Moving across from where he stood, Lee quietly moved aside a low hanging branch of a large tree to see Amanda and five boys kneeling in a clearing, sharing water canteens and talking quietly. Lee closed his eyes and backed away. He wasn't certain what he should do.

All intel pointed to Rainey and his men targeting only wealthy hikers and campers. Amanda certainly didn't fit that bill. But Rainey didn't know that. However, those kids didn't know about him and he didn't want them to. Looking around, Lee found a pebble and picked it up. Aiming carefully he flipped it forward hoping to get Amanda's attention.

The pebble fell short though. Quickly picking up another, Lee again tossed it in her direction. This time it hit its mark on Amanda's shoulder, causing her to turn and look behind her. Instantly, her eyes widened when she glimpsed Lee hidden in the foliage.

Barely containing her alarm, Amanda turned back and looked at the boys as they sat talking, waiting for her to move them forward. "Uh…. Boys." She quickly got their attention. "Uh, I… I need to step over there behind… behind the bushes for a moment and…"

"Why?" Freddie Hannigan wanted to know. He was the inquisitive, if a bit clumsy and overweight one of the bunch. He questioned everything he couldn't eat.

"Well, uh… because I… I…"

"You dummy." Jake Hawkins reached over and knocked his cap off. "She's gotta go to the bathroom." Taller than most of the boys and fairly muscular for one so young, Jake was cocky about his size and looks. For with blue eyes, straw blonde hair and dimpled cheeks, he knew he was a good-looking boy.

Amanda blushed but decided that was as good an excuse as any, as long as she didn't actually say it. "You boys just stay right here, I'll be right back." She said, quickly getting up and running to the bushes she'd seen Lee hiding in.

"Lee?" She whispered as she went behind the bushes and looked around. A second later, she jumped when Lee touched her on the arm. "What are you doing here?" She demanded, darting a glance out into the clearing to keep an eye on the boys. "You aren't supposed to follow me. I'm with my boys and…"

Lee reached over and grasped both of her arms, leaning in close. "Amanda, will you hush?" He shook his head at her. "I'm not following you. I didn't even know you were out here until I heard your voice. I do have a job besides looking out for you, ya know."

Amanda blinked and looked down, realizing how she'd sounded. "I know you do. But what you doing out here then?"

"There's a band of men roaming these woods, Amanda." Lee told her. "They've been breaking into cars and robbing and even hurting people that have come up here to camp or just to hike. I'm up here trying to find them. But I think you and those boys had better turn around and go back home or find some other mountain to hike on. It's not safe here."

Amanda swallowed hard as she looked up at Lee and shook her head. "I can't." She told him. "We were brought up here and left. I didn't drive. We're supposed to be here until tomorrow night. We can't go anywhere until our ride comes back."

Lee took a deep breath. "Well, do you have any way of contacting who ever brought you up here? You know, like in a case of an emergency?"

"Well, I did." Amanda sighed. "But Freddie fell on my bag shortly after we got out here and broke the radio I had. He wasn't hurt of course, but that radio sure was. Of course, you know, it wasn't really his fault so much as he's just a little clumsy but he…"

"Amanda, stop. Okay?"

Amanda stopped. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I know." Lee shook his head at her rambling as he rubbed the back of his head in irritation. He didn't have a car up there either. When Rand suggested leaving his car in the police parking lot, he'd agreed that it was best, in order to protect it from Rainey and his men. But even if he'd driven it, he wouldn't have been able to get Amanda and five boys as well as their equipment into his Porsche.

He did have that radio though. And even though it'd be hard to explain to Rand why he wanted transport for a woman and five kids out of the woods, he thought it the only option.

"Alright." He sighed. "I have a radio too. I'm going to contact the Sherriff's office and get someone out here to take you and the boys someplace safe until someone can come and get you."

"Lee, I don't understand." Amanda protested. "Why do we have to leave? I mean, I know you said there were men up here but there's no reason to believe they're in this area and even if they were, they wouldn't hurt a woman and five little boys. Besides, we don't have anything of value other than that radio and well, you know, Freddie broke that and…"

"Amanda." Lee's voice took on the ragged quality it always took on when she began to ramble and get on his nerves. "I don't care about that. But if you and those kids stay out here you could get hurt. Now, I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm going to call and get someone to come and get you."

Amanda wanted to say no. After all, even though he refuted it and she'd only been at the Agency for a short while, she felt that she and Lee were partners. She was supposed to back him up. But she was also supposed to take care and protect those boys. "Oh, alright." She sighed.

Lee had the radio out before she was finished speaking. But a couple of moments later he looked at it in total confusion. It wasn't working. It not only wouldn't get a signal, it wouldn't switch on at all. Kneeling down, he placed the radio on the ground and quickly worked to remove the back of it.

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked as she watched him. It looked like he was tearing the radio apart.

"It's not working." He answered, as he got the back off and quickly checked for batteries, which were there. Everything was there but it still wasn't working. "Well," he sighed as he stood up. "I guess the battery's dead."

"Well, what do we do now?" Amanda took a look around them and then cautiously pulled the bushes back to check on the boys.

"We get out of this area." Lee decided as he started forward.

"Lee." Amanda quickly grabbed his arm. "My boys are out there. They're not supposed to know about you."

Lee stopped, thinking about the situation. He had a bad feeling that Rainey and his men were lurking somewhere about. If that was the case, he was in danger along with anyone with him. However, he couldn't just take off and leave Amanda and those boys out there alone. Rainey had plenty enough men to take him as well as Amanda and the boys if they were separated. Finally he looked at Amanda and shook his head.

"Well, whether they are supposed to or not, they're going to. Amanda we could be in trouble up here and I think it's best we stay together, for a little while at least, to protect the boys as well as ourselves."

But Amanda wasn't quite willing to believe that. "Lee, we're not in trouble. How could we be? I mean, true, we don't have any radios but our Scout leader will be back tomorrow night to pick us up and we have plenty of equipment and stuff to take care of us until then. Besides, look around you. There's no one out here but us."

Just as Amanda said that, sounds could be heard coming from behind and to the north of them, sounds of several people walking through the woods. Instantly, Lee grabbed Amanda by the arm and pushed her forward. "Go." He ordered.

Still unsure of any danger, Amanda did trust Lee however. So quickly, she went back to the where the boys were and knelt down next to them. "Boys, grab your stuff and hurry. We've got to get out of here."

"Why, Mom?" Phillip asked.

"Because, it's not safe here." Lee answered as he came up behind her. "Now come on, let's go."

All of the boys looked at this stranger curiously, but with Amanda's encouragement, they got to their feet, grabbed their backpacks and hurried through the woods following the two adults.

TBC