Close To Danger (Westen #4)(82)

Damn. Earl’s information was true.

“I don’t see anyone moving inside, but we have to check it out. I’ll go up the porch.” Gage pointed left and right. “You two flank me and check to be sure no one’s hurt around the sides of the house. Keep low, she may be hiding somewhere ready to pick us off.”

Praying he didn’t find anyone inside, Gage hurried up the porch steps and stopped just to the side of the front door. With a twist to his side, he took a quick look through the broken picture window of the kitchen area.

No one.

Gun hand ready, he kicked the door further open and moved through the door. Still as a statue he listened. No sounds. No movements.

Slowly he scanned the room. On the couch was a woman’s handbag. Probably Chloe’s. A laptop sat open on the kitchen counter. Near it set two mugs of half-drunk cold coffee. A little stain of brown lay around the base of one of the mugs.

Something had interrupted them.

He studied the floor. No signs of blood or splatter. That was good. At least the first shots hadn’t taken either one of them out.

Still keeping his weapon in front of him, he moved to the bathroom, noting the two toothbrushes. Otherwise, empty. Finally, he went into the only bedroom. The sheets still rumpled from last night. Aggravation settled over him. It didn’t take a forensic team to figure out that two people had spent the night here. Wes and Chloe. His deputy and his sister-in-law. The man was going to have some serious explaining to do.

He took a quick look into the closet, then headed back to the door. Only one way in and out.

Heavy footsteps sounded on the porch.

“Found a trail out back, boss,” Cleetus said. He moved out of the doorway to let Gage pass and followed him down the steps. “Looks like Wes headed into the woods in a northwest direction.

“Towards Harriett’s place.”

“Probably thought they’d be a harder target in the woods,” Daniel said when they came to where he stood. He pointed at his feet. “Two sets of prints went together. A third set came up just slightly to the right. My best guess, that’s Hannah tracking them.”

Gage started to move, but Daniel grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“What?”

“Wes got a dog?” his deputy asked.

“Not that I know of.”

“There’s paw prints leading from the west side of the cabin up this way. By the look of them, it’s either a big dog or possibly a wolf.”

“Wolf? I’ve not heard any report of wolves in this area. Some coyotes, maybe.”

Daniel shrugged. “Don’t know. All I know is that all the tracks are headed that direction,” he pointed west-northwest, “into the woods.”

Great. Not only did they have a crazed woman hunting Wes and Chloe, but maybe a wild animal.

“Keep your eyes open for not only Hannah but a wild animal. Last thing we need is getting bitten by whatever that is.” Taking the lead, he followed the trail towards the woods.

“Is that blood?” Cleetus asked, pointing a few yards ahead of them.

Gage hurried up to the spot. A reddish-brown stain had been stomped down into the snow. Definitely blood. “Shit. We have at least one wounded.”

Suddenly gunfire sounded in the woods ahead of them.





CHAPTER THIRTY


The rifle fire sounded seconds before the bullet ripped into the side of the deer blind.

“Fuck,” Wes muttered pressing back against the solid wall next to the window. Between the trees and the snow, it was hard to get a fix on Hannah in the gray, black and white landscape.

I knew I’d seen someone with that color of red hair before. Chloe’s voice sounded in his head.

Hannah and Isaac had a unique color of red hair, not quite brick red, not quite orange. Bringing his binoculars up to the edge of the window, he scanned the trees beyond, looking for that one bit of color.

“How does it feel Strong? Having someone you love hurt and dying?” A woman’s voice called out.

Who was she talking about? Chloe? Had she gotten to her? Had he made a mistake and sent her to her death instead of for help?

His heart clenched at the idea.

No. He hadn’t heard any gunfire before the last shot and Chloe had been headed in the opposite direction.

He looked down at W?den. She’d shot the wolf-dog to not only draw him out in the open, but to torture him, knowing the animal might die, especially if he couldn’t get him any help. Would she go after Chloe once she killed him?

No way in hell was he letting that happen.

Time to go on the offensive.

Raising his gun in the center of the window, through the hold in the mesh she’d made, he fired to the far left in several rapid shots. “I didn’t kill Isaac, Hannah!” he shouted, keeping to the side of the window.

“You took him to that jungle. It’s your fault he died!” she shouted. A second bullet ripped through the window, splintering the plexiglass and slamming into the opposite side of the shack.

Damn. He crunched a little further away from the window.

W?den snarl-growled and tried to stand. Wes pressed his hand on the wolf-dog’s neck. “Stay down, boy.”

Whether it was the warmth of his hand or the command in his quiet words, the animal stilled. A low growl continued from him, mirroring the anger coursing through Wes. If danger got too close, he was sure his four-legged friend would put up a good fight.