Night Prey by Sharon Dunn Read Free Book Online

of how huge God was. He was just a speck in the universe and God loved him anyway.
    â€œI’m not afraid, are you?” she challenged and then laughed at their game. Her boots scraped the hard rock. She moved so she was standing next to him. Her shoulder brushed against his, sending a charge of electricity up his arm. “It’s like a game of chicken, right?” she whispered.
    They stood for a moment, shoulders pressed together. The game helped lighten the tension over what they might be facing in the canyon. Keith focused on the gentle inhale and exhale of Jenna’s breathing.
    He leaned forward and felt along the handlebars until he touched the canvas tool bag, then reached in. His fingers wrapped around the cold metal cylinder of the flashlight. He clicked on the light and shone it in her direction being careful not to shine it directly in her eyes.
    â€œShould we get going?” She turned and headed into the canyon.
    Once she wasn’t looking at him, he touched the gun on his hip. He had every confidence all his training meant he could deal with whatever they faced, but could Jenna? Once again, he thought that maybe he should have told her to go back home. But he knew he wouldn’t have been able to talk her out of coming. Her determination to end the threat against her birds was strong. That somebody thought his grandparents’ land was open for public use was wearing on him, too. The sooner they got to the bottom of this, the better.
    He increased his pace and caught up with Jenna. He tuned into the sounds around him, ready to respond to any threat.
    He shone the flashlight ahead of her. “Careful, you don’t want to fall.”
    â€œI’ll be fine,” she said.
    They hiked over the rocky ground as the canyon walls closed in on them.
    She stopped and grabbed his wrist. “You hear that?” She spoke in a harsh whisper.
    Keith turned his head and listened. A faint mechanical thrum, like a bee buzzing under a glass jar, pressed on his ears. He shone the light. Only the granite walls of the canyon came into view.
    Jenna rested a hand on his shoulder. “We must be close. I say we keep going.”
    He picked up on a hint of fear in her voice. “Let me stay in front.” He trudged forward, and she followed behind him. The noise faded in and out, but always sounded far away. The canyon walls, though, had a way of creating echoes that played tricks with sound.
    The smolder of wood burning thickened the air and filled his nostrils. They were close.
    The distance between the walls of the canyon increased as they stepped into an open flat spot with no vegetation.
    He shone the flashlight which revealed motorcycle and four-wheeler tracks. “What happened here?”
    â€œTrespassers, big-time.” Anger coursed through Keith. The nerve of people disrespecting his grandparents like this.
    Jenna grabbed his hand and aimed the flashlight toward the source of the smoke. “It looks like the campfire was just put out.” She walked over to it and kicked at the rocks that formed a circle.
    Keith edged toward Jenna. “We could hear the sound of their bikes on the way up the canyon. They are probably still pretty close.”
    Even though he couldn’t hear anything now, an inner instinct told him they were not safe. The air felt stirred up.
    He shone the light around the edges of the camp. Only blackness. A coyote howled in the distance. Jenna gripped his arm. Keith aimed the flashlight a few feet from the fire, revealing empty beer bottles. He wantedto believe that it was just teenagers having a party, but something felt more sinister here.
    â€œWhere do you suppose they went?”
    He stepped away from the fire. The tire tracks went around in circles like someone was joyriding.
    She continued to hold his arm as they stepped toward the surrounding forest. Some of the tracks led out of the camp to the east and others went in the opposite direction.