want me playing with Nerf guns.”
She caught his gaze, an amused gleam in her eyes. “And she let you join the military?”
“Let me?” he countered with a grin. “I was eighteen. She didn’t exactly have a choice. But in my defense—or perhaps hers—today she’s my biggest supporter.”
Her expression softened into a smile. “Good. She should be.”
“Though if she finds out where I am now, she won’t be too happy.”
“I’m guessing she’s like my sister. Always worried about you.”
“Exactly.”
He studied the terrain around them, his frustration growing as he focused on the trail. Where was Barrick? He couldn’t have gotten far ahead of them.
Unless they were following the wrong trail.
“We should have caught up with him by now,” he said.
“I know.”
The thick foliage they were passing through opened up ahead of them, making it easier to see farther. But there was still no sign of the man. No flash of orange in the distance. No unexplained movement. It was as if he’d vanished.
Jonas stopped next to a thick ponderosa pine and picked up one of the cones. “Are you sure he went this way?”
“It’s clear he’s trying not to leave a trail, but yes, I’m sure.”
“Then where is he?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“He could have doubled back at some point. We could have missed it.”
“It’s possible. The last footprint I saw was behind us.”
There were dozens of ways to confuse trackers. He could have set up a false trail. He’d know that where the ground was hard, it was more difficult to read the tracks. The man was smart. As long as he stayed out of their line of sight, he would be safe, which meant his goal would be to put as much distance between them as quickly as possible.
Unless Barrick had decided to hide. No movement. No noise. Jonas continued studying the terrain around them. Barrick would assume they would keep up their search, which was exactly what they were doing. They could have easily walked right past him. Or they could be facing some kind of ambush. Neither thought made him comfortable. In their line of work, plans and details ensured they always had the upper hand. This situation had taken that away from them.
They slowed their pace slightly, guns drawn, and every muscle tense. Barrick was out here. He would do anything to avoid going back to prison. That fact was undeniable.
And he and Madison stood between Barrick and freedom.
Still, as smart as the man might be, no one left an invisible trail. And though Jonas might not have the hunting experience Madison did, he still knew how to track someone.
He moved forward on the balls of his feet, testing the ground with each step as he searched for his footing. His reaction time had to be automatic, because he wasn’t the only one planning out his next move. They were both trying to plan three steps ahead, with alternate plans if something went wrong.
Madison held up her hand, motioning for him to stop.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. It might have been an animal.” She crouched in front of him. “There. Did you hear that?”
“I did. He has to be ahead of us.”
He scanned the tree line, trying to figure out what they’d heard. Storm clouds rumbled in the distance. A bird called out from above them. But besides the wind sweeping in from the west, there was a stillness around them unheard of in the city.
A white-tailed deer scampered past them, its tail up.
Something had triggered its movement.
A second later, he heard something whiz past him. Madison cried out and dropped to the ground beside him. He ducked down next to her and scanned the perimeter again, still not seeing anything. He rolled her over onto her back. A trickle of blood ran down the side of her face where she’d been hit. A rock lay a foot to her left. He grabbed the orange bandana from her pocket to use to stop the bleeding, careful to stay low to the ground.
“Madison?”
Her face had paled, and she wasn’t responding.
“Madison!”
Nothing.
He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed lightly. “I need you to answer me.”
She opened her eyes, squinting at the light. “My head.”
“Are you dizzy?”
She nodded, closing her eyes again.
He crouched beside her, needing to make a visual inspection before he made a decision. Barrick was nearby. They knew that now. Waiting for another opportunity to strike.
“Can you sit up?” he asked.
“I’m just so dizzy.”
“Then don’t try it. Not yet.”
Orange flashed to his left.
He