Carpathian 15 - Dark Secret

shovel. It was one she recognized. She and Paul had discarded it months earlier after the handle had broken.
    It took twenty precious minutes to find where the man had lain in wait, his elbows making twin impressions in the grass on the knoll. He had watched the trail long enough to smoke three cigarettes.
    Conscious of the sun's position, she carefully examined the ground, sure that the vampire's puppet had some method of transportation. Again she used up precious time she knew Rafael didn't have unraveling the trail as she backtracked him. A few hundred yards from his vantage point she found where he had left his horse.
    Rafael. I've seen these tracks before. They belong to a man working for Clinton Daniels—his name is Ernie Carter. I raninto him near where I found Pete's body. His eyes were red and swollen and he felt evil. Could he have killed Pete? The idea that this man had been anywhere near Ginny terrified her.
    It is likely.
    Colby examined the trampled grass, found where the horse had grazed and its droppings, and knew that Ernie had been there for some time. She could see a clear impression where the heavy grain sack had rested against rocks, the weight crushing the grass beneath it. She bit her lip reading the story easily, the short strides taken away from the horse, obviously burdened. Ernie had laid out the scene and had gone back to the knoll to observe his handiwork. She found the telltale tracks, his distinctive heel mark where he'd spotted her tracking him and he'd whirled around, the longer strides indicating he had run to his horse.
    He's somewhere close by. He definitely spotted me and could be stalking me now. For a moment her shoulder blades itched, expecting an impact any moment.

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    He is to your north, on foot now, moving through the brush. Neither Juan nor Julio has a clear shot at him.
    Colby flung up her head, an unfamiliar coldness sweeping through her, an iron resolve. The vampire had not only done this to her, he had put Paul through something no one, let alone a child, should have to go through. I can't think about him, Rafael, I have to find Ginny. Please don't let anything happen to Paul. Promise me.
    Querida, Paul will not be harmed by this evil creature. I have him now, and I will destroy him.
    Paul comes now withyour rifle.
    At once her heart stilled. Rafael was determined to go into battle. He was mortally injured. By all rights he should be dead, not running around hunting for a servant of the undead. She held out her hand for the rifle and Paul tossed it to her. He dropped the mare's reins and swung down, handing her the box of ammunition. "Have you picked up her trail yet?" he asked.
    Colby shook her head. "This man's a skilled tracker. He's brushed out her tracks for a good quarter mile through the brush. I want you to work out the trail, Paul, but it will be dangerous. You'll have to pretend you're me and you'll be the bait. I'll work my way through the brush to get a bead on him. Rafael's hunting him, but he's badly injured and the sun is already up. I can feel how tired he is and how difficult moving is becoming for him."
    "What if she's…" Paul trailed off.
    Colby shook her head as she thumbed shells into the rifle. "She isn't, Paul. Rafael says he's certain she's alive. What about you?" She paused, her gaze meeting his solidly. "Can you resist anything the vampire might have programmed into you?"
    I am with him. It was all Nicolas said, but it was enough to reassure her.
    Paul nodded. "I won't hurt Ginny. Nothing could make me hurt her." He put the canteen strap around his neck. "And Nicolas De La Cruz is in my mind. He's awake, so I guess it will be all right."
    "Take my hat and my long-sleeved shirt. Stay in the brush so he thinks you're me. He has to believe that, Paul, can you do that?"
    Paul took the hat and shirt, frowning as he did so. "You're already burned."
    Colby ignored his comment. "I'm counting on you, then." She took off running, her body low to the ground, using as much available ground cover as she could, working her way north. She knew Ernie was working his way toward her in the hopes of killing or capturing her. He was good, but he made mistakes and one of them was his continual need for nicotine. She could smell the cigarette burning as he smoked it somewhere ahead of her.
    Without long sleeves to protect her arms, branches scratched her skin and, even with the cloud