Page 9 of Wrong Turn

A dark shadowstreaked toward her, and Lei spun in a crouch, Glock trained on the threat—and the jackrabbit bounded past, raising tiny puffs of dust in its wake. Lei lowered the gun. “Crap.”

“You almost shot our element of surprise.” Harry’s voice came from over her shoulder. Lei hadn’t heard her approach. “Get behind me. You’re going to blow this for us.”

Chastened, Lei fell in behind the more experienced Harry, and they moved silently to the cover of the abandoned buildings. Kona, at Harry’s side, lolled his tongue at Lei in a doggy grin, as if sympathizing. If she got out of this, she was getting a dog. Something big and fierce, but loving—like Kona. Aunty’s idea seemed like a good one, now that she’d met the German Shepherd.

Harry led them from building to building, keeping to the shadows—but there was nothing to see but the occasional tumbleweed, trying to trip them, nothing to hear but a far-off hoot owl. They reached the end of the stretch of buildings.

“Now what?” Lei’s voice was a harsh whisper.

“They must be up by the mine.”

Lei adjusted the straps of the backpack carrying extra weapons that rubbed harshly against her sweating shoulders. The equipment inside made a metallic clank, and suddenly, far up ahead, they heard a deep, bellowing bark.

“Found them,” Harry said. She pulled her weapon, a silenced SIG, and loped down the last bit of battered road toward a mound of rock outcroppings. Lei could see a gaping black cave in the front, and behind it, a small collection of buildings. Light seeped around closed doors and windows of one of the buildings ahead.

Lei’s heart hammered, but she concentrated on controlling her breathing, imagining herself as the trained cop she wanted to be, cool and collected, on a raid. She stayed behind Harry, who made a gesture to Kona. The dog streaked off into the darkness as they left the road, taking to the scrub to approach the building from well behind in the darkness.

The dog near the building stopped barking, thankfully. Harry licked a finger and held it up, checking for the direction of the wind. The tiniest breeze rattled the seed-laden, dry skeletons of tumbleweeds, and she gave a brief nod and changed direction a little, Lei riding her wake.

The building was old, as all of these seemed to be, exuding a smell of dust, decay, and hopelessness. Inside, all was silent. The light flickered, probably a flame-lit lantern. Lei pressed into the black shadow of the building, and felt splintery wood beneath her skin.

Harry crept up to a boarded-up window. Orangey, flickering light shone from around its sill. She moved to the other side of the window so Lei could peek in through a crack as well.

It was hard to see what was going on inside the room with dust so thick on the pane. Lei rubbed a tiny hole in the dirt on the glass and applied her eye.

A kerosene lantern, turned down, sat on a rough wooden picnic table. Around the room, on the floor, were the lumpy dark shapes of sleeping people.

Lei looked frantically for Kelly, and finally spotted her by the shine of light on her long tangled hair, protruding from beneath a rough Mexican blanket.

Harry caught Lei’s eye, gesturing toward a ladder lying on the ground on the side of the building. With her fingers, she indicated she was going up on the roof, where a round metal vent protruded. Lei was to go to the front door of the building and access it there.

“Where’s Kona?” Lei whispered. Her voice sounded too loud, raspy as a summer cicada in the eerie night.

Harry gave a brief headshake, not explaining—but clearly the dog had some sort of role. Harry raised her brows in question about their rudimentary plan.

Lei nodded. As a strategy it was sketchy as hell, but Lei didn’t have any better ideas.

Harry picked up the ladder, and Lei helped stabilize the broken, splintery structure against the old building as her partner climbed carefully, setting each foot gingerly on the brittle struts. Several were missing.

Harry made it to the flat expanse of roof, and Lei sighed with relief, wondering if the termite-riddled expanse would hold the other woman’s weight. Harry gestured impatiently for Lei to move out, and, trembling with adrenaline, breath harsh in her lungs, Lei sidled toward the front of the building.

The main door was closed, a broad expanse of newer wood whose hinges looked sturdy by the light of the moon. The kidnappers had replaced whatever had been there before, not good news.

But the men hadn’t posted a guard. Lei pulled her gun and positioned herself in front of the door, getting ready to try to kick it open.

She saw the dog at the same time as it spotted her.

Theyhadposted a guard.

The big black shadow erupted from its shelter under a bush, barking like a hellhound as it hurled itself toward her.

Lei spun, aiming her weapon at the creature—but Kona got in the way, streaking in from the side and leaping on the other beast in a flurry of snarling and snapping.

Lei only had a moment to get through the door, before everyone was awake. She grabbed the handle and twisted. The portal opened, and Lei cranked the handle, hit the door with her shoulder, and leapt into the room.

Three men on the ground were throwing off blankets and fumbling for their weapons.

“Hands in the air,” Lei yelled, pointing her Glock at the bald man who’d risen, gleaming head identifying him as Fernando. “Los manos! Up!”

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