by Angi Morgan
Their lips gravitated to each other, locked together and struggled to come apart. It wasn’t just her. She opened her eyes to see what Jesse was doing. His eyes were open, checking out her reaction.
They held each other’s shoulders, keeping each other in place with little pressure from their hands. Just a whisper of their bodies touched. It was the weirdest moment.
Jesse’s eyes closed. The pressure of his hands holding her in place eased, but his arms swooped around her, pulling her to conform to the mold of him. Her arms stretched around him, helping the process.
His tongue pierced between her lips, seeking what she wanted to give. Or filling a void she had known was there but wanted to ignore. It seemed inappropriate. Bad timing. Impossible.
Yet perfect, replenishing, just what she needed.
They drifted apart.
The grin was back on his face. “You going to knock me into the next room or pull out those handcuffs again? Your shirt does say to kiss you, even if I know you’re not Irish.”
She could only shake her head. She’d participated. He wasn’t alone in avoiding the problem of Snake Eyes. “I’m guilty this time.”
“Guess we should...” They broke apart and went back to their respective corners. Jesse unlocked the door as he passed.
Avery wiped any makeup residue from under her eyes and took a peek using the reflective surface on her cell.
“I didn’t mean to fall to pieces,” she said softly. “Sorry about that.”
He shuffled, raising a hand mimicking a schoolkid with something to say. He thought too hard on his word choice. “Not a problem. It’s frustrating. What if we set this aside and see what we can come up with as far as trapping this guy instead of the other way around?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“He’s told us that he’s here. He thinks there’s nothing we can do. All of this—” he pointed to the papers hanging on the walls “—tells us that he’s meticulous. He’s a planner. The longer he waits, the better his plan will seem.”
“That’s partly what I’m afraid of.”
“You can call this off, Avery. We can get you a protective detail or you can stay in a safe house.”
“That might be exactly what he’s looking for us to do. Retreat like Garrison. It might give him a clue where my brother is located.” She picked up the pen Jesse had tossed earlier and gave it back to him. “Could we trap him that way? Make him think I was being escorted to a secure location?”
“It might work. I need to call Major Parker.”
“What’s going on out there?” She could hear noises. Telephones. Chairs scraping the linoleum. Frantic tones. A couple of shouts. She had her hand wrapped around the doorknob to see for herself and take charge if necessary.
“Don’t!” Jesse shouted. “Let me confirm what’s going on.”
A frantic knock decided things. She opened the door and found Julie. It must be late if she was already on duty.
“There’s been an explosion north of town, Avery. We’ve dispatched the guys, but now there’s been a second and third explosion east and west. All grain silos. People are freaking out.”
“You can’t go,” Jesse said behind her.
“I have to. There’s not enough of us. You’ll just have to follow me.” She swiped the address from Julie’s hand before she left to answer another call, but turned to him. “You understand, right?”
“Be careful. You’ll be completely exposed.”
* * *
AVERY STOPPED LONG enough to put on a windbreaker marked Sheriff across the back. They needed everyone possible.
“Are you calling all off-duty personnel?”
“Yes. I’ve sent the men on duty to all three sites. A fourth was just called in, so I’ll be changing where Bo’s headed. The off-duty officers are headed at the first three to help out local PD. This is crazy.”
“It’s a trap. Call in surrounding volunteer firefighters. You’re going to need all the help you can get.”
“That’s not—”
“Trust me on this, Julie. Call Amarillo for anyone they can spare.”
“But they haven’t evaluated the fires yet,” the receptionist said, her worried expression indicating that she wasn’t comfortable.
“They’re going to be big and keep everyone pinned down and spread out. He’s after Avery and just might get her. Here’s my cell number. Keep me informed.”
“Okay, but I think I need to check with Avery about all this.”
“You need to hurry.” He pushed open the door, stopping to ask, “Where the hell is Avery going?”
Julie looked overwhelmed, but handed him an address. He tapped it into his phone, calling up a map before he left a coverage zone. Avery had a head start. Every minute she was alone, she’d be more vulnerable.
Map on his phone, he sped behind her in the rental. Out past the city limits, he could see a fire on the horizon. He didn’t need a map to see where he wanted to go.
Taking a turn onto a dirt road, he fishtailed a bit, straightened up, and the car sputtered. Then it lost momentum, cruising to a stop. The engine light was on. He had no idea what might have happened. Except...
He hit the steering wheel. “That son of a bitch!”
Chapter Nine
Avery was sliding her truck around corners, taking them as fast as possible without rolling it. If she caught the drop-off on the edge of the road, she was sure to lose control. Yet there was a set of headlights in her mirror, gaining speed. Her first thought was that it was Jesse catching up.
As the vehicle got closer, she wondered if it could be Snake Eyes. His logical move was at the fire. Catch her in a vulnerable spot and drag her into the darkness. He was methodical. The fire was the best bet that he’d approach to abduct her. She’d keep herself safe. She wouldn’t stand alone, especially on the perimeter of the scene. Jesse would be there, focused on locating Snake Eyes.
The car kept gaining and the blinker indicated whoever it was wanted to pass.
“Are you crazy? Slow down.”
Maybe it was a volunteer firefighter? Another officer? She slowed and drove on the side of the road as far over as it was safe. The car never slowed, just gained more speed until it disappeared around the next curve.
No other car headlights were visible. “Where is Jesse?” She tried calling him. There was no answer on his cell that went straight to voice mail.
The open country let her see a flash of lights ahead of her. Then she rounded the corner and saw the disabled car that had just passed. “I had a feeling that was going to happen.”
“Dispatch. Julie?” she called before she pulled to a stop.
“Something wrong, Avery?”
“There’s been a single-vehicle accident on 3212 just past 807 toward the fire. They were going pretty fast. I’m checking for injuries. Redirect someone to the fire.”
“Bo’s the only one still in his car. You want me to send him as backup?” Julie was very professional for once.
“I got this. The car’s blocking the road, so tell Bo to take another route and you send a tow truck out here.”
“Copy that, Avery.”
Blaze in the distance. Lights flashing around her. Smoke poured from the front of the vehicle. She approached the car with caution, running quickly through different scenarios in her head. Each time, she came back to a volunteer rushing to the fire. A hired murderer wouldn’t want her approaching his stolen vehicle with her weapon drawn.
“Hello? Are you all right?” She looked at the mirror, which was pointing oddly toward the ground. She drew her gun, stood in line with the back door, leaning forward to tap on the window. It descended.
“I think I’m...having a heart attack. Officer?” A man’s voice. Pleasant. Adult. “I know I was
going a little fast. I think I blacked out for a minute. Can you help me? Am I going to die?”
Once again she ran through scenarios. Would the Snake Eyes Killer actually have an accident? Would he know which fire she’d be headed to?
“I’m a volunteer firefighter at home...thought I could help.”
“Is anyone else in the car with you?”
He did nothing to make her on edge. She needed to holster her weapon to check out his injuries, but her experience working as a state trooper kept her ready for anything.
No, it was the situation with Jesse that had her on edge. The fact that an unidentified man was threatening to kill her. She kept her weapon drawn, ready to do business. “Stay calm. Are you injured?”
“I...can’t breathe... It hurts,” he cried out.
Oh God, what if he dies while I play frightened schoolgirl?
She holstered her gun and reached out to take his pulse. As quick as the flicking tongue of a lizard, he pierced the back of her hand with a needle. The hypodermic swayed back and forth, almost hypnotizing her with the surprise.
She knew she collapsed to the ground, but barely felt the impact. Her thoughts got fuzzy as the door opened and a black snakelike man stepped from it. Shoot the poisonous snake. She tried. He kicked her gun away.
A man. A snake man all in black except his glowing green snake eyes.
Fade to black took on a whole new meaning. She tried to hang on to consciousness. She could feel the gravel pressed into her cheek. It couldn’t end this way. She’d promised her mom she’d be careful. She heard a man speaking to her, but the words didn’t make sense.
Then the darkness grew more real. More frightening. She was about to die on the side of the road...just like her dad.
Comprehension shifted from logic to dreamland as her body floated and curled into a shadowy, bumpy place. She couldn’t wake up.
Chased. Stung. Falling. The green-slit eyes of a snake monster kept coming for her, pushing her deeper into nightmare land.
Chapter Ten
“I was supposed to meet Deputy Travis here. I was delayed with car trouble, but I hitched a ride. I can’t get her on her cell. Have you seen her?” Jesse asked a firefighter coming away from the fire.
“Only county guy I saw was over by the car. Other side of the fire.”
The deputy by the car was Bo. Keep it real. She would be busy.
“Where’s Avery?” he asked once within shouting distance.
Bo met him halfway, raising his radio to his mouth. “Julie? Has Avery cleared that vehicle yet?”
“She’s not there? I got a garbled message that everything was okay.”
Recognition hit the deputy’s eyes. “How long since the first message?”
“Half an hour, Bo. After she sent you to the fire, I got the other message about six minutes later. I’ve been pretty busy. Everything okay?”
“Is that normal for her?” Jesse knew instantly it wasn’t. “Where was the accident?”
Avery’s father had been killed in a routine traffic stop and found by a stranger on the side of the highway. Her mother had worked for months to find out what happened when the papers accused him of not following procedure. Avery had always been a fanatic about following protocol. She wouldn’t change that habit no matter how laid-back her county coworkers were.
Jesse could feel the blood rushing in his ears. He was a couple of minutes from panic mode. “She’s in danger, man. You gotta listen to me. Tell me where she is.”
“Bo?” Julie’s voice called through the deputy’s radio. “There’s a call for Jesse Ryder. They say it’s important. Should I put it through?”
Jesse took the hand radio from the stunned young man. “It could be him. Don’t let him hang up,” he shouted after pushing the talk button.
Julie was unaware of who it might be. Bo dialed his cell. He’d make certain she knew that the situation was serious. There were a couple of clicks. “You should be able to talk now.”
“What have you done with her?”
“You sound out of breath, Jesse.”
Jesse locked eyes with Bo and mouthed, “It’s him.”
Bo removed the radio from his shoulder, pulled his cell from his pocket and walked away. Jesse could hardly catch his breath. Snake Eyes was right about that. “What have you done with her?”
“I know all about you, Ranger. If you want Garrison’s sister alive, you give me his location and let him take his chances. He comes out of hiding, sissy gets a pass.”
“Where is she?” Jesse asked too late. The call ended before he finished. He looked to Bo. “Anything?”
“We barely got on the call. Did you recognize the voice? Man? Woman?”
“Disguised.” The young men and women in Avery’s department would be unprepared to face a killer like Snake Eyes. “I need a phone with reception. You need to call Dan Myers and get him up here pronto.”
“What’s going on? Is Avery in trouble?” Julie asked through the radio.
The staff would be spooked, but there was only one way to deal with this...truthfully. “Yes. This is what I need from—”
Everybody spoke over the other. Donny Ray broke in on the radio, panicked. Jesse let them have their minute. Everything was still in his bag that he’d tossed in the backseat of Bo’s vehicle when he’d found him. He was about to leave the deputy stranded at the fire. But he was needed here and Jesse needed to check out the scene where Avery disappeared.
His commanding officer answered on the first ring. “Parker.”
“It’s Ryder, sir. We were outsmarted. He’s got her and wants the location of Travis.” He pulled away from the fire. No one took off after him.
“Hang tight. I’ll get you backup from Company C.”
“He wants this to go public, sir. If it does, it’s a sure way to let Garrison know his sister’s in trouble. You know him. He won’t trust us to take care of this without his help.”
“Witnesses don’t have access to the news or social media. But I’ll verify no one slips up with Travis. Don’t do anything foolish, Ryder.”
“No, sir.”
Jesse took a deep breath to keep his voice calm in spite of the apprehension rising in his chest. The odds of finding Avery alive were... He was ready to find Avery, but something caught his eye.
Movement at the corner of an outbuilding. Someone was creeping in the shadows.
Stopping the car, he fought with himself. He took a couple of paces onto the gravel, hesitating. Backup in the form of a nervous Bo, who might shoot the person watching? Or approach the shadowy figure on his own. It didn’t matter what was in the dark. It wouldn’t help Avery if anybody got shot.
He did an about-face, heading back to the car.
There wasn’t time to react to the two-by-four that hit his head. He fell onto the trunk, then to the ground. He was pulled by his feet into the dark, and his blurred vision prevented him from seeing much, but not from kicking weakly at his attacker.
His boot connected with something solid that let go. Released, he flipped over, ignoring the pain, struggling to get to his feet.
“You’re bleeding,” a man’s voice said behind his ear.
He felt the sting of a needle. Felt the thick liquid enter his body and travel to his limbs. He was helpless to respond.
The glow got closer to his face. Green horizontal slits in a sea of black. He was pretty much paralyzed.
This was it. The end. He didn’t want his final thought to be of failure. Instead, he chose to remember Avery’s face just at the moment he kissed her that afternoon.
Then there was the first kiss that seemed so long ago. Second in their lifetime, but the first as adults. Her sweet eyes lit up like a fragile dogwood blossom. Easy to remember because that was how she’d smelled. Al
l sweet and sumptuous.
It was a good last thought.
Chapter Eleven
“Wake up, silly.” A sweet singsong voice penetrated Jesse’s dreams.
“Avery?” Jesse pushed his face from the dirt. He wasn’t dead. Neither was the girl he’d been dreaming about. He was in her arms, skin to skin. No secrets in their way. “It’s still dark. Let me sleep.”
“To misquote one of your favorite movies, this is a hell of a rescue.” When his eyes focused, he could see that her hands were secured around a fence post.
“Drugs?”
“Yeah. Fast-acting, too. Son of a B must have been following me and faked an accident. He got me while reaching to take his pulse.”
“Edge of the fire...then took a board to my head.” He rubbed the wound that felt like the size of a golf ball. Wait. His hands were free.
“That’s right. Snake Eyes didn’t secure your hands. Can you untie me? Soon?” she asked.
“Sure.”
Strange that he was free to move and not Avery. He took in their surroundings. Nothing close. Not a fence to go with the post in the ground. Which after his eyes focused a little he could tell was the end of a picnic table.
“I imagine you’ve got a whopper of a hangover. I do. And you know I never get hangovers from drinking. If this is what it feels like, I’ll pass. I am sort of light-headed.”
“You didn’t eat anything all day.” He struggled to pull himself upright.
Blurred vision and a sicker-than-he-could-remember gut had him moving slower than a slug. He hauled himself across the dirt to get close enough to work on the knots around her wrists, slowly getting her free.
For a second, Jesse thought Avery was stretching to get life back in her arms. Then those arms dropped around his shoulders to hug him. He remained barely upright, she was on her knees and all he wanted was to stay there awhile to be thankful neither of them was dead.
“What the heck’s around your neck?” They both got to their bare feet and she began tugging.
