Night Prey by Sharon Dunn Read Free Book Online Page A

“They split up,” she said.
    Or maybe not. It was hard to tell. The tire impressions were distorted by darkness and uneven ground. The riders had crisscrossed over each other’s paths a dozen times.
    As if she had read his mind, Jenna said, “I count two four-wheelers and two, maybe three dirt bikes.”
    â€œAt least.” It was a big group, anyway. He turned his attention in the other direction. Maybe another three or four riders had gone that way. What were they after? What had brought them here?
    Jenna gripped his arm even tighter. “That’s a lot of people,” she said.
    Whether they were teenagers or not, the thought of someone tromping around his grandfather’s ranch and shooting at him and Jenna infuriated him. Had Gramps’s land been targeted because he was older and less able to fight back?
    Jenna tensed. “They’re coming back.” Panic filled her voice.
    The mechanical clang of a bike motor echoed through the canyon. “I can’t tell where it’s coming from.” Keith angled his torso to one side and then pivoted in the opposite direction.
    The noise grew louder, then softer, then increased in volume again.
    â€œThis way.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and stepped toward a stand of trees. After Jenna slipped behind a tree, he clicked off the flashlight and settled beside her on the ground.
    The roar of the bike intensified. A second motor was added to the mix. He brushed a hand over the gun in his holster. Jenna pressed close to him.
    They crouched with the darkness surrounding them. Jenna’s clothes rustled as she shifted on the ground. She stiffened when the bike noise got louder and then relaxed when the clatter of the motors faded.
    â€œI think they are gone,” she said as she melted against him.
    â€œMaybe.” He couldn’t hear anything, either, but he wasn’t convinced the danger was over.
    He clicked on the flashlight to have a quick look. Jenna uttered a sound as though she were about to say something. But then her fingers gripped his upper arm.
    The roar of a four-wheeler was on top of them with the suddenness of an explosion.
    Jenna stood up halfway, and Keith pulled her down as he clicked off the light. “You’ll be seen.”
    In an instant, a four-wheeler was in the camp, followed by a second one, blocking the path Keith and Jenna had taken into the canyon. As the noise assaulted his ears, adrenaline surged through him. They couldn’t leave the way they had come. Jenna clung to him, wrapping her arm through his.
    The riders wore helmets, making it impossible totell who they were. One of the four-wheelers turned in their direction, catching them in the headlights. They’d been spotted. Keith turned, pulling Jenna deeper into the trees.
    The rider turned off his engine and dismounted from the bike. He stalked toward the trees where they had taken cover.
    Keith searched his memory for the layout of this part of the ranch as they ran through the forest. Behind them, one of the four-wheelers faded in the distance.
    They scrambled through the darkness. A branch whacked against his forehead. He shone the light briefly to find the path with the least hazards and then turned it off.
    Jenna tugged on his shirt. “This way.” She sucked in air and struggled to speak. “We can circle back around to the other side of the canyon.”
    Behind them, branches broke and cracked. They were being chased.
    Still holding on to Jenna, he plunged into the inky darkness. They worked their way down a rocky incline away from the trees. Keith glanced behind them where a light bobbed.
    Out of breath, he whispered in her ear. “We need cover.” He directed her back toward the forest.
    After ten minutes, he stopped, leaning over and resting his hands on his knees. He took in heaving gusts of air. Jenna leaned against a tree, tilting her head. He slowed his own breathing so he could listen.