Page 54 of Scent of Peril

Yesterday, they’d taken an alternate path once they’d spotted the hunting shanty, crossing the creek and heading more south than east.

He turned and glanced at Doug who nodded encouragingly. Logan understood he trusted the Sullivan K9s implicitly.

Teddy had saved their lives more than once, so Logan strove to shake off the nagging concern. They could do this.

The gunman was no match for the numerous law enforcement officers who were spread out along the mountainside. As he searched the area, he found it a bit unnerving that he didn’t see anyone nearby.

That was the point, he reminded himself. Doug had purposefully spread them out to cover more ground. Far enough so they wouldn’t overlap their efforts.

And Doug had arranged for Shane and Bryce to approach the coordinates from the opposite direction with hopes of pinching Benton and his cohorts in crime somewhere in the middle.

A good plan that he hoped would work.

Teddy pushed through the brush. Jess was doing an admirable job in keeping pace with her energetic K9. Logan kept some distance between them in case something caused them to abruptly turn to head back down.

He scanned the wilderness again. This was about the time bears began to emerge from their months’ long hibernation. They didn’t need that on top of what they already faced.

The game wardens hadn’t issued any bear or other wildlife warnings, so he told himself to relax. Yet he had to admit, hiking in silence, even while trying to be on alert for danger, was wreaking havoc with his imagination.

The morning dragged on. Jess took breaks every forty minutes, and after the third break, he could tell Teddy was getting tired. “Maybe we should take a longer break,” he suggested. “I don’t want Teddy to get hurt.”

Doug shrugged. “I’ll do whatever Jess thinks is best for her dog.”

“How close are we to the target location?” Jess asked.

He sat beside her and double-checked their coordinates. “We’re making really good time. I estimate we’re only thirty minutes away. Maybe less.”

“Then let’s keep going.” Jess stroked Teddy’s fur. He rested his head between his paws and closed his eyes. “After I give him a little extra downtime. He seems intent on breaking speed records to reach whatever scent has caught his attention.”

“I noticed.” Logan smiled at the dog. “A longer break would be good. He deserves it.”

“I have protein bars.” Doug offered them each one, biting into his. “Water too. We’re burning a lot of calories.”

“I know. I should have hiked like this in high school,” Jess joked as she bit into her bar.

Logan wanted to tell her she was beautiful in high school but held his tongue. His reasons for dating Ella had been shallow, something he’d forever regret. But he couldn’t change the past.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Jess rose, stretched, then poured some of her water into Teddy’s collapsible bowl. The dog didn’t hesitate to jump to his feet. He lapped the offered water, then held Jess’s gaze as she instructed him to search.

Teddy once again set out at a brisk pace. Logan heard Jessica’s low groan as she pushed herself to follow. He and Doug continued trailing behind them.

After about fifteen minutes, he momentarily lost sight of Jess behind a trio of evergreen trees. With a frown, he quickened his pace, glancing back to make sure Doug had noticed.

He was tempted to call out to her, but they were close enough to the coordinates that he didn’t want to draw unwanted attention. He listened intently but didn’t hear Teddy bark in an alert.

Pushing himself, he broke into a jog to reach the evergreens. As he rounded them, he spotted Jessica and Teddy about fifty yards ahead.

Teddy was moving fast again, his nose sweeping the ground. Logan’s pulse kicked up as he realized they were likely close toBenton’s hiding place. Yet he still didn’t see any buildings, not even a dilapidated hunting shanty.

One minute Jess was walking beside Teddy, the next she vanished. The dog, too, seemed to slip out of sight.

What in the world?

“Jess!” Her name came out in a choked cry.

“What?” Doug asked from behind him.

Logan didn’t answer as he ran forward to cover the distance between them. Then he was forced to an abrupt stop when he realized he was on top of a ridge.

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