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and started breakfast.
    After they ate, he went out on the porch to see if he could
call out. It was snowing much heavier so he wasn’t able to get cell phone
reception.  Just as he turned to go inside he saw them. The footprints led away
from the cabin as they had the day before.
    Grayson immediately went into high alert. He knew keeping
Robin safe meant more to him than an assignment, but to keep them both safe he
knew they had to leave the cabin. Orders be damned. 
    Opening the door, he said calmly but firmly, “We have to get
out of here now.”
    “I’m way ahead of you. Let’s roll!” She was pulling her coat
on as she walked, carrying a bag. He grabbed the bag to help her and noted it
had a few supplies in it. Maybe she’d looked out the window and spotted the
footprints just as he had. Grayson looked at her with a mixture of admiration
and desire as they jumped into the SUV.
    The SUV roared to life and he expertly drove down the road
to the highway, keeping a careful watch. His immediate focus was to get them
both to safety, but he was also thinking of the future and whether he would be
able to have the normal life he hoped for, including the relationship with
Robin he so badly wanted.
    The scenery and his thoughts were whizzing by. Robin looked
less grim as they closed in on the highway. But then the SUV’s engine, suddenly
and with finality, just died. 
    “Oh, oh. Don’t tell me we’re out of gas,” she said as he
guided the dead vehicle to a safe stop.
    Grayson almost smiled at Robin’s innocent assumption.
Almost. Because he knew, without a doubt, that the SUV had been tampered with. 
Damn! He cursed himself for being so absorbed in his thoughts.  He knew from
his years of experience how a vehicle’s engine ran when the wires had been
rigged. Coming to his senses, he realized the SUV had actually been running
strangely since they started out, yet he had ignored the familiar roughness and
strain of the engine until the vehicle stopped.
    Robin waited patiently. It made him feel worse that she
completely trusted him in this instant. 
    How stupid of me . He couldn’t believe he made a
mistake that could cost them their lives. One day he was going to have to tell
Robin everything if they had a chance of being together.  Immediately, however,
his years of training kicked in to deal with the task at hand. He had to stay
in control and in command if they were going to make it out alive. Now more
than ever he knew someone was toying with them, waiting for the right second to
strike.
    “No, it’s not out of gas. I need you to trust me and do as I
say without question. We’re going to get out and walk to the next town. It’s
just a couple of miles away, on the other side of those woods. Let’s move.”
    He grabbed his handgun from under the driver’s seat and ran
around to her side. They quickly made their way along the path in the grove of
trees; Grayson with his gun at the ready. He chose the way with the most cover,
but that might not be enough.
    “Grayson, I—”
    Shots rang out; the crackling sound originated from a source
not far away.
    Grayson pushed Robin to the ground, covered her and returned
fire in an instant. He discerned the location of the shooter and shielded Robin
from that direction.  His mind raced, thinking of routes out of the woods.
    Silence fell again. The shooter might be trying for a better
position. In the heavy brush, Grayson knew they were almost invisible,
especially since they weren’t moving.
    As he scanned the area, movement caught his eye coming in
from the side. He watched and saw a familiar face—his sister! They hadn’t been
alone after all. He waited and she spotted him. He gave the slightest of nods
and turned his hand to point uphill at the shooter’s location.
    She gave a signal in another direction to her back up.
    Seconds later, gunfire rang out again.
    On cue, he pulled Robin to her feet, still shielding her,
and pushed her into motion. “Run!” he