Thane centered on Daniel, anger clenching his jaw. “Get—out—of—my—fucking—country.” He nodded at the men.
“Kayla,” Daniel resisted, but two of the MAs restrained him. “Kayla, come home. Don’t stay here. It’s a mistake. Jesus,” he shouted. “I’m going.” In the middle of the great room, Daniel wrenched himself from his detail. “She won’t stay with you, Austen. She’s only in love with one man, and it’s not you.” Rage fired to life in his eyes, and it sent a shiver down her spine. “And it’s not me.”
Kayla stood dumbfounded as the MAs led Daniel away, but it was Greg she watched. He lingered at the door, a shadow of movement in the darkness as he turned. “I’m sorry, Kayla,” his voice beseeched. “It should have been us, but I know the Captain will never hurt you. Forgive me, Angel. I should have done this long ago, for both our sakes.”
“No, Greg, please don’t.” A strangled cry escaped, and her shoulders shook as sobs wracked her body. She’d lost everyone in her life one way or the other, and now the only person who had stood by her through it all was leaving her too. A wail thrust itself from deep in her soul, and she clamped her fisted hands across her mouth. When she ran toward him, Greg disappeared, and closed the door between them. She hammered the wood with her fist. Dropping to her knees, she buried her face in her hands. The emptiness claimed every cell inside her. Since she was eighteen years old he’d been by her side, her brother, her friend, her wall of strength. He had been all things to her, and now he was gone. “Greg.” She drew her knees up and tucked her head.
A warm hand pressed against her. “He’s not gone, Kayla,” Thane said, his words resigned. “Open the door, tell him. It’s not too late.” He stroked her back.
All she could do was cry and cry more, until she couldn’t breathe.
“I guess I knew, but I never wanted to admit how much you love him. He’s always been there for you, hasn’t he? You think you’re all alone. It’s Greg, not Daniel you truly love.”
She couldn’t see for the tears in her eyes, and Thane’s hand on her made it far worse. Her legs trembled, too weak to stand, so she did the only thing she could. Too many times in her life she’d been driven to the ground by the men who’d punished her. Pride nor penance would stop her, and she crawled, because that’s all she could do to get away from Thane’s reach. His strong arms wrapped around her hips, and he picked her up, and set her on the couch.
“If you want, I’ll drive you to the airport. Greg can take you home, sweetheart, and I think that’s where you need to be. Far away from me.” A gust of air escaped him, and his voice trembled, tears choking his words. “Greg and I agreed Daniel had to go. I know you won’t understand this now, but with time, you will. I’m sorry, Kayla. I’ve done nothing but make your life a misery, when all you deserve is peace.”
He covered her with a blanket, and sat silently beside her stroking her hair. The sounds of the house spoke to her with comforting creaks, and exhaustion stepped up to draw her toward sleep.
Thane kissed her forehead. “Goodbye, my beautiful mermaid.”
Chapter Thirty
The sound of bird song from outside roused her. Opening her eyes, she blinked. Rubbing them with her hands didn’t stop the burning sensation. Clumsily she swung to a sitting position, a task becoming more daunting every day. She listened, but the silence confirmed she was alone. Her body ached liked she’d run a marathon. Focusing, she saw a piece of paper on the coffee table in front of her. A set of keys, a phone, five hundred dollar bills and an envelope lay under them. Sliding sideways, she stretched for the note, and caught it between her fingertips.
Kayla,
I’ll make this as short as I can, but it isn’t easy. There is no way in this world walking away from you is easy. Just writing this note, I want to tear it to shreds as I watch you sleeping peacefully. I can’t ever remember a time in my life that I came closer to feeling bliss than being in your arms, but there seems no end to the war between fate and our future.
I’d fight for you till my dying breath, but you wouldn’t be able to make the journey without falling in battle. It’s because of you I have to fall back and let you carry on without me. You’re free for the first time in twenty years, probably longer. You’re the master of your own destiny. No man, myself included, has a right to control you or your future. It’s for you to decide where you’ll go and who you’ll love, but I can see Greg controls your heart. He wants to be by your side, and I need to accept you need him.
I consider myself the luckiest man in the world. The most amazing woman I’ve ever had the honor of meeting, is the mother of my son. I have no idea what you’ll do, but I’m certain it will be the wisest of choices. If I never see you again, please believe one thing; my soul, my heart and the man I am, loves you. You are a true leader, a woman who never fell, no matter what destiny decided. Your courage taught a man like me, strength isn’t proven by victory, but by compassion and love.
Wherever you are, my heart will be there as well.
PS You’re not alone. There’s a MA standing guard outside.
Thane
She read his letter four times, until she could repeat it without seeing the words. A sense of calm settled inside her as she laid the letter on the couch. She reached for the envelope on the table, but stopped as the bundle in her belly kicked up a storm. She tried to soothe him with her hand, but her rambunctious son was having none of it, and continued to squirm.
A knock landed on the front door. With a push and a grunt she got to her feet and opened it. The MA’s car sat close to the house, but he wasn’t inside. She looked to her left, the porch void of her guard. She backed up, and because her enormous belly hid her feet, she hadn’t seen the white rose lying on the door mat, and a white card. Sighing, she carefully stooped over and scooped the items up. The garage door was open. Thane had left his car. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked. With a slow glance to her right, her heart began to pound.
The MA sat on the bench, his chin resting on his chest. Her gaze slid down his still form, and she watched a drop of blood fall from his finger, joining the pool on the floor at his feet. Her attention snapped to the card, flipping it open.
It’s just you and me now.
A long wet streak of blood underlined the words.
Terror and anger raised their swords, and thrust themselves to a stance ready to fight. A quick sweep of the landscape didn’t give away his hiding place. She couldn’t see the subtle almost invisible clues like Thane. She closed the door, locking it. It wouldn’t do a thing to keep out the Shark. Listening, she backed up to the couch, and picked up the phone. Thane’s coded identifier was the first number in the directory. Every SEAL had one, and if that number rang, they answered.
She stopped herself from dialing. Handling this on her own, like she had every other threat, was risky. It wasn’t just about her. Thane’s son fussed and rolled. Running from the Shark was her only choice, but Thane had to know. Hitting the button, she headed for the kitchen. Someone answered, but he didn’t say anything, and she didn’t wait, swiveling in a circle, the hair standing up on her neck. Thane would need a clue to who the Shark was.
“He’s here,” she said.
“Kayla?” Thane’s strong timbre gave her a quick slice of comfort, but it was gone instantly when she turned toward the back windows, and caught a glimpse of someone taking cover on the patio. “Kayla!”
“Thane, the Shark is here.”
“Kayla, there’s a weapon upstairs in the bedroom, between the mattress and box spring. Lock yourself in the room. I’m coming.”
“No. This is over.” She bit down on her fear. “I just wanted to hear your voice.” Something toppled to the ground near the side entrance that led into the massive storeroom. “I think he’s inside.”
“Kayla get in the bedroom, now.”
“Listen to me. This is important.”
“Get in the bedroom,” he boomed, but she knew it was fear making him react.
“Look for signs. I’ll try to leave one to identify him.”
She could hear the wind in the phone, and the sound of an engine. “Kayla, for all that’s holy, please get in the bedroom, and lock it down.”
“Captain Austen, I never want you to dwell on the thought that my love for Greg was the same as yours. It wasn’t. He was my safe haven. I had nobody else.” She slid down the counter slowly, and leaned around the corner to peer into the back room. “Thank you for giving me my freedom, but I didn’t want it. I wanted you, as screwed up and unworthy as I am.”
“You do?” he choked.
“Always, no matter how far off course fate wanted to push me. I know you have to be with Zara, but I wish with all my heart you were here with me.”
“Kayla, I’m too far away. I’m going to call the police, but I’m coming, sweetheart. You can do this. You can evade him, keep one step in front of him.”
“I can’t, Thane.” The door creaked open to the storeroom, sending her fear soaring. “I loved you from the day we met, and I won’t stop even in death.”
“Don’t you fucking dare give up now!” he shouted at her. “Kayla, take cover—run! I’ll find you.”
* * * *
“Lakeside Police, how can I direct your call?”
“This is Captain Thane Austen of NAB Coronado. I need you to dispatch as many units as you have to the Cobbs Ranch, Trenton Hill road. The serial killer known as the Blood Shark—”
“Hold on a moment, sir, while I transfer your call.”
“No don’t—”
“Sheriff Fisker.”
“Sheriff I need your men at the Cobbs Ranch. It’s located on Trenton Hill Road. My girlfriend is there, and so is the Blood Shark.”
“The serial killer from San Diego? Who did you say you were?”
“Captain Austen of NAB Coronado.” He was trying his damnedest not to yell. “He’s in the damn house with her. Get there, now!”
“Standby one”
A few seconds later, the Sherriff was back on the line. “All right, Captain, I’ve sent two units to check.”
“What’s their ETA?”
“One of my deputies is fifteen minutes from that location.”
“That’s too long. Please, she’s seven months pregnant.”
“Give me her name?”
“Kayla Banks. She works for NAB as well. Isn’t there somebody closer?”
“I’m sorry, Captain. You sound like you’re in a car, how far away are you?”
“Too far. An hour.”
Last night he’d left the ranch, but couldn’t finish the drive back to San Diego, so he’d stopped in a roadside motel. The place was a dive, but he needed to sit in a dark room and lick his wounds. Seeing Kayla fall to pieces when Greg told her he wouldn’t be there for her, devastated him.
“Call me when your men get onscene.”
“I’ll let you know.”
The last mile was the longest of his life, and when he came to a sliding stop between the four police cars parked in front of the ranch house, his heart roared with fear. Taking the steps three at a time, he vaulted through the front door. A blanket was draped on the floor, and his body temperature dropped to zero. “Where is she?” Denial. She was not under that blanket. He stepped closer, and realized it wasn’t a body, but pillows.
Six police officers stood in the living room, and their heads all shot up at the same time.
“Captain Austen?” an older man and probably the sheriff greeted.
“Yes,” he said, taking everything in. Signs, she’d leave him a sign, but everything looked in place. He saw the rose and the note. The envelope he’d left her sat unopened. His heart squeezed tight.
“Don’t touch that,” the sheriff said, walking toward him.
He flipped open the note anyway, and his guts rolled over. “What did you find when you got here?”
“Sir, we’ve called for tracking dogs, they should be here any minute.”
Thane walked the room, searching, scanning. “Was the door open when you got here?”
“Yes, sir, front door. I’m Sheriff Fisker.”
Gripping the man’s hand for one shake, he leveled his gaze on the kitchen, evaluating the room. “What else did you find?”
“Nothing, the front door was open. That note and flower were on the coffee table.”
Thane turned and took the stairs to the bedrooms. Fisker and another deputy followed. He yanked the mattress up. The revolver lay where he’d left it. She didn’t have time. Fear clenched him at the same time his nose filled with her scent. “Come on, Kayla, please keep running,” he whispered. “She’s good at evasion. She’ll keep one step ahead of him. We need to search the ranch. She’ll leave us a trail if she can.”
“Captain.” The sheriff gave him a doubtful look as he tugged his wide-brimmed hat from his balding head. “This property is attached to thousands of acres of land. We don’t have the manpower to cover it all. We’ll start with the dogs, maybe they can pick something up.”
They both heard another vehicle arrive outside. Thane snatched Kayla’s sweater from the chair and gave it to him. “I’ll find her faster than the dogs.”
Without waiting, he headed out. He stopped on the front porch, and took in the bench. A sheet covered the MA who’d stayed behind to protect her. The blood at his feet had congealed to a dark brown in the heat. “Which way, sweetheart?” The dog handler was unloading two shepherds from his wagon. Both of them began sniffing the second their paws hit the ground.
The sun beat down on him, and he closed his eyes. Listening and sensing. Kayla and he were connected, not only by heart, but by training. Her native roots gave her the ability to seek refuge in the forest, and her military background would analyze the options. She had an edge. Which way would she go? Swiping his mind clear he envisioned her, collating things she’d said in the past. She’s on foot. She knows she can’t move fast, so she has to move smart. Opening his eyes, he saw what she had when she exited the house. Closest cover, least time out in the open. The forest was thicker to his left. She’d gotten to know her surroundings in the months she’d spent here. There was an old cabin on the property, maybe a kilometer away. It was the original homestead on the property. The path there was covered over with years of growth. He had to be sure; he couldn’t waste time.
Sheriff Fisker handed Kayla’s sweater to the dog man, and he offered it to his dogs. Immediately they began to snuffle the ground and run in expanding circles. One of them stopped, barked once and turned sharply to the left, his nose tight to the ground. The other one joined him. It was enough for him, and he ran for the forest. It’d been years since he’d been to the cabin, but he’d find it, and hopefully her.
Doubt began to run cold in his veins. The trail to the old cabin was undistinguishable and a tough go. He had to dig his hands and feet in to scramble up the elevating landscape. Could Kayla even do this in her condition? He’d been on the move for thirty minutes. The dogs weren’t far behind. She’d definitely come this way, there were signs of disturbed earth. The sound of water drew his attention. A stream cut through the landscape and down the hillside. Breaking through brush, he found it fifty yards to his left. He swung around in surprise when the first dog cut through the brush and came to a stop at the river beside him. The officers weren’t far behind.
“Ya think she crossed here?” Fisker asked the dogman.
“Looks like.” The dogs continued to pick up the scent, but returned to the point where they stood. Why would she cross here? Was it coincidence he had come to the same spot? Think! Sometimes their training gave them leads that even they didn’t recognize, but their subconscious did. What had he missed with his eyes that his subconscious had picked up? He cut through the brush back to the point he’d turned in. What is it? He turned, seeing nothing but forest, trees bigger here because of the water. Something has to be different. She knew he’d follow. She’d look for something she thought he would understand. He leaned up against a big
old tree, and kept his mind running up and down their past, searching.
“Don’t see many of those out here,” Sheriff Fisker said, leaning his head back and looking upward.
“See what?”
“That cedar you’re leanin’ against. They’re not indigenous to the area.”
He jumped away from the tree, looking up like the sheriff. The archipelago, she’d been raised amongst the mammoth great cedars of the west coast. This was why she’d changed course. She’d used nature as a sign. Okay, sweetheart, I get it. “Back to the river,” he yelled and made his way to the stream. The dogs sat on their haunches waiting for their next order. It had to be here. Slowly he scanned the trees, bushes, then his gaze fell to the water. The stream wasn’t deep. Flat rocks littered the streambed. The hair stood up on the back of his neck, telling him he was missing something, seeing it, but not registering. Nature, direction, Kayla, concealed. He concentrated on the words like stones on a pathway. Stones! Not three feet ahead of him, he saw it, and stepped into the shin high water. A pile of rocks, in the form of a thick arrow, and it pointed downstream. “She doubled back,” he said. All heads turned his way. “That way, put a dog on either shore.” It took ten minutes, but the dog on the left shoreline, barked and then began to run. The other dog darted across the stream and joined its partner.
“Kayla,” he called out. If she was close enough, she could hear them. If the Shark was still in the area he’d give up the chase. “Kayla!”
The other men started calling out her name as well. Tripping along the river’s edge, they descended toward the ranch house. Doubling back and positioning herself closer to the ranch house was her only option. When help arrived, she’d be able to make a run for it. The dogs were ahead of them, running hard after her scent.
He stopped, listening. Their bark had changed. He’d worked with enough dogs over the years to know they’d found what they were looking for. An image of her torn apart like the other women clawed its way through his mind.
Code Name: Kayla's Fire (A Warrior's Challenge) Page 33