 Mason grabbed his arm and hauled him up almost at once. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. Keep going.” “Mason, I can’t—” Without warning Mason spun Riece around and shook him. He pointed one finger at Riece and snarled, “You listen to me. ‘I can’t’ is no longer in your vocabulary. You can and you will because I love you and there is no fucking way I’m leaving you here or losing you. I will keep you safe and get you out, but you will not goddamn give up on me.” He gulped in a few deep breaths and ran one hand through his hair. “Riece, we can do this. Now move your ass.” Riece wanted to make a quip about how sexy it was when Mason took control and got all macho like that, but he was too busy trying to keep his footing. He was sure they’d be found and shot in the back before reaching the top. The way down had looked precarious, though short. The way up seemed as if it was ten times the distance and a much steeper incline. Finally Riece reached the top. Mason reached around him and grabbed a sapling with one hand and Riece’s arm with the other. He hauled both of them over the gully’s edge and onto more level ground. Riece flopped on his back, gasping, trying to get control of his shaking body and ragged breathing. Mason grabbed Riece under his armpits and pulled him backward a few feet, then put one hand on Riece’s chest and pressed down gently. “Stay there, stay down.” He crouched beside Riece while he gazed at the gully below. “Do you see them?” Riece asked. Holding one finger to his lips, Mason shook his head. After a minute he stood up and took a few silent steps in the direction they’d last seen the men and woman. Riece turned his head and watched as Mason hunkered close to the ground and leaned over the edge, looking one way, then the other. He stood and moved a few yards farther away. His movements were soundless, and he hunched over as he walked. The landscape here consisted of swaths of tall grass interspersed with small open spots and thick patches of trees. The terrain rolled up and down, the ground peppered with big rocks that made it rugged but not impassible. To Riece it seemed as if they’d been going in circles, but Mason definitely appeared to have a direction and destination in mind. Gone Away is available in eBook, paperback and through Kindle Unlimited.      Comments are closed.
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