Jake
Twin halogen beams cut through the pine canopy two hundred yards below our switchback, carving the timber into jagged ribs of light.
I didn't hesitate. I killed the ignition, caught Emma by the waist, and lifted her off the pillion before the tires fully stopped rolling. Her boots hit the loose shale, but I took her weight against my chest and steered her into a narrow granite crevice beneath an overhanging ledge.
I hauled the eight-hundred-pound bagger off the dirt track by the handlebars, dragging it into low cedar brush until the matte-black frame disappeared in the shadows.
"Stay down," I whispered, positioning my body between her and the trail.
Emma dropped to one knee against the cold stone. Her breathing remained steady, her hand resting protectively over her lower abdomen
