A Lawman's Justice (Sweetwater Ranch Book 8) Read Online Free PDF Page A

happen.
    “There they are,” Seth heard one of the men yell.
    Seth didn’t stop running, but he glanced over his shoulder and spotted the two behind them in the creek bed.
    Hell.
    The men were now on foot and already too close. When they reached the water, it would slow them down as it had Shelby and him, but it wouldn’t slow them down nearly enough. All the idiots needed to do was get in firing range. Even if they didn’t have plans to kill them, they could still shoot Shelby and him to get them to stop.
    “There’s more water,” Shelby warned him.
    Yes, Seth saw it. Just ahead the bed not only widened, but the water got deeper. He figured that would only continue until they reached an honest-to-goodness creek.
    “Are you a good swimmer?” Seth asked.
    Shelby glanced at him. She was breathing through her mouth now, and her face was flushed from the exertion. “Not even close.”
    Well, there went plan C. He didn’t want her to drown, and as exhausted as they already were, it’d likely take a strong swimmer for them to escape, especially if the men continued to follow them.
    It was hard to think while running like a crazy man, but Seth forced himself to look around and see what their options were.
    There weren’t many.
    They could keep running and hope the water didn’t get so deep that it’d require swimming. But that was a huge gamble. Or he could stop and try to fight. If the men weren’t armed, that was exactly what he would do, but those weapons gave them a huge advantage. Again, it was a gamble.
    Seth thought of one other plan.
    It was risky, too, but it might be the only chance they had.
    He looked ahead, spotted a place that might work. The water was deeper there, but the embankment wasn’t as high as in other places.
    “When we stop,” Seth told her, “I want you to start climbing up the embankment on your right.”
    “We’re stopping?” she said on a gasp.
    Panic was in her voice. In her eyes, too, and Seth hoped Shelby could hold it together long enough to do this. He’d been an FBI agent for nine years now. Plenty of time for him to be in situations with armed men. Still, he’d never been in a predicament like this.
    In hindsight, he should have forced Shelby back into her car the moment she’d pulled up to the warehouse. He should have threatened her and made her go. If he’d done that, maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess.
    He’d kick himself for that later.
    Later, after he saved her.
    Seth tightened his grip on her arm, stopping her in her tracks, and he shoved her onto the embankment. Shelby dug in her heels and scrambled over. Seth did the same, and the second he was over the top, he grabbed her hand again and took off running. Not away from the men but rather in their direction.
    Toward the truck.
    The men cursed and tried to scramble up the embankment, too, but they chose a spot that was steep and muddy. Seth took full advantage of that and went into a sprint. Just behind him, Shelby kept up, and they made a beeline for the truck.
    “Get them!” one of the men yelled.
    Seth glanced back again. The men were no longer in the creek bed but were in the same clearing as he and Shelby. Both were still armed and running way too fast. Seth figured it wouldn’t be long before they caught up with them.
    The truck was just ahead, both the driver and passenger’s doors wide-open. Seth didn’t hear the engine running, but he hoped the guys had at least left the keys in the ignition. He knew how to hot-wire a car, but that took time. Time that Shelby and he didn’t have.
    “Get in and get down,” Seth told her. This time she’d darn well better listen.
    They scrambled toward the truck. Shelby toward the passenger’s side and Seth behind the wheel. The keys were in there.
    Thank God.
    While the men ran straight toward them, Seth started the engine and threw the vehicle into Reverse so he could turn around. Not easy to do with the trees and the embankment so close. It also didn’t