We stare at each other in a standoff. I don’t dare raise my bear spray for fear of scaring him off. Or of having him fire a gun at me, because I can’t see his hands.
Should I say something? He’s sure as hell not going to answer.
But he’s not running either.
Not running because he isn’t sure I see him? Or not running because he isn’t frightened? Because he’s holding a damn gun on me and, between the distance and the shadows, I can’t see it.
Damn it, I don’t know what’s the right call here. I feel as if I’m in a face-off with a predator, not knowing which side of the divide I’m on: dinner or danger.
Finally, I break the impasse with improv.
I bend and pat Storm’s head. “What’s the matter, girl? It better not be another moose, not after the last one you chased.”
I swear I get side-eye from Storm for that. But I also swear the figure relaxes. Clearly, I can’t see him. Also, in case he was wondering, I’m not alone. I have a dog.
“It’s getting close to breakfast time,” I say. “And I could really use a coffee. What do you say we wrap this up?”
A sudden explosion of sound in the forest has me jumping, bear spray raised, expecting to see the man charging my way. Instead, he’s running north… and someone’s following.
Dalton. He heard my voice and zeroed in on his target. Which is totally why I was talking. Well, it would have been, if I’d thought of it.
He must have tried sneaking up on the man, and if I’d realized that, I’d have chattered more to distract the guy, but there was no way for Dalton and me to communicate. Now Dalton is running after him, and I’m racing down the path parallel to them, with Storm behind me.
The man Dalton is chasing must be just as fast as he is,because he doesn’t seem to gain on him. And as they run, I fall back. Not intentionally. My leg just can’t keep up at the best of times, and definitely not when it was whacked with a tree branch yesterday.
I try to go faster. After all, I’m on a clear path and they’re in the forest, dodging obstacles in the dawn light. But soon the noise of their chase heads farther west, and my path continues due north.
“Goddamn it!” I curse as I finally slow.
Storm nudges my hand, and I pat her head as I peer into the forest. I need to let Dalton take this one. Even if I run into the woods, they have too much of a head—
A woman’s scream cuts through the forest. I spin, tracking the sound. It’s to the south, in the direction we came.
Another shriek, and then a sound that stops me cold.
The roar of a grizzly bear.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The sound comes from the direction of Haven’s Rock, which means I don’t pause to consider. A woman is screaming. A grizzly is roaring. And both sounds come from the south, where we have a town full of people.
I take off with Storm. Dalton will need to figure out what has happened. I cannot imagine he’d miss that roar.
As I run, I reach for my sat phone to notify Anders… only to realize Dalton didn’t give me the backpack before he went to investigate the voices.
At least I have my gun and bear spray. Also my dog, but when it comes to bears, that can go either way. I’ve met people who swear no bear will come near people with dogs, and I’ve met those who swear you aren’t in dangerunlessyou have a dog. The truth, I’m sure, lies somewhere in the middle.
The forest has gone silent, giving me no cues, and leaving me running in the general direction while sticking to the paths. I’m not barreling through the forest and risking barreling into a grizzly.
When I do hear the crash of something in the trees, I wheeljust as Dalton bursts onto the path behind me. He quickly catches up.
“You lost him?” I say.
Dalton shakes his head. “Made an executive decision. I wasn’t getting any closer, and I knew you’d go after the bear.”
“It’s the screaming woman I’m going after.”
He nods grimly. “I know.”
