Hackman attorneys. “I’m more worried about the assault rifle. They aren’t planning to shoot up the equipment, are they?”
“Liam would never do anything like that.”
“Is that the ex-boyfriend? Liam?”
“Yes.”
Sarah shot her a glare. “Do I need to remind you that you’re getting married in four days?”
“It’s not like that. I’ve been friends with Liam for ten years, and I don’t want to see him thrown in jail.”
Sarah hoped to avoid a similar fate. She was about to drag Emily back to the B and B, but their whispering had attracted the attention of the masked men. The one with the semiautomatic pointed the barrel of his weapon in their direction and yelled, “Who’s there?”
“Don’t shoot.” Sarah pushed the bare branches of shrubs aside and stepped into the light of the clearing. “I came here to talk.”
“Hi, guys.” Emily popped up beside her. “It’s me, Emily.”
“Emily Layton?”
“You sent me a text.” She squinted in their direction. “Where’s Liam?”
A man in a faded red parka stepped forward. “He couldn’t make it, but don’t worry. You can trust me.”
As a general rule, Sarah never trusted anyone who said “trust me.” When Emily started to stroll toward the masked men, she caught hold of her arm. “Stay close to me.”
“Why?”
A lethal weapon was pointed in their direction; Emily shouldn’t need more explanation. “Do you recognize these guys?”
“Not with the masks.”
Sarah called out, “What’s your name?”
“You can call me Ty.” He might have been smiling. It was hard to tell with the ski mask. “We didn’t expect Emily to have company.”
“I’m Sarah Bentley. I own the B and B and I’ve spent years fighting the oil companies.”
He came halfway across the clearing toward them. “Nice to meet you, Sarah.”
“Stop.” She held up her palm. “I mean it. Not one more step.”
“Fine.” He halted.
“I’m not on your side,” she said, “and I sure as hell didn’t come here to participate in any sort of vandalism.”
“Why are you here?”
“To warn you. There’s nothing to be gained by damaging property. Believe me, I’ve done everything possible to stop the drilling, but Hackman followed all the correct procedures. We can’t win this one. You should go home.”
“You’re not giving the orders.”
“I’d be happy to give you an in-depth explanation of my position. First, tell your friend to put his gun down.”
Ty glanced over his shoulder at the other three men, and then he looked back at her. “We’re going to do this my way. If you cooperate, nobody gets hurt.”
“Why would you want to hurt us?” Emily pulled her cell phone from her pocket and held the screen toward him. “Read the text. You invited us.”
Ty held out his hand. “Let me see that text.”
Dutifully, Emily walked toward him.
Sarah was more apprehensive. This felt like a trap. If Emily got too close to Ty, Sarah feared she would never see her friend again. Darting forward, she caught hold of Emily’s wrist above her glove and tugged. “We’re leaving.”
Emily balked. “I’m just going to—”
“Now,” Sarah said.
Ty came at them, moving fast. His arm shot out and he grabbed Emily’s other arm. With a hard yank, he wrenched her away from Sarah’s grasp, pulling so hard that Emily stumbled and fell to one knee. She let out a yelp.
Sarah didn’t have the physical strength to fight with Ty, much less to take on all four men. Their only chance was to run. She drew back her arm and took a swing. Using her heavy-duty metal flashlight, she whacked Ty below the elbow. “Let her go.”
“What the hell?”
Sarah hit him again. He could have fended her off, but Emily was struggling against him. As soon as he released her, Sarah and Emily dashed toward the trees at the edge of the clearing.
A blast of gunfire exploded in the still forest night. The sound rattled her, but she kept going, dragging Emily with her. Those were warning shots. A semiautomatic rifle wouldn’t miss at this distance.
“Stop,” Ty yelled. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Could have fooled me,” she muttered as she and Emily charged through the trees and found the trail. “No flashlights.”
“Right.”
This section wasn’t wide enough for them to go side by side. Sarah clutched Emily’s arm and guided her, managing a clumsy trot. “Stay close. I know this trail.”
From the clearing, she heard Ty crashing through the trees, yelling that he needed a flashlight. As soon as he had light, he’d locate the trail. When he did, he’d be able to run and catch up to them. They needed a different escape route.
Sarah dragged Emily to a full stop beside a granite boulder that bordered the steep side of the trail. She whispered, “We’re going over the edge.”
“Have you done this before?”
“Sure.” That climb had been in the summer in full daylight when she could carefully pick her way. “We can do this.”
“Show me how.”
“Get down on your butt.” She squatted beside the boulder. The cliff wasn’t vertical, but the angle was steep. Below this ledge was a wider area that descended to a winding creek. “Follow me.”
She dug her heels into the crusty snow, bracing herself so she could control her descent and not tumble head over heels. With her gloved hands, she grasped at rocks and clumps of frozen foliage. Emily followed.
Behind them, she heard more shouting and gunfire. The bursts from the semiautomatic were met with single shots. It sounded like a battle. She could only hope that whatever was happening at the clearing would provide enough of a distraction for her and Emily to get away.
Inching slowly and carefully, she was halfway down the hill when she heard a frantic gasp from Emily. “I’m slipping.”
There was no place for Sarah to go. She steadied herself and prepared for impact as Emily collided with her backside. Sarah couldn’t hold them both. Together, they careened the rest of the way
