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“It was worth a try. Let’s split back up and make another round,” Oscar said. “I still hold that they wouldn’t have kept going with the kids. Too hard.”

The other two men agreed and in a few moments there was silence once again as they faded back into the wilderness.

Tanner forced himself to count to five hundred before he even began to move, but once again Noah stopped him with a silent shake of the head and a hand on his shoulder.

Tanner was almost to a thousand this time before Noah finally moved.

“Being extra cautious?” Tanner whispered.

“There’s a fourth, who was hanging behind just in case. I don’t know where he was, but he was out there.”

His brother was damn spooky sometimes.

“Are you sure there’s nobody out there now?” Tanner whispered.

“Not near here. They’re resuming their search.”

“I’m pretty sure you just saved my life, so thanks.”

Noah squeezed his shoulder. “Let’s move. I’ve got to pick something up before we go to wherever you stashed Bree and the kids.”

“Pick something up?” Tanner whispered. “Like a pizza?” Although, damn, pizza sounded good.

“Indefinitely more frustrating than pizza, trust me.”

They made their way north, away from the hideout, but Tanner didn’t question. Noah had a reason for whatever he was doing. Noah always had a reason.

“Did you track us?”

“Yeah. Damn near impossible to hide two kids and an inexperienced hiker, although you did a good job.” His voice was so low Tanner could hardly hear him, and he was right next to him. “Tracking these guys was easier. I would’ve been here much sooner.”

Tanner waited for him to finish the sentence but evidently it was complete in Noah’s mind.

They walked for another five minutes, definitely not in a straight line. Then they came to an outcropping of rocks near a small drop-off by a waterfall. Tanner had no idea what they were doing there, until a blur of white jumped out at them, stick in hand.

Tanner jumped out of the way, but Noah was obviously expecting it. He spun around, ducking from where the branch would’ve clobbered him in the head, and behind their attacker.

“Whoa there, tiger,” he whispered, grabbing the attacker by the waist from behind and spinning her around.

“Noah?”

It was Marilyn. She lowered the stick, then looked between the two men.

“Tanner? Where are the kids?”

Tanner turned to his brother. “This is the pizza?”

“Like I said, more frustrating than a pizza. She followed me. We sent Francis and Barb home when we saw the bridge was out. Marilyn was supposed to go with them, but somebody is not great at following directions.”

“I don’t give a damn about your directions when my kids’ lives are at stake,” Marilyn spit out.

It was the most words, and definitely the most anger, Tanner had ever seen out of the quiet woman.

She turned to him. “Are they okay? We saw them fall out of the raft, but Noah assured me that the flares meant you guys were unharmed.”

“We were. We are.” He caught his brother’s eyes in the dim light. “We survived the rafting accident with no problem. But we’ve got much bigger issues now.”

The sound of the water covered most of their talking. “Your raft was sabotaged, wasn’t it?” Noah asked.