Page 61 of Shine On Oklahoma

Dax ran after her, radio in hand, “Kendra’sgoing in! I can’t stop her!” Then he jammed its clip onto his jeansand ran faster.

Kendra was at the front door. She slammedinto it with her shoulder, and smashed right through. She had a gunin her hand when Dax burst in behind her. The two men stood therewith their hands up, because Kendra was pointing her gun at them,more specifically, at the suit-wearing slick’s head. “Twitch andyou die,” Kendra said.

There was a handgun on a nearby wooden table.Dax moved inside and picked it up.

“Cut Jack loose,” Kendra shouted. “I thinkhe’s suffocating!”

Dax went to Jack. He wasn’t conscious. Hisface had shifted from purple to blue-gray. They must’ve used thewhole damn roll of duct tape wrapping him to the chair. Quickly, hetook out a pocketknife and started slicing through all that tape.Others started to come in, but stopped in the doorway when theyunderstood the situation.

Jimmy Corona crowded through and came upbeside Kendra. “Put the gun down now. I’ve got this,” he said.

“Where the hell is my sister, Caine?” He saidnothing, so she moved the gun to the other guy, the redheadedmuscle. “You. Talk. Where is Kiley?”

The thug didn’t answer so she dropped the gunbarrel low and shot him in the foot. Everybody jumped or yelled.Phil screamed and grabbed his foot, blood oozing through his shoeand around his hand.

“Try again,” Kendra said. “Where is mysister?”

Chief Jimmy put a hand on her arm.

“You don’t me, Chief, but believe me when Itell you that if you touch me again and I’ll blow his headoff.”

He took his hand away.

“Where is my sister?”

“She got away,” the bleeding thug said.

“Then why does her watch say she’s stillhere?”

“Watch,” he repeated it as if he’d only justthen figured out something important.

Someone outside yelled, “Found her watch. Shehid it in the outhouse.”

“Clever little bitch,” the bleeding thugsaid.

Kendra shot him in his other foot. The ChiefJimmy grabbed her arm and wrenched the weapon from her hands. Daxyanked her free of him and got in Jimmy’s face. “That’senough!”

One of Jimmy’s co-cops went to the thug whowas writhing on the floor, while Dax held Kendra back. “I hope younever walk again, you worthless waste of oxygen.”

Someone was on the radio, calling for help.Doc Sophie was doing CPR on Jack, who was on his back on the floor.His duct tape had been sliced down both sides and Darryl Champlainwas peeling it off him while trying to stay out of his wife’s way.There was a bandage wrapped tight around his thigh.

Kendra looked that way, and then she tippedher head back and howled at the ceiling in agony and rage.

Dax turned her toward him, hugged her to hischest, his big hands in her hair, stroking and cradling. “It’sokay, it’s okay. She got away.”

“We’ve gotta find her,” she cried against hischest. Then she picked her head up, and gazed up into his eyes.“It’s getting dark. We’ve gottafindher!”

CHAPTERELEVEN

“If Kiley knew where she was, she’d have gonethat way,” Rob said, pointing toward the woods.

Kendra looked that way briefly, torn. Shewanted to go to her father. Doc Sophie was still in the cabinworking on him. He was dying. He was dead, maybe. If she was stillpumping his chest, that meant he was dead, didn’t it? Maybe he’dcome back, but right now….

There was a Life-Flight chopper on its way toget him. Her heart was bleeding for Jack, but she had to save hersister. It’s what he came here to do. He’s be pissed if she didn’tfollow through. “Why do you think she’d go that way, Rob?”

“Edie and Wade’s place is that way. It’s notmore than a mile if you cut through the woods at an angle.”

“I don’t think it was there when we werekids,” Kendra said. “Does she know about it?”

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