Page 18 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)

Rather than staying behind Justin, Raine lengthened her stride so they were side by side. For one thing, she wanted to see what was ahead. And for another, Decker was her escaped convict.

Her job, her problem. Justin was only there because she needed Stone’s keen nose to let them know who was inside.

Stone slowed at one point, sniffing intently near a tree, but then continued. She glanced at Justin who didn’t seem concerned his K9 was on the wrong path.

She forced herself to keep the faith. After seeing Stone in action yesterday, she had no reason to believe the K9 would mislead them today.

As they walked, a rustic-looking brown log cabin came into view. They were still several yards away, staying within the trees for cover.

With a frown, she realized there wasn’t smoke coming from the chimney anymore. She touched Justin’s arm to get his attention and pointed. He looked up at the sky, then grimaced and shrugged. He didn’t know why the fire had been put out either.

They’d been quiet enough not to raise an alarm. Unless there were hidden cameras somewhere they’d missed. A sick feeling of dread twisted in her stomach, and she found herself wishing Stone would hurry up and alert.

When the dog suddenly sat and stared at Justin, she froze. Justin bent and rubbed his hands over the dog’s fur, then lifted his finger to his lips. Stone wagged his tail but didn’t bark or growl.

Decker had been there! She dropped to her knees, keeping her eye on the cabin. There was no movement from within. If not for the earlier smoke and Stone’s alert, she’d think the place was empty.

She pulled out her phone and frowned at the no service message. Shoving it into her pocket, she gestured for Justin to come closer. In the quietest whisper she could manage, she said, “We’ll need to split up. I’ll take the front; you take the back.”

“No. We go back to the horses and call Griff via satellite phone.”

It was the right thing to do, but she couldn’t leave. Not without having eyes on Decker. “You go make the call. I’ll watch the cabin.”

Justin’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. She turned away, squelching a flash of guilt. This was her case.

Without waiting for Justin to respond, she darted from their current position near a large tree toward the next set of trees that were closer. She could feel Justin’s gaze boring into her back but didn’t glance at him over her shoulder. He’d either stay or go. That was up to him.

Right now, she intended to get closer to the cabin to see inside.

* * *

Justin watched Raine move closer to the log cabin with a sense of frustration. He should have brought the sat phone along, but had thought they’d retreat and call for backup.

So much for sticking to the plan.

Giving Stone the hand signal to heel, he held his weapon pointed toward the ground and made his way through the brush toward the rear of the cabin. Stone followed, staying right at his side. Justin would do his part in bringing Decker down, even if he was upset with Raine for going off script.

Moving as quietly as possible, Justin darted from one tree to the next, always keeping the log cabin within sight. Stone didn’t bark or growl. The dog did look up at him often, though, as if waiting for the search command. Clearly, Decker’s scent was stronger in this section of the woods.

The lack of smoke trailing from the chimney bothered him. He couldn’t imagine they’d made enough noise that Decker had heard them coming, yet it was strangely suspicious how empty the cabin seemed now that they were close. Had Decker made a run for it?

Maybe Raine was right in that they needed to move quickly to grab him.

He lost sight of Raine once he moved into position where he could see the back door.

Resting his hand on Stone’s glossy fur, he scanned the area, searching for signs of Decker hiding nearby.

They knew the convict was armed and dangerous.

If the guy had left the cabin, Decker could have easily been waiting for them to show themselves so he could shoot again.

Justin hunkered down to make himself a smaller target. Thankfully, Stone’s yellow and somewhat dirty coat helped the dog blend in. He doubted Decker would even try to aim and fire at his dog. Not when Justin was a much bigger target.

Was Decker hiding inside? Or had he left?

The not knowing was troubling, and Justin wished again he’d brought the sat phone.

There was no movement in or around the cabin for several long seconds.

He still couldn’t see Raine and hoped she’d announce herself before breaching the cabin so he could do the same.

After what seemed like an eternity, he heard Raine shout, “US Marshal Service! Come out with your hands up!”

Seconds later, he heard a thudding sound as she kicked the door.

“Stay, Stone.” Justin darted forward to cover the back.

He fully expected the rear door to burst open as Decker tried to escape, but instead, a barrage of gunfire erupted. Justin instinctively ducked and rolled away from the source of the sound, which had come from behind him, not the cabin itself.

Then he caught a whiff of something that smelled like gun oil. Or maybe it was something else...

Kaboom!

The explosion from inside the cabin blew out the windows, glass raining down upon him. The back door flew open, too, from the force of the blast, but nobody came running out.

Raine! A wave of fear hit hard. His ears ringing, Justin pushed himself to his feet and ran around to the other side of the cabin. Raine had gone inside the cabin! What if she was...

He stumbled to a stop when he saw Raine’s body sprawled on the ground a solid six feet from the front door. She was lying on her back, her eyes closed. His heart squeezed as he realized she wasn’t moving.

No! Please, Lord Jesus, no!

Without hesitation, he dashed across the clearing, keeping his shoulders hunched as he anticipated more gunfire. With his ears ringing, he couldn’t be sure he’d hear when Decker fired. Dropping to his knees beside Raine, he reached over to feel for a pulse.

For long seconds, he felt nothing. Closing his eyes, he moved his fingers and concentrated.

There! He felt her pulse. She was alive!

Sending up a prayer of thanks, Justin glanced around the clearing. His brother Trevor was trained as an EMT and had taught them it wasn’t smart to move victims. Yet they were too exposed out there for his peace of mind.

Hoping Raine didn’t have a fractured vertebrae in her neck or spine, he gathered her into his arms and darted into the woods.

When he was satisfied that they were well covered in the brush, he glanced back to search for his K9.

He was worried that if he called out to the dog, Decker would fire at their location.

Stone had crawled forward on his belly close to the edge of the woods as if the K9 couldn’t stay back any longer. He waved his hand, hoping to capture the dog’s attention. When Stone straightened and stared in his direction, he gave his K9 the hand signal to come.

The yellow lab ran toward them as if he had been shot out of a cannon. No doubt, the K9 hadn’t liked being left behind. Stone nosed Raine, licked her face, then gazed up at Justin as if asking what was wrong.

Raine groaned and lifted a hand to her head.

“Shh.” He lowered his head to speak directly into her ear. “Don’t say anything. Decker is still out there.”

Her eyes fluttered open as his words penetrated her addled brain. She stared up at him as if she didn’t know who he was, then struggled to sit up.

“Easy.” He was glad she was awake and moving, but he knew she was likely in shock. He didn’t want to talk too loudly in case Decker was on his way over. “We need to stay quiet. He’s already fired at us once.”

Raine frowned, looking down at her empty hands. Her agonized gaze jumped back to him. He belatedly realized she must have dropped her gun.

That meant only one of them was armed if Decker showed up to finish them off.

Justin was a good shot. Maya, a former cop, and Chase, a dedicated elk hunter, had made sure the Sullivan siblings could hit what they aimed at. Yet the situation wasn’t ideal. Decker had the advantage. He’d attacked them with the explosion, sending them on the defensive.

Justin had no idea how Decker had realized they were onto him. Other than they must have triggered some sort of alarm during their approach.

“Stay here.” Sitting and waiting for Decker to show wasn’t an option.

Justin turned and scanned the area outside the cabin.

The interior of the cabin was on fire, and he was concerned the blaze would spread to the trees and brush around them.

The recent storm should help limit the amount of damage, especially since there were more dark rain clouds on the western horizon, but still, he didn’t like their precarious situation.

Would Decker anticipate the risk of a forest fire? He wasn’t sure the convict was smart enough to understand the consequences of his actions. To know enough to get far away from the area before the fire had a chance to spread.

Justin rose and gauged the distance to the front of the cabin to be roughly thirty yards.

Not that far, yet he’d be out in the open in plain view.

There was no sign of Raine’s weapon lying in the grass, but with the blast knocking her off her feet, the gun could have easily sailed away and landed in the woods.

Stone could find the gun, but Justin wouldn’t ask him to search for gold until he knew Decker wouldn’t open fire.

It bugged him to think of the guy possibly striking Stone with a bullet.

Better that he cleared the area on his own.

Decision made, Justin gave Stone the hand signal to stay, then darted out of the foliage to the burning cabin.

Heat radiated through the broken windows as the fire burned within. He didn’t linger, running along the side of the cabin toward the back side of the property where he believed Decker was hiding.

At least, he was pretty sure the gunfire came from that direction.

He could have used Stone to track Decker’s scent but refused to put his K9 in harm’s way. First, he needed to make sure the area was clear.

Justin hated to admit he felt a little lost without Stone at his side. They were partners, and deep down, he didn’t necessarily trust his own senses. As he circled the cabin, he expected to be targeted by gunfire.

But there was nothing but silence.

Total silence in the woods was unusual, but in the wake of the explosion and the scent of smoke, the birds and other animals must have fled the area. He didn’t even hear the buzzing of insects or the croaking of bull frogs.

Forcing himself to broaden his search, he cautiously moved into the wooded area where the gunfire had originated. His muscles were tense as he elbowed through the trees and brush. There was no sign of Decker, which wasn’t reassuring.

Then he paused when a partial boot print in the soil caught his gaze. He wasn’t an expert, and he didn’t bother to pull out his phone to check, but it looked similar to the one Stone had found earlier that morning.

As if he needed additional confirmation Decker had been there. Stone’s alert, the gunfire, and the bomb were more than enough. Justin would get a picture of it later, but for now, he needed to stay focused on finding Decker.

He straightened and continued moving through the brush with less stealth now, purposefully making himself a target. Short of waving his hands in the air, he pushed through the brush. If Decker was out there, Justin wanted the convict to show himself.

But he didn’t. Even when Justin returned to the clearing, standing in full view of anyone who cared to look. Justin figured the convict had been smart enough to take off after firing a gun at him and triggering the explosion.

He thought about how his twin brother had nearly gotten killed by a car bomb last month. The twinge Justin had felt had indicated something was wrong. Maybe his twin, Joel, was experiencing the same feeling now.

It couldn’t be helped. Besides, the longer he stood there, the more he was convinced the immediate threat was over. The only good news was that Decker wouldn’t get too far on foot. If Raine wasn’t hurt too badly, they could get the horses and ask Stone to follow his scent.

Just then the high-pitched rumbling of a small engine cut through the silence. Justin cocked his head and listened. Another ATV? Had Decker somehow managed to repair the wrecked one he’d left behind?

No, Justin quickly realized that Jim Kluck, the owner of the cabin, must have had one. Many hunters used them to help haul their game from the woods.

Only now, for the second time in two days, Decker was using one to escape.