The crack of gunfire was loud enough to make him stumble. The gunman must have gotten out of the truck or maybe Levy had pulled himself together long enough to find the dropped weapon. Either way, it took Dom a moment to realize he hadn’t been hit. Putting on a burst of speed, he disappeared behind the trees.
Yet even then, he didn’t stop. Feet slipping in the snow, he continued moving deeper into the woods, angling away from the log cabin. Primarily, his goal was to use the thick woods for cover, to make it difficult for the gunman to hit him. But more importantly, he needed to draw the killer away from Kendra and her family.
Levy wanted him. Alive or dead. Either for revenge or money, or both. The longer he could keep Kendra and her siblings out of this mess, the better.
Yet he also knew that much like that first night, he was leaving tracks in the snow. It wouldn’t take that long for Levy and the gunman to find him.
Still, he pushed forward. Maybe he’d buy Kendra and the others a little time to figure out what was going on, before he was silenced for good.
Dear Lord Jesus, keep Kendra and the others safe in Your care!
“Dominic!” Kendra shouted Dom’s name as loud as she could.
“Easy, we’ll find him,” Justin said in a low voice.
Would they? She shook her head, fighting a wave of helplessness. “Levy’s a part of this.” Kendra scowled at her brother. Griff and Raine had Jennifer’s wrists bound behind her back and tied to a chair, but there was no sign of Levy and Dom. The explosion had sent them all tumbling to the floor, but thankfully, Griff had held on to Jennifer. They had one perp in custody, but there were others. Including Levy. Once Justin had glanced outside to see there was nobody around, they’d gone out the back. It was the only way Levy could have gotten Dom out of there.
“The gunman targeted him too,” Justin protested. “Maybe he just wanted to get Dom to safety?”
“No way. He’s involved. I think the shooting at the previous house was a cover-up. Levy suspected we were onto him, so he changed tactics. And we bought his I’m innocent act, didn’t we?” She raked her gaze over the area. “The only way Jennifer could have found us here at the FBI safe house was if Levy told her where we were. Abandoning the snow machine was a setup as well. Maybe because she heard Smoky’s bark and knew the gig was up. Her mistake was thinking we’d fall for her innocent act the way we did with Levy.”
Justin grimaced and nodded. “Okay, I admit, it’s strange we were found here. I’m on board with treating Levy as a hostile enemy.”
“Don’t forget, the gunman is still at large too.” Kendra’s pulse raced as she tried to remain calm. She wondered why Jennifer had gotten herself lost a few days ago, requiring Kendra to find her. Was that to make sure Smoky didn’t see her as a threat? Maybe. But that had ended up working against her. Not something to think about now, though. They needed to find Dom. She looked at Smoky, doing her best to inject enthusiasm into her tone. “Are you ready? Search! Search Dominic!”
Smoky wheeled around and led the way, crossing the backyard where multiple sets of footprints marred the snow. Kendra ignored the footprints. They’d all walked around in the back, so following a specific set of prints now to find Dom and Levy would be impossible.
Smoky’s keen nose was their only hope of finding Dom. How far could Levy have taken him anyway?
She was afraid they may already be too late. Once Levy had Dominic in a moving vehicle, their chances of finding him dropped dramatically.
When gunfire rang out, Kendra’s heart lodged in her chest. Was he hit? Or worse, dead? “Dom! Where are you?”
There was nothing but silence.
“Maybe we should spread out,” Justin suggested.
“Do what you think is best.” She’d used Smoky to find Dominic before, and her K9 would follow the scent now. “Smoky will find him.”
Justin frowned but didn’t argue. Rather than leaving her, he stayed close to her side as she hurried behind her K9. Smoky was clearly on Dominic’s scent, alternating between sniffing along the snow and up in the air. When Smoky picked up her pace, her tail wagging back and forth, Kendra’s heart filled with hope.
Was Dominic on foot? If so, she knew Smoky would find him. If not . . .
No, she wasn’t going there. She broke into a run, keeping pace with her dog as she silently prayed. Please, Lord Jesus, help us find Dominic in time!
Smoky abruptly veered off, heading deeper into the woods. Kendra’s steps floundered, doubt seeping in. Was Smoky on the right path? Or had she somehow gotten sidetracked?
“Keep going.” Justin’s encouragement was just what she needed. “Smoky is on his scent.”
Desperate to believe that, she pushed forward, ignoring her exhaustion. Her fluffy dog zigzagged through the trees with seemingly boundless energy. Kendra noticed there was only a single set of footprints in the snow now. They were also spread far apart, more so than what she could manage. They had to belong to Dominic. She could easily imagine him running full out.
Somehow, he’d gotten away from Levy!
Kendra wanted to call out to him but held her tongue. Dom may have escaped, but someone had fired at him.
Levy? The gunman? Both?
She glanced back at Justin. “You should go back to Griff and Raine. They may be in danger.”
