“Yes, sir?” Tom’s voice came out unusually deep, probably something he did on purpose to sound more masculine. Green eyes fixed on Trisha, lowered to her br**sts, and that’s where his attention stayed.

She wanted to cross her arms over them but was afraid to move for fear of being shot. The jerk leered at her. She glared at him but he didn’t seem to care since he probably didn’t notice her anger. He wasn’t looking at her face. That would mean he’d have to stop gawking at her br**sts.

“How far is Pat from us?”

“A mile, sir.” Tom licked his lips and rubbed his free hand on the top of his thigh. “That the animal lover, sir? Bet she did him.”

“Shut up,” the man in charge ordered. “Look at her. She’s pretty. She isn’t some ugly no-account who can’t find a real man like us. Get on the radio and tell him that we’re coming in slow with her because she’s limping.”

Tom finally dragged his attention from Trisha’s br**sts to look at the older man. “Sure thing, Sully.” Tom appeared anything but happy as he disappeared into thick brush.

“Let’s go.”

Trisha remembered their names. Sully. Tom. Bill. She could identify two of them so far if she lived long enough to reach the authorities. She really wanted them arrested. She concentrated on that silent plan as she slowly limped along, purposely dragged her foot, and made a show of nonexistent pain. If she slowed them down it would give Slade more time to get away. He could look for help and send back the police to her.

They mostly traveled downhill. She stumbled a few times but Sully never lifted a finger to help her. He kept the gun trained on her, followed close behind, and didn’t say a word. Trisha guessed that if Slade didn’t get her help she probably wouldn’t be alive much longer than the time it took for her to patch up the injured man. They’d probably shoot her the way they had Bart when they no longer had a use for her.

They left the thick brush finally and she spotted a clearing with a tent set up and the fresh remains of a small fire. Trisha smelled food and her stomach rumbled. A coffeepot sat in the dead ashes of the crude fire pit they’d built with stones in a circle. Trisha paused, turned her head, and met Sully’s mud-brown eyes.

“He’s inside the tent so get your ass in there and help him. Pat, we’re here and the doctor is coming in. Don’t go blowing her brains out before she can tend you.”

Trisha limped toward the tent but nearly screamed in real pain when a fist grabbed her hair from behind and yanked her body back. She stumbled and collapsed to her knees, forcing Sully to release her. Tears blinded her for seconds as she grabbed the back of her head, guessing he’d torn out some of her hair. She looked at Sully in shock when she could see him past the tears.

He had his gun pointed at the tent. “Pat? Call out now.”

Trisha shifted her attention to the tent when no one answered. The tent door had been zipped closed. Sully inched forward and leaned down. He unzipped the tent flaps and jumped back, shotgun pointed inside as he eased back a little more.

“Pat? I want you to call out now.”

Silence.

“Bill? Tom? Call out now,” Sully roared.

“Here, sir,” Tom yelled. He stepped out of the woods about twenty feet from where Trisha and Sully were.

Another man, in his forties, balding, with a pot belly, stepped out from the woods across the camp. Trisha guessed that had to be Bill. He nodded at Sully. The three men glared at the tent. Sully nodded to Tom and jerked his head at the tent, keeping his shotgun trained on the opening.

Tom moved forward, shoved his handgun into his shoulder holster, and unfastened the large hunting knife on his thigh. He gripped it firmly and crouched to the side of the tent. He reached out with his left hand and jerked up the zipper, opening the flap to peer inside.

“He’s gone.” Tom gasped.

“Didn’t you raise him on the radio?” Sully sounded pissed.

“No, sir. He didn’t answer. I thought maybe he was sleeping or taking a shit. He can still get around pretty good even with his arm all busted.”

Sully spun to point his gun at Trisha. “When did the animal abandon you?”

She swallowed. “He took off sometime during the night. I fell asleep with him there but when I woke right before the sun rose he’d abandoned me.”

“He’s far from here.” Bill had a deep voice with an accent that hinted at him being Texan or maybe Southern. It was hard to nail down. “As soon as he stopped carrying her he would have taken off like the wind. They can move, Sully. He’s probably put ten miles on us by now. Another team will get him for sure though.”

“Son of a bitch.” Sully lowered the gun he held. “Let’s spread out and find Pat. Think he’s delirious? He had a fever this morning.”

Bill nodded. “Could be. I told you one of us should stay with him. We’ve been gone since dawn and he could have made some time. One of us will have to stay here with the woman and she can work on him when we find him.”

“We should have carried him out,” Tom muttered. “I told you he could die. What if he gets himself killed out there?”

“I ain’t going to blow that fifty-thousand-dollar reward because Pat is a fool who couldn’t watch where he was going.” Sully’s tone came out harsh.

Bill nodded as he stared at Trisha were she remained sitting on ground. “I’ll stay with the woman while you two split up and search for Pat. I’d guess he would go downhill since it’s easier to travel that way. Maybe he panicked and is hunting for another team, thinking someone will pack him out or maybe he thought he could head to the highway to flag down a motorist.”