a wild goose chase while your boyfriend and his family went after the real treasure.”
Amy squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her cheeks.Dear Heavenly Father,she prayed desperately,please don’t let it end like this. Please protect Nash and his family.Help them. I know I haven’t been the best person, and I’ve been angry about so many things, but please watch over the people I love. If this is how my story ends, please let Nash know that finding him again was worth everything. Please let him be safe. Please let him live a good life, even if I’m not there to see it. And God, if I can somehow get out of this … I’d be grateful. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“Last chance,” the bearded man continued. “Where’s the rest of the map? Where’s thereallocation?”
Amy’s mind went blank with terror, but somewhere deep inside, she found a core of strength she didn’t know she possessed. She thought of Nash’s blue eyes, of the way he’d held her, kissed her. “I don’t know,” she whispered, the lie coming easier than she’d expected. “I tore it off and threw it away before you caught me. It’s gone.”
The pressure of the gun barrel increased against her skull, and Amy continued her silent prayer.Please, God, help me.
CHAPTER 26
Nash’s adrenaline spiked as Porter’s truck crested the hill overlooking Windsong Cemetery. Through the windshield, he could see the black SUV parked beneath the massive cottonwood tree, and three figures near the base of the tree.
Amy was on her knees.
Two men stood over her, one pointing a gun at her head.
“Stop the truck,” Nash said.
Porter was already pulling over.
Through the radio, Trey’s voice crackled: “We will go around the ridge and shooters will get in place.”
Nash looked up toward the rocky outcropping that bordered the cemetery’s eastern edge. That would be perfect. He just had to figure out how to make sure she didn’t get shot.
“Remember,” Porter said quietly as they climbed out of the truck, “we keep them talking until the boys have their shots lined up.”
