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stood to the right. He
rushed behind it for cover. The long, white barn was still more than a thousand
feet away and there would be no further cover for them. He could hear the high-pitched
whistles the enemy was using to communicate. At least it was good to know their
blocker affected them as well.
    That made him curious. “Tessa, can you hear me?”
    “I hear you,” her inner voice called back to him.
    Interesting, the blocker doesn’t affect our connection. Was it because the blocker was too far away or did they share some kind of bond?
Those questions would have to wait for a more opportune time to consider them.
He looked down at the exterior power outlet just below his hand. Flipping the
cover up, he silently drew energy out.
    “The ATV should be on the other side of the barn. We’ll
be exposed. I’ll draw fire. You run for it.”
    She didn’t answer immediately. She was considering the order
before she replied. “I’ll come back for you. Be ready.”
    Her long legs took off at a sprint and Joshua stepped out
into the yard in plain sight. Electricity buzzed through his body. He gathered
it and shot at the first movement he saw. A human scream broke the silence and
a body thudded to the ground.
    The predawn erupted in gunfire. A familiar aura touched
Joshua’s mind. Not possible. Then it was gone and he knew he must have
imagined it. Though it would explain how they’d found him at the Flack farm. He
pulled his gun and fired on a dark figure moving to his left. All the while he
backed up toward where Tessa would be waiting.
    He thought he might have one more small charge left in him.
Before he could get another bolt off, he heard the ATV motor behind him. Wheels
screeched to a stop. She had backed the side-by-side Arctic Cat Prowler all the
way down the barnyard.
    “Get the fuck in,” she shouted over gunfire coming from near
the house.
    The enemy feared him. It was the only explanation as to why
they didn’t come forward. He didn’t know if he had enough energy for one more
blast. Deciding in an instant it would be safer for the Flacks if they were
gone, he jumped in the back of the ATV and nearly tumbled back out when she hit
the gas and headed toward the woods.
    Joshua was in the little storage bed behind the seats. Tessa
barreled through the woods at a dangerous speed, tossing him around as if he were
a sack of potatoes. He kept a death grip on the roll bar as his body was
battered against the steel bed.
    A bullet struck the bar just below his hand. They both
ducked at the sound. He could hear men shouting and multiple shots being fired
in their direction.
    “To the left, Tessa!”
    She didn’t question him. She jerked the wheel to the left
and sent him flying to the side of the ATV. He hooked one arm around the bar
and braced the other on the steel side of the storage bed to keep from flying
out.
    It was the same way his brother and Lena had come, though
they had been on horseback. He hadn’t been with them, but he’d tracked their
path once the danger had passed. He wanted to make sure they’d gotten away.
Unfortunately their escape had been short-lived and they had eventually been
captured.
    He had a bad feeling if he and Tessa were captured they
would not come to as satisfactory an end. Joshua didn’t know what this was all
about, but it was obvious someone wanted them dead.
    He had to yell to be heard over the noise of the ATV and
gunfire. “The woods are about to clear. Head for the barn. We’re going to
borrow a car.”
    She nodded and kept her hands on the wheel and her focus on
the break in the trees.
    Joshua had to admit the woman could drive.
    They wouldn’t have much time once they cleared the trees.
    Tessa gunned the engine as soon as they were out of the
rough terrain. The small vehicle, pushed to its limits, sped toward the red-and-white
barn. She careened around the front and Joshua jumped to the ground before she
had fully stopped. He rolled open the barn doors.
    The gunfire