Page 62 of Scent of Fear

After what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few seconds, Libby rolled away, cradling her wrist in her hand. He caught a glimpse of blood but forced himself to stay focused on the gunman.

“Get him off!” the guy screamed again.

Shane rushed forward, relieved to see that Bryce had clamped his jaw around the guy’s gun hand. He leaned in and quickly wrenched the gun free.

“Hold, Bryce. Hold.” Now that he had the bad guy’s weapon, he turned toward Libby. “Are you okay? I saw you were bleeding.”

“Fine. Just a scratch.” Her smile was weak. “I know he didn’t mean to bite me on purpose. Bryce just happens to have really sharp teeth.”

He remembered how she’d been afraid of his imposing K9 the first time they’d met. The good news was that she didn’t look too upset. He wished he’d thought to bring additional rope from the house, but there hadn’t been time. He backed up a few steps, then said, “Release, Bryce. Release.”

The dog let go of the red-haired man’s arm and backed up. But the way Bryce stared at the red-haired guy indicated the dog viewed him as a threat. “Don’t try anything or I’ll have him attack again. Only this time I’ll make sure he grabs your neck with his teeth.”

The red-haired guy scrambled backward across the ground, as if desperate to put distance between them.

“Guard, Bryce,” Shane said firmly. “Guard.”

Bryce stood in front of the red-haired guy, his unblinking gaze zeroed in on the bad guy’s face. The look of fear in the bad guy’s features provided a grim satisfaction.

“Where’s my grandfather?” Libby pinned Shane with an anxious gaze. “Is he okay?”

“I’m here, Libby.” To Shane’s shock, Marvin’s voice came from the side of the SUV closest to the road.

“Are you hurt, Marvin?” Shane didn’t dare take his gaze from the red-haired guy in case this was some sort of trick. “Why didn’t you go to the road the way I asked?”

“Because it’s my fault.” Marvin sounded incredibly weary. “And I needed to make sure Libby and Aaron didn’t hurt each other.”

“Aaron?” It took a moment for him to realize Marvin knew his kidnappers by name. Which shouldn’t have surprised him, considering Libby’s grandfather had obviously known his accomplices back when they committed the armored truck robbery in the first place.

“Aaron and Archer are my sister’s twin grandsons,” Marvin said. “And they’re here because they want the money.”

His sister? Shane understood then that Aaron and Archer were Libby’s second cousins.

15

Libby whirled around to stare at her grandfather, her injured arm forgotten. She should have considered her great-aunt might be involved. After all, that was the match she’d found on the DNA test she’d submitted to the database. And looking at Aaron’s red hair, similar in color to hers, she couldn’t help feeling sick about the family connection.

One she hadn’t anticipated.

“Grandpa.” She rushed over to wrap her arms around him in a hug, grateful he was alive and relatively unhurt. “I’m sorry it took us so long to find you.”

“I’m fine.” He returned her embrace, although with less strength than usual. “Better now that I know you’re not hurt either.”

“Grandpa, why didn’t you tell me?” She leaned back to search his gaze. “All these years...”

“It’s a long story, Libby.” Her grandfather looked fragile and weary.

“Let’s have you sit down.” She led her grandpa toward the useless SUV. She opened the passenger-side door and urged him to sit. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He looked so pale she wondered when he had last had anything to eat or drink.

“I’ll survive.” Grandpa turned to look at Shane. “How much longer until your siblings get here?”

Shane shrugged and glanced at her. She nodded, silently letting him know she’d been in touch.

“I texted with Alexis about fifteen minutes ago.” Libby double-checked her phone. “At that point in time, they were twenty minutes out. I’m sure they’ll be here very soon.”

“Good to know.” Shane kept his pistol leveled at Aaron. “I left a woman who I assume is Ward Engler’s wife tied up back at the Engler home. I don’t know how the Englers are involved, but it’s clear they are. Is Archer the one digging in the cellar?”

“Probably,” Grandpa agreed. “I told Archer and Aaron that’s where I hid the money.”

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