as though that would provide some kind of answer.
Laura lifted her face and watched at him. Her expression wasn’t exactly warm, but she didn’t seem like she wanted to punch him again. That was probably a good sign.
Seth was comfortable in the woods. He was good at navigating them. Surviving in them. But this was Laura’s mountain. She had grown up here. She was the one with the expertise right now. “We need a plan,” he said. “Well, we need a safe place to go while we make a plan.”
“What about the fire?”
Seth considered what he had seen of the fire. The way the scent of smoke wafted on the air, just hinting at its existence. “I still think it’s moving slow. Hopefully, firefighters are putting it out right now. Maybe it will end up being a nonissue. Or a way for us to find some emergency personnel to help us.”
“It’ll be dark soon. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but night is coming.” Laura was sounding like the practical and self-sufficient daughter of a mountain man. Seth liked it.
“We really need to get away from here,” Seth said. “I don’t like the idea of waiting around to see what comes out of that tunnel. Any ideas?” Seth was willing to consider just about anything at this point.
Laura stared up the mountain. “Maybe.” A pause. “There’s a creek not too far from here. Well, it’s more like a river actually. If we walk on its banks, it should cover our tracks. Make us harder to find.”
Seth felt savage satisfaction in his grin. “Yes. I like that idea. Lead the way,” he said.
Laura picked Abby back up and started making her way through the forest.
“Do you want me to carry her? I don’t mind.” Seth asked the question to Laura’s moving back.
“No. I’ve got her.” Laura answered to the trees in front of her, not slowing or turning around. She was heading into a part of the forest that looked just like—well—every other part of the forest. Seth was suddenly very thankful. If he had to be trapped on a burning mountain with an assault team after him, at least it was with a woman who was raised in this wilderness.
Seth tried to think through their next steps, but he needed help. “Once we get there, we’ll have to decide whether to go up or down the creek.”
Laura turned around, surprise on her face. “What?”
“The creek. We’ll have to decide which way to walk.”
Laura continued through the trees. Her voice was contemplative when she spoke. “We can take the creek for a mile or so—long enough to lose any trackers. There’s a place upstream where we should be able to get out without leaving too much evidence.”
Seth nodded even though Laura couldn’t see it. “That sounds good. Then what?”
“I know of a shelter not too far off. It was a place my dad used when he was hunting and didn’t want to come all the way back to the cabin. It’s sparse, but it’s well hidden and has supplies.”
“I like the sound of hidden and supplies.” He hoped those supplies included weapons and ammunition. His service weapon was not going to provide a lot of protection against an armed team.
“I think I should head there with Abby.”
Seth jolted. “You? With Abby?”
Laura did not turn around and look at him. “Yeah.” She went on as though that was not a startling statement. “The creek is just over this rise.”
Seth heard the creek before he saw it. It was perfect. Active enough to cover their tracks but shallow enough on the edges to allow them to walk without getting soaked.
They started trekking upstream, making sure to stay where the water would cover their tracks. Abby was watching the water, pointing at something every once in a while.
Laura spoke quickly, blurting her words out in a torrent of emotion. “Look. These guys are after me.” She glanced at Abby, and the anguish on her face hurt Seth. “And Abby.”
Seth waited. He did not see how agreeing with her would help anything. Laura continued, still talking quickly, her voice thick with sentiment. “You should go. You can probably make it back to town safely, especially if you’re not with me. You don’t need to get caught up in this.”
Seth stopped walking. There was no way he could process what she had just said and keep moving at the same time. She thought he would leave her to save himself.
Filled with disgust at the very idea, Seth’s voice was now heavy with emotion. “I’m not leaving you alone. I don’t care what makes the most sense—I’m not leaving you two alone. We’re going to get out of this mess together.”
Laura looked at him. Oh, how he wished he could read that expression in her dark eyes. Did she believe him?
She opened her mouth, but Seth cut her off, angry that she thought he would be so cowardly as to save himself while letting a woman and child die. “No. I will march back to that tunnel and try to take care of that assault team by myself before I leave you two out here alone. We’re all going to the shelter. We’re all going to make a plan. We’re all going to make it out of this.”
She still looked like she wanted to argue. “Besides,” he said, “they were watching the cabin and saw both me and my truck. They know we were in there together, and I’m sure they think you told me everything. I’m as big a liability as you are at this point.”
Laura’s voice was soft, but not defeated or angry. For that, at least, Seth was thankful. “All right. The shelter is this way.”
They left the creek at the designated spot and headed up the mountain. Seth’s legs started to burn after just a few minutes. He looked at Laura in front of him, Abby’s arms wrapped around her neck.
Seth wanted to reach out and put his hand on Laura’s shoulder to stop her but was afraid of destroying the fragile trust they seemed to have built. Instead he quit walking and coughed. Laura paused and turned to look at him. She had a question in her eyes, and he struggled to find the right words. “This is pretty rough terrain.”
She waited, watching him. Probably wondering why he had stopped their progress to state the obvious. Seth felt himself becoming flustered, which made him want to snap. No. That approach wasn’t going to work. He decided to just say it and wait for the rejection. “I was wondering if you wanted me to carry Abby for a little bit. She has to be getting heavy.”
Laura looked at Abby, who seemed to be following the conversation with her sweet dark eyes. “She’s been sick all week. I thought her fever had broken but it felt like it was coming back when I was carrying her in the tunnel. Are you sure you want to risk it?”
Seth couldn’t stop the laugh. “I’m pretty sure, all things considered, getting the flu is the least of my worries right now.”
Laura looked up at the sloping forest in front of them. She kissed Abby on the check and held her out toward Seth. “Thank you. A break would be nice.”
Seth took the little girl, surprised at how light she felt. She was warm and wound her arms around his neck without hesitation.
