* * *
For Titan’s safety, Jackson had moved him to his crate in the rear of the SUV. Its motor was idling smoothly, headlights off, and the windows were rolled down so he could hear approaching vehicles. The ranch truck was a diesel with a distinctive sound. Mixed with that noise was the higher-pitched whine of a second car.
Jackson’s fists tightened on the wheel. “Thank you, Lord, that Harold’s driving.” If Nicki had been behind the wheel, there was no telling how well she’d have followed his instructions. Probably poorly, judging by past performance.
The light gray ranch truck, referred to in casual conversation as a “dually,” had dual sets of rear wheels on each side of the bed and wider fenders to facilitate pulling a stock trailer. Therefore, the truck took up most of the width of the dirt road as it passed, assuring that whoever was following wouldn’t be able to easily pass to cut it off.
Jackson was parked where thick brambles hid his patrol car. He let Harold and Nicki fly past his location, then gunned the engine and pulled across the road to block the other vehicle.
A black, compact automobile showed up mere seconds later, its headlights temporarily blinding.
Jackson braced for impact.
The other driver hit the brakes, sending that car into a skid that almost failed to end in time to avoid a collision. Then, all was quiet.
Jackson jumped out, gun drawn, faced the car over the hood of his SUV and shouted, “Police! Hands where I can see ’em. Now.”
At first there was no other movement. Then, the car started to back up rapidly. Jackson would have loved to play Wild West show cowboy and shoot out the tires, but unfortunately it was against department policy to use excessive force unless a criminal threatened bodily harm. If the car had kept coming at him he wouldn’t have hesitated to fire.
He thought he heard the diesel sound of the ranch truck in the background. It wasn’t fading away as he’d hoped. Apparently, Harold’s tail wasn’t the only one moving in reverse.
Jackson grabbed his radio to alert other units to the problem, then straightened and waited for Harold and Nicki. They arrived so quickly he was positive they hadn’t traveled far after passing him.
He holstered his gun and greeted them. “You could have kept going.”
“And miss all this,” his uncle said with a grin as he stepped down. “I haven’t enjoyed myself so much for ages. Did you get a license number?”
“No, it was too dark. But I did radio a description. Units on the highway may still apprehend them.” He looked past Harold and saw Nicki getting out of the truck so he called, “You okay?”
“Fine.” To Jackson’s astonishment she seemed almost as unruffled about participating in the car chase as Harold did and there was an unnatural brightness to her eyes. That was probably not a good sign. Not good at all.
“Okay. Get back in the truck and let’s keep going. I told the others we’d check the graveyard. Austin’s bloodhound was hot on a trail that led the other way so that’s the direction everybody else headed.”
“Okay,” Harold said with a smile. “Nice drivin’, son.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, old man.” Jackson clapped him on the back. “I see you didn’t forget the lessons you learned in the police academy.”
“There’s nothing like a good dose of adrenaline to bring it all back. You want Nicki to ride shotgun with you the rest of the way?”
“Why?” The self-satisfied gleam in Harold’s eyes had caught Jackson off guard, but he quickly figured things out and ended the older man’s matchmaking efforts. “You two have apparently been doing just fine. Since your tail is long gone and the excitement is over, I see no reason to change the seating arrangements.”
“Have it your way.” Harold shrugged thin shoulders beneath his Western shirt. “Probably better that way. She didn’t seem to mind getting thrown all over the cab of the truck before, so a little more bouncing around probably won’t hurt her.”
Jackson was not amused. “That’s not funny.”
“Want to reconsider then?”
“You guys might want to ask my opinion,” Nicki interjected. “I do like sitting up high in that truck, but I’d rather have Titan for company.” She looked over at Harold and managed a smile. “No offense.”
“None taken.” He was peering into the rear seat of the patrol car. “I don’t see him.”
“He’s in his crate,” Jackson explained. “I suppose I could let him out—as long as you two promise to behave. No more reckless car chases?”
She spread her hands wide, palms up. “Hey, it wasn’t our fault.”
“Sometimes I wonder...about both of you,” Jackson drawled. “Okay. I’ll get Titan and put him up front with us. Then let’s get this show on the road. I still want to check the old cemetery. You two can come along so I can keep an eye on you.”
“It’s not too dark?” Nicki asked.
“That’s what flashlights are for.” He was leading his bomb-sniffing partner around the SUV as he answered. The dog suddenly balked. Stopped. Jackson knew better than to overlook his canine partner’s instincts. “What is it, boy? What’s wrong?”
The ebony-coated dog was standing motionless, staring into the forest. Jackson tried to follow the same line of sight with no luck.
“What does he see?” Nicki asked.
“More likely he smells or senses something,” Jackson said. “Go ahead and get in the car.”
“But...”
“I said—” He was about to reinforce his order when the sharp crack of a shot echoed off the surrounding hills. He didn’t have to see the precise point of impact to assume it had hit somewhere close by.
“Get down!” he shouted.
Nicki had been holding the side door open for Titan. She dove inside at the same time the dog did, and they ended up sharing a seat.
Slamming the door and throwing himself behind the wheel, Jackson saw Harold doing the same in the truck. They were at a terrible disadvantage since they didn’t know where their enemies were or how many they were facing. The only sensible course of action was to flee.
The dually threw up a rooster tail of dust and gravel.
Jackson whipped in behind it. There was a good chance he’d get a pitted windshield out of following this close, but at the moment he could envision a lot worse consequences as a result of dropping back.
“Hang on!” he yelled at Nicki, taking a quick glance in the mirror to check on her.
Her blue eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed, and she was gripping Titan so fiercely, he wondered why the dog was not trying to wiggle loose.
“Another hundred yards or so and we’ll be in the clear,” he promised.
“Who’s shooting? Are they aiming at us?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t intend to hang around to find out.”
The target probably was Nicki, he concluded, although there were unfortunately plenty of folks who didn’t care for cops, either. It was remotely possible they had inadvertently encroached on a moonshine still or a drug operation that was hidden in the forest. It was also possible that the pursuers in the black car had doubled back.
Either way, Jackson was thankful that whoever was shooting had such lousy aim.
“Did we lose them?” Nicki called from the backseat.
Jackson was about to tell her he thought so when a rifle shot clapped. The bullet whined. Zinged.
Both rear side windows of the racing SUV exploded, raining down in tiny bits the same way the glass door at Nicki’s apartment had as a result of the explosion.
She shrieked, long and loud.
For an instant, he feared the bullet might have found her, too, and his heart almost pounded out of his chest.
“Nicki!”
TEN
Hugging Titan and huddled with him on the backseat, Nicki wasn’t sure what had just happened. She knew there had been a shot. And the SUV had been hit. Beyond that, she was clueless.
The first thing she did was tak
e stock of herself. Nothing hurt, nor was she bleeding, so that was good. Titan seemed okay, too, and was trying to lick her face.
That left Jackson. He was still driving through the woods like a madman but that didn’t mean he was unscathed. “Are you hit?” she yelled.
“No. You?”
“We’re fine. How about Harold?”
“Still going ninety,” Jackson shouted. “Stay down, just in case.”
Did he think she was nuts? He must, if he felt the necessity to tell her to duck in the middle of an ambush!
Dropping to the floor on her knees, she pulled the quaking dog closer and held him tightly. Poor guy. This terrified reaction must be due to his PTSD. Considering how scared she was right now when she’d had no prior experience being shot at, the poor Lab must be frightened nearly out of his mind.
“Titan is shaking really bad,” Nicki called from her position on the floor. “What should I do?”
“Just stay down with him. We’re almost there.”
“Then what?”
She was positive she heard Jackson make a derisive sound before he answered, “We take cover.”
That made sense. At least in theory, she reasoned. Since there was supposed to be a chapel at the cemetery, they might find shelter there. As far as she was concerned, particularly lately, church was the perfect sanctuary.
No place is a good place to die, she countered silently. She knew she’d go to heaven eventually. She simply wasn’t ready to depart anytime soon. A new life lay ahead of her and her unborn child. She was not about to give it up without a fight.
* * *
Jackson had forgotten there were aboveground burial crypts on the cemetery grounds, as well as the tiny rural chapel. The sun had set behind the tree-topped ridge to the west, giving the horizon an ethereal glow. If it hadn’t been for the dust the ranch truck had kicked up, he might have missed locating Harold parking his truck behind a mausoleum.
The small building’s stone sides were covered with dead vines, and its once pristine walls had turned a dingy white. There was a carved name over the door, presumably that of one of the main families present at the founding of Sagebrush. All Jackson could read in passing was a capital A at the beginning of the inscription.
He chose to pass the place where his uncle had stopped, and park behind the chapel while he radioed his position to the station.
“Out. Both of you,” he ordered when he was done talking to dispatch. “Keep Titan on the leash and hunker down between this car and the building. That’ll give you better shelter.”
“Where will you be?” Nicki asked.
He was amazed at the calm strength of her words, the way she seemed able to adjust to any circumstance and roll with the punches, so to speak.
“As soon as I’m sure we’re safe, I’m going to go get Harold and we’ll check the area. I’d wait for more backup, but it’s going to be pitch-dark soon. If we don’t find tire tracks or footprints right away, we may as well give it up for the night.”
Although it had occurred to him that their choice to drive all the way onto the grounds might have obliterated any latent clues, he still intended to have a look around.
“At least the dark will help us hide from whoever was shooting,” Nicki said quietly.
“It will also help them hide from us,” he countered. His gun was drawn, every muscle in his body taut as he paused beside her and scanned the otherwise peaceful grounds. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
He heard her sigh before she said, “Sure. I have Titan, and he has me. What more could we want?”
“He’s not a protection or attack dog,” Jackson warned, “so don’t expect him to defend you.”
“That’s okay. I’ll defend him if I need to.”
“With what? Are you armed?”
“Of course not. I just meant...” She paused and sighed again. “I don’t know what I meant.”
“Do you know how to handle a gun?”
“Not unless it’s the kind that squirts water.”
He almost laughed. “Okay. Tell you what. If you want to learn, I’ll give you shooting lessons while you’re out at the ranch. With real bullets.”
“I could never purposely hurt anyone.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to go hunting down the bad guys, Nicki. I just want you to be able to defend yourself, and know how to react properly if you find yourself in danger.”
“Well, in that case, I’m willing.” She was stroking Titan’s head and scratching behind his ears as she spoke.
“Good for you.” Jackson started to straighten and move away. “Now stay here.” A small smile resulted when he realized how he could ensure her compliance. “I’m counting on you to take good care of Titan. Understand?”
A nod was all the answer he got. It was enough. Nicki was the kind of person who took every job seriously. She would look after the dog, and by doing so would also be safeguarding herself.
He eased out from behind the parked SUV, his pistol in one hand, flashlight in the other. He’d have to circle the chapel in order to signal Harold. That wouldn’t be difficult.
The hardest part of all this was forcing himself to leave Nicki. If he followed his true instincts he’d turn back, put his arms around her...and stay that way forever.
That wasn’t smart. Nor was it likely. But it sure sounded like a good idea.
* * *
Listening intently, Nicki heard Jackson’s footfalls even after he was no longer in sight. He’d circled the building slowly, then started to jog.
She also heard Harold’s call to him and his reply. If they felt it was safe to shout at each other, there was likely no further danger. Nevertheless, she chose to obey orders and stay put with Titan.
As time passed, the black Lab calmed considerably, although he continued to pant as if he’d just run a marathon. No wonder, considering how scared he’d been.
Truth to tell, the dog wasn’t the only one fatigued after their ordeal. Starting to yawn, she eased down beside him and propped her elbows on her bent knees.
“Well, old boy, what would you like to do now? Huh? How about a game of tic-tac-toe? Oh, you don’t play? Too bad. I’m very good at it.”
The silliness of the one-sided conversation relaxed her. She slid her fingertips through the dog’s short, silky hair and wiggled them all the way down his spine, bringing a happy wag of his tail. “You like that, huh? Good.”
Time seemed to drag by. The dim glow of the sun beyond the horizon disappeared completely. Nicki was beginning to get concerned. She shivered. How long should it take to canvas a small cemetery like this? Why weren’t Jackson and Harold back by now? Could something have happened to them?
Straining to listen, she heard nothing but the onset of nighttime insect chirps and the calls of a few nocturnal birds. No human spoke. No footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent forest surrounding them. No motors purred or raced, not even in the distance.
Loudest of all was the thrumming of her pulse in her ears, and the rapid breathing of the dog lying beside her.
Suddenly, Titan held very still, closed his mouth and stopped panting.
Nicki tensed with him. She leaned closer, trying to see what he was seeing.
It was impossible. The woods were too dark, too filled with unidentifiable shapes barely defined by the waning moon.
Wind pushed at supple tree branches, making their shadows dance among the headstones and claw at the aboveground crypts like ferocious beasts with long, grasping talons.
She chanced a soft, “Jackson? Harold?”
No one answered.
Her imagination began to create a vivid and terrifying scenario—one in which she was left all alone in the cemetery and villains of every order were closing in on her. On them.
Brushing off the notions as she brushed off her jeans, Nicki stood. The leash was fisted in one hand, the dog obediently poised at her side.
Now what? She had vowed to wait for Jackson’s return, yet an awful lot
of time had passed—enough to bring the full force of night and cause her to squint, straining to see more clearly. Surely, he hadn’t meant for her to stay put this long. Besides, if his dog was concerned, she should also be.
Still standing outside, she eased open the side doors of the patrol vehicle, looking for some sort of weapon, preferably a simple one. There was nothing except a shotgun, and she wasn’t going to take the chance of mishandling it.
The storage area behind the backseat, however, provided an L-shaped jack handle. It wasn’t too heavy to carry, yet it would certainly be better than being empty-handed.
It was then that she fully realized she intended to go looking for the missing men. Yes, she had promised to take care of the dog but since he was the one who seemed concerned, it made perfect sense to move.
Titan would lead her.
She would protect him.
The plan wasn’t foolproof, it was simply the best choice under these circumstances. At least that was what she kept telling herself.
“Come on, Titan.” Nicki took a step forward and he kept pace. “That’s right, boy. Let’s go see what’s been bothering you.”
To her astonishment, the black Lab seemed to understand—because he not only started off in a straight line, he began to move faster and faster.
Still clutching the metal jack handle, Nicki had to jog to keep up. The leash was shorter than ones she’d seen before, giving her less leeway to maneuver among the headstones and around trees and bushes.
She’d tripped several times before she gave a hard tug on the line and said, “Easy, boy. Slow down.”
Titan turned his brown eyes up at her as if he knew what she wanted. His anxiety, however, was still barely contained.
Nicki gave him some slack. That was a mistake.
The dog lunged forward.
She felt the webbing of the short leash slipping through her fingers. It burned as it chafed her skin.
Titan was loose! Running away.
“No!” Nicki shouted, stunned that the usually tractable animal had suddenly bolted. “Titan!”
Glimpses of his orange reflective collar were visible for a few seconds, but the rest of him blended into the darkness far too well.
Explosive Secrets (Texas K-9 Unit) Page 10
