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There’s been no movement. No revved engine.
Pale blue flashes against the boulder in the bend.
Crunch. Crunch.
The low rumble of an engine runs up the trail.
The front of an ATV comes into view. A cop.
I rise, holding an arm out.
“Stay back,” I warn.
If the fucker shoots, he’s shooting me.
The cop sees me and floors the ATV.
“Shooters. Over there,” I tell him, pointing toward the peak.
Revving engines rumble in the distance. Are they leaving?
“Are you hit?” the cop asks.
“No.”
“Positive it’s a shooter?”
“Got my dog. Saw the guns.”
The cop’s wearing a helmet and sunglasses. Another ATV rounds the bend. My protective instinct kicks in. My hand falls to Sage’s shoulder. Knees bent, ready to lunge.
Matching uniform. I relax. But my hand remains on Sage.
The engines up the trail are distant, but the ones around the bend grow louder.
Another ATV, three mountain bikes. Park rangers. No motorbikes. Those ATVs don’t stand a chance of catching up to a motorbike.
All but one of the uniformed first responders goes off searching the canyon, but they’ll never find them. One cop says she’s bringing us down. I place Sage behind the cop, then sling a leg over, sandwiching Sage in. If anyone’s out there, a bullet will go through me to get to her.
I call to Millie to jump up behind us, but she’s not having it. She trots down the trail. She’s favoring her front leg, but there’s not a lot of blood. A good sign.
Max is waiting at the base. He’s surrounded by SBPD. Doesn’t take me long to download what’s happened. Arrow Tactical has a lot of connections on the force, and apparently they’re all down on the need to get us to safety.
Officer Sanford wraps things up with a, “I’ll reach out if I need more information.”
We climb into Max’s car. I get in the front seat, but that’s not where I want to be. I want to be in the back with Sage and Millie. But at least back there, Sage can lie on the floorboards if needed.
“Any update?” It’s the first question I ask as soon as the car doors slam.
“Yeah.” He holds a hand up in recognition of one cop managing traffic in the parking lot. A crowd is forming, thanks to the sirens. “We’re doing a car switcheroo in twenty.” Max glances in the back seat. Sage’s arms wrap around Millie. She’s panting but looks okay. “Then I’m taking your obedience school dropout to the vet.”
“Where’re we going?” Sage asks. Her voice is frail. Frightened.
“To a safe house. Instructions will be in the car. You two are to stay there.” Max’s gaze alternates between the rearview and the road.
I shift and scan our rear. If someone’s following, I’ll see. If I find the fuckers coming after her, I’ll kill them all.
“Do you have a gun?” I ask Max. I can’t fucking believe I didn’t carry on the hike. But gun laws being what they are in California, I didn’t. Still, I had Sage with me.
