Page 63 of Scent of Evil
“Get me an ambulance.” Rowe’s voice was weak now, and he looked pale and shaky. No doubt going into shock from blood loss. And from knowing his career and his life as a free man were over.
She couldn’t drudge up any sympathy for the man. Just the thought of him helping an escaped pedophile made her stomach churn.
“There’s already an ambulance on the way.” Griff shook his head. “I did not expect you to be Decker’s accomplice.”
Rowe groaned in pain when Raine pressed the kitchen towel against his wound. “I’m... not.. . involve—” Rowe couldn’t finish. His eyes slid shut, and he slumped all the way down to the floor.
“He’s involved. That’s the only explanation that makes sense.” She shook her head in disgust. Not only was Rowe nothing like Tommy Lee Jones inThe Fugitive, he was apparently exactly like Robert Downey Jr.’s character.
Dirty to the core.
There were only two reasons Rowe would help an evil predator like Decker. Either Rowe was as evil and twisted as Decker or he’d done it for money.
Possibly both.
She forced herself not to dwell on her boss’s actions. The immediate threat was over, and neither Rowe nor Decker would hurt anyone ever again. That reminded her of the young girl he’d recently abducted. She looked over at Justin. “Amanda?”
“She’s safe. I left her with Stone guarding her, but now Trevor and Archie have gotten there to help watch over her.” He held up his phone. “Believe it or not, there’s cell service. Trev texted me a moment ago.”
“Did Decker...” She couldn’t finish.
“I don’t think so.” Justin stepped forward to rest his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about that now. Amanda seems to be doing fine.”
She prayed he was right about that. Leaning her weight on Rowe’s chest to slow the bleeding, she tried to get that image of her boss killing Decker out of her mind. Just like Griff, she had not seen that coming.
Never in her wildest imagination had she considered Rowe to be a part of this. Lazy and preferring his desk job over real work, yeah.
But not this.
“We need to search Rowe’s vehicle and confiscate his phone.” In her mind, she was already building a case against him. If he survived long enough to face a jury of his peers. “I’m sure he has a burner he’s been using to communicate with Decker. We’ll need to see if we can find other evidence of their communications, like on the dark web.”
There was a commotion outside indicating more people had arrived.
“The ambulance is here,” Griff announced. “Don’t worry, Raine. I’ll take over the investigation.”
“What do you mean?” She scowled. “This is my case.”
“It was your case, but not anymore.” His expression was sympathetic. “You shot him in self-defense, and I’m okay with that. But it also means you can’t be a part of this moving forward.”
Realization dawned. Griff was right. Being forced to shoot her own boss meant she was as involved as he was. There’s no way she could participate in the investigation.
And maybe that was okay. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her. It seemed as if they’d been on the move forever.
She lived in Cheyenne, but she couldn’t face the idea of traveling all that way. Her sister, Cami, probably wouldn’t mind a houseguest.
Although she was tempted to just check into the closest hotel so she could be alone.
Within seconds, the EMTs and local cops swarmed the cabin, quickly taking charge. Raine stepped back, giving the medical team room to work. She crossed to the sink to wash Rowe’s blood off her hands.
When she finished, Justin reached out to pull her into his arms. For a moment, she resisted, but then she melted against him. Too young for her or not, he’d been with her every step of the way during the past twenty-four hours.
And knew he understood her tumultuous emotions better than anyone else.
“You’re amazing,” he whispered in her ear. “I was so scared I’d find you injured or worse...”
“I was just doing my job.” His concern was sweet. She lifted her head to look up at him. “Thank you for getting Amanda out of here.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Then his gaze shifted to her mouth. She didn’t back away, choosing to go up on her tiptoes to kiss him. One last kiss goodbye.
