“I know. Stay here and out of sight. We don’t know how many of them there are.” He pivoted on his bare foot and instantly disappeared back down the trail; she could just make him out, his figure silhouetted by the fire at the cabin.
Nari shivered and edged partially around the tree, positioning herself on her knees and pointing her gun toward the cabin. Her arms shook from the chilly rain and probably from shock. Her mind was fuzzy and she tried to sharpen her focus, just in case. She wasn’t trained as an agent, but she’d learned how to shoot.
The gun felt cold and slippery in her wet hands.
Roscoe stood at her side, his hackles up.
“Go with him,” Nari whispered.
The dog didn’t twitch. Now he decided to obey commands? Thunder bellowed as if angry with the night, and the fire crackled ominously up ahead, dark smoke spiraling into the sky.
She gulped, trying to see, feeling vulnerable in her thin, wet cotton tank top and shorts. How many attackers were there?
* * *
Angus kept to the trees, circling around to the front of the cabin, his gun pointed and his aim steady. The fire burned hot and bright, despite the rain. Another explosion erupted from the front of the engulfed cabin, and he ducked as metal careened over his head.
Damn it. Was that Nari’s car? He kept his back to a tree and pivoted around, swiftly maneuvering his feet through the mud. Rocks and sticks cut into his toes, but he ignored them, reaching the front area.
The car was on fire, all four windows blasted out. The smell of gasoline combined with burning wood, choking the oxygen with sinister black smoke. The poison filled his eyes, causing them to tear. He blinked and withdrew more deeply into the trees while moving east, searching for the enemy through the smoke.
If they’d blown up the car, they weren’t sure he was in the cabin, and they didn’t want him driving to safety.
So he kept silent and moving.
A dark truck blocked the dirt road out of the clearing. Navy blue? He couldn’t tell, but it was a Ford, and the windows looked tinted. Where were the occupants?
Shadows flickered from the fire and, high above, lightning flashed.
A figure, tall and broad, came into view near the hood of what used to be Nari’s car. There he was. Angus relaxed his grip and moved sideways, crossing one leg over the other repeatedly until he had a decent line of fire. He squeezed the trigger, and the figure dropped.
Then he didn’t move. The forest was silent, while the fire roared.
Did the guy have a partner? Angus remained in place, searching for any hint of movement. Nothing. If there was another attacker out there, he or she had training. Like Angus. He counted seconds and then minutes in his head. The fire continued to burn, hot enough that the rain couldn’t smother it. The smell of chemicals rode the rain. What accelerant had been used?
“Angus?” Nari whispered.
He jolted and partially turned to find her on the trail, mud covering most of her legs and feet. The rain had drenched her tiny tank top and shorts, clearly revealing her breasts, although she held her gun like she knew what to do with it. “This way,” he whispered, motioning her closer.
She jumped and then turned, her eyes wide in the darkness. Then she lowered her hand and picked her way around a series of bushes to reach him.You okay?she mouthed, blood on her chin and rain sliding down her face.
He gestured toward the prone figure on the ground. “Roscoe? Scout. Now.” He pointed toward the figure.
Roscoe, his paws muddy, put his nose to the ground and moved toward the fire.
Angus kept his gun at the ready, pointed at the prone figure. “Might have a partner,” he whispered.
Nari turned, putting her back to him and covering the trail. “Got it.”
Now wasn’t the time to ask her if she’d shot anybody before. He doubted it. Instead he concentrated on his dog. Roscoe ran in a zigzag pattern, silent, his tail not wagging. He went by the prone figure, sniffed, and then moved on, not alerting but not giving the all clear.
Angus wiped soot out of his eye with his free hand. “The chemicals are strong, as is the smoke. He may not be able to track properly.” Was Nari up to this? “Are you okay covering me?” he asked, wishing the team was there.
She looked over her shoulder and gulped. “Coveringyou?”
He tugged her closer, put his mouth to her ear, and clipped command into his voice. “Yes. I have to see who that is on the ground, and there’s a chance we have other enemies out there. If anybody fires at me, shoot them.” It wasn’t a great plan, but it was all they had.
She swallowed and wiped rain from her face. “Okay.” Her voice quivered, but she turned and faced the prone body, her gun up and almost steady. “Go. Be careful. Duck if you have to.”
