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Chloe’s voice had joined his, and she seemed to relax, even if her grip didn’t loosen at all.
Between the two of them, they managed to remember most of the words. They kept their voices soft, so they could take in their surroundings at the same time.
Ahead of them to the left, the mountain turned, and it seemed as if there was a way down, though the path looked fairly narrow.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“And you trust God to hold our lives in His hands?”
“Josh?” She tugged him to a stop.
“I think I see a way down the mountain, but it’s narrow.”
She pulled in her lips and looked as if she might cry.
“Solid ground under your feet though.”
A rustling in the woods to the right caught their attention.
She squeezed his hand. “Better than getting caught by a psychopath.”
He tugged her along with quick, yet careful steps.
The ledge he led them onto was three feet wide. But the drop was not small; he’d guess probably one hundred plus feet. Small trees grew on the outside between them and the drop, and he hoped that would be enough to give Chloe confidence to walk quickly.
The sun was peeking over the mountain now, and the snow was melting quickly, revealing rocky dirt beneath their feet. They would have a much surer footing than he’d been afraid would be there.
The ledge curved around and took them down but back the way they came.
“You doing okay?” He glanced over his shoulder.
Chloe had not let go of his hand, but it was not wide enough for them to be side by side.
“Don’t talk about it, and I’ll be fine.”
Ahead of them, Josh spotted a cave in the side of the rock face, below where they would walk. The entrance was narrow, but it would be a good shelter or hideaway should they need it, but he wasn’t sure Chloe would be able to get to it. She was holding it together right now, but that would probably push it too far.
The unmistakable sound of a shotgun racking echoed off the rocks above them.
Chapter Seventeen
ChloesteppedclosertoJosh.
He nodded his head to keep moving. Without a choice, she continued on, clutching Josh’s hand.
A raspy voice came from the cliff above, probably near to where the ledge they hiked began. “You may have avoided the traps, but you will pay for letting Peter die.”
Chloe couldn’t see the source of the voice, but it made her insides shake. Peter. So this was about him. She searched her memory, but the adrenaline was coursing too hard and fast for her to access it.
They quickened their pace along the ledge and turned another bend that led them under the rocky overhang near where they had camped. The dirt of the ledge gave way to slick rock, and they couldn’t move as fast for fear of falling, but the rock was at least dry, and they were no longer leaving a trail of footprints.
Chloe started scanning for a place to hide. But the trail was too long yet. They had more than fifty vertical feet before reaching the valley floor, where the brush could give them better cover.
Josh turned and let go of her hand, resting it instead on her shoulder. Worry lines knitted his eyebrows in a downward slope. “You’re going to hate this.”
“Not the best way to get buy-in.”
