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him.
    “I need to check it out. Stand here and be quiet, okay?”
    He scrubbed the water from his eyes and moved to the edge of the door. He pulled the gun from his waistband and motioned for Cassidy to get behind him. Using the butt of the gun, he gave the door a hard rap.
    No response. Gabe repeated the procedure and still, there was nothing to indicate that anyone was inside.
    Holding the gun steady with his right hand, he twisted the knob with his left. It turned smoothly and Gabe pushed the door open. When the object hurled itself from inside, screeching at the top of its lungs, Cassidy’s scream echoed in its wake as Gabe tackled her to the floor of the porch.

FIVE
    H eart thudding, adrenaline pumping, Cassidy watched the colorful macaw land on the railing then jump to the wooden floor of the porch.
    “It’s only a bird.” Cassidy shook with relief.
    “He almost scared me to death,” Gabe grunted in disgust, got up and brushed himself off. He hauled Cassidy up next to him.
    “But at least we now know no one’s home.” She eyed the entrance. “Nothing human anyway.”
    Gabe stepped into the cabin and Cassidy followed, stopping just inside the door to stand beside him. The place stunk. Cassidy wrinkled her nose and pulled the neckline of her soggy shirt up over it. Water pooled around their feet.
    Cassidy saw that the cabin consisted of one large room with a kitchen off to the side. The large room boasted a sofa that mold, mildew and animals had attacked with a vengeance, and two chairs that matched the ones in the kitchen. The kitchen held a rickety wooden table and two chairs that sat rotting in one corner.
    Obviously no one had been there in a long time. The broken window in the kitchen revealed how the birds entered and left. Cassidy didn’t bother to close the door as she made her way farther inside.
    Gabe said, “I’ll check that back room.”
    Cassidy nodded and moved to stand in front of the fireplace. Leftover wood lay on an iron grate, like someone had readied the kindling for burning later, but then never returned. She wondered if she could light a fire without a match.
    Gabe came out of the back room and said, “It’s a bedroom. Nothing there. I doubt the guys on our tail can follow a trail through this mess, but we’ll still have to be careful. If they know about this place, they may head straight here. As soon as it quits raining, we need to be out of here.”
    “Okay.” She nodded. “But first things first.” She walked back onto the porch, “I’m starving and since I’m already soaking wet, I’ll see if I can gather some fruit from these trees.”
    Gabe agreed and joined her, squinting through the downpour to keep an eye out for their pursuers while Cassidy picked the fruit. His hand never moved very far from the gun at his waist. She appreciated his vigilance.
    Working quickly, she gathered their next meal then reentered the cabin. Gabe brought up the rear. She walked into the kitchen, set the fruit on the dusty counter and asked, “You think you can get a fire going?” She tossed him a papaya.
    He caught it easily, took a bite and said, “Better not risk it.”
    Cassidy nodded, seeing the wisdom in his caution. She wrung the water out of her hair and picked up a piece of the fruit she’d gathered. Stepping next to the dark fireplace, she sat down near it, imagining she was back at home, safely ensconced in her home. It didn’t work.
    “What happened to those quick little showers that quit after five minutes?” she grumbled under her breath and took a bite. Sweet juice slathered her tongue then coated her throat. Wonderful. She asked, “Are we going to end up spending the night here?”
    “I hope not. If the rain keeps up, I guess we’ll have to. I don’t like the idea of staying in one place too long, but if we can’t travel in that mess, neither can the guys chasing us. If it comes down to it, you can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
    Cassidy frowned.
    He