Rivers in the Wilderness

7~God goes with us

"There's nothing here." Rose glanced around at the wall of trees on either side of them. The thick scent of pine filled the air. "How can this be a good idea?"

"Take cover first. Talk later," Peter ordered, as they ran uphill onto a bluff scattered with trees, brush, and rock. "Faster!"

Grace stumbled but Leo's strong arm encircled her waist, steadying her and locking his eyes with hers. "I'm fine," she said, answering his silent question.

A harsh laugh escaped Peter. His face was pasty white and sweat dripped down his chin. "Don't speak too soon."

"We should have stuck with the Apple Rapids plan," Colton complained, struggling to catch his breath.

"If I'd been able to get us there, I would have." Leo kept moving, not bothering to look at Colton.

"I don't get." Colton's expression was a mask of confusion. "You directionally challenged, Wilder?"

"They led us here. To this dead-end road," Dean threw over his shoulder, taking in his surroundings as if he'd been thrust into an arena to fight for his life. "They're probably waiting for us to turn around."

"They're done waiting," Mark yelled, grabbing Rose's hand, and heading to higher ground. "Grace, over here!" he called, but she was too far away.

"Hide!" Peter shouted, and they scrambled to find cover.

Dropping to a rock that overlooked the bus and the SUVs, they hunkered down and waited. The sound of their breathing seemed magnified. Could the men below hear it?

Grace was trembling. Janessa was on one side of her, Leo on the other. She tried to remain as still as possible, but she could not stop shaking. "Shh, you're ok," Leo whispered against her temple.

The deep, gravelly timbre of his voice soothed her. Below them, two big men dressed in dark suits with sunglasses scanned the area. They seemed too far away to hear anything, but surprisingly their voices carried.

"They couldn't have gotten far," the bald man said, surveying the area like a hunter searching for prey.

The other guy slowly moved his head, checking his surroundings. "Far enough. I don't get paid enough to chase down a bunch of kids."

The bald man didn't look pleased with the comment. "You're getting paid for a job. You'll do whatever it takes."

"They have to go back the way they came. Let's wait them out."

Suddenly, the bald man lifted his chin and Grace held her breath. It was almost as if he was looking straight at her. Time slowed.

She heard Janessa's soft gasp.

Tension fell over them like a heavy blanket as they waited to see what would happen. Finally, the bald man glanced down and nodded. "They're trapped. Sooner or later they'll have to get back on the main road."

The other man's face split into an oily grin, and his gaze zeroed in on where we were hiding. Making the shape of a gun with his right hand, he pretended to fire at them.

Grace inhaled a ragged breath.

"They don't know we're here," Leo whispered against Grace's ear.

Janessa glanced over at him. "You don't think so?"

"They wouldn't be leaving if they did," Dean answered, an edge to his voice.

"What's all this about?"

At the anxious question, Mark's gaze fell on Rose and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Peter should answer that one," he said getting to his feet.