by Dana Mentink
Ethan crouched next to her. “How are you?” he asked gently.
“I’m f-f-fine,” she said, teeth chattering.
He pulled the blanket around her tighter. “It’s okay not to be.”
No, it’s not, she thought. You could have died. Titus could have died, all to help me. It was not tolerable even to think it.
The medics arrived carrying a stretcher between them since there was no way to get a vehicle close enough. They checked her vitals after Ethan coaxed Titus away and bundled him in his own blanket.
“I’m not going to the base clinic,” Kendra said. “I’m going home.”
The medic arched an eyebrow. “Ma’am, you need to be checked out by a doctor.”
“No, I don’t.” I need to get home, lock the doors and take the hottest shower I can manage.
The medic looked at Ethan. “Lieutenant?”
Ethan nodded and came to her side. “Jillian,” he said, “I’m not gonna argue with you about this.”
“Good.”
“And I know I’m in for it later.”
“What—” Before she could say another word, he scooped her up and laid her on the stretcher. If her body wasn’t trembling like a leaf in the storm, she would have leaped off immediately and given him a sock in the shoulder. As it was, all she could do was lie there and glare at him as the medics strapped her to a board and hoisted her between them like a sack of laundry.
“Ethan,” she snapped.
“I know, you’re gonna make me pay. I get it.” He turned to the medics. “I’ll follow you.”
They nodded and carried her away, helpless, miserable and furious.
FOURTEEN
Ethan refused to debrief one word of the incident with Hector and his security team until they summoned a local veterinarian to come and check Titus over. Unsettled and on edge, Titus wasn’t having any of it until Ethan forced the growling dog to cooperate. Still, the veterinarian was a shade paler by the time he completed his work. Ethan didn’t blame him. With a bite strength of more than two hundred pounds of pressure, Titus wasn’t to be trifled with and he hadn’t even gotten his man. Ethan felt like growling, too.
The vet wiped his brow. “I gave him some antibiotics just in case he swallowed something nasty, and treated the abrasion on his paw. He’s earned a cheeseburger or something for not eating me.”
“Aww, he wouldn’t have eaten you,” Ethan said with a smile, “not unless I told him to. Might have taken a little bite, just to taste.”
“Good to know,” said the vet as he left.
The doctor was still with Kendra when Ethan settled in the waiting room where Hector stood leaning against the wall. He’d been more than patient...for a marine. Titus sprawled out on a sofa and promptly started snoring.
“I looped Officer Carpenter in,” Hector said. “He’s on his way.”
“Even though you didn’t want to?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Just like last time, the incident wasn’t on base property so it’s out of my hands, which irritates me.” Hector drilled him with a look. “Ethan, what’s the real story here?”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone’s trying real hard to kill Jillian Masters. First the gunshots, now the car. We’ve been briefed on your Red Rose Killer, at least what the air force has been willing to share. Is this who we’re dealing with here?”
“I don’t know.”
Hector’s dark eyes shifted. “Can I tell you what I think, bro?”
“I would like to hear it.”
“I think this isn’t the work of Boyd Sullivan.”
Ethan blew out a breath. “Okay. How’d you get there?”
“Because when he wanted to kill here at Baylor and at Canyon, he did. Our marine was shot through the head, up close and personal. Your trainers were, too.”
“We figured that also, but it could be he’s had to get more creative now, since both the US Air Force and the Marines are after him.”
“Could be.” Hector clicked his pen.
Again, Ethan waited. Click, click.
He would only get what Hector was willing to share with him and that would have to be enough, since Ethan was not at liberty to tell his friend the whole story.
After two more clicks, Hector started talking. “I heard one of the guys he killed over at Canyon was your buddy,” he said slowly. “You two close?”
Ethan gazed at his boots. “Yeah. Landon was a quality person. Gentle with the dogs and respectful to everyone, you know?”
Hector nodded.
Ethan let his mind wander back to the past. “He was going to propose to his girl and he was driving us all crazy trying to figure out the perfect romantic gesture. He was planning to wait until winter and build a snowman holding the box with the ring.” Hector laughed. “I told him he was crazy and we teased him that she’d dump him way before the snow fell.” Ethan shook his head. “Didn’t dampen his spirit one bit. Asked me to be his best man.”
Best man, who wasn’t even there when he was killed in cold blood. “He was an excellent soldier and a good man.”
“Yeah, our marine was a good guy, too. Married, with a baby on the way.” More pen clicks. “How’s his wife gonna explain Daddy’s murder to the kid someday?”
Ethan felt the bile rose in his throat. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” Hector gave it another moment of thought. “Okay. We’re going after Sullivan with both barrels then, but you better keep your eyes peeled for a different enemy, ’cuz like I said, I got another reason to believe this ain’t him.”
“What’s that?”
“One of my marines got a funny impression.”
Ethan’s instincts prickled. “Funny how?”
“That the driver of the car was a female.”
Ethan stared at Hector.
“Just an impression, mind you, nothing concrete. Something about the face... A glimpse really. I had to badger him into telling me since he wasn’t certain.”
Hector’s radio chattered. “Gotta go make a phone call.”
“Thanks, Hector.”
“Watch your back, man, and you’d better watch hers, too.”
The doctor appeared at the door and crooked a finger at Ethan. Titus awakened and followed him into a nearby room. Kendra was sitting up on the exam table, a hospital gown pulled around her. Though her face was pale under the freckles and her hair curling in dirty spirals, her look was determined. She was telegraphing him a message.
Heads up.
“Jillian tells me you two are going to get remarried.”
He swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Not to be rude, but I’ve heard talk that your breakup was rather...nasty.”
“We’re putting all that behind us, Doc.” He went for a polite smile. “What’s her prognosis?”
“Bumps, bruises and a mysterious condition which I can’t explain.”
His heart thumped. “What?”
“We’re a big base here at Baylor, so I’ve never treated Lieutenant Masters before personally, but we’re pretty good at keeping records. Know what my records show, Airman?”
“What’s that, sir?”
“That Jillian Masters is five foot eleven.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, it is, and I can’t help noticing that this woman is not that tall. In addition, the blood types don’t match. Shall I go on?”
“No, sir,” Ethan said.
Kendra sucked in a breath. “There is a good explanation, Doctor.”
“Great.” He picked up the phone. “You’ll be able to explain that to the cops when they arrive.”
There was a rap on the door frame and Alonso Carpenter stuck his head in.
“No need to call, Doctor,” he said. “I’m already here.”
&nbs
p; * * *
Kendra wasn’t sure how to feel at Carpenter’s arrival. Relieved? Frightened? At the moment she was fighting the numbness that crept into her when she’d hurtled over the rail into the river. She knew for certain whatever Carpenter had to say was going to be big and she did not want to be sitting wrapped in a clinic gown while he said it.
“I’d like to change, please,” she announced.
All three men stared at her as if she’d just spoken in Latin. She gestured to the Marine sweat suit on the chair. “They loaned me clothes. I’d like to change before this discussion goes any further.”
“All right,” the doctor said. “We’ll wait in my office next door.”
The men and the dog shuffled out and Kendra stripped quickly, pulling on the heavyweight sweats, her muscles complaining as she did so. The dry cloth felt luxurious on her skin but it did not quell the ire beginning to kindle in her belly.
“Didn’t I tell Ethan not to bring me here?” she muttered. How exactly was she supposed to explain things to the doctor? There was no way but to reveal the truth and hope he was discreet enough to keep the secret and in no way connected to Boyd Sullivan. Then she’d have to explain to Colonel Masters how her cover had been blown.
Her skin crawled as she pulled on her wet boots, but there was no help for it. She wasn’t about to confront the doctor and Carpenter in bare feet.
She snagged a rubber band from one of the neat jars on the doctor’s cabinet and twisted her filthy hair into a ponytail. Not good, but at least she didn’t look like a bedraggled child just pulled out of the kiddie pool.
She tried to force her brain back into investigator mode. The person who had run her down was familiar with the area and knew what road the soldiers would be taking back to base when the drill was completed. Someone local? Or someone who had asked questions, ferreted out the information? Someone like Heidi Jenks? Or Andy?
Her brain addled, but shoulders straight, she ignored the squeaking of her boots and made her way with as much dignity as she could muster into the adjoining office.
The doctor was gone.
“He got a call from Colonel Masters,” Ethan said.
Kendra sighed. “Well, that’s a relief. Masters is gifted in twisting the truth to suit his needs.”
“So’s his daughter.” He looked as though he wished he hadn’t said it. She examined him further and realized he appeared as though he’d been through a combat zone. His face was scratched, one eye swollen, his uniform still muddy and damp. Guilt licked her insides and her anger that he’d delivered her onto the stretcher melted away.
He’s been through this because of you, Kendra, not because of Masters. For her it was a job. For him...duty to his ex-wife? That Southern gentlemen complex? An order? And why did his bruised mouth look so inviting at that moment when she knew full well he regretted their earlier kiss? She hugged herself to cage in the feelings. “I don’t suppose there was any success finding the driver.”
“No.” Carpenter patted his pockets for the pen that was shoved behind his ear.
She pointed.
He smiled. “Thanks. Marines say the plates were concealed. Someone was being careful. They lost the tracks when the dirt road rejoined the highway. My cops couldn’t do any better.”
Ethan blew out a breath. “There was a wrinkle here,” he told her. “One of the soldiers said he thought the driver was female.”
Kendra’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding.”
“No. Not a total surprise, I guess.” Ethan eyed Carpenter. “We figured Sullivan has a female accomplice, if this is even Sullivan’s work to begin with.” He scrubbed a hand over his forehead. “I’m not sure anymore.”
Ethan was obviously exhausted. It had taken every ounce of his energy to wrestle her from the river and then do the same for Titus. Even the dog seemed tired, sprawled on the tile floor. There was nothing more to be gained until they both got some sleep.
“We need to get some rest,” she said. She turned to Carpenter as she remembered. “You left a message for me. You said it was urgent.”
“Yes. I thought you should know that Andy Bleakman did not check in with his parole officer two days ago.”
Fear punched her in the gut.
“And the thing is,” Carpenter said, “I’m not sure he really did last week, either.”
“What do you mean?” Ethan demanded. “We were told he checked in. If not, he should have been tracked down and arrested immediately.”
“Should have been, yes. There’s been some confusion in the parole department. Overworked, underpaid and...”
“And?” She stared hard at the cop.
“And possible corruption.”
“Oh, that’s perfect.” She groaned. “He paid off his parole officer, didn’t he?”
Carpenter nodded. “It appears that way. The officer in question has been suspended pending an investigation, which means—”
“That Andy’s been free since the moment he stepped out of prison,” Kendra said with only a small tremor in her voice.
Free.
Mindy’s words about the stranger who called her house echoed in her mind. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Andy had tracked Jillian down because he figured she’d be staying with her, the faithful friend who’d helped double-cross him.
Free to come and kill me.
FIFTEEN
Ethan didn’t like the silence. Kendra sat in the passenger seat of his truck, nonreactive, even when Titus rolled a tongue down the back of her neck. He’d gotten her to drink some water, but she’d refused any of the snacks he’d kept in the car. Titus was not so picky, wolfing down a handful of dog treats before they’d started for home.
“Later we’ll interview the women Sullivan had contact with besides the ones we’ve already investigated in depth, in case the marine was right and it was a woman who tried to run you down. One’s on base at Canyon, an ammo specialist, the other’s just outside Canyon and Linc will talk to her.”
She offered no answer, except for a faint nod. They passed Mindy’s house, quiet and still. He could tell by the crimp of her mouth and the laced fingers that she longed to go collect Baby, but Kendra was not herself.
“And Heidi Jenks,” he continued. “I’ll find out what Linc got from her. He’s already going over the prison visitor list again, to see if we missed something.”
Kendra sighed. “Ethan, you and I both know this isn’t Sullivan.”
“No, we don’t. That’s an assumption, one we can’t afford to make.”
She shook her head as he pulled the truck into the driveway of Jillian’s house. “It’s Andy. I can feel it.” She sniffed, pulling the sleeve of her borrowed sweatshirt across her teary eyes.
“Hey,” he said, catching her hand. “We’ll get him. We’ll get them both.”
There was another long pause, and she removed her hand from his. “Ethan, we can’t do this together. I want you to stay away from me.”
He cocked his head. “Are you dumping me as a partner? It’s the dog, isn’t it? He’s so bad for my mojo.”
She didn’t even crack a smile. “I’m going to continue the Sullivan investigation, but I’m Andy’s target and if you’re near me, you’re his target, too. That’s not what you were ordered to do.”
“News flash, but I don’t always follow orders and I’m not afraid of Andy. As a matter of fact, I hope he is coming, because we’re going to have ourselves a set before I arrest him.”
“It’s not your battle.”
“Yes, it is.”
“I don’t need you.”
“Yes, you do.”
First he saw a spark of anger in her eyes, then a flush of vulnerability. Then she asked the question that brought his own vulnerability front and center.
“Why? Why would you put your life at risk for mine?”
“Duty?” There was a current of emotion in her eyes, running deep and swift as the river. Her lips parted, gleaming soft in the darkness. “That’s the only reason?”
He didn’t want to, his mind screamed against it, but he reached out, trailing fingers over the satin of her cheek, her chin. And then he was moving toward her, his mouth seeking hers. For a moment, she was reaching out, too, her hands pulling him closer, until he stopped himself. He pressed his forehead against hers and tried for a steady breath. He held her there, forcing himself with every ounce of self-control to forgo kissing his ex-wife’s double.
What is wrong with you, Webb?
The trauma of the last twenty-four hours had pressed his emotions into overdrive, overriding all common sense and logic. There would be no more determined women in his life, no more access to his already wrecked heart. No more Jillians.
He felt her move away and he did the same. Clearing his throat, he sought the safety of the driver’s side. Though they still tingled from the feel of her, he put his hands on the wheel. “Kendra, I...”
But she was already out of the car and striding toward the house. He remembered his brother’s favorite saying.
Smooth as sandpaper, Ethan.
He looked at Titus. “I didn’t handle that right, did I?”
Titus gave him a weary expression that probably meant, “So what’s new?”
Heaving himself from the car, he waited until Kendra was safely inside before he went to seek the solace of a hot shower, a heartfelt prayer to thank God for their survival.
* * *
Though his body hollered for a couple hours of sleep, Ethan’s stomach willed him into the kitchen in midmorning. He left Titus snoring in a pile of blankets and went into the main house. The dog had earned some extra downtime.
