Page 120 of Counter Attack

If you turn around, what can you see?

A minute passed. Alex grabbed her body armor and slipped it on while she dialed Nathan. It went straight to voice mail. He was still in court. If he was on the witness stand, he wouldn’t check his messages until a break. She dashed off a text telling him Kayla was in trouble at the cave, and she was going to her.

Alex hurried out of the office, telling Marge to send every available deputy to Bear Tail Cave. Then she dialed Mark as she jogged to her SUV. “Where are you?”

“The south end of the county. Why?”

“Phame kidnapped Nathan’s dispatcher, Kayla Jackson, andI think he took her to the cave at Eagle Ridge. She managed to escape from him. I’m on my way and need backup.”

“Roger that, but it’ll take a good half hour to reach the cave from here. Call Nathan. He’ll back you up.”

“He’s in court and not answering.”

“I’ll call the other deputies and head them that way.”

A text from Kayla dinged, and she put him on speaker while she checked the text.

Stone bridge

“From her description, she’s definitely at the cave. Meet me there. And have everyone come in silent with no flashing lights.” Alex disconnected and texted Kayla.

Stay where you are. Be there soon.

She texted Nathan again to meet her at the cave when he got out of court.

Half an hour of nail-biting twists and turns and worry on the winding road. She gripped the steering wheel at ten and two. If Phame killed Kayla, it would be all Alex’s fault.

She parked her SUV half a mile from the cave entrance and texted Kayla.

I’m here. Where are you?

No answer.

Alex silenced her phone and climbed out. She scanned the area, her senses on alert for anything that might indicate where she’d find Kayla.

Rain from the weekend left everything clean but earthy smelling. The sun quickly made her want to take off the body armor, but she discarded that thought as quickly as it came. Alex turned in a slow circle, looking for anything that might give her Kayla’s location.

Birds twittered in the dense undergrowth. A shadow raced across the area, prickling her skin, and she looked up. A turkey vulture circled overhead. She shivered.

Alex checked her phone again. Nothing. Why didn’t Kayla respond? What if Phame had captured her?

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Nathan stepped out of the witness box, thankful to be finished early. He opened his phone to take off “Do Not Disturb” and frowned.

Alexis had called twice, left a voice mail, and texted. He listened to the message first, and his heart sank at the news that Kayla had been kidnapped and might be at the cave. But it made him even sicker that Alexis was on the way to rescue her. The text was a forward from Kayla, describing where she was.

He started to call Alexis and thought better of it, texting instead.

Where are you?

At the cave.

On my way.

His phone rang before he could pocket it. Madden. “What do you have?”

“My friend at the DNA lab came through with a match for Denton’s mother, a Mary Margaret Wilson.”

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