Page 2 of Their Wicked Games

Jenna collected their helmets and led the way onto the stoop. She found the key and opened the door. To her surprise the inside was spotless, floors swept clean, and a fire was burning in the hearth. It was a small cabin, with a stuffed sofa before the fire, a small kitchen with table and chairs, and one dark bedroom with no window. “Is there a bathroom?”

“Outside, and a shower, but it’s cold. The water is pumped straight from the river.” Kane grinned at her. “It’s only for one night. I’ll heat some water and you can wash in the kitchen sink if it’s too cold for you.”

Shaking her head, Jenna laughed. “I’ll be fine.” She dived into the saddlebags and pulled out linen. I’ll make up the bed. You get the generator working, it’s as dark as a cave in that room.”

“Sure.” Kane disappeared outside.

Jenna walked around the cabin and checked out the small kitchen. The cabinets were packed with tinned goods, cans of coffee, milk powder, and dogfood. Everything was there for Carter to survive on for a week or so with his dog. She blinked as lights flooded the cabin and took the linen into the bedroom. By the time Kane had chopped more wood and built up the fire, she’d finished making the bed and walked into the other room. “How come the fire was alight?”

“Carter dropped by to restock the kitchen. He’d already asked me if we wanted a night in the cabin and set the fire to make it cozy for us.” Kane replaced the guard around the fire and straightened. “Grab my backpack and we’ll go for a walk along the riverbank.” He sighed. “It’s strange not having Duke with us. I should have driven the Beast.”

Jenna handed him his backpack, wondering why it weighed so much, and shook her head. “He loves to play with Zorro. It’s like a vacation for him, but I do miss him. He’s part of our family.” She took his hand and they walked out of the door, locking it behind them. Her mind went to Kane’s visit to their close friend Atohi Blackhawk, a Native American tracker, who owned Duke’s mother and a number of bloodhounds. “Talking about family, it’s been ages since Atohi took him to the res to put over his bitch. Did it take, do you know? Is Duke going to be a daddy?”

“He’s been a daddy quite a few times and she had seven this time, so it’s a lucky litter.” Kane chuckled. “It’s not something Blackhawk discusses with you, is all. Why?”

The thought of seeing a litter of puppies warmed Jenna’s heart. “Can we have one of Duke’s pups?”

“Blackhawk always offers me the pick of the litter, but I have Duke.” He gave her a long look. “A puppy is a lot of work and a lifetime of care. They grow up real fast. Are you sure we have time to raise a puppy?”

Snorting, Jenna looked at him. “I sure hope so, because if a baby comes along, we won’t have a choice.” Her stomach dropped and a deep sadness engulfed her. “It’s never going to happen, is it?”

“The doctor said we were both fine and stressing over it will only make things worse.” Kane sighed and squeezed her hand as they headed toward the riverbank. “We’ve only been married for nine months, Jenna. Relax, enjoy our alone time together, because once we have a baby, life is going to become hectic, especially if you insist on continuing as sheriff.” He stopped by the river and turned to her. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support your decision.”

Leaning into him, Jenna sighed. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing because it’s taking forever for the mayor to build the kindergarten.” She looked at Kane. “How will we deal with security while the new cottage is being built?”

They’d discussed a cottage for a nanny, drawn up plans, and gotten approval. Jenna had made the suggestion and Kane had planned and organized it. Although, as both of them carried secrets, bringing a stranger into their lives would be dangerous, but if she decided to remain as sheriff, having a reliable trained person her baby knew would be an advantage if they were on a case.

“Wolfe is organizing it.” Kane shrugged. As his handler and contact to the powers that be, Wolfe would make sure they were safe. “When the time comes, he’ll organize a nanny.”

Staring at the crystal-clear water, a chill slid over Jenna as the reminder that being married to Kane, a valuable asset to the government, had far-reaching complications. With a bounty on his head, Kane had already lost his previous wife in a car bombing. Even with a new name and face, his retinal scan, fingerprints, and DNA would never change and there was always a chance of discovery. She had the same problem, but Kane’s enemies came from across the globe. The simple selection of a nanny could compromise him. She looked at him. “A puppy suddenly sounds easy. When can we go and look at them?”

“Soon.” Kane smiled at her. “I’ll call Blackhawk and ask him when they’re ready to leave home. There is one proviso.”

Frowning, Jenna looked at him. “And that is?”

“Duke has to like him.” Kane scanned the forest ahead of them. “Or, he’ll never come out from under our bed.”

Jenna laughed. “Deal.”

TWO

MONDAY

Sighing, Deputy Zac Rio pushed his chair away from his desk and stared at the ceiling. He had two cases and neither of them had offered up any leads. He had received a notification from the Blackwater sheriff’s department about a possible methamphetamine lab setting up in their county. The group, under surveillance by the Blackwater sheriff for some time, had disappeared along with the snow during the melt. Kane and Jenna had hunted them down and discovered they’d stored equipment and supplies in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. They’d arrested a young man guarding the place, but after going with Rowley to secure the scene, Rio had found the warehouse empty and wiped clean. The two vans on site had vanished. The only explanation was that the perpetrators had been close by and moved their apparatus fast, which suggested a large competent team. BOLOs on the vans had come up empty. The man in custody wasn’t talking and remained locked up in county.

It was obvious the meth lab had moved to another base. There were plenty of abandoned buildings all over. Black Rock Falls spread across a wide area and it was impossible to search every inch, although he and Deputy Rowley had sent up the drones and completed a grid search daily over suspicious areas. They’d being comparing the images for the last week but no suspicious movements had been noted. He hoped that whoever was running the drug kitchen had moved on to another county, but Jenna had insisted they keep due diligence.

The next case involved Native American tracker Atohi Blackhawk. He was a good friend of Jenna and Kane. Last week he had come to the office with a list of suspected gravesites he’d discovered during his time in the forest. Rio and Rowley had taken the horses and escorted him back to the sites. They’d marked them all with crime scene tape and taken GPS coordinates. None of the graves appeared to be fresh, so they’d notified the ME. As Wolfe had Norrell Larson, a forensic anthropologist, on his team, she would head up the investigation. In the meantime, without a time frame to go on, Rio had little to do. Rowley had just returned from patrol and dropped into the seat at his desk. “Anything interesting happening out there?”

“Nope.” Rowley added notes to his daybook. “I issued a few speeding fines. Booked three people for jaywalking and one person for allowing his dog to foul the sidewalk.” He glanced over at him and smiled. “That’s the most action I’ve had for a month.”

Yawning, Rio pushed to his feet and went through the office to the kitchenette. He looked at Rowley over one shoulder. “We have takeout from Aunt Betty’s Café and fresh coffee. We might as well take a break now. Just in case the sky falls in anytime soon.” He chuckled.

They were halfway through their lunch, when Maggie, the receptionist on the front counter, came to his desk waving a piece of paper. Rio swallowed his coffee and looked up at her. “Is there a problem?”

“There sure is.” Maggie slapped the paper down in front of him. “The forest warden found three bodies on one of the hiking trails. He just called it in. Here are his details and the coordinates.”

“Did he give any other details?” Rowley was on his feet, pulling on his jacket.

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