Page 61 of Scent of Fear

“There’s no point.” Libby sounded exhausted. “Shane must be far away from here, or he’d have come running at the sound of gunfire.”

Hearing Libby’s sweet voice brought a wave of relief that made his knees go weak. She was alive!

Shane drew in a slow, steady breath and tried to come up with a plan. Despite how he’d sent Marvin to the road to meet his siblings, he honestly didn’t think Alexis and Joel would get there in time to be of help.

He and Bryce would have to figure this out on their own.

“You think you’re so smart?” The low, harsh voice abruptly changed. “If you’re out there, Shane, you have exactly sixty seconds to show yourself. If you don’t, I’ll plant bullets where they’ll hurt her without killing her outright. Do you hear me?” The last four words were thundered so loudly Shane was pretty sure half the mountainside could have heard them.

Including Marvin? He hoped not.

He edged closer, trying to figure out where the gunman was standing.

“Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven...” The countdown had begun.

He continued moving through the trees, keeping Bryce in the heel position at his side. If he had no choice but to show himself, he wouldn’t bring his dog.

“Forty-eight, forty-seven, forty-six,” the calm voice continued.

There was no point in dragging this all the way out. Shane couldn’t see the bad guy through the trees, but he could see the glint of sunlight bouncing off the windshield. He figured the gunman must have been using the SUV for cover while keeping Libby glued to his side.

“Okay! I’m coming! Don’t shoot!” Shane thought he heard Libby gasp. “I’m coming! There’s no reason to hurt her.”

“Oh, there’s every reason,” the male voice said. “You and your girlfriend have been thorns in our side long enough.”

Shane gave Bryce the command hand signal to stay, tucked the gun in the small of his back, then quickly ran from the woods into the clearing near the SUV with his hands up so the gunman would assume he wasn’t armed. His heart sank when he realized the vehicle was sitting low to the ground because all four tires were flat.

Four shots, four tires, he thought with a sigh. “I’m here. Where’s Libby?”

The gunman finally pushed Libby out from behind the SUV so that Shane could see her. He raked his gaze over her, grateful he didn’t see any blood. Her gaze was full of remorse, so he offered a reassuring smile. “Are you okay? He hasn’t hurt you?”

“I told you to stay back.” She winced when the gunman’s hand tightened painfully around her upper arm.

“Shut up.” The gunman pointed his weapon at Shane. “Where’s the dog?”

Shane arched a brow. “Your gunfire spooked him. He took off into the woods. I doubt he’ll be back anytime soon.”

The gunman stared at him for a long second. “If I find out you’re lying, I’ll track the dog down and kill him myself.”

“Hey, you’re the one who fired four shots in a row.” Shane jerked his thumb toward the SUV. “Overkill, don’t you think?”

“Shut up!” Clearly the red-haired man was losing his patience. Shane stared at the guy, struck by an odd sense of familiarity. He didn’t remember ever meeting the guy before or seeing him, as he’d never gotten a good look at the shooter’s face. Still, there was something about him that niggled at the back of his mind. “Start walking.”

“And go where?” Shane didn’t want to turn around lest the gunman notice the gun he had tucked into the small of his back. The guy was too close to Libby for him to make a move, so he tried to stall for more time. “We don’t know our way around in these woods.”

“That’s the point.” The guy flashed him a wow-you’re-so-stupid look. “Now! I’m done playing around.”

“Okay, okay.” Shane took several steps to the side. When the red-haired guy scowled, he stumbled on purpose, lifting both his hands in a gesture meant to calm the guy down. “Sorry. I’m just nervous.”

“I shoulda got rid of you both a long time ago,” red-haired guy muttered. For the first time since Shane had walked into the clearing, the guy allowed the gun in his hand to dip toward the ground.

It was the break he’d needed. Granted, the situation was far from ideal, but he didn’t hesitate to give Bryce the hand signal for attack. Like a streak of lightning, his tan and brown German shepherd bolted from the woods making a beeline for the gunman. Because Bryce had moved so silently, it took a moment for the red-haired guy to register what was happening. But not for long. The guy let out a grunt and quickly brought the business end of his gun up, aiming at Bryce.

Shane grabbed his weapon, knowing he was going to be too late. But then Libby threw herself at the red-haired man, thrusting his gun hand upward just as he pulled the trigger. “No! she shouted.

“Look out!” Shane desperately needed Libby to get out of the way. He finally had his weapon in hand but couldn’t take a shot. Bryce launched himself at the red-haired guy, his front paws planted squarely on his chest, but with Libby so close, the three of them ended up on the ground in a tangle of limbs, the gun, and Bryce’s sharp teeth.

“Owww, get him off!” the red-haired guy screamed.

---