Warning Shot

by Jenna Kernan

  Had she lost her mind?

  Obviously, she had lost her mind because the sex with the sheriff had been mind-blowing. Hard as it was to admit she had never experienced that sort of a connection with anyone in her past. Note that her past wasn’t littered with hundreds of lovers, but she had had enough of them to know that what she and Axel had shared was unique, and that made her realize it was dangerous.

  She wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible and find somewhere she could think. Somewhere where her view did not include the wide, tempting expanse of Axel’s bare chest. She needed her brain and not her instincts to guide her.

  Certainly, she knew better than to sleep with a coworker. Axel was not actually a coworker or a subordinate, but he was a local associate and that made this a bad idea. The sort of idea that could end a career. And here she was so close with a real breakthrough and solid evidence that this place had been used by the terrorists to smuggle some of the biohazard.

  The troops were on their way. Her boss was on her way. She’d already received a text with Lieutenant Catherine Ohr’s ETA. And she’d received them while naked in Axel’s bed.

  She wanted very much to be dressed in a clean, ironed suit when she met her superior, rather than the rumpled mess of clothing that had clearly been scooped up off the floor and hastily donned on her way out.

  Coffee. She needed coffee, but she also needed to get out of here first. She did not want to have a conversation with Axel. She did not want to explain her reluctance to continue with something that was so devastatingly wonderful that she could not wait to see him again and wanted very much to crawl back under that giant fluffy coverlet and explore every inch of that amazing body. It was one thing to have a body that was as perfectly formed as Axel’s and was quite another to know how to use it to the best effect. And he ticked every box. She was still ticking as a result. Her leg muscles ached with fatigue and yet, here she was trying to think of a way that she could see him without having any of her colleagues find out. No.

  “Bad idea,” Rylee said to her reflection, wagging a finger at herself for emphasis.

  Rylee found his spray deodorant, pressed the button, sniffed and decided against it. What she needed was a shower. She didn’t need to add more of Axel’s scent to her skin. She glanced toward the shower and then shook her head. She paused only long enough to draw a long breath and close her eyes before emerging into his bedroom. He was, thankfully, fully dressed in his casual clothes and sitting on his unmade bed. White T-shirt, open blue flannel shirt and faded blue jeans. His feet were bare, and she found the sight of his long toes dusted with hair instantly arousing.

  She groaned.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure.” She forced herself to stop fidgeting and stood still before him. “Axel, did we just make a mistake?”

  His mouth went tight, and his brow descended. He glanced away from her and then back. Then he rose to stand before her, close enough to touch, but he did not reach out.

  “I don’t know, Rylee. Only time will answer that. I do know that I don’t regret what happened between us. I’m sorry if you do.”

  Her hands were clasped, and she spun the titanium ring she had commandeered from her brother Paul that encircled her thumb as if it were a spinner. What to say?

  “I’m not sure we have very much in common,” she said, feeling it a bad start. Her belief was confirmed by the narrowing of his eyes.

  “We have this in common,” he said, motioning to his bed. The covers looked as if they had been twisted and tossed by the ocean and then cast ashore to dry. “And we have the fact that you cared enough about me last night to share my bed.”

  “My timing is bad. My supervisor is en route, and I only have an hour before she’ll expect a briefing. It’s not that I don’t want to see you again. It just can’t interfere with my work.”

  He quirked a brow and his mouth twisted as if he were reluctant to admit she’d scored a point.

  “Honestly, Axel, I knew she was coming today. I just didn’t know she was flying and would be here so soon.”

  She came to sit beside him. “You must think... Well, I don’t know what you think.”

  He turned toward her and stroked her hair, which was still tangled and as wild as he knew she could be. Then he drew her in and she let him. He dropped a kiss on her forehead before stepping away. He took the opportunity to stroke her cheek with his thumb. His touch sent an electric tingle over her skin.

  “Let me know if you need anything from Onutake County.”

  She held her smile. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Then she headed for the door, one hand shoved in her jeans pocket, clutching the key to her motorcycle. In her back pocket, she’d shoved her nearly dead phone. She needed to get to the motel to recharge its battery and her own.

  Something popped into her mind and she paused at the door to his bedroom. He watched her, his dark brows lifted.

  “Um, I think I’ll be going out to the Eternal Wisdom commune today. Maybe I can find some reason to shut them down.”

  His expression grew stormy and the blood vessel at his neck pulsed dangerously. “Not alone. We discussed this.”

  “They might be involved in smuggling.”

  He snorted. “If they are, you’ll never catch them.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Too smart.”

  She picked up the gauntlet he’d tossed. “We’ll see about that, won’t we?”

  “You aren’t going alone.”

  “I’ll have my team with me.”

  “They don’t know these people like I do.”

  “You can ride along, if you like.”

  The acid in his empty stomach burned at just the thought of going out there with her because he knew that Father Wayne would instantly pick up the vibe between them. Then he would delight in revealing to Rylee that he was Axel’s father.

  The only thing worse than having that happen was letting her go out to that place without him. She didn’t know or understand how very dangerous Father Wayne could be.

  His breathing changed, coming in short angry puffs, and his teeth were locked so tight he’d need the Jaws of Life to get them open.

  Axel considered and decided that his shame was small compared to Rylee’s safety.

  “Axel? You all right?”

  He unlocked his jaw. “I’m going with you. End of story.”

  “Okay, let me clear it with my supervisor. I’ll get back to you.” She glanced at the screen of her phone. “Jeepers. I have to go.”

  He walked her out and watched as she drove off, knowing he would have to tell her. Father Wayne was more than a cult leader and con man. Rylee had the right to know. His father was why he stayed and, more specifically, because of what he feared his father might do. Axel was imprisoned here as surely as when he had been trapped behind the congregation’s walls. He had to stay, to be here to stop his father from ever carrying out his deadly version of the Rapture, which he called the Rising.

  * * *

  LIEUTENANT CATHERINE OHR waited for Rylee in her rented sedan outside a craftsman-style home painted gray. Rylee checked the address again and pulled behind her boss. The two women exited their vehicles simultaneously.

  Lieutenant Ohr swung the leather briefcase over one shoulder as she cleared the distance toward Rylee with her long stride. She extended her hand and the two women shook.

  “Right on time,” said Ohr. “We are gleaning some interesting data from the drone. Good work on its recovery.”

  “Thanks,” said Rylee. “I had some help with that. Wouldn’t have gained access to the survivalist camp without the assistance of the sheriff.”

  Her supervisor’s mouth turned down. Ohr was a tall woman, nearly six feet in height, and she was skeletally thin. Rylee had observed her at lunch; generally, Ohr ate a
cup of yogurt at her desk and seemed to leave her computer only to smoke cigarettes. As a result, her complexion was sallow and her brown hair thinning and brittle. The lines around her mouth, always prominent, seemed to harden at the mention of the sheriff.

  “Yes. Sheriff Trace. I read that in your report. It’s generally a good idea to cooperate with local law enforcement. However, in this case, I think you might have done better to speak to the former sheriff, Kurt Rogers. Better information and less entanglements.”

  Rylee’s brow wrinkled and confusion settled over her, along with a twinge of anxiety. Why would she have spoken to the former sheriff? And what entanglements did she mean? Was she talking about her personal relationship with Axel? But how would she know?

  Lieutenant Ohr paused on the sidewalk to face Rylee.

  “This is where Kurt Rogers lives,” said Ohr. “He has some information on Sheriff Trace that I think you need to hear. Shall we?” Ohr motioned toward the house and did not wait for Rylee before extending her long legs and striding up the walkway to the front door. She ignored the bell and knocked briskly. As they waited, her supervisor tightened the sash on her leather jacket. A deep bark told Rylee a large canine had come to the door. Then there was a voice of someone telling the dog to be quiet and a moment later the door swung open.

  The man had a full white mustache, rosy cheeks and hair that made Rylee think for a moment that he perhaps belonged at the North Pole. He was slim, however. But the choice of suspenders to hold up his jeans did reconfirm her initial impression. The man looked from one to the other, swept them each with a glance and said, “I see the dress code hasn’t changed. But the last time I spoke to the feds, they were both males, so perhaps we are making some forward progress. Come on in, ladies.”

  He stooped to grab hold of the collar of his black Lab, whose thick tail thumped against his master’s leg. Rogers told his dog to sit and she did, her tail now thumping on the carpet runner as the two women stepped inside. Catherine ignored the canine, but Rylee extended the back of her hand to the dog, allowing the animal to take in her scent.

  “This is Ruby,” said Rogers. The dog’s ears perked up at the mention of her name. Rogers released her and she stayed where she was until he guided them from the entry to the living room, at which time she took the opportunity to sniff the legs of both new arrivals before settling in a dog bed beside the recliner.

  After the initial chitchat, they were motioned to a sofa. Rogers chose the well-worn and stained brown leather recliner.

  “I understand you want some background information on the current sheriff. That right?”

  Her supervisor not so much sat as perched on the edge of the sofa, ankles together and hands clasped on her knees.

  “I wondered if you could fill in my subordinate on what you told me on the phone and include any additional details you might have recalled.” Catherine tapped her clasped hands together as she spoke.

  Rogers drew a long breath and then turned to Rylee. The pit of her stomach dropped, and she felt the tightening of the muscles between her shoulders. Whatever he was about to say, she knew it was not good. What would these two think if they knew she had come directly from Sheriff Axel Trace’s king-size bed to this meeting? Rylee repressed a shudder.

  “Well,” said Rogers. “I told Ms. Ohr here that Axel used to walk to Kinsley whenever he could slip away. He didn’t talk much but the librarian sort of took him under her wing.” He turned to Catherine at this and continued with, “She’s retired now, as well. But I can put you in touch, if you’d like. I’m sure she may have some additional information on Axel.”

  “Not necessary for now.”

  Rogers turned his attention back to Rylee. “He didn’t really fit in with the people. I could see he was unhappy and it bothered me that no one came looking for him. No matter how long he was gone. That got me to call social services. We all went out and had a look at the compound.”

  Rylee sat forward as if stabbed in the back. Had he said compound?

  “Other than their unconventional living situation, we did not find the children in poor health or malnourished. All of them seemed relatively happy and...” Rogers rubbed his neck. “You know, they just have different ideas. Ideas that I’d call dangerous. And not everyone out there toes the line. One of Reverend Wayne’s followers was arrested by Border Patrol for transporting an Eastern European into the US.”

  “A Croatian,” said Ohr.

  “Leadership denied knowledge and I found nothing to prove otherwise.”

  “Do you feel they are engaged in human trafficking?”

  “Maybe. Might have been an outlier. I couldn’t catch them, but for that one time. If folks at the compound are smuggling or trafficking, I never found any evidence.”

  Rylee interjected here. “You say the compound. What exactly are you referring to?” But she knew. She was certain that she already knew.

  Rogers brows lifted. “Oh, I thought you knew. Axel was born on the lands belonging to the Congregation of Eternal Wisdom. His dad is the leader of that group. Man named Wayne Trace. Goes by Reverend Wayne.”

  “His name isn’t Trace. It’s Faith.”

  “Changed it.”

  Ohr gave Rylee a long, critical look. “Thorough background check would have revealed the name change.”

  Rylee dropped back into the thick padding of the seat cushions. Wayne Faith was Wayne Trace. Cult leader and Axel’s father. If she was such a crack investigator, how was it possible that she had missed this?

  The knot in her stomach turned into a whirling sea, pitching so hard that she needed to grip the armrest to steady herself.

  One of the men on her watch list was the father of the sheriff. How much worse could it be? She knew the answer to that. She could have slept with the son of a man who was about to go on her list of suspects. That would make it worse.

  Rylee’s supervisor lifted a brow, regarding her. “Is something wrong?”

  Rylee forced herself to release the armrest and managed to give her head a shake. She turned her gaze to the former sheriff. She put aside her emotions, pressing them down deep where they threatened to explode like compressed gas. “Mr. Rogers, the sheriff gave me some information on this group, but I would appreciate it if you could you tell me exactly what you mean when you say they have dangerous ideas.”

  Rogers thought for a minute. His index finger setting the whisker straight in his mustache.

  “Yes, I could do that.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Axel waited for Rylee on the shore of St. Regis River in a park that was a popular launch for small crafts. He suspected that she’d set the location because she did not want to be seen with him. He didn’t blame her. He should have told her the truth, even knowing that this was exactly what would happen.

  Most women did not like being lied to, but this omission interfered with her case. Could she forgive him?

  Maybe she doesn’t know. Which meant that she would find out eventually or that he had to tell her.

  He liked neither option. They’d already gone too far. His night with Rylee had made him wonder about things that he had no right thinking about. Like what it would be like to wake up to see her in his bed every morning.

  I’ll bet she’d be a great mom.

  Axel wiped the sweat from his upper lip. That was the kind of thinking that was going to get his heart broken.

  What was he doing? He would be a terrible father. The only examples he had of parenting were twisted. All he really knew was what not to do. Could that be enough?

  He was out of his unit now without remembering leaving his SUV. He paused in his pacing to look back at his vehicle, the door open and the alarm chiming. He strode back to slam the door. Then he faced the water. The fog was thicker there, rolling toward him like some special effect in a stage production.

  This park was too close to t
he compound of the Congregation of Eternal Wisdom for his liking. The compound was situated on the St. Regis River. Mid-river lay an island belonging to the Kowa tribe, and the shore beyond was also Mohawk land. Beyond that, across a narrower stretch of the St. Lawrence, lay Canada.

  Axel shifted, rocking from side to side as he stood between his vehicle and the river. If not for the fog, he could have seen the fence just south of this spot. One had to have lived there to know it wasn’t to keep intruders out so much as it was to keep insiders in. He hadn’t been back to this spot since the day he’d jumped that fence and walked out that last time.

  The cold of the air and the warmth of the water had created a real London-style fog, but the chill he felt had nothing to do with the damp or the fact that he could not see more than fifty feet. He didn’t need to see, it was all there in his mind—the layout, the women and children in one building, single men in another and the others, the ones they called most blessed, ensconced in their own house. These were the ones who had made, what his father called the greatest sacrifice, and what Axel called self-mutilation.

  The engine sound brought him around. Headlights glowed eerily in the mist. Tires crunched on gravel and he recognized her sedan, the red handprints nearly unnoticeable in the mist. She parked her car at an angle, so her departure would not require her to reverse direction. Her cab light flashed on as she exited her car, shutting her door with more force than necessary.

  She paused to lock her car, unnecessarily, he knew. Then she cinched the belt to her coat before marching toward him. One of the large boulders, placed to keep folks from accidentally driving into the river, gave him support as he sagged.

  Her expression told him all he needed to know. She knew everything. He could see it in the upward tilt of her chin and the downward tug at the corners of her mouth.

  She stopped and glared. Her face flushed. He forced himself not to shift as he held her cold stare.

  “I don’t even know where to begin,” she said.

  “I’m sorry, Rylee. I should have told you.”