Page 89 of Chasing Justice

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Juniper had her tail straight up and sucked in air, working the odor. Maya sprinted to keep up, slipping in the mud and loose rocks. She jumped over logs, and dodged tree stumps and stones that jutted out from the mountainside. The rain started to let up, but with the long lead, Maya had a hard time seeing Juniper. Juniper’s fur and vest blended into the dark forest, but Maya could hear sniffing. Trusting her dog, she fought to keep pace with Juniper.

A branch breaking stopped Maya and Juniper for a moment. The dog pulled off the scent and stood rigid, air scenting in the direction the sound came from. Maya could see Juniper was about ready to bark.

“Quiet,” Maya whispered to her dog, hoping she’d respond and not sound off. Juniper stared at her handler and didn’t make any noise, but she remained on alert.

So did Maya. Dark clouds and rain closed in on her—her mind traveling back to Afghanistan, in the mountains out on a night raid with her team. You never knew where the enemy hid, and you relied on your dog. She and her team had depended on Zinger’s skills for their lives, and now was no different. The enemy could be hiding anywhere. Or be anyone. A small child asking for help might be a suicide bomber sacrificed by his own family.

Maya shifted to her left and stepped on a small tree branch. The crack of the branch popped like rifle fire. She grabbed Juniper and hunkered down behind a tree, her breath coming in short, hard gasps. Lightning struck nearby and the sharp crack that followed boomed like an explosion.

Blood everywhere.

Blood from Zinger.

Blood from Doug.

The cold rain picked back up again. Maya’s teeth chattered together. She cleared the area, looking around the tree to the left and to the right. Her soaked shirt clung to her skin. Some of the VA counselors had coached her on some things to do, but the main tool Maya remembered from her few counseling sessions was grounding. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and fought her mind taking her back to war.

She opened her eyes back up and took in her surroundings. She was home. In Colorado. She could smell the pine trees and could hear the rain hitting the ground. Juniper’s fur was soft and wet under her fingertips. Her flashback started to dissipate and her breathing slowed.

Keep moving.

Find Pops.

You have the dog, Maya.Use her. Trust Juniper.

Come on, soldier.

Maya slid her hand up the leash, feeling the strength of a K-9 at attention wanting to protect her handler and do what she was trained to do. Vibrations came back to her from Juniper as she shook with excitement. She snapped the quick pin release on Juniper’s leash and pulled her gun out of her holster. She didn’t know if Jenna was armed. She had to assume she was, but Maya would be ready.

Juniper responded to Maya and stayed with her, ready and alert, waiting for the command to find their person and take a bite. Together they began to work as a team.

“Track, Juniper. Track. Go find her.”

Juniper took the command and went back to searching, her whole body rigid. Maya kept from making noise herself and tried to keep an eye on her surroundings while working the dog.

Juniper put her nose to the ground and continued following the scent, but at times she’d stop and put her nose up in the air as the breeze would pick up and whoosh by.

“Don’t get windy,” Maya muttered. “Come on, weather. Cooperate.” If the wind picked up, Jenna’s scent would be blown all over the place and Juniper would have a hard time tracking and pinpointing it.

For a second the trees stood still, but then there was a whoosh of wind that came down the mountain and roared through the area they were tracking, almost like the sound of an avalanche.

“Shit,” Maya said. “Juniper, wait, girl.”

The dog hesitated, still attempting to air scent as the wind whipped down the mountainside. Juniper remained tense, not backing off from the weather.

When the worst of the wind died down, they continued to climb up the mountainside. Unsettling sounds of cracking ricocheted through the forest. Old pine trees swayed around as a few widowmakers creaked and made noise.

Great.Just what we need right now.

Then Maya saw Jenna bobbing in and out between the trees not far ahead, her blond ponytail swinging like a pendulum. Juniper also saw the person and turned on the speed, rushing forward.

Jenna stopped, turned to face them, gun aimed and ready to fire. Maya could sense some hesitation on Jenna’s part. She hoped that meant that Jenna didn’t want to shoot Juniper, which would give the dog time to apprehend.

“Go get ’em, girl!” Maya shouted to Juniper.

The sound of a creaking tree branch overshadowed her words. A widowmaker came loose.

Maya screamed at her dog to stop as the tree branch crashed down.