BAD DEEDS: A Dylan Hunter Thriller (Dylan Hunter Thrillers) by Robert Bidinotto Page A

For an instant, it seemed that the sound had come from this side of the door.
    “I’m coming, Luna!” She scraped around for the keyhole. “Just a minute!”
    “Maaowwww!”
    It startled her. It was definitely from somewhere behind her. She straightened and turned.
    Luna was huddled on the bottom step, face turned up to her. “Meooowww!”
    She was stunned.
    “ Luna! What are you doing out here?” She walked over to the steps and crouched down to her.
    “What did you say?” Dylan called out.
    “Dylan, you won’t believe this!” she said, picking up the cat. “Luna is outside!”
    “What?” He set down the wine bottle in his hand on the seat and came trotting over. Then stopped and stared in disbelief. “What the hell?”
    “She’s shivering , the poor little thing! She must be half frozen!”
    Dylan continued to stare. Then looked past her, toward the cabin.
    “God knows how long she’s been out here, Dylan,” she said. “Luna, how in the world did you get outside? We’ve got to get you inside and warmed up.”
    She turned back toward the stairs.
    His big hand on her shoulder stopped her.
    “How did she get outside?” he said quietly.
    She turned to him. His eyes were still staring past her, at the dark front window of the cabin.
    “This makes no sense,” he said softly. “The cabin is completely air tight. No openings anywhere. I make sure of that, to keep animals out. And I checked all the windows before we left. As I always do. There’s no way she could have gotten out.”
    He paused, and she saw something change in his eyes.
    “Not without help,” he added.
    The sudden chill in his voice matched the night air. It sent a small tremor through her.
    “Move back to the car,” he commanded, smoothly opening his overcoat and jacket with his left hand. In an instant the Sig appeared in his right.
    They retreated quickly toward the Camry. He walked backward, left hand on her shoulder, the pistol in his right, his cold eyes never leaving the cabin door. When they reached the car, he guided her around to the driver’s side and opened the door.
    “Get in, put Luna on the back seat, and get the car running. Then lower the window so we can continue to talk,” he said, still watching the cabin. She did. “Now reach into the glove compartment and hand me the flashlight … Okay, fetch the Beretta from under the driver’s seat. That one’s for you.”
    “Dylan, what are we doing?”
    “I have to check out the cabin. I think the odds of anyone still being in there are small. But just in case, you keep the pistol and your cell phone in your lap. Don’t call me; that’s a distraction. I’ll call you once I’m inside and have cleared the place. But if things go sideways—”
    “Dylan!”
    “—you get the hell out of here, fast. You do not wait for me, and you do not come inside. No matter what. Remember, we’ve discussed these kinds of scenarios before. I have to focus, and the last thing I need is the distraction of worrying about where you are. Which could get us both killed. Got that? No matter what . ”
    She knew that switch had flipped on inside of him again. His eyes gazed hard and unblinking into the distance. She swallowed. “I understand.”
    “Okay. Good. This could take a few minutes.” He sent the briefest smile her way, then continued to watch the dwelling. “Don’t worry, Annie Woods. I’m good at this sort of thing, you know.” He reached inside with his left hand and touched her cheek. Before she could seize his hand, he withdrew it and moved away.
     
    Old training and long-time experience kicked in. Hunter knew that the first thing he had to do was check the exterior perimeter. He was pretty sure that if anyone were armed in the woods, they probably would have been attacked already. Still …
    He moved forward in a slight crouch, the left side of his body angled forward. He held the flashlight in his left hand, underneath and parallel to the barrel of the Sig, that