Page 31 of Deputies Under Fire (Renegade Canyon #2)

“More blood,” Rory said. “It’s on the ground.”

She carefully went around the back of the truck so she could join him, and she followed his gaze to the drops on the gravel. Again, not a huge amount, but it looked as if the blood hadn’t been there that long.

“And more,” Rory added, pointing just ahead on the trail.

Eden saw, too, and went with him to the spot. It didn’t take long before they saw more just ahead.

“This feels a little like following breadcrumbs,” he muttered.

Yes, it did. Breadcrumbs that would lead them straight into an attack. That’s why they both drew their guns and kept moving, slowly, checking for anything that could help them make sense of this scene.

If the killer had been leading Ike along this trail, then where was the killer’s vehicle? It lent credence to the theory that the killer had been in Ike’s truck and forced him here. Maybe that meant the killer had left some DNA or trace evidence inside the truck.

As they moved, she spotted one of those holes left over from the dried-up mineral springs.

Unlike the ones the killer had used around Carter, this one was huge, a caved-in section of the ground the size of a bathtub.

If the killer had planted IEDs in this one, she couldn’t see them because it was too deep.

They kept moving, kept following the blood drops, but they both stopped when there was a sound.

A low, hoarse moan.

Maybe.

Since this was in the sticks by anyone’s standards, it was possible an animal had made the sound. But Eden didn’t believe that. No. The sound had been human. A human in pain.

Rory must have thought so, too, because he quickened the pace just a little, but he also continued to keep watch. Eden did the same.

And she heard it again.

That moan.

And thankfully, this time she could better pinpoint the location. It’d come from just ahead and to her right, where there was a cluster of thick cedars.

Because of the underbrush, they couldn’t just step off the trail, where there might be explosives, so they continued ahead. When they reached the cedars, though, she didn’t see Ike.

Not at first, anyway.

But then she spotted him.

And her heart dropped to her knees.

Because the blood was streaming down the side of Ike’s head, and he appeared to be barely conscious. He was sitting, but he’d been tied to a tree. Not just his hands and feet. The rope had been coiled around his torso, anchoring him in place.

That wasn’t all, though.

No.

Around him, mere inches away from where Ike sat, there was a perfect semicircle of something Eden hadn’t wanted to see.

Four IEDs.

R ORY SUCKED IN a hard breath and immediately glanced all around the area. Because even though the IEDs had gotten their attention, that didn’t mean the killer wasn’t going to try to capitalize on the distraction and kill them.

He took hold of Eden’s arm, moving her next to one of the larger trees. As cover went, it sucked, but at least it was better than them standing out in the open.

“Ike?” Eden called out to his father while Rory texted Livvy to send an ambulance.

Of course, the EMTs wouldn’t be able to get to Ike, not until the bomb squad had cleared the IEDs, but Rory wanted medical help on hand. Not just for Ike, but for anyone else who ended up hurt in this ordeal.

But what was the ordeal?

If the killer had used Ike to lure them to their deaths, then why put the IEDs in plain sight? Was it because the explosive devices were meant to be a distraction? If so, they were working. Hard to completely focus when the whole area might blow up.

“Ike?” Eden repeated.

This time, Ike struggled to get one of his eyes open. He was clearly dazed but alive. Not for long, though, if they didn’t do something fast.

ETA on the bomb squad? he texted Livvy.

Fifteen minutes , she replied.

That time would no doubt crawl by, while Ike sat there, bleeding.

“Ike, who did this to you?” Eden asked.

His father turned to look at Eden, but Rory wasn’t sure he was actually seeing her. There was blood in his left eye, and his face was a mask of pain with the one good eye barely open to a slit.

“Who did this?” she repeated.

Ike shook his head. “Someone hit me over the head when I got in my truck.” Like his face, his voice was a tangle of pain as well. “I didn’t see who.” Blinking hard, he glanced around. “Where am I? How did I get here?”

Rory cursed. So Ike wasn’t going to be able to tell them much, but the area around him offered a few clues. There were no drag marks, which meant the killer had carried Ike—which would eliminate Diedre because of her size. And while Helen was strong, he doubted even she could carry Ike.

That left Frank.

He could do the carrying, but that didn’t mean he was the killer.

Ike could have been bludgeoned and then drugged just enough to make him incapable of fighting back, but still able to walk.

If so, the killer could have led him straight to this spot, tied him up and maybe given him another hit on the head or some drugs.

Which meant he couldn’t rule out any of their suspects.

Heck, he couldn’t even rule out Ike, who could have perhaps staged all of this. But that didn’t feel right. There were easier ways for Ike to get to Eden and him.

Unless they weren’t the targets.

Maybe he and Eden were the lures for someone else. For someone whom Ike wanted dead.

“Helen,” Ike muttered.

And that sure as hell got Rory’s attention. “What about her?” Rory demanded.

“Uh, she was here. Wasn’t she?” Ike looked at him as if he might know the answer. Rory didn’t.

“Where did you see her?” Eden asked.

Ike ran his tongue over his bottom lip and grimaced. “Here,” he said but then shook his head. “Just up the trail.”

Rory glanced in that direction, but he didn’t see anyone. No surprise there. The narrow trail was jammed on both sides by trees and thick underbrush. Added to that, it curved around just about ten yards ahead. It was impossible to see who or what could be on the other side.

“Did Helen do this to you?” Eden asked.

Again, Ike shook his head. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’m hurt. I need to get to the hospital.”

“The ambulance will be here soon,” Eden said. “How badly are you hurt? Is it just your head or do you have other injuries?”

Ike seemed to consider that a moment. “I’m not sure. Can’t think straight, and everything’s a blur.”

So if he wasn’t lying or faking, Ike either had a serious concussion or he’d indeed been drugged. It could be both, and he could even have brain damage. Again, that was true if this wasn’t all some ploy.

But Rory was positive that the blood was the real deal.

And it was continuing to seep down the side of Ike’s head.

Rory whirled around at the sound of footsteps, and the adrenaline shot through him. Unnecessarily, though, because it was Bennie.

“Judson’s keeping an eye on the road and Arnette…” Bennie said, but his words trailed off when he got a glimpse of Ike and those IEDs. “Hell,” he muttered.

That summed up Rory’s feelings, too, and he debated their next step. If Helen was indeed somewhere on the trail, and she was the killer, Rory needed to neutralize her before the bomb squad arrived.

Especially if she had a detonator for those IEDs.

“Wait here for the bomb squad,” Rory told Bennie, and he looked at Ike. “Don’t move. Don’t try to get out of those ropes. Don’t even kick out your feet.”

Because if he did, Ike would almost certainly set off one of the IEDs.

Ike muttered something that sounded like agreement. Whether it was or not, Rory needed to get moving.

“Eden, with me,” he said, motioning for her to follow him up the trail. “I don’t want to go too far,” he added to her in a whisper. “I don’t want to risk the killer going after Bennie.”

“Yes,” she answered so quickly that he understood that possibility had already occurred to her.

They didn’t say anything else. They just took slow, cautious steps up the trail toward that blind curve while they tried to keep watch around them. He didn’t know what game the killer was playing, but he sure as hell didn’t like any part of this.

He paused for a moment when he heard something. A rustling sound in the bushes to his left. But moments later, a rabbit darted out and disappeared into the woods. Normally, that wouldn’t have put a hard knot in his gut, but even a creature as small as a rabbit could set off one of those IEDs.

And there might be more than just the ones surrounding Ike.

Unlike the spot where Ike’s truck had been left, this part of the trail wasn’t nearly as visible from the road.

The killer could have taken his time here.

But when had she or he brought in the IEDs?

Maybe that had been done during the night, and then they could have been positioned once Ike was here.

Rory drew in a long breath when he reached the curve, and even though he knew Eden wouldn’t like it, he stepped in front of her, trying to shield her in case they were about to face down a killer.

Eden didn’t balk, though. Instead, she turned to the side, watching their backs while they kept moving. Good. He didn’t want them ambushed, and like that rabbit, the killer could be hiding in the underbrush, ready to spring.

But no one did.

And no one was on the other side of the curve, either.

Of course, that didn’t mean Helen hadn’t been here, but she could be long gone by now. Rory didn’t think so, though. He was pretty sure they were being watched, but he couldn’t see or hear anyone.

Not at first, anyway.

There was more of that rustling sound. Not on the trail, but to the left side of it. Bringing up his gun, he whipped in that direction, and spotted Helen.

She was there, standing by a tree.

And she had a gun.