by Mary Alford
“Sam Wilson. I’m going to have some of my men follow you to the hospital as a precaution. Until Shadow and his thugs are found, you’re all at risk.”
“Thank you.” Gavin was grateful for the protection.
“Don’t thank me. Sheriff Lawson was the one who alerted us to where you were buried. If it wasn’t for him, we might never have found you in time.”
Gavin realized Andy was standing next to the agent. He held out his hand. “Thanks for saving us, Andy. I hate to say it, but I thought you were part of Shadow’s team for a while.” Gavin stared at the man lying on the ground. “I’m sorry about your father.”
Andy swallowed visibly. “Thanks. I’ve always thought there was something wrong about him, but until I became sheriff, I had no idea how corrupt my dad and the deputies serving him truly were. When I found out the truth, I couldn’t let it go on any longer. I had to do something. So I contacted the FBI and told them what I suspected. I just never envisioned this type of outcome.”
“We need to go now,” one of the EMTs told him, and Gavin nodded, shook Andy’s hand and got into the back of the ambulance. His thoughts were fuzzy from the lack of oxygen. He’d leave everything to the FBI for now. He just wanted to be with Jamie.
NINETEEN
Jamie slowly opened her eyes. Her head ached as if someone was banging a sledgehammer inside her brain. When the world focused, she realized she was in a hospital bed. And someone held her hand.
She looked over and saw Gavin, his forehead resting on their joined fingers. He looked as if he was praying.
“Gavin?” she whispered in a croaky voice. Her throat hurt like crazy.
He lifted his head and looked at her. There were tears there. When he saw that she was awake, his face broke into a smile, then he got to his feet and enveloped her in his arms.
“You’re awake. I’m so glad.” His voice broke with emotion.
Jamie was happy just to be in his arms for the moment. The last thing she remembered was hiding behind the boulder in the mine.
He slowly let her go. “I was so worried about you. So afraid...” He couldn’t finish, but she knew.
“I’m okay,” she assured him, then she thought about her uncle. “Uncle Paxton?”
“Is fine, as well. He’s resting in the next room, heavily guarded and loving every minute of the fact that he was right all along,” Gavin told her with a chuckle.
She managed a smile. “When can I see him?”
“Soon. The doctor says the best thing for you now is to rest.”
“What about you? How are you doing?”
He grinned down at her. “I’m fine. The doctor took a look my gunshot wound. He wants to remove the bullet, but I told him that would have to wait until this is over.”
“Have they found Shadow and his men yet?” she asked.
“Not yet, but the FBI has the whole area saturated with men. All the roads are blocked. It’s only a matter of time.”
She could see it in his eyes. He wanted to be part of the hunt. With Shadow responsible for his father’s death, she didn’t blame him. He needed to bring the man down for closure.
“You should go. Bring him in. Make him pay for what he did to your father.”
Gavin shook his head. “I don’t want to leave you. It’s too risky.” He stopped and stared into her eyes with so much pain in his. Jamie believed she knew what was troubling him.
She touched his face. “It’s okay. If the tables were turned, I probably wouldn’t have believed you either.”
His face twisted. “No, you would because that’s just who you are. Jamie, I’m so sorry that I didn’t do the same for you. You needed me and I let you down.”
She shook her head. She didn’t want his apology she wanted...his love. Would there be another chance for them?
“You didn’t let me down. We were both thrown into an impossible situation. You handled it the best you could.” With tears in his eyes, he kissed her fervently and all her hopes for the future they’d once dreamed of took flight once more.
He ended the kiss, but didn’t let her go. She’d give anything for this to be finished, but Shadow and his men were still out there.
“I’m safe here. I’m in a hospital room, no doubt surrounded by FBI agents. Go, bring Shadow to justice for Charles.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, still reluctant to leave her side.
“I’m sure.” She smiled up at him.
Gavin leaned over and kissed her once more. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Jamie touched his cheek. “And I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
Gavin brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it, then, with another smile, he left her alone.
Shadow had taken things from her, as well. Her father. The life she could have had with Gavin. The years that Uncle Paxton had fought to bring Charles’s true killer to justice. He deserved to pay for his crimes.
But right now, she wanted to see her uncle and thank him for all that he’d done.
Jamie sat up and put her feet on the floor. The effort left her weak. Holding on to whatever she could, she stood and then made her way to the door. Two federal agents stood guard outside.
“Ma’am, I need you to stay inside your room,” one of the agents informed her.
“Not until I see my uncle.” She stood up straight and didn’t budge.
The second agent nodded toward the next room, where two more agents stood outside. “He’s in there. Let me help you, ma’am.”
The agent took her arm and slowly walked her over to the two guards. They stepped aside, and he opened the door. Once inside, the agent helped her into the chair close to Uncle Paxton’s bed.
“Thank you,” Jamie said gratefully. The man who’d helped her smiled and left them alone.
Paxton was resting peacefully. She clasped his hand and held it. She was so grateful to him for not giving up through the years when it would have been so easy. Everyone had doubted him, including Jamie.
“There she is.” She hadn’t realized that Uncle Paxton was awake until he spoke.
She smiled down at her uncle through tears. “Hey, you.”
“Where’s Gavin?” her uncle asked, his gaze going to the door.
“He was just here, but he left to go help with the manhunt. It’s only a matter of time now before Shadow is captured, along with all the crooked deputies. Dad’s name will be cleared finally, and we owe it all to you. You never gave up on proving his innocence. He would be so proud of you.”
Uncle Paxton smiled up at her. “And you. I know you never doubted his innocence, either. I just wish I could have proven what really happened before he had to die in that horrible place.”
Jamie squeezed his hand. “You did everything you could. You fought against so many odds to clear his name.”
Her uncle lowered his head. “You and Gavin. You going to marry him?”
Jamie was surprised by the question. “If he’ll have me, and I hope he will. I love him so much. I never stopped loving him.”
“The feeling is mutual, Jamie. Ava used to tell me all the time that her grandson still loved you. He just couldn’t let go of what he believed.”
Jamie scrubbed tears from her cheeks. The damage Shadow had done to their families would take a lot of healing to move beyond.
“The past is finally finished. It’s time to look toward the future now,” her uncle told her. “And I have a confession to make. When I realized that Miller was intent on bringing me in, probably to kill me, I hid the rest of the heroin at the house.”
Jamie stared at him. He didn’t know about the house yet. “Oh, Uncle Paxton, I’m so sorry. The house... Miller and his men set it on fire. There’s nothing left.”
Her uncle was shocked by the news. He shook his head. “Those horrible men.” He didn’t say anything for
a moment. “But the heroin wasn’t in the house. It’s in the plowed land behind the house. I buried it there.”
Now Jamie understood why the area had been freshly plowed. It wasn’t because Uncle Paxton planned to plant; it was because he’d been hiding evidence.
Suddenly, the lights were extinguished and the room grew dark.
“What’s happening?” Jamie could hear the unease in his voice.
“I don’t know. I’ll check it out.” She jumped to her feet and hurried to the door. Two of the agents were still there.
“What’s going on?” she asked. The entire floor was dark.
“Go back inside, ma’am. We’re checking it out now. We’ll figure out what’s happening and let you know. Until then, stay inside.” The agent pushed her back into the room. Jamie returned to her uncle, who had sat up in bed, his feet hanging over the edge.
“This is his work,” he whispered in a fearful voice.
Jamie didn’t have to ask who he meant, because she believed the same thing. In spite of a county-wide manhunt, Brock Shadow was coming after them to finish the job.
* * *
One of the agents standing guard had offered Gavin the use of their vehicle. He’d been updated on where the hunt for Shadow was situated—an abandoned mine that had been on the list he and Jamie had found.
As much as he hated leaving Jamie, she was right. He had to see this thing through to the end. He owed it to his father and to Noah.
Gavin drove the ten-plus miles to the mine. There were dozens of law enforcement vehicles parked down from the entrance. Gavin got out of the car and headed toward it. He spotted Andy amongst the group of men standing out front.
Andy came over.
“What’s happening in there?” Gavin asked. He wondered why the agents hadn’t stormed the mine.
“We tried to get in there, but they fired on us. We have no idea how many of them are in there. Wilson is letting them sweat it for a while longer, and then he’s going with a flash grenade. You want to be part of that?”
“Absolutely.” It amazed him how well Andy was holding up after being forced to shoot his own dad. “I really am sorry about your father, Andy. I know how hard it is to lose your dad. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be under these circumstances.”
Andy kept his focus on the activity in front of the mine. “It was. I still can’t believe my father was the one who killed yours, acting under Shadow’s orders.”
Gavin stared at him. He wasn’t sure he’d heard him correctly. “What do you mean?”
Andy looked heartbroken. “I learned that my dad was the one who came to your father originally with the offer. He knew your dad wouldn’t accept it. Gavin, my dad went to the mine with Shadow that day. He was the one who shot your dad with a gun he’d taken from Noah’s place. Then he lured Noah over to frame him for the murder.”
Gavin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How did you find this out?”
Andy looked at him with regret. “I’m sorry as all get-out about this, Gavin. I found out because one of the deputies who worked for my dad was captured trying to leave the county. I guess the rats are jumping ship. Anyway, he thought he could help himself on his sentence if he started talking.”
“Unbelievable.” Gavin couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be for Andy to admit that not only had his father been corrupt, he was a murderer, as well.
“Looks like they’re about to start,” Andy told him, and they headed to the entrance.
“Once the flash grenades go off, we’ll have only a few minutes’ advantage. Be prepared. They have nothing to lose,” Agent Wilson told the group.
Seconds after the flash grenades were thrown into the mine, the agents stormed it.
The chaos that Gavin saw when he entered reminded him of many of the war-type situations he’d faced abroad.
Gavin spotted at least five deputies stumbling around. The grenade would make vision impossible for several seconds as well as cause ringing in the ears, disorienting the victim.
He was aware of Andy next to him. Both Gavin and Andy tucked close to the stone wall. Several of the deputies regained their vision and began shooting back at them. Gavin returned fire. He struck a man in the shoulder, causing his gun to fly out of his hand. The deputy closest to him got off several rounds and then turned and ran down the passage. Immediately, the agents, along with Andy and Gavin, charged after them.
But several of the deputies continued firing, forcing the agents to retreat for the moment. Gavin spotted Miller holding his arm. He’d been shot and was bleeding. Shadow was nowhere in sight. Was he already halfway down the passage?
Gavin didn’t know the layout of the mine. Neither did the agents.
“Andy, do you have any idea where this passage leads?” Gavin asked.
“Nowhere. The mine ends in about another couple of hundred feet. They’re trapped and dangerous.”
“And they have nothing to lose,” Gavin said. “We need to try to negotiate.”
They’d gone a couple of hundred feet into the tunnel. The deputies fired once more. Gavin and the rest of the team ducked behind the bend in the shaft.
“There’s no way out for you. Give yourself up or die down here. The choice is yours,” Wilson said.
More shots rang out. It didn’t appear as if the men were giving up willingly.
“They’ll run out of ammo soon enough,” Gavin told the team.
“So we wait them out?” Wilson asked. “That could take a while.”
“Let me try something.” Gavin figured he had nothing to lose. He was going to try to reach out to Miller.
“Dan Miller, I know you’re hurt. There’s no way out of here alive. From the looks of that wound, I’d say you’re losing a lot of blood. Are you ready to die for Shadow? Give him up to us, and maybe we can help you and your men with your sentences.”
Silence followed, and Gavin believed he’d failed.
“He’s not here to give up. He never was,” Miller called out.
This piece of news scared the daylights out of Gavin. Had they been focused on the mine all this time only to allow Shadow to slip through the cracks?
“Where is he?” Gavin demanded.
“If I knew that, I’d be going after him myself. He told us to meet him here, only he never showed.”
Gavin turned to Wilson. “I don’t like it. Shadow is dangerous. We need to find him before he hurts someone else.”
Wilson nodded. “Give yourself up, Miller. Tell your men to come out with their hands in the air.”
It took only a matter of minutes before five deputies came forward with their hands held high, Miller included.
They were immediately handcuffed and taken away.
“We’re going to need your offices for the interviews, sheriff,” Wilson said.
Andy willingly agreed. “Whatever you need.”
When Wilson got outside, his cell phone rang. Gavin could tell right away that the news was bad.
“Shadow was at the hospital. He killed the power. When two of my men went to investigate, he attacked the two agents standing guard outside of Paxton Hendricks’s room. He was dressed as a doctor. That’s why he was able to get close enough to inject both men with something to knock them out.”
“Where’s Jamie?” Gavin asked with fear in his heart.
“She’s gone. Paxton’s been shot. He’s in critical condition. He’s in surgery right now. They don’t know if he’s going to make it. My men are looking through video footage now to see if they can find where he took her.”
Gavin turned and ran.
“Hold up, Gavin. I’m going with you,” Andy told him and followed Gavin.
“Where are you going?” Wilson yelled after him.
“To find Jamie and get her away from Shadow.”
“You don’t
know where she is. Dalton, wait up. We’ll find her.”
But Gavin didn’t listen. He knew that if Shadow was desperate enough to shoot Paxton and take Jamie hostage, he had nothing to lose. He’d have a way out of there somehow, and there was only one place Gavin could think to look.
TWENTY
The second they exited the hospital, Shadow grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her by it.
Jamie screamed and fought and kicked to free herself. If she got into the car with him, she believed she would soon be dead.
“Shut up!” Shadow yelled and grabbed her around the waist, clamping a hand over her mouth.
Jamie continued to kick and try to free herself, but Shadow hauled her over to a car waiting in the doctors’ parking garage.
Shadow shoved her in the driver’s side and got in after her. Jamie scrambled to the opposite door and grabbed the handle. Shadow snatched a handful of hair and forced her back next to him. “I don’t think so. You and I have business to finish, so sit back and enjoy your last minutes here on earth.”
With those words searing her heart, he put the car in gear and roared out of the parking garage while Jamie tried to control the panic growing inside of her. She had to keep a clear head if she was going to survive.
“You can’t get away. Every law enforcement agency in the state is looking for you. They’ll have the roads blocked. You should give yourself up while you still have the chance.”
Shadow spared her an angry glare. “You think so? I’m not going to give myself up. I’d be dead before I even got to trial. You think Jacob Ericson is going to let me live when he realizes I was the one who tried to kill him?” Shadow shook his head. “No, I’m not giving myself up.”
“You’ll never get away. You can’t hide out in the county forever.”
Jamie watched as Shadow turned onto the road leading up to Darlan Mountain. Where was he going?
He caught her watching him. “I have a helicopter waiting for me at the Dalton place. Once you help me find the evidence your crazy old uncle left Ava Dalton, then I’m out of here. I know the two of them were tight. She’s the only one he’d trust with it. You’re going to be my insurance once I find it.”
