Page 93 of Lock ’N’ Load

Right on top of the charm bracelet.

Slamming the brake pedal again, he waited for the Explorer to come to a halt, then hit Sheba’s door release. The dog flew from the SUV and bolted around the hood. Matt took off at a dead run, following with a flashlight to illuminate the darkened woods. There was no need to look over his shoulder to verify his friends were right behind him. They’d always have his back.

Sheba barked once, then went silent. Breathing hard, he pounded through the trees, barely feeling the tree limbs smacking his face. Up ahead, the flashlight caught Sheba’s eyes, making them glitter like gold diamonds. She lay on the ground, panting, looking up at him. Crouching, he shone the light between her outstretched paws, immediately spotting what she’d hit on.

Trista’s charm bracelet.

He picked it up, clenching his jaw. “No!” For a split second, he squeezed his eyes shut, then stood and swung the flashlight in a 360, already knowing she wouldn’t be there. If Trista was anywhere in the immediate vicinity, Sheba would have hit on her first, instead of the bracelet.

The sounds of trees rustling and men running came to him.

“Matt, whatdya got?” Nick rested a hand on his shoulder.

He was quickly surrounded by Kade, Markus, and Jaime. He assumed Eric and Dayne had remained behind with the other dogs and vehicles.

“She was here, dammit.” He held up the bracelet, then closed his fingers around it.

“The other dogs are in the trucks,” Nick said as he caught his breath. “You want us to get them out here?”

“Not yet. Sheba knows her best.” Matt let the dog sniff the charm bracelet again, then swung his arm in a wordless command. Sheba took off in the direction of the other vehicles.

Matt bolted after her, his friends not far behind. When they returned to the SUVs, Sheba paused in front of the massive iron gates, jaws open, nose alternately sniffing the air then the ground.

She circled round and round before sitting, indicating she’d lost the scent. Either that or Trista had gotten back into a vehicle.

“Something happened here.” Nick swung his own flashlight in every direction. “They had to have driven here, then she somehow wound up in the woods.”

“She tried to escape, and they caught her.” Matt couldn’t hide the panicked edge to his voice. “I’m guessing there was a struggle, and her bracelet fell off.”

A hum sounded from the distance, growing steadily louder. Light rain began to fall on the trees and pavement. Matt looked up at the sky, which was pitch black. If it rained any harder, none of the dogs—not even Sheba, who was the best tracker he’d ever seen—would be able to pick up a scent.

“Back in the trucks,” Matt shouted. “Follow me.” He rounded the Explorer and indicated for Sheba to get in. He shut the door behind her and got back into the driver’s seat.

They drove deeper inside the complex, not seeing a building for a solid half mile. At an intersection, he stopped, his headlights illuminating building after building along all three roads as far ahead as the eye could see.

“Fuck, they could be anywhere.” And if they’d parked behind any of the buildings, he could have missed them and driven right by. He keyed the mic. “Split up. Check behind all the buildings.”

“Copy that,” each of his friends came back.

He gunned the engine and went straight. Nick followed, with the other vehicles peeling off, either left or right. This could take time. Time Trista didn’t have. “Hang on, baby. Hang on.”

At the tenth building, he jumped the curb, driving around back, still seeing nothing. With the rain coming down harder, he was forced to flick the wipers up another notch. Behind him, Sheba pawed at the partition, whining in frustration.

As he drove back to the main road, Nick’s headlights flickered from behind an adjacent structure. Matt put the Explorer in park and keyed the mic. “I’m getting out with Sheba. There are too many buildings, and we’re flying blind. Regroup at my location.” He flashed his headlights several times.

“Ten-four.” Nick pulled up beside him.

In the distance, Matt caught the headlights of the other SUVs speeding in his direction. He grabbed Trista’s T-shirt and Sheba’s twenty-foot lead, then got out and rounded the SUV. When he opened Sheba’s door, she practically leaped into his arms, eager to get on track. He hooked the leash onto her collar, then stuck the T-shirt under her nose for her to reprocess Trista’s scent. She nuzzled the green fabric, taking short, deep snorting inhales.

He stepped aside, and she lunged past him out the door, quickly taking up slack in the leash, her body straining to get on track. With the rain this heavy, it would be a miracle if she found something. “Get Saxon,” he shouted to Nick. “Stay behind me.” He didn’t want Nick’s dog or the other K-9s interfering with Sheba’s track.

“Copy that.”

Matt released the extra length of the leash, allowing Sheba to run ahead without getting loose. Even as good a shape as he was in, once she got loose on a hot track, he’d never be able to keep pace with her.

Lightning lit the sky, followed by a deep rumble of thunder. Rain pounded steadily heavier, sending a sharp jab of worry to his gut. Sheba lifted her head, then turned in another direction. A strong gust of wind shot down the road, powerful enough that Matt had to shield his eyes from the driving rain. Sheba stopped short, turning her head in several directions, struggling to reacquire Trista’s scent.

He clenched his jaw. Wrapping the leash several times around his hand, he reeled the dog in, bringing her back to the last spot she’d hit on. She put her nose to the ground, trotting in a serpentine pattern, then took off again.