Sheriff Duggan and her men, even with their head start. He gave them a wide berth, not having time for another lecture. Tanner would be heading toward one of three survival huts in the area west of the river. The problem was, if the asshole cohorts had been studying maps of the area like Zac had said, then they may know about them, too.
The miles went by quickly, and Noah found himself at the first survival cabin. There was no sign that anyone had been to the hut recently. There wasn’t much to the building, just a place for someone to go if they got caught out in the often-unpredictable elements of Colorado weather—not unlike this storm.
He was headed toward the second cabin when a shot rang out to the north.
Shit.
That shot had come from closer to the large bend in the river, not the way Tanner had planned to go. Something must have gone wrong.
Noah took off in a sprint in that direction. He had no idea if the cops in the woods would be able to trace the sound the way it echoed through the trees. He might be on his own.
Two more back-to-back shots just a few minutes later had him veering even farther north. Double-tap. A kill shot.
But who had been killed?
He pushed another half mile but stopped when a small flash of something odd caught his attention to his right. Gut instinct had him diving for the ground. Hard.
The tree he’d just passed splintered as a bullet flew into it.
Shit. One of Ellis’s posse had found him. Somebody with more skill than the guys who’d been trying to trap Tanner last night.
The fourth man who’d been hiding.
Noah rolled to the side, scurrying behind a tree. He expected another shot to ring out, but it didn’t. Because, unlike his friends, this guy had experience and patience, a deadly combination.
Noah reached for his weapon, cursing when he didn’t find it still tucked into his waist. It must have fallen when he dove.
Keeping low, he climbed back around the other side of the tree. He had to get the gun now or he’d lose his chance. But the second he made a move toward it, his unseen enemy fired again.
“I tried to tell my friends you were out here last night,” the man called out. “That you would follow your brother. They were too overconfident in their plan and refused to take any contingencies into consideration.”
The guy chuckled indulgently, sounding like a dad talking about his difficult teenagers. “They’re always like that. Always think they know better. Which is why Jared ended up in jail. He never wants to listen to me.”
Keep talking, asshole. Noah used the opportunity to move closer. It took him farther from his weapon, but that was a chance he would have to take. And this guy couldn’t be as smart as Noah had thought if he was stupid enough to just stand there monologuing.
There was silence for a few moments and Noah stopped, listening to see if he could figure out exactly where the guy was. When he spoke again a few seconds later, he’d shifted just slightly in his position.
“Can I be honest with you, Noah? Yeah, I know who you are. Know all about the Risk Peak’s returned soldier. All damaged and scarred. Sorry about your war buddies, by the way.”
Fucker. Noah gritted his teeth and moved closer. Just keep talking.
“Maybe you’ll appreciate this since you’re a soldier…been around the world, gotten out of Colorado, unlike my friends.” He chuckled. “I honestly don’t see what all the fuss is about when it comes to Marilyn. She’s kind of plain, if you ask me. Boring. I mean, I like a good hunt through the woods as much as anybody, but all this effort on Jared’s behalf just to get her back? Not worth it, in my opinion.”
Noah was going to enjoy breaking this guy’s jaw. Maybe it would need to be wired shut for a few months.
“Marilyn wasn’t as much fun as the other wives. At least they put up a fight. Marilyn just sort of laid there and let us do whatever we wanted to her. Where’s the fun in that, Noah?”
Noah stopped as the words sunk in. The reality sunk in.
Marilyn said Ellis had never raped her. But it never occurred to Noah to ask if anyone else had. He had to breathe past the roaring in his ears.
“I’m sorry, buddy, is this topic upsetting to you? Were you thinking