“We don’t know how much gas it has in it, and given that you’ve passed out once, you’re better off riding with one of us.”
Zach sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Get on.”
Jacie flung her leg over the back and slid in behind Zach, her thighs resting against his, her chest pressing into his back.
He revved the engine and shot out of the barnyard headed south.
With Jacie looking over his shoulder, directing him, he raced across the dark earth, dodging clumps of prickly pear cactus and saw palmettos.
The woman held on lightly at first, her grip tightening as Zach swerved in and out of the vegetation with nothing but the stars shining down on him from a moonless sky.
As they neared the edge of the canyon, Jacie pointed and yelled over the roar of the engine. “There!”
Zach pulled up short of the edge of the canyon. On the slim chance the assailants were hanging around at the bottom of the canyon, he didn’t want to provide them with a target at the top. He cut the engine.
Before he could dismount, Jacie was off the back and scrambling toward the edge.
He caught her as she lunged for the trail, yanking her back from the edge and out of line of sight from the bottom. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“My sister was down there. We have to save her.” She struggled against his hold.
“For all we know they could still be down there.”
She fought to free her arm. “Then let’s go.”
The other riders had pulled to a halt and dismounted.
Zach dragged Jacie over to Hank. “Hold on to her while I check it out.”
“Take Joe with you in case you run into trouble.”
“I do better on my own.” Zach crouched low and dropped over the rim of the canyon, slipping down the trail as quietly as possible. In the light from the night sky, he could make out where the trail was disturbed, one edge knocked free. Probably where a horse, a motorcycle or a four-wheeler had run off the side.
The bottom of the trail was bathed in shadows, making it hard to distinguish the boulders from crouching thugs waiting to pounce.
Careful not to fall off the edge himself, Zach moved swiftly down the trail, reaching the bottom. The shadows proved to be boulders and one wrecked ATV, crumpled among them. Nothing moved. Zach explored among the boulders to the other side of the ATV and found the body of a man laying at an awkward angle, facedown, his leg bent, probably shattered in the fall. The ground beside him sported an inky-black stain.
Zach didn’t have to guess that the stain was a drying pool of this man’s blood. This guy hadn’t died from the fall, based on the dark bullet-sized circle in the middle of his back. If Zach turned him over, he’d likely be a mess on the other side where the bullet exited his body.
Zach searched the area around the base of the cliff and shouted up, “Clear!”
Five four-wheelers inched down the narrow trail, lights picking out the way.
Joe led the pack followed by Hank, Max, the foreman and Jacie.
Zach frowned and met her as she cleared the trail. “You should have stayed at the top.”
“Did you find her?” Jacie glanced around, her eyes wide, hopeful. Then her shoulders sagged and she slumped on the seat of the ATV. “That’s Mr. Smith, one of the two hunters we were escorting.” She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Tracie’s not here, is she?”
“Believe it or not, that’s a good thing.” Hank left his four-wheeler and crossed to Jacie. “If she’s not here, it’s a good chance that she’s still alive.”
Jacie’s jaw tightened. “Then come on, let’s find her.”
Zach shook his head. “It would be suicide to continue searching in the dark. If the attackers are in the canyon still, they would have the advantage and pick us off from above.”
“We can’t leave her out there.”
“Zach’s right. We have to wait until daylight.” Hank stood beside Zach. “Going in at night wouldn’t be doing your sister any favors.”
“Then I’ll go on alone.” As she pressed the gas lever, Zach grabbed her around the waist and yanked her off the bike.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Zach slammed her against his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist. “One captive is enough. We don’t want to risk another. Besides, your sister most likely wouldn’t want you to risk it.”
Jacie struggled against him. “Let go of me. My sister is my responsibility.”
“Then take your responsibility seriously and do what’s smart. We need to wait until daylight before we risk going into that canyon.”
The woman stopped. “I guess you’re right.”
When she quit struggling and seemed to settle down, Zach released her. In the next second, she shot across to the four-wheeler she’d left running, hopped on and took off on the trail leading into the canyon.
“Damn, woman.” Zach ran after her, catching up as she entered the narrow trail flanked by high cliffs.
As she slowed to negotiate around a boulder, Zach jogged alongside her and jumped on the back. “Stop, damn it!”
“Not until I find my sister.” She goosed the accelerator lever on the handle and nearly unseated him.
Zach grabbed around her middle and held on.
They slid around a corner, the starlight barely reaching them at this point.
About the time Zach steadied himself, Jacie hit the brakes and jerked the handles, sending the machine sliding sideways, and the tail end with Zach slipping around to the right.
JACIE COULDN’T LET the search end. Not when her sister’s life hung in the balance.
When she saw the cowboy boot, she slammed on her brakes. In a random patch of starlight, a jean-clad leg peeked out from behind a large boulder.
Her heart skipped several beats and then hammered against the wall of her chest. Jacie threw herself off the four-wheeler and scrambled up from her hands and knees to run toward the leg, sobs rising from her throat, echoing off the canyon walls.
Footsteps crunched behind her. Probably Zach, but she didn’t care. If this was Tracie … Oh, dear God, please be okay.
The other four-wheelers entered the canyon at a more moderate pace, coming to a halt behind Jacie’s.
She dropped to her knees beside a body, relief washing over her as soon as she saw it was a man.
“It’s Mr. Jones.” She felt for a pulse, her hand still for a long time
