heck of a lot faster than she was. If he hadn’t kept hold of her, she wouldn’t have been able to keep up with him. They were just a few yards away when Shelby heard something she didn’t want to hear.
“There they are!” one of the men shouted.
Her heart went to her knees, and Seth dragged her back to the ground. Probably to stop them from being gunned down.
But the men didn’t shoot.
There was another sound. The truck engine roared to life, and Seth’s gaze snapped right in that direction.
“Run,” Seth ordered, getting her to her feet again.
She did, but Shelby looked over her shoulder. And she heard the strangled sound claw its way through her throat.
The truck was no longer in front of the barn. Nor on the road.
It was coming right at them.
Seth didn’t look back. He just tightened his grip on Shelby’s arm and kept running as fast as he could.
But the truck kept coming, too.
Just ahead were the boulders, and while they would have protected them from bullets, the truck would be able to drive around them and get to Shelby and him that way. Their best bet was to hide behind the small trees just ahead. The oaks were just large enough and close enough together that the driver should have trouble maneuvering around or through them.
Seth hoped so anyway.
The engine got louder. The truck, closer. So close he could practically feel the heat coming off the vehicle. And just when Seth thought the kidnappers would run them down, Shelby and he were able to duck behind the first tree. The driver slammed on his brakes but then darted into a small clearing to their left.
“He’s trying to run us over,” Shelby said, her breath gusting. “But why didn’t he just shoot at us instead?”
Good question. Seth didn’t have a good answer other than maybe the men still wanted them alive. They’d proved that by kidnapping rather than killing them at the warehouse. They were proving it now by not shooting at them. The problem was, Seth had no idea why someone wanted to put them through this.
Unless...
Maybe they wanted to set up Shelby and him to take the blame for that murder back at the warehouse.
Was that what this was all about?
If so that would explain why they’d both been lured to the warehouse with those calls. But it sure as heck didn’t explain why Shelby and he had been targeted in the first place. Other than their connection to his mother and the upcoming trial, they didn’t have anything in common.
Seth didn’t have time to give it any more thought because the truck turned in the clearing and came straight for them again. He kept hold of Shelby in case she fell, and they raced behind another tree. Like before, the driver adjusted and started getting into a position where he could come after them again.
Shelby reached down, grabbed a huge rock and hurled it at the truck. It smashed into the side window but didn’t break the glass. She tossed another rock. So did Seth, though he figured it wouldn’t stop the men. Still, it felt good to be inflicting some kind of damage.
The driver finally got the truck turned around and came toward them again. Shelby and he ran, ducking behind a small mesquite, and they hurled some more rocks. Seth sent one right into the windshield, and this time the safety glass cracked and webbed.
Good. Maybe it’d make it harder for the driver to see.
Or not.
Like before, the man threw the truck into Reverse and came right at them.
“We’re running out of trees,” Shelby said through the gusts of breath.
Yeah, they were, and that kicked up Seth’s heartbeat even more. He looked around for anything they could use for cover or an escape.
He saw something.
About twenty yards away was a heap of dirt that appeared to be a natural embankment. Maybe to a small creek or stream. Since he didn’t hear any water, Seth was hoping it was dry and too steep for the truck to go in.
“We’re going there,” he told Shelby, tipping his head to the embankment.
They raced to another tree, the final one, and Seth waited for the driver to throw the truck into Reverse before he started running. It didn’t take long for the driver to adjust his course and aim the truck at them again.
Part of Seth wanted to stop, face their pursuers head-on and demand some answers. But that could be suicide. Just because these idiots hadn’t fired shots at them so far didn’t mean they wouldn’t start now. Besides, he could demand answers once he caught them. And he would catch them. No way would he let them get away with this.
It seemed to take an eternity, but Shelby and he finally reached the embankment just a few seconds ahead of the truck. As Seth had hoped, it was a small creek bed, and it was plenty deep enough. At least five feet and dry.
Well, it was dry in this part of the bed anyway.
Just a short distance to his right some water pooled and the bed narrowed. To his left, the water was much shallower. And the truck would be able to get through there.
And it did.
The truck tore through the dirt embankment, dipped into the recessed area, but the huge tires got enough traction for the vehicle to make it to the other side.
Exactly where Seth had planned to go.
He’d already spotted a heavily treed area over there, but now he wouldn’t be able to get to it.
Time for plan B.
“Let’s go,” he told Shelby.
And they started running along the creek bed where there was some mud and water. If the men wanted to come after them, then they’d have to get out of the truck and go on foot or else risk the truck bogging down.
It didn’t take long for Shelby and him to reach the water. Thankfully, it was only ankle deep, but there was also soupy mud. Not the best running surface, especially since he was wearing cowboy boots and Shelby was in sandals. Still, they ran as if their lives depended on it because they very well could.
Even if this was some kind of kidnapping gone wrong, the men might want to cut their losses and just kill them. Shelby and he had to get out of their paths before that could happen.
“There they are,” Seth heard one of the men yell.
Seth didn’t stop running, but he glanced over his shoulder and spotted the two behind them in the creek bed.
Hell.
The men were now on foot and already too close. When
