Page 111 of First Surrender
My eyes bulge. We’re about to go into bear territory with a bunch of felons. Great. What could go wrong?
“Trust me?” He asks, watching the panic work across my face.
His eyes are filled with as much hope as he can muster in this situation and I see the truth in them. There’s a reason he called these guys to help us, he’s confident that they won’t screw us over. “Yeah, I do.”
A dog’s bark echoes through the trees suddenly making me jump, I’m too on edge being this close to the bears. The drawl of a hunting dog continues getting closer and I look around to see if anyone else is concerned but all I see are a few guilty faces.
“I thought I told you to keep the strays locked up in the barn?” Lochlan asks one of his guys, the one that looks the guiltiest.
“I did, Boss. He must’ve escaped.” A hound dog comes barreling into the clearing where we’re standing, happily seeking attention, and pats on the head.
“What kind of dog is this?” I don’t know why I ask, I need the distraction I guess.
“A mutt. Bloodhound and coonhound most likely. Someone dumped him and three others at the gate. We haven’t figured out what to do with them yet. Boss doesn’t want them near the bear enclosures until we know they won’t bother them,” one guy says. He has tattoos visible below the collar of his shirt and short cropped hair, but much kinder eyes than Lochlan.
As if the dog sensed my inquiry, he nuzzles up to me and starts sniffing my hands. His curious snuffs turn manic suddenly, snorting inhales until his reddish brown body goes taut. I barely have a chance to ponder his strange behavior when his nose hits the ground and he starts toward the fence line, whining and scratching at the metal caging until his paws meet the earth and he starts digging, rampantly.
“What were you doing before everything went down?” Jackson asks suddenly, everyone’s attention is on the dog and me.
“Dec and I got ice cream.”
“He’s got the scent,” Lochlan speaks up. “He’s a hunting dog, he might be able to lead us to the boy. Let’s go before he loses it.”
We all take turns entering through the narrow opening, and once we’re all through, Lochlan lets the dog loose. He takes off before anyone can blink.
“Spread out, stay in groups,” Lochlan instructs and we make a wall. I stay right next to Jackson while Nathan and Jesse move ten feet off to my right, always keeping me in the middle.
It’ll be dark soon and all I can think about is my brother being stuck here with these bears. It’s all I can do to keep moving forward when my body wants to collapse, exhausted with worry.
We’re coming, Dec. We’re coming.
Chapter Fifty
Jackson
The amount of feet trudging through the thick brush, crushing the dried fallen leaves on the forest floor, drowns out any noise the predators that live here might be making. It’s an eerie feeling, walking deeper into an unknown landscape, knowing Dec is lost and alone in the very woods that these black bears call home.
Lochlan seems confident in his stride beside me and I have no problem following his lead. I’ve never felt the need to assert my authority when it isn’t needed. Lochlan outranks me here and I respect it.
We’re only walking a few more minutes when the dog’s bark pierces through the trees. He’s ahead of us a few hundred yards but it seems he’s stopped moving.
My heart thunders in my chest at the prospect of finding Dec. The sooner I have my eyes on him, the sooner this will be over and I can get him back to the safe zone. We haven’t seen any signs of bears, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t here. “Let’s go.” I pick up speed at the thought and Lochlan keeps pace with me easily.
As we break through a thick tree line, my breath catches in my throat and I hear Natalie gasp beside me.
“Woah, woah.” Lochlan throws his hands up, commanding everyone to stop moving.
A large bear is just ahead of us in a small clearing, proudly standing on its hind legs, squaring up to the hunting dog that hasn’t stopped barking at it. Its black fur is as dark as its distressed eyes, staring at all the unwanted visitors.
“Sissy!” Dec’s voice comes from across the clearing and my head swivels toward the sound, but I can’t see him. My eyes are frantically searching for his small frame among the trees.
“Dec! Stay right there!” Natalie yells back, dropping to her knees.
At first, I think it’s in relief. Her body is finally giving out and she can’t stay on her feet but it only takes a moment to realize she’s looking right at him from her new vantage point.
Tucked in between a big boulder and the trunk of an old tree is his small body, right on the other side of the bear and the dog. I have to squat down to see him fully, barely listening while Lochlan takes the lead, speaking to his guys over my head.
“Hayes, call the dog back,” Lochlan orders the guy with the tattoos, breaking a limb of a sapling next to him. “Everyone else, form a half circle, we’ll funnel him out in one direction.” The group does as he says without question, getting into position to leave the bear one route to escape in.