Page 21 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)

R aine was terrified by fire. That wasn’t necessarily a big revelation as she knew most people were, but she’d been involved in a house fire when she and Cami were kids.

Their mother had been drinking and left the stove unattended.

The flames reached up and accidentally set the kitchen curtains on fire.

She and Cami had been playing in their room when the fire began to spread.

They’d had to go into the living room to wake up their mother to get her out of the house.

The experience had given her nightmares for months. And now she was in the middle of another, much bigger and more dangerous fire.

Wearing Justin’s damp shirt over her mouth and nose helped ease her breathing, but the smoke billowing around them made her eyes water. When Timber broke into a trot, she was taken by surprise and had to grab the saddle horn to keep from falling off.

Her fault. This desperate situation they were in was all her fault! She’d insisted on continuing to track Decker. She hadn’t wanted him to get away.

They should have taken the SUV and drove away from the area when they had the chance.

Instead, she’d dragged Justin and Stone into the heart of danger.

Waves of guilt swamped her, and she wished more than anything she’d made a better decision.

That she hadn’t risked Justin and Stone for a fool’s mission.

Arresting Decker wasn’t a priority when they faced a fire that could burn them to a crisp.

Blinking away the gritty smoke, she tried to keep her gaze centered on Justin’s strong, tanned back.

He was a commanding presence. They’d only known each other for two days, but it seemed like they’d been riding together forever.

If she were honest with herself, she’d come to like and admire him.

No, she more than liked him. She cared about him in a way that made her wish she was ten years younger.

He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man—strong, protective, capable, and calm in a crisis.

Honorable in a way her ex had never been.

Her heart squeezed in her chest at the thought of something terrible happening to him.

She glanced up at the smoke-filled sky, unable to see the clouds that had been moving in earlier beyond the haze. Yet that didn’t stop her from opening her heart to prayer.

Please, Lord Jesus, I know I’m not worthy, but Justin is. He deserves Your protection. Please guide us safely out of the forest. Amen.

The prayer helped calm her racing heart. Her headache pounded with each bouncing step. Timber gamely kept up with Blaze, the horses seemingly intent on getting to safety too.

How much farther? She had no idea. Glancing over her shoulder, she gasped beneath the damp shirt at how much the fire had already spread.

They weren’t going to make it!

No. She roughly shoved the depressing thought aside. She had faith that Justin would get them out of there. That with God’s help, they would survive.

She repeated her prayer in her mind as they made their way through the forest. It wasn’t easy to move with Timber as she couldn’t see the path ahead. As she clung to Timber’s back, the phrase “blind faith” took on a new meaning.

The heat behind them seemed to be pushing them forward.

She ducked in time to avoid a low-hanging tree branch, trying not to imagine the trees engulfed in flames behind them.

When she turned to look back, the fire was roaring in earnest. It was as if the huge wall of burning trees was moving forward, determined to surround them.

No, please, no! She had to resist the urge to close her eyes. They needed to hurry! To get out of there as quickly as possible.

Then suddenly the horses broke into a clearing. Smoke still hung in the air, but it was less there, maybe because there was more room for it to dissipate.

Did this open meadow indicate they were getting close to the highway?

Timber abruptly broke into a cantor. She tightened her knees and grabbed the saddle horn to stay seated. Although she had to admit, the gait was smoother than his trot. At least for her. Maybe not as easy on the horses, she silently acknowledged.

Seconds later, they were back in the forest. The horses slowed back to a trot, and she caught a glimpse of Stone running beside Justin and Blaze, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

He seemed to be breathing hard. Was Stone getting tired?

The poor dog seemed to be keeping up, but for how much longer?

Please, Lord, help us!

They continued moving through the forest for what seemed like hours. Tree branches slapped her in the face. She couldn’t avoid them while desperately trying to get into the rhythm of Timber’s trot.

Then the trees thinned again. She blinked, wondering if it was her imagination. It wasn’t. It was a road!

They’d reached the highway!

Justin turned back to catch her gaze. He slowed Blaze to a walk and lifted his hand to gesture at something up ahead. She nodded to indicate she understood, even though she couldn’t really see what he was pointing to.

The horses went down an incline, then back up onto the paved road. Smoke still filled the air, but she could make out an SUV parked off to the side with a horse trailer behind it.

Trevor to the rescue!

Raine gratefully trotted to where the trailer was located.

Then she quickly swung out of the saddle, knowing the fire wasn’t that far behind.

Justin had already dismounted. Stone rushed forward to greet Archie.

Blinking against the grit in her eyes, she watched as Trevor grabbed Justin in a brotherly bear hug, then stepping back to open the trailer.

Justin turned to her and pulled the shirt away from his mouth. “Are you okay?” When she managed to nod, he smiled. “Good. Climb into the back seat of the SUV. If you don’t mind, Stone will ride with you.”

“Of course.” She tugged the shirt down from her mouth. “I’ll gladly ride with Stone.” She was about to step past him when Justin quickly caught her in a warm embrace.

She hugged him back, fresh tears pricking her eyes. Or maybe it was the smoke. Her throat was choked too. She knew it was thanks to God’s grace that they were alive.

“I’m glad we made it.” His husky whisper near her ear sent tingles down her spine. “It was touch and go for a while there.”

“I know.” She forced herself to release him.

She looked up, trying to put her feelings into words when Justin surprised her by brushing her mouth with a quick kiss.

The sweet kiss was over before her brain had a chance to register what had happened.

Then Justin was moving away to help his brother with the horses.

For a long moment, she just stood there, wishing things were different. Then she stepped up to the passenger side of the SUV. She slid inside, leaving the door open despite the smoke.

The dogs played for a few minutes, as if sensing they were safe. The SUV rocked a bit as the horses climbed into the trailer. Then the back hatch opened.

“Get in, Archie!” She turned to see the beautiful red lab jump into the crate area. “Here, boy.” Trevor filled a bowl with water for his K9, then offered a second bowl for Stone. When the dogs were finished, Trevor handed Justin a couple of water bottles. “For you and Raine.”

“Thanks.” Justin went around to hand her one as Stone joined her in the back seat.

She drank gratefully, the cool water a balm against her scratchy throat. The damp shirt they’d used to cover their nose and mouth had helped tremendously. Without that, they would have been worse off. Smoke inhalation was nothing to take lightly. Even now, her chest still felt a little tight.

Moments later, the Sullivan brothers were seated, and Trevor was pulling the horse trailer away from the curb. For long seconds, nobody spoke.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Justin finally said. He’d downed more than half his water bottle too. “I was starting to think we’d never reach the road, much less in time to find you waiting.”

The possibility that Trevor may have left hadn’t occurred to her.

Although it should have. No sane person would sit at the side of the road as a fire swept through the forest. Yet even as that thought crossed her mind, Raine knew Trevor wouldn’t have left the area, or his brother behind, until the last possible second.

“Thank you.” She took another sip of her water to soothe her throat and reached over to pet Stone. The dog had curled up in a ball and fallen asleep. The K9 deserved to rest after their harrowing escape. “We’re grateful you waited for us.”

“Always.” Trevor met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry to hear Decker escaped.”

She nodded glumly. “Yeah. As if being a creepy pedophile isn’t enough, now he’s an arsonist too.” She paused, then added, “I’m sorry I put us in danger. I didn’t appreciate the possibility of a full-blown forest fire.”

“I went along with the plan.” Justin shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I understand why you wanted to find him.”

“Not at your expense.” She was irritated that he was letting her off the hook so easily. “I never wanted you and Stone in danger.”

“You were in danger, too, remember?” Justin turned in his seat to face her.

“Maybe Decker didn’t escape. Maybe he’s caught in the fire.

Yet if he did get away, it’s going to be a while before we can head out to track him again.

We may want to bring my sister Alexis and her cadaver K9, Denali, along for the search.

Hopefully, we’ll know more when we get a chance to talk to Logan. ”

“Logan had to turn back, the smoke became too thick for him to keep an eye on Decker,” Trevor explained. “The last Logan had eyes on him, the guy was alive and still riding the four-wheeler.”

The news of Logan having to abandon the search shouldn’t have been a surprise. She could only imagine how hard it had been to fly above a raging fire.

“Maybe it will rain,” Justin said. “There were clouds rolling in earlier.”