Run!
She rolled to her hands and knees, pushing herself up withone hand and using the other to fumble for the knife she kept in her boot.
But Douglas crashed down on her, slamming her belly to the ground. His weight pinned her, making it impossible to breathe. Then his hands closed around her throat, cutting off her air. She clawed at his fingers, panic exploding as black spots danced in her vision.
"I'm gonna finish what I started." His voice sounded so distant. "And this time, I'll make sure there ain't nothin' left of you to find."
Darkness crept in at the edges of her sight. She was too weak to fight him. Too weak to defend herself.
This couldn't be how it ended. Not here, at the hands of this madman. She'd fought too hard, come too far. Jonah…Anna…they needed her.
Even as despair threatened to pull her under, a single thought crystalized in her oxygen-starved mind.
God, help me!
Only a miracle could save her now.
The gunshot split the night air, sending Jonah’s pulse surging.
“That wasn’t far away.” Sampson whispered. The two of them had been out searching for more than a quarter hour, but maybe they’d finally found their target. Or some of their other brothers had. They’d all ridden out in pairs.
He spun his horse in the direction of the shot and pushed the animal into the fastest trot he could manage while weaving through all these trees. His heart thundered, even as he tried to think clearly. What if the others had found trouble. Would there only have been one shot? Maybe it had been a signal that they’ddiscovered a clue.
As they neared the source of the sound, he reined down to a walk so they moved quieter. Just in case.
Noises drifted from ahead. Were those grunts? And a man muttering? It sounded like a fight.
Jonah reined in his horse and grabbed his rifle. He lowered to the ground, then looped his reins over a branch, whispering, “We’ll be quieter on foot.”
Sampson joined him, and they crept toward the noises quickly. Someone might be in trouble. Had one of the strangers gotten the drop on a pair of his brothers?
Had that shot been the sound of Jericho being murdered? Or Gil? Or Jude?
If so, then the brother who remained would surely fight to the death. But what if it was the youngest, Miles? He’d have little chance against a grown man, likely a seasoned thug who wouldn’t hesitate to fight dirty.
They reached the edge of a small clearing, and Jonah slowed to peer through the branches.
As he focused on the scene, his breath caught.
A man knelt over a prone figure…and even in the darkness he could make out the familiar rich green skirt.
Patsy.
She lay facedown, and the man had his hands wrapped around her slender neck.
Rage surged through Jonah, propelling him forward.
He lunged at the attacker, a roar tearing from his throat as he ripped the man away from her.
They crashed to the ground.
The man recovered, propelling them into a roll. The attacker put himself on top, then reared back and aimed a punch.
Jonah dodged it, slamming a fist into his enemy’s cheek, but a return blow struck his nose, and the crack radiated through his head.
His eyes watered, but he struggled through blurred vision.Pushing himself up to face his adversary who was preparing another attack.
Before he could react, Sampson intervened with a strong pull, yanking the attacker off Jonah.
