his head. “Because if they do come after you guys, I want you to use your skills and take them out. I’m handy with a gun, but I don’t have the hand-to-hand combat skills you do. I’m not sure I’ll be able to protect them the way you would. Better for me to be the decoy.”
“I’m not letting you go alone,” Bree interjected. “You’re going to need more than one person if you’re trying to fool them into thinking there’re still four of us traveling through the wilderness.”
“She’s right, you know,” Noah said. “They won’t buy the ruse for long with you by yourself.”
Noah slid toward Marilyn as Tanner and Bree argued whether she would go with him or not.
“They okay?” he whispered, pointing to the kids.
“Seem to be fine. Tanner and Bree obviously took good care of them.”
Her heart clenched as he reached over and slid a piece of Eva’s hair out of her face where she laid against Marilyn’s chest.
“Let’s get them home. Get you home. There’s a big storm coming and it’s not going to be pretty.”
Bree and Tanner had stopped arguing, Bree evidently having won. She would be going with Tanner, providing a decoy. Noah and Marilyn would head for Mr. Henrikson’s house with the children.
Noah climbed back to the front of the cave. “I’m going to find a clear path for us. Try to get a beat on where they are searching now. I’ll lead them farther out if I can. I’ll be back in one hour. Be ready to move. That’s when they’re most likely to stop for a rest and we’re going to use it to our advantage.”
Without another word, he was gone.
Tanner took watch at the front of the cave and Bree slid back next to Marilyn. “They doing okay?”
“Fine, thanks to you.”
“Those two are incredible troupers. You should be so proud of them.”
“Bree,” Marilyn whispered. God, she and Tanner would be putting themselves in so much danger by leading Jared’s friends in the opposite direction so Marilyn and the kids could get away. It hardly seemed fair. “I’m so sorry I brought this into your life.”
“Don’t even start with me. I’m thankful every day that you are in my life. No one is to blame for Jared and his cronies except for Jared and his cronies. So, don’t talk like that. Let’s escape, get Jared thrown back in jail, and get my wedding over with.”
Marilyn couldn’t help but smile. Bree was head over heels in love with Tanner but not thrilled about their big wedding. Their talk about vows and traumatic events faded off as both women found their eyelids too heavy to keep open.
A hand shaking her shoulder gently jerked her awake. Noah was back. He was breathing heavily and drinking water from the canteen. “I’ve got us a window open with them, led one of them in the opposite direction. We need to take advantage of it.”
She nodded and woke Sam. “Hey, buddy. Time to wake up. We’re going to have to make a run for it with Noah. Is that okay?”
He blinked his eyes open. “Are you and Eva coming with us?”
“Yep. But we’re going to have to be quiet. Can you go over to Noah? He’ll tell you what to do.”
That woke Sam up. A chance to do something with his idol, Noah? No time for sleeping. Noah smiled at him as he scurried over.
Marilyn picked up the sleeping Eva in her arms. “We’re ready. She’ll wake up, but she’ll keep quiet.”
“That storm coming in is going to be worse than we thought,” Noah told Tanner. “And it’s going to hit soon.”
“Good. We’ll use it to our advantage.”
“Go back toward the waterfall,” Noah said. “It gives you multiple exit options. Once you’re there, let out a scream or something to get them headed that way.”
The two brothers hugged briefly, and Marilyn hugged Bree.
“We all better be back in time to be standing at that wedding, or Mom and Cassandra are gonna kill us.” Noah smiled but it was strained.
“Trust me, I know,” Tanner muttered.
They all slid out of the cave. Noah swung Sam up on his back. Marilyn still had Eva in her arms.
“You okay with her?” Noah asked.
She nodded. “I’ll swing her around back as soon as she wakes up.”
With one last wave, they headed the opposite direction from Bree and Tanner, moving slowly and silently. For them, stealth was more important than speed. Once they got out of this area, if Jared’s men took the