Page 8 of Fear for Her Life

Jenna blew hair from her eyes and leaned back in the chair. “Oh goody, you mean I don’t get to be locked up in the cells.”

“It’s not too late.” Kane gave her an amused look and then checked his phone. “Jo has uploaded a file to the server. It’s profiles on the three prisoners. The warden also sent a file on the female prison guard.” He looked at his watch. “We have at least two hours, maybe more before the choppers arrive. Do you want to look over these now?”

Jenna shook her head. “We’ll all head to Aunt Betty’s and discuss the files over a meal. I figure having a snack before you leave would be good. I’ll grab some sandwiches and coffee for later as well. You’ll need to keep up your energy if you plan on catching them.”

When they arrived at Aunt Betty’s Café they headed to the reserved table in the back. Rio, Rowley, Wolfe, and Raven had already arrived. She sat down, opened her tablet, and looked at them. “From the report I received from the Blackwater sheriff, the prisoners were heading north along the river. It’s what most people would do if they wanted to avoid getting turned around. So you should be able to pick up their trail if we can estimate how far they’ve traveled.”

“It also gives them access to cabins along the way.” Raven frowned. “If they’re armed, we might be following a trail of dead bodies. They’ll need clothes, food, and weapons.”

“Maybe.” Kane leaned back in his seat, with one hand wrapped around a cup. “The mountain folk tend to shoot first and ask questions later.”

Looking from one to the other, Jenna shrugged. “What if they send in the prison guard? It’s what I’d do in their position. They’d have guns aimed at her back, and she’d know they’d kill her if she slipped up.”

“That’s a valid point.” Rio rubbed his chin. “I’ve been giving this some thought as well. If I were an escaped prisoner, I’d keep walking all night if necessary until I found a safe place to hole up. Raven mentioned the cabins along the river. If they made it there and took down the owner, it’s likely they’d rest up for a short time and then keep moving.” He looked at Jenna. “We might be out in the forest for days. Rowley packed supplies, but will you be okay to ride for so long?”

“You’re not contemplating riding are you, Jenna?” Wolfe raised both eyebrows and his gray eyes flashed concern. “I would certainly advise strongly against it. You could deliver early. Have you thought this through?”

Suddenly the wisdom of Kane’s words struck home and her annoyance with him melted. Lifting her chin, she turned to Rio. “I’m staying at the ranch. Maggie will be in the office and I’ll be coordinating the teams from there or home. Seeing as Souza is on the loose, I’m not risking my son a second time.”

“That’s good to know.” Rio smiled at her.

“Amen to that.” Wolfe blew out a relieved sigh.

EIGHT

After speaking to Nanny Raya, Jenna decided to get a ride home with her and Tauri. Before leaving, she’d pull two M4 carbine semiautomatic rifles from the gun locker and extra clips for the trip. The saferoom at the ranch could be utilized if by chance anyone managed to get through the upgraded security. With its own power supply, backup generators, and solar, the chances of it being breached would be close to impossible. As the group waited for Carter and Jo to arrive, they decided to remain together until they located the prisoners’ tracks and then follow Kane’s plan to split up and surround them. Luckily, Blackhawk had organized two of his cousins to act as trackers for the other teams.

As everyone headed for their vehicles, a pang of regret hit Jenna at being left behind. She watched Kane slip on his liquid Kevlar vest and then pull on a jacket. She wanted to keep the mood upbeat and normal. He hated leaving her alone and she could see how much it concerned him. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Yeah, even spare batteries for the phones.” Kane held her against him and then stared into her eyes. “Call me when you get home. Leave the horses in the corral. They have more grass in there than they can eat in a month. Stay inside the house until I return. I’ll call you at ten every morning and seven at night until we catch them.” He kissed her. “Stay safe, Jenna.” He clicked his fingers. “Come on, Duke.”

She hated seeing him go and stood at the top of the stairs watching him head out of the back door. The office fell so quiet and then the lawyer Samuel J. Cross marched into the foyer with the DA. She leaned over the railing before they reached the counter. “Can I help you?”

“I figure we need to talk.” Sam Cross led the way to her office with the DA close behind.

Jenna sat down behind her desk and waved them to the chairs. “Has something happened?”

“Yes. As you were required to recuse yourself from the case, I questioned the men involved in the carjacking this morning. Mr. Cross has discussed a deal for his clients.” The DA leaned on her desk with his hands clasped in front of him. “What came up in the conversation is something that you need to know. Mr. Cross has spoken to his clients and requested they wave attorney-client privilege as the facts in this case relate specifically to you and your family.”

A shiver of uncertainty skittered down Jenna’s spine. What could a couple of drug addicts and a carjacking racket have to do with her family? “I think you’d better explain.”

“You’d be aware that Eduardo Souza escaped from prison recently?” Sam Cross gave her a direct stare. “Well, according to my clients involved in your abduction and carjacking, they were hired by him to cause a diversion, to ensure your officers were occupied during the escape. They insist they were unaware of the details, but Souza instructed them to stake out your ranch and office to make sure no one headed toward Blackwater, where we now know the escape was planned close to the county line.” He cleared his throat. “When they observed you leaving alone in your vehicle, they decided to tag along. They knew if they could do something to you, it would bring all the deputies from town running in the opposite direction of where the escape was due to take place.”

Shaken, Jenna looked from one to the other. “They followed me?”

“So they say.” The DA let out a long sigh. “They first planned to run you off the road and steal your Mustang, but when you stopped at the gas station, they decided to carjack you. They apparently had an acquaintance in Black Rock Falls who paid cash for stolen vehicles. They called him and arranged to meet him at the Triple Z Roadhouse. I figure you know the rest.”

Astounded, Jenna leaned back in her chair and stared at them. “If they hadn’t given you the name Eduardo Souza, I wouldn’t have believed this in a million years. I can’t believe how he managed to persuade these men to do this to me. One thing is for darn sure, they certainly did cause a massive distraction. Every member of my team, including the medical examiner, came running.” She turned her attention to the DA. “I know they’ve admitted to what they did to me but surely you can charge them with something else? They were involved with the prison break and now we have three serial killers running loose in Stanton Forest.”

“Oh, yes, indeed.” The DA smiled. “I’ll make mention on the charge of carjacking and kidnapping as they cooperated, but I will charge them with aiding and abetting. They’ve admitted that Souza paid them to create a diversion so you wouldn’t be around to respond to the escape.” His mouth turned up into a satisfied smirk. “Both men who kidnapped you will be charged—as will Souza if he’s caught as well. It carries a seven-year sentence.”

Jenna nodded. “And the guy who handed over the cash for my car?”

“Right now receiving stolen property is all we have on him.” The DA stared at her. “Finding his accomplices might be something you can get your teeth into because you’re not directly involved, but Tom Little isn’t talking.”

“He is prepared to plead guilty and will likely get only a fine.” Sam Cross leaned back in his chair and tipped up his cowboy hat. “I know that you’re alone here at the moment, Sheriff, so you might want to put that on the back burner for a time. In my experience most of the chop shops are run by biker gangs. It’s very rare that a carjacking organization actually sells on the vehicles, unless they can get them across the border. They make more money with less risk by selling parts.”

Annoyed by his sudden rush of empathy toward her, Jenna shook her head. “Absolutely not. My team might be out in the forest looking for escaped prisoners but they’ll need a case to work when they return. I can do all the preliminary grunt work while they’re away.”

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