Collin shook his head. “I never could have done that. Even drunk I would never—”
“You did do it. Rocky doesn’t lie,” Jared’s voice caught on his last sentence. How could he slam Collin when Jared was guilty of shit himself? He hurt her too.
Suddenly, Jared heard the sound of an approaching car. He and Collin weren’t out of danger yet. Riley had to have an accomplice. Collin heard it, too.
“Untie me!” Collin cried.
Jared loosened one of Collin’s hands and as Collin went to work on the other knots, Jared forced his body into motion. Glock in hand, he moved into position, ready to ambush anyone who walked through the barn-like doors.
Scrambling, Collin grabbed the sledge hammer and set himself up on the other side. A split second later, before either of them realized what the sound of the gunning engine meant, the doors splintered inward as a car came through the opening. Both he and Collin stumbled back from harm. Through the flying splinters, Jared saw the muzzle of a big ass semi-automatic 44 appear out the driver’s side window and the dark shadow of another man came over the top of the car, sweeping the room with his laser enhanced pistol.
Mulligan and Jesse.
“Don’t shoot!” Jared shouted as the red beam from Jesse’s muzzle centered on Collin’s chest. Collin dropped the sledge hammer and held his hands up.
Jesse didn’t alter his aim. “Give me a damn good reason.”
Jared had no doubt the two men could have taken out an entire room of Rileys in a heartbeat.
“He was kidnapped, too. How long have I been gone?”
“About two and a half hours.” Jesse lowered his pistol, slightly and grunted as if he didn’t quite want to. Collin inhaled then sank to the ground and sat with his head between his legs.
Was that all? Not even three hours? Jared felt as days had passed. His vision wavered as he fought against the weakness shaking his knees. Trying to brace his aching side with his arm, he limped forward, noticing for the first time he had blood dripping down from his shoulder and his tongue was swollen from being bit at some point during Riley’s torturing Q& A session.
Jesse slid down from the roof of the car and moved toward him. Mulligan shut the car off and exited, heading for Riley’s body on the ground.
“Look’s like Riley’s our man. Ringo get that report back on him yet?” Mulligan asked.
“Negative,” Jesse said as he wrapped an arm around Jared’s shoulder. “God, it’s so damn good to see you.”
Jared leaned in to his brother before he fell over. Maybe Jesse wasn’t as much of a pain in the ass as he thought. “You knew it was Riley? Since when?”
“No. We started running preliminary background checks on all of McKenna Construction employees after the bomb last night. But with Riley connected to the fire at the Drake we flagged him for a more in-depth check. We did the same with Mack, Alice, and Maggie, as well, since they work the closest to Rocky.”
Jared nodded his swimming head. “How in the hell did you find me so fast?”
“We tracked you to within five miles of here with the tracers planted in the clothes you had on. But after finding those swimming with the gators in a road-side swamp, it was Rocky and James who kept the search alive. God did the rest. You look a little worse for the wear, kid. If I’m not mistaken that’s a fairly deep bullet trench on your shoulder.”
“Just a scratch,” Jared said. “Where’s Rocky? James?” He twisted to look for her and that tipped the apple cart so to speak. Pain arced up from his side and his vision faded to a narrow tunnel. “Need to sit down. Ribs hurt.” Jared shivered.
“You need to lay down, bro. You’re in shock.”
“Jared?” Rocky called out from somewhere beyond his narrowing field of vision.
“Here,” Jared said, but his voice was a whisper. He opened he mouth to speak louder but couldn’t seem speak again. He shivered harder.
Jared felt his brother scoop him up like a babe and heard Jesse and Mulligan talk through a long tunnel.
“Mulligan, let’s get that helicopter here now. Jared may have some internal bleeding. They can land in the clearing.”
“Their ETA is ten minutes.”
“A lot of shit can go wrong in ten minutes.”
Jared hoped not.
Rocky shoved aside the splintered wood that framed Jesse’s car trunk and forced her way into the old saw mill. She’d waited, hidden in the dense foliage lining the dirt road, for as long as she could. But when no gunfire followed Jesse and Mulligan’s assault, she couldn’t help but think the worse. Jared was either not here or he was...
God. She caught her breath, refusing to even think Jared wasn’t alive.
Two black trucks were parked in front. One of them was Collin’s. It made her horribly ill inside. If she’d only listened to Jared from the start and hadn’t so naively believed Collin incapable of hurting his father, she could have pushed the police to go after Collin. Then maybe Collin wouldn’t have had the opportunity to kidnap Jared.
It confused her as to how Collin found out about her mother’s past, the Pearson kidnappings, and the missing ransom diamonds.
When her eyes adjusted to the dimness inside the sawmill, she saw Collin sitting on the ground next to a sledge hammer and Jared lifeless in Jesse’s arms with blood on him.
She cried out in anguish. Collin looked up, filthy and devastated, as if he was bewildered. “I’m sorry, Rock-a-bye. I am so sorry.”
He used the name he used to tease her with when they were kids. Rocky fell to her knees, her eyes flooding with tears. Sorrow and rage warred in her heart. Why hadn’t Jesse or Mulligan shot Collin or tied him up or something. “You killed Jared? You killed your father? Why Collin? Why?”
Collin’s head snapped up. “What? NO! NO! I didn’t.”
A strong hand clasped Rocky’s shoulder. She looked up into Mulligan’s icy eyes and saw a hot core of warmth and compassion that he somehow always kept hidden. “Jared’s alive but need’s medical attention,” he said. “Collin was kidnapped, too. Riley’s over there. He’s dead.”
Rocky sucked in air and jerked her gaze toward Jesse. He was laying Jared in the backseat of the car then stripped off his shirt to cover Jared. Mulligan helped her rise and she rushed to Jesse, knees shaking.
“How bad is he?”
Jesse looked up, his brow creased with worry. “I don’t know. He’s showing signs of shock. Let’s get his feet up and I’ll back the car out. There’s a trauma kit in the trunk. The helicopter will be here soon and we can get him to the hospital.”
Rocky didn’t ask. She just climbed into the back with Jared, kneeling in the floorboard. She lifted his legs to rest on the seat back, then took off the t-shirt she had on, folded it and pressed it to the bleeding wound on his shoulder. The bullet proof vests she and Jesse wore were tan in color and so light that Rocky had forgotten she was wearing one. Jared’s left side looked bruised and swollen. After seeing her in action, Jesse grunted and hopped into the driver’s seat.
He backed the car about five feet, popped the trunk, and then went around and opened the door by Jared’s head. He placed a silver thermal blanket over Jared and handed her his shirt. She slipped it over her shoulders for now.
Jesse strapped a blood pressure cuff to Jared’s good arm. “Eighty over fifty, low but not critical. His pulse is ninety—a good sign.” He hung an IV bag to the hook just above the door, inserted an IV needle in Jared’s arm, and within moments had fluids infusing at a fast rate. He then taped her balled shirt to Jared’s shoulder, making it a pressure dressing.
Mulligan stuck his head in. “Five more minutes on the helicopter.” He held up a nasty, rusted iron ball. It looked like a miniature wrecking ball. “Collin says Riley hit Jared’s side with this while Jared was tied helpless to a chair. The bastard’s dead but I’m tempted to smash his skull flat. You won’t believe the story of the fight Jared put up.” Mulligan’s eyes were so icy cold Rocky had no doubt that if Riley wasn’t dead, M
ulligan would have smashed the man’s skull.
Jesse cursed. Rocky thought she would either pass out or throw up. Jesse drew the thermal blanket away from Jared’s side and studied his brother. “His ribcage rises and falls evenly. If his ribs were severely damaged and detached from the chest wall that part would move opposite from the rest of his chest. He could have some internal bleeding if his spleen or his lungs are contused, though.”
“I’m glad you know all of that,” Rocky whispered, clasping Jared’s hand in hers.
“Assisted an army medic for a few years. You learn hard and fast in the field.” Jared looked in bad shape to her, but Rocky could see that Jesse’s worry had eased some. He’d have seen a lot worse in combat. She heard the sound of the approaching helicopter and drew a deep breath. It was the first one since discovering Jared had been abducted.
Four hours later, as she paced the hospital waiting room, she had yet to draw a second deep breath. Jared was in surgery to have a minor tear to his spleen repaired. Was there any such thing as a MINOR tear to one’s spleen? That minor repair was now almost two hours past the time Jared was supposed to be done.
She shuddered.
Jesse stood sentry not far from her side. She’d given him his shirt back and she now wore a green scrub top with a Property of Memorial Hospital stamp. Another of Jesse’s bodyguards was at the entrance to the waiting room. The possibility that Riley had an accomplice still hovered like a dark cloud, though Collin said he never saw anyone except for the black masked man during his ordeal. She, Jesse, and Collin had ridden in the helicopter with Jared to the hospital. Collin was admitted to the hospital for dehydration. Mulligan had gone to collect McNall from the airport and take him to the R& D facility. Jesse’s men who’d been in the helicopter had waited with Riley’s body for the police.
She was afraid the police would show up soon asking questions that she didn’t have many answers to yet. She just prayed she had news that Jared was in the clear by then, because she couldn’t think about anything else. She’d been introduced to Jared’s family, but their faces passed in a blur. Except for James’s. Being Jared’s exact double, his only made her ache more. Alexi, Jesse’s wife sat on one side of James, and Nan, Jackson’s wife sat on the other. They each had a hand on James’s shoulder and were whispering comfort to a clearly anguished man. He had his face buried in his hands. She thought she knew exactly how he felt.
It was surreal to see Jared but it not be Jared. The experience made Rocky realize that even though Jared had misrepresented who he was, it didn’t change him from the man she’d come to know. Maybe it tarnished his armor a good bit, but didn’t change him from being a knight to the rescue so to speak.
Instead of wringing a dishtowel, Emma Weldon sat in the corner furiously knitting what looked like a sweater for a little boy. But Rocky could see her lips moving in a silent prayer with every stitch. Jared’s father, John Weldon, paced the opposite side of the room, cracking his knuckles with every turn, making Rocky jump. She wished somebody would hand him a dishtowel to wring. She was so on edge with worry that she was about to explode from it.
Jackson had been there for a while, but then had taken off to the inner bowels of the hospital, hoping his doctor status would get information about Jared.
Though everyone had been polite and nice, Rocky was sure they were all blaming her for what happened to Jared. Even she was blaming herself, so why shouldn’t they?
“This is all my fault!” James stood and raked his hands through his hair. He marched across the room and grabbed Jesse’s shoulder. “Go ahead a say it. Somehow, I got the premonition wrong. Jared’s the one who we needed to be watching out for not you and Jackson.”
Everyone froze. Emma stopped knitting mid-stitch. John halted with his foot in the air and wobbled off-balance a moment before he smacked his foot down, cursed, and turned to look at James.
Alexi gasped and glared at Jesse. “That’s why you cancelled the trip.”
Nan shot to her feet. “What premonition about Jackson?”
“I knew you were hiding something, John Weldon. And I’ve been waiting for it to come out.” Emma set down her knitting and marched over to James. She put her finger in the center of his chest. “Plant your butt in a chair, boy, and breathe. I’ll get to you in a minute.” She glared at Jesse, but didn’t say anything as she breezed by him and went for her husband. John Weldon had stopped pacing and was now busy staring out the window.
“John Donovan Weldon. You’ve been hiding something since Sunday. Look at me and man up.”
All of the men in the room winced.
John turned and sighed. “Remember stories about my grand pappy?”
“Not likely to forget them, as your father relished scaring everyone with the grim-reaper-like tales on regular basis.”
“James may have a similar problem.”
James groaned. Emma glanced at him then zeroed her gaze back on her husband. “And just exactly how did you reach this conclusion?”
John frowned. “Well, because it was...obvious. He...well...he—”
James stood. “Years ago, the night of my and Jared’s graduation. We were all standing together taking pictures and Tyler and Steve just disappeared from my vision. I knew they were right there in front of me. I could hear them talking but I couldn’t see them. The next day, they died in a car wreck. Sunday morning in church, during the ceremony, the same thing happened. Jesse and Jackson disappeared from my vision.”
“That was thirteen years ago. I have little doubt you and Jared were both sneaking a drink or two then. And I know you were hung-over last Sunday morning, so I’m going to take this story with a grain of salt. You father shouldn’t have immediately carried embellished tales that an old man in his cups liked to spew late at night.”
She gave John a stern look. “That being said,” she moved over and placed her hand on James’s chest over his heart. “God gave you and Jared a special connection. You two did not talk until you were five and I put you in different classes at school. The doctors all said it was because you read each other’s minds and didn’t need to communicate verbally. So you and Jared sharpened a part of your minds at an early age.”
“That explains what happened today,” James said. I knew Jared was in deep trouble. In pain. And all I could see was a dusty sawmill. All I could fell was the evil shadow of a killer hovering over Jared. All of that is different from having Jesse and Jackson disappear from my vision.”
Emma reached up and hugged James. “Son, I believe in instincts and intuitions no matter how the mind communicates them to us. Maybe what happened is really important. Maybe it isn’t. I can tell you that you should never ignore what your gut is telling you. Therein lays the extent of your responsibility. You tell who needs to be told, take the precautions your gut is clamoring to take, and after that it is in God’s hands not yours. And as much as you men like to think it, you’re not God, so don’t go taking on his job.”
Rocky could almost see the burden and fear rolling off James’s shoulders as he drew in a deep breath.
“Well said,” Jesse muttered. “Jackson and I did take precautions.”
“Then there was no need to play God and keep me, Alexi, and Nan in the dark about it,” Emma admonished.
Jesse winced.
“That’s right,” Nan added. “We are practical, level-headed women, who have every right to be aware of situations as they arise.”
“And not learn about them after-the-fact,” Alexi said, narrowing her gaze at Jesse. “Or should I say after the fiction? All of those excuses as to why you postponed you’re trip this week were lies?”
Jesse cleared his throat. “Uh, not exactly. An important situation did come up that has required me being here.”
“And that situation involved Jared and why he’s in surgery now?” Emma asked.
“Yes,” Jesse said.
Rocky finally spoke up. “Jared was hurt because I didn’t take his concerns for my safety more ser
iously from the start.”
“I’m not sure how that could have changed the outcome,” Jesse said. “Jared was determined to stay by your side no matter what.”
“Yeah,” James said. “Jared took one look at you and two things instantly happened. He never looked away and he was determined to put himself between you and anything that threatened you.”
“I hate to interrupt this tell all, but I have news on our boy,” Jackson said from the doorway.
Rocky whipped around. Once she saw the smile on Jackson’s face, she relaxed her cramped hands and breathed deep.
“Jared’s in recovery and doing fine. It took longer because there was more damage to the spleen than they thought and they had to do a partial splenectomy. We can see him shortly.”
Rocky decided to take the bull by the horns. She turned to Jesse. “The only way Jared is going to rest is if this situation I am in is over and done with.”
“If you’re suggesting we cut out of here and take care of business then I’m ready. Besides, we just might be able to stop another murder as well.”
She gripped Jesse’s arm. “What haven’t you told me?”
He smiled. “That McNall refuses to tell Mulligan anything until he sees you. They’ve been in a Mexican standoff for hours now.”
James, who was near, leaned their way. “How do you two think Jared will take both of you not being here when he wakes up?”
Jesse grunted. “It will be worse if we stay and then leave. He’s down and needs to stay down until everything is healed, including his leg. But the second Jared is aware you can put him into contact with Rocky on live video feed via this phone or the I-pad I will send over.”
James took the phone. “Be careful, please.”
“Bank on it.”
She and Jesse left the hospital after taking a quick peek at her father. Part of her heart was on the third floor with her Da, the rest of it was on the fifth floor with Jared. She had to solve the puzzle before anything else happened.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Cagey, bastard. Ye think you can get away with a move like that?” The man’s Irish burr boomed into the hallway. Rocky quickened her step toward Jesse’s office with him on her heels. That had to be McNall.
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