Chapter 33

Inch by inch, tree by tree, they moved deeper into the forest. Daniel glanced behind them and saw their footprints in the mud and un-melted snow. Tapping Griffin’s arm, he pointed to them.

Griffin nodded, then said, barely above a whisper, “Backtrack, stepping only where you walked coming this way, until you get to that tree.” He pointed to one with a low-hanging branch they had passed a few yards back. “Grab the branch and climb up. And do it fast. He could be right behind us, if he knows what he’s doing.”

Fear ripping through him, Daniel did as he was told. As soon as he was in the tree, he climbed higher to give Griffin room to join him. Looking down, he saw where their footprints ended and wondered if the shooter—he was certain it was Ray’s hired thug—wouldn’t figure out what they were doing.

“Where’s my bow when I need it?” Griffin said under his breath from the branch below Daniel’s.