by Terri Reed
Dread and panic seized her breath. Juneau!
She sent up a litany of prayers and ignored Helena’s directive to stay in the car. Jumping out of the vehicle, Ariel raced to the Siberian husky’s side. Helena and her partner, Luna, were right on Ariel’s heels. The howls of Carly’s dogs inside the building to the side of the house raised the hairs on Ariel’s arms.
She dropped to her knees, and her hands were shaking as she reached out to touch the soft red-and-white fur. “Juneau?”
At the sound of her voice, the dog lifted his head and gave a small howl of distress.
He was alive. Relief brought tears streaming down Ariel’s face. “Thank God.”
Helena tested the front doorknob. “Locked. We’re going to check the back.” She and Luna hurried around the house, disappearing from sight.
Ariel tugged Juneau out from beneath the porch, her hands roaming over the dog, looking for injury. But she had a sinking sensation she knew exactly what had happened. He had been tranquilized just as Dash had been the night the intruder tried to steal him.
Carly Winters. She had been the intruder. She was the one behind the attacks on Ariel.
She gathered Juneau’s head onto her lap. “You’re going to be okay. Where is your handler?”
Ariel’s gaze swept the property, looking for any sign of Hunter or Carly. The dogs in the kennel building sounded distressed.
Helena returned. “There’s no sign of Hunter or anyone else. The place is empty.” She crouched next to Ariel and petted Juneau. “How is he?”
“He’ll be okay. He’s been drugged. Same thing happened to Dash the other night. Good thing he’s a police dog, because taking him would be too risky. Especially once he woke up.”
Luna nudged Juneau with her nose.
Helena nodded. “Yes, he’d be aggressive with someone he doesn’t know.”
“I’m sure Carly plans to dispose of him when she returns.” Ariel’s heart contracted at the thought.
“Let’s get him in the SUV.”
Ariel attempted to lift Juneau, but the dog resisted and managed to get his feet under him. He wobbled, and Luna moved to stand next to him. “Juneau must not have been dosed as heavily as Dash.”
Helena’s gaze went to the kennel building. “I’d better check that out.”
“I’ll come with you,” Ariel said. Hunter could be in there injured. Or worse. Apprehension slithered along her limbs.
Walking at Ariel’s side, Juneau let out a series of ear-piercing howls as they approached the building.
“Stay behind me.” Helena had Luna sniff the doorknob before she tried it and found it unlocked. She pushed the door open. The howling of the dogs inside their crates was deafening. Ariel peered around Helena. Hunter was nowhere to be seen. But the conditions in which the dogs were living was deplorable.
Horrified, Ariel’s stomach rolled. “We have to rescue these dogs. I can’t believe that Carly would do this.”
“I’ll call dispatch,” Helena said. “I’ll have them alert the humane society.”
Ariel couldn’t just leave the dogs like this, but her priority had to be finding Hunter. Where was he?
Juneau tried to vocalize something, and the dog’s apparent distress broke Ariel’s heart. She had no idea what the dog was saying, but she could only guess that he was hurting from the absence of his handler. The same way Ariel was. “I know, boy, we’ll find him. I miss Hunter, too.”
She more than missed him. She loved him. Deep inside she couldn’t deny the truth. Despite his betrayal, despite knowing his stance on love and relationships, she was madly in love with Hunter. She sent up a plea to God that she’d have a chance to tell him.
A Metro police cruiser came screaming down the drive. Ariel was glad to see it was Officer Everett Brand. She and Helena hurried over and filled him in. He promised to alert the department and to stay until someone came to take care of the dogs.
Helena turned to Ariel. “I’ll take you and Juneau to your house. It’s the safest place for you both.”
Ariel didn’t want to be left out of the search for Hunter, but she had no say in the matter. So, with a heavy heart, she climbed into the passenger seat of Helena’s SUV with Juneau on her lap. He howled, and Ariel rolled down the window. He stuck his head out as Helena drove away from Carly’s.
When they passed the turnoff for the Chugach State Park, Juneau’s agitation was more than they could contain within the confines of the cab of Helena’s SUV. Helena pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. Once they came to a halt, the canine jumped out the window and ran back toward the entrance to the state park.
“He must’ve caught Hunter’s scent,” Helena said.
“Follow him!”
The tires threw dirt and snow as Helena made a quick U-turn. Ariel prayed for all she was worth that they reached Hunter in time to prevent whatever Carly had planned.
* * *
Hunter came to with a jolt. His eyes opened to a cloudy sky. The sensation of moving made him dizzy. He attempted to sit up, but his body was strapped down. Dropping his chin to see what was going on, he realized he’d been secured to a rescue basket. He craned his neck in an effort to look behind him and could see that Jason and Carly had attached ropes to the basket and were dragging him up a snowy trail. Flattop Mountain loomed ahead of them. They were taking him to the place where Cal Brooks had died and where Ariel had been pushed off the cliff.
“How much farther?” Jason whined. He sounded breathless with the effort of pulling the basket.
Hunter took grim satisfaction in the fact that the much smaller man was struggling.
“Just keep going,” Carly snapped. “I had no idea you were such a wimp.”
“Hey,” Jason said. “I’m helping you, aren’t I?”
Hunter spread his fingers wide, gauging how much movement he could get beneath the straps. A little. Hoping he could reach his SUV key fob and the GPS tracker built into the device, he worked at getting his hands to the front pocket of his pants. Hunter glanced back and met Jason’s gaze, just as his fingers closed around the knob. Sending a silent prayer of thanks, he deployed the tracker.
“He’s awake!” Jason jerked to a stop, forcing Carly to do the same.
Carly rounded the basket to stand at Hunter’s feet. “So he is.” She looked up toward where they were going and then back at Hunter. A split second later, she grabbed her gun from the pocket of her jacket. “Undo the straps,” she instructed Jason. “He can walk the rest of the way.”
Jason undid the buckles.
Hunter pushed himself up onto his elbows. His head swam. The world tilted. He gave himself a shake and sat up higher.
“Get him to his feet,” Carly snarled. “I don’t have all day. I need to get back to the race and be there at the finish.”
Jason pushed Hunter’s back. “Get up. You heard her.”
Forcing himself, Hunter struggled to stand. He got his feet under him but had to put his hands on his thighs and bend over until the world righted.
“Start moving,” Carly said. “We’ll get the basket on the way back down.”
“Carly, what’s your plan?” Hunter’s words came out a bit slurred. “You’re only making matters worse for yourselves.”
“Oh, no, not worse for us,” she said. “It’s gonna be worse for Ariel.”
“That’s right,” Jason said. “Ariel thinks she’s too good for me.”
“Too good for us,” Carly reminded him.
“Uh, sure,” Jason agreed.
Hunter struggled to understand. “How do you two know each other?” He glanced back to see them look at each other. “You’re planning to kill me anyway, so just tell me the truth.”
He prayed a rescue would come long before she pulled that trigger.
Carly snickered. “We met at a sled dog event a few months ago and realized w
e had a common enemy. Ariel.”
“I thought you said you didn’t like dogs,” Hunter said to Jason.
“I wasn’t there to watch the dogs,” Jason snapped. “I was with the catering staff. Duh.”
“Why do you want to hurt Ariel?” Hunter asked Carly. “Jason, I get, because Ariel dumped him. But you? What did she do to you?”
Jason sputtered. “That’s not true. I broke up with her.”
Ignoring him, Carly’s lips twisted with contempt. “She’s been nothing but a pain in my side since I arrived in Anchorage. I have Alaskan Huskies that are just as good as hers. Yet I lost out on selling my most recent litter to people who bought from her instead. Since stealing her prized stud didn’t go as planned, I decided with her out of the way, I might be able to acquire some, if not all, of her dogs and expand my operation.”
The woman had seriously flawed logic. Ariel’s parents would step in and take care of the dogs. Hunter’s chest knotted with dread. Best not to point that out or these two might go after Ariel’s parents or anyone else who stood in their way. “What do you intend to do to Ariel?”
“It will be ingenious,” Jason said. “Carly’s got it all figured out. We’re gonna push you over the cliff. And then we’ll use your gun to kill Ariel.”
“Everyone will think you killed her and then threw yourself over the cliff out of guilt,” Carly finished.
He didn’t point out the error in their plan. First, there was no logical reason why he’d hurt Ariel and second, the medical examiner would know he was dead long before Ariel. Instead, he said, “So you followed Ariel up the mountain and pushed her off the cliff.”
“No,” Carly said. “But I wish I had.”
“Then it was you,” Hunter said to Jason.
“No way. I didn’t know about that until I saw the nightly news.”
“Same here,” Carly echoed.
Hunter wasn’t sure he believed them, but why would they lie now? “And then you tried to strangle her?”
“Yes, but you got in the way,” she said.
Jason snorted.
“You couldn’t have done it,” Carly sneered at Jason.
“You better watch out,” Jason yelled. “Or you might find yourself going over the cliff, too.”
Carly waved the gun at him. “Ha. I’m the one who knows how to use a gun.”
Concerned the two might start brawling and the gun might go off, Hunter interjected, “You’re the one who shot at Ariel.”
Narrowing her eyes, Carly said, “Yes. I should’ve brought my rifle instead of the .32. But I’d heard on the news that the tour guide had been killed with a .32, so I figured if you all thought the same person was shooting at Ariel, I would be in the clear. Now, no more talk. Move it.”
As they reached the outcrop, he turned his back to the cliff. Better to make them look him in the eye. “You won’t get away with this.”
In the distance, a siren echoed through the valley floor. Hunter wanted to cheer, but he wasn’t out of danger. He needed to keep these two from doing anything rash until his team reached him.
Hunter couldn’t let Carly and Jason off this mountain. He wasn’t sure how he would pull it off, but no matter what, he couldn’t let them get to Ariel. In that moment, he realized what he had been fighting for so long. He loved her. He’d fallen hopelessly in love with Ariel and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But first, he had to figure out a way out of this predicament.
Jason advanced on him.
Hunter braced himself, his heart crying out to God for help, because he feared the moment would come when he’d have to choose between being shot or pushed over the cliff.
* * *
Ariel and Helena and Luna raced after Juneau up the mountain trail, following the footprints in the snow and the deep grooves of something being dragged along the surface. In the distance a siren wailed. But would more officers make a difference? What if Hunter was already injured or dead?
With each passing second, despair threatened to rob Ariel of her strength. Under her breath she prayed for God to show them where to find Hunter before it was too late.
When they came upon the rescue basket abandoned in the middle of the trail, and another set of footprints, Ariel had a jolt of hope that Hunter was still alive.
Helena held a finger to her lips, then whispered, “They can’t be too far ahead.”
The footprints led toward the outcrop where she’d been sent over the edge. Where all of this had started.
Juneau sniffed the footprints and then dashed ahead with Luna at his side. Ariel and Helena picked up speed.
Voices drifted on the afternoon breeze.
Adrenaline flooding her veins, Ariel grabbed Helena by the arm and crouched down behind a bramble bush. Juneau came bounding back to Ariel, while Luna appeared next to Helena. The trooper motioned she would head off to the right and circle around.
Grabbing Juneau by the collar, Ariel slowly and as stealthily as she could moved forward until she was in a position to see that Jason and Carly had Hunter backed up to the edge of the cliff.
Jason and Carly were working together? Carly had a gun in her hand.
Mind. Blowing. It took all of Ariel’s self-control not to cry out with rage and fear. Juneau lunged forward, but she held him back, afraid Carly would shoot him. Ariel pointed to the ground, hoping Juneau would understand. He folded down onto his belly. She had to figure out a way to save Hunter. Or at least buy enough time for Helena to get into place.
She rose to her feet, intending to distract Jason and Carly. Her gaze collided with Hunter’s.
His eyes widened and he gave a subtle shake of his head. To Jason and Carly he said, “You need to reconsider your plan. This won’t work. You’re going to get caught.”
Beside her, Juneau belly-crawled forward, closer and closer to Jason and Carly. Ariel searched for something to use as a distraction and grabbed a large stone. Using all her strength, she lobbed the rock off to the left of Jason. He took the bait, spinning away from Carly and Hunter, looking for the source of the noise.
Carly, however, turned around to face Ariel. She aimed the gun at her. “Well, this will make things easier.”
Hunter shouted, “Attack!”
Juneau sprang up like his legs were made of springs and propelled himself at Carly, latching onto her arm. At the same moment, Hunter tackled the woman from behind, sending her flying forward.
Jason whirled around and charged at Ariel. But a streak of gray and white drove at him. Luna’s paws landed on Jason’s chest and the dog pushed him back. Jason fell onto his backside.
Helena rushed out of the trees. “State Trooper, put your hands up!”
Hunter quickly handcuffed Carly and recited the vile woman her Miranda rights while Helena did the same with Jason. The two dogs stood guard, baring their teeth. Juneau let out a howl that reverberated across the mountain.
Ariel’s legs wouldn’t hold her. She sank onto the ground. Then Hunter was at her side. He gathered her into his arms, and as she clung to him, her whole body shook with an overwhelming sense of relief.
And love.
He held her close. “It’s okay. We’re all okay now.”
“Let’s get these two down the mountain,” Helena said.
Hunter helped Ariel to her feet, then gripped her biceps and looked her in the eye. “Those two will never bother you again, Ariel.”
She nodded, thankful that the nightmare with Carly and Jason had ended, and yet what did the future hold? What about Violet?
* * *
By the time they got down to the bottom of the mountain, the whole K-9 Unit had assembled along with several Metro PD officers. Colonel Lorenza Gallo stepped forward, directing everyone.
Officer Everett Brand took Carly Winters into custody, placing her into his cruiser, and Officer Gorman follo
wed suit with Jason.
Once the two suspects were headed to jail, Lorenza turned to Hunter. “Did they tell you what happened to Violet James?”
Hunter shook his head with frustration. “Carly and Jason say they had nothing to do with what happened on the mountain. They claim they heard about Ariel’s fall on the news, which gave the two of them the idea of trying to do away with her once and for all.”
He sent up a silent praise that Carly and Jason hadn’t succeeded. His heart still jolted every time he relived that moment when Ariel rose up from behind the bushes. It was a gutsy move that had him terrified that Carly would kill her. But thankfully, his partner, and his coworker, had been heroes, taking down the villains.
The colonel’s lips twisted with annoyance. “I was hoping this would all be tied up in a neat bow. And these two would have revealed what happened.” She gazed up the mountain in question. “We have to keep working this case, people.” She turned around and looked at her team. “All right, everyone back to work. Find Violet James, Lance Wells and Jared Dennis.” To Hunter, she said, “I’m glad you’re safe. I wouldn’t want to lose you.”
Hunter tucked her words away, grateful to work for such a great boss.
Lorenza then moved away to talk to Helena. Judging from the expression on his teammate’s face, she was pleased with their boss’s praise.
Poppy and Maya had taken Ariel off to the side.
Gabriel, Sean, Will and Brayden, along with their respective dogs, crowded around Hunter.
“Man, that was close,” Brayden said.
“You’re telling me,” Hunter replied. “If it weren’t for Ariel and Helena.” His gaze went to Ariel. Juneau was plastered to her side. After making sure Hunter was intact, the dog had stuck close to Ariel. And that was exactly where Hunter wanted to be.
He looked back at his friends and coworkers. “Would one of you give me and Ariel a ride back to her place?”
“I’ll be giving you a ride back,” Gabriel said. “But it seems Ariel already has a ride.”
Hunter turned to see that Ariel and Juneau were following Poppy to her rig.