Page 5 of Scent of Evil
Ginny Clark clung to the side of the four-wheeler, trying to avoid any physical contact with Decker. He’d forced her onto the four-wheeler at gunpoint and was now driving erratically through the woods. When he’d stopped and turned to fire his gun, she’d ducked, her heart pounding as she’d expected him to shoot her.
He hadn’t, but his actions only scared her more. Her ears rang at the loud sound from the gun, and she bit her lip to keep from sobbing. She wanted to believe this was a terrible nightmare, but she knew it wasn’t.
How had this happened? How had Decker escaped from prison in the first place? And worse, why had he come to find her? Because she was the one who’d brought him down, sending him to jail? When he’d flashed that leering grin, she’d almost thrown up her grilled cheese lunch. Everything about Decker made her skin crawl.
Yet he was also hurt. Blood oozed from a wound on the right side of his head, and his right knee was swollen. She’d noticed he’d limped as he’d entered her house. She’d been prepared to run, until she saw the gun in his hand. He’d told her to come along quietly or he’d shoot her and then find her mother and kill her too.
Faced with that choice, she’d cooperated with him.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was barely a croak, so she tried again. “Who are you shooting at?”
“Whoever is back there.” He scowled, then put the gun back in his holster and hit the gas. “We need to lose them.”
Was her aunt back there? Ginny hoped so.
“Where are we going?” She shouted the question, hoping if her aunt Raine was following them, she’d hear her voice. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“I know a place.” He cut his gaze toward her, and that sick smirk made her swallow hard. “A place we’ll be alone.”
No way. Ginny tightened her grip on the frame of the ATV. The four-wheeler rocked from side to side as Decker drove along the steep incline. No way was she going to let him touch her. But as desperate as she was to get away, she grimly realized she needed to be smart about it. She needed to make sure that once she made her move, he couldn’t just shoot and kill her.
And that he wouldn’t be able to follow through on his threat to kill her mother.
Aunt Raine had taught her several self-defense moves this past summer. She’d practiced them nonstop, as Aunt Raine had suggested, so she could use them on instinct rather than as an afterthought. Yet seeing Decker up close, she was horrified to note he was more muscular now than he had been the first time he’d attempted to abduct her. Two years ago, he’d been soft and flabby when she’d kicked him and broken free of his grip. Now she found it hard to believe the moves Aunt Raine had taught her would work against him.
Steeling her resolve, she reminded herself of what Aunt Raine had said. That size alone didn’t always matter. Brains over brawn, she’d said. Since her aunt Raine was short and slim, Ginny figured she knew what she was taking about. Ginny swallowed hard, knowing she needed to be smart. To play along as if she were scared to death—which she was—and wait for the opportunity to catch him off guard.
Hoping and praying her efforts would be good enough.
* * *
At the crack of gunfire,Raine’s heart stopped in her chest. Had Decker shot and killed Ginny? If so, why?
Justin’s mount took several steps backward, shaking his head from side to side in response to the sound. Raine was grateful her horse wasn’t nearly as skittish.
“Easy, boy.” Justin ran a hand down the side of his horse’s neck, then turned to look back at her. “Are you okay? The shot didn’t come too close to you, did it?”
Close to her? Dazed, she realized Decker had been shooting at them. “I’m fine.” She forced the words through her tight throat. She wasn’t close to fine knowing that creep had Ginny, but it was better to have that scumbag shoot at them than at her innocent niece. “How does Decker know we’re following him?”
“I think the police must have arrived shortly after they escaped.” Justin nudged his horse forward. “Maybe he caught sight of them from a higher vantage point. Like I said, I heard the four-wheeler engine fading away when I arrived. If he suspected someone was behind him, he may have turned and noticed us moving through the trees.”
Raine wanted to be glad Decker wasn’t too far away. Seeing Stone in action made her believe they’d find him sooner or later. Yet knowing he was armed and could easily shoot at them again—or worse, kill Ginny—made her gut clench with fear. What if he’d hurt her niece already?
What if they got there too late to prevent Ginny from being assaulted?
Doing her best to shake off her fear and panic, she urged Timber forward, following Justin, Blaze, and Stone. She was grateful to be on horseback, as the large animals would be able keep up with the four-wheeler better than if they were on foot. And the horses were generally quieter, too, other than their occasional huffing sounds. Would they be able to sneak up on him at some point? She hoped so.
For now, keeping Decker on the move was the best way to protect Ginny from harm.
They rode for another ten minutes in silence. She kept her gaze on Justin’s straight back, noticing the way he easily swayed in the saddle. In contrast, her thigh muscles ached, as she hadn’t ridden a horse in years, but she ignored the pain.
Finding Ginny was all that mattered.
She strained to listen for the sound of the four-wheeler. At times, the engine could be heard, but then there was nothing. Raine wasn’t sure if that was because of the wind or if it was because Decker had stopped someplace.
Justin lifted his hand as he pulled back on the reins. With a frown, she followed suit, bringing Timber to a stop. “What’s wrong?”
“Stone needs a break.” Justin swung out of the saddle. “Come, Stone.”
