Page 6 of Danger in the Wilderness (National Park Protectors #1)

“Only a confirmation that it was PCK who took Dad.” He released her and shared what the killer had sent to Blaire. “I’m sorry I left Dad by himself.”

Jayla swatted him. “Don’t do that to yourself. This is not your fault. PCK hadn’t struck your park yet.”

She was right, but Dekker still blamed himself for letting his father talk him into going camping. You should have listened to your gut. A mistake he wouldn’t make again. He squashed his guilt and shook Bryson’s hand. “Good to see you, man. Sorry it’s under these conditions.”

“You too.” Bryson tightened his grip before releasing his hold, revealing his support for his brother-in-law.

Hercules barked.

Dekker squatted and tousled the dog’s fur. “You too, bud.”

The K-9 waggled his tail and trotted over to Blaire.

“Hey there.” Blaire laughed. “I assume you’re the famous Hercules.”

Dekker got up. “Sure, Herc, run straight to the pretty lady.”

Hercules barked again.

Blaire’s face deepened to a rosy hue.

Dekker chuckled and gestured toward Blaire. “This is criminal investigative analyst Blaire Tremblay. Blaire, this is my sister Jayla and her husband, Bryson. Of course, you’ve met Herc.”

The group exchanged greetings as Dekker’s sat phone rang. He fished it from his backpack. “That’s probably Mom, Jay. I haven’t been able to reach her.”

“Let’s do this together.” Jayla nudged him away from the group. “We’ll be back. You guys check in at the table.”

As usual, his mountain survivalist sister took charge of the situation. Not that Dekker minded. He desperately required her help and was thankful for her presence. He hit the phone’s speaker. “Dekker Hoyt.”

“Son. What’s going on? Your message sounded urgent.”

Dekker inhaled, gathering courage to give Erica Hoyt the terrible news concerning her husband. “Mom, I’m here with Jayla.”

Jayla moved closer. “Hi, Mom.”

“Okay, something is wrong. What is it? Where’s Frank?”

Dekker gripped the phone tighter, bracing himself for his mother’s reaction. “Mom, I hate that we have to tell you this over the phone, but Dad was abducted here in my park.”

A sharp breath intake sailed through the phone’s speaker. “What?”

Dekker’s lips quivered. “I’m so sorry.”

Hercules barked from a few feet away as if adding his apology.

“Not your fault, my sweet son. Is that my Hercules?” Erica Hoyt’s question came out strong.

Just like her personality. Most people thought Frank Hoyt was the backbone of the family, but Dekker and his siblings all knew it was their lovable, prayerful mother. She kept her husband and children in check, but doted on each of them, creating a balance they all respected. For the most part.

“Yes. I called Jayla. As we all know, Herc’s the best at finding people. And right now, we need the best.”

“Mom, we’ll find Dad. Bryson is here too.” Jayla tapped on her cell phone.

“Good. Do you know who took Frank?”

Dekker raised his brow at Jayla, questioning how much to share with their mother.

She shook her head.

He understood her meaning. Don’t tell her yet. They didn’t want to scare her.

Supervisor Gage Nicols clapped. “Everyone, gather around.” The search party leader—and Dekker’s boss—waved the crowd over to his location.

Good timing. “Mom, we have to go. The search party is heading out. We’ll call you with updates, okay?”

“Hazel is on her way to you right now. You shouldn’t be alone.” Jayla pocketed her cell phone. “I just texted her but didn’t say why. I wanted her to hear the news from you. Can you also tell the others?”

“I will. Thank you, kids. God will direct your paths.” Her voice hitched. “I have to believe that. No, I will believe that.”

Leave it to their solid, faith-filled mother to remind them of God’s sovereignty.

“I will also call my prayer sisters. Love you all very much.” She sniffed before hanging up.

“I hate keeping information from her, Jayla.” His parents had taught them that honesty was always the best policy.

“Dekker, we’ll tell her once we have more information. We don’t need her worrying about what could happen.”

A surge of regret knotted his neck muscles. “Well, it shouldn’t have happened.”

“Stop it. You’re not helping the situation by blaming yourself. Let’s do what we do best. Search and rescue. Remember, we learned from the best—Dad.” She beckoned to her dog. “Hercules, come.”

Herc, Bryson and Blaire followed her over to where Dekker’s leader had the party assembled.

Had Dekker just been reprimanded by his younger sister? Probably. However, he needed her proverbial kick in the pants. He straightened to his full six-foot-two frame and dropped the sat phone into his pack before following the team.

Time to find Dad and bring him home.

“Okay, folks. Listen up.” Nicols pointed to a map fastened to a clipboard.

“We’ve assigned each team an area of the park to search for Frank Hoyt.

Warden Boone has blocked the trails heading to the Fortcastle campsite.

If you see any campers, ask them to leave the park.

It’s for their safety. Be warned. This suspect could still be in the area and is dangerous.

Stay diligent.” He pointed to the supplies on the table.

“Grab ample water and snacks. It’s gonna be a long evening.

Meteorologists have predicted the weather to be good this weekend, but you know how it is in these parts.

Things can change on a dime. Let’s do this. ”

Nicols and Chase had divided the group and assigned an armed officer to each team, sending them to search across the vast Clovercross National Park. They weren’t taking any risks when it came to the Park Campfire Killer. Dekker had ensured Nicols put Blaire, Jayla, Bryson and Hercules on his team.

Three hours later, Dekker’s radio squawked.

“Teams report,” Nicols commanded. “As I feared, clouds are rolling in quickly.”

Chase had retrieved clothing from Frank’s backpack for the dog to catch a scent. Once again, Jayla held it under Hercules’s nose before unleashing her golden retriever. Even though Hercules had veered off at different spots within their dedicated search area, he hadn’t alerted to anything.

The artery in Dekker’s neck pulsed and increased as the team leaders updated the group one at a time with the same report.

No sightings of Frank Hoyt or any suspicious activity.

Darkened clouds had converged over the park and blocked the sun’s rays, making it harder to see deep into the forest.

Dekker checked the time on his stopwatch. If PCK stuck with his timeline, they had about sixty-five hours to find his father.

Ticktock. Ticktock.

The suspect’s text to Blaire replayed in Dekker’s mind like the annoying grandfather clock on his family ranch that had kept him awake some nights.

Blaire reached to rub his arm, but pulled back. “We’ll find him.”

He realized she couldn’t promise that would come true, but her presence reassured him. “Thank you for helping search. You’re putting yourself at risk just being out here, especially since PCK has targeted you.”

She pointed to his gun. “You’re armed, and I know you’ll protect me.”

“I’m concerned time is running out, and Nicols will probably call the search off soon. There’s only—”

Hercules barked nearby.

Dekker inhaled sharply. Did the K-9 catch Frank Hoyt’s scent?

Blaire pointed. “That way.” She raced toward the dog’s beacon.

“Blaire, wait!” Dekker shone his flashlight through the trees and ran after her, ignoring the branches slapping him in the face.

Rustling noises beside Dekker intermixed with Hercules’s barking. Dekker stopped abruptly. “Blaire?”

He shone his light, but somehow she had disappeared. No! Where did you go?

“Dekker, you’ll never catch me.” A distorted voice teased through the trees.

Dekker bristled and withdrew his 9 mm, raising it along with the flashlight. “Show yourself.”

A shadow skulked to Dekker’s right.

He pursued the suspect into a clearing.

Hercules continued to bark in the distance, alerting the group to his find.

Dekker stopped to get his bearings.

A branch snapped seconds before hands pushed Dekker from behind.

He stumbled forward. Branches parted, and the forest floor opened, plunging Dekker into a darkened abyss. He yelled as he hit the dirt wall, dropping his weapon and flashlight. His arms flailed, trying to grasp anything on the way down.

He landed with a thud at the bottom.

“Dekker!” Blaire’s voice pierced the forest. She’d obviously heard him cry out.

Hercules’s barking in the distance registered in Dekker’s mind as he fought to stay conscious. Stay away, Blaire! He wanted to shout the words, but they lodged in his throat.

A shadowy face appeared over the hole. The suspect mumbled a curse word. “This isn’t over. Enjoy your last hours, Mr. Park Warden.”

PCK’s silhouette disappeared moments before Dekker surrendered to the black hole’s tight grip.