Today's Reading
CHAPTER TWO
"Quiet!"
Logan hissed into her ear and prayed she would stop panicking. He pushed her to the ground and under a pile of fallen trees, partially covering her body with his. "He's coming. Don't move."
Emma's pulse pumped in rhythm with his own frantic heartbeat, while the earthy, decayed smell of rotting wood stung his nostrils and an insect scurried across his neck, under his collar, and pricked his skin. He gritted his teeth and willed himself to stay still as he heard the rustling of leaves nearby. Turning slightly, he rolled his eyes upward. The man stood a few yards away, gun in hand as he scanned the trees like a predator bent on the kill.
Fear-induced adrenaline flooded Logan's body. His instinct was to fight, run, do anything except lie helpless and vulnerable. But there was no way they'd outrun a man with a gun, so he remained locked in place, silent and still in the underbrush of the forest, while seconds ticked away, slow and seemingly never-ending. Who was this man? Why was he after Emma?
Finally, the man moved on. Logan waited, listened, until he could no longer detect any movement. Quietly, Emma started to get to her feet. "He's heading toward my cabin," he whispered. "We'll have to go a different way."
She readjusted her pack and didn't resist as he led her deeper into the forest, holding her hand and picking each silent step carefully. "Stay close," he told her. "I'll get you out of here." Her palm was sweaty, her face pale and her shirt soaked with sweat. Fear held her in its grip, and he didn't know if she could make it. "You can do this, Emma. It's not far."
"I don't even know where we are."
Her voice sounded small and fragile. "It's okay. Trust me. I know the way."
The trees thinned and the trail grew wider, and finally they broke through the woods and stumbled into the parking area. They scrambled into his truck, Logan breathing easier as the engine cranked over. He turned to Emma. "We made it."
A gunshot exploded through the back window.
Emma cried out. He hunkered low over the steering wheel, jammed the gear into Drive and floored it.
Peeling out of the trailhead lot, he raced down the road, putting distance between them and the shooter. "Are you okay?" he asked, his gaze darting from his rearview mirror to Emma.
She'd buried herself in the passenger seat, glass shards covering her back. She was trembling. "Emma? Are you cut?" He reached over and brushed a piece of glass off her back.
She flinched and pulled away. "I'm okay."
He'd only known her a short while, but even he could tell she was lying. She still didn't trust him. "We're about twenty-five minutes from River Falls. I can get you medical attention there." He pulled out his phone and checked it. No service yet.
She reached for her pack and winced, her injured shoulder pressing up toward her cheek.
"Is the pain bad?" he asked.
"It's not good."
"That man back there, who is he? Why was he shooting at you?"
She unzipped her backpack with her good arm and pulled out a waterproof bag. Her shoulders relaxed as she removed a small notebook. It was dry. She flipped through the pages, engrossed in whatever was written there.
"That's what you were so concerned about? A notebook?"
She kept reading.
"Hey," he said, rounding a corner. "I'm risking my life to help you. You could at least give me a few answers."
"This notebook was in my brother's cabin. He'd hidden it there. Someplace special where he knew I'd find it."
"What's in it? A treasure map?"
"Notes from cases he was working. It doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. A couple thefts, a domestic dispute, there's some witnesses listed with phone numbers, and—"
"Your brother's a police officer?"
"Yes."
Logan's gut clenched. He chose his next words carefully. "Where is your brother now?"
This excerpt is from the ebook edition.
Monday we begin the book The Angel of Second Street by Barbara Tifft Blakey.
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