She couldn’t explain it, but something about him made her want to trust him, to reach out to him for assistance. Maybe going with him could work in her favor. She spent enough time guiding teenagers to her side of the bargaining table. She could do the same thing with this guy.
Except Zack Owen was no sixteen-year-old. The bottom line was she didn’t know this man. Her heart might be urging her to take a chance, but her brain knew better.
She dug in her heels. He stilled, staring down at her with piercing green eyes the color of an Irish countryside. “Look, I won’t put the cuffs on you if you can act like a civil human being.”
“You can’t—”
“Yes, I can.” His grip tightened. “Now what’s it going to be?”
She nipped her bottom lip. Several seconds ticked by. Think of something.
“Come on.” He tugged her toward the camping site parking lot, fifty, sixty yards away.
Jamie froze. Two of Drew’s men stalked toward them. She couldn’t be caught. Charlotte needed her. At least with the bounty hunter she had a chance.
Zack stilled, looked from her to the men. “You know them?”
“Yes. How did they find me?”
“Probably the same way I did.”
She gripped his arm. “I’ll go with you, but let’s go in the other direction.” And she’d pick up her backpack on the way. She couldn’t leave her most treasured items behind.
“Why?”
“Later.” She tried to drag him toward the tent, but the stubborn man wouldn’t move.
Big beefy Charlie, an off-duty deputy, closed in. “There you are.”
Jamie had seen the man next to him once or twice with Drew. Ben was his name. He pointed at her. “We’ve wasted a lot of time looking for you.”
“Who are you guys?” Zack braced his stance.
Jamie inched closer to him until their arms touched. She wanted to take hold of his hand, but she kept to herself. “They’re deputies from my brother-in-law’s office.”
As though the bounty hunter wasn’t even there, Charlie closed the distance between her and himself. “You know what we’re here for, Jamie. The kid. Where is she?”
“I’ll never give up my niece.” She’d die first.
“Sorry, but Jamie’s coming with me.” The bounty hunter slid her behind him. A wave of relief rolled through her. She pressed her palms to his back.
“Not too many people say no to Charlie.” Ben snickered.
Charlie straightened to his full height, only around five feet eight inches, but his bulk made up for what he lacked in height. “I don’t think you understand. We need information from her and we’re authorized to get it however we can.”
The bounty hunter didn’t even flinch. “No, you don’t understand. Your boss has no legal right to threaten her. As a sheriff, he should know he needs to let the justice system work.”
Tension rose like a thick layer of smoke. She’d wanted to get away from Mr. Bounty Hunter, but for the moment he was her only ally.
The other two men chuckled and traded glances. “Get out of my way.” Charlie took a swing at Zack. The thwack when Charlie’s fist connected with the bounty hunter’s jaw resonated through the woods. Zack tossed an uppercut, which snapped the other man’s head back.
Guilt rose inside her. No, she didn’t want to go with the bounty hunter, but she didn’t want him hurt because of her, either.
While Zack tangled with Charlie, Ben marched toward her. Jamie scanned the floor of the woods as she backed up. She needed a weapon. Leaves...rocks...the bat.
Bingo!
She scrambled to reach the bat Zack had tossed aside. Panic flushed through her. Ben yanked on the back of her shirt. “Get over here.”
She grabbed the wooden bat, whirled around and bashed it on his arm. The vibration numbed her fingers, her forearms.
The man howled. He cradled his arm close to his chest, then glared at her with fire in his eyes. “You little...” Ben grabbed her again.
Behind them, one of the men thumped to the ground.
Please not the bounty hunter. Jamie struggled to turn around. Relief flooded her. Zack moved toward Ben, took hold of the man’s injured arm and shoved him to the ground. Another howl.
Charlie reached behind him, tugged something free and...aimed a gun at Zack’s back.
She released the bat. “Look out!” Jamie knocked her bounty hunter down.
The gun went off.
* * *
Zack used his hands to break his fall. Guns? No, this definitely wasn’t good. This bounty was a lot more complicated than he’d ever imagined. He should’ve handed the woman over, but because he cared about the fear he’d seen in her eyes, he was now between a rock and a hard place. With weapons.
Emotions had no business here. He had to think exclusively like a bounty hunter and not as an affronted citizen.
Amid screams and hollers from other parts of the campsite, he pushed himself back up, grabbed the bat and smacked it down on the big guy’s hand as he aimed his weapon for Jamie, who remained on the ground. The gun tumbled across the dirt away from the two lawmen. Both deputies scrambled for the weapon.
Zack yanked the woman’s arm and got her to her feet. “Go!” She teetered for a moment, then ran to the tent. What was she doing? “Come on, Carter!” It took her only seconds to grab a small, plaid backpack. Then they slid in between the trees, deeper into the brush.
“Get after them!” one of the men yelled from behind.
No shots followed. Each second passing without another threat made Zack more nervous. Could he keep himself and Jamie safe?
She shoved a tree branch out of her face as they rushed toward a cabin standing not fifty feet from them. A shot rang through the air. Instinct had him ducking. God, please guide us to safety. He hadn’t brought his own weapon because he didn’t think he’d need it to capture Jamie.
“We’re not hiding in there,” he said matter-of-factly when they reached the cabin.
“No. Come this way.” She rushed around the building and guided him into a denser part of the forest.
“Where’d they go?” hollered either Charlie or the other man from far behind them.
“Head that way!” demanded the other.
Jamie twisted around for a second. Sirens whirred to life in the distance. Fear skidded through her striking hazel eyes. Her skin took on a pasty white color, as though all her blood had dropped to her feet.
He set his palm on her shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll get out.”
Doubts plagued his mind. Options warred within him. His head said to focus on getting her to the proper police and completing his duty, but his gut demanded he keep the determined woman on the run for her safety. Which was the right decision?
He could turn her over now, but something wasn’t right if a couple of off-duty lawmen were ready to shoot first and ask questions later.
Jamie charged along the path laden with trees as though she’d come through here before. But where was she leading him? And how would they get back to his truck?
She stopped. After a heavy breath and a brief moment with her eyes closed, she continued on their trek. He tugged the backpack. “Wait