Page 63 of Under Fire in Big Sky

“Who paid you?” Eli asked, shaking her. “Who gave you the poncho?”

“Tristan.”

Growling his frustration, Eli let her go and moved on to the next poncho-clad figure. He yanked back the hood. Another teenager.

The rest of the figures moved around in a silent slow dance throughout the yellow haze, like zombies from some apocalyptic nightmare.

They were all decoys. Distractions.

This was nothing more than a well-crafted smoke screen—both literally and figuratively.

“Takoda, there’s no sign of her. She’s not in the smoke,” Eli said. “Everyone moving slowly is a decoy. A bunch of teens in yellow ponchos. You need to find her.” Time was running out. “Where could they be headed?”

He pushed deeper into the cloud, shoving past the slow-moving figures. This whole thing was orchestrated for a reason he couldn’t yet grasp, but he knew Olivia was in danger, and this charade was giving Shepherd the advantage he needed.

“I think I’ve spotted them.” Chance’s voice crackled in his ear. “I switched off thermal. They’ve emerged from the woods and are now crossing the bridge that stretches over the canyon separating the two mountains.”

Spinning in a circle, Eli had no idea which direction to go in. “Tak, I can’t tell east from west in this smoke. Could use a little help.”

“I’ve got you,” Tak said, and seconds later a drone descended over Eli’s head. “I’ll guide you out.”

The buzzing drone took off and Eli followed it. They hit a couple of dense patches of smoke, but when he lost sight of the drone, he kept pace with the mechanical sound. Its rhythmic hum was a beacon for him until he was clear of the yellow cloud.

“Head east,” Tak said, sending the drone whirring to his right.

Eli cut through the trees, running as fast as he could go. Adrenaline pounded through his veins. Chance had said something that now echoed in his mind, the bridge.

What was on the other side? Was there a car waiting at the end of a trail?

He couldn’t let them completely disappear. “Don’t lose sight of her, Chance.”

“I can still see her. They’re stopping in the middle of the bridge.”

“Over a canyon?” Eli asked as he continued running. “Doing what?”

“She’s putting on a harness,” Chance said.

Dread knifed into his chest. Eli pushed harder, ignoring the sting in his lungs and the burn in his thighs. The drone zipped ahead. Branches whipped at his face as he jumped over a protruding root, but he refused to slow.

“Now, she’s climbing over the side. You need to hurry.” Chance’s frantic tone added another layer of urgency, spurring Eli forward, but his thoughts spiraled.

He envisioned Olivia descending into the canyon, falling into Shepherd’s clutches, and disappearing. The image alone fueled him, driving him to run faster.

“Two hundred feet, Eli,” Tak said. “You’re almost there.”

Driven by desperate hope, he rounded a bend and burst through the tree line. The canyon yawned before him.

As he sprinted onto the suspension bridge, it swung slightly. He gripped the thick ropes on either side, using them to maintain his balance.

Tristan stood in the middle, looking over the side. Below, the chasm was deep and unforgiving.

Eli glimpsed Olivia dangling in a harness with shoulder straps. An electric pulley device lowered her fast as lightning. “Liv!”

She looked up at him and shouted, “…ree!”

Ree? What was that supposed to mean?

“I don’t understand!”