Backfire (16 page)

EIGHTEEN

T
racy and Solomon were one of three dog teams deployed to different areas near where the family had camped. She wore a bright orange jacket, as did Solomon, so they could be easily spotted. Dog teams were the most effective first response in searching for a missing person, especially in this wilderness. Especially since it had started raining early this morning.

Solomon was a good air-scent dog, and the weather wouldn’t keep him from locating someone, because the little girl would continue to emit a scent, and Solomon would find it. But that was the problem—he wasn’t a tracking dog and couldn’t tell people’s scents apart. When he followed what he could tell was a human scent, it could be anyone. That was why they were on their own now, so Solomon would pick up only the little girl’s scent. Her name was Emily and she was only ten years old.

Her parents had discovered her missing this morning. It was likely that she had left the tent sometime during the night while her parents were sleeping and somehow gotten lost. Tracy prayed for Emily and knew Katy and others would be praying, as well. For some reason, she felt as though Katy’s prayers would surely be answered. The faith in that woman was palpable.

Following Solomon as he searched the wooded area, Tracy recalled when she and David had been searching for him in the woods, only to find him in the mining shaft. At least the undergrowth was thinned out here and easier to walk through. Easier to see. Maybe Emily had gone this way, since she wouldn’t have had to work her way through the thick undergrowth and greenery. The thoughts sent her mind to David again.

She hoped David and the other firemen had extinguished the fire by now, but of course, the rain would help. She couldn’t shake the feeling the fire was related to Santino, as well. She prayed it wasn’t. Plenty went wrong in life that had nothing at all to do with Tracy and the man intent on retaliation.

But Tracy focused on the situation, shoving her own predicament out of her mind. At least for now. It felt good to think about someone else for a change.

After an hour searching, Tracy was surprised they hadn’t found Emily yet. How could the girl have wandered so far? Tracy called Solomon back to give him water and take a break.

Her radio squawked. Tracy answered.

“Emily is alive and well!”

“Oh, thank the Lord.” Tracy sighed in relief. She leaned against a tree and took a swig of water. “You hear that, Solomon? We can head back now.”

The rain had eased up to a trickle.

A sound startled her. A spattering of leaves. A
thunk
of something hitting a tree behind her head. Tracy froze, her mind slowly comprehending...

A bullet.

Then another bullet whizzed by her and hit the tree a few feet away.

She ducked for cover behind the tree, holding Solomon to her. She wasn’t sure if Solomon would be safer on his own, since Tracy was the obvious target, but she wasn’t about to risk him out in the open when there were bullets flying. She wished they’d been in a thicker part of the woods and then she’d be harder to spot.

Tracy got on her radio. “Get everyone out. There’s a shooter up here. He’s taking shots at me!” She relayed her location.

“Are you all right?” Cade’s voice came over the radio.

“Just...make sure everyone gets away.” She choked back sobs and fear. She couldn’t believe she’d actually put everyone in danger on a search and rescue. But for the life of her, she hadn’t imagined this outcome.

“Get down and stay hidden.”

She was glad the sniper wasn’t a good shot or she would already be dead. But maybe that was the point—to drag it out so as to torture her before he killed her. She pressed her face into her hands.

“Oh, God, please, help me! Please keep others safe. I need this to end.”

The tree next to her took a beating. She needed to get out of her bright-colored jacket, but instead she was forced to slink even lower onto the ground, into the spruce needles and ferns, pressing Solomon down beside her. He whined and barked, understanding she was in distress.

“Shh.” She comforted him. He couldn’t understand their dangerous situation.

But she’d protect him. He’d been the one to save her that awful night, but now she faced a new threat by the same man. This was it, then. If she survived this, she would get a new identity and leave her family behind. Maybe they could fake her funeral so all attempts at retaliation would stop. She wasn’t indecisive anymore. This had to stop.

She’d thought that either she or Santino had to die, and now she knew. That was the only way. She had to die.

But not today!

Another bullet whizzed by, taunting her. Tracy removed her jacket and Solomon’s, then crawled away from them while she tried to maintain the protection of the trees.

Sweat slid down her temples and back. At any moment a bullet could blast through her skull. Though a fierce will to survive rose up in her, tears slid down her cheeks. Almost nothing she’d experienced so far could compare to the terror she felt right now. Each incident seemed to increasingly terrify her until she knew she couldn’t take any more.

Flat on the ground, she crawled, the foliage scratching her. Insects scuttled over her and mosquitoes buzzed in her ear. She remained still as best she could and listened, waiting for the next shot. Solomon grew antsy, but she pressed him next to her.

“There now, you’re a good dog,” she said, twisting her fingers through his fur to calm him.

Another bullet slammed a tree much too close. So taking off her jacket hadn’t thrown the shooter off. She was a dead woman if help didn’t come soon. They knew she was in trouble, but how could they get to her in time? How could the police find her exact location without endangering themselves?

Any rescue would mean taking out the sniper first.

Solomon growled and bolted from her grasp.

“Solomon! No!”

Next she heard him yelp. Her pulse jumped as she peered through the foliage. Whimpering, Solomon lay still.

* * *

Gasping for breath, David ran through the woods. Pushing off trunks. Jumping a brook. The movements reminded him of the day they’d found Jay. Solomon had sounded off and David had known something was wrong. He’d run through the woods, looking for Tracy. He hadn’t known then what he knew now.

Someone wanted her dead.

He wanted to call her name. Shout out for her. But a sniper was shooting at Tracy, and he couldn’t call attention to either of them. If she had remained at the coordinates she’d given Cade, he knew exactly where she was.

Rotor blades thumped in the distance. Winters had already called the Alaska State Troopers to help. Mountain Cove police were preparing to move in to catch the sniper. But none of them were moving fast enough, as far as David was concerned.

He heard the sound of the suppressed rifle and the ping against trees. How much ammo had this guy brought with him? And how many shots would he take before he hit Tracy? He either wasn’t much of a sniper or was toying with her. Or maybe the thick forest had protected her. The forest and God. But David was getting close to her. He pressed his back against a trunk.

“Tracy, can you hear me?” He kept his voice low so it wouldn’t carry too far.

Let her be okay, God.

He banked on the fact that the sniper continued shooting meant she was still alive.

“Tracy, are you there?”
Please, be there.

A bullet hit the tree near David’s head. Compared to everything that had happened so far, a sniper in the woods brought everything to a whole new level. City gangs tended to prefer their hits up close and personal—their ranks wouldn’t include a trained sniper. Was this a soldier who’d become corrupted, hired by the gang, or a gang member who’d gotten his training somewhere? David slipped behind another tree trunk, moving closer to the sniper’s target area, and slid to the ground. He didn’t know what he would do if something happened to Tracy.

Then he heard it.

Quiet sobbing.

David peered around the tree, close to the ground, hoping the troopers in the helicopter would get the sniper or at least distract him. Crawling forward, he peered through the foliage and thought he saw her just through the thicket.

“Tracy.” Louder this time.

“David?” Her voice was choked with tears.

But hearing her ignited hope in him. “I’m here. Stay there—I’m coming to you.”

“No! I don’t want you to get killed!”

David ignored her and crawled forward until he found her leaning over Solomon. The dog had been shot. Grief squeezed his gut. He closed the distance and pulled Tracy to him. Trembling, she sobbed in his shoulder.

“It isn’t safe for us to stay. I have to get you out of here.”

“I won’t leave Solomon. He’s still alive.”

“The police and troopers are closing in on the sniper. Maybe that will give us the chance we need.”

She vigorously shook her head. “He could have killed me already. He’s just playing with me. Torturing me before the end. That’s why he shot Solomon. We can’t wait here for him to die. I would have carried him out myself if I could have.”

In the distance they heard a voice blasting over a megaphone, telling the gunman to give it up.

More gunfire ensued. An exchange between the police and the sniper?

If they’d engaged him, David could carry Solomon out now. The dog wouldn’t make it if he didn’t get medical attention soon.

He peered through the tree crowns and in the distance saw the men lowering from the helicopter into the woods. Had they caught the sniper?

David got on Tracy’s radio to the ICC. “What’s the news?”

“They got him,” the dispatcher at the Incident Command Center reported.

“We’re coming in,” he said. “I’m carrying Solomon. He’s been shot.”

Carefully he lifted Solomon. “Let’s keep to the trees as much as possible. In case he wasn’t alone.”

He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake, but they couldn’t stay here and watch Solomon die.

Together they trekked through the woods, David hurrying as fast as he could, careful not to hurt Solomon more and conscious that every second counted in getting the dog the help he needed. Still, David couldn’t help but be glad it wasn’t an injured Tracy that he carried now.

After a couple of miles, sweat was like a second skin on him, even though he was in Alaska. Behind him, Tracy stumbled.

He paused and turned, prepared to help her up. “Are you okay?”

Her expression more distraught than he’d ever seen, she nodded. “I’m okay. Keep going. Get Solomon help. I’ll catch up if I have to.”

He wouldn’t argue with her, but if she slipped too far behind, David would slow and wait. She might disagree with him, but her safety was still his priority.

“Just hold on, Solomon.” He knew the dog meant everything to her, especially since he had saved her life.

David had yet to hear the full story even though they’d spent ample time together traveling to and from Missouri. He understood her reticence well enough—she didn’t want to talk about that night. It was something she wanted to forget even while she went through retaliation for being the witness to put Santino in prison.

Winters appeared in his vision in the distance and jogged toward him. He reached for the dog. “Let me help.”

“I’ve got him,” David said. “Call the vet—Harrison—for me. I’m heading to his office now.”

“Already done,” Winters said.

Tracy followed David to the new truck he’d bought in Juneau and parked at the trailhead. She opened the door and got in, and David placed Solomon in her lap. The grief constricting his chest matched the fear and sorrow written across her face. Her gaze locked with his.

Would they lose Solomon?

Not on his watch. Not if he could help it.

He ran around to the driver’s side and threw out questions to Winters. “Is he still alive? Can you question him? Put an end to this?”

A dark shadow fell across the police chief’s face. “No. Take care of the dog and Tracy. I’ll check in with you later. Maybe I’ll know more by then. But we need to talk soon.”

David burned rubber, headed toward town. He’d gone nuts when he’d come back from putting out the fire that took down Adam’s bike shop. That had been bad enough, but then he’d learned that Tracy had been targeted by a sniper while she was out on a search. He hadn’t had a moment to think through any of that, but now all his frustration came rushing in. What had she been thinking? What had
anyone
been thinking to let her go out on her own like that?

God help him, he couldn’t live without her, and yet, apparently, he couldn’t live with her, either, because she wouldn’t be allowed to live. Not this way. But he would bring none of that up now. It wasn’t the time.

He risked a glance in her direction, reining in his emotions and anything he might say. Tears brimmed in her eyes. The way she looked at him, he could swear he saw feelings for him in her eyes. And though he’d denied it for so long, if he let himself be honest, he loved her, too. But as God would have it, he would lose a woman he loved—again.

NINETEEN

T
racy cradled Solomon, fearing his life was seeping out of him with every passing minute. She held tight as David raced down the road, passing cars, even receiving a few honks, and steered into the small parking space at the veterinarian’s office. Chief Winters was supposed to tell the vet to expect them, and she hoped he was available to deal with this emergency right away.

And it was an emergency. She couldn’t lose Solomon.

David opened her door and reached for her dog. He carried Solomon to the door, David’s long legs making strides she couldn’t keep up with. Someone was there waiting and opened the door for him.

Once they were inside, the tall, lanky vet opened the door to his operating room. Relief swelled in Tracy—he’d been ready and waiting to save her search-and-rescue dog. Solomon had saved lives. He deserved this. David laid the dog on the table and nodded at the vet, his expression conveying he trusted the man to save Solomon.

His efforts and concern for her dog broke through her grief. David ushered her out of the room and closed the door behind him. “Let him do his job and we’ll do ours.”

Tears swelled but they didn’t fall. Not yet. She didn’t think she could cry any more and didn’t want to. “What’s our job, David?”

“Pray. We’re going to sit here and pray.”

The past few hours crashed in on her and sent her into a daze. She took the seat next to David and let him hold her hand. He started praying, but her mind kept drifting to images of David trekking through the woods, holding Solomon. The dog had saved her from the flames. But fire had taken Derrick’s life for the investigative reporting he was doing on Santino’s gang. Three long years later and she was still in this nightmare, orchestrated by the same man.

David squeezed her hand and continued his soft prayer, then slipped into a silence of his own. She’d never forget the way he’d carried Solomon through the woods, undaunted against all obstacles, as though his own life depended on it. The title “hero” didn’t begin to describe this man sitting next to her. Or what he meant to her.

Tracy finally realized there were others sitting in the waiting room with their pets. And they were wide-eyed as they looked at David and Tracy.

David squeezed her hand. “He’s going to be okay, Tracy. You have to believe that.”

“Can we go outside for some fresh air?”

“Sure.” He got up and led her out the door.

They walked around to the side of the building facing the woods.

David lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. A tangle of emotions emanated from his gaze. “Are you hurt? In all the rush to save Solomon, I failed to ask you.”

“I’m fine. Not even a bullet graze this time. Which is why I don’t get any of this. Does Santino want to kill me or not? Or is he laughing from his prison cell while he attacks everyone around me? I think...I think he enjoys letting me know that he can get to me if he wants to. And once I’m dead, the fun will be over for him. What I never understood is how he found me.”

“Come here.” David pulled her into his arms. “Winters said he would call me with more information. But the shooter is dead, at least. It’s over.”

Tracy clung to David. She soaked up his reassurances and strength, wanting to believe those words with everything in her. For today, they were enough to get her through. She’d wait until Solomon was strong enough and then she must make the ultimate sacrifice. She never dreamed she’d be in this position, but she would have to leave this man.

A man she loved.

A man she couldn’t love—it would cost him his life.

“David? Tracy?” The veterinarian’s assistant stood a few feet away.

David released Tracy.

“Yes?” they said together.

“Solomon is out of surgery. We removed the bullet and he’s going to be fine. We need to keep him a few days.”

“Yes, whatever he needs, do it.” The tears chose that moment to spill. Tracy wiped at them furiously. “Can I see him?”

Tracy and David followed the petite blonde into the room where they kept Solomon. Tracy pressed her hand on his head and wound her fingers through his fur. Asleep, he couldn’t respond.

“That was much too close,” she said.

She glanced up at the vet, respecting his time and that he had other patients to attend to. “Will he be able to return to work as a search-and-rescue dog?”

The man frowned, uncertainty carved in his features. “It’s too early to say. We removed the bullet, but the penetrating trauma collapsed his lung. We had to insert a chest tube until his lung heals.”

“And how long will that be?”

“Days before we remove the tube. Weeks before he’s completely healed. As far as him returning as a work dog, only time will tell. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get to my other patients.”

“Of course.” Tracy forced a smile and thrust out her hand to shake his. “Thank you for saving him.”

“Always my pleasure.” He exited the room.

When he was gone, Tracy’s knees grew weak. She pressed her face into her hands. “How can I ever love anyone, if my family, friends, someone I meet at the grocery store, if even my dog isn’t safe?”

* * *

David’s cell buzzed in his pocket.

Wanting to comfort Tracy, he ignored the call and tugged her to him. He was still running on the adrenaline that had carried him through the woods to find her and then had sustained him as he’d brought Solomon back and rushed him to the veterinarian. But he inhaled a deep breath, bracing for the expected crash.

He held on to her, knowing she would leave Mountain Cove as soon as Solomon recovered enough to travel. She could never leave her dog behind. But she would leave David and her family behind. And he’d never see her again. There was no way she could stay. She’d tried to make it work. They both had. But they were no match for Santino and his resources.

His cell buzzed again. Must be something important.

Tracy pulled from his arms. She wiped at her eyes and looked at him. “We need to get out of here, and you need to answer your phone.”

David followed her out as he tugged the phone from his pocket. Chief Winters.

David answered the call.

“Where are you?” Winters asked.

“At the vet’s office. Solomon will live. But he’ll be here for a few days and won’t fully recover for a few weeks.”

“Good. Now, listen. Get her out of there.”

“What?” David kept his voice low as they walked through the lobby. He opened the door for Tracy and they stepped outside.

“Take Tracy and leave Mountain Cove. Don’t stop to get anything.” His tone was urgent.

David eyed Tracy, who watched him intently. “Hold on,” he said into the phone. He unlocked his truck and opened the door for Tracy. Still watching him, she climbed inside.

Once he’d closed the door, he continued his conversation with Winters as he walked around to the driver’s side. “What’s going on, Winters? Tracy is going into WITSEC after this. She’ll be leaving Mountain Cove as soon as Solomon heals.”

“I’m not sure that’s good enough at this point. Or fast enough. I have my suspicions. I’m following a lead, and I don’t want to say anything until I know more, but drive to the floatplane dock and catch the next flight out. Take a boat. I don’t care. Just get her out.”

David stood by his door, but didn’t open it. Tracy eyed him from inside the truck. The police chief was telling him that Mountain Cove police couldn’t protect her. “Where am I supposed to take her?”

“I don’t care. But don’t tell anyone your plans.” Voices resounded in the background. “Listen, I don’t have time to say more, but I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.” Winters ended the call.

David stared at his phone. What was going on? And what was he supposed to tell Tracy? She wouldn’t want to leave without Solomon. He climbed into the truck and avoided her gaze.

“What was that about?”

“I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure it out.” He ran both hands through his hair. Puffed his cheeks and blew out a breath. He needed a plan and fast.

Tracy sighed and stared out the window. Her thoughts were clearly on Solomon’s injuries and what she’d just endured. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“Tell me.” David started his truck and steered from the parking lot. He suspected he knew what she was going to say, but what Winters had said to him, which wasn’t much, changed everything. Deep down he’d mentally prepared for the moment when she would say goodbye to him forever. And maybe that moment would come. But not yet.

“Nothing you don’t already know. This is it, David. I can’t take this anymore. They hurt my father and now Solomon. I have to go. Maybe the marshals can just fake my death. Have a funeral and this can all be over for everyone I love. This won’t end until Santino thinks I’m dead. I have to wait for Solomon to get strong, though. I knew this would happen, I just...I just hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”

She was right. He already knew, but he’d hoped as she had. And there was more going on than either of them knew about. David steered toward downtown.

“I know they were supposed to move Santino into isolation,” he said. He needed time to figure out how to tell her his plans. “Or away from the prison gangs. They were looking at options to keep him from directing his retaliation. But clearly that isn’t working.”

“It’s just a matter of time before someone else gets hurt.” The intensity in her gaze let him know the words had double meaning. She was worried about
him
getting hurt.

Didn’t she know it was too late? Her leaving him would leave a long, painful gash in his heart. Yeah, the one he’d protected so well. Though he’d known all along, that hadn’t prevented him from taking this fall. But he was going with her now, taking her out of Mountain Cove. How would she feel about that? And what if...what if he went into WITSEC with her? Was that even an option? He hadn’t seriously considered that before. He had family here that counted on him. He understood Tracy’s turmoil and why she had refused to consider leaving her family before now.

He’d spent almost a decade trying to figure out why God would let Natalie die in that fire. Though he might not ever get the answer to that question, he had a feeling that God was giving him a second chance at love but David had to choose to take it.

He turned off Main Street and headed to the floatplane dock, hoping he could get a ride on something to somewhere. Hoping he could convince Tracy to come with him. That would be the hardest part. He’d call one of his brothers and get them to move his truck. Didn’t need anyone figuring out they’d gone too soon.

He turned into the parking lot near the seaplane dock and parked. As if only now realizing where they were, Tracy sat taller. Took in a breath.

“What are we doing here? I thought we were heading...home.” She frowned.

Was that her choice of words? Calling his grandmother’s house “home”? He liked that. But they might never see this place again.

And, yeah, he was in it for the long haul if she’d let him. That reality slapped him dizzy.

David turned to face her and leaned closer. “That was Chief Winters on the phone a few minutes ago. He said you need to leave now. Don’t pass go. Don’t collect two hundred dollars.”

Her eyes widened. “But I can’t leave. What about Solomon?”

“Solomon will be fine. My family will care for him until we get back.”

“We?”

“Yes. I’m going with you. We’re leaving now.”

She frantically shook her head. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

David climbed out of the truck and opened her door, assisting her. She appeared stunned. Why hadn’t she been prepared to be instantly whisked away? Wasn’t that how the marshals protected witnesses? Maybe she’d gotten accustomed to the pace she’d had in Mountain Cove. Regardless, things had escalated.

“I have no idea, but he said he would call me. It sounded like he’d come across some information he needed to check into. But I’ve never heard him sound so urgent. I trust him.”

“I need to call Jennifer and have her take care of things from her end.”

David spotted Billy. “And you’ll get your chance. Winters didn’t think we had time for that just now. Priority one needs to be getting away from here.”

“Where are we going?”

“Just trust me, will you?” He was making this up as he went. But David had already thought of friends he knew in the Seward area. He’d spent a lot of time on the Kenai Peninsula fighting fires. From there, they could take the Alaska Railroad or drive into Anchorage. There were a lot more options. More places to hide in Interior Alaska. More ways to get in and out.

Let Santino find her there.

He’d have to go through David if he did.