Page 48 of Scent of Peril

“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 knowinghow 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.

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