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

T ears filled Ginny’s eyes, blurring her vision.

She’d dropped the rock! Her attempt to keep the makeshift weapon hidden from Decker forced her to keep it nestled in the palm of her hand.

But she hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to hang onto the frame of the four-wheeler with the rock in the way.

As the machine shifted from side to side over the hilly terrain, with Decker going as fast as possible, the edge of the rock had cut deep into her skin.

With every sideways movement, the sharp edge had ground into her palm until the pain got so bad she’d had no choice but to let it go.

Now she had nothing to use against Decker. Nothing!

She sniffled and kept her gaze averted so he wouldn’t see her crying. She tried to focus on the self-defense classes her aunt Raine had given her. How her aunt had praised her for being smart and quick on her feet. She could still escape him, even without the rock.

Maybe. It was hard to stay positive and determined when he leered at her, then pulled over long enough to fire the gun toward her aunt Raine, who Ginny knew would ride to her rescue.

She hated Decker so much! She couldn’t believe he’d shown up at her house! He’d said she was the one who’d gotten away, but not anymore. He’d told her he’d come to get her because they had unfinished business .

And worse, he’d claimed she belonged to him now.

Ginny knew what he meant, and the thought of him touching her made her feel sick. Strangely, that image helped her to get a grip on her panic. She stiffened her resolve. No way. She wasn’t going to allow him to do anything to her. She would find a way to escape. No matter what.

All she needed was a chance.

Hopefully soon, before Decker reached whatever hideaway he was taking her to.

* * *

The image of the bloodstained rock was imprinted on Raine’s mind.

Was it Decker’s blood? As much as she wanted to believe that, she doubted it.

The wind had shifted, so the muffled roar of the four-wheeler came in snatches now.

It wasn’t a constant strumming sound the way it had been.

The bloody rock had been discovered after they’d left the shallow cave, so she didn’t think Ginny had used it against him in an attack.

But she suspected her niece had wanted to.

Raine never felt as helpless in her life as she did in this moment. Ginny was in serious trouble, and despite her best efforts, using Justin and Stone to track her niece, they weren’t close enough to save her.

How much longer? She glanced up at the dark cloudy sky. Was God really up there watching over Ginny? It surprised her how badly she wanted to believe He was. That He would protect Ginny until they could reach her.

Please? Her whispered plea was snatched by the wind.

Ignoring the burning pain in her butt and thighs, she urged Timber into a trot, closing the gap between her mount and Justin’s Blaze.

Somehow, she’d fallen behind. He was carrying Stone again, giving the dog a well-deserved rest. She couldn’t fault him for that.

Especially as she caught glimpses of the tire tracks Justin was following through the woods.

She had no doubt that Justin would put Stone back to work if they somehow lost sight of the ATV’s path.

Especially if the machine ran out of gas.

How much longer before Decker stopped and did something terrible? She didn’t want to ruminate on the worst-case scenario, but it was difficult not to.

Her stomach growled with hunger, which only made her worry more about Ginny. Her niece would need food, water, and shelter soon, and she didn’t trust Decker to provide any comfort to the young girl.

Quite the opposite.

Timber settled back into his swaying walk behind Justin. She scanned the terrain beyond them, hoping for a sign of the four-wheeler. It was possible Decker would try to find another high spot to fire at them again.

“Justin?” She urged Timber forward so she could have a conversation. “How soon will our backup arrive?”

He glanced at her, then shrugged. “We’re out of cell range at the moment, so I can’t ask that question. I have a satellite phone, but with the clouds overhead, it may be difficult to get a signal.”

A sat phone? Her pulse kicked up with anticipation. “Can we try it soon? I’d like to give my boss our coordinates so he can get choppers in the area.”

“Let’s wait for a while yet.” Justin grimaced. “As long as we hear the sound of the four-wheeler, we know he’s on the move with Ginny. I don’t want to stop, giving him any more of a lead than he already has.”

She nodded, understanding his concern. She wanted the same thing, to reach Decker and Ginny as soon as humanly possible.

Yet getting a plane or chopper in the air would help.

“Griff knows what we’re doing, so he’ll arrange for air support,” Justin said. “I’m sure he’s asked my brother Trevor and his K9, Archie, to join the search too.”

She swallowed a wave of frustration. Having Trevor and his K9 behind them wasn’t helpful. They needed to know where Decker was heading and send a team in that way to sandwich him in.

Although she had to admit, the rough mountainous terrain would offer plenty of places for Decker to hide with Ginny even if they did try to get additional hunting parties in the area.

Why hadn’t the guy taken the opportunity to get out of the state? Or even better, out of the country? Kidnapping Ginny had only made things worse for Decker. With the life of a young girl on the line, every law enforcement official in the area would be determined to bring him to justice.

They rode in silence for a few minutes. She strained to hear the four-wheeler, counting off the seconds in her mind. There was nothing but silence.

Had the machine finally run out of fuel?

She was about to mention that possibility to Justin when she heard a rumbling sound. She frowned. It sounded different from the four-wheeler. A lower cadence rather than the higher pitch of the ATV.

Justin lifted his hand to wave. Following his gaze, she realized there was a plane flying overhead. “Who is that?”

“My brother-in-law, Logan.” He grinned. “He had a charter flight today, but he must have either dropped his hunters off or he’s brought them along on a side trip.”

“Can we communicate with him?” As she watched, the plane banked into a curve, making what appeared to be a wide circle. “Has he spotted Decker?”

Justin nodded and patted his saddle bag. “We can communicate, but let’s find a place to stop that has less trees overhead. We’ll need all the open air we can get to access a satellite signal.”

“Okay.” She was torn between the need to keep going and stopping to get information on Decker’s whereabouts. Her aching muscles wanted badly to stop, but fear for Ginny’s safety overrode her discomfort.

A few minutes later, Justin guided Blaze off their current path to the right where there was an open meadow-like area.

Timber dutifully followed. Justin swung down, then carefully lifted Stone off the saddle as well.

The dog stood for a moment, gave himself a shake, then stretched out on the ground.

Raine slid from the saddle, holding on to it when her knees buckled again. How anyone rode a horse for hours like this on a regular basis was beyond her comprehension. Maybe when they found Decker and Ginny she could ride the four-wheeler back to civilization.

If there was a way to replenish the gas.

“Are you okay?” Justin eyed her as he unbuckled the saddle bag.

“Peachy.” She wanted to cry but managed a half smile. “Can’t wait to get back up in the saddle again.”

He nodded, his blue eyes sympathetic. “I know you’re tired and sore.”

Talk about an understatement. She stayed where she was, clinging to Timber’s saddle for support. “I’ll survive.”

He drew a large bag out and crossed to the center of the clearing.

She noticed there were a number of large boulders in the area preventing the trees and other foliage to grow.

Glancing upward, she saw what appeared to be more rocks along the slope above.

Clearly a larger rock had broken apart, sending smaller pieces sliding down the mountainside.

Pushing away from Timber, she managed to walk to where Justin was working with the phone. She debated sitting on the rock, then decided her bottom hurt too much for that and remained standing.

“If you’re hungry, help yourself to the protein bars I have in my saddle bag.” He glanced up at her, then dropped his gaze to the phone. “It appears as if the phone is having trouble finding a signal.”

Stifling her disappointment at the possible lack of communication with the outside world, she walked painfully to Blaze to find the protein bars.

She carried one to Justin, then opened hers, battling a wave of guilt over having something that Ginny couldn’t.

Not that starving herself would change that.

Raine knew she needed strength to be at her best to rescue Ginny. She’d pocketed a spare protein bar for her niece for when—not if—they found her.

She didn’t think Justin would mind.

“We’ve got a signal!” His excited tone had her turning toward him. He held the receiver to his ear, and said, “Griff? Can you hear me?”

Raine crossed to Justin, listening intently to his part of the conversation.

“Here’s our coordinates.” He listed them off, then added, “Decker is armed and has fired on us several times, which has hampered our progress. Can you patch me through to Logan? He’s above us and can probably give us a better idea of where Decker is located now.”

After devouring the protein bar in a matter of seconds without even realizing it, Raine wiped her hands on her jeans and gazed up at the sky.

She was impressed that the sat phone had gotten a signal at all with the dark clouds overhead, although they were lighter in a few spots.

She didn’t see the plane, though, and hoped Logan hadn’t lost sight of Decker and Ginny.