Page 96 of Shielding Instinct

Now, they needed to figure out what to do about the Rotti.

“With all the commotion, if someone was here, you’d think they’d come out and check on this,” Hawkeye said.

“If this is the woman’s dog and the woman isn’t here, I bet he’s hungry. Do you have any food or treats in your pack?”

Hawkeye put some food in his hand and started tossing it out, kibble by kibble, praising the Rotti each time he approached the food. Hawkeye stopped praising when he skittered away.

“We may be here for a bit. Our assignment is to make contact with the woman or get into her house and find out if there’s a float plan.”

“This guy isn’t going to allow that.” Petra found a stump and sat there. “You don’t carry some kind of dog tranquilizer?”

Hawkeye laughed. “I’m sure you’re imagining something.”

“It would be cool if you had a tranquilizer and a blow gun, and you could just shoot a dart into his thigh. We wait a few minutes until he goes night night.”

“Book? Movie?” Hawkeye asked. He hadn’t looked her way. He had his eye on that Rotti.

“I’m vaguely thinking of something fedora, whip, jungles.”

Hawkeye kept tossing out the food one “good boy” at a time.

It didn’t take long. Pangs from an empty stomach and a sense of calm from the intruders meant the Rotti was soon approaching.

When Hawkeye was finally allowed to give the Rotti belly rubs, he asked, “Shall we venture in?”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Hawkeye

While Hawkeye put the Rotti in his crate, filled the food bowl inside, and ensured the bottle of water was full and fresh, Petra was looking at the map Reaper had given him with the assignment.

“When I get back, I’ll make sure someone is coming up to take custody of this guy.”

“Yes,” she said absently.

Next, Hawkeye checked for signs that anyone had been there lately and took a picture of the notes left on the table, which were exactly as expected.

When he was done, Hawkeye checked in. “Okay?”

“This is a path.” She pointed at the map.

“Yes.”

She drew her finger along the path away from their vehicle. “At the bottom of the path, you choose to go to the tidepool, where I was yesterday, or over here to the boats.”

“Your mind is on hypersonic,” Hawkeye teased. “Little curlicues of smoke are coming out of your ears.” But she was sending up vibes that honestly sent a crackle of electricity across his scalp.

“The boats – plural – are here.” She put her finger just to the south of the tidepool.

He stood silently.

“The tidepool to the boats.” She stared at the wall. “Lots of bags. Too many bags for going to a tidal pool. Too many bags. Isawall the bags at the car. But I saw one at the tidepool with sunscreen and towels. And Herb was here on this ridge,” shepointed to the land between the tidepool and the boat wharf, “away from the family. From this ridge, he could see the boats. Signal them with his bright orange hat? Could that…”

She looked at Hawkeye, who had no clue what she was talking about.

Petra focused back on the map. “And then, right there, the boats. Beans and Lucky were with me, helping Terry. They would have assumed the Johnsons got home some other way. This all could make sense.” She turned to find Hawkeye’s curious gaze on her. “Hawkeye, can we take a walk down to the boats, please?”

“Are you going to tell me why?” he asked quietly.

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