Page 7 of Fear for Her Life

“Okay and I always protect Tauri, but I’ll step it up.”Nanny Raya was inside the kindergarten by the sound of the kids in the background.“I’ll volunteer to help out today and I’ll call to confirm when we’re home this afternoon. I’ll be there by two. Tauri won’t leave my sight and I’m armed.”

Glad they had her to protect Tauri, Jenna ran a hand down her face. “Thank you, Raya. See you tonight.” She waited for Kane to disconnect and then looked at him. “I didn’t consider Souza as an immediate threat. I figured he’d be more concerned about leaving the state than coming after us again.”

“We have no idea what plan he cooked up in prison.” Kane flicked her a glance and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Never underestimate a cartel boss. Their numbers breed like rats and every member lives in fear of being killed. He pays them well to risk their lives and they’ll face any danger to complete their task. We took down most of his henchmen, but others would be coming along to take their place, and all as sadistic and ruthless as him. No matter how many of those vermin we catch, there’s always more of them. Now he’s back in charge and we’re all in danger—again.” He ran a hand down his face.

Unable to push away the feeling of emptiness and hopelessness she’d experienced when Souza kidnapped Kane and Tauri, a sudden terrible thought struck her. Her fingers trembled as she looked at the list of escaped prisoners. “You don’t figure Souza organized this escape to get us hunting down the prisoners in the forest so we’d be away from the protection of our home and office, do you?”

“It’s possible.” Kane’s mouth turned down. “I wouldn’t put it past him to recruit notorious serial killers to do his work for him. He’s already broken them out of prison, he’d likely offer them safe refuge once the job was done, a new identity, and money. It would sure beat spending the rest of your life in prison. I mean, killing us would just be sport to them.”

A rush of fear sent goosebumps running up Jenna’s arms. “Now I guess you’re going to tell me that I can’t get involved with the search. I might be waddling around, but my brain is working just fine. You know darn well I’ll be able to find these men.”

“The only way you’d be safe without me around is if I’d locked you in a jail cell.” Kane drove into the back entrance to the sheriff’s office and parked in his usual spot. “I’m not letting you out of my sight today. Raya’s truck has bulletproof glass, and I had the door panels reinforced. She should be fine driving back to the ranch today, but until we catch them, Tauri is staying home where it’s safe, and so should you.”

Uncomprehending, Jenna stared at him. “I’m not staying at the ranch.”

“Yes, you are.” He climbed out and opened the back door to lift Duke down from the back seat and gave her a long look. “How do you plan on trekking through the forest at almost eight months pregnant? You understand the conditions out there and we’ll be moving fast on horseback.” He ran a hand through his hair and then pushed on his black Stetson. “I’m seriously considering locking you in a jail cell.” He scratched his cheek slowly and stared at her for a long few seconds as if making up his mind what to say next. “Will youpleasestay home with Tauri and Nanny Raya? You can oversee everything from there.”

Anger flared and Jenna slid from the truck, gathered her things, and then whirled around to face him. “Absolutely not.”

SIX

STANTON FOREST

Terror shuddered through Serena Lee as two men wearing prison garb dragged her grandfather’s blood-soaked body past the chicken coop. As the heels of his boots dug a double trail into the soft ground on the way to the pigpen, she wanted to scream and run to him, but from his fixed blank eyes, he was long past help. When he’d sent her outside to avoid the visitors, the gunshot had startled her and sent chickens scattering in all directions, with some flying into the forest. Familiar with the sound of a shotgun, the single crack of a pistol put her on alert but if it hadn’t been for the voices, she’d have walked right into the prisoners ransacking her grandpa’s house.

Shocked, the realization of the danger hit her like a hammer. She would be next. Her only hope of escaping to safety would be to remain as quiet as possible. Her mom had told her about bad men and what they could do. The images of Grandpa flashed through her mind. He’d want her to be brave. She tried hard not to cry and pressed her fist into her mouth. The two men would be coming back and they’d hear her sobs for sure. Knees trembling, Serena backed into the coop. Heart thundering in her chest, she hunched down to make herself as small as possible and then duckwalked into the farthest corner of the coop. The men walked past again, laughing and joking as if killing someone were as normal as eating apple pie. As the footsteps disappeared, she stood slowly. If they found her, they’d kill her as well. She must go for help. It would be dark soon and riding was her only chance to survive these lunatics.

Wearing only jeans and a light top, she wouldn’t survive a night in the mountains even in late spring. The drop in temperature was substantial overnight. In desperation, she went to the door of the chicken coop, and after making sure no one was around, she dashed across the open ground and into the barn. Heart pounding, she leaned against the door panting. Her legs trembled but Grandpa’s words drifted into her mind.If bad men come here, run and get help.

Panic gripped her but she nodded.I can do this.Inside, a horse her grandpa used to drag fallen logs back to the cabin stood dozing in its stall. The horse wasn’t usually ridden as Grandpa had a truck to get into town. She stared at the truck and then shook her head. At ten years old, she couldn’t risk driving it, but she could ride and she’d made friends with the horse. Fighting back tears, she took the tack hanging on a peg beside the stall and, speaking quietly to the horse, she pushed the halter over its ears. “Good boy, Thunderbolt.”

Listening for voices close by, she grabbed her grandfather’s thick jacket from the peg and took two feedbags and filled them with bottled water from the supplies in the barn, a few cans of food, a can opener, a Zippo, and a horse blanket. She tied the tops with a length of twine and attached them to a leading rein. She swallowed hard. Getting to the next cabin would be a problem if Thunderbolt decided he didn’t want her to ride him. As a retired rodeo horse, he’d had enough of people riding him and was currently enjoying his retirement. She considered the direction the prisoners had come from and where they might be heading. It would be likely they’d keep heading in the same direction away from the highway.

Holding back sobs of distress, Serena tossed the bags across the horse’s neck and led him to a bale of hay. Using it to help her reach his broad back, she climbed on Thunderbolt. She ran her hand down his silky neck and spoke to him softly. She often brought him apples and carrots as a treat, and maybe he’d remember her kindness. “Okay, let’s go.” She squeezed her legs rather than kicking him in the ribs and to her surprise he moved out of the stall and headed for the forest.

As she rode away as slowly as possible, agonizing screams came from the cabin. She hadn’t seen a woman, but there could be no doubt the men had captured one. Men’s voices raised and laughter echoed through the night. She urged Thunderbolt on, trying to block out the misery behind her, but images of her grandpa’s staring eyes haunted her thoughts. Teeth chattering with shock, the knowledge her grandpa’s body would be devoured by the pigs made her sick to her stomach. Trying hard to find her way, she took a trail Grandpa went along to drive to the highway. It followed the edge of the mountain, and dark shadows cut across sunlit paths, playing tricks with her eyes. Without warning, Thunderbolt reared, his ears flat against his head. The horse danced around on his back legs, and then shot off at tremendous speed. She clung to his mane for dear life as the horse dashed through the forest with little regard to who was on his back. Behind her, the sound of a bear roaring came over the noise of thundering hooves. They galloped, skimming around the trees, and shot past the next cabin. Hanging around Thunderbolt’s neck, all Serena could do was hold on tight. The horse kept bolting and she could do nothing to stop him. Eventually he slowed and stood, his chest heaving. As the horse scanned the forest, his head high and ears twitching, a tremble went through him. Serena rubbed his neck and spoke in soothing tones. His ears twisted as if listening to her and then he moved off, weaving through trees, until they reached the banks of the river. At a sandy riverbank, Thunderbolt waded into the water and drank his fill.

Unfamiliar with this part of the forest, Serena tried to get her bearings. Her grandpa had told her stories about the early settlers in the area. Most of the people built cabins close to the river. A long time ago, when they erected them, they didn’t consider the problems of drinking water from a flowing creek. Nowadays people filtered water or sterilized it by using a simple pill. So to find help, she’d need to follow the river. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but the determination to get to a phone and notify the sheriff burned in her. Serena patted Thunderbolt’s neck. He’d allowed her to ride him and saved her life. At no time had he attempted to buck her from his back. The image of her grandpa’s empty staring eyes had stuck in her mind. She’d seen what those men had done to him, and there was no way she’d let them get away with it.

SEVEN

At the office Jenna and Kane worked the phones, trying to get everyone on the same page. Getting special agents to drop everything and come at once would be difficult. Katz and Styles had assisted her in the past, and Jo and Carter were close friends, but they’d all agreed in seconds and would be on their way soon. After speaking with the governor, he’d already liaised with the DOC and had the highway patrol setting roadblocks within her county on both sides of the bus wreck. With two of the prisoners potentially armed, they could easily steal a vehicle from one of the local residents in the forest and be heading along the highway. The other local counties would have roadblocks set up on the borders, and help would come as soon as it could be organized.

As she disconnected, she overheard Kane talking on a call to Atohi Blackhawk. A family member via their son, Tauri, Blackhawk was a close friend and a superb tracker. She looked over at Kane. The talk was about horses. He’d just returned from the ranch with the horse trailer.

“Yeah, that sounds fine. I’ve only brought Warrior. Seagull gets spooked too easy.” Kane smiled across the desk at her. “Thanks. I appreciate you.” He disconnected.

Raising her eyebrows, Jenna looked at him. “What was that all about and why didn’t you bring Seagull? I’ll need to ride her.”

“Atohi is bringing along the extra horses and wanted to know how many we’d need.” Kane stretched out his long legs. “Seagull is an Arab, who dances and gets spooked by falling leaves. You must admit she’s not really suitable for sneaking up on escaped prisoners, is she?” Kane shook his head. “Blackhawk says his horses are bombproof.” He gave her a long look. “The other reason I didn’t bring her is because you need to stay home and protect our son, Jenna.”

Rolling her eyes, she stared at him. “You want me to stay home when we have an FBI agent as a nanny?”

“Yes, I’m sure Wolfe will advise you chasing down serial killers on horseback isn’t safe for a pregnant woman in the third trimester. Seagull is a handful at the best of times and I’m concerned about what might happen out there. To be perfectly honest, I don’t want you delivering our baby in the forest with three serial killers on the loose.” He sighed. “For once, run the case from the office, delegate, and organize. Leave the grunt work to us.”

Of course Kane was right, but she’d been coping well with the extra weight, apart from the backache and swollen ankles. She did have the option to sit this one out and stay home with Tauri and Nanny Raya. She clicked her pen and stared at him, seeing only concern in his eyes as she made her decision. “Okay, I’ll stay here or at home.”

“Good. Blackhawk is bringing along a packhorse as well. I’ll spread out the supplies and extra ammo to lighten our load.” Kane stood and bent to kiss her on the forehead. “Now everything is planned. Wolfe is bringing extra com packs if we need them. Rowley and Rio have packed everything we need into our backpacks. As soon as the FBI teams arrive, we’ll be leaving. Once they’re thirty minutes out, I’ll get Tauri and drop you home.”

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