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W ho was shooting at them? Jess huddled between Logan and Teddy, sweeping her gaze over the landscape. Two shots fired, but now there was nothing but silence.

“What’s going on?” She peered up at Logan. He was close, covering her body with his. She was touched by his protective gesture. “Did you see anything?”

“No. I only heard the shots.” Logan’s expression was grim. “I think they’re from a rifle, not a handgun.”

She frowned. “How do you know?”

“It’s a guess.” He grimaced. “The gunshots weren’t as loud as they would be if fired from a handgun at close range.”

“A hunter?” She found that hard to believe.

“No. I don’t think any hunter would be stupid enough to fire at two people. The bullet struck a tree branch over our heads.” There was a pause, then he lifted his chin to the right. “I think the shots came from that ridge up there.”

She quickly scanned the ridge but didn’t see anything. “Are you sure?”

“Not for certain. See that outcropping of rock? That would be a good position for someone to use for a rifle shot.”

“I could ask Teddy to search for gold,” she said.

“Gold?” He frowned.

“Maya has encouraged us to cross-train our dogs for other scents. We use the term gold to identify gunpowder and gun oil,” she explained. “Teddy has a good nose. I’m sure he’d be able to locate the bullet.”

“That’s not necessary. I don’t think the bullet will tell us much. Besides, it could have gone another hundred yards before stopping. No sense risking our lives by sticking around for much longer.” He straightened and lightly rested his hand on the center of her back. “Stay here with Teddy while I check it out.”

“No, don’t.” She grasped his arm to prevent him from leaving. “As you pointed out, there’s no reason to stay here. If that outcropping along the ridge is where the shooter had been standing, then we need to get out of here. I don’t want to leave the metal part of the plane behind, though. We need to take that along with us.”

He hesitated, his gaze sweeping the ridge. Then after a long moment, he nodded. “You’re right. It’s smarter for us to head back down the mountain. But we need to stay in the trees as much as possible.”

No argument from her on that plan. “Give me a minute to grab the piece of plane we found.”

“I’ll do it.” Before she could protest, he darted out into the clearing. Snagging the plane part up from the ground, he spun and ran back to the cover provided by the trees.

“It’s bigger than I thought,” she confessed. “Do you think it will fit in one of our backpacks?”

“Oh yeah.” He shrugged out of the pack and began rearranging the items inside. She held the tail fin in her hand, examining it again more closely. There was plenty of rust, but no markings. She’d hoped that finding this would help them identify if the part came from her parents’ plane.

But in all honesty, it could be from any plane. Who knew how many small planes were lost in the mountains each year.

Probably more than she wanted to know.

Logan took the piece of metal from her hands and tucked it into the backpack upside down. The broader base of the tail fin wouldn’t fit inside the pack, but he wedged the smaller end inside as far as it could go, zipping the sides up as much as possible to keep it in place. He nodded and glanced up at her. “This should work.”

“I agree.” She was glad they wouldn’t have to leave it behind. “Do you want me to carry that pack?”

“No, you have your own. I’ve got this.” He glanced up at the ridge again, then stood and shouldered the pack. She hoped the extra weight wouldn’t be a problem. “We need to move. You go first with Teddy. I’ll cover our backs. The sooner we get down the slope, the better. I don’t want to run across this guy up close and personal.”

Jess didn’t want that either. She slowly rose to a crouch, then did a quick examination of her dog to make sure he wasn’t injured. He was fine. “Come, Teddy.”

The dog looked up at her, then quickly followed her out from the shelter of the trees. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose in alarm as she took the lead in retracing their steps back down the mountain. Jess found herself hunching her shoulders, anticipating another attack. But after a solid ten minutes of walking, she slowly began to relax. There was nothing to worry about. They were already making good time heading back to the plane.

Maybe the shooter had been a hunter. A really bad hunter.

Logan stayed behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to check on him. He offered a reassuring smile. “You’re doing great. Just keep following our original tracks down and to the east.”

“Down is easy,” she said lightly. That wasn’t necessarily true. Her footing slipped in the snow more often than she liked, forcing her to grab at various branches along the way to keep herself upright. She was glad to have their previous footprints to use as a guide. The tracks should lead them back to where they’d started.

Teddy wasn’t having any trouble navigating the terrain. All their search and rescue dogs were athletic and comfortable moving through the woods. Teddy glanced up at her often, staying close to her side. He wasn’t a hunting dog, but the loud crack of gunfire was more than enough for him to identify a potential threat. If the shooter had been closer, Teddy would likely have alerted on his scent and growled in warning.

More proof that the shooter had purposefully stayed far away. Logan was right about the guy using a rifle.

After forty minutes, Logan called a halt. “Let’s take a break.”

She nodded and stopped near a group of pine trees. This wasn’t the spot where they’d previously taken a break, but it would do for now. She knew Logan was anxious to get back to the clearing where they’d left his plane. “No sign of anyone following?”

“Not that I can tell.” Logan glanced at Teddy. “Your dog didn’t seem to notice anything off either.”

“I guess that’s a good thing.” She sat on a stump, gratefully accepting a sip of water from Logan. Then she poured some water into a collapsible bowl for Teddy. “I don’t understand why anyone would shoot at us.”

Logan’s expression hardened. “I have one possible theory.”

“Like what?”

“My charter client claimed he was here to do hunting and fishing. I dropped him off at a location that isn’t that far from here. That’s how I spied the piece of plane debris.” He made a circle in the air with a gloved hand. “Because I was here in this area.”

She wasn’t following. “And you think that guy may have been the shooter?”

“Him or one of his cronies.” Logan glanced at Teddy again. “Your K9 alerted to the scent of drugs in my plane where Craig Benton dropped his glove. Now that we’ve been targeted by gunfire, I’m less likely to believe he had a legitimate prescription for narcotics.”

Realization dawned. “You think he is involved in drug trafficking. And he fired those shots to drive us away.”

“Exactly.” Logan shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of being hired by guys like Benton to bring drugs in and out of the area.”

“I don’t either.” She swallowed hard, considering his theory. “We need to call the local sheriff’s department and the game warden. They’ll need to head back to that area to see if they can find that guy. What’s his name? Craig Benton?”

“That’s the name he gave me.” Logan grimaced. “Like I said, he paid in cash. If he’s involved in drugs, I doubt he used his real name.”

“You’re right; he probably didn’t.” She stroked Teddy’s soft ears. “Maybe we should turn around and head back. See if Teddy alerts on anything.”

“No way.” Logan’s tone was sharp. “Too dangerous.”

With a sigh, she nodded. He was right. She wouldn’t risk her dog without having more backup. “Okay, I get it. Neither of us is armed. I can bring Teddy back with the local authorities later.”

He scowled. “Still too dangerous.”

“Maybe.” She knew her brothers would share his opinion. “But Teddy is the expert when it comes to finding drugs. And if that’s what’s going on here, then he’s our best chance at discovering where they may be hidden.”

There was a long moment of silence as Logan stared at her. She stared back, unwilling to back down. Finally, he rose to his feet. “Let’s keep going. The sooner we get back to civilization, the better.”

She nodded and stood. Logan hung back, clearly expecting her to continue taking the lead. “Come, Teddy.”

They walked in silence. Mostly because that made it easier to hear anything unusual, but also because Logan was not happy about her plan to return with Teddy.

Her thoughts went back to the rusted plane part they’d found. Her oldest sister, Maya, had married Doug Bridges a month ago, but they’d delayed their honeymoon until after Chase and Wynona’s wedding. Doug and Maya were spending a week in Hawaii on their honeymoon but were due to head back to the ranch today. Doug was a former federal agent who currently worked for the CDI, Criminal Division of Investigations for the state of Wyoming. She had no doubt her brother-in-law would know who to contact about testing the chunk of rusted metal to see if it could have come from their parents’ plane.

And if not? No, she wasn’t going to think about that possibility. Sure, the location was miles from where they’d originally searched. That search had been done according to the original flight plan. But who knows what really happened that fateful day.

She and her siblings had waited five years, and counting, without getting answers related to the plane crash that killed their parents.

If this piece of tail fin was from their plane, then she knew the entire Sullivan crew and their respective K9s would head back out to search the area.

But they couldn’t do that, she realized grimly, if a shooter was hanging around.

Jess was so lost in her thoughts she tripped over a branch, nearly tumbling to the ground. She caught herself in time, then frowned. “Logan?”

“What is it?” He was at her side in a heartbeat. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.” She’d twisted her ankle a bit, but it wasn’t serious. She gestured to the left. “Do you see the tracks?”

He followed her gloved hand, his expression going hard. “I don’t remember seeing those on the way up.”

“I didn’t notice them either.” She grimaced. “Although to be fair, I wasn’t really looking for anything like that.” The footprints seemed to lead the opposite direction.

“Stay here.” Without waiting for her to reply, Logan veered off their path to cut over to the new set of footprints. She watched as he crouched down to examine them more closely. Then he stood and looked around. “They look relatively recent, maybe from earlier today even. And they’re heading away from the area where we found the tail fin.”

The knot of tension in her stomach loosened. “So probably not the shooter.”

“Probably not.” He didn’t appear convinced. After another long moment, he turned and hurried back to where she was waiting. “Either way, I think we need to get out of here.”

“I’m with you on that.” She pushed forward, following their earlier tracks. But as they walked, she couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder, hoping and praying that whoever left those tracks wasn’t hiding back there, watching them.

Logan didn’t like any of this one bit. And it grated on his nerves to know that it had been his bright idea to come here today. To locate and retrieve the piece of tail that was currently sticking up out of his backpack.

Not that he could have anticipated someone shooting at them. He had a sidearm in his plane. He should have grabbed it for their hike. A handgun didn’t have the range of a rifle, but it was better than nothing.

He hated knowing this was just the beginning. Of course, Jess would offer to return to the area with Teddy to see if they could find drugs. Or the gunman.

If not for the idiot taking potshots at them, he’d have taken the time to spread out and search for more plane debris. He knew Jess and her siblings had spent hours desperately seeking answers after the pilot of their parents’ plane had issued a Mayday call only to then go radio silent.

Never to be heard from again.

Oh yeah. It was only a matter of time before the Sullivan siblings would converge on this area to begin another search.

He didn’t want any of them to be in danger, especially not Jessica. He reminded himself that Maya was a former cop married to Doug who happened to be a current criminal investigator. They should be able to keep the younger siblings from making any hasty decisions.

Or so he hoped.

Logan alternated between scanning their surroundings and watching Jess’s K9, Teddy. He knew the dog would pick up on any unusual scents or threats before he would.

When Jess slipped again, he lengthened his stride to catch up to her. “Time for another break.”

“But we’re so close,” she protested. “Isn’t that the clearing up ahead?”

“Yes. This distance can be deceiving, though.” He nudged her toward a fallen tree. “Just sit down for a few minutes, okay? We’ll be on our way out of here soon.”

She sighed and nodded. Despite her desire to push forward, she looked exhausted. They’d come down the mountainside at a quick pace. He turned to stare behind them. There was a slim chance the shooter had kept pace, looking for an opportunity to take another shot.

If the intent was to kill them, he figured the shooter would have kept firing at them. His gut told him that the shots had been a warning for them to get out of the area.

There was no sign of anyone behind them. Yet those footprints heading away from the location where they’d been targeted bothered him. He should have paid closer attention on their way up to retrieve the chunk of metal.

If he’d have noticed the tracks, he’d have been on alert for danger. Maybe even going back to the plane for his weapon.

Thankfully, Jess and Teddy hadn’t been hurt. Or worse. But he grimly knew the outcome could have been much different.

Teddy lifted his snout to sniff the air. When the dog didn’t sense anything amiss, he tried to relax. His Cessna was only a couple hundred yards away. They’d be packed up and in the air within the hour.

“We should have dropped a few neon markers back there,” Jess said with a sigh. “I’m such an idiot. Without marking the location, I’m concerned we won’t find the exact spot when we return with law enforcement.”

Doing that hadn’t occurred to him. He wasn’t aware that she even had markers. They must have been a search and rescue thing. “I have the compass coordinates. We’ll get close enough using them.”

She frowned. “We? There’s no reason to drag you back here.”

“Oh yeah there is.” He glanced around the area again before meeting her gaze. “If you’re coming back, so am I. Besides, I’m convinced the shooting is related to that guy who chartered a flight from Cheyenne. If so, I want to be sure we find him.”

After a few minutes of silence, she nodded and rose to her feet. “Fine. I guess I can’t stop you. But for now, let’s get to the plane. I’m anxious to talk this through with Doug and Maya as soon as possible.”

“Okay.” He gestured for her to take the lead. “I’m right behind you.”

Fifteen minutes later, they reached the edge of the clearing. In the center of the makeshift runway, his Cessna sat waiting for them. From what he could tell, it hadn’t been tampered with. He’d know more when they got closer.

Jess stopped and glanced back at him. “We’ll be out in the open from this point forward.”

“I know.” He didn’t like the lack of cover either. “I’ll stay behind you. Try to keep Teddy out in front.”

“Okay.” She shot him a worried glance, then gestured toward her dog. “Are you ready? Let’s go, Teddy.”

Teddy moved out first. Jess quickly ran out from the woods to keep up with her dog. Logan followed suit, putting on a burst of speed despite the heavy weight of the pack.

They reached the plane without incident. He drew her around to the passenger side, then wrenched the door open. “You and Teddy jump in.” He helped her out of the backpack, then shrugged his off too. He stored them both inside, then stepped back. “I need to check the bird before we take off.”

“Okay. Up, Teddy.” Jess gestured with her hand. The dog looked at her, then gathered himself to make the leap. “Good boy,” she praised, before climbing in.

Logan felt better knowing Jess and Teddy were inside the plane. Not that it was bulletproof, but at least they weren’t out in the open. He quickly checked the surface of his craft, making sure no one had tampered with it in any way. He even bent to examine the wheels, relieved to note they looked good.

When that was done, he opened the door of the cockpit and climbed inside. He started the engine, listening for a long moment. Satisfied it sounded normal, he closed the door, double-checked his fuel gauge, then pulled his headphones on. Plane engines were too loud for anyone to fly without them. It always made him smile that Jess put a set of earmuffs over Teddy’s ears.

“Are you okay?” He glanced at Jess.

“Yes.” She made a thumbs-up gesture. “I’ll be glad to get out of here.”

No lie , he thought as he turned the plane around. The more he thought about the gunfire incident, the more convinced he was that the shooter was warning them off. Maybe they’d gotten too close to whatever illegal drug trade Benton had going on.

Every time he heard about drugs, he thought of Ella. Of how she’d died of a drug overdose the night after they’d argued.

The night he’d broken up with Ella, secretly acknowledging the feelings he’d had for Jess.

He shook off the troubling thoughts. He needed to concentrate on getting the Cessna airborne. He increased his speed, the propellers whirling loudly beneath the wings. Then he pulled back on the yoke, taking them upward. Off the ground and into the air.

This was the part he loved the most about flying. Floating in the air, high above the earth below. He continued climbing upward.

Then the plane jolted beneath his fingers.

What in the world? He continued pulling the yoke, but the plane listed to one side. And that’s when he realized they’d been hit.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica asked fearfully. “Is there a problem with the engine?”

Yeah, there was a problem all right. He felt certain the shooter had tracked alongside them all the way back to the plane, waiting until they were airborne to take one last shot at them.

So much for simply warning them off. This guy was obviously playing for keeps.

“Mayday, Mayday.” He toggled the switch for the radio as he fought to keep the plane level. “This is flight 257, repeat, flight 257. We’ve been hit and will need to make an emergency landing.”

There was nothing but silence. The radio transmission had not gone through. Likely because they weren’t high enough in altitude.

There wasn’t time to keep trying. He banked the plane into a curve, knowing he had little choice but to head back to land on the makeshift airstrip they’d just left to attempt an emergency landing.

The one where the shooter could very well be waiting.

The plane continued to list to one side, making it difficult to keep its wings level. That wasn’t a good sign for landing. If the wing struck the ground, the entire plane could flip over.

He gently eased back on his speed, hoping to glide along with the wind as he approached the landing strip. He glanced at Jess who had reached back to hold on to Teddy’s vest and began to pray.

“Lord Jesus, keep us safe in Your care! Guide us to safety!” Her voice became choked. “Let thy will be done. Amen!”

“Amen,” he echoed. Then he added, “Hang on. It’s going to be a rough landing.” He lowered the plane closer to the ground, sweat beading on his forehead as he struggled to keep the plane level. The wheels beneath the belly of the plane touched the ground briefly, then the bird bounced up again.

Gritting his teeth, he tried again. They needed to get on the ground in one piece. “Gently, gently,” he whispered.

This time, the wheels touched the ground and stayed there. He slowed their speed even further as they rolled across the open field. He didn’t relax his grip on the yoke until he’d brought the plane to a shuddering stop.

“Thank You, God!” Jessica said. “You did it, Logan! We made it!”

“Yeah.” He frowned, then started the engine again. He’d aimed for the center of the airstrip but decided that wasn’t their best option. “We made it this far. Let’s see if we can get a little farther.”

“What are you talking about?” Jess sounded panicked. “We’re not going back up into the air, are we?”

“No, we won’t leave the ground.” He turned the plane toward the opposite side of the woods from where they’d headed off earlier that day. Within minutes, they were rolling across the airstrip and crashing into the woods. He pushed the plane as far as he dared, branches slapping against the wings and the windows until the brush was so thick they couldn’t go any farther. “This is it,” he said, bringing the bird to a grinding halt.

“Why did you crash us into the woods?” Jess asked.

“Because we need cover to get out of here.” He pushed open his door. “We don’t know where the gunman is located.”

“Gunman?” The color leeched from her face. “That’s what happened? He shot at us?”

“Oh yeah.” He jumped down and then opened the door to the back seat for the backpack. He removed the tail piece, as they couldn’t lug it across the wilderness. Then he reached for his personal survival pack. He kept one stored on the plane just for this reason. It had been two years since he’d last had to use it, but he was grateful for the backup supplies now. The tent and sleeping bag might come in handy.

He bent forward to grab the radio out of the Cessna. Maybe once they were in another location, he could get it to work long enough to call for help.

Lastly, he opened the box containing his handgun. He tucked the weapon into his coat pocket along with the extra cartridge of shells. He needed to be prepared for any threat, either from the gunman or other wild animals.

On the other side of the plane, Jess had gotten Teddy down onto the ground and was reassuring the dog that they would be okay. He hoped and prayed she was right.

They had to move, to get as far away from the plane as possible.

From this point forward, they were on their own.