Page 30 of Scent of Death (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #5)

“I’m here.” Alexis sounded breathless as she climbed the last few feet to reach Paul. She knelt at the deputy’s side. Her stiff movements told Griff she was in pain too. They needed help and fast. He pulled out his phone and peered at the screen.

No service.

They’d have to get back to the cabin on their own.

Griff briefly considered tying Jenkins to a tree so he could help Paul but decided against it. He couldn’t bring himself to let the killer out of his sight.

Then he remembered the four-wheeler. He stepped in front of Jenkins. “Where’s the ATV?”

Jenkins ignored him, still staring blankly over Griff’s shoulder.

Swallowing against a wave of frustration, Griff turned to scan the area.

The darkness made it difficult to see, but he felt certain the four-wheeler wasn’t far.

There hadn’t been that much time for Jenkins to hide it and get into position to set up his ambush.

He pulled Jenkins along as he headed toward a thick area of brush. Jenkins stumbled. Griff tightened his grip. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned. “I’ll shoot you again if I have to.”

Jenkins remained silent, still not looking at Griff. The kid was giving him the creeps.

When he reached the thicket, Griff kicked at the brush, grinning with satisfaction when his boot struck something hard. Keeping one hand on Jenkins, he moved the branches away with the other.

And found it.

“Alexis? I have the four-wheeler here.” He glanced over his shoulder to where she was crouched over Paul. “We can use this to get Paul back to the cabin.”

“Okay.” She looked relieved. “Did you hear that, Paul? We’re going to get you out of here.”

Griff leaned over the four-wheeler and checked to make sure the key was in the ignition. It was. But there was no way he’d be able to drive it over to Paul while holding on to Jenkins.

“Alexis? I need you to help get the ATV over to Paul.”

“Coming,” she answered. “Hang on, Paul. I’ll be right back.”

Griff knew the Sullivans had four-wheelers and snow machines at the ranch. Alexis was more than capable of using it, but it still took some maneuvering to free the machine out of the bush.

As she drove to where Paul waited, Griff pulled Jenkins along to join them. The four-wheeler wasn’t big enough for all of them to fit.

“Come on, Paul.” Alexis tried to help the deputy stand. “You need to get on the back.”

“Get on the ground,” he told Tyler. The kid didn’t obey, so he ruthlessly shoved him down. Then he leaned over to grab Paul beneath the arms, lifting him up to his feet. Once he had the deputy standing, he turned his body and set him on the back of the four-wheeler.

“Griff!” Alexis shouted in horror as Tyler staggered to his feet and ran the rest of the way up the incline.

Griff quickly followed. He didn’t think the kid would get far with his wrists cuffed behind his back.

Jenkins reached the top of the incline, then flung himself forward.

“No!” Griff surged forward, trying to snag the kid’s arm. But he was a split second too late. Griff stared in horror as Tyler Jenkins fell headfirst down the steep ravine. With his arms cuffed behind his back, the kid couldn’t break his fall.

And when he landed headfirst, his neck clearly broken, as the rest of his body was at a ninety-degree angle, Griff knew it was too late.

Tyler Jenkins had chosen death over being incarcerated for the rest of his life.

“Oh no,” Alexis breathed, coming up to stand beside him. “I can’t believe he did that.”

Griff shook his head and sighed. “Yeah, I did not see that one coming.” He turned away, knowing there wasn’t anything more he could do. There would be time to retrieve Jenkins’s body later. “Let’s get Paul back to the cabin.”

Alexis drove while Griff sat on the back holding on to Paul who’d passed out. Denali trotted alongside. It was a slow descent, but when they reached the bottom, they found Cameron and another deputy heading toward them.

“Paul’s hit.” Alexis gestured to the back of the ATV. “Griff has him, but we need that ambulance ASAP.”

“I’ll go.” The deputy he didn’t know turned and ran off.

“Where’s Jenkins?” Cam asked, jogging on the opposite side of the ATV.

“Dead,” Griff said. “Jumped down a ravine with his hands cuffed behind his back.”

“Whoa.” Cam shook his head. “That’s crazy.”

Griff silently agreed. Going through the woods to reach the cabin took longer than Griff liked, but there was nothing he could do. This was how things went out here in the middle of nowhere. Enforcing the law in the wilderness wasn’t easy.

Thankfully, the ambulance was waiting, and the paramedics jumped into action to get Paul transferred from the four-wheeler to the gurney. Soon it was driving away from the cabin, red lights flashing as it headed toward town.

“Where’s Maureen?” Griff glanced at Cam as he and Alexis washed Paul’s blood from their hands at the cabin sink. Denali followed them inside and stretched out on the floor, watching with her dark eyes. Alexis noticed and filled a dish with water.

“We called her parents,” Cameron said. “They were ecstatic to hear from us. And once the girl was cleared by the paramedics, one of our deputies drove her back to Greybull.” He turned to Alexis. “She wanted me to let you know how grateful she is that you helped save her life.”

“I’m just glad we found her in time.” Alexis looked sad. “Too bad we weren’t able to save the others.”

“I know.” Griff reached over to gently pull her close. “I’m sorry you were hurt. Let’s get you to the hospital too.”

“I’m fine.” She leaned against him. “Nothing some sleep won’t cure.”

He didn’t dare tighten his hold, lest he hurt her worse. “Please, Alexis. It’s better we know what we’re dealing with.”

She sighed. “Okay. But I’m telling you, there’s no treatment for cracked ribs. And my head doesn’t hurt as badly as it did before.” She glanced at Denali. “I’m not saying overnight unless Denali can stay too.”

He doubted they’d allow that, but he didn’t argue. Smoothing his hand down her back, he bit back the need to confess his love. There would be time for that later. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Gladly,” she murmured. “Come, Denali.”

“I’ll stay until the crime scene techs arrive,” Cameron offered.

“Thanks.” Griff patted the deputy’s shoulder. “I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“Like letting him get away?” Cam asked bitterly. “What if Paul dies because of this?”

“Paul will be okay. And I don’t blame you for his escape. We should have remembered he had the ATV and disabled it.” Griff shook his head. “I take full responsibility. I was too worried about Alexis to think clearly.”

“I’m glad you came in when you did,” Alexis said. “If you hadn’t, he’d have shot me.”

“See, everything happened for a reason.” Griff held Cam’s gaze. “We saved Alexis and Maureen. That’s what matters.”

Cam slowly nodded. “Okay, thanks.”

Griff drove Alexis to the hospital, with Denali in the back crate. Once there, he was miffed to realize Alexis had been right. The doc diagnosed her with three cracked ribs and a mild concussion. He discharged her from care, instructing them to return if her symptoms worsened.

“Told you,” Alexis said when they were back in the SUV.

“Yeah, yeah.” He glanced at her. “Do you want me to drive you to the ranch?”

She sighed and rested her head against the window. “No, let’s go to the hotel for now. I need to give Denali a bath. And I’d rather get some sleep before I face the family.”

He nodded and made the short drive to the hotel. It was strange to head inside as if nothing had happened.

Once they were in the room, Alexis lowered herself onto the sofa. Denali trotted over to stretch out at her feet. The K9 let out a sigh, lowered her head to the floor, and promptly fell asleep.

Alexis looked up at him. “Griff, can we talk?”

“Of course.” He sat beside her, a stab of dread piercing his gut. “You can tell me anything, Alexis. Ah—did Jenkins hurt you?”

“No, nothing like that.” She looked down at her hands, then back up at him. “I want you to know I’ve fallen in love with you.”

He stared, wondering if he’d imagined hearing the words he’d wanted to say to her. “Alexis, you’ve been through a lot. You’re injured and need some sleep.”

“True, but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you.” She reached for his hand. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. Up on that mountain, when I thought you’d been shot, I promised myself that I would tell you how I felt.”

His heart filled with hope and longing. “Are you sure? I’m several years older than you. What if you meet someone?—”

“Don’t,” she interrupted. “Don’t belittle my feelings because I’m six years younger than you are.

If you want to know the truth, I resisted falling for you.

I’ve been burned by long-distance relationships in the past. I wasn’t interested in trying again.

But you know what? Love doesn’t care if you live in Cheyenne and I don’t.

Love is the most important gift of all. And I love you, Griff. ”

He felt ashamed. “Alexis, I love you too. So much so that it scares me.”

She searched his gaze. “Really? Why does that scare you?”

“I lost my wife two years ago.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “It was difficult to go through that. I’d tried to close myself off from my feelings, then you arrived on the scene.” He couldn’t help but smile. “I knew the first time we met that you had the power to change my life.”

“Really?” Her blue eyes held doubt. “You’re not just saying that?”

“I love you. I was terrified Jenkins would hurt you before we could get there.” He reached up to cup her face in his hand. “I love you so much. And now that we’re sitting here, I realize my fears are groundless. You know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because I know now we’ll be together in this lifetime for as long as God grants us time on earth, and we’ll see each other again in the afterlife.”

A smile bloomed on her face. “I couldn’t agree more.” She leaned forward and kissed him. He gently pulled her close, taking care not to hurt her.

When their kiss ended, he cradled her close. His gaze landed on the cold pizza. “Are you hungry?”

“Starved,” she murmured.

“I’ll warm the pizza in the microwave.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Unless you want me to head out to buy a new one.”

“Warmed up pizza is fine.” She snuggled close. “But in a minute. Right now, I just want to sit here with you.”

“Always.” Denali shifted positions on the floor so that she was stretched out over his feet too. He smiled, thinking about the Sullivan K9 ranch and what Alexis had said about avoiding him because she hadn’t wanted a long-distance relationship.

He didn’t want that either.

“I’ll ask my boss if I can be stationed at the ranch,” he said.

Alexis tipped her head back to look up at him. “What if he refuses?”

“I’ll quit my job and look for something in law enforcement.” He reached up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I love you, Alexis. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

“Oh, Griff.” She smiled. “I love you too. And I’m willing to move to Cheyenne if necessary. Don’t quit your job because of me.”

“You’re more important than a job.” He kissed her again. “And I have a feeling my boss won’t mind. To be honest, living in a more central location would benefit the bureau. The cost of driving around the state is staggering. Besides, Doug Bridges makes it work.”

“Good leverage to use to your advantage,” Alexis said with a sly smile. “I like it.”

“Me too.” He drew her close. “Rest for a bit. Then I’ll heat up the pizza.”

She nodded and curled against him. As he held her, Griff lifted his gaze to the ceiling, and whispered, “Thank You, Lord Jesus.”

“Amen,” she echoed.

As peace washed over him, Griff realized God had never left him. His Lord and Savior had been there for him the entire time.

Best of all, he firmly believed Grace was smiling down at them from heaven.