“Emma, we need to stop.”
She pounded the steering wheel. “He’s getting away.”
Reed placed a hand on her arm. “It’s too dangerous. Think of Lily.”
His words had the desired effect. She slowed to a stop. The motorcycle’s taillight disappeared.
“My guys are en route. They’ll catch him.”
He hoped. Still, chasing Mike down with Emma in the vehicle wasn’t just dangerous. It was reckless.
She put the SUV in Park.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just... He destroyed my facility. He attacked Deputy Irving.” She stared out the windshield. Reed’s heart cracked at the pain in her voice. “He shot at me. He isn’t going to stop.”
“I know, but we’ll find him.”
She nodded and turned the vehicle around. “We should go back and give first aid to your deputy. How badly was he hurt?”
“He was knocked out, but I think he’s going to be okay.”
They rounded the curve of the driveway. A figure appeared in the headlights. Emma screamed and slammed on the brakes.
Deputy Irving staggered toward them. Blood ran down his face from the injury to his head. Reed opened his door. He looped an arm around Jack’s waist.
“We need to go,” Jack said. Even injured, he propelled Reed toward the vehicle. “We need to move. Can’t find my keys...can’t drive.”
“Help is on the way. Let’s get you to a hospital.”
“No...” He shook his head. Blood spattered on Reed’s shoulder. “Went inside for phone... Bomb... House.”
Reed glanced behind him. The front door to Emma’s house was standing open. It took a second to register what his deputy was trying to tell him. His heart rate skyrocketed. He shoved Jack into the back seat of the SUV and slammed the door.
“Out of the driver’s seat, Emma! Fast!”
She didn’t ask questions. She scrambled to the passenger side. Reed tossed himself in the driver’s seat, did a U-turn and hit the gas.
“Get down,” he ordered her.
Reed glanced behind him. One breath. Two.
An explosion rocked the vehicle. Heat rushed over them in a wave. From the back seat, Sadie whined. In the rearview mirror, a huge fireball and thick clouds of smoke rose in the air.
FIFTEEN
The next afternoon, Emma surveyed what was left of her home. The porch her uncle had lovingly made was nothing but a pile of broken wood. Bricks had been blown off the foundation and scattered across the yard like discarded Legos. The chimney towered over a sagged-in, blackened roof.
Tears pricked her eyes. There was nothing left to save. The house would have to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch. Her canine training facility was in worse shape. The handlers’ homes had burned to the ground. The fire had spread to the obstacle course and it was gone, as well.
Next to her, Reed let out a low sigh. “Emma, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A pity party wasn’t possible now, and no matter how bad things were, they could’ve been a whole lot worse. “I’m just glad Deputy Irving is okay, and no one was seriously hurt.”
According to the bomb squad, the explosion would’ve likely killed the deputy if Reed and Emma hadn’t driven him away in time. As it was, all he had was a concussion. Deputy Irving had already been released from the hospital and was recuperating at home with his family.
Heavy thunderclouds hung on the horizon. Emma hugged herself against the chill in the air. “Has there been any news from Cooper?”
She hoped this latest attack would provide some key piece of information. They had to find Mike. Soon. Before someone else got hurt.
“Not yet. Austin is personally communicating with every law enforcement agency within a hundred-mile radius. We’re also putting out a reward for any information about his whereabouts.” Reed’s jaw tightened. “Part of me regrets telling you to back off following him.”
“No, you were right. I was more likely to get us injured than to catch him. Besides, if we hadn’t come back to get Deputy Irving...” She didn’t want to consider the alternative. Instead she turned and rested her head on Reed’s broad chest. The scent of his aftershave—warm and piney—mingled with the fresh smell of his laundry detergent. She breathed it in, letting it erase the stink of the smoke. “You’re doing the best you can. We all are.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “It doesn’t feel like my best is good enough.”
“It is.” She pulled him closer. “We just have to keep holding on. Keep working hard, keep praying and lean on our faith.”
“I will, but I’d love a break in the case, too.”
She chuckled. “I think we all would.”
Reed’s phone rang and he released her to answer it. Cool air rushed in, replacing the warmth of his body, and Emma shivered.
She stared at the rubble. The loss was crippling. This was supposed to be her fresh start, the beginning of a genuine home living in a town of wonderful people and training dogs in Search and Rescue. It was all slipping away.
Sadie lay in the grass, her head on her paws, a mournful look in her eyes. It wasn’t the first time her dog seemed to sense Emma’s emotions and share them. Emma bent down to stroke her. “It’ll be okay, girl. We’ll figure it out.”
She didn’t know how, but they would. One step at a time.
Reed joined them. “That was Cooper. He’s got an update for us and asked to meet at headquarters.”
“Let’s go then.”
The drive to town was quick. Emma stared out the window at the buildings on Main Street. Several ladies sat outside the Clip ’n’ Curl with rollers and tinfoil in their hair. The diner was packed for lunch and two men loaded hay into the back of a pickup at the feedstore. Children ran through the park next to the Heyworth Sheriff’s Department. Their cries of laughter sent a pang of longing in her heart. She’d visited with Lily this morning, but they hadn’t been able to stay for very long.
