Page 27 of Deadly Revenge

“Gotcha!” Marge’s thumbs-up was accompanied with a look of concern. “You okay?”

Evidently she wasn’t, but Jenna wasn’t about to admit it. Shegave Marge a slow nod, then chuckled. “I must be getting old—late nights like last night never bothered me before.”

“I know what you mean,” Marge said with a wry grin.

Jenna turned to Max just as his phone rang. He held up a finger. “I need to get this.”

“Why don’t you meet me at my house?”

“That sounds good. Text me the address,” he said and punched the answer button.

She would as soon as she got her phone. Instead she wrote it on a sticky note and handed it to him.

Ten minutes later, Jenna parked her SUV in her drive and climbed out. She glanced up the road, figuring Max would be right behind her, but he wasn’t. Hopefully he would arrive by the time she grabbed her phone. Jenna jogged to her front porch and skidded to a stop, her heart flying to her throat.

The front door was cracked a couple of inches. Sweat formed on her palms, and she swiped them down her pants. Jenna could’ve sworn she shut the front door and locked it.

She unsnapped the strap over her gun and hesitated. Backup. The last time she hadn’t waited for backup, she’d almost died. But her phone was inside the house, and this wasn’t Chattanooga where break-ins happened every day. Pearl Springs was relatively safe.

Tell that to the two men who died yesterday.

Footsteps inside the house kicked her into action. She yanked her gun from the holster and kicked the door wide open as she entered. “Police!”

Jenna whipped to the side and swept the gun around the living room. Empty. The back door slammed.

She raced down the hall through the small dining area and burst into the kitchen, her nerve endings screaming something was off.

The back door was open.No!She’d heard it slam.

The intruder was in the kitchen. It was a trap.

She turned, and pain to the base of her neck sent Jenna crumpling to the floor and fighting to stay conscious.

A voice penetrated the haze, the words garbled. The voice ... she’d heard it before ... Sebastian? Her world turned dark as unconsciousness claimed her.

15

Max followed the GPS out of Pearl Springs to the county road in the address Jenna had given him. The conversation with the assistant director in Nashville had taken longer than he expected. She’d wanted to discuss with him that someone had leaked the information that Harrison Carter had received a threatening letter to the press. From her questions, he judged she was trying to make sure he hadn’t been the one to leak the information.

He hadn’t. The bureau would probably start receiving messages from some of the loonies out there confessing they were responsible. Crazy or not, someone would have to investigate every tip, but thankfully it wouldn’t be him.

Max glanced at the numbers on the mailboxes. Jenna’s house should be coming up soon. He spotted her SUV before the voice coming from his GPS told him he’d reached his destination and pulled in behind it.

He frowned at the open front door as he climbed the steps to the porch. Even though she knew he was coming, he hadn’t expected the door to be open. Max pulled his Glock and stepped inside. He cocked his head, listening. No sound anywhere. Methodically,he cleared the house room by room until he came to the kitchen. Jenna lay face down on the floor. His heart stuttered.

Max dialed 911 while he made sure no one hid in the pantry, then he checked the back door. Shut and locked. Once he was assured an ambulance was on the way, he holstered his gun and texted Alex before he knelt beside Jenna.

The small rise and fall of her back assured him she was alive. Max gently turned her over. She didn’t appear to have been shot, but he didn’t like how pale she was. “Jenna! Can you hear me?”

No response. He felt her wrist for a pulse. A little fast, but strong. Gently he probed her head. Only a slight bump on her forehead where she’d hit the floor. Had she just fainted?

Her eyes fluttered open, and he’d never been so happy to see those blue eyes. Especially since both pupils were the same size, although slightly dilated. Her gaze connected with his, and she stiffened.

“You’re okay,” he said. “What happened?”

“Max?” She blinked a couple of times, and color returned to her face.

“Yep. Do you remember what happened?” Jenna struggled to get up, and he put his hand on her shoulder. “Be still—an ambulance is on the way.”

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