Ahead, Eli shifted position and took a sharpangle toward the east.
The gunman turned to fire again, but this time he hesitated. It was only a split second, but it was enough.
Eli fired once.
And the man dropped.
Delaney moved in fast, weapon raised, scanning the woods beyond as she reached the body. The man lay crumpled near a tree, his rifle kicked aside, blood already soaking the front of his shirt.
Dead.
She didn’t speak. Just exchanged a quick glance with Eli. Then she heard it. Movement. Footsteps. Stumbling. Brushing through low branches just out of view.
Her hand tightened on her weapon.
Then a voice called out, weak and urgent. “Help me, please.”
Delaney’s breath caught. The voice was ragged, hoarse. But it was a woman.
Eli glanced her way. “Olivia?”
Delaney nodded. “I think so.”
Without waiting for more, they took off, dodging through trees, ducking under limbs, following the voice.
They were close now. The woods opened slightly ahead, and Delaney could see a flash of movement through the brush.
She hoped to God it was Olivia. And that she was still alive when they got to her.
Delaney pushed through the last stretch of brush, lungs burning, her boots crunching over the dry ground. Eli was just ahead, rifle raised, eyes sharp. The trail narrowed into a dip between two rises, and that’s where they saw her.
Olivia Camden.
Delaney recognized her immediately. Same face from the photo Noah had shown them. Long, dark hair pulled back in a messy braid. Slight frame. Scraped knees. Her sweatshirt was torn, one sleeve hanging off her shoulder.
She was fighting.
Hard.
Twisting in the grip of one man while another flanked her, barking orders she couldn’t make out. Her mouth was open, screaming or maybe cursing, her legs kicking as she tried to get free.
The two men had their backs to Delaney and Eli. They didn’t know they were being watched.
And they were close.
Only yards from a black SUV idling on a narrow dirt trail that cut through the woods. One of the rear doors was open. They were seconds away from stuffing her inside and disappearing.
Delaney dropped to one knee behind a wide cedar trunk, heart thundering in her chest.
The men weren’t trying to kill Olivia. That much was clear now. They were dragging her toward the SUV, one hauling her by the arm, the other checking over his shoulder like he expectedbackup.
This wasn’t a hit.
It was a kidnapping.
She looked to Eli, who’d already sighted his weapon. “They’re trying to take her alive,” Delaney whispered, keeping her voice low.
Eli didn’t take his eyes off the targets. “Can you hit the one on the right? Back of his knee to bring him down.
