Page 33 of Scent of Evil
“Let’s get back so we can plan our next move.” Justin glanced over at her. “I can’t lie, we could use some breakfast and coffee, not necessarily in that order.”
“No problem.” Trevor nodded at her sister, Cami. “Ms. Clark has graciously allowed us to use her home as a base of operations.” Trevor slid from the saddle and took a moment to look at Ginny’s hand. “This should be okay until we get back to the house.”
“Great.” Justin glanced at Ginny. “Do you want to ride back with your mom?”
“Yes, please.” Ginny glanced at Raine, then said, “I hope you don’t mind.”
“You should ride with your mom,” Raine hastened to reassure her. “Poor Timber here needs a break.”
Ginny smiled in relief, then crossed to a bay gelding that looked similar to Timber. Cami helped her daughter up into the saddle first, then used Trevor for help to swing up behind her.
Moments later, they were back on the path toward Cami’s house. Maybe it was Raine’s imagination, but she could swear she smelled bacon and eggs as they ventured forward.
Trevor and his K9, Archie, took the lead, and Justin seemed content to stay back alongside her. She was grateful they didn’t trot. Her backside may not be quite as sore as it was last night, but the mere thought of bouncing up and down while trying to get in the rhythm made her grimace.
“We know Stone has locked on Decker’s scent,” Justin said in a low voice. He clearly didn’t want her sister and Ginny to overhear. “That means I’m coming with you so we can use Stone to track this guy down.”
As much as she wanted to protest out of concern for Justin’s and Stone’s safety, she couldn’t. “I appreciate that. But when we get close enough for Stone to alert, you’ll need to stay back so that I can grab him.”
Justin’s blue eyes flashed with annoyance. “That’s not happening. I’m not going to sit back and let you face that animal alone.”
She sighed. “Justin, you’re not a law enforcement official. I can’t risk you getting hurt.”
“It’s my risk to take.” Justin’s narrowed gaze indicated he wasn’t backing down. “I want that guy as much as you do.”
Sensing further arguing was useless, she gave him a curt nod. “Fine.”
He eyed her suspiciously for a moment but then let the subject drop. She was glad, determined to find a way to keep Justin safe from danger.
How, she wasn’t exactly sure.
As they rode, she noticed the two K9s stayed close as they trotted through the trees. The yellow and red labs were clearly buddies and accustomed to working together.
For some reason, the ride back to Cami’s home didn’t seem to take as long. Yet her watch told her that the trip since they’d met up with her sister and Trevor was a solid forty minutes.
“We’re home,” Ginny cried out.
“That we are,” Cami agreed.
“I’m so hungry,” Ginny said as the trees thinned. Soon, they were passing the shed where Decker had stolen the four-wheeler.
Now that they were there, the scent of bacon and eggs was stronger. Raine wondered if she’d been so hungry she’d caught the scent from the wind.
The moment they were in the clearing, she tugged back on the reins and slid from the saddle. Her legs didn’t collapse beneath her, which was a good sign.
Justin flashed a smile as he took the reins from her fingers. “You did great. Is there a water source nearby?”
“For the horses?” She frowned. “Will a garden hose work?”
“I’ll take them to the Lucky Charm,” Trevor offered, riding toward them. “I need to return these horses anyway. I’m sure the owner won’t mind if I borrow their feed too.”
“I’ll go with you.” Justin turned toward his brother and remounted Blaze. He glanced at her, and added, “Save some breakfast for me.”
“I will.” Raine stood for a moment as the two Sullivan brothers rode off, each leading a second mount behind them. She turned away, reminding herself that Justin was too young for her to be thinking about how handsome he was.
Besides, she had work to do. Ginny was safe, but Decker was still on the loose. Nothing mattered more to her at that moment than finding him and tossing him back behind bars.
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