AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ChapterSix
Davis buttoned his flannel shirt as tires driving up filtered back to his tent. Amazing how loud a sound like that could crash through the melody of the wilderness. It reminded him of missions in the quiet desert when they’d wait for hours for a single vehicle to drive by. The break in the silence had always made his hair stand on end, kind of like it did now.
He reached his hand toward the wood stove for a few more seconds of warmth before he went to see how the confrontation went. Three shots exploded, and Davis tore out of his tent toward the cabin. Justin sprawled on his back in the mud, his face turned away from Davis. An unfamiliar side-by-side parked behind Justin’s four-wheeler, but no one was around.
Davis slid on his knees to Justin’s side, carefully covering his hands over the blood flowing from the bullet holes in Justin’s chest. Too much blood. How could they get an evacuation here in time?
“Hold on, buddy.” Davis reached for the front of Justin’s shirt to tear it open and assess what could be done, but Justin’s hand stopped him.
“Go… help… girl.” What was Justin talking about?
There weren’t any girls around here.
“Shh, let me work.”
“No, Davis. Too late for me.” Justin looked down the trail, then back at Davis, his fingers tightening around Davis’s, his eyes hard with determination. “Hiker in the woods. Shooters chased. Go help her.”
“But—” Tears of agony and rage tightened Davis’s throat and blurred his vision.
How could he possibly leave Justin?
“Fields, I’m not going to make it.” Justin squeezed Davis’s hand again, then sagged into the ground like all his energy had leeched out with his blood. “But you can… save her.”
The last words whispered up to Davis. He knew, like Justin, that the wounds were fatal, especially up there in the middle of nowhere. Davis clenched his fist, his entire body shaking with impotency.
“I love you, brother,” he choked out.
Justin nodded, a tear tracking down his cheek. “Love you, too. Now… go.”
Davis ground his teeth together so hard he thought they’d crack, then bolted toward the trail. Adrenaline coursed through him as he let the rage free. Whoever did this to Justin would pay.
The mud made the tracks easy to follow. One set of smaller footprints led two others away from camp. So, there were two men, not just one.
The small prints veered into the willows. Smart. With the density of the small trees, it’d be harder to pursue. Hopefully, whoever she was could move faster through the tight forest than the shooters.
Davis dove into the woods, ignoring how the limbs grabbed and tore at his sleeves. If he’d been thinking, he would’ve grabbed the rifle from the cabin. He had nothing, not even a coat, but the military had trained him for this in the special ops division of the army called the Delta Force.
He didn’t need a weapon to take down these guys.
He just needed surprise.
A shout sounded ahead and focused his direction. The ta-ta-ta of a semi-automatic firing pushed his legs even faster. He’d have to get to the girl first and find her a safe hiding spot. Then he could circle back and take care of the two men who killed his friend. Because there was no way he’d let them go without retribution.
