Page 67 of Jina

“Detective Cole Roberts?” He recognized Brookland police officer Howard scowling at him. “I need to talk to you.”

“Not now.” He went around Howard and his cohort Tyson to head back inside the gym. Jina had been there, but now she was gone.

What were they missing?

He found Mike sitting at his desk. “I need to know the names of everyone who’d been inside when the shooting started.”

“I already told you that,” Mike said, looking defeated. “It was a slow day. Those guys in the locker room were the only ones here. Oh, and Jeff Klapper too.”

“And you’re sure there wasn’t anyone else?” It was all he could do not to scream at the gym owner. “If you were in your office, how would you know who was out there and who wasn’t?”

“I checked them in, then when there was a lull in the action, I came back here.” Mike gestured to the computer. “I mentioned before that I have a camera that shows me when someone comes inside.”

“Roll the video,” Cole said. “And hurry.”

“Sure.” Mike tapped a few keys, bringing the video up on the screen. He went back to the time before the shooting, then hit the play button.

Cole watched as one guy, then another came into the gym. Then he saw Duncan. “Stop the video. You didn’t mention Duncan.”

“Oh yeah. Well, he works here and gets the perk of a free gym membership.” Mike frowned. “He’s not usually here so early, though.”

Alarm bells went off in the back of Cole’s mind. “Fast-forward the video, see if he leaves the gym through the front door.”

Mike did so, then sat back in his chair with a dazed expression on his face. “Duncan didn’t leave out the front. And he wasn’t in the locker room either.”

Cole was already turning away. Duncan was their shooter, and he had Jina.

There wasn’t much time left to find them.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Why are you doing this, Duncan?” Jina shot him a quick glance, then turned her attention to the road before them. He’d forced her behind the wheel at gunpoint, then tossed her weapon outside the car once they’d left the strip mall.

They were in a white Dodge minivan that had been parked right in plain sight in front of the strip mall. It wasn’t the black Honda she and Cole had tried to find. Considering how Duncan had swapped vehicles, she feared Cole, Rhy, and the rest of her team would never find her.

“You don’t recognize me at all, do you?” Duncan’s tone was conversational, but his intent was not. He held the weapon aimed at her side where he could easily shoot her if necessary.

Recognize him? “No, I’m sorry, I don’t.” She risked another glance. “I assume we met somewhere besides the gym.”

“You could say that. Turn right. Head to the freeway.”

Heading to the freeway was the last thing she wanted to do, it would only put more miles between her and the rest of her team. How long would it take for them to figure out Duncan had taken her a gunpoint?

Too long. There was no point in waiting for them. She’d need to rescue herself.

“Duncan, I’m sorry I don’t remember you. Why not tell me where we met?” She gripped the steering wheel tightly. “You’re going to kill me anyway, so what’s the harm?”

“Think, Jina.” His voice was a low hiss. “I did everything for you, supported you in every way possible, and you left me without a second thought.”

Left him? Then the memory clicked. Her friend Jaxon Palmer. The guy who’d tried to convince her to move to Nashville with him. Risking a quick glance at him, she noted the resemblance. The scars and beard had changed his appearance to a certain degree.

“Jaxon, I’m sorry.” She worked to keep her tone even, despite the anger building within. He had done all of this because she’d considered him a friend, but not someone she loved enough to move across the country for? What was wrong with him? Besides the obvious. “I didn’t want to leave my sister, Shelly. Certainly, you can understand that.”

“You’ve always been selfish, thinking only about yourself.” He sounded disgusted with her. “You have no idea the things I did for you.”

“I don’t understand. We were friends. We hung out together.” She had no idea what he meant but figured it was best to keep him talking. She didn’t know where he’d planned to take her but understood she needed to make her move prior to getting there. Too bad they were driving the minivan rather than her Jeep.

Wrecking it was her only option. Even that was risky, Duncan—or rather Jaxon—could squeeze the trigger, killing her as she stomped on the brake and wrenched the wheel. Regardless, she wouldn’t do that until he told her to get off the interstate. She found herself praying she wouldn’t take any innocent lives with her in her attempt to escape.

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