The Hikers — Dan Decker

Tim gets dumped by his girlfriend Jessica in the middle of the wilderness and then hears a gunshot. Fearing the worst, they hide in the bushes. Moments later serious-looking men in business suits come traipsing down the trail. While Tim and Jessica try to decide what to do next, the men return, looking for a missing wallet. Just when Tim thinks they have figured out a safe path from the forest, they are caught at gunpoint. He must think fast and speak well; otherwise, there will soon be three bodies instead of just one.If you enjoy thrillers with a witty hero that end with a twist, this short story is for you. Fans of Jeffery Deaver and Lee Child will enjoy this yarn. Buy your copy today!Sneak PeekJessica shuddered. A cold feeling swept over me. Something was wrong. Men don't hike in suits. Ever. I all the sudden wished we'd just turned and ran down the mountain when we'd heard the gunshot. My instincts had been to go for cover, but now those men were going to get down to the road and see that they hadn't been alone out here.A bead of sweat dripped into my eye, but I ignored it. I hadn't given it a second thought when I had parked my Toyota Corolla right by their car. Would they care? Would they become suspicious when they saw my car but didn't run into us on the trail? Or would they wait to see if we knew something?As we waited for the men to pass, I noticed Jessica's hand was touching lightly against my own. I wanted to yank it away but did not. It felt good, but at the same time, it filled me with bitterness.Wait here, I said once they'd disappeared down the trail. I'm going to see if I can figure out what they were up to. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I needed some distance between her and me, otherwise, cracks might start to form in my ambivalent exterior.Nope, we're going down. We just need to give those men plenty of time- Perfect, wait here. I won't be long. I walked in the opposite direction of the men, checking every step to make sure they weren't coming back up the trail.