Page 6 of Scent of Evil
Swallowing a protest, Raine tried to dismount as well. Her movements were far from graceful, and she hit the ground hard, wincing beneath the impact. Her wobbly legs didn’t want to hold her weight, so she leaned against Timber for support.
“Here, boy.” Justin poured water into a collapsible bowl and offered it to his dog. She didn’t begrudge the K9 a break, but she couldn’t hide her desperate need to keep following Decker and Ginny.
“How long before we can keep going?” When Timber moved away to nibble on tall grass, she managed to steady herself enough to walk toward Justin. “I don’t mean to be rude, but we can’t afford to lose him.”
“A few minutes.” Justin arched a brow. “We won’t lose him. Stone knows his scent.”
“I can see that, but we need to get to him before...” She let her voice trail off. Justin nodded in understanding.
“Trust me, I want to get this guy as much as you do. I have sisters.” His blue eyes darkened with anger. “We’ll get her back.”
In time to prevent an assault?Raine bit back the sarcastic comment. Justin didn’t deserve her anger and frustration. He’d gotten her closer to Decker than anyone else, and she owed him a debt of gratitude.
Justin was younger than she’d anticipated, probably mid-twenties. Or maybe she just felt old and jaded at thirty-four. He was ruggedly handsome, but she told herself to ignore that. This was hardly the time to notice something so unimportant under the dire circumstances. Besides, she wasn’t interested, even if he was older than he looked. She’d been married, but things hadn’t worked out, thanks to Sean cheating on her. Finding time to date around the demands of her job was nearly impossible.
The sad truth was that she didn’t have much of a social life. Her sister, Cami, and niece, Ginny, were more important to her than anyone.
Shaking off the memories of her personal failures, she walked around the small clearing, as much to stretch her leg muscles as to check out the ground. Her gaze narrowed when she spotted the tire tracks. They were still on the right path. She was about to suggest they didn’t need Stone to lead the way when she heard the faint sound of an engine. So faint she almost missed it.
Decker was getting farther away!
As if reading her thoughts, Justin knelt beside Stone. He patted the dog’s sides and sounded enthusiastic when he addressed the K9. “Are you ready to go? Are you? Search! Search Decker and Ginny!”
Stone wagged his tail and jumped to his feet. The yellow lab sniffed along the ground for several moments, then lifted his nose to the air as if to capture Decker’s and Ginny’s scents. Raine felt certain the dog was more focused on Decker, which was fine with her.
Justin crossed over and laced his fingers together to give her a leg up onto Timber. She accepted his help, swallowing a groan as she settled back in the saddle. If Justin’s body ached like hers, he didn’t show it.
Then again, she had the impression he had far more experience in riding than she did. He appeared completely at ease on Blaze. Gritting her teeth, she silently vowed not to fall behind. To not let her inexperience slow them down.
Moments later, Justin urged Blaze into a trot. She winced as Timber picked up his pace, doing the same.
Raine stood in the stirrups but still had trouble settling into the choppy gait.My problem, not his, she silently admonished herself. She’d follow Justin’s lead if it killed her.
Which it just might, she hated to admit.
Flashes of yellow caught her eye as Stone quickly navigated through the mountainous terrain. The dog darted around trees, sniffing intently. Marveling at his ability, she was glad they were cutting through the woods faster now.
They had to find Ginny. They just had to!
After ten minutes of trotting, Justin slowed his horse to a walk. She was both thankful and anxious about the possible delay. The fact that they still hadn’t caught up to Decker nagged at her. How much longer would Decker wait before doing something drastic?
She was afraid to find out.
The beat of her heart throbbed in unison with the pain reverberating through her thighs and knees. Raine could admit that riding on trails was far different from cutting a path through the woods in pursuit of a convicted felon.
But she wouldn’t let it stop her either. When Justin continued walking his horse, she leaned forward to ask why they’d slowed down, then she heard the high whine of the four-wheeler engine again.
Louder this time.
They’d gotten closer to Decker and Ginny!
Settling back in the saddle, she kept quiet and decided then and there that she needed to trust Justin and Stone. As a search and rescue team, they obviously knew what they were doing.
At that point, she was literally just along for the ride.
* * *
Justin easily sensedRaine’s frustration with his decision to give Stone a break but admired her ability to keep her complaints to herself. He understood her concern. Even a minor delay seemed like a lifetime in a situation as tense as this. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for her to know your young niece was in the hands of a pedophile.
