CHAPTER 37
Mina
This return hike had officially cured me of ever wanting a dog. Pebbles had decided she wasdoneand refused to walk any further. But she didn’t want to be carried, either. She simply wanted to lie down on the forest floor and become one with the ground. Every time I picked her up, she growled and barked, wanting down. We even tried putting her into Luke’s pack, but the little stinker wiggled her way out. If it hadn’t been for Walter’s quick reaction, she would have tumbled almost six feet to the ground.
I did not want to explain to Claire why her dog had a head injury or a broken bone.
After the backpack incident, Luke plucked her from my arms and tucked her under one of his, like a football, and handed me Betty’s leash.
Betty was more than happy to stay on the ground, but she didn’t know how to walk a straight line. After nearly tripping over her for the fourth time in as many minutes, I let out a frustrated screech.
“Do you want me to take her?” Walter asked.
“No.” As much as I would like a break, I wasn’t about to hand my best friend’s puppy over to a wanted fugitive. Walter was cooperating, but that didn’t mean I trusted him.
“Let’s all take a break,” Luke offered. Through the growing darkness, he gestured to the fallen tree about thirty feet away.
Happy to sit for a few minutes, I guided Betty to the tree and plopped down.
Except she wasn’t ready to just hang out for a bit. Her nose had caught wind of something, and she wanted to follow it.
“Betty, no.” I tugged on her lead, trying to bring her closer.
The little dog wasn’t having any of it, though. She turned, whipped her head as she pulled, and slid her pudgy body free of her harness.
“Crap!” Rocketing to my feet, I lunged, but Betty was on the scent of God only knew what and headed deeper into the forest. I missed getting a hand on her and plummeted to the ground.
Fire, hotter than a thousand suns, raced through my left side, the intensity nearly making me sick.
I’d landed on my chest on a basketball-sized rock.
Grimacing, I wedged a hand under me to lift my face off the ground. My lungs were frozen, refusing to move oxygen, both from the impact and from the shards of pain flowing through my chest.
Male shouts echoed around me, but through the fog of pain in my brain, none of what they said registered. A moment later, feet pounded past me after the dog. Luke’s feet.
A second set approached, then pant legs came into view. “You all right?”
With a moan, I rolled, letting the pack still strapped to my back prop me up.
Holy hell. Oh, that hurt. I wanted to nod and reassure Walter I was okay, but I couldn’t. All I could do was bare my teeth and moan.
“Just breathe. Let the pain pass.”
That was easier said than done. Eyes closed, I focused on drawing air in and out.
In the distance, I heard Luke yell Betty’s name and for her to stop. Gentle pressure on my arm was soon accompanied by something tickling my face. I opened my eyes and looked over to see Pebbles with her feet on my bicep, staring at me. Her ears twitched and her tail wagged when we made eye contact. With a yip, she leaned in and licked my face.
I wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but I didn’t dare. It still hurt too much to breathe.
“You just sit there. Let the pain subside while Luke catches that little terror.” Walter patted my knee.
“Yeah,” I managed. Sagging into my backpack, I let it take my weight and did my best not to tense too much. Something was definitely broken. I hoped I could still hike out of here.
Closing my eyes, I focused on taking slow, steady breaths. The pain faded to a dull roar—so long as I didn’t move. Every muscle twitch, every small shift to get more comfortable, sent the fire racing through my side and chest once more.
Several minutes passed before the soft thump of feet and the crunch of pine needles announced Luke’s return.
“Mina?”
