“You’re on,” Conner said, feeling a bit better.
She got out and tapped the window, reminding them to lock the doors. Walking toward the shed, she put the gun in front of her, hiding the weapon from the boys. She flung open the door and nearly screamed as one of the cats ran out. Catching her breath, she rolled the bikes toward the side of the house. Opening the back door, she jerked open the drawer and grabbed three flashlights. Rushing back, she tapped the glass. Conner opened the door and slid out, and Tucker followed.
Her heart raced as she scanned the darkened areas, then turned on the flashlight and handed it to Tucker.
“If anything happens, you call Owen. Do you hear me?” she said quietly. “I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t know who broke into our house. If something happens on our way to Grandpa’s, you make Conner go with you and hide in one of the cabins. Owen or I will find you.”
“Do you think he’s still out there?” he asked, scanning the yard.
“I doubt it, but we’ll want to keep our ears andeyes open. Don’t say anything to Conner. Let’s make it a fun adventure and have a backup plan,” she instructed him. “Will you be all right?”
“Yeah. Grandpa said there’ll come a day when we must defend ourselves. I put our knives in our backpacks. It’s too hard to carry my bat, but I can grab a piece of wood easily enough,” Tucker said, searching for any threats.
Walking toward Conner, she attached the flashlight to the handles with a zip tie. “All right, buddy. We’re ready to go. Follow Tucker and listen to him.”
“Will you be right behind me?” he asked.
“Absolutely. Stay close to Tucker, and then we’ll be at your house soon,” she assured him. Getting on her bike, she nodded for Tucker to start. She peered up ahead and stayed close as they made the trek up the mountain in the dark. A coyote howled in the night as she pushed them faster.
Her arm throbbed, and she felt the soaked towel against her skin. Ignoring it, she focused on their surroundings, determined to keep her boys safe. Her heart pounded as she thought of the intruder. She didn’t own anything of value. The house stayed in a state of disrepair. Jeremiah tried to get her to move into one of the cabins, saying Tucker deserved to grow up on his family’s mountain. She didn’t know if she refused out of pure stubbornness or because the memories of her and Owen overwhelmed her there.
Halfway up the mountain, she heard a vehicle coming up the road toward them.
“Tucker, get in the ditch now,” she ordered as she pulled Conner from the bike and ducked into the shadows. The bikes slid down beside them as they hugged the grass.
“What’s the matter?” Conner said, gripping her shirt tightly.
“Shhh,” Tucker said. “There’s a truck coming. We have to stay quiet. We’re on a mission, Conner. Follow orders.”
The vehicle slowed as it came around the curve. Someone searched for them. They knew her enough to know she’d head to Jeremiah’s. Her heart sped up as they flashed their lights into the trees. They stopped in front of her, and she reached for the gun, ready to protect them.
“I don’t see anyone. Maybe she went to a hotel?” the stranger said, flashing the light to and fro.
“How can she go anywhere if her truck’s disabled?” his partner argued.
“You don’t think she went into the woods and stayed, do you? Bears and mountain lions live up here,” the stranger asked.
“I don’t know. We have our orders to get rid of her after we find the map and those records,” the partner said. “We’ll search the house since she’s gone.”
The truck slowly pulled away, and she rose from the ditch to catch the license plate number.
“Leave the bikes here. We’ll get them tomorrow,” she said softly. “We’ll have to hike the rest of the way.”
Conner gripped her hand and pulled away. “Mom, your hand’s all wet.”
“I must’ve scratched it from the bushes,” she said, pulling him from the ditch. “We’ll need to stay quiet until we get to your house. If we hear anything, we’ll jump down into the ditch and keep our heads down.”
The three of them walked in the still night. Conner grew tired and leaned heavily on her as they grew closer. Two cars sat in the driveway, and she didn’t recognize them. Pulling the boys close, she motioned for them to go toward the hiking trails.
They went around the back of the house and disappeared up the trail.
“Where do we go?” Conner cried.
“It’s all right,” Leslie soothed. “We’ll stay in the cave. As soon as we get there, we’ll call Owen. He’ll come and get you.”
“I’m scared,” Conner whispered.
“It’s all right,” Tucker soothed. “We got each other. I brought our knives, and Mom will keep us safe. Do you remember when Grandpa taught Mom to shoot? He said she couldn’t hit a broad side of a barn,” he laughed. “Last time she shot, he said she can hit the tit on a bull.”
