Page 41 of Lethal Illusion

More debris rained down on Navarre’s head, but he didn’t seem to notice.His gaze was still laser-focused on the animal, his index finger resting on the gun’s trigger.

She could see it now: black bear, brown snout.It was huge but seemed a little thin.It huffed out a breath, creating a cloud of white in the cold morning air.All the while, its dark eyes stared down at them as though it were trying to decide whether the potential meal was worth the hassle.

Please go away, please go away,she chanted in her head like a mantra.

Suddenly, its head swung up, its nose scenting the air.A deep, guttural sound reverberated in its throat.Then it looked to the east, let out a grunt, and took off into the brush.

Sloane’s breath came out in a whoosh.“Oh, thank—”

Navarre shushed her as he worked like a fiend to repair the damage to their shelter from the inside.“It left for a reason.”

Knowing their luck, he was probably right.Her stomach knotted at the thought.There weren’t many things in the forest that could scare off a bear.A cougar perhaps, or a pack of wolves.

She heard it then, over the thundering of her heart: the sound of approaching footsteps.Man or animal?She couldn’t say for sure.The footsteps drew closer as Navarre finished his repair job, and the addition of masculine voices kicked her adrenaline into overdrive.

“Christ, can we stop for a few minutes?My feet are fucking killing me,” a man with a New York accent grumbled.

“Yeah, man, I need a break.My blisters got blisters,” a nasally voice chimed in.

A third man made a derisive sound, his voice a thick Texas drawl.“Lazy assholes.All right, five minutes.”

They didn’t sound like hikers or nature enthusiasts.They sounded hard and mean, and it led her to believe they were the men who’d been hired to kidnap Sierra.

One of them sat on the trunk of the fallen tree, causing more debris to rain down on them, and it was all Sloane could do to contain her rising panic.They were trapped in their shelter with no means of escape, and the last thing she wanted to think about was what would happen if they were discovered.

Navarre lay silent, his eyes cold and unblinking, his pistol aimed at the entrance to their lair, ready to use lethal force if the men became aware of their presence.Without a doubt, he was willing to kill—willing to die—to protect her, and although that brought a measure of assurance, she prayed it didn’t come to that.Three against one weren’t very good odds, even for a man with his skill set.And if something happened to him, her odds of survival dropped considerably.

“How much longer are we going to look for that bitch?”the guy with the nasally voice asked.He sounded close, maybe a few feet away, leading Sloane to believe he was the one sitting on the fallen tree.

“As long as it takes.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” New York snapped.“We don’t have enough supplies for a prolonged search.As it is, we’re almost out of food.For all we know, she fell off a cliff.Her type isn’t known for roughing it.”

“If that’s the case, we drag her body back.Not as much money, but it’s better than nothing.”

“I bet she’s still with that asshole who fucked up Porter,” nasal guy said.

“All the more reason to find them.”Texas’s tone was matter-of-fact.“Put some bullets in that prick, grab the girl, deliver her to Winslow, and get paid.Simple.”

Sloane bristled with fear and indignation at the callousness of their conversation.They talked about murdering Navarre the same way normal people talked about a football game.And who the hell was Winslow?The name didn’t ring a bell.Maybe he was one of Dax Garvey’s minions.

“If it was that simple, we would have already found her.”New York sounded pissed.“You told us this was going to be an easy job.Hit hard, hit fast, get the girl, and get away clean.Now we got two men dead, Porter’s leg is all fucked up, and no sign of the goddamn girl.At the rate we’re going, it makes more sense to cut bait and limit our losses.”

“You want to leave?”Texas’s voice cracked like a whip.“Then get the fuck out.The rendezvous point’s that way.Nobody’s making you stay, but if you leave, you don’t get shit.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Sloane held her breath, her heart in her throat, terrified that even the tiniest noise might lead to their demise.The only thing keeping her sane was Navarre’s unwavering strength beside her, the pistol a deadly extension of his hand, his whole body primed to explode into violence at the drop of a hat.

“Fine, one more day,” New York finally said.“After that, I’m done.”

“Me too,” the other guy agreed.

More debris rained down on them when the man sitting on the fallen tree stood.A section of Navarre’s repair work collapsed, but thankfully nobody noticed.

Some of the tension loosened in Sloane’s muscles as she listened to the men’s fading footsteps, but she refused to completely relax until she was certain they were gone.

They stayed in the shelter, not moving, not speaking, for what felt like forever, the only sound the wild pounding of her pulse in her ears.

---