Chapter 7 - Escape Through the Timber
Jax cracked the heavy back door open just enough to let in a gust of crisp, pine-scented air. He turned back, his face a mask of concentrated focus, and motioned for the girl to crawl toward him. She moved with surprising agility, her small frame slipping through the narrow opening into the shadow of the overhang. The forest canopy above them was dense enough to block out most of the moonlight, creating a world of pure shadow and silhouette. As Jax stepped out behind her, a loud kick echoed from the front of the cabin—someone had just forced the front door open. ""Move, don't look back,"" Jax whispered fiercely, his hand gripping her shoulder to guide her through the thick brush. They scrambled down a steep embankment of loose dirt and pine needles, sliding a few feet before catching themselves on the roots of an ancient oak tree. Above them, angry shouts echoed from the cabin as their pursuers realized their quarry had vanished into thin air. Pushing through the undergrowth, Jax led the girl deeper into the ravine, away from the roaring highway, toward a secret destination only a veteran rider of these forgotten backwoods would know.
