Read Online INVITING FIRE (A Sydney Rye Novel, #6) by Emily Kimelman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Emily Kimelman
Tags: thriller, Crime, Mystery, dog, yacht, sydney rye, emily kimelman, Costa Rica, mal pais, helicopter, joyful justice, vigilante
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he knew. Another frustrated bark was quick on its heels. He was pleading with me to understand. It was vitally important. He flared his nostril, asked me to smell the air. It was the scent of my dream. Blue was showing it to me, the way it curled through the air, vibrating with the hum of the insects. Sandalwood and spice, everything naughty and everything nice. I nodded. Blue looked back out into the jungle, then at me, his eyebrows raised, paws tense, ready to leap into the foliage, to continue the search, if I thought it best.
"He's back," I said into the radio. "Sit," I told Blue.
He licked his lips and tapped his back feet against the ground a couple of times before settling into a sit, his ears slick against his skull, shoulders held low. "There was someone out here," I said into the radio.
Then I heard Merl's voice. "Return to base camp, Sydney."
I thought to argue. To insist that I be allowed to climb that tree, look into the leaves, find the evidence of a person. Evidence of a zip-line nearby. But I didn't.
"Yes," I said into the radio. Then I stooped down, running my fingers over Blue's face, and feeling along his ears. Searching for any cuts, I dove my hands down his neck, feeling his chest, over the scars on his shoulder. I checked behind his legs, along his belly and down his back. Blue stood and I checked his hindquarters, not a scratch on him.
We made our way back to the track and headed toward camp while Tanya turned around to deal with my post. She let me keep the night vision goggles. I set an even pace for our journey back to camp. Blue jogged next to me, his head even with my hip, nostril's flaring. The path was a mix of dirt and stones. At the steeper points logs were laid across the trail, acting as steps. I'd help put some of them in when I'd first arrived. It was hard work, though easy in its exhaustive nature. It allowed my brain to rest, the task at hand complicated and simple enough to lull the parts of me that needed rest while offering exercise to parts of me that needed work. Merl insisted we all take part in maintaining the land we lived on.
As we jogged I listened past the sounds of the jungle and hoped to hear something important. The zing of the zip-line caught my attention and I paused. Blue stopped too, his ears swiveling to locate the source. I followed his cue and heard that the sound was coming from within the perimeter. Where it made sense to be.
I knew there were once more zip-lines beyond the safe zone we'd set up, but I thought we'd dismantled them all. Was someone out there setting them back up? I suddenly felt watched, Blue raised his hackles, the sound of electricity crackled inside my ear. Blue leaned his weight against my leg and I felt for the crown of his head, laying my fingers against his smooth fur. Was there someone watching us? Blue growled lower still, his voice dipping almost below what I could hear. It sounded a little like thunder. He stepped forward toward the edge of the path and I followed a step behind, peering past him into the darkness.
"Sydney? You okay?" Merl's voice came on the radio. I stopped. Blue looked back at me, his face the glowing green of phosphorescent algae.
"Yes," I said, "Fine."
"I'm expecting you soon."
"Yes, sir," I said, and then picked up my pace again, following the trail home, Blue by my side, his nose tapping my hip to remind me that he was still there.
IN TROUBLE
M erl was waiting for me on the path. He was under the first electric light, largely invisible to me until I took my night vision goggles off. Which I did as soon as Blue gave a short bark of welcome.
Merl was wearing all black, his hair pulled back into a bun at the top of his head. "Hi Merl," I said, slowing my pace and walking up to him. He did not smile but just squatted down and began to run his hands over Blue, checking him the same way I had.
"He's fine," I said.
Merl finished his own investigation and then stood up again, his dark eyes in shadow. "He was
"He's back," I said into the radio. "Sit," I told Blue.
He licked his lips and tapped his back feet against the ground a couple of times before settling into a sit, his ears slick against his skull, shoulders held low. "There was someone out here," I said into the radio.
Then I heard Merl's voice. "Return to base camp, Sydney."
I thought to argue. To insist that I be allowed to climb that tree, look into the leaves, find the evidence of a person. Evidence of a zip-line nearby. But I didn't.
"Yes," I said into the radio. Then I stooped down, running my fingers over Blue's face, and feeling along his ears. Searching for any cuts, I dove my hands down his neck, feeling his chest, over the scars on his shoulder. I checked behind his legs, along his belly and down his back. Blue stood and I checked his hindquarters, not a scratch on him.
We made our way back to the track and headed toward camp while Tanya turned around to deal with my post. She let me keep the night vision goggles. I set an even pace for our journey back to camp. Blue jogged next to me, his head even with my hip, nostril's flaring. The path was a mix of dirt and stones. At the steeper points logs were laid across the trail, acting as steps. I'd help put some of them in when I'd first arrived. It was hard work, though easy in its exhaustive nature. It allowed my brain to rest, the task at hand complicated and simple enough to lull the parts of me that needed rest while offering exercise to parts of me that needed work. Merl insisted we all take part in maintaining the land we lived on.
As we jogged I listened past the sounds of the jungle and hoped to hear something important. The zing of the zip-line caught my attention and I paused. Blue stopped too, his ears swiveling to locate the source. I followed his cue and heard that the sound was coming from within the perimeter. Where it made sense to be.
I knew there were once more zip-lines beyond the safe zone we'd set up, but I thought we'd dismantled them all. Was someone out there setting them back up? I suddenly felt watched, Blue raised his hackles, the sound of electricity crackled inside my ear. Blue leaned his weight against my leg and I felt for the crown of his head, laying my fingers against his smooth fur. Was there someone watching us? Blue growled lower still, his voice dipping almost below what I could hear. It sounded a little like thunder. He stepped forward toward the edge of the path and I followed a step behind, peering past him into the darkness.
"Sydney? You okay?" Merl's voice came on the radio. I stopped. Blue looked back at me, his face the glowing green of phosphorescent algae.
"Yes," I said, "Fine."
"I'm expecting you soon."
"Yes, sir," I said, and then picked up my pace again, following the trail home, Blue by my side, his nose tapping my hip to remind me that he was still there.
IN TROUBLE
M erl was waiting for me on the path. He was under the first electric light, largely invisible to me until I took my night vision goggles off. Which I did as soon as Blue gave a short bark of welcome.
Merl was wearing all black, his hair pulled back into a bun at the top of his head. "Hi Merl," I said, slowing my pace and walking up to him. He did not smile but just squatted down and began to run his hands over Blue, checking him the same way I had.
"He's fine," I said.
Merl finished his own investigation and then stood up again, his dark eyes in shadow. "He was
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