Page 59 of Scent of Fear

Libby didn’t doubt for one minute that this thug would follow through on his vile threat. But that didn’t mean she was going down without a fight. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze straight on. “Okay, you want me to scream? Here goes.” She drew in a deep breath, then shouted as loudly as possible, “Shane, don’t come back!”

The gunman scowled. “I’ll show you...” he growled.

Without waiting for him to finish, she dove to the left, trying to seek shelter behind the SUV. The move was only a temporary reprieve, but she couldn’t come up with anything better. She landed on the ground hard enough to make her teeth rattle. Tucking herself into a ball, she rolled closer to the SUV. It took her a moment to remember she was wearing a vest.

Not that she was eager to test out the effectiveness of the thing. Remembering what Shane had said about bullets striking a vest causing internal bleeding convinced her it would be better to avoid being shot at all.

Still, it was strange the gunman hadn’t noticed. Unless he hadn’t much cared. For all she knew, bullets fired at close range could still get through.

“You think that’s funny?”Crack!She flinched and curled herself into a tighter ball as he fired the gun. “Take this.”Crack!“And this!”Crack!“There, are you happy now?”Crack!

Her heart was pounding so fast she thought it would have burst free of her chest. Yet oddly, she didn’t feel any pain.

Lifting her head just a bit, she realized what he’d done. All four tires of the SUV were flat, having been punctured by the four bullets he’d fired.

What little defiance she’d had deflated much like the air from the tires. There was no way to escape the gunman now.

Worse, Libby knew that if she and Shane died here today, it was her fault for not leaving at the thirty-minute mark like she’d been told.

All she could do now was to pray.

Lord Jesus, protect us all!

* * *

Libby’s shoutingat him to stay away sent a shaft of fear spearing through him. Especially when her shout was punctuated by four sharp gunshots.

He’d already ducked away from the house. He’d waved at the window for a full minute before he’d gotten Marvin’s attention. The older man’s expression had brightened with hope, but the expression didn’t last long as he lifted his bound hands together as a way to explain why he hadn’t tried to escape.

Shane had nodded and moved back toward the trees, hoping to regroup long enough to come up with a plan to get Marvin out of the house.

Until Libby’s scream had indicated the situation had changed.

Libby wasn’t armed, so someone else was there firing the gun.Not at her, he silently pleaded.Please, Lord, not at Libby!

The sound of a door opening caught his attention. Realizing the woman must have come outside in response to the gunfire, he darted through the woods for a better look. He had to assume she was armed the way most women in these parts could hold their own when it came to weapons.

But she wasn’t!

“Get her!” he commanded Bryce.

The dog shot forward, moving so quietly that he was on the woman before she understood what was happening. She let out a cry when Bryce jumped up, planting his front paws on her chest. The weight of the hundred-pound dog striking with the force of a freight train bowled her over.

Shane ran forward. “Good boy! Hold, Bryce. Hold!”

Bryce stayed where he was, growling low in his throat, his snout mere inches from the woman’s nose. Shane knelt beside her, doing a quick pat down to ensure she didn’t have a knife or a gun tucked away.

“Release, Bryce. Release.”

The dog almost looked disappointed but backed off the woman as ordered. Shane held his weapon trained on her. “Get up and walk inside. Nice and slow. Or I’ll sic Bryce on you again.”

“You—can’t barge in here,” she sputtered.

“Yes, I can. That’s Marvin Tolliver you have tied up in the third bedroom.” Shane gave her a not-so-gentle nudge with his foot. “Get up!”

“Okay, okay.” She rolled onto her hands and knees, then rose to her feet. Her bun hung at a lopsided angle from the force of her hitting the ground. Bryce stayed at his side in the heel position as he followed the woman inside.

“Sit down.” He gestured to the chair. The woman gingerly sat, as if her body hurt from the tumble. “Guard, Bryce.”

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