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“After a wolf.” He turned his head in the direction the dog had gone. “Jasper!” he yelled again.
Dania moved closer to Brett and stood there for a moment, staring into the night. “I’m sure the wolf is long gone. Jasper doesn’t stand a chance of catching him. He’ll be okay.”
“This has gone on long enough. Uncuff me!” He glared at her.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands.” She stood there, not making the slightest attempt to free him.
“You’re right.” He’d play along if it meant she’d take off the cuffs. “You hold all the cards or, rather, the keys. If you’re not here to let me go, why did you come back?”
“I need your help.”
“I told you I would help you. But I can’t do it cuffed to a tree.” Something must have happened to her. But what?
She put the gun in her pocket and moved toward him, key in hand. “I need you to promise not to send me to prison.”
“If that’s what you want, you’ve got it.” He deliberately didn’t finish his thought that he wouldn’t do it for now and forced a smile on his face.
She inserted the key, turned it, and the cuffs dropped off.
Rubbing his wrists, he raced in the direction he’d last seen the retriever go. “Jasper. Come here, boy!”
Nothing. He’d never find the dog without a flashlight. Spinning around, he hurried to his car.
Dania was there before him. “I’m sure he’s okay.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not. Where there’s one wolf, a pack is not far behind.” He wrenched open the driver’s door and dug under the seat for his Streamlight. Grabbing it, he clicked on the bright beam and headed back up the trail. “Jasper!”
The high-powered LED light played through the trees, catching images of mighty pines, towering black cottonwoods, aspens, and scrub brush, but no sign of the retriever.
Brett slowed down. “He could be miles away by now, if he isn’t dead, thanks to you.”
Dania stepped in front of him. “If that was the wolf I saw earlier, Jasper will be fine.”
Brett stopped. “You saw a wolf? Where? When?”
“Just before I found you.” She stepped back a little. “He guided me to your car. He’s the legend my father told me about and was probably watching over you.” She said it like she believed her words.
“Look, that wolf was growling. The only ‘watching over me’ he was doing was sizing me up for dinner.” Anger flared in his veins. “All he had to do was lure Jasper away, which is what has happened. If you weren’t a girl, I’d punch you.”
“If it will make you feel better, go ahead. I can take it.” Dania stood there waiting. “Believe me, I’ve had worse in prison.” She stared at him, not backing down.
Maybe it was the tone of her voice or the way the moonlight played over her finely sculpted features, but his anger turned from boiling to a simmer. Yes, she probably had had worse in prison.
Frustrated, he kicked at some weeds and turned back. “The only thing we can do now is wait and hope that Jasper returns. He’ll come back to the tree if he’s still alive.” Without waiting to see if she followed, Brett started walking.
“He’ll come back.”
He didn’t reply as they retraced their steps. At the tree, he bent over and picked up his handcuffs. He didn’t trust her. Not after what she’d done to him. If he was going to haul her in, he’d have to take her gun and put the cuffs on her. But she needed some convincing first. “Why did you come back? By the looks of you, you’ve been busy.”
Her hand went to her head, and she smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I had to change my appearance. The only thing I could think to do was to cut and color my hair.”
He nodded. Though he liked her long black hair, the short deep-red style kissed her jaw and neck and made her eyes appear even bigger.
“I got in a bit of a jam, the police were closing in,andI knew if I was going to find a way out of this mess, I had to get back to you.” She pulled the gun from her pocket and handed it to him. “This belongs to the marshal who died.”
That was easier than he’d believed it would be. Was this her way of brokering peace between them? If so, he’d take it. “Well, I have to admit that I’m glad you did. Things were getting a bit dicey.” He peered into the forest, hoping the dog would appear. But he didn’t.
Dania stared into the night as well.
