Page 5 of Lion’s Den

She shimmied through the opening, scraping her back on the way through, scanned her options, and chose the one most likely to succeed. Easing down to the roof, Sedona made her way to the far side where tree branches stretched over the building.

Hearing a muffled crash and loud curses, she grasped the nearest branch as the world shifted under her feet.

Sedona gasped. No, no, no. Not now. She hung on until the world righted itself, then climbed higher into the tree where the foliage was thick. If she were lucky, the kidnappers would overlook her high in the tree. Sedona’s lips curved. This had been a good day to wear black after all.

When another wave of dizziness rolled over her, Sedona hung onto the tree until the disorienting ride ended.

The door to the building opened, and three men rushed out. “Find her,” one snapped. “We need to know if it’s true.”

What was he talking about? None of this made sense.

Waiting until the men were gone, Sedona carefully made her way to the next tree whose branches intersected with the one she’d taken shelter in. She repeated the exercise four more times until she approached the tree line.

With a last glance back at the building, Sedona shimmied down the tree and ran on shaky legs.

She sprinted through the darkened woods just shy of midnight. What she wouldn’t give for a flashlight. She’d even take the penlight that some of her friends used during their night missions.

She glanced over her shoulder again. Although she didn’t see anyone, Sedona knew this crew wouldn’t stop chasing her until they’d run her to ground. What had she done to deserve being dumped in a remote part of a forest? Easy enough to answer that question. She had seen something or someone she wasn’t supposed to. But who or what?

She doggedly fled through the woods, stumbling frequently over exposed roots and falling onto the forest floor. She scrambled to her feet, pressing her hand to aching ribs. If Sedona didn’t find a place to hide soon, the three men closing in on her would catch her.

She darted off the path to her right and frantically looked for a place to hide. Where was a convenient cave or grouping of large rocks when you needed one?

Her heart sank. With nowhere to hide and nothing left in the tank, she was losing momentum fast.

Sedona shivered, sure the men were only a couple of minutes behind her. She peered around again, in case she noticed something to give her shelter.

Still nothing.

She was too tired to run, nor was it wise now that the clouds had covered the moon and left pockets of darkness that were black as pitch. An ideal setup for an injury.

With nowhere else to turn, Sedona looked up. This would have to work. She would make it work. When the world threatened to tilt again, she hastily stared at the tree trunk in front of her, controlling her breathing.

Standing on her tiptoes, she gripped a limb and hauled herself up, dismayed at the weakness in her arms and legs. Over and over she repeated the move until she was so high the tree limbs’ leaves closed the gaps and left her with a dense carpet. If she couldn’t see the ground, surely the men chasing her couldn’t see her, right? Yes, she’d used the trick outside of the building, and it might not work again. The trees were the only place to hide. Although uneasy, Sedona reminded herself that high in the treetop was a place very few would follow her.

Hoping she’d climbed high enough to conceal her location, Sedona retreated slowly until her back pressed against the tree trunk. She settled in to watch and wait. It wouldn’t take long for her pursuers to catch up.

She didn’t have to wait long to hear her pursuers under the branches. Three big men intent on capturing her. She already had a taste of their intentions toward her and had no desire for a second helping.

“She has to be around here,” Linebacker muttered to his friends as he glanced around the area. “Ms. Hart can’t have gone too far.”

Thug two said, “Yeah, but I don’t see her.”

Sedona’s eyes widened. Serpent. She’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Then we keep looking,” Muscle, thug three, said. “If we go back without her, he’ll slice our hands off.” His worry and frustration penetrated through the trees. He scanned the area with a scowl on his face. “We’ll split up and look, then meet back here in an hour if we haven’t found her yet.”

“What will we do if we can’t find her?”

“We’ll think of something,” he muttered. “We must.” In another minute, the three men scattered and disappeared.

Sedona remained still before she believed she was safe for the moment. She breathed easier and peeked through the gaps in the leaf coverage. Her temporary safety wouldn’t last long enough for her to figure out how to get out of these woods without stumbling into the three hoods tracking her every move.

She weighed her chances of a successful escape. Zip. Not only would the terrible trio run her to ground, but the men would haul her out of these woods and take her to their boss. No doubt in her mind that they weren’t in charge of this operation. From the way they were speaking of their boss, Sedona didn’t want to make his acquaintance.

To add to her fear of being caught, there was the small matter of her being hopelessly lost. She grimaced. Only someone with highly specialized skills could navigate out of these woods with nothing but their wits.

Not her. Sedona Hart might wrangle five- and six-year-olds into order each day with no problem. Finding her way out of the wilderness? No way.