Page 13 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)

H olding her gun in a two-handed grip pointed at the ground, Raine made sure the fire was doused with dirt before moving silently to Justin’s side. She wanted him to know she would back him up as needed. He shot her a look of appreciation and cocked his head to listen.

She listened, too, but didn’t hear much beyond the thundering beat of her heart.

Granted, she wanted to arrest him more than anything. But she didn’t want Justin, Ginny, or Stone to be hurt in the process.

If the intruder was Decker, she needed to make sure she could eliminate him as a threat before the situation spiraled out of control. No easy task in the middle of the night with nothing but wilderness surrounding them.

Then she heard the rustling sound Justin and Stone must have noticed earlier. She swallowed hard, easily imagining the sound had been made by Decker as he crept toward their location.

Justin pointed at her, then gestured to the left. She understood he wanted her to go that way, but the rustling noise had come from the right. It went against the grain to allow him to take the lead. Tracking Decker and arresting him was her job as a US Marshal.

Yet if it wasn’t Decker out there, Justin was better equipped to handle whatever animal was moving through the brush.

She nodded and quickly ducked behind him to head into the woods. It was the same area where she’d gathered sticks and branches, but in the darkness, it wasn’t easy to see where she was going.

In fact, nothing looked remotely familiar as she moved through the trees to get around to flank their mysterious visitor on the other side.

Her footsteps sounded incredibly loud to her ears.

In contrast, she couldn’t hear Justin moving to the right at all.

Just as she rounded the rocky outcropping, she noticed Stone was standing next to Ginny, his eyes seemingly locked on the area where Justin must have disappeared into the brush.

Stone’s ears were pricked forward as he guarded her niece.

Her heart squeezed with a mixture of gratitude and fear. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything bad happening to Ginny or Stone.

Averting her gaze from the poignant scene, Raine focused her attention on the path before her. Moving as quietly as possible, she tried to see through the darkness, half-hoping, half-dreading getting a glimpse of Decker’s pale features.

The man had spent the better part of two years in jail. Her mission was to send him back for the rest of his miserable life.

A strange snorting sound came from the thick brush up ahead. She froze, straining to listen. It hadn’t sounded human.

A massive shape moved forward. Her eyes widened as she realized it wasn’t Decker at all that had caught their attention.

It was the biggest bull moose she’d ever seen in her life.

His enormous rack stretched up to the stars, and she found herself taking a hasty step back as if that alone might save her if the beast decided to lower his head and charge.

The moose made the snorting sound again and lowered his head a bit, shaking it from side to side as if annoyed with her. She wasn’t a hunter, but she remembered reading that a bull moose would be more aggressive during the rut.

September was too early for that, wasn’t it? Maybe not.

She took another step back, then another. She hunched down, thinking it might help to make herself look smaller and less threatening.

The large beast abruptly turned to look in the other direction. Belatedly realizing Justin must have tried to distract him, she decided to make a run for it.

Turning, she darted back through the woods the way she’d come. There was no fire to illuminate the way, and her tired and sore legs felt like stumps of concrete as she tried to jump over fallen logs.

The toe of her hiking boot got caught on the second log she tried to step over, sending her sprawling facedown on the ground.

Lifting her head and wiping dirt from her face, she tried to figure out where their camp was located.

With a groan, she turned onto her back in time to see the bull moose lumber past, barely three feet from where she lay.

With wide eyes, she watched as the moose finally moved out of her line of sight. Then she closed her eyes and let out her breath in a heavy sigh. Why on earth the humongous animal had approached their camp, she had no idea. But at least the danger was over.

“Raine? Are you okay?” Justin’s low voice had her opening her eyes and pushing herself upright.

“Peachy.” She wasn’t hurt and couldn’t help but think her fall may have helped save her from being tossed into the air like a wet shirt by the moose’s huge rack. “I’m coming.”

A thin beam of light pierced the darkness. It wasn’t much, but she understood Justin had found and flicked on a flashlight to help her find the way. She appreciated his thoughtfulness and managed to walk more carefully now as she headed toward it.

“Aunt Raine? What’s going on?” Ginny’s voice sounded apprehensive. “Are we in trouble?”

“No trouble at all. There was a moose nearby, but he’s gone now.” Justin’s calm tone was soothing. “Try to go back to sleep.”

Raine finally reached their camp. As her adrenaline faded away, she noticed the chill in the air. She wished they still had the fire but sensed that was a lost cause.

Justin took one look at her dirty face and arched a brow. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She nodded. “I tripped and fell but didn’t hurt anything vital.”

“I’m sorry about the false alarm.” He glanced over to where Stone had once again stretched out beside Ginny. As if the dog also knew the danger was over. “I couldn’t be sure what was out there.”

“No apology needed.” She didn’t fault him for his actions. “That was the biggest moose I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s early for the rut, but you never know what will cause a moose to feel threatened.” He bent to stash his weapon back in the saddle bag. “Maybe the animal scented the horses and came to investigate. I’m just glad it wasn’t a two-legged threat.”

Like Decker.

He gestured to their camp. “Get some sleep. We still have an hour or so before dawn.”

Brushing the dirt and debris from her clothes—a useless endeavor—she grimaced. Getting more sleep now would be impossible.

Justin used his foot to slide the remaining embers away from their original fire, then knelt and proceeded to make a new one. She was surprised he’d bothered, until she realized Ginny was shivering under the blanket.

His thoughtfulness touched her heart. He was a great guy, probably one of the most honorable men she’d ever met. Too young for her to even consider dating, even if he was interested, but amazing just the same.

“Do we need more wood?” She glanced over her shoulder to the darkness that had swallowed the bull moose just moments ago. She didn’t relish heading back out there, but she would if necessary.

“No need. This will be enough for the next hour.” Justin’s smile flashed in the darkness. “I think we’ll all be ready to hit the trail as soon as there’s enough light to see our hands in front of our faces.”

“No lie,” she murmured, dropping down to sit beside him. Using the lighter, he managed to get a small fire going. “This has been a long night.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes. She turned to see that Ginny had snuggled closer to Stone, who didn’t seem to mind. She wondered how Ginny would recover emotionally from all of this once she was reunited with her mother.

She made a mental note to talk to her sister Cami about getting professional help for Ginny. Though her niece hadn’t been physically assaulted by Decker, the emotional toil of being kidnapped and forced to go on the run through the woods to escape him wasn’t easily dismissed.

“Try to get some sleep.” Justin’s voice was low so as not to disturb Ginny.

“I would if I could.” She didn’t want to mention that now that she was awake, she was keenly aware of how hungry she was.

Their half protein bar seemed like eons ago.

But their situation was hardly his fault, so there was no point in complaining.

She glanced over her shoulder to verify Ginny appeared to be asleep.

“I’m glad Decker wasn’t out there, but I wish I knew where he was hiding. ”

“You’ll find him.” Justin’s vote of confidence was sweet. “I’m sure Griff will come through with possible hideouts, and you’ll find him.”

“I hope so.” She rested her chin on her knees. “He killed a man in cold blood to steal his car. I suspect he’ll do the same thing if he comes across a cabin that’s already occupied.”

“Not good,” Justin agreed. “But not your fault either.”

She couldn’t regret tracking Ginny rather than staying on Decker’s trail. Her niece’s safety had to come first.

Would her boss Mike Rowe agree? Maybe. If not, too bad. Even Rowe had to understand an eleven-year-old’s life was more important than finding Decker.

Yet it bothered her to think about how many other possible innocent victims Decker would brutally murder before they caught up to him. Even one innocent life was too many.

“Hey, don’t stress.” Justin rested his hand on her shoulder. The warmth of his hand made her long to lean against him. “It’s going to work out. God has been watching over us, especially Ginny.”

She turned her head to look up at him. “You truly believe that.”

“I do.” He answered without hesitation. “I’m usually successful when I use my faith to guide me.”

“I’m not as well versed in the Bible, but you’ve made me want to learn more.” She managed a wry smile. “I admire you, Justin. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

His cheeks flushed, and he shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything. We’re here to serve the community.”