A direct contrast to the adrenaline coursing through her body. Her hand trembled, and she gripped her gun tighter. She concentrated on holding the weapon still, but her hand continued to shake. She steadied it with the other hand and kept vigil.
“Looks like he’s been pistol-whipped.” Sam backed out of the car. “His pulse is strong, and I see no other injury.”
“Good.” Kait was relieved, but quickly moved to thoughts of her parents. To Lily, and the safest way to approach the house.
“I’ll call for backup and an ambulance.” Sam dug out his phone and dialed.
With Sam now able to defend himself, Kait was free to head inside. Sure, she should wait for Sam to back her up, but he needed to stay with Diaz until help arrived, and every second counted right now. She took a step.
Sam grabbed her arm. “Not a good idea, Kait,” he said meeting her gaze.
“Maybe not, but Fenton could be in there with Lily. I won’t hang out here until the ambulance arrives.”
Sam glanced at Diaz then back at her, the struggle of deciding which person to protect readily visible on his face. She felt a tinge of guilt for forcing him to choose, but her duty to Lily was far stronger. “You have to stay with Diaz. But I can’t.”
She wrenched her arm free and hustled across the street, keeping her head on a swivel on the way. She took the familiar walkway to the front door and found it open. Her mother was so paranoid about everything since Abby had died that she’d added another deadbolt to the doors and would never willingly leave the door ajar.
Keeping her back against the wall, Kait slid into the foyer, then stopped to listen and inspect the open family room. No one. Where were they? Lily wanted to bake cookies, but Kate’s mother’s flowery perfume was the only scent lingering in the air. Kait’s father had likely left for work at his usual time and knew nothing about this situation.
Dreading what she might find, Kait crossed the room and swung into a chef’s dream kitchen. A metal mixing bowl filled with dry cookie ingredients sat forgotten on the massive island, a bag of chocolate chips beside it. They’d started baking only to be interrupted.
Interrupted by Fenton?
Kait’s desire to race though the house to find Lily warred with her professional training that said to calm down and methodically clear the property. She’d already risked her life by entering the house alone. She couldn’t take any more shortcuts. She tried the back door and found it unlocked. Likely the way Fenton entered. And he could still be here, or he could have grabbed Lily and bailed.
The thought stopped Kait’s heart. She backtracked through the family room, the urge to call out begging for release, but she held her tongue and kept her movements slow and purposeful as she entered the hallway.
Her father’s study door stood open, soft light spilling onto the hallway floor. Fenton? Maybe. Would be fitting for him to do his dirty work in the room where Abby had lost her life.
Keeping her eyes ahead, her ears tuned for any sound, Kait inched closer. She glanced into the room. Caught sight of her mother sitting in her father’s leather chair, duct tape wrapped around her body and her mouth. Fear gripped Kait as she retreated to safety.
“Mmm-mmm,” her mother mumbled through the gag, but approaching sirens drowned her out.
Was she trying to warn Kait about danger, or begging her to remove the restraints? Had Fenton set this as a trap to lure Kait into the study? One way to find out. He could only hide under the desk or behind the door. She jumped to the other side of the door where she’d have a better view of the room. Her mother jerked against her restraints and mumbled another plea.
Kait held up a finger to still her mother, then pressed the door until it hit the doorstop. Good. Fenton wasn’t behind the door. She aimed her weapon at the desk and cast a questioning look at her mother.
She shook her head frantically side to side. A warning not to enter? Maybe. Or telling Kait he wasn’t here? Either way, she had to check it out. Weapon still raised, she slipped into the room, cautiously approaching the desk. Step by step. One foot after the other, to the back of the desk by her mother. Kait’s eyes went to the cubbyhole. Empty.
Kait could breathe again, but now what? Protocol dictated she leave her mother behind and clear the rest of the house, but her mother might provide information that could save Kait’s life.
Kait couldn’t just rip the tape from her mother’s face. That would be too painful. She would free her mother’s hands so she could remove the tape herself. Kait started working on the tape at her mother’s wrists, but couldn’t wait until she was free to ask about Lily. “I need to know about Lily. Nod if she’s okay.”
Her mother’s head bobbed.
A wave of relief washed over Kait, but she wouldn’t relax until she saw Lily with her own two eyes and confirmed Fenton didn’t pose an immediate danger. She tugged on the tape. Her mother winced.
“I don’t want to hurt you so I’m going to cut the tape around your wrists and body. Then you can take it off your mouth.” She found scissors in the desk and snipped the tape. Her mother slowly pulled the strip from her mouth.
“Thank God you’re here, Kaitlyn. It was Fenton. He was here. Kept babbling about you and making you pay.” Her mother choked on a sob, then broke down and started weeping.
Kait knew her mother was in shock and needed to cry it out, but Kait had no time for hysterics right now. “Where’s Lily?” she demanded in a tone that she’d never used with her mother.
It worked, sobering her enough to respond. “Sleeping. We started the cookies, but she was so tired from her early morning wakeup, I had to put her down for a nap. Fenton grabbed me when I came out of her room.”
“So you haven’t seen her since then?” Anxiety carried Kait’s voice higher.
“No, but she was sleeping, so I’m sure she’s fine.”
“You can’t know that. Stay here while I check on her.” Kait raised her weapon again and returned to the hallway.
The wails of emergency sirens spiraled though the open door as she hurried to Lily’s room. Holding her breath in fear, Kait swung into the room. Lily lay curled in the bed, Mr. Bear and Blankie snuggled under her chin as usual.
Kait sagged against the doorframe, but knew she had to hold it together long enough to check the other bedrooms. She scanned the closet first, then moved down the hall, methodically sweeping each of the three remaining bedrooms. As she exited her parents’ room, she noted the absence of sirens.
Sam.
Diaz was in good hands now, and Sam would come looking for her. Maybe bring a team of responding officers with him. Kait needed to let him know she was okay. She stopped in the office to tell her mom Lily was still asleep, and then went to the front door where she spotted Sam across the street in a circle of officers.
“Sam,” she called out. “We’re clear.”
He spun, his focus zooming in on her. He said something to the officers before jogging across the road. Relief flooding his eyes, he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to him for a fierce hug before setting her away as if he hated himself for hugging her. She was right with him. Hugging in front of other law enforcement professionals made her look weak.
“What were you thinking, coming over here alone? You could have gotten yourself in a heap of trouble.” His harsh tone was in direct opposition to the hug and the concern lingering in his eyes.
Fearing he planned to hug her again, she took another step back for good measure. “That’s a bit hypocritical, don’t you think? You’d have done the same thing.”
“Maybe, but we’re not talking about me.” The protective look, the kind where a man was compelled to take care of a woman, flashed on his face. There it was again. Him in charge. Her, the damsel in distress. She warred with how she felt about it.
The agent in her won, taking over her emotions and e
rasing her remaining fear. “What you’re saying is, you can do it because you’re a seasoned cop. I can’t because I’m a female FBI agent.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face.”
“I’m sorry if that’s what you think, but if any other officer pulled this stunt, I’d let them have it, too.” He gestured at the cops across the road. “Even big burly Smith over there.”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes and noted how the other officers were watching with interest. “I’d like to see that happen.”
“Okay, so maybe it would be a bit different, but I’d still give him a dressing-down for failing to follow protocol.”
“Look,” she said not liking the way all the officers were jabbing each other and gesturing at her. “There’s no point in belaboring this. I’m fine. So are my mother and Lily.”
Sam watched her with narrowed eyes, his anger clinging to his face and making it seem like he didn’t want to move on.
Too bad. She was ready to process this scene and find Fenton. If Sam couldn’t make the transition, she’d do it alone. “Let’s agree to disagree and get started processing the house.” She made sure her tone was professional. “I found my mother bound and gagged in the study. Lily’s in her room sleeping.”
Sam shoved his hands in his pockets as if he needed to bind them to keep from throttling her. “Rhodes’s handiwork?”
“Yes.”
“You think he drugged Lily?”
“No,” Kait replied. “Mom said she’d put her down to nap before Fenton arrived. I suspect he watched her again like he’s been doing at night.”
“At least he didn’t take her.”
“Not yet,” Kait said, as thoughts of Fenton holding Lily worried their way into her brain, making her sick to her stomach.
If they didn’t up their vigilance and move Lily to a safe house today, it was just a matter of time before Fenton abducted her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
SAM WAS STILL mad. Worried and mad. The combination made him feel out of control. Kait thought she could move on, forget the scare she put him through and talk about processing the scene, but he wasn’t finished warning her to take care.
She headed into the house, her footsteps quick and efficient as if she wanted to get this over with and get out of here. Well, too bad. He got that she didn’t want to talk about the danger she’d just faced, but she’d have to hear him out. In the hallway, he tried to stow his irritation as he approached her. “Maybe it’s time you think about stepping down from this case, Kait.”
“What? Why?” She watched him warily.
“You’re too vested in catching Rhodes, and you’re not thinking clearly.”
She took a breath and jerked back from him as if he’d hit her. “Granted, I may not have waited for backup, but I didn’t come running in here like a crazed lunatic.”
“You wanted to though, didn’t you?”
Another breath. Another huff. She was losing patience with him. “I performed a safe and thorough search of the residence just as protocol dictates.”
“Fine. Refuse to acknowledge the fact that you’re letting your emotions control you and putting yourself in danger.” Sam crossed his arms. “But think of Lily. She needs you.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her. I fully intend to put her in protective custody.”
“That’s a good idea, but not what I meant, and you know it. She needs you to be her mother. Long-term. Not looking at another gravestone when she gets older and wondering about you.”
Kait rolled her eyes. “You’re overreacting, and we have things to do. First off, processing this scene, then arranging a safe house for Lily and my parents.”
“But not you?”
She fisted her hands. “How many times do I need to say it? I. Don’t. Need. Protection.”
Sadness over her refusal to be more cautious had him shaking his head. “Forget about Rhodes. You need protection from yourself before you go off half-cocked again.”
She closed her eyes for a moment then met his gaze. “If I admit racing over here wasn’t the smartest move, and promise not to do it again, can we move on?”
“You can promise, but I doubt you can predict how you’ll act if something like this happens again.”
“You’ll just have to trust me to know what’s best for me and for Lily.” Her shoulders shot into that rigid line that said she was done talking.
His anger flared, and everything he’d held back rushed to come out. “You’re right. You didn’t put me in harm’s way, so it’s just like your decision to give up custody of Lily. It’s none of my business.”
Kait sighed. “Maybe once you have kids of your own, you’ll understand.”
The sharp ache of losing Danny hit him, and he reacted instinctually, pressing his hand against the dog tag and stepping back.
“I’m sorry, Sam.” Kait lifted a hand and let it fall. “I wasn’t thinking. After losing your wife, talking about potential children must be painful.”
“No biggie.” He tried to sound convincing to keep from becoming the focus of this discussion. “Just take my words to heart, Kait. Rhodes has proved his willingness to kill and hurt those you love. You need to be careful before he succeeds again.”
Kait opened her mouth as if to reply, but her mother stepped into the hallway, and Kait snapped it shut.
“He’s right, you know,” she said eyeing Kait and crossing her arms. “Working in this Godforsaken career of yours has brought nothing but danger to our family. Starting with Abby.”
Kait fisted her hands and pinched her lips together, but didn’t say anything in her defense. Sam had expected her to snap at her mother. He would have if he was Kait. He might want her to step down and take cover, but that was because he cared about her. Not so with Rosalind. She just needed a scapegoat to blame for Abby’s death.
Sam’s anger at Kait melted, but he wouldn’t keep quiet and let Kait take on more guilt. “If you need to blame someone for these attacks, Rosalind, blame Rhodes. He’s the one who shot Abby, and he’s the one terrorizing your family now. Kait is working her tail off to protect all of you and bring Rhodes to justice. You should be thanking her instead of berating her.”
Rosalind marched up to Sam and eyed him. “I don’t agree, Detective. If Kait hadn’t lost her senses and become an agent, Fenton wouldn’t have felt threatened that day and shot my precious child.”
Sam wanted to stare her down, but the red blotches around her eyes told him this attack had affected her deeply. He would temper his tone, but not his message. “Rhodes killed long before Abby, and he continues to kill. Just being married to him put her in danger, and it was only a matter of time before something bad happened.”
Kait stepped between them. “Arguing about this is keeping us from finding Fenton. Let’s focus on the case.”
She was right. Surprising. Sam had underestimated her ability to keep her head clear under emotional duress.
“Why don’t you tell us what happened, Mom?” Kait’s tone was soft and encouraging as he suspected it would be with any other victim. “Even the smallest detail might be important.”
Rosalind glared at Kait.
How could a woman as caring and feeling as Kait have ever come from such a bitter, domineering woman? Sure, Kait had bullied her way onto this case, but she’d done so for Lily and because of her promise to her sister. Rosalind was just plain angry at the world and was willing to take it out on everyone around her. Sam didn’t like how she was treating Kait, but Rosalind was a victim here, too. A woman who Fenton had terrorized, and Sam needed to continue to hold his temper.
“Tell us what happened,” he encouraged, trying to be the compassionate detective he usually sought to be instead of the man who want
ed to stave off any additional pain for Kait.
Rosalind stared at her hands, her complexion ashen. “While I was putting Lily down for her nap, Fenton entered the house. I must have left the back door open. Or he broke in somehow. Either way, I didn’t hear him.” Her voice cracked, and she cleared it hard before going on. “He was waiting in the hallway for me. He had a gun and forced me into the study. As he tied me up, he kept chuckling over how he wished he could be here to see Kaitlyn’s face when she found me.” She sighed heavily and peered at Kait. “He clearly blames you for Abby’s death.”
As do you, Sam thought.
“What did he do next?” Kait asked.
“He said he was going to peek in on Lily.” Rosalind touched the red welts on her wrists, as if still trying to believe this had really happened, and swung her gaze back to Sam. “He left the study, and I heard him go down the hall for a few minutes. On the way out, he saluted me and said to tell Kaitlyn that it’s taken her too long, and he was off to claim another heart—whatever that means.”
Kait gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth.
“What are you not telling me, Kaitlyn?” Rosalind asked, with a look that even a convict in a maximum-security prison would wilt under.
Kait cringed, her mouth opening then closing.
“She’s unable to share any information related to the case,” Sam said, jumping in so Kait wasn’t forced to sidestep her mother and draw another harsh response.
“He’s right.” Kait sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that fact.
Rosalind arched an eyebrow. “Are we in danger beyond Fenton?”
“We’ll get you settled in a safe house today, and you’ll be fine,” Sam said, ignoring her question and taking her focus back off Kait.
Rosalind’s chin rose, and the same perfect posture he admired in Kait made Rosalind look haughty. “Make sure the place is up to my cleanliness standards.”
The last thing Sam wanted to discuss was how clean the house might be when their lives were in danger, so he ignored her comment. “My forensics team will arrive soon to go through your house. I’m afraid you’ll have to be patient with them until they’ve processed the entire house, and then you’ll be free to gather your things and pack.”
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