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The wolf was having none of it. She jerked toward Sam, flying through the air toward him. I had no other choice.
I fired.
The shot rang out in the air, the horror of the situation weighing heavily on my mind. As the wolf dropped to the snow, Sam let off a horrific howl.
I dropped to my knees, gasping for air.
“Sam. Come.”
He immediately headed toward me, his tail once again swishing back and forth. As he started licking my face, I wrapped my arm around his neck. “Jesus, buddy.”
A few seconds later, I crawled to my feet, heading toward the location of the whimpers. I found them unharmed, but they wouldn’t remain that way for long, another predator discovering them. “Okay, little fellas. Let me see if I can get you some help.”
I headed for my bag, grabbing the walkie talkie as I glanced down at the wolf. Her initial injury wasn’t caused by an animal. She’d been shot.
“Gage. You there, buddy?”
The hundred-mile range was being stretched. All I heard was static. “Gage. Come in.”
More static.
I was about to give up when a clicking noise kept my attention. “You find him?”
“No, but you need to get the rangers up to Crosshair Point. A load of wolf pups.”
“Hold on,” he said, half laughing. But he knew me. I’d go out of my way to help wild animals where I wouldn’t with most humans. “Did you forget what you were doing?”
“Just do it, buddy. I’ll mark the spot. Incidentally, did the marshals provide anything else?”
“No. Not a damn thing. But I did some checking.”
“Bruno is going after a witness. Isn’t he?”
His snort was followed by another short laugh. “Maybe. I don’t have clearance, but I know the only living witness is in hiding given his escape. The guy has a sister, but I can’t find out where she lives.”
“Yeah, well, I’m gonna guess. That’s not much to go on. I’ll check the cabins at Sapphire Ridge. Like I told the marshals. He’ll be a damn needle in a haystack unless I get lucky.”
“Just do what you can do.”
“Yeah, get the rangers up here,” I told him as I turned in a full circle. Someone had been here recently and he or she was armed.
“Will do. Be careful up there, buddy. There’s been some reports of vibrations.”
Great. I glanced up at the mountains, taking another deep breath. All I needed was for Mother Nature to make her presence known by way of an avalanche. “I’ll contact you later.”
“Good deal.”
I grabbed the gun and my bag and took one last look at the wolf. Maybe I was more like the creature than I knew. “Come on, Sam.”
* * *
Three hours and four cabins later and exhaustion was setting in, and the light snow falling wasn’t helping the situation. There was one more to check. After that, I might call it a night. Sam needed the rest too.
As I moved through another patch of dense forest, I heard Sam’s insistent growl for the second time and as I turned my head toward him, the sight of his bared teeth was enough to force me to drop the bag. I checked the ammunition in the rifle, deciding to switch to a handgun. It was cleaner, easier, and would allow me flexibility. After sliding a second magazine into my back pocket, I took a few seconds to hide the rest of the gear. The last thing I needed was for the fugitive to get his hands on more weapons. Then I placed my finger in front of my lips. He knew what to do.
He trailed behind me. I constantly looked from one side to the other. As a hint of smoke filtered into my nostrils, I held the weapon in both hands. As soon as I noticed the corner of a cabin, I hunkered down, listening for any signs that someone was outside.
I gave him the stay sign, moving into the clearing surrounding the house. Then I shifted toward one of the front windows, taking my time peering through it. At first, I saw nothing, then movement a few seconds later. Someone crossed within a few feet. By the description I’d been given, it could be the man I was looking for, but there were no signs of distress.
