She hadn’t been unconscious when he’d checked on her, and he’d be willing to bet that she’d worked her way out of that stall before he’d even settled in to sleep.

He looked at his watch and sucked in a quick breath.  It was nearly three.  She’d been on the run for three hours and she could be anywhere.  But when Dale followed the line of sight from the hole north, he was sure that he knew which way she went. 

He smiled.  She’d chosen the roughest path, and if she had just gone south, she could have made it to the highway and hitch-hiked out of Glen Rose in thirty minutes.  Instead, she’d headed into the wildlife area of the massive start part, dozens of miles from civilization.  If she didn’t get eaten by a mountain lion first, she would end up falling off a cliff or something worse.  He may not get his merchandise back, but she wouldn’t be ratting him out either.  If she survived the night, she’d be dead from exposure and the soaring temperatures by mid-afternoon. 

He would have to find another girl like Hannah to add to the auction site, but he still had an hour to find Hannah and get her in the system.  And since he knew where she was going, he had the advantage.

There was a four-wheeler parked by the cabin.  A newer, narrower model with a higher top speed, it would get him through the woods in record time.  She might have almost three hours lead time, but this vehicle would close that gap quick, and Hannah would find herself right back where she started.  Except this time, Dale would shackle her around the neck and make sure that she couldn’t possibly get away.  Besides, the clients like their merchandise feisty, and it didn’t get much feistier than Hannah.  If he caught her, her price would quadruple, and that would make his client very happy. 

He amended the thought.  Not if but when he caught her.  He wasn’t about to let the biggest payday of his life walk away on his watch.  Dale valued his life and his bank account too much to ever let that happen.

The engine roared to life, and he raced down the trail, grin so wide that he looked like an insane clown from a horror movie.  He wondered if she had heard the gun go off when he’d shot the guard, and he hoped she had.  She would be scared and frantic, and that’s when she would be careless.  And hunting a careless teen running scared in the woods was Dale’s specialty.

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