Chapter 50

Dana put her arms in the air and groaned. Apparently not everybody in the Forest Service was affected by the magic protecting this place.

When she turned to see who it was, she was shocked to see an old man aiming his gun at her. His white hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail, and though his face was lined with deep wrinkles, he had the confident stance of someone who had no problem pulling the trigger. He wore an old pair of jeans and a red flannel shirt. He had on combat boots that were covered in dry mud.

“Thought maybe you girls had gotten lost or somethin’, wanderin’ onto my land and all. Looks like you’re up to no good.”

“Easy.” Dana stood slowly and turned to face him properly and moved toward him. “Okay, so I can explain. We needed that car to get away from my friend’s abusive husband. He was chasing us and so we stole that car, and I’m so very sorry, and…”

He aimed the gun at Dana’s head. “I see you walkin’ my way and have no problem paintin