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J ess was impressed at how Doug managed to get the FBI agent from Cheyenne along with a game warden and several local police officers from Cody, including Sergeant Wayne Carter, to accompany them to the mountain.

“I’m surprised the local cops will have jurisdiction outside of Cody,” she said when Doug had finished with the arrangements.

“They’ll be deputized by the FBI as adjunct officers.” Doug shrugged. “They do that quite a bit out here. I would rather involve cops I know we can trust than adding the sheriff’s deputies I’ve never met to the list.”

Jess knew Doug was still upset at how he’d learned about a dirty cop being involved in his sister’s kidnapping back in January. So she didn’t blame him for being leery about adding unknown cops to the list. Back then, drugs had been the underlying reason for Emily’s kidnapping.

The arrests Doug had made back then may have slowed things down, but it was obvious the drug trade had been rejuvenated by Benton and his pals. And Ethan Dover had paid the price.

She really wished she knew why he was murdered.

“I hope we have enough people,” Logan said. When she looked at him in surprise, he scowled. “We don’t have any idea how many bad guys are up there.”

“Speaking of getting up there, what are your thoughts?” Doug asked. “Flying in might attract attention.”

Logan grimaced. “I have a plane we can use, but I agree that would be like announcing our arrival. I think we should drive to the Cabin Creek Campsite and go in by foot from there.”

“It will be a long hike,” Jess said. “But I agree, that’s probably better than flying.”

“Okay, then.” Doug rose. “Now that we have everything set up to go for early tomorrow morning, I’m heading back to the ranch.” He paused, glancing at Jess. “Unless you think I need to stick around here?”

“No need,” she hastened to reassure him. “I’m sure we’re safe.”

Logan frowned but didn’t offer an argument.

“You have my number if you need anything.” Doug bent to give Teddy a pat. “And the local police will be on high alert too.”

She didn’t bother pointing out that there would be only two officers on duty overnight. She and Logan had Teddy as an extra layer of protection. “Thanks again, Doug. I will feel better once we get back on that mountain to find this guy.”

“I just hope we find him before he finds us,” Logan said, following Doug to the door.

“That reminds me, I’ll need you to bring a handgun from the ranch for me to use tomorrow.” Jess glanced down at Teddy. “Logan is right that we need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. He has a weapon, but I didn’t bring one along.”

Doug hesitated. “I assume you know how to use it?”

She arched a brow. “Do you really think Maya and Chase wouldn’t make sure we could all hit what we’re aiming at?”

“Okay, okay.” Doug grinned. “I know Maya is a crack shot and so is Chase. I should have known the rest of you would be well versed in using firearms too.”

“Thanks.” She sank back down onto the bed as Doug left and Logan closed the door and shot the deadbolt home.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Logan said.

She suppressed a sigh. “We’ve been over this Logan. Doug has involved several law enforcement agencies as support for the mission. Besides, what’s the alternative? This guy will only continue to target us if we don’t put an end to this.”

“I know.” He sighed. “I just wish there was a way to add more safety measures.”

That gave her an idea. “You know, Teddy’s K9 vest is made of Kevlar. And of course we made sure all the dogs have them. After what happened to Chase in February, we added bullet-resistant vests to our supply of search and rescue gear too.” She pulled out her phone to send Doug a text. “I’m sure Doug would bring extras for us.”

Logan perked up. “That would make me feel better.”

“Great.” She glanced around the seemingly minuscule hotel room. After their late lunch, she wasn’t hungry for dinner. But she needed to feed Teddy, so she reached for her pack. She filled his collapsible food and water dishes. Teddy sat staring at her as she did so, but he didn’t go for the food until she gave him the signal.

“Go ahead, Teddy. Eat.” She pointed at the dishes.

Teddy ate with enthusiasm, although he didn’t scarf his food as quickly as some of her siblings’ K9s did. When he finished eating, he lapped at the water, then went to stand by the door.

“Hold on, I’m going with you.” Logan grabbed his coat.

She slipped her jacket on without protest. Was it just earlier that morning that the gunman had fired on them? It seemed like eons ago, rather than hours.

“We’ll use that strip of land between the parking lot of the hotel and the drugstore,” she said as they headed outside.

“Stick close to me,” Logan said.

She nodded as Teddy ran ahead. They kept their K9s on schedule as much as possible just for this reason. Much easier to handle taking their SAR partners out to do their business.

“Get busy, Teddy,” she ordered.

The dog didn’t need any encouragement. He sniffed around for the perfect spot, then did his thing. She hurried forward to clean up after him. “Good boy, Teddy.”

Teddy wagged his tail. Normally, she’d spend some time playing, a.k.a. training, with him, but he’d done enough work for the day.

And they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow.

Logan scanned their surroundings as he waited. When she and Teddy were ready, they headed inside.

Now what? she thought as Logan once again locked the door behind them. The idea of watching television didn’t appeal to her. Yet there wasn’t anything else to do, so she reached for the remote.

A wide yawn hit her hard. Logan noticed and nodded.

“I’m exhausted too.” He gestured to the bed he was sitting on. “I’m ready to get some sleep. Do you want to use the bathroom first?”

“Yes, thanks. That sounds good to me.” She clicked the remote off. Ten minutes later, she was stretched out on the double bed with Teddy lying beside her. She’d decided to sleep in her clothes, just in case they had to leave in a hurry.

Logan did the same.

She didn’t expect to fall asleep right away and found herself listening intently to both Teddy’s snoring and Logan’s deep breathing. The soft mattress and pillow beneath her head should have been enough to help her relax.

They weren’t.

She turned from one side to the next, then did her best to still her mind with prayer.

The next thing Jess knew, Teddy was growling. She blinked in the darkness, trying to remember where she was and what had caught her K9’s attention. Sometimes the dog let out little yips while sleeping, his little paws moving as he dreamed.

But this was different.

“What’s wrong?” Logan asked, his voice groggy with sleep.

“I’m not sure.” She swung out of the bed. Teddy’s head was up, his ears pricked forward as he seemed focused on the window.

“I’ll take a look.” Logan stood and kept to the side as he lifted the edge of the curtain just enough to peer out.

She slid her feet into her boots. Teddy jumped off the bed and stood in front of her. “See anything?”

“Nothing alarming.” Logan let the edge of the curtain drop. “But let’s stay clear of the window for a while.”

She moved toward the hotel room door, wondering if something out in the hallway had caught Teddy’s attention. A split second later, the window shattered beneath the force of a bullet.

“Jess!” Logan shouted, as she ducked and covered Teddy’s body with hers.

“I’m fine.” Her voice was hoarse as she reached for her phone, intending to call 911. But another gunshot followed the first, negating that idea. The window was already broken, but she heard the thud of the bullet hitting the drywall on the other side of the room. “We need to get out of here.”

“I know.” Logan lunged across the bed, grabbed his gun, then rolled off to the other side. He shoved his feet into his shoes and joined her at the door. “Stay back in case someone is out there.”

That possibility hadn’t occurred to her. “Heel, Teddy.” The dog obediently hovered near her side.

Logan looked out the peephole, then yanked the door open. Seconds later, they were heading down the hall toward the lobby.

The clerk looked up, earbuds in her ears. She quickly removed them, and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Call 911 and report shots fired. Hurry!” Logan snapped when the clerk simply gaped at them.

When she didn’t move fast enough, he leaned over the desk, snagged the phone receiver, and made the call himself. Jess hovered beside him, with Teddy between them, warily eyeing the front door for a sign of the shooter’s accomplice.

“Get behind the desk,” Logan said when he’d finished making the call.

“Oh, but...” The clerk started to protest, but Logan ignored her.

Jess moved to edge around the main desk. Teddy followed, and Logan came last. The clerk must have realized it was useless to argue, as she cowered in the corner.

A dark figure approached the front door. Jessica’s breath froze in her chest as Logan held his weapon in a two-handed grip, aiming at the front door.

Then the sound of police sirens cut through the air. Instantly, the figure in black whirled and took off.

Jess sagged against the desk, her knees weak. Logan shot her a grim glance. She nodded in understanding.

That was too close. And worse, they had no idea how the gunman had found them at the Lumberjack Inn.

She peered at her watch. It was barely four o’clock in the morning. Three hours until they were meeting to head up the mountain.

Clearly, finding and arresting Benton was the only way to end this nightmare once and for all.

Logan hated knowing how close they’d come to being killed in their beds. If not for Teddy’s growling, they wouldn’t be standing there, waiting for the police to arrive.

And how the dog had known about the gunman was a mystery. Could the dog smell through walls? Or had he heard something? Dogs could hear high-pitched sounds that people couldn’t. Too bad Teddy couldn’t talk to clue them in.

For now, he was grateful for the K9’s keen senses.

A Cody police officer wrenched the lobby door open. “Police!”

Logan quickly lowered his weapon. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”

“I’m Jessica Sullivan, and this is Logan Fletcher,” Jess said. “I’m not sure if Sergeant Wayne Carter let you know we might be in danger.”

“He did.” The cop’s last name was Norman. “What happened?”

Logan glanced toward the hallway that led to their room. “At least two bullets penetrated the window of our room. We managed to escape long enough to call you. A man dressed in black approached the front door of the lobby but then took off when he heard the sirens.”

“Stay back, I’ll check it out.” Officer Norman looked wary as he edged down the hallway, holding his weapon ready. Logan had a new appreciation for these officers who faced danger with little to no backup.

After the cop disappeared from view, he turned toward Jess. “You’d better call Doug.”

She reached for the desk phone with trembling fingers. Teddy stayed close to her side.

The scared-out-of-her-mind clerk had straightened now and looked as if she might argue. Logan shot her a withering look. “Those earbuds prevented you from hearing the gunfire. What if that guy had come in through the front door, huh? You’d be dead.”

The blood drained from her face. “I—I didn’t know!”

He barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “Of course, you didn’t know. If I had known a gunman would show up, I would have called the cops earlier. My point is you made yourself a vulnerable target. Next time, read a book without music.”

The clerk covered her face with her hands, making him feel bad for being so blunt. It wasn’t right to take his anger and frustration out on her. Then she abruptly glared at him accusingly. “You used different names.”

“Yeah. And now you know why.” Logan wasn’t about to apologize.

Officer Norman returned a few minutes later, his expression grim. “I’m glad you were able to get out without being hurt. There’s no sign of the gunman now. My partner, Heath Anderson, is outside checking the area. I also notified Sergeant Carter. He wanted me to tell you he’s on his way.”

“Thanks.” Logan felt better at hearing there was no sign of the gunman. Yet he wished he could have gotten a better look at the guy. He turned to the desk clerk. “Do you have a camera outside? One pointing at the front door?”

“Yes.” She sniffed and wiped away her tears. Clearly still badly shaken, she stepped up and logged into the computer. A moment later, she pulled up the camera screen. “Just the one. The owner had it put in a few months ago.”

“Probably after Doug and Maya had been targeted by gunfire outside,” Jess murmured. “Although the owner could have sprung for more than one.”

Logan privately agreed. He watched the screen as the clerk backed up the video. She cued it up, then stepped back to give him room. “Just press the play button.”

“Thanks.” He was about to use the mouse to click the screen, then glanced at her expectantly. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Debra. Debra Walworth.”

“Thanks, Debra.” He slowed the speed of the video so that he wouldn’t miss anything. There was no movement outside the door for several long minutes, then he saw the figure in black step from the shadows. Narrowing his gaze, he watched as the guy dressed in black, complete with a black face mask, reach forward as if to open the door, then abruptly stop. There was no sound to accompany the video, but Logan assumed that was when the gunman heard the police sirens.

Two seconds later, the guy was gone. Logan backed it up and played the video again. Other than a pair of dark eyes and pale skin around the face mask, the gunman didn’t have any identifying features. He watched the video two more times, it was barely six seconds total, then stopped.

He’d hoped to recognize something about him. But that proved impossible. The mask covered his face to the point it could have been anyone standing out there.

“Do you see anyone else nearby?” Jess peered at the screen over his shoulder. “Could this be the same guy who fired at us?”

“He appears to be alone.” He had to admit that was strange. If there was a large drug operation going on, then why not send several bad guys after them? He turned his head, keenly aware that she was close enough to kiss. An inappropriate thought at an equally inappropriate time , he silently chided. He needed to stay focused. “Based on the time frame between the gunfire and his showing up at the front door, I believe he was working alone. If there had been two of them, they’d have approached from both sides at the same time. The window and the main doorway.” The idea was chilling. They would have been sitting ducks in that hotel room.

“I guess that was good for us, huh?” She briefly rested her forehead on his shoulder, then straightened. “Teddy must have heard something. He woke me from a sound sleep.”

“Me too. That dog of yours is the hero of the day.” Logan stepped back as Wayne Carter arrived. The sergeant wasn’t in uniform, his hair sticking out of his head as if the guy had rolled straight from his bed to respond. “Wayne.”

“What happened?” Wayne demanded.

Logan briefed him on the shooting. Debra looked upset when he mentioned she was wearing earbuds and hadn’t heard anything. Ignoring her, he finished the update. “There’s a camera out front, and we’ve already reviewed the corresponding video. Unfortunately, the guy is dressed in black and wearing a face mask, so it’s not very helpful. All I can say for sure is that he’s white and appears to be of average height and weight.” Much like Craig Benton , he silently added.

“Play it again for me.” Wayne crowded in behind the counter to see for himself. Logan hit the triangle button to start the video clip. Wayne sighed as he straightened. “You’re right. It’s about as helpful as an eleventh toe.”

That made Logan grin. “You’re right about that. However, there are bullets embedded in the drywall of our room. They may provide some information.”

“I’ll need a copy of this video,” Wayne told Debra. “And obviously the room that was targeted by gunfire is off-limits until we’ve processed it.”

“Of course.” Debra looked pale. “I should probably call my boss to let him know about this.”

“That reminds me,” Jess interrupted. “I’ll take Teddy outside so we can search for shell casings.”

Wayne considered that for a moment, then shook his head. “No need. By the time I arrived, Heath mentioned he’d found a couple of casings in the parking lot out back. This guy isn’t smart enough to pick up his brass, so I’m sure the others aren’t far.”

Logan nodded. “Two casings are about right. I only heard two shots.” That, too, struck him as odd. Why not open fire, showering the room with bullets?

Who were these guys anyway?

“Same,” Jess said. “Two shots. By God’s grace and Teddy’s growling, we were warned ahead of time that something was wrong. We were out of our beds, Logan off to the side of the window while I was near the main door. Miraculously, the bullets whizzed right past both of us, striking the opposite wall.”

“I was surprised Teddy growled like that. Can that dog smell through walls or what?” Logan asked.

“I’m sure he heard something,” Jess mused. “Although it’s interesting that he responded to whatever that was with a low growl. He doesn’t usually overreact to strange noises.”

Logan considered that for a moment. “Maybe the gunman made some sound he recognized.”

“Maybe,” Jess agreed.

“Okay, you guys stay here. Which room were you in?” Wayne asked. “I need to check out what’s left of it.”

Logan gave him the number. Wayne nodded and moved out from behind the desk to cross the lobby. When he reached the hallway, he looked both ways before heading in the correct direction.

Logan gestured toward the plush chairs and sofa overlooking the fireplace. “We may as well sit for a while. We won’t be using our room from this point forward.” As far as he was concerned, he wasn’t going to stay in a hotel again for a very long time.

“Sure.” She followed him over but then looked down at Teddy. “He probably needs to go out.”

“Okay, hang on. We’ll take Wayne or Officer Norman with us.” Logan strode quickly down the hall toward their room.

Wayne and Officer Norman stood just inside the doorway, surveying the damage. It looked worse with the lights blazing, shards of glass littering the beds where they’d been sleeping. If Teddy hadn’t woken them, he had no doubt they’d have been shot and killed.

The dog too.

While he knew it was a crime scene, he had no intention of leaving their backpacks and outer gear behind. For one thing, they would need it for their trek back up the mountain, especially Teddy’s K9 vest. Plus, Jess had other supplies in there. She’d want to feed Teddy breakfast before they headed out.

“Jess needs to take Teddy outside, and I’d like a police escort.” He reached for their coats and then the backpacks. “The gunman may not have gone far enough for my peace of mind.”

“Okay.” Wayne frowned but didn’t argue when he gathered their personal items together. “Technically, those should stay.”

“Not happening.” Logan lifted his chin to the small holes in the wall. “Those bullets are the only evidence you’ll need.” He stared at the broken glass for a minute. It was strange that the gunman had known their exact location. And if so, why had he fired through the window rather than going through the lobby? “There’s no reason for us not to have our things.”

“I guess you’re right. The crime scene techs have been getting enough of a workout over these past few days.” Wayne shook his head as he reached for Jessica’s backpack to lighten Logan’s load. “Feels like January with Doug Bridges searching for his missing sister all over again.”

Logan nodded in understanding. Cody didn’t normally have this level of crime. None of the cities in Wyoming did. It was one of the biggest reasons people flocked to the area.

And it was also why these drug dealers had chosen a remote area to produce their illegal trade. If that’s what they were up to.

He followed Wayne back to the lobby.

“Thanks.” Jess took her pack from Wayne, setting it on the chair. Then she reached for her coat. Teddy stood staring at the front door as if willing it to open. Or maybe willing him and Jess to read his mind about his need to go out. The dog was smart, no doubt about that. Logan drew on his coat.

Wayne led the way, opening the door for Jess and Teddy.

The two police cruisers and an SUV sat outside the front of the hotel. Hopefully, they were enough of a deterrent for the gunman.

“Get busy, Teddy,” Jess said. The dog trotted over to lift his leg on the squat bushes lining the front of the property.

“I take it you’ve called Doug?” Wayne asked.

“I did, yes.” Jess watched her dog. “I told him there was no rush, but I suspect he’ll show up soon. At this rate, we should plan on heading out at first light.”

“This trip is likely to be full of peril.” Wayne’s expression was grim. “We’ll need to be on full alert.”

That’s putting it mildly , Logan thought. But he didn’t comment. What could he say? There was no getting around the fact that Teddy was their best chance of finding this guy. And there’s no way in the world Jess would let the dog go with anyone else.

All he could do was hope and pray that by this time tomorrow the danger would be over for good.