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The dog had stopped at the edge of the woods, just before a long stretch of grass that ran beside the creek. Charred branches littered the ground and burns scored the grass.
“Lightning,” said Gabriel, his voice grave. He looked up at the cloudless sky, then back at the ground. “A lot of it.”
“Chris was running for the water,” said Michael.
Casper barked again, spinning in circles.
“He didn’t make it,” said Hunter. “Come on. I think Casper’s found a new scent to follow.”
The dog led them to the road, to the far side of the bridge that had been destroyed. The county had put up concrete barriers and those ROAD CLOSED signs, and some random construction equipment was parked along the side of the road.
“This is where we saw the Guide last Tuesday,” she said. She was starting to get a little breathless from trailing Casper, though the guys weren’t having any trouble. “How far have we gone? Like three miles?”
Gabriel gave her a look. “Like one.”
So she needed more cardio.
“That night of the bridge collapse,” said Hunter. “That’s the first time you saw him? Was he on foot?”
“Yes,” said Gabriel.
“No car?”
Gabriel shook his head. “We chased him off, but he ran for the woods.” He pointed east, toward the tree line on the other side of the road. “We were able to pull a hell of a lot of power from the storm. I thought it was the adrenaline, but I couldn’t generate anywhere near as much last night.”
“No kidding,” said Hunter. He gave her a grim smile. “Becca wasn’t with you.”
Her breath caught, and she wanted to protest.
But she remembered feeling the power that night, too. The strength in the storm, the way the wind and rain had kissed her skin and called for vengeance. “Holy crap,” she whispered.
Hunter nodded, but he looked out at the trees. “What’s beyond those woods? More residential properties?”
“No,” said Michael. “Commercial. A couple strip malls, fast food, a car dealership, that kind of stuff.”
Hunter frowned. “Maybe it’s a dead end, then. Maybe he kept a car there.”
But Casper found a trail right away, leading out of the woods. They stopped behind a McDonald’s, hidden in the shade of the trees. A hundred feet ahead sat a four-lane road, busy with late morning traffic. The drive-thru was packed.
Hunter had a tight grip on Casper’s collar, though the dog was obviously onto a scent. “You guys should wait here.”
“Why?” said Michael. “So you can warn him?”
“No.” Hunter glanced at him, and it wasn’t a friendly look. “Because Casper’s found a trail. A strong one. The Guide might be nearby.”
“Good,” said Gabriel, and now Becca heard the fury in his voice. “Let’s go.”
“Yeah,” said Hunter. “But he’s looking for you. I can check it out, see what we find, then—”
“I don’t care,” said Michael. “I don’t trust you.”
Hunter narrowed his eyes. “Look, man, I don’t have to help you.”
Becca put a hand on Hunter’s arm and looked at Michael. No way she was letting stupid male posturing screw this up. “Do you trust me?”
Michael’s expression hardened, just for a moment. Then she watched something soften in his eyes. He nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
“Come on,” she said to Hunter. “Let’s check it out.” Without waiting for him to agree, she started forward, half sliding down the grassy hill into the McDonald’s parking lot.
