Page 165 of Peaks and Promises

Alarm mixed with resolve as I looked around. There were half a dozen bikers roaming the property looking for Axel. And depending on their orders, they might not be intending to bring him in alive. That left too much opportunity for collateral damage.

I didn’t know where Summer had gone. And Nate was out there somewhere—or he had been. I didn’t know if they were hiding in one of the outbuildings or already on the run again.

Things were unraveling fast, but I knew one thing. I was going to save my family.

CHAPTER 40

Summer

Crouching behind the woodpile, I cast around for a better hiding place. I probably should have taken cover under the porch, but there had been so many spiderwebs. I shuddered just thinking about it.

Even more than a place to hide, I needed to find my son.

I glanced at the house. The back door was still shut, and I hadn’t seen any sign of Reese. Would he get out? The house wasn’t very big. There couldn’t be many places to hide, especially for a man his size.

“Anything over there?” a voice called out.

“No. But he’s here somewhere.”

I had to move. The woodpile only gave me cover on one side, and sooner or later one of the club members would see me.

A tree stood near the pole barn. It wasn’t much, but from there, I could probably get behind the tractor. The trick would be to keep moving without being seen.

Straining my ears to listen, I tried to estimate where the club members were. At least two were in the house, maybe three. But they wouldn’t be there long. That meant three or four were roaming the property.

With my heart racing, I took a quick look around the woodpile. It was clear. Staying low, I hurried for the tree and ducked behind it. No voices called out. Hopefully that meant they hadn’t seen me.

One of the club members circled around the back of the house and walked right past the woodpile where I’d been hiding seconds before. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Good timing.

Turning sideways, I tried to conceal myself behind the tree trunk. I had a feeling my backside was showing.

I peeked around the tree. He kept going, heading for the pole barn. As soon as his back was to me, I darted for the tractor and crouched behind it.

Sam’s voice rose again as he shouted at the club members. I wondered if that meant they’d finished searching the house.

I was about to check my phone to see if Reese had been able to let me know where he was when a rustling sound caught my attention. Someone was approaching from the back side of the pole barn.

There was just enough room for me to squeeze past the large back tire and wedge myself between the tractor and the barn wall. Dry grass grew thick around it—I doubted it had moved in years—and I hoped it would be enough to keep me from sight.

One of the members came around the pole barn, stepping softly. Crouching behind the tractor, I held my breath, hoping he couldn’t hear my pounding heart. From my hiding place, I couldn’t see much—just his legs.

He stopped, and it was probably my imagination, but it sounded as if he sniffed the air. A moment later, he moved on.

“Get his ass over here,” someone called out. “Door’s locked.”

They were coming to search the pole barn. I needed to move. My luck wouldn’t hold out for long.

I squeezed past the large tire and crept to the back corner of the building. A quick glance told me the coast was clear—for the moment. A chicken wandered near a rusty pickup truck with no tires and beyond it was a smaller wood building that could provide cover.

Were Nate and Axel there?

Gravel crunched beneath boots on the front side of the pole barn and the garage door creaked as someone lifted it. Pressed against the wall, I held my breath again and listened. It was killing me not being able to see inside. Were there places to hide? By the voices, it sounded like they were searching.

I took a second to respond to Reese—his last message just said hide—and his reply was almost immediate.

Me: I’m behind the pole barn. Can’t stay here long.

Reese: Just stay hidden.