“Maybe he’ll bring reinforcements this time,” Dom said. “If you’re right about Bartoli using a middleman to take me out, they must be getting nervous that the job hasn’t been completed yet. How much longer before he gets antsy and sends more gunmen after us?”
The thought of a small army coming after them made Kendra’s blood run cold.
“Let’s decide this after we eat,” Justin said from the kitchen. “The pizzas will be ready in less than ten minutes.”
“Yeah, it’s probably better to avoid going on the run without food in our systems,” Griff said, half joking, half serious. “I’m starving.”
“Fine.” Dom closed the laptop. “I won’t do anything yet.”
Kendra pulled another chair over from the living room so they could all eat at the table. When the pizza was finished, Justin cut them up and piled the slices on a large platter.
“We need to say grace,” Raine said, as Levy moved to grab a slice.
Kendra had to smile at the surprised look on Levy’s features. But the US Marshal folded his hands in his lap and bowed his head.
Griff cleared his throat. “Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to keep us all safe in Your care. Please bless this food and give us the strength and courage to find those who would do us harm. Amen.”
“Amen,” Kendra, Dom, Justin, and Raine repeated. Levy bobbed his head without answering.
The dogs shifted beneath the table, no doubt getting restless. When they finished eating, Raine jumped to her feet and carried empty plates to the kitchen. Kendra chipped in to help with clean-up duty, then noticed Smoky had moved toward the front door, looking at her expectantly.
“Okay, girl. I’m coming.” She reached for her coat, then glanced back at Dom. “Don’t make any decisions until I get back.”
He nodded. “Understood.”
Kendra shoved her feet into her boots, opened the front door, and held it open for Smoky. Her Alaskan malamute ran outside as if desperate to get busy. Kendra followed her K9 as the dog headed out toward the side of the house where one of the large evergreen trees was located. Smoky didn’t pee on trees the way the male dogs did, but she sniffed the area around the tree with interest.
“Come on, girl. Get busy.” Kendra hunched her shoulders against the cold wind coming from the north. There was a low rumbling sound in the distance that made her wonder if someone was driving down the road. She turned to look for headlights or the dark shape of a car but didn’t see anything.
Smoky did her thing but then turned and sniffed the breeze. Suddenly the dog turned and ran around the pine tree as if she’d caught an interesting scent.
“Smoky!” Kendra broke into a run, fearing her K9 had latched on to the scent of a moose or an elk. Especially as Smoky was heading in the opposite direction from the road. As she rounded the tree, she heard a sharp bark.
Smoky’s alert? Kendra quickly unzipped her coat to reach for her weapon. Her dog was sitting by a tree near the back corner of the property. The way her K9 stared at her, Kendra knew she’d alerted on a specific scent. Not an animal.
The bad guy? Someone else? A wave of apprehension washed over her as she hurried toward her K9, weapon drawn. She didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean the shooter wasn’t nearby.
Just waiting to make his move.
13
After carrying his dirty dish to the kitchen, Dom headed upstairs to check out the bedrooms. If he was honest, he was procrastinating because he wasn’t sure that connecting through his rerouted ISP address was the right thing to do. The fact that they kept getting found gnawed at him. As he poked his head into the rooms, he wondered about the members of his project team. Some were new to the company, which might be a good place to start.
One of the bedrooms offered a nice view of the woods and mountains rising high behind the cabin. He crossed to the window for a better look.
Watching as Kendra held her weapon up and ready as she approached Smoky who was sitting near a tree sent his pulse skyrocketing. Whirling from the window, he ran out to the balcony. “Hey, Kendra and Smoky need backup! Kendra has drawn her weapon, and they’re in the backyard near the woods!”
Griff and Justin leaped up, both reaching for their respective jackets. Griff made it to the back door first, but Justin wasn’t far behind. “Come, Stone,” Justin called as he pulled his weapon and followed Griff outside.
Raine and Levy also ran toward the back door. Unwilling to be left out of the fray, Dom thundered down the stairs. He grabbed his coat and followed the group outside.
“Kendra!” Griff’s shout echoed loudly. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure.” Her clear voice helped take the edge of Dom’s panic. “Smoky alerted on something.”
“Stay back, we’ll take it from here,” Justin said. Dom noticed Justin’s K9, Stone, had already crossed the yard to be near Smoky. Stone sniffed the ground but didn’t bark.
“Smoky is my responsibility,” Kendra snapped. “I’m sticking close to my K9.”
