I pressed a hand to my chest, frozen behind the bush as the man took a step toward the dog. Then another.
And then he lunged.
Lulu yelped and sprang back. The man snarled. “You little shit?—”
He snatched the dog’s collar and yanked.
She twisted, whimpering, her paws scrabbling against the dirt.
“Lulu! Sit!”
But she wasn’t listening.
She gave me another jerk. Harsher this time.
Her lips peeled back in a snarl. Then, in a burst of panic, she sank her teeth into his hand just as the collar came free.
The man screamed.
“You fucking—!” He ripped his arm away, staggering.
I expected him to lash out, maybe kick the dog, but he only clutched his injured hand, drawing a sharp breath through his teeth.
After another round of swearing, he shoved the collar intothe bag and zipped it shut with a grunt. The dog made a slow circle around him while he reached for the shovel. Just as he angled it toward the dirt, he froze.
He went upright all at once, his shoulders squared. His torso turned first before his head followed, his eyes finally locking onto me.
Shit! He might’ve seen my pack.
They always said to wear a bright pack so rescue crews could spot you in an emergency. This was not that kind of emergency.
For half a second, neither of us moved.
Then he dropped the shovel and stepped forward.
“Hey there!” he called out smoothly. “Nice day for a hike, eh?”
My foot edged back. I wasn’t buying the smile.
“Don’t be scared,” he said, holding up a hand like I was some skittish animal. “I’m just…doing something innocent here. Well, maybe there’s a rule against burying things in these woods, but it’s nothing shady, I swear.”
He moved back to the pit. “You wanna see?” His tone was friendly. But his eyes weren’t. He crouched near the dog, one hand reaching as if to pet it while the other drifted toward the half-buried bag.
Gun.
I bolted.
Shit, shit, shit.
I crashed through the undergrowth, branches clawing at my arms, my pack slamming into my spine.
Behind me, the man let out a dragging chuckle. “Come on, girl. There’s nothing out there.”
Nothing was better than him, so I kept running.
A gunshot cracked through the trees.
I flinched as something whooshed past my side, but I keptrunning. The jolt threw me off balance, but I managed to stay on my feet.
