Tracker. Lenora Worth

“Right now, I’m going after Jake.” Then he turned to the canine. “Cheetah, guard.”

      Penny looked from the dog now standing in front of her back at Zeke. “Oh, no. I’m not sitting here while my son is in danger.” She tried to move past him.

      Zeke held her back down. “Listen, I’m going up ahead to look for my brother, but we’ve got backup in the area. You need to stay here and wait for one of them to arrive, understand? Now, tell me where your son is right now so I can send someone to check on him.”

      Penny didn’t hesitate on that. Holding her hand to her sweat-dampened hair, she said, “The Wild Iris Inn on Elk Rock Road. Just inside the town limits. Claire is the owner and she babysits for me. He’s with her. I need to—”

      “Stay here,” Zeke commanded. “Cheetah won’t let anyone come near you.”

      “And if your partner here gets shot?”

      He pulled a handgun out of his shoulder holster. “Do you know how to use a weapon?”

      She nodded. “My grandfather taught me.”

      “Good. Then you know what to do with this one. You’ve got seventeen rounds. One already in the chamber, safety off. When the magazine is empty, run as fast as you can to the main road.”

      With that, he took off. “Hurry,” she called, thinking she’d go where she wanted after he left. “Jake could be at the inn right now. He said he had a van stashed somewhere.”

      “Got it,” Zeke responded, already running away.

      Penny tried to move but the dog moved with her. Blocking her. Feeling helpless, she searched for one of the trails. The canine gave her a daring eye-to-eye stare. Too good at his job.

      Frustration gnawed at her. What more could she do? Feeling lost and so very alone, she prayed, tears falling fast and hard down her face. Please, Lord, help me now.

      “Please don’t let it be too late for my son,” she said out loud. The courageous animal standing in front of her looked at her with doleful eyes, as if he understood her prayers.

      Penny reached out a hand, wanting to pull her protector close. But Cheetah was trained to do what Zeke told him. He stood straight and on the alert, his eyes never leaving her face.

      Then she heard what sounded like a vehicle to the east. The sound echoed over the quiet woods. Crouching, she whispered to Cheetah, “What if Jake’s coming back?”

      The dog turned his head toward the sound but still didn’t move. Penny held her breath and listened, her adrenaline spiking. Could she really do it? Could she use this weapon to kill the father of her child?

       THREE

      Penny stayed crouched behind the rock, her heartbeat pounding against her temples like a jackhammer. A black van pulled up on one of the trails, and a man wielding a gun got out and scanned the woods. Penny tried to make out his face, but he was too far away and the shifting light was too low. Barely breathing, she watched as Cheetah stayed with her and stood so still she thought the dog had turned to stone. The canine emitted a low growl, the dare in that whisper of aggression telling her she was safe with him.

      But the man kept coming, slowly, deliberately, as if he knew exactly where she was hiding. Penny decided she wasn’t going to wait around and find out. Lifting the weighty handgun, she checked the safety and put her sights on the man. She hadn’t fired a gun since Jake had taken her to target practice so long ago. Could she shoot another human being?

      Taking another long look at him, she tried to memorize details of his description. He wore dark glasses and had longish, stringy blond hair. He wasn’t very tall but he was brawny and in good shape.

      The henchman advanced but Cheetah’s growls grew louder, causing the assailant to glance up in shock and pivot back and forth. He started backing away, a definite fear in his eyes.

      Penny used that fear to give her courage. Lifting up, she aimed and shot into the air near where the man stood, hoping Zeke would hear and come back. The man took off running. Cheetah’s barks now turned brutal and loud.

      The man hopped back in the van and started it up. Penny raised the gun again and shot toward the moving target. She missed but she thought she heard something else over the sound of the dog’s barks.

      The cries of a child.

      * * *

      Zeke followed the trail of broken bramble and loose rocks along the craggy ridge, stopping to take a photo each time he saw drops of blood on the rocks or dirt. Cheetah had at least injured his brother. Probably not a deep bite since Jake had been wearing heavy leather boots, but enough that a crime scene tech could get a sample to back up whatever Penny could tell them. The K-9 team could gather evidence and get it to Billings. They all wanted Jake.

      Deciding he couldn’t keep going along blindly, Zeke stopped at the top of the ridge and glanced down through the woods. It was hard to see with the growing dusk but he stilled and waited. Nothing. Jake had to be hiding down there somewhere but until help arrived, he had no choice but to turn around. He didn’t want to leave Penny alone. Pivoting, he heard a crashing noise down below. Could be an animal or it could be his brother on the move again. He hurried to check it out.

      The sound of gunshots in the area where he’d left Penny had him running back in that direction instead. When he heard Cheetah’s fierce bark, he knew she was in trouble. Had Jake set up yet another distraction so he could get to Penny?

      * * *

      After what seemed like hours but had only been a few minutes, Zeke returned, winded, fatigue coloring his eyes.

      Rushing up to where she sat against the tree with the gun held tightly against her, tears streaming down her face, he sank onto the ground by her. “Cheetah, sit.” Then he gently cupped Penny’s arms in his hands. “Are you okay?”

      She handed Zeke his gun, thankful that he’d come back so quickly. But she was so scared of what she might have done it took her a while to speak. “A black van, big with no windows. A man got out and searched the area. I decided to scare him away so I shot toward him.” With each word, she began to sob in earnest.

      Zeke nodded, concern deepening his frown. “Good, that’s good. Did you get a look at him?”

      She swallowed, trying desperately to tamp down the fear that assailed her. “Yes. Not too tall. Long, stringy blond hair and glasses. And a really big rifle.” Then she grabbed his shirt. “Zeke, I can’t be sure since it all happened so fast and Cheetah was barking, but I...I think I heard a cry. Inside the van.” The terror took over and she started shaking. “I think I heard a child crying.” Then she fell against him, the sick fear engulfing her, the reality of her fears paralyzing her. “Zeke, I shot at the man and I missed. But I heard a child’s cry.” Pulling away, she stared up at him. “What if my son’s in that van?”

      Zeke’s eyes went wide. Lifting her up, he pulled her closer and looked down at her. “We’re going to the inn. We’ll find Kevin.” Then, still holding her near, he took out his phone and reported everything she’d just told him. “Yes, sir. We’ll be there as soon as we can get back to my vehicle.”

      He ended the call and turned to her. “Let’s get you back to the inn.”

      She tugged at his arm and pointed toward the road. “We need to go after them. They went that way. I...I have to find Kevin.”

      She started to go around him and tried to reach for her backpack.

      “I’ll get it.” He snatched up the flower-encased bundle, their gazes locking for a brief moment. “Let’s go.”

      Zeke pulled her with him across the rocky terrain at a furious trot. “My SAC—special agent in charge—Max West, and another agent are already headed to the Wild Iris, and the whole team is here and scattered throughout