by Zoe Dawson
Jenna exploded off the floor and ran full-out to the front of the library. She hit the front doors and pushed frantically to get them open, but a sob caught in her throat when it opened partially and then a metallic clang reverberated in the open foyer.
That was the sound she’d heard when he’d come in. He’d chained the doors closed. She looked frantically over her shoulder, well aware that she was now visible, illuminated by the light. Something flashed red in her peripheral vision. Her heart leaped, and she pelted toward that brief glimpse of color.
But before she could get to her destination, a hand clamped over her mouth from behind. An arm banded around her middle, as strong as steel, and hauled her back against a body that was lean, rock-solid, and indisputably male.
Panic exploded in Jenna, shooting adrenaline through her veins, pumping strength into her arms and legs. She tried to bolt, tried to kick, tried to jab back with her elbows all at once, twisting violently in her captor’s grasp. He grunted as her heel connected with his shin, but her satisfaction was small and short-lived as he tightened his hold around her middle.
Reaching out frantically, her hand caught on something solid: a pen. Without hesitation, she stabbed down and hit the man’s forearm. He howled and let her go. She stumbled forward, right into a table, and knocked it over, books toppling. Grabbing for anything else as a weapon, she clutched at the first book she touched, rose and with all her might swung it at the man’s shadowed face. It connected and he reeled backward.
Her target in sight, she jumped for it. It was her only hope.
Austin rubbed his temples on the ride back to El Centro. It was dark now and he sat in the interior of the chopper, his mind going over everything. The poor guy had broken down, asked questions, which Austin had answered. Even though Torres didn’t seem to care, Austin made sure he knew the brass wouldn’t hear about any violations from him. All Torres had done was grab his arm and growl, Find the bastard who did this to my Sarah.
Austin intended to do that, no matter the setbacks.
When he landed with a heavy heart, he was frustrated and annoyed that every lead he’d had was now dry as a bone or a dead end.
He drove to the El Centro Library and parked outside. He had some time to kill before the beautiful Jenna was free.
His stomach grumbled, but he ignored it. He lifted the cover of his laptop and sent a video call to NCIS in Pendleton.
Drea’s face popped up on the screen with a hopeful look, but then drooped when she saw Austin’s face. “Doesn’t look like it went as well as you planned,” she said.
“No. It was another dead end. I ended up telling him the worst news of his life. Turns out they were romantically involved. He gave me the access code to her app and sure enough it’s filled with lovey-dovey chats and naughty pictures. Nothing there.”
“Dammit.” She sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t have any good news, either. I checked out the rest of the candidates. My God, I’ve never seen such a squeaky-clean bunch of people in my life. All of them were on deployment when the murder happened. So, I don’t have any leads for you. All of them loved Sarah.”
Austin rubbed his hand over his face. “What are we missing? It seems that everyone loved her. We have no DNA, no suspects, and no leads.”
“Seems that way.”
“I’d go back to the prowler report if there was at least some kind of sexual assault or something taken. But there was no forced entry, nothing disturbed, no indication of robbery.”
“Yeah, it’s like he was just there to kill her.”
“Yeah, he turned the power off. Did he want her to die alone in the dark? Or was that just a way to conceal himself?”
He mentally reviewed everything in the apartment, stopping when he thought about what was on the counter…an envelope, a ticket sticking out. To the concert that Jenna had attended? If Jenna hadn’t gone, she would have been the one alone in the apartment… Then a terrible thought came to him, his breath catching, his eyes widening. “Drea, the crime scene report. There was an envelope on the counter.”
“Just a minute.” She disappeared from the screen, then came back, opening a file folder and scanning the contents. “A concert ticket for Nora Anderson in San Diego.”
Austin swore softly under his breath. “Whose name was on the envelope?”
“Sarah’s.” Her head jerked up as she understood where his thoughts were going. “Oh, God, Austin, that means—”
“In the dark, he mistook Sarah for Jenna. He killed the wrong woman! Jenna was the target!”
Just then the fire alarm in the library went off.
“What was that?” Drea’s voice followed him out of the car as he opened the door and pelted for the entrance. When he got there, the lights were out and it was pitch black inside. When he tried the door, it wouldn’t open all the way. With horror, his heart in his throat, he realized that it was chained from the inside.
“Jenna!” he yelled.
Sirens wailed as fire trucks pulled up outside. As the firefighters ran toward the building, Austin turned toward them. The first guy on the scene was carrying an ax. “Federal agent. I need this,” Austin said and snatched it out of his hand. Without another word, he drew back and hit the door glass and it shattered into pieces. Austin kicked the shards out of the frame and ducked under the chain, drawing his weapon.
“Jenna!” He moved forward until he saw a prone body. Then, keeping his vigilance, he surged forward again.
It was Jenna. She was slumped against the wall just below the fire alarm, her eyes closed. “God, please, no,” he murmured. He pressed his fingers to her neck and then with a hard exhale, he was able to breathe again. She was alive.
More sirens sounded in the distance as he checked all the exits. They were also chained, except for the last one in the back. The emergency exit door was open. With his weapon at the ready, he stepped out, his body tense, searching the parking lot. He rose and holstered his gun. There was no one in sight.
Rushing back into the building, he saw an EMT bending over Jenna and that she was now conscious. Firefighters were milling around and then the El Centro police came through the door.
When Jenna saw him, she rose shakily and rushed to him, throwing her arms around him. He clasped her to him and hung on just as tight. He had been right outside while she was being terrorized. He’d just found her, but he could have lost her. That ripped him up inside.
Guilt and remorse welling up in his chest, he realized that she was now the one in danger and that he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight. Not for a moment. Not for one goddamned moment.
Austin first stopped at the hotel and checked out, then he’d taken her home. The EMTs had looked her over, and with Jenna's assurance she was all right, and rest was the best thing for her. Once they were inside and the door was locked, he’d gathered her against him on the couch, and that’s how they were currently, wrapped around each other. She was still trembling, and he was still sick inside with how close he’d come to losing her.
He’d explained everything to the police and the fire chief, Detective Morton backing him up. Currently, the NCIS crime scene team was collecting data, but Austin had a feeling that once again, they wouldn’t find a thing.
Jenna had been barefoot, so he’d picked her up in his arms and carried her inside the apartment.
After about half an hour, she stirred and looked up into his face. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“You going to be okay?”
“Yes,” she murmured and disappeared into the bathroom. He paced and let the truth wash over him again. Someone was trying to kill Jenna and he’d been chasing his tail. This had nothing whatsoever to do with Lieutenant Sarah Taylor.
Receiving a notification that there was an incoming video call, he sat down, his whole body buzzing with energy. He opened his laptop and immediately Kai materialized on the screen.
“Austin, what is going on?”
He filled her in. She rubbed at her temp
le and folded her arms across her chest. “So, what are you suggesting?”
“She has to be protected.”
“She’s a civilian.”
“Who’s being threatened by the person who murdered a Navy pilot. The same guy I’m chasing. I’m not leaving her alone, Kai.”
“Can’t the police—”
“No!” He slammed his hand down on the coffee table, and Kai raised her brow.
“Austin, you need to calm down.”
He rose and started to pace, his agitation spurred on by the memory of Jenna slumped against the wall, when he thought he might have been too late. “I missed this. This is on me that she was attacked and almost killed. Let me question her again, this time with it in mind that she was the target.”
“Going totally by your reaction, is there something about this woman you’re not telling me?”
He looked away, setting his hands on his hips. He wasn’t about to outright lie to his boss, not about something that was so important.
When he looked back at the screen, Kai was pensive and wary. She was much too intuitive and too smart for her britches. “I knew her in my past when I was guarding the US Embassy in Ja’arbah.” He ground out. “We were…friends.”
Her mouth pinched, she said wearily, “You should have mentioned that to me before this investigation went any further. You’re too close to this.”
“And who’s going to take over? Drea? You? We’re shorthanded, and I’m already here. I can see this through.”
Kai looked away and Austin realized that if she told him no, he wasn’t going to walk away. He had to protect Jenna, and nothing was going to stop him from keeping her safe. With his argument forming, he said, “She’s key in this, Kai. If we lose her—” He swallowed hard. “—we could lose any advantage we have here. Our responsibility is to Sarah Taylor. But her cousin is in danger now, the actual target. We have a responsibility to keep her safe and to follow the leads to discover who wants her dead, because it will also solve Sarah’s murder. That path is clear to me. It’s our duty and our oath to give Sarah justice. Tell me I’m wrong and give me a good argument why protecting Jenna shouldn’t be our top priority here.”
Kai rubbed her temple again, her eyes closed. She often did that when she was making a major decision. She opened her eyes and gave him a direct look. “You really are good with your words.” She sighed. “There isn’t anyone who I believe is better suited to solving this murder than you, Austin. I have faith in you. You wouldn’t be on my team if I didn’t. Do what you need to do. Protect her, and get me that killer. I’ll clear it with the director but keep yourself professional and your mind on the job.”
He nodded, the movement curt. He had planned to do exactly that.
“And Austin—watch yourself and stay safe.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I mean it. Get back to me after you question her. I want to know everything you find out and what your next step is.” She disconnected the call, and Austin sat back against the couch, his head aching. Kai was always fair, and she always gave him the benefit of the doubt. Austin could say with confidence that, to date, he’d never failed his boss. It would kill him to let her down because she was the freaking best he’d ever worked with.
He didn’t want to jeopardize his job. He loved it. But with Jenna’s life hanging in the balance, going rogue seemed like a great idea. He now fully understood his team member Derrick’s descent into madness. He'd gone after a drug lord to rescue Emma's kidnapped nephew. Austin took a breath. Going off the grid wouldn’t be necessary, unless the director nixed him protecting Jenna. If that were the case, could he turn her over to the local cops? He took another breath. His logic was sound. She was the key to finding the person who had murdered a Navy pilot; that was his job and Jenna was tied to it.
“I guess she knows now,” Jenna said.
He looked over to see her standing close to the couch. She was dressed in nothing but a pretty blue robe with lace on it that hit her at midthigh, leaving all that creamy skin bare. Her chest was rising and falling, her hands twining together, the bruise on her forehead starting to discolor. He reached out his hand, and she came to him. She was trembling, and he enfolded her in his arms because he couldn’t stop himself. She needed comfort from not only the attack, but the news he was about to break. “Have a seat. I have to ask questions.”
“What was this all about, Austin?”
“I think that whoever killed Sarah thought she was you,” he said quietly.
Jenna’s face froze in horror, and she stared at him as her eyes filled. “No. Oh, God. She died because of me?” Her voice thick and uneven, she said, “Why would anyone want to kill me?”
He ran his hand up and down her arm. “I don’t know. Tell me everything from the beginning.”
She did, explaining how Sarah hadn’t been feeling well, how she had gotten these free tickets through a phone giveaway and she’d been heartbroken that she was getting a cold and had decided she needed rest instead of seeing the concert. She’d offered them to Jenna, and Jenna had gone alone. That was it.
Austin sat back, ran his hand through his hair and genuinely felt like he was completely clueless about this case. He had to back up his train of thought, had to reassess everything and think about it all from the beginning.
The Blue Angels angle had been all wrong—that’s why he hadn’t come up with a single lead that’d panned out. There’d been nothing to find. Sarah had been murdered in error. In the dark, the killer had mistaken her for…Jenna.
He caught his breath on that, the thought that he could have lost her before he’d ever found her again. The shock of discovering her dead instead of her cousin. That would have done some irreparable damage to him.
He closed his eyes, realized how much he’d been into Jenna at the embassy, how much he’d swept it all aside and buried it deep, tried to make it work with Melanie. The time he’d known her had accelerated their relationship because the circumstances had been so forbidden and so dangerous—both professionally and emotionally.
He was sure neither of them suspected how much of an impact it had made on them, and now they were right back in the same boat. Forbidden and dangerous.
“You said it was a phone offer. Do you remember when she got that call?”
“Yes, it was several days before she was murdered. I don’t know the details. She didn’t say. The tickets came in the mail a couple days later.”
He nodded, making a mental note to check with Drea about the envelope and to examine Sarah’s call log for the incoming number. They had only looked at frequent calls and ones she'd made that day. The number hadn't been relevant during the first pass of Sarah's log.
“Let’s talk about the attack.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “He cut the power, searched for me in the dark with a flashlight. I threw my shoe to distract him, but the emergency door was locked. He must have gotten the key from the front desk when I was tidying up. I thought my best bet was to go for the front door. I distracted him again, but when I got to the front doors, they were locked, as well. I couldn’t get out. I went for the fire alarm and he caught me, but I fought him off, stabbed him with a pen—”
“You stabbed him?”
“Yes, he let me go, and I pulled it. He shoved me hard into the wall and I hit my head. That’s all I remember.”
“That means there should be some blood.”
“Then you’ll know who he is?”
“Maybe. If he’s in the system.”
She nodded.
“Did you recognize anything about him?”
“No. It was too dark. He didn’t speak. It was terrifying.”
“I know.” He squeezed her arm. “Anything else you can remember?”
She shook her head.
“Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt you?”
“Hurt me?” She thought for a moment. “No, no one that I can think of.”
“I can th
ink of one person who isn’t too happy with you right now.”
“Who?”
“Robert. How amicable was your divorce?”
“Very. He didn’t protest a thing. He just signed the papers and let me go.”
“Hmm, he did? He could have been hiding his anger and resentment, Jenna. He could have planned to kill you as retribution.”
“That’s hard to believe. I don’t think Robert would get his hands dirty at all. He didn’t care enough about me. I was just a trophy wife to him.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. He wouldn’t even consider having children, didn’t care about my wishes.” Bitterness colored her words.
“You took a substantial amount of money with you?”
“Yes. Half the marital assets and all my daddy’s money. I even got our town house in DC.”
“Maybe he resents that he had to give that up?”
“It’s not like he can get it back, Austin. We’re divorced. It’s final, and he wouldn’t get a cent if I died. Besides, Robert is still quite wealthy.”
“Maybe it’s not money-related. Maybe it’s just plain old revenge.”
“That’s hard for me, to believe he even cares.”
“I say we cover all the bases.” He rubbed her arm again, and she moved closer, snuggling against him. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes, believe it or not. I think I could eat something.”
“All right, let’s get some food, then you should get some sleep.”
“Are you…staying with me, Austin?”
“Yes,” he said, then tilted her head up. “I’m here to protect you, so we’ll have to cool off our relationship until this is over.”
“But…I don’t want to do that.”
“I get that, Jenna. I have to be responsible here. Jumping in with both feet at this point could distract me.” Who was he kidding? She distracted him without any provocation.
“This really sucks.”
