universe that Sonny was alive and okay, that he was out of range, even though her text had been marked delivered. The dog skirted around the lake and then made a rush toward the heavier trees, where he disappeared from her sight altogether. There was no path or trail to run on to follow him. The ground was uneven, and even though it wasn’t completely dark, running could be perilous. She didn’t want to trip and fall or sprain an ankle. She kept jogging, but she slowed her pace enough to pay attention to where she was putting her feet.
Bailey roared a challenge, the sound shocking in the night, rising to a horrible crescendo, and then just as suddenly he shrieked in pain, over and over. The breath left Stella’s lungs, but she increased her speed, throwing caution to the wind. Bailey had never sounded like that, never once in all the years she’d had him. Not that scream of agony that was wrenched from him. It was worse when he went silent.
Once she hit the grove of trees, she slowed, pulled her gun and also her phone, shining the light over the ground. “Sonny? Bailey?” She called to both of them, uncaring if the attacker heard her. He would see the light. She held her weapon close to her body. If he saw her, hopefully he wouldn’t see she was armed.
She saw a splash of blood on the leaves first and her heart nearly stopped. Still, she resisted the urge to go rushing in without first taking a cautious look around with her light. She shone it completely around her and then up into the trees before taking steps farther into the grove. Bailey lay on his side, panting in pain, blood pooling on the ground under him, his coat matted with it. Beside him, Sonny stirred, tried to sit, groaned loudly and dropped his head into his hands.
Stella rushed over to them, but again shone the light in a circle to make certain the attacker was gone. He couldn’t be too far away. Bailey had four stab wounds that she could see visibly. Cursing, she took off her jacket and then her outer shirt to tie around him tightly.
“Sonny, how bad are you hurt? A sheriff will be here any minute. I’ve got to get Bailey to the vet or he won’t survive. I’ll take you down with me to meet the police or you can wait here for the sheriff.”
Sonny looked out of it, but she couldn’t see any stab wounds on him. There was no way she could leave him alone, not if the attacker was close by. Why had the watcher stabbed Bailey and not Sonny? Sonny looked like maybe he’d been hit on the head.
Sonny put his hand to the back of his head and looked up at her, moaning again. “What happened?”
“Someone hit you, I think. I’ve got to get Bailey to the vet.” She’d already texted the vet to meet her at the clinic, that it was an emergency. She hoped Bailey would survive the hour-long trip in. He had lost so much blood.
A powerful light burst over them. “Stella?” Griffen Cauldrey’s voice bellowed loudly. “Where are you?”
“In the grove,” she yelled back. “We need help, Griffen.”
She heard two sets of boots running, then Griffen was kneeling beside her and another deputy, Mary Shelton, was beside Sonny. Stella was grateful to turn over Sonny’s care to Mary so she could concentrate entirely on Bailey.
“Get a tarp. We’ll slip it under him and carry him to my rig. Let the vet know he’ll need blood,” Griffen said. “I can make it down the mountain faster than you can. Mary? Can you handle Sonny?”
“Yes, go,” Mary answered. “I’ve got this.”
“The attacker could be close,” Stella warned.
“I’ll be careful,” Mary said.
Stella was fast when she needed to be, but she had no doubt that Griffen knew what he was talking about. She ran to the shed and caught up a tarp and raced back, feeling as though too much time was passing. She just wanted to pick up her dog and run, but he was too big, and when a dog was in that much pain, he could be dangerous.
She talked softly to him while they maneuvered the tarp under him. It wasn’t easy, and even Sonny and Mary had to help. He bared his teeth, but he didn’t snap. Stella thought he didn’t have the energy because he’d lost too much blood, and that