"Where's your boyfriend? Isn't he here to protect you?"

Sara didn't plan on giving this guy any information. "He's around."

"Pretty, and a liar, too. That's a deadly combo." He sneered. "I happen to know he's not here because he wandered off in one direction while you came this way. You guys thought you were sneaky, but you'll have to try harder than that."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He laughed. "Your boyfriend said the same thing when we found him. Said you were 'around,' but you weren't. And now I have you all alone."

Fear spiked inside Sara. "What have you done to him?" If they'd hurt him.... No. Don't think that way, she scolded herself. There was no time for negative thinking like that now.

"I can't tell you that, sweetheart, since I didn't stick around long enough to see my buddies finish him off. But he was looking pretty rough when I left."

"You son of a b.i.t.c.h. I'm going to make you pay for hurting him."

Sara reached for the knife tucked into the outside pocket of her backpack, but someone grabbed her wrist from behind before she could. She didn't wait to find out who it was. It didn't matter. She twisted, thrusting the hand of her free hand up and out as hard as she could. Her palm connected with a nose, followed by the distinct sound of bones crunching.

The feel of snapping bones under her hand and warm blood running down her wrist was enough to make her gag, but she swallowed hard and bolted from him while he screamed and clutched his face. She didn't recognize the man she'd hurt, but it didn't matter who he was. He'd attacked her and she had to defend herself.

She pulled her knife free, then held it out in front of her. "What do you even want from us? You took the cabin. We don't have anything else."

"I don't think you're telling the truth. I think you do have something. Something better than the cabin, otherwise, why would you give it up so easily? I bet you're hiding something, and I'm not leaving until I find out what it is."

The man behind her lunged for her, his hands covered in his own blood. Without thinking, she moved toward him, slashing the knife the way Dane had taught her. She connected with his stomach, a large gash opening, spilling his blood. He sank to his knees.

Tears clouded her vision but she quickly blinked them away. In another time, another place, she'd have a complete breakdown about what she'd just done. A few days ago, she never would have thought she could be this kind of fighter. She didn't have any choice in the matter now.

The short guy rushed her, knocking her onto her back. Her knife flew out of her hand; the air was forced from her lungs. She gasped for breath and struggled against him, trying to find a way to her feet. He attempted to pin her to the ground but her backpack and weapons made it impossible. She rolled to the side, kicking and punching as she did until she was able to get to her feet again.

Her knife was gone in the darkness so she pulled out the small handgun Dane had tucked into her waistband. She didn't want to use it, but she didn't see any other option.

"Leave me alone or I'll shoot," she said, making her voice as strong and convincing as possible.

"No you won't. You've probably never even held a gun before." He moved toward her, slowly. Obviously she'd landed a few good kicks at least.

Sara clicked the safety off, her finger hovering over the trigger. "I have, actually. Last warning."

He paused as if considering his options. When he lunged for her, she closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.

The sound of her gunshot echoed off the rocks of the hills around her, as did the sound of the man's screams as he clenched his thigh. She probably should've been disappointed with her aim, but at that moment she was thankful she hadn't killed him. Or the other guy, still writhing on the ground, holding his stomach.

She wasn't a killer. She only wanted to get away.

Sara sprinted out of the fire-pit clearing and back into the woods. After a few minutes, she stopped to catch her breath. She'd done it. She'd defended herself and had gotten away from not one, but two grown men all on her own.

It was official-she was completely bada.s.s.

Sara doubled over as the dinner she'd eaten earlier came up and she heaved it out onto the ground. She took a sip from her water bottle to rinse her mouth then spat that out too.

So maybe she wasn't completely bada.s.s.

Taking in her surroundings for the first time, she stopped and listened for the sounds of the men following her. She hadn't killed them, but hopefully she'd hurt them enough that even if they could follow her, they wouldn't want to. Hopefully they'd wander off in search of a hospital and finally leave her alone.

Through the trees, a set of lights was barely visible. The sky was brightening as dawn approached, and soon she wouldn't be able to see the lights anymore. It must be Dane, or the rest of the men. Either way, she had to find out.

Dane's stomach clenched as another fist connected with his ribs. d.a.m.n, the guys fought dirty. It didn't seem to matter that they had his fallen weapons at their disposal; they preferred to beat the snot out of him the old-fashioned way, with fists. Lots of fists.

He'd already successfully taken down a couple of the men, but these last two were giving him a workout. He suddenly had a deep understanding of how a punching bag must feel as one guy held his arms behind his back and the other worked out his frustrations at life on Dane's unprotected midsection.

Another hit connected with his jaw, sending his head snapping to the side and his teeth clattering together. d.a.m.n it. He was going to need a doctor and dental work if he didn't stop them soon.

Dane hung his head as if he'd been defeated, hoping they'd take the bait. Blood dribbled down his chin from a cut inside his mouth, and he watched as it splattered on the leaves at his feet.

"Had enough? That all you can take?" The jacka.s.s who'd just pulverized his ribs sneered at him. "Not so tough now, are you?"

The guy behind him let go of his arms and Dane fell forward. A boot hit his side as he landed on all fours, almost knocking the wind out of him. He tried to push to his feet, but couldn't find the strength.

A boot connected with his ribs again, but this time Dane saw it coming at the last second. He grabbed the guy's ankle and twisted as hard as he could. Something popped and the guy screamed, crashing to the ground. Dane jumped on him, smashing a fist into his face, feeling pretty d.a.m.n justified about it.

The guy lay unconscious beneath him. One more down. One to go.

Dane quickly staggered to his feet, facing the last man standing. Earlier, the group of thugs had split up, with two going after Sara, the rest staying to mess with him. Just the thought of those men hurting her gave him the last burst of energy he needed to survive. He'd do whatever it took to get to her.

Before he could decide his next move, the final guy rushed at him, hitting him full force in the chest. Dane stumbled back into a tree. The air rushed from his lungs. The guy punched him in the gut before he could get the next breath in.

His knees gave out and he slumped down along the rough bark. Halfway to the ground a hand wrapped around his neck, holding him to the tree trunk.

"Tell me where you guys were headed. Tell me where all your hidden supplies are because they must be somewhere nearby."

Dane's head swam from the lack of oxygen. These guys weren't stupid. They'd quickly figured out that Dane and Sara had somewhere else to go. And they'd followed them to find out exactly where they were headed and what they were hiding.

But Dane wasn't about to sell out Sara or her family. This guy could do whatever the h.e.l.l he wanted to torture him, but he'd never give up the bunker location. He'd never put Sara's safety at risk.

"I don't...know what...you're talking about," he managed before the hand on his neck tightened. He saw flashes of light as his peripheral vision faded to black, his vision narrowing as the darkness took hold. He was going down, but at least Sara wouldn't go down with him.

Chapter Thirteen.

Sara peered through the trees trying her best not to draw any attention to herself. She held back her urge to call out to Dane when she saw him thrown against a tree trunk and held by his throat.

She raised her bow and looked through the sight. It was too hard to tell where her arrow might hit. Maybe she would hit the guy choking Dane. Or maybe she'd hit Dane.

The risk of putting an arrow into the wrong man was too great. She couldn't take the shot.

Lowering her bow, she crept forward quickly and quietly. She had to be less than twenty yards away, but that was still longer than any shot she'd practiced. She wasn't good enough for this kind of high-pressure shot, but she was running out of options, fast.

Sara took a few more steps forward and to the left, hoping it would give her a safer angle. When she peeked around the side of a large tree, she saw Dane's legs go weak, his head flopping forward, lifelessly.

She smothered the scream threatening to burst out of her at the sight of Dane collapsing. There was no more time for fear or doubt anymore. Sara raised her bow, arms shaking. Pulling back the string, Dane's words echoed in her mind, steadying her arms and her determination to make this one shot count.

Exhale. Aim. Release.

The man arched his back when the arrow slid between his shoulder blades. As he fell to the ground, Sara ran through the trees to Dane's side. She paused to make sure the man was dead. The last thing she needed was him springing up when her back was turned, like the crazy serial killers in the slasher movies her brother loved. She kicked his side hard enough to elicit a response should he be alive. Nothing.

Stepping on his back, she pulled her arrow free. It might be needed later.

"Dane. Wake up. Oh G.o.d, please, wake up." Sara shook his shoulders. He was slumped on the ground in front of the tree, blood covering almost every inch of him. What if she was too late?

Had she waited too long to take her shot? Had her hesitation cost Dane his life?

"Please, don't leave me. Wake up. Dane, I need you. Wake up."

Tears spilled down her cheeks, blurring her vision. He had to be alive. Had to.

She pressed two fingers against his neck and held her breath, praying she'd feel the b.u.mp of his pulse. A tiny twitch thumped beneath her fingertips, followed by another, and another. It was weak, but it was there.

Dane was still alive.

She opened her first-aid kit and wet a large, gauze bandage with water. Brushing it against his forehead and cheeks, she hoped the cool water would help rouse him. At the very least, it wiped some of the blood away so she could a.s.sess how bad his injuries were.

Aside from a couple of black eyes and a gash along his jaw, he didn't look too bad. On the outside, at least. Inside might be a completely different story.

A moan came from Dane as his lips parted, and he turned away from where she applied pressure to stop the bleeding on his jaw.

"Ouch," he said quietly, his voice raspy.

"You're okay," she said, her voice breaking over her tears. "You're going to be okay."

"Sara?" His head snapped forward and he looked around, panic in his eyes. "Watch out. They followed me. There's still one left."

She motioned to her side where the last man, the one she'd found choking Dane, lay face down, unmoving. "It's okay. They're all gone. You're safe."

He looked to the side as if to confirm her report then met her gaze again. "You saved me?"

She nodded. "Looks that way."

"You shot him and missed me? How is that possible? You were a terrible shot with a gun."

"Thanks." She laughed then held up her bow. "But I'm a pretty good shot with this."

She helped him to his feet. He put his arm around her shoulders while he steadied himself.

"If you shot him with your bow, where's the arrow?" he asked.

She patted the quiver hanging on her back. "I didn't think he'd need it, so I took it back. You never know when we might be short one arrow otherwise."

"I had no idea you could be so cutthroat and gruesome. Have I ever told you how much you amaze me?"

"I think you may have mentioned it once or twice. Are you well enough to walk the rest of the way? It's not far."

"I'll manage. Let's get there before we have to deal with anyone else."

Silently, he staggered through the woods beside her for a few minutes. After a while, his steps became more solid and he slipped his arm off her shoulders, grasping her hand instead.

"Thank you, for coming for me. You shouldn't have put yourself in danger, but I'm glad you did. I wouldn't have made it."

"I think we're even on the whole saving-each-other thing now, so how about we stay out of dangerous situations for a while. Deal?"

"Absolutely. When we find this bunker of yours, can we sleep for a week, then worry about the world again after that?"

"Totally."

When they reached the fire pit, she stopped. The men she'd fought there were gone.

"What is it?" Dane asked.

"I was followed by two men. I took them both down, but not permanently. Looks like they got up and wandered off somewhere. I don't think I have the strength for another ambush."

Dane walked around the edge of the fire pit clearing, staying off the dirt. She followed closely behind, not wanting to be out of arm's range of him again for a long time.

"I think we're okay. There's a blood trail that leads off that way," he said, pointing back toward the lake and away from the direction they needed to go. "It looks like you made a mess of them and they headed back toward the cabin."

"Hopefully they don't have enough energy to attack us again, either. I'm totally done with fighting for a while. A long while, if possible."

Sara led the way up the hill to the area filled with large boulders. They were careful not to leave their own trail of blood for someone to follow. After a few minutes of searching for the right section of rocks, she found the nook she'd been looking for.

"It's in here."

In a small alcove at the edge of all the rocks sat a huge boulder protruding from the rock face in the side of the hill. She stopped in front of it and ran her hands along the surface. When she felt the tiny, almost imperceptible edge of the control box, she flipped open the cover. A numbered keypad waited.

"Now that's something you don't see every day," Dane said.

"If you think this is impressive, wait until you see what it's like inside."

On the outside, it was painted to look and feel exactly like all the other huge rocks in the area. But this one wasn't what it seemed. She punched a series of digits into the keypad and smiled. A soft click sounded and a portion of the boulder popped inward.

As she pressed on the section, it opened more, creating a dark pa.s.sageway into the rock. "After you," she said to Dane, who wore a stunned expression on his face.

Sara closed the control panel, making sure it looked perfectly like the boulder again, then followed Dane into the pa.s.sage. Once inside, she pushed the door closed, sealing them inside.

She squeezed past him to find a switch on the wall. A few small bulbs flickered to life, leading them down a short hallway.