Dominic stopped beside her. “Is there a problem?”
“Maybe.” She thought about some of the stories her older siblings had told, about how their K9s had focused on the bad guy’s scent, alerting them to impending danger even without being asked to search.
Was that happening now? Was Smoky alerting her to the scent of the gunman?
“Kendra, get down!” Dominic reached over to yank her behind the SUV just as the crack of gunfire rang out. She snagged Smoky, drawing the dog close as she silently prayed for God to keep them safe.
3
This was exactly what Dom had been afraid of! That bullet had come far too close to striking Kendra. And him. But his safety was secondary. He couldn’t bear the thought of her getting hurt because some whack job had decided to kill him.
And he really didn’t understand how this guy had found them again. Especially after they’d ditched their phones.
“Lord Jesus, keep us safe in Your care!” Kendra’s whispered prayer only made him feel worse. She didn’t deserve to be in danger like this.
Covering her with his body as much as possible, he lifted his head to find the location of the shooter. He narrowed his gaze on a large dark truck. The engine roared to life, twin headlights flashing on, blinding him. The vehicle backed up, then abruptly turned and drove away. Two seconds later, the wail of police sirens filled the air. At least this time, someone had heard the gunfire and called 911. Unlike when he’d been pinned down at the Redwood Motel.
“We need to get out of here.” He straightened, tugging on Kendra’s arm to draw her upright. “I think that black truck that just left belongs to the shooter.”
“It looked like the one that barreled past me when I was driving toward the Redwood Motel.” She stroked her hand over Smoky’s fur. “We should stay to talk to the police.”
He swallowed hard, knowing she was right. They’d left the Redwood Motel without sticking around, so they needed to follow through this time.
Maybe the local cops could give him a ride so Kendra and Smoky could head back to the ranch. He was convinced she’d change her mind about sticking close after this.
“Fine. We’ll wait to give our statement.” He gestured to the SUV. “Do you want to wait in the car where it’s warmer?”
She shook her head. “There’s no point, that’s them pulling in now.”
Red and blue flashing lights lit up the sky as the police cruiser slowed and turned into the parking lot of the store. Across the street, he noticed their server from the Hitching Post stood in the front doorway of the café, watching with interest. She must have been the one to call the police.
Wishing he understood what was going on, he waited for the police officer to emerge from the vehicle. Kendra stepped forward, her hand resting on Smoky’s head.
“Hi, Burt.” Her smile was strained. “Thanks for coming.
“Hey, Kendra. What’s going on?” The burly officer turned toward him, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Who are you?”
Dom wasn’t sure if Kendra being on a first-name basis with the local law enforcement was a good thing or a bad one. “Dominic Lakeland, here visiting from Billings, Montana.”
Burt glanced back at Kendra. “He’s a friend of yours?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “Unfortunately, this is the second time he’s been targeted by gunfire in a matter of hours. The first incident was at the Redwood Motel in Greybull. Now this.”
Burt’s brows hiked up. “Twice, huh? Any idea who might be responsible?”
“No clue.” He hesitated, unsure of how much to tell him. “I recently learned the plane crash that killed my father and Kendra’s parents was intentional. The only thing I can figure out is that these recent incidents are related to the past.”
Burt stared at him for a long moment. “I’m not sure that’s a logical assumption. Maybe you have other enemies that you’re not telling us about?”
“I don’t.” He frowned. “I work for a computer firm. Nothing dangerous about what we do. I would never lie about something like that. If I knew who was responsible, I would tell you.”
Burt shrugged, then looked at Kendra. “Do your siblings know about this?”
“Not yet.” When the older cop scowled, she hastily added, “Don’t worry, I plan to call them soon.”
“Okay, tell me exactly what happened,” Burt said.
“We ate dinner at the Hitching Post,” Dom said. “We had stopped at the store earlier and left Kendra’s SUV parked in the lot since the café is right across the street. We were on our way back when I caught a glimpse of a man lifting a handgun. He fired at us, then jumped into a dark truck and drove away.”
