Tony placed both hands on her shoulders, cutting her off. ‘Look at me.’ He waited until she obeyed. ‘You look like a smart kid, and I’m betting that you want to find your friend more than you want pride to stand in the way. Like I mentioned earlier, if time and the possibility of me being detained weren’t factors, I’d get you to safety first, but this is the best option we have to work with. You’re still weak from malnutrition, and you’ll only slow me down. Our best option for success is if you stay put.’

Addis didn’t bother to tell him she would’ve fought him anyway if he’d insisted on getting her to safety before they’d found Emerson. She did her best to tamp down on the ache in her heart that whispered they might not find her alive when they did locate her – if they located her at all.

Tony released her long enough to retrieve the gun he’d shoved into the back of his jeans. ‘Do you know how to shoot a gun?’

Addis whipped her head back and forth, retreating until she tripped over a wooden stool, barely catching herself before she went sprawling to the floor. ‘No, no, I can’t.’

Tony bent his knees until he was eye level with her. ‘Listen, remember what I said about knocking you out to find Emerson? There was someone else out there. Now, I’ve been hunting since I was old enough to point a rifle without toppling over, and the fact that I didn’t find her scares me. She was as weak and worn out as you, so unless she got extremely lucky, someone else may have found her first. Or worse, two someones. And if they did, I can’t be worried about you, her, and them. Now, take this gun. It’s better to be safe than sorry, as the saying goes. Hopefully, you won’t even have to use it. But in case you do, just point and shoot.’

A thundering wave of noise rushed through Addis’s ears, and she saw Tony’s mouth moving, but what he said was lost in the whoosh of panic threatening to drop her. Only when he set the gun down and guided her into a chair far away from it did her nerves begin to settle back into place.