Page 62 of Cold Case Discovery

He gave a little nod. He took a step toward the cave entrance but then looked back at her and Jack. “Sorry, Chlo,” he said, before Jen pushed him out the crevice of the entrance.

It was funny. She almost believed he was.

But what she didn’t believe was that he’d help.

Chapter Twenty

Jack knew better than to count on Ry going against his mother’s wishes and helping them out of this mess, but he hoped for Chloe’s sake Ry might mess up his assignment somehow. If he ran into Zeke or Carlyle back at that campground, they’d surely see through him. They’d retrace his steps.

Or, if he had even an ounce of intelligence, he’d use the flare in the pack and really help them.

But Jack wouldn’t depend on Ry to fix this for them. He and Chloe would have to devise a plan. One that took into account that his family was out there and would start looking for them. All they had to do was stay alive past four o’clock.

“Do you think he’s actually going to listen?” Courtney asked Jen in a low voice, but in the cave, it carried over to him and Chloe.

“He knows what happens to him if he doesn’t,” Jen replied darkly.

“What if—”

“That boy is acoward. Always has been. Always will be. Besides, we have secret weapons. Somanysecrets. Let’s go show them one.” She turned her attention from Courtney to Jack and Chloe. “You’re going to turn around. You’re going to start walking. And you’re not going to stop until I tell you to.”

Jack shared a look with Chloe. It was two against two now, and going deeper in the cave was only asking for trouble when it was clear Jen’s plan was to kill them. Why keep giving her easier and easier ways to get away with it?

“I don’t think we will, Jen.”

Chloe inhaled sharply, but she nodded. She moved so that they stood shoulder to shoulder, facing Jen and Courtney and eyeing the cave exit behind them. All they had to do was get past them without getting shot.

Without gettingfatallyshot, really. He knew Chloe wouldn’t appreciate it, but ifhedrew both their gunfire, she could get past them. Get out. Maybe there’d be a chance. Oh, she wouldn’t thank him for that. She’d end up beating herself up for it, especially if he did get fatally wounded.

But she’d be alive.

“You will because if you recall,I’vegot the upper hand.Allof the upper hands. You do what I say.”

“So we can die the way you want us to?” Chloe shook her head. “Pass.”

“Pass?” Jen replied, then she laughed. High-pitched and out of control. “Pass, she says. Oh, Chloe, you did not inheritanyof the Rogers family smarts, did you?”

“I hope to God not.”

Jen was aiming her gun at Chloe now, and Jack knew he needed to do something. Intervene before she ended up dead here in this dark damn cave. Not on his watch.

“It seems to me this only works out for you if we follow what you say. I don’t think we have much interest in this working out for you, so I guess we’re at an impasse. I guess you’ll have to shoot us.” He tried to angle his body so he was in front of Chloe, but she was doing the same thing to him.

He wanted to tell her to quit it, wanted to shove her out of the way, which distracted him enough that he wasn’t giving Jen the attention he should have been.

“As you wish,” Jen replied with a shrug. Then he didn’t have a chance to so much as blink. Jen must have pulled the trigger as she lifted the gun. The pain that blasted through his shoulder was more shock than the sound of the gun going off.

CHLOEFORGOTEVERYTHINGin that moment. Every minute of training, every potential threat around them. She only saw Jack stumble back and blood bloom on his shoulder, and she leaped for him.

She looked around wildly for something to stop the bleeding and came up with nothing.Nothing.

“I’m okay. It’s okay,” he said, but he did not sound like himself. He was in pain. He had beenshot.

“It’s not okay,” she returned, pulling the hem of her shirt into as much of a ball as she could and pressing it to his shoulder.

His hissed out a pained breath. “Trying to convince myself here, Chloe.” He swore once, twice. He didn’t sit still, moving around as if trying to find some comfortable position, even though abullethad passed through his shoulder.

“Stop moving. I have to put pressure on it. I have to—” The yank at her hair took her by surprise because she’d let panic and worry andloveblind her to the imminent threat. She fell back as Jen stepped forward.

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