Secrets Left Behind by Shannon Redmon

Author:Shannon Redmon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-02-11T22:09:23+00:00

* * *

Skye stayed hidden behind the hill of storm debris, hunkered down in the waters of Crystal Creek, and waited for Jake to emerge from the last section of the swim. Her injured leg ached from the exertion, but the external portion had healed and didn’t pose any threat of infection.

Green bushes and overgrown brush covered the bank behind her. She tried not to think about what creatures might live there. Copperhead snakes loved to sunbathe on the rocky banks, but the Moore Family Ranch wasn’t far.

The water broke and Jake shot up from underneath, gasping for air.

“That’s the last one,” she said.

“Thank goodness. I’m exhausted.”

Skye pointed to the bank behind her. “We can stay hidden up until right before the grove of trees. We might be exposed for a split second.”

“Let’s hope they look the other way.”

Skye followed Jake up the hill, and he stopped before the open area. She crouched down beside him. “We could wait until the sun goes down. We’d have a bit more cover.”

He motioned toward the sunken vehicle, which had come to rest on a sandbar with the tail end pointing up. Two of the armed men stood on the opposite shoreline, their guns aimed at the water. “They’re inspecting the car now. It won’t be long until they realize our bodies aren’t inside. When they do, they’ll start looking for us. Once they dive down and find the car empty, they’ll know we escaped and cover every area of this bridge. If we stay, we’ll be sitting ducks.”

Skye pointed toward the woods. “Then into the trees we go.”

“We need to stay together.” He took her hand in his. “On three. One, two, three.”

Jake and Skye raced for the trees about one hundred yards away. They ran diagonally and uphill, over loose rock covering the dirt bank. Adrenaline rushed through Skye, alleviating the pain in her injured leg. Her breath dragged from overexertion. One of the men yelled, his voice echoing across the water. Gunshots fired, splintering bark off the trees. Jake clutched her hand tighter and pulled her faster up the hill.

“Hurry. They see us.”

Skye lost her footing and slipped. A sharp rock cut into her knee, and a warm drip oozed down her leg. Jake pulled her hand, and she scrambled to regain her footing. Twenty feet until they were in the woods. More bullets pinged around them. Skye wanted to drop to the ground and cover her head, but Jake kept her moving. With one final stride, she lunged for the tree line and rolled into the safety of the secluded green canopy, landing on a grassy area. She paused to look at her knee.

“How bad is it?” Jake peered down at the cut.

“I’m fine.”

He extended his hand and pulled her up. They ducked farther into the trees. “We’ve got to move. They’ll be here soon, and I want to be far out of range.”

Skye inhaled a quick breath of oxygen to calm her racing heart, which was pounding more from Jake’s masculine protection than the short biathlon they’d completed.

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