Page 9 of Scent of Peril

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 Jesswho 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.

3

“We’re going to be okay,” Jess told Teddy as she pulled the duffel full of dog supplies from the plane and hefted it over her shoulder. “Once we’re safe, we’ll call for help.”

Teddy’s ears were pricked forward, his dark eyes steady on hers. She knew the dog probably didn’t understand what she was saying, but she hoped her soothing tone was reassuring.

She needed that—more so than he did.

“Jess?” Logan’s low voice wafted toward her. “We need to move.”

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