to shake a few answers out of him. Then he could talk with Andy at the prearranged time and report in.
That meant subterfuge. Gabe would bet she excelled at that, too. “Since you’re out here, we’ll flush him out. You create a distraction, and I’ll bring him down.” With a shot, if the guy even thought about raising a weapon in Natalie’s direction.
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Walk around the front. Carry the hatchet or something that suggests you’re gathering wood or whatever. We’ll have only seconds before he realizes I’m not with you and we lose our edge.”
“Then you’d better run fast.”
“I aim to impress.” He didn’t hear what she said after that because she turned around and headed toward the front of the cabin, but the mumble sounded like “You do.”
Gabe slipped to the corner of the cabin where the side wall met the back and hunkered down. His timing had to be perfect. One second off and he’d be spotted, and the guy could bolt. One second too early and there could be gunfire. Gabe was up for both options but secretly hoped this went according to their informal plan.
From this position he couldn’t see the cabin’s front and watch whatever Natalie was doing, but he trusted her to follow through. He focused all of his energy on movement in the trees, looking for any sign the other guy got up or moved. The world around him fell into a still silence as he concentrated. He took the small magnifying lens out of his pocket and watched.
After a few seconds, the surveillance paid off. An arm shifted and the guy’s weight moved forward. He stayed on his stomach, but he’d switched to alert. That could only mean one thing: Natalie.
Gabe didn’t wait. He took off at a flat-out run, ignoring the way his boots slipped against the snow. The depth of the pile slowed his movements, but he stepped as lightly as possible, careful not to sink.
By the time he hit the clearing where the open area met the edge of the trees, the guy was already climbing down. Gabe jumped over the trap he knew lay right there and jumped deeper into the thick woods. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Natalie running toward him.
“Match my steps.” It was all the warning he could get out before he picked up the pace. All of his attention stayed on the guy bounding down the tree with an ease that almost suggested he’d been raised in one.
The guy let go of the last branch and Gabe leapt. Hit him square in the side and knocked them both off balance. They flew, falling to the ground. Rough rocks and broken tree limbs poked into Gabe as they rolled. The other man, younger and lighter, used his legs and hands. He was fast, but Gabe had the weight edge and a load of fury fueling his movements.
They ended their sparring with the guy’s back on the ground and Gabe straddling his hips. The guy kept moving. Reached for a knife in a holder by his waist. Might have gotten off a swipe if Natalie hadn’t picked that moment to step up.
She aimed her gun at the stranger’s head. “I’d stop moving unless you want us both to shoot you.”
While she covered him, Gabe sat back and caught his breath. A second later he searched the guy for weapons. Slid his hands into pockets and conducted a pat down. Unpacked two knives and two guns and figured he’d missed a few before getting up to stand next to Natalie.
Out of patience and pissed off at being in wet clothes again, Gabe launched right into threats. “You have ten seconds to tell me who you are and why you’re here before she uses you for target practice.”
The guy kept the back of his hands flat against the ground by his head. Smartly did not move even as his gaze went back and forth, and fear showed in his eyes. “Just scouting out the area.”
That just made Gabe ache to shoot. “Eight seconds.”
Something in his tone or about the situation must have broken through, because the guy dropped the scared innocent look. A calm washed over him as his gaze bounced to Natalie then back to Gabe. “This isn’t about you.”
“Six.” Gabe took off an extra second just because the guy looked at her.
She sighed, clearly done with the testosterone show. “Just tell him.”
“Can I sit up?” the guy asked.
Gabe wanted to