Sammy bounced on the balls of his feet, and a mischievous smile lit his eyes. “Is that man after us because you crashed his drone?”

“Possibly.” The drone was the least of her worries when it came to Anders Gilmont.

Reaching the road, she stuck out her thumb. Forty minutes later, a family of four dropped them off on a dirt track several miles east of her destination.

The Tay Forest Park encompassed a massive swath of forests and lochs ranging from Dunkeld in the south to Calvine in the north. By catching a ride, Elise had bypassed areas popular with day-trippers and headed for land used solely by the forestry commission.

She had no idea how much of a lead she had over Gilmont or if he had monitored the 4x4’s progress via CCTV. Word on the street said his reach was like cancer, stretching into vital organizations across the UK.

Her eyes scanned the distant crags. Somewhere along that ridge lay a slew of caves she had once explored. One of them would prove handy for their cooking fire and to keep the smoke from alerting Gilmont to their presence. As to their shelter, it would be nowhere near. If Gilmont was hunting her, she refused to make it easy for him.

Chapter 29

The jet suit rattled on the seat beside Harry as his Land Rover flew down the hill, zipped through the Clovenfords roundabout, and slingshotted down his neighborhood street. He tapped the steering wheel impatiently. This trip home, though necessary, would set him back another half hour—a half hour he could ill afford when Sammy’s and Elise’s welfare was at stake.

Harry pulled onto the driveway and jumped out before the vehicle stopped rocking.

Without a doubt, he could trust Elise to do her best by Sammy, but she was only one person against Gilmont’s dozens. Harry stormed inside the cottage, opened the hall cupboard, snagged two cases of ammo, and hauled them to the 4x4. Lastly, he unlocked the trigger on his rifle and laid it beside the door.

If Elise planned to enter Big Tree Country, he needed a map and compass. The sections without trails were dense and dark. A person could get lost there in a matter of minutes. He took the stairs two at a time and retrieved his rucksack of camping gear and first-aid supplies, then lugged the entire lot to the car. How he’d pack it into the back country remained a mystery.

Hunting a man like Gilmont required an arsenal and every skill he possessed. The man would not go down without fireworks; of that Harry was certain. Gilmont’s arms deal with Nheshal was a deliberate slap in the UK’s face for sending him to prison. Knowing Gilmont, the man doubtless had other motives as well.