The Healer Read Free Page B

him pause. As he did, the dog that was with him suddenly yelped as if it had been shot, then pivoted and bolted back into the trees. Obviously, the dog had smelled the cougar. Too bad the man’s olfactory senses were not as keen. It might save him some trouble.
    When the dog bolted, he heard the hunter curse softly. For a moment, he thought the man was going to leave, too. Instead, he watched as the hunter raised his weapon and fired straight at Jonah’s bedroll.
    Jonah flinched, but didn’t move. At least now he had an answer. The end of the tranq dart was sticking out of the bedroll at the place where his chest would have been.
    The hunter lowered the weapon and swaggered toward the bedroll, then used the barrel to lift the covers. His posture changed when he realized the bedroll was empty.
    “What the—”
    Jonah stepped out of the shadows.
    “You missed.”
    Barrett jerked as if he was the one who’d been shot. He was already scrambling to reload his rifle with another tranquilizer dart as Jonah emerged.
    “Stand back!” Barrett shouted, as he shoved the dart into the chamber and swung the rifle straight at Jonah’s chest. “It’s nothing personal, buddy, but a million-dollar bounty is too good to pass up.”
    “You’re never going to collect it,” Jonah said.
    Barrett grinned. “I’ve got a rifle here that says otherwise.”
    Suddenly the cougar on the rock ledge above their heads made itself known with a scream that ripped through the night. Jonah had heard it before, yet it never failed to raise the hair on the back of his neck.
    Barrett jumped back in panic as he looked up and saw the cougar. Cursing wildly, he swung the rifle toward the cat and was about to pull the trigger when Jonah spoke.
    “You shoot that cat, and I will kill you.”
    Barrett shuddered, then nervously swung the rifle back to Jonah. As he did, the cat shifted position, readying to pounce.
    “You shoot me, and the cat will kill you,” Jonah added.
    Barrett was sweating profusely beneath his hunting gear.
    “Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!” he yelled.
    The cat snarled warningly.
    Barrett was shaking. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go. Suddenly the million dollars wasn’t as appealing as it had been. He swallowed nervously and wished he’d left with the dog. Even though it was dark, there was just enough moonlight for him to see the cougar’s powerful haunches and big head. Picturing the teeth and claws that came with it, he took a shaky step backward while thinking he needed to regroup. He lowered his rifle.
    “Look. I’m leaving now. No hard feelings…okay?”
    “Sorry, but I have all kinds of hard feelings,” Jonah said. “How do I know you won’t come back and try again?”
    The answer died in Barrett’s throat as the cougar suddenly leaped down from the ledge. When it crouched beside Jonah and fixed Barrett with a motionless stare, he began moving backward.
    “No, no, oh, God…don’t let it get me. Please, don’t let it get me!”
    “What’s your name?” Jonah asked.
    “Chock Barrett.”
    “So. Barrett. You need to shut up now.”
    Barrett obeyed. He was too scared to argue. Long silent moments passed while his gut tied itself into a knot. He was promising God and himself that he would be a changed man if he could just get out of this mess alive and in one piece.
    Jonah pointed to the gun.
    “Toss the weapon,” he said.
    Barrett tossed it toward the bedroll. “Now can I go?”
    “Empty your pockets,” Jonah said.
    Barrett dumped the rest of the loaded darts beside the rifle.
    “Everything,” Jonah said.
    Barrett started tossing things out, but he wasn’t pitching his car keys, no matter what.
    “That’s all. Now can I go? I won’t tell anyone where you are. I swear.”
    “You lie,” Jonah said softly, and stomped on all the darts until they were in pieces.
    Barrett began to beg. “I didn’t know…they said the animals protected you, but I didn’t think—” He shuddered.