Page 40 of Scent of Evil
Raine groaned and lifted a hand to her head.
“Shh.” He lowered his head to speak directly into her ear. “Don’t say anything. Decker is still out there.”
Her eyes fluttered open as his words penetrated her addled brain. She stared up at him as if she didn’t know who he was, then struggled to sit up.
“Easy.” He was glad she was awake and moving, but he knew she was likely in shock. He didn’t want to talk too loudly in case Decker was on his way over. “We need to stay quiet. He’s already fired at us once.”
Raine frowned, looking down at her empty hands. Her agonized gaze jumped back to him. He belatedly realized she must have dropped her gun.
That meant only one of them was armed if Decker showed up to finish them off.
Justin was a good shot. Maya, a former cop, and Chase, a dedicated elk hunter, had made sure the Sullivan siblings could hit what they aimed at. Yet the situation wasn’t ideal. Decker had the advantage. He’d attacked them with the explosion, sending them on the defensive.
Justin had no idea how Decker had realized they were onto him. Other than they must have triggered some sort of alarm during their approach.
“Stay here.” Sitting and waiting for Decker to show wasn’t an option. Justin turned and scanned the area outside the cabin. The interior of the cabin was on fire, and he was concerned the blaze would spread to the trees and brush around them. The recent storm should help limit the amount of damage, especially since there were more dark rain clouds on the western horizon, but still, he didn’t like their precarious situation.
Would Decker anticipate the risk of a forest fire? He wasn’t sure the convict was smart enough to understand the consequences of his actions. To know enough to get far away from the area before the fire had a chance to spread.
Justin rose and gauged the distance to the front of the cabin to be roughly thirty yards. Not that far, yet he’d be out in the open in plain view. There was no sign of Raine’s weapon lying in the grass, but with the blast knocking her off her feet, the gun could have easily sailed away and landed in the woods.
Stone could find the gun, but Justin wouldn’t ask him to search for gold until he knew Decker wouldn’t open fire. It bugged him to think of the guy possibly striking Stone with a bullet. Better that he cleared the area on his own. Decision made, Justin gave Stone the hand signal to stay, then darted out of the foliage to the burning cabin.
Heat radiated through the broken windows as the fire burned within. He didn’t linger, running along the side of the cabin toward the back side of the property where he believed Decker was hiding.
At least, he was pretty sure the gunfire came from that direction.
He could have used Stone to track Decker’s scent but refused to put his K9 in harm’s way. First, he needed to make sure the area was clear.
Justin hated to admit he felt a little lost without Stone at his side. They were partners, and deep down, he didn’t necessarily trust his own senses. As he circled the cabin, he expected to be targeted by gunfire.
But there was nothing but silence.
Total silence in the woods was unusual, but in the wake of the explosion and the scent of smoke, the birds and other animals must have fled the area. He didn’t even hear the buzzing of insects or the croaking of bull frogs.
Forcing himself to broaden his search, he cautiously moved into the wooded area where the gunfire had originated. His muscles were tense as he elbowed through the trees and brush. There was no sign of Decker, which wasn’t reassuring.
Then he paused when a partial boot print in the soil caught his gaze. He wasn’t an expert, and he didn’t bother to pull out his phone to check, but it looked similar to the one Stone had found earlier that morning.
As if he needed additional confirmation Decker had been there. Stone’s alert, the gunfire, and the bomb were more than enough. Justin would get a picture of it later, but for now, he needed to stay focused on finding Decker.
He straightened and continued moving through the brush with less stealth now, purposefully making himself a target. Short of waving his hands in the air, he pushed through the brush. If Decker was out there, Justin wanted the convict to show himself.
But he didn’t. Even when Justin returned to the clearing, standing in full view of anyone who cared to look. Justin figured the convict had been smart enough to take off after firing a gun at him and triggering the explosion.
He thought about how his twin brother had nearly gotten killed by a car bomb last month. The twinge Justin had felt had indicated something was wrong. Maybe his twin, Joel, was experiencing the same feeling now.
It couldn’t be helped. Besides, the longer he stood there, the more he was convinced the immediate threat was over. The only good news was that Decker wouldn’t get too far on foot. If Raine wasn’t hurt too badly, they could get the horses and ask Stone to follow his scent.
Just then the high-pitched rumbling of a small engine cut through the silence. Justin cocked his head and listened. Another ATV? Had Decker somehow managed to repair the wrecked one he’d left behind?
No, Justin quickly realized that Jim Kluck, the owner of the cabin, must have had one. Many hunters used them to help haul their game from the woods.
Only now, for the second time in two days, Decker was using one to escape.
10
Head throbbing, Raine pushed herself to her feet, mentally evaluating herself for injuries. Thankfully, nothing appeared to be broken. Her head hurt but, then again, so did her entire body. She vaguely remembered opening the front door of the cabin, staying back, and waiting a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the dark interior before calling out to Decker. Then the explosion knocked her backward, sending her flying so that she’d landed flat on her back with enough force to knock the breath from her lungs.
