Page 39 of Scent of Evil
Justin’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. She turned away, squelching a flash of guilt. This was her case.
Without waiting for Justin to respond, she darted from their current position near a large tree toward the next set of trees that were closer. She could feel Justin’s gaze boring into her back but didn’t glance at him over her shoulder. He’d either stay or go. That was up to him.
Right now, she intended to get closer to the cabin to see inside.
* * *
Justin watchedRaine move closer to the log cabin with a sense of frustration. He should have brought the sat phone along, but had thought they’d retreat and call for backup.
So much for sticking to the plan.
Giving Stone the hand signal to heel, he held his weapon pointed toward the ground and made his way through the brush toward the rear of the cabin. Stone followed, staying right at his side. Justin would do his part in bringing Decker down, even if he was upset with Raine for going off script.
Moving as quietly as possible, Justin darted from one tree to the next, always keeping the log cabin within sight. Stone didn’t bark or growl. The dog did look up at him often, though, as if waiting for the search command. Clearly, Decker’s scent was stronger in this section of the woods.
The lack of smoke trailing from the chimney bothered him. He couldn’t imagine they’d made enough noise that Decker had heard them coming, yet it was strangely suspicious how empty the cabin seemed now that they were close. Had Decker made a run for it?
Maybe Raine was right in that they needed to move quickly to grab him.
He lost sight of Raine once he moved into position where he could see the back door. Resting his hand on Stone’s glossy fur, he scanned the area, searching for signs of Decker hiding nearby. They knew the convict was armed and dangerous. If the guy had left the cabin, Decker could have easily been waiting for them to show themselves so he could shoot again.
Justin hunkered down to make himself a smaller target. Thankfully, Stone’s yellow and somewhat dirty coat helped the dog blend in. He doubted Decker would even try to aim and fire at his dog. Not when Justin was a much bigger target.
Was Decker hiding inside? Or had he left? The not knowing was troubling, and Justin wished again he’d brought the sat phone. There was no movement in or around the cabin for several long seconds. He still couldn’t see Raine and hoped she’d announce herself before breaching the cabin so he could do the same.
After what seemed like an eternity, he heard Raine shout, “US Marshal Service! Come out with your hands up!”
Seconds later, he heard a thudding sound as she kicked the door.
“Stay, Stone.” Justin darted forward to cover the back.
He fully expected the rear door to burst open as Decker tried to escape, but instead, a barrage of gunfire erupted. Justin instinctively ducked and rolled away from the source of the sound, which had come from behind him, not the cabin itself.
Then he caught a whiff of something that smelled like gun oil. Or maybe it was something else...
Kaboom!
The explosion from inside the cabin blew out the windows, glass raining down upon him. The back door flew open, too, from the force of the blast, but nobody came running out.
Raine! A wave of fear hit hard. His ears ringing, Justin pushed himself to his feet and ran around to the other side of the cabin. Raine had gone inside the cabin! What if she was...
He stumbled to a stop when he saw Raine’s body sprawled on the ground a solid six feet from the front door. She was lying on her back, her eyes closed. His heart squeezed as he realized she wasn’t moving.
No! Please, Lord Jesus, no!
Without hesitation, he dashed across the clearing, keeping his shoulders hunched as he anticipated more gunfire. With his ears ringing, he couldn’t be sure he’d hear when Decker fired. Dropping to his knees beside Raine, he reached over to feel for a pulse.
For long seconds, he felt nothing. Closing his eyes, he moved his fingers and concentrated.
There! He felt her pulse. She was alive!
Sending up a prayer of thanks, Justin glanced around the clearing. His brother Trevor was trained as an EMT and had taught them it wasn’t smart to move victims. Yet they were too exposed out there for his peace of mind.
Hoping Raine didn’t have a fractured vertebrae in her neck or spine, he gathered her into his arms and darted into the woods. When he was satisfied that they were well covered in the brush, he glanced back to search for his K9. He was worried that if he called out to the dog, Decker would fire at their location.
Stone had crawled forward on his belly close to the edge of the woods as if the K9 couldn’t stay back any longer. He waved his hand, hoping to capture the dog’s attention. When Stone straightened and stared in his direction, he gave his K9 the hand signal to come.
The yellow lab ran toward them as if he had been shot out of a cannon. No doubt, the K9 hadn’t liked being left behind. Stone nosed Raine, licked her face, then gazed up at Justin as if asking what was wrong.
