Page 12 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)

When the water came to a boil, she quickly wrapped one end of the saddle blanket around the pan holder to remove it from the fire.

This was almost like being a pioneer, she thought with a hint of amusement, if she didn’t consider the way Justin had used a lighter to start the blaze.

Besides, for all she knew, he had enough experience with camping to rub two sticks together to create a flame.

When the water had cooled just a little, she rested her hand on Ginny’s shoulder. “We need to wash your hand.”

“I’m tired,” Ginny complained.

“I know. This won’t take long.” She dipped one corner of the blanket in the water, then rubbed it across Ginny’s wound.

The light wasn’t great, but she was able to see enough to determine she’d removed the last of the dirt.

She didn’t have anything to use to wrap it, though, so she tucked Ginny’s hand beneath the blanket. “Rest now.”

Ginny nodded and closed her eyes again.

Raine drank some of the warm water, imagining it was soup as it helped warm her core. It was cold now that the sun had slipped below the horizon. Fall was normally her favorite season, but not when she was stuck camping outside without a tent.

Or a heater. Maybe food. Oh, and how about enough wood to keep a fire going all night?

With a sigh, she pushed herself upright and walked back out into the woods to find more dry timber. There was a whoo-whoo sound as something dive bombed close to her head. She ducked, her heart pounding until she realized the bird was an owl.

Forcing herself to get a grip, Raine gathered wood. When she emerged from the forest, she saw Justin had returned to the camp.

“You didn’t have to do that.” He helped stack the new sticks on the pile. “I can handle it from here.”

“Just trying to do my part.” She fed a stick into the fire, trying not to shiver. The warmth wasn’t nearly enough to ward off the chill.

“I called Griff. He’s glad to know we’re all safe.”

“Great.” She was relieved to hear it.

“I gave him our location and the bit of information about Decker having a place in mind to go,” he continued. “Griff spoke with your boss, some guy named Rowe?” When she nodded, he said, “They’ll start pinpointing possible locations to search tomorrow.”

“I want to be there when they go to find him,” she said. Then she frowned. “If we’re back in time.”

“We will be.” He paused, then said, “I forgot to ask if there was someone you needed to call to let them know you’re safe. A husband or fiancé.”

“No one other than my sister.” She grimaced. “I’m divorced.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s for the best considering he was a cheater.” She frowned, waving a hand. “My personal life isn’t important.”

“Our personal experiences have molded us into the people we are. Besides, it’s his loss to be so stupid.” He stood and handed her his poncho. “Use this as a pillow.”

“Thanks.” She was touched by his generosity. And his wise words. “You have a big family, huh?”

“Yep. Eight siblings.” He grinned. “I’m third youngest. In order my siblings are Maya, Chase, Jessica, Shane, Alexis who is married to Griff, my twin brother, Joel, me, then Trevor and Kendra. We lost our parents six years ago and have grown close as we’ve turned our efforts toward SAR missions.”

“Wow, that’s a lot.” She couldn’t begin to imagine it. Her stomach rumbled loud enough for him to hear.

He dug out a protein bar. “We can split this one for tonight and save the other for the morning.”

She glanced at Ginny, torn by indecision. “I’d rather give Ginny my half.”

“I have one saved for her,” Justin assured her. “I don’t know that giving her one now will help much. I don’t want her to get sick again.”

“Okay.” She accepted the half he offered, their fingers brushing lightly. Again, she was struck by a strange attraction. Raine decided the weird feeling was a combination of being sore, tired, and hungry.

The morsel didn’t last long, but she didn’t complain. She balled up the poncho, glad to have it for a pillow. When she shivered, Justin stood again and headed toward the saddle bags.

“Do you have the kitchen sink in there?” she teased in a low voice. Ginny appeared to be sleeping, and she didn’t want to disturb her.

“Not exactly.” His teeth flashed in a grin as he held up two thick pads. It took her a moment to recognize them as the pads beneath their saddles.

She crossed over to where he stood. He set one down and draped the blanket around her shoulders, tugging it close. “This should help.”

“It does.” She stared up into his dark eyes, wishing she could see him more clearly. She’d given up on men after her divorce and disastrous attempt to date, deciding they weren’t worth the hassle.

So why was she suddenly fantasizing about kissing Justin?

He drew her close, brushing a chaste kiss against her cheek. “Try not to worry. I’ll let Griff know where we are, and I’m sure one of my siblings, likely Trevor and Archie, will be heading out to meet us in the morning.”

“I’m not worried.” Okay, that was sort of a lie, but somehow, with Justin holding her, she didn’t feel the least bit afraid. “I trust you and your family.”

He held her gaze for a long moment. She leaned closer, mesmerized by his mouth, until Ginny murmured something in her sleep.

The moment was broken, so she stepped back, holding the blanket tightly as she returned to sit by her niece. She needed to stop being foolish. Kissing Justin was pointless. Once they’d gotten safely back to civilization, she likely wouldn’t see Justin Sullivan again.

And she tried to ignore how the thought made her sad.

* * *

Justin lectured himself for even thinking of kissing Raine. When Stone slid away from Ginny to get to his feet, he belatedly realized his K9 needed to get busy.

“This way,” he whispered. Stone stretched, then followed him into the woods. As he waited for Stone to sniff around for the perfect spot to do his thing, he gathered more wood for the fire.

His stomach growled with hunger, and he wished he’d packed some of Anna’s home-baked sweet potato dog treats. They were made from real sweet potatoes, which made them perfectly edible for people too.

But he hadn’t. Nor had he packed a tent or any of the other items he’d normally have for an overnight stay in the forest. The good news was that he had brought the sat phone along, although in truth, he’d only packed it because he’d planned to search the mountainside for more debris related to his parents’ plane crash.

So much for being prepared for anything , he thought grimly.

There hadn’t been time to get more gear, though, not after the way Decker had kidnapped Ginny. Given the same set of circumstances, he knew he’d instantly head out without the extra gear again.

When Stone had finished doing his thing, he accompanied the dog back to camp. As his K9 stretched out next to Ginny, he took up a position on the dog’s other side.

He was counting on Stone’s keen nose to let him know if Decker or any other predator got too close. Not that he expected Decker to show up. If the guy was smart, Decker would know they’d push forward to search for Ginny rather than staying focused on him. Providing the time he needed to escape.

Yet Decker also didn’t have any survival gear with him. Not even a few measly protein bars. Then again, Ginny had mentioned Decker had a place to go in mind when he’d kidnapped her. A place, he had to assume, that wasn’t too far.

Listening to the sounds of the night, Justin tried to imagine where Decker’s ultimate destination might have been.

Somewhere in the woods, obviously, but where exactly?

Once they’d gotten Ginny back to Buffalo for the medical care she needed, he knew Raine would want to keep searching for the escaped convict.

A mission he intended to participate in as well.

Although he didn’t think it would take too long to zero in on the guy’s location. By morning, they could use choppers and planes to pinpoint the most likely hideouts. Once they found either a cabin or small trailer, there would likely be a road, even if it was a meager two-track leading there.

Some hard-core hunters set up their camps buried so deep in the forest they could only be accessed using horses or four-wheelers.

Typically, the latter. But he couldn’t imagine Decker being friends with someone dedicated to hunting elk.

The guy’s destination had to be a cabin or trailer. It was the only thing that made sense.

He closed his eyes and tried to relax. They’d know more by morning. Tomorrow would be a long day, even if Trevor and Archie set out to find them.

A rustling sound woke him what seemed like a few minutes later. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Stone had lifted his head and was sniffing the air with interest.

“What is it, boy?” He kept his voice low and sat up to feed more wood into the fire. Then he poked the glowing embers to get the flames to catch. The wood they’d stacked near the fire had completely dried out now. Thankfully, the fire flickered to life without a problem.

Setting Blaze’s saddle pad aside, he rose to his feet. Ginny had awoken as well, her large eyes finding his. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

“I’ll take you.” He offered a reassuring smile as he helped her to her feet. Her skin wasn’t quite as hot to the touch, and he hoped that meant the worst of whatever bug she’d gotten had passed. “This way.”

She stumbled a bit, shivering in the dark. He led her to a spot that wasn’t too far away. “Use the base of this tree for support.” When she grimaced with distaste, he added, “Sorry I can’t do more to make this easier. There are some leaves on the ground you can use too.”

“Yuck,” she whispered. But she went around to the tree.

He turned his back, giving her privacy. As he gazed up at the sky, he was surprised to see there were a smattering of stars between the clouds. By morning, they’d have some partial sunshine, which should make their trek back to Buffalo much easier.

“Okay, Justin. I’m finished.” Ginny’s voice grew stronger as he turned to meet her halfway. “Do you camp like this a lot?”

“Sometimes, when Stone and I are searching for lost people. Like you,” he added with a grin. “I’m sorry I don’t have a tent, though. I didn’t anticipate we’d be out here all night.”

“It was my fault because I got sick.” Ginny stayed close to his side as they made their way back to the fire. “I’m hungry now, though.”

“I have a protein bar saved just for you.” He wished again that he had more to offer. If they were going to be stuck here longer, he’d try to hunt for small game. Yet somehow, he suspected Ginny and Raine wouldn’t want to eat rabbit or squirrel.

“Maybe I should share it with Aunt Raine,” Ginny said with a frown.

“We shared one earlier.” He crossed their camp to fetch the protein bar from the saddle bag. He had two left, which would have to be enough for breakfast. “Here you go.”

“Ginny? Are you okay?” Raine lifted herself up on her elbow, blinking adorably in the light of the fire. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” Ginny took the protein bar and went back to crawl under the blanket. “Justin walked me into the woods to use a tree.”

“Great,” Raine muttered. “Now I have to use a tree too.”

“I’ll show you where to go,” he offered.

“I can handle it, thanks.” She set the horse blanket aside and struggled to her feet. “Do we need more wood while I’m up?”

“No, we’re good for now.” A quick glance at his watch proved the hour was just past two in the morning. They’d slept for longer than he’d thought. The good news was that sunrise was only four hours away.

When Raine finished, she returned to her spot beside Ginny. He met her gaze, giving a nod of reassurance. Everything was fine. They’d get through this.

Her sweet smile stayed with him, long after she and Ginny lay down together, sharing the blanket and using the horse pad as an additional layer of warmth over their feet.

He wasn’t sure why he was so aware of Raine Whitman.

She was tough and determined, even while being in pain during most of the ride.

She reminded him a bit of his oldest sister, Maya.

Not that she was Maya’s age, but because of the cop attitude she wore like a protective cloak.

Learning that her ex-husband had cheated on her made him angry.

No woman deserved to be treated like that.

Stone came to stretch out between him and Ginny. He relaxed at the warmth of Stone’s body.

He must have dozed again because Stone’s low growl had him bolting upright, glancing around in alarm.

Stone’s broad yellow head was cocked to the side, and his hackles were up. That was enough to give Justin cause for alarm.

He rolled to his feet, pulled his weapon from the saddle bag, and strained to listen.

But he heard nothing, which wasn’t good. The usual sounds of creatures in the night—frogs, insects, mice, and opossums—had gone still. A telltale sign that a predator was nearby.

Raine awoke, glancing at him with a furrowed brow. When she noticed him standing there with his weapon in hand, she scrambled to her feet and pulled her own gun.

“Who’s out there?” she whispered, as Ginny was still amazingly asleep.

He shook his head and lifted a finger to his lips. He made sure to glance at Stone; their K9s were all trained on the universal signal to be quiet. If someone, like Decker, was out there, he didn’t want to give away their position.

Then again, their small fire may have already done that.

As if reading his mind, Raine kicked dirt over the embers. He eased out from beyond the rocky overhang, still listening.

When he heard the rustle of branches, he tensed. Either a big game animal was moving around out there.

Or it was Decker.