Page 7 of Their Wicked Games

In the background Kane heard her speaking on the phone and then footsteps running. He stared at the disappearing truck and cursed under his breath. Someone had a death wish that was for darn sure. Anger slid over him like an ice-cold cloak as he floored the Beast. Hearing the satisfying roar of the finely tuned speed demon, he’d catch them in no time. Without warning, a cattle truck shot out from a side street and stalled, blocking Main. He slammed on his brakes, sliding sideways and missing the truck by inches. Inside the cab, the driver froze at the sight of him. Was the cattle truck part of the kidnapping team? Sounding his horn to move the traffic behind him, he reversed and spun the Beast around. “Maggie, you there?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Kane searched the sidewalk for pedestrians, but everyone had scattered anticipating his next move. “Get Rowley to pick up the driver of a cattle truck blocking Main. He has to be involved.”

“Copy. I’m, right behind you.”Rowley’s voice came over the radio.“Carter is following me.”

Kane mounted the sidewalk to pass the truck and accelerated along Stanton, but the GMC was moving away in the distance at a reckless speed. Concerned for Jenna’s safety, he ground his teeth. Panicking wouldn’t solve the problem and he allowed his mind to drop into combat mode. Calmness surrounded him and time slowed as the killing machine slid into place. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, Dave.”Carter’s serious voice broke through the speaker.“We’ll be right behind you.”

Kane snorted. He’d deal with this Kane style. “They have my wife, and you won’t be able to catch me. They have some tricked-out truck and they’re driving like lunatics, but I’ll catch them. Nobody touches Jenna.” He switched off the radio and activated Jenna’s tracker, seeing the screen light up with a steady throbbing light on the map. He stared into the distance as the silver GMC slipped in front of an eighteen-wheeler and vanished. “You can run but you can’t hide.”

SEVEN

The hood had dropped over Jenna’s face so fast she hadn’t seen it coming. Grabbed from behind, someone had slipped a zip tie around her wrists before she had time to call out to Kane. Someone lifted her off her feet, and male voices surrounded her speaking in hushed urgent tones. She kicked out, screaming, and threw her head backward to strike the person behind her. When they cursed, and punched her in the side of the head, her vision filled with white spots, but she struck out again, aiming to do more damage. The smell of sweat oozed through the thin black material covering her face but she could also smell books. Had they used a kid’s library bag as a hood? A steel grip grabbed her ankles and wrapped them with tape. On her back with her hands tied behind her, she was defenseless. She moved her hands, and balling one into a fist was able to depress her tracker ring with the fingers of her other hand. Kane would already be tracking her but now he’d be able to hear everything that was happening. “Let me go. Are you crazy?”

“I like your handgun.” A cool voice came from above her. It was the man she’d headbutted and now lay against in the back seat of a truck. “An M18, nice choice. I like the tan color as well. Have you tried it with the night-vision option?”

The sound of her handgun being stripped down and reassembled made her blood run cold. Her weapon was military issue and this guy knew it well. “Why don’t you take my hood off, so I can breathe and we’ll discuss why you kidnapped me.” Jenna fought to keep her voice calm. If this was a psychopath, negotiation would be off the table. She must not show fear. “What do you want?”

“Nothing from you.” He chuckled. “You’re my hostage. Act nice and I won’t hurt you. Fight and scream and I’ll give you to my boys. What’s it to be, Sheriff?”

Confused, Jenna tried to ease the ties cutting into her wrists. “You want me as a bargaining chip? For what?”

“I’ll discuss that with someone in charge later.” He barked a laugh. “I don’t negotiate with women.”

If she was valuable to them, they wouldn’t risk hitting her again. “Who do you intend to negotiate with, the mayor?”

“Does the mayor have my kid brother in custody, for doing nothing?” The man’s voice grew angry. “You can’t charge someone for just sitting outside a building and there ain’t no law in this state that says you can’t carry a weapon.” He pushed her into a sitting position. “You took one of mine, so I’m taking one of yours. Like I said before, there’s no negotiation of terms. Your deputy sheriff gets one chance, and then I give you to my boys. When they’ve finished with you, trust me, you won’t be worth nothing.”

The vehicle made a sudden turn off the highway and tree branches scratched the side of the truck. They went straight for a short while before turning left again and bouncing over rough ground. They traveled for some minutes and then stopped. Doors opened and Jenna was roughly dragged from the back seat. With her ankles secured, she couldn’t stand up and fell forward. Somebody caught her and she was tossed into the air and over a man’s shoulder. The scent of stale sweat seeped through her hood and memories of being kidnapped four years ago slammed into her mind. Her heart thundered in her chest as the PTSD she’d suffered after the incident suddenly surfaced. Sweat coated her skin and panic gripped her. At that time, she’d been trapped inside a bunker with a serial killer intent on raping and murdering her. If it hadn’t been for Kane, she would have died a terrible death. Would he be in time to save her again?

Trying to reason with her tortured memories, she dragged in long steady breaths and concentrated on something pleasant. She pictured a litter of bloodhound puppies and the joy of owning one of Duke’s sons. Her heart rate slowed. Kane would be coming and he would be as mad as hell. Bouncing over the man’s shoulder as he climbed the steps and walked into a building, she could hear hushed voices. It had been the same as inside the vehicle. She sensed the other men and smelled them, but they had kept silent during the trip. Only the man carrying her had spoken and he sounded like a local. Concern gripped her. If these men had seen Kane around town, they would know his reputation. Although none of them could possibly know what they were up against. A few rumors had arisen after he had disarmed a biker gang the previous year, taking six men down alone, but when anyone asked her for details, she just laughed it off. Drawing attention to him could be problematic. She breathed through her nose considering how she could get information to him. He’d need to know how many men he was up against. When the man lowered her into a straight-back chair, she lifted her head. “Can you remove this hood? I need a drink of water. Any mistreatment of me will have serious repercussions.”

She moved her head trying to make out the directions of the footsteps as people filed into the room. She could hear boots on a wooden floor and assumed they were in a cabin in the forest. It was the same voice who answered her.

“I’ll lift it up so you can have some water, but it’s not getting removed.”

Listening intently, Jenna counted four distinct movements around her. Counting the man standing directly in front of her, she had five to contend with. She needed to get the information to Kane without them realizing he could hear every word they said. “Does it take five of you to kidnap one female sheriff?”

“Maybe it’s just me, maybe a whole crew.” The hood was lifted above her nose and a cup of water pressed to her mouth. “But it only takes one of us to kill you. I could dump your body out here, and by morning there’d be nothing left. What with the bears and all.” He laughed. “When you’ve finished drinking, I need the number of your deputy sheriff. I figure I should give him a call, as he didn’t bother to pursue us. That guy must be some kind of chicken to leave you to fend for yourself.”

The water tasted like it came from a well and was tainted with dead leaves. Thirsty, Jenna sipped cautiously, aware the drink might be drugged. She turned her face away from the cup and it was removed. “Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “His number is in my phone and my phone is in the truck. I’m sorry. Maybe call the office or 911?”

Before the hood was dropped back down, she caught sight of two sets of boots to her right, men leaning against the wall, with rifles resting beside them. A breeze brushed her face, and what felt like cotton drapes brushed her cheek. “Am I sitting beside a window?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda stuffy in here.” The man walked away.

In the distance, the distinct roar of the Beast reached her like a calming balm. Kane was coming and she needed to get him as much information as possible. “You seem to know your way around weapons. I prefer a rifle. I have two. I’m not sure how many pistols I’ve owned over the years. It’s hard to keep count.” She hoped that Kane would get her coded message.

The sound of the engine became softer and Jenna’s heart sank. Had Kane lost her tracker signal? Surely, he would be close behind and have her on his phone but what if he had no bars? Panic gripped her as the man paced up and down as if deciding what to do with her. Agitation came off him in waves, and the next moment, footsteps came again as the men shuffled outside. Soft conversation came through the window, but Jenna couldn’t understand what they were saying. She couldn’t stand but she could move around on the seat and bent forward to shake off the hood. She looked around to get her bearings and stared out of the window. “Dave, I’m inside a cabin. It’s at the end of a dirt road partially obscured by trees. I see five men, outside. All are wearing sidearms and knives. Two are carrying rifles. I don’t see body armor but they’re all wearing camouflage gear and look like survivalists. All the cammies are different and old style. I’m tied, hand and foot, so will be no use to you in a fight.” She blew out a long breath. “I figure they’re the owners of the meth lab. The guy we arrested, he’s one of their crew and they want to negotiate a swap. I hope you’ve brought backup.” She scanned the forest, searching for any signs of her team. “Now I’ve seen their faces, if this all goes to hell, they’ll kill me for sure.”

Jenna stared into the forest and didn’t see any movement or hear a sound. The men were standing in a semicircle facing the trees, speaking in fast hushed tones. Kane was out there, somewhere, she could almost feel him close by.

“Sheriff’s department. On your knees. Hands on your heads.” Kane stepped out of the trees, his expression like granite, weapon drawn. He stood in the open, legs apart, and glared at them. “Drop your weapons.”

One of them men laughed, and Jenna gasped in horror as the men went for their guns. A rapid burst of gunshots rang out, echoing through the quiet forest and sending birds flying en masse into the air. When Kane jerked, the sickening knowledge that he’d been hit strangled the cry in her throat. He was still on his feet and firing rapidly. In seconds, the five men fell to the ground—some cried out, others fell silently—and lay in crumpled humps. She stared at Kane, and gasped with relief when he unzipped his jacket to reveal a Kevlar vest. He shook his head and poked one finger through the hole in his jacket and then, as if he were on a Sunday walk, whistled to Duke, who came bounding out of the trees. He looked up, searching for her, and their eyes met. Tears stung the backs of Jenna’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

---