Page 14 of Fear for Her Life

A trickle of sweat ran down Jenna’s spine. The women, both FBI agents, gave out different vibes. She’d known Jo for a long time, and together they’d taken down serial killers without the help of men. It had been easier then. Being almost eight months pregnant and with a young son to care for, she couldn’t go gung ho into danger. Jo had taken in the situation and decided to stand down and wait and see what happened. Beth, on the other hand, was excited and ready to jump in, boots and all. Styles had mentioned she was a little unconventional, even to the point of being eccentric. She had a very dark sense of humor, which popped out in the most inopportune moments, and yet he’d seen her place herself in danger to protect women and children without a second thought.

Undecided about what she should do next, Jenna turned to Beth. “It’s likely they have us outgunned. We have no idea how many shooters are in that chopper. I figure we close the shutters and use the camera array to watch what’s going on outside. My office has a bank of screens. It’s comfortable inside. We’ll need to take turns watching the monitors, but for now we can rely on the perimeter alarms. They go straight to my phone. There’s not a chance anyone is going to sneak up on us.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.” Beth looked at Jo. “Help me close the shutters.”

“No need.” Jo kept her attention on the circling chopper. “Everything is automated.”

Keeping low, Jenna dashed to the control panel beside the front door and hit a button. Metal shutters slid down over the windows. The house was safe. She turned to look at the other two. “If they breach the house, head for the safe room. I’ll leave the door propped open the entire time we are under threat. Once inside there, even if they set fire to the house, we can escape.”

“Unless they drop explosive devices on the roof.” Beth frowned. “If what I’ve read about Eduardo Souza is true, he wouldn’t stop at anything. The only chance we have is that he is using you to lure Kane out into the open. It’s him he really wants, isn’t it?”

Nodding Jenna, turned to look at her. “So it would seem, but why him, when a team of FBI agents were involved in taking him down? It wasn’t just Kane who gave evidence.”

“Souza needs to be taken down permanently.” Beth shrugged. “I hear that Kane doesn’t balk when it comes to taking a shot when necessary.” She flicked a glance at Jo. “It’s a fine line, the one we walk between right and wrong. I’ve worked out my own set of rules since working alongside Styles. In a fight there’s no rules, and if someone draws down on me or tries to stick me with a knife, I aim center mass. I don’t get paid enough to be shot or cut up by criminals.”

“You’ve been through many shootings of late.” Jo’s eyes narrowed as she openly assessed her. “Do you get flashbacks?”

“Nope.” Beth returned her gaze, and they stared at each other like two gunslingers in the O.K. Corral. “The only reruns in my head come from seeing abuse of any kind. People I’ve killed in the line of duty who were trying to end my life don’t deserve my thoughts. Yeah, I remember them, but I don’t lose any sleep over them.” She looked at Jenna. “Kane would be the same, right?”

All Jenna could hear was the chopper overhead and this conversation was going nowhere. She never discussed Kane’s past life or his feelings. “In my team, we prefer to incapacitate than kill. It’s not an order, but we’ve discovered the perps usually have information we can use. They can’t do that when they’re dead.” She sighed, suddenly needing to sit down and rest her aching back. “Would I shoot to kill if those men circling my home came through the door? Yeah, without hesitation. Now, can we figure a way of getting that chopper off our backs?”

“Sure.” Beth headed for the kitchen. “I’ll try and hack the computer onboard the chopper. I did notice a registration number on the side when it turned around. If I can get in, they’ll suddenly be out of fuel.”

Jenna pushed her hair from her eyes and followed her. “Anything to get them away from here.” She walked into the kitchen and placed her rifle on top of the refrigerator. “We can’t forget we have a child in the house. Carry your pistols, by all means, but keep the rifles locked up for now. I have a gun safe in my office and in the safe room. If you want to take them into your bedroom, that’s your choice, but they need to be on top of the closet not out in the open.”

“You don’t need to talk to me about gun safety.” Beth rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “My partner is ex-military police, and although he’s known as a maverick in the FBI, trust me, the MP is never far away.” She sat down at the table and opened her laptop. She cracked her knuckles and went to work.

As the chopper circled in never-ending loops above the house, Jenna took a deep breath to steady her nerves and went to Tauri’s room. “We have pie. Do you want a slice? I have ice cream as well.”

“I like pie.” Tauri looked up from the book he was reading to Nanny Raya. “Is that Uncle Ty flying around?”

Keeping her expression neutral, Jenna sat beside him. “Not this time. They’ll be gone soon, but you’ll see Uncle Ty very soon. He’s with Daddy chasing bad men. He’ll be back in a few days.”

“Okay.” Tauri licked his lips. “Can I have his slice of pie too?”

Smiling, Jenna ruffled his hair. “Maybe after dinner. Okay?”

“Okay.” Tauri closed the book and took off along the passageway to the kitchen.

As Jenna followed him, chatting with Nanny Raya and trying to keep everything normal, the sound of the chopper moved into the distance. In the kitchen, Beth was sitting back in her chair sipping coffee. She raised one eyebrow and looked at her. “The chopper is leaving.”

“Yeah, I found a nice little back door into their computer system.” Beth chuckled. “They’ll have so many warnings flashing, I don’t figure they’ll be back for a time.”

Shaking her head in amazement, Jenna sunk into a chair and turned to her. “When we met Bobby Kalo, the computer black hat hacker, I figured he was the best, but you have skills I’ve never heard of before.”

“Never underestimate Kalo.” Beth reached for a slice of the pie Jo was pushing onto plates. “He’s evolving faster than I ever imagined. We’ve worked together on many cases and he’s darn good. You’re lucky to have him on your team.” She chuckled. “I guess me and Styles are on your team now.”

The woman was smart—there was no denying that—but did she take orders? Could she trust her to have her back? There were so many questions that needed answering and Jenna’s sixth sense insisted she act with caution around Beth. She’d liked Styles’ no-nonsense efficiency and selfless courage at once, but the way Beth Katz’s eyes flashed sometimes told her there was more to her than met the eye. She’d talk to Kane and maybe Jo later, but for now, she needed an extra person to keep Tauri safe and would give her the benefit of the doubt. She looked at Beth. “So it would seem.”

FIFTEEN

STANTON FOREST

Hearing voices, Serena froze. A man and woman were heading her way. Relief flooded her for a few seconds before she caught a better look of the woman. She’d seen her calling out to Grandpa before he’d sent her out to collect eggs. There must have been something about the people that concerned him. He’d never told her to wait to make sure they’d left before she returned. On occasion, lost hunters dropped by for directions and she’d thought nothing of it until she’d heard the shot.

She recalled seeing blood on the woman’s face, but now she’d cleaned herself and wore one of Grandpa’s jackets. The woman didn’t look happy. Black bruises covered one cheek and she walked with a limp. As they came closer, panic gripped her and she urged Thunderbolt deeper into the forest. Tree branches caught in her hair and smacked painfully against her cheeks as they moved along a narrow pathway. Thunderbolt seemed to understand her anxiety and had been as quiet as a mouse, his ears twisting this way and that as if listening for danger. She stroked his silken neck and, keeping her voice to a whisper, talked softly to him, urging him on. Hidden in the dense forest, she turned to watch the couple walk by. No one else followed. The men had split up, and now she didn’t know which way to go. They wouldn’t return to the cabin, not now they’d killed Grandpa. She wanted to go back to the cabin and use the CB radio but had gotten turned around so many times she’d never find her way home. Hungry and tired, tears wet her cheeks.Which way do I go?

Heartsore for her grandpa, she lay on the horse’s neck and sobbed. She couldn’t believe those horrible men had killed him for nothing. The sight of him being dragged to the pigpen had stuck in her brain and she couldn’t stop seeing it. The way they’d laughed as if he meant nothing. Someone must be in the forest she could go to for help, but she hadn’t heard gunshots from hunters close by. The forest was unusually quiet, as if the birds knew something was terribly wrong.

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