“Here, Steven, take this radio. We’ll stay in touch with you and the Ollsen twins,” BJ suggested then handed over a radio.
“Everyone put their radios on number four. It’s a secure line.”
“Was anything left in their truck?” Steven asked.
BJ shook his head as Vic Ollsen came over. “I talked with the lady in the house right here on the corner. She said the two men grabbed the woman and carried her. She looked dead and was bleeding from her forehead and arms. She also said that they were carrying shotguns and a large green duffel bag.”
“Fuck!” Mason yelled.
“She’s not dead. She can’t be dead. If she were, he would have left here. We have to believe that she’s alive,” Steven added.
“They’re armed and dangerous men. Let’s be careful and get Sally back,” BJ said and everyone dispersed.
Steven and Mason headed toward his truck. He felt Mason place his hand on his shoulder.
“She’s alive, Steven. We have to think of this as a mission. Our dogs are trained, they know Sally’s scent already. We can do this. We can get to them.”
“What if it’s too late? What if they moved her and she had serious injuries? You see that fucking car and the blood? Jesus, Mason, I’ll die if—”
“She’s alive. Let’s do this.”
Steven nodded his head and grabbed his gear.
* * * *
Mason made it home in record time. He grabbed the dogs and gave them Sally’s sweater to smell. BJ, Chad, and Michael had already headed into the woods on the left side of Farmer’s Pass. Steven was infiltrating the center from where the accident occurred and inward along with a group of ten men including Vic and Tommy. Virgo, Dale, and a few other officers had headed into the wooded area on the other side. If Garret and Keiffer didn’t have a backup vehicle hidden somewhere, then they would be found. They were completely surrounded.
“Okay, Zeus, Alpha, Princess, and Rex, Sally is in trouble. She’s hurt and bad guys have her. Smell Sally’s scent,” he stated as the dogs all sniffed the sweater. They knew what to do. He felt as if the dogs seemed even more agitated and pushy to start because they were searching for Sally. They loved her and they would find her if she was in these woods.
“Let’s find Sally. Come on now. Let’s go,” Mason stated, and the dogs began to move ahead, their noses to the ground as they made their way through the woods. The night was setting in, and soon there would be darkness and that could work against them or for them. It all depended on what type of gear Garret had brought along with him.
His mind was on finding Sally. Every bad thought was going through his head. They never should have eased up on protecting her. They should have known that Garret was not giving up but hiding out and waiting for the opportunity to grab Sally. What if he took her out of Delite and to some hidden location somewhere? How would they ever find her? He was sick and he was angry. Then they heard Toby’s cry in the distance and barking.
The dogs took off immediately and Mason and the others followed as quickly as they could on foot.
* * * *
Sally felt so cold. She was shaking, and she couldn’t stop. Her teeth were chattering, and the chills were so bad they were painful. Her head throbbed and felt as if someone was banging pots and pans against her head. The sound was excruciating. Plus she kept bouncing on top of something hard. The nausea overwhelmed her, and she started vomiting.
“Oh shit. She’s puking again, Garret.”
She heard Keiffer’s voice say the name “Garret.” How could that be?
“She’s got a concussion and some lacerations to her arms and chest from the glass. She’ll be fine once we get her out of here.”
“Garret?” she whispered his name, and he stopped walking. He flipped her back up and that was when she realized that she had been hanging over his shoulder. No wonder her head hurt so badly.
He tried to hold her upright, but she couldn’t even stand. She was completely off-balance and too weak. Oh God, he’s going to kill me. I can’t even fight him off.
“Hey, sweet girl, I’ve got you now. I told you it was going to be you and me. I came back special for ya. We just have a little ways to go before we get to the truck.” She heard something in the distance. Was that a dog?
“What the fuck was that? They got dogs after us, Garret,” Keiffer stated, dropping the bag he held and pulling out a shotgun.
“Calm the fuck down. If you see a dog, just shoot the fucker.”
The sound grew closer, and as she tried to remain upright, Garret pulled her farther to the right and toward a ravine. There was a long, deep drop.
She could see the flashlights and the sound of more dogs. “Freeze right there, Garret. We’ve got you surrounded.”