Witness (Otter Creek Book 1)

by Rebecca Deel

  Ethan smiled. He’d spilled his guts about his own guilt and her focus remained on his safety. “Serena, it’s my job to track down criminals. And Aunt Ruth got the best of Coronado. Stop feeling guilty.”

  Serena turned her face to him. “Why weren’t you angry about Mitch calling you a half-breed?”

  His smile faded. “He told the truth.”

  “Explain that,” she said, ice frosting her words.

  “I’m half-white, half-Cherokee and not fully accepted in either world. Serena, even my own father rejected me. He didn’t want half-breed kids. You deserve a better man than me, someone who won’t expose you to other people’s bigotry. Anyone connected to me suffers the same ugly labels.”

  “You’re not a half-breed, Ethan Blackhawk.”

  The fury in Serena’s clipped words conveyed the depth of her feeling. What did she mean by that? Didn’t she understand the implications of his mixed heritage?

  “You’re a whole man. No one has the right to call you anything but that.” She clasped his hand in a tight grip. “I guess I’ll have to start carrying around hot coffee wherever I go. I may end up with a reputation as a klutz before I’m finished.”

  Ethan didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. He never dared dream such a beautiful woman would care for him, be willing to accept him and his heritage. “Are you telling me you might come to love me one day?”

  He glanced at her, gauging her response to his question. A red dot tracked an arc across her chest toward her heart. Acting on instinct, Ethan yanked his hand free, shoved Serena forward, and jerked the steering wheel hard to the right.

  The window in his door shattered. Ethan, wrestling with the steering wheel, battled to keep the SUV from rolling over. He blinked as wetness rolled into his left eye.

  Darkness yawned in front of the hurtling vehicle. “Hold on!” The SUV plunged into the ditch. Blackness swallowed him.

  #

  Serena moaned. Every muscle and joint in her body hurt. She lifted one eyelid. Who laid that weird white blanket over her? She coughed. Heavy dust floated in the air. A dust storm?

  She threw off the blanket. Her hand hit a hard surface. A dashboard? The ditch. They’d been in an accident. She pushed herself into a sitting position, but her vision wavered. She closed her eyes for a minute, then opened them a second time. Her blurred gaze fell on the still, slumped form strapped in beside her.

  “Ethan!” He didn’t move. Fear grabbed her in a chokehold as she unlatched the seatbelt and slid closer to him. “Ethan, can you hear me?” Serena blinked hard a couple of times, praying for her vision to clear. She sat beside two or three of him, depending on which way she tilted her head.

  Was he still breathing? Serena laid her hand on his chest. The rise and fall of his rhythmic breaths sent a deluge of relief through her body.

  Should she unhook Ethan’s seatbelt? He might have internal injuries. She had to get him help. The police radio. Serena fumbled with the microphone. “Hello. Can anybody hear me?” Nothing.

  What was she doing wrong? Think, Serena. The ignition. Ethan had to turn on the ignition to talk. She grasped the key and turned on the ignition. The radio crackled to life.

  Serena grabbed the microphone again. “Hello. Can somebody help me?”

  “This is police dispatch. Why are you on a police radio?”

  The voice sounded familiar. Of course. The voice belonged to the dispatcher who helped her at Miller’s house. What was her name? Hard to think with her head pounding. She frowned, concentrated, dredged up the name from her memory. Suzie. “Suzie, this is Serena Cahill. Ethan and I need help. We’ve been in an accident.”

  “Where are you?”

  Good question. She looked out the passenger window. Between the black curtain surrounding the SUV and her blurred vision, she couldn’t see any distinguishing landmarks. “We’re in a ditch on Highway 18, but I can’t see a mile marker.”

  “We’ll track you by GPS signal, Serena. Don’t panic. What’s your condition?”

  “My vision’s blurry and my head feels like I have an elephant sitting on it.” And every bone in her body hurt, some she didn’t realize she had.

  “What about the Chief? Tell me about his injuries.”

  Serena shifted her gaze to Ethan who remained slumped against the doorframe. “He’s unconscious, but breathing on his own.” She stroked his face, her touch gentle. “I’m afraid to move him, Suzie.” Serena drew her hand back. She felt something wet on her fingers. Oh, no. Not now. Ethan needed her. She couldn’t get sick now. “I think he has a head wound.” Serena swallowed hard. Bile continued to rise in her throat.

  “We have units on the way, Serena. Stay with me.”

  Pebbles slid down the ditch. Serena swung around and peered into the darkness. “Hey, is somebody out there? We need help.”

  A strong light blinded her. She blocked the glare with her forearm.

  “Get out. Bring the information, or Blackhawk dies.”

  #

  Ethan forced his eyelids to lift. His police radio crackled with frenzied chatter. “Serena.” His throat felt as if he’d downed a glass of sand. He turned his head in slow motion to the right. The passenger seat was empty.

  He fumbled with the seatbelt until it released, then shoved his door open, and tumbled to the ground. He laid still a few seconds, listening to the sounds around him.

  Running footsteps behind him. More than one person. Rod? Or The Fox and drafted cronies? He fumbled for his gun.

  “Ethan, are you all right?” Rod’s worried face moved into Ethan’s line of vision.

  “Where’s Serena?”

  Rod looked surprised. “She’s not with you? Serena’s the one who called dispatch for help.” Concern grew in his eyes. “Let me look around. Wait here.”

  Ethan eased himself into a sitting position. He waited a few beats until he could move without feeling like a rider on a Ferris wheel and stood.

  Rod walked around the damaged SUV, the beam from his flashlight crisscrossing the ground. “Ethan.” He raised his head. “Take a look at this.”

  Ethan joined him by the passenger side of the car. He knelt and studied the telling marks in the dirt. “She struggled with him.” Drag marks from Serena’s shoes. Ethan’s face hardened. “He knocked her out.”

  He pulled his weapon from his shoulder holster. His gaze swept over Rod and two patrol officers. “Let’s go.” He followed the trail of scuffed dirt, broken branches, and flattened grasses in silence. Senses on high alert, adrenaline pumped through his body. The Fox wouldn’t get very far with Serena’s deadweight. He either had a hiding place close by or a vehicle.

  He scanned ahead. A clearing loomed in the distance. He motioned for the others to wait. Ethan blended into the shadows, approached the clearing and smiled. Through leaves waving in the breeze, light glimmered 400 hundred yards ahead of him to the right.

  Ethan maneuvered closer to the light. Hugging the inky blackness, he peered around a jutting rock. Serena sat on a fallen log about 20 feet in front of him, purse clutched in her lap. She turned her head to follow The Fox’s movements. Headlights from his SUV illuminated scratches and a red splotch near her eye.

  Fury boiled in his gut. He forced himself to think like a cop instead of a man bent on revenge. He retraced his steps to his men. “Four hundred yards ahead, to the right,” he whispered. “Gage goes right, Hernandez goes left. Rod, circle around behind them. No one takes a shot unless I give the signal.”

  Ethan moved fast, no sound betraying his passage through the shadows. He crept behind a large rock outcropping in time to see The Fox rip apart Serena’s purse.

  “Where is it? I want that flash drive.”

  #

  “Do I look dense to you?” Serena’s tart voice rang out in the darkness. Was anyone near enough to hear her? “I don’t have Pam’s flash drive with me.”

  Ethan had said her best weapon against Mitch was her brain. She sifted through options in her mind. What chance did s
he have against a professional killer? No gun, no scary police dog, no mace, no soldier brother, no ex-Ranger boyfriend. That left her one option: stall for time. If the police had found Ethan by now, Rod must realize she was missing.

  “Where is it?” The Fox threw aside her shredded purse and pointed his gun at her chest. “No more games, Serena, or I will hunt down and kill Blackhawk and his crazy aunt.”

  Serena’s heart skipped a beat. “All right, all right.” Think fast, Serena. “I don’t have the flash drive.”

  “Where is it?” He moved closer. “You hid it. Where?”

  If she told him the FBI had the drive, he’d kill her. He wouldn’t need her any more. She couldn’t tell him Ethan took the drive because Mitch would kill him or use Ruth as leverage, then kill her. Game over. Serena remained silent.

  “It’s not in your house. You wouldn’t hide it with your family.” Mitch sneered. “Of course. The cop’s truck. You spent enough time in that truck the last two days. You think if you protect Blackhawk with your life, he’ll survive?” He laughed. “I’ll tell him of your wasted sacrifice before I kill him.”

  He grabbed Serena’s arm, jerked her to her feet and shoved her against a tree. “A pity you’re no longer necessary.” His forearm pressed against Serena’s throat, an ugly light gleaming in his eyes.

  “We have unfinished business from the other night. If you beg me to finish what we started, I might let you live a few more minutes.” He trailed the end of the gun barrel down her cheek. “Maybe I should capture Blackhawk and force him to watch while I take what I want from you.” He licked his lips. “Yes, I like that plan better. Beg me, Serena, and you might see him one more time before I kill both of you.”

  “Harrington.” Ethan’s voice carried a hint of steel.

  In an instant, Serena found herself in a chokehold with a gun pointed at her head, her body shielding a killer.

  Ethan’s gaze didn’t waver from The Fox, his pistol targeting the killer’s head. He raised his left arm, a black computer flash drive clutched in his hand. “I have what you want. Release her and you walk away unharmed.”

  The Fox tightened his hold on Serena’s throat. “I know there are other cops behind me. If I release her, I’m a dead man.”

  Dots danced before her eyes. She turned her head to the left. The pressure eased enough to breathe easier. She didn’t dare pass out now.

  “Guess I underestimated you again.” Ethan said. “You deserve to be bruised and bloody like Miller. You had no reason to kill that old man. Just like there was no point in killing Kate Barlow five years ago. Neither of them deserved a bullet through the forehead.”

  Serena’s eyes widened. What was he doing? A mental picture of Miller flashed in her mind. Her stomach rolled and lurched. She closed her eyes and swallowed against the deluge of nausea.

  “Beautiful Kate. Fell in love with the wrong man.” The Fox laughed. “Kate fought, but couldn’t stop me. You won’t stop me this time either, Blackhawk.”

  Serena opened her eyes and focused on Ethan. His face remained blank, but she knew those words hurt him. The Fox must have sensed his turmoil over the death of Kate.

  “We didn’t need Kate’s testimony.”

  “Nothing personal, Blackhawk. I had a contract. I fulfilled my obligation.”

  “Nothing personal, huh? Guess you won’t take it personally when I break your nose like my aunt broke Coronado’s.” Ethan’s smile chilled Serena’s blood. “You should’ve seen him, Harrington. Blood gushed from his nose and spilled from his split lip. Amazing what damage a determined old woman can do to a thug.”

  Oh, no. Serena moaned and clutched her stomach. Startled, The Fox loosened his grip. Serena sank to the ground, landing on her hands and knees.

  Ethan’s pistol bucked as fire leaped from the barrel. Serena gasped and glanced behind her. The Fox clutched his right shoulder and fell to the ground, writhing and cursing.

  Serena scrambled to her feet and ran to Ethan. As his arms closed around her, Rod shouted, “Gun!”

  Ethan turned with her in his arms. Another shot echoed. He jerked, then his legs gave way.

  “Ethan!”

  His deadweight dragged her to the ground. She registered cops shouting in the distance, but her whole being centered on Ethan’s still form cradled in her arms.

  Serena stretched out her trembling hand to touch his face. Fear of losing him paralyzed her breathing. Tears streamed unchecked down her face. Ethan held the other half of her heart, but she might never get the chance to tell him how she felt.

  Rod ran to her side and dropped to the dirt. He felt for Ethan’s pulse, then checked over his still form. He rolled Ethan onto his side and examined his back. Rod heaved a great sigh.

  “Rod, no,” Serena whispered. Grief shredded her heart. “He can’t be gone.” Her throat closed off. Emotion strangled her soul. How could she go on without him?

  He grinned. “No, Serena. He’ll be fine. He could have a cracked rib, though. Might make him act like a bear with a sore paw.”

  Serena searched Rod’s face. She let the upper half of Ethan’s body slide to the ground, leaned over him and inspected his back. Her hand brushed the ripped fabric from his jacket and shirt. She scrutinized her fingers. No blood. How could that be?

  She plunged her fingers into the fabric hole and encountered stiff, heavy material. A smile spread across her mouth. “He’s wearing a bullet-proof vest.”

  Ethan drew a deep breath, then grunted.

  “Ethan.” Serena caressed his face.

  He opened his eyes and eased onto his back. “You okay, baby?” His hand stroked her bruised cheek.

  Serena smiled. She leaned down and brushed his lips with hers. “I am now.”

  Ethan’s gaze sought Rod’s. “What happened?”

  “The Fox had a backup piece in his jacket. He pulled the trigger before we nabbed him.” Rod nodded in Serena’s direction. “He meant to kill her.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  “Jordan sent his apologies.” Rod closed his notepad. “He said he owed you a favor, anytime, any place. Four U.S. Marshals picked up Coronado and Hans (The Fox) Muehller about an hour ago. They’re already on their way to D.C.”

  Ethan shifted Serena into a more comfortable position against his shoulder. He’d urged her to go to Megan’s and get some rest when they left the hospital, but she refused. The sun just cleared the horizon when she fell asleep beside him on Ruth’s sofa.

  “The Fox seemed eager enough to spill his name when I offered to let the doctors dig the bullet out of his shoulder without anesthesia.”

  Rod smiled. “The Feds also said to keep Pam under wraps a while longer. They’re combing both hotels and the casino in Las Vegas, collecting evidence and making arrests. They’ll need her testimony at the Grand Jury hearing August 1.”

  Ethan nodded. “She’ll be there.” He rested his head against the back of the couch. “Outstanding work on this case, Rod.”

  The detective smiled. “Thank you, sir.” He hesitated. “I appreciate you covering for me the other night. You won’t have to again; you have my word.” He stared at his hands. “I thought you’d like to know I have an appointment with Marcus Lang this afternoon.”

  Ethan smiled. “Glad to hear it.”

  Serena sighed in her sleep and tightened her grip on his arm.

  Rod’s gaze softened as he watched her. “You’re a lucky man, sir.”

  #

  “You are a lucky man.”

  Ethan chuckled. Serena’s sleepy smile turned his insides to mush. “Eavesdropping, baby?”

  “How do you feel?”

  “I’ve felt worse.”

  Serena stretched like a cat waking from a nap in a sunny window. Rotating sideways on the couch so she could face him, she clasped his hand. “Remember the question you asked me right before the accident?”

  Ethan’s smile dissolved. His gut clenched as he searched her face. How could he forget? He’d thought of nothing else i
n the ambulance and emergency room. “I asked if you might come to love me one day.”

  Serena squeezed his hand. “When Muehller shot you in the back, I thought you would die before I could answer your question. I don’t want another day to pass without you knowing how I feel.”

  His mouth grew dry. Would she break his heart or fulfill the dream he’d harbored in the farthest corner of his mind since he’d looked into the eyes of that blue-eyed elf?

  Serena reached up with her free hand and caressed his face. “I already love you, Ethan Blackhawk.”

  Air rushed into his lungs. Ethan pressed a kiss to her palm. “Are you sure?” he whispered. “Even knowing who and what I am?”

  She smiled. “I’m sure.”

  Ethan wrapped her in a tight embrace, amazed at how right she felt in his arms. He eased back and cupped her face with his hands. “I love you, Serena,” he said, then kissed her.

  “Well, it’s about time.” Ruth stood in the doorway, grinning.

  Ethan laughed. The love he felt for Serena seemed to soar into the stratosphere. Who knew three words could bring so much joy?

  “When do we send out wedding invitations?” Ruth asked.

  He stiffened. His gaze sought out Serena’s. What was he thinking? He should’ve kept his mouth shut. A man couldn’t propose to the woman of his dreams without a job. If the mayor made good on his threats, Ethan had two weeks left on the Otter Creek police force.

  Serena’s hand latched onto his arm, concern clouding her blue eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  If he had to find a job somewhere else, would Serena move away from her family and the town she loved? He swallowed past the lump in his throat. What about Home Runs? It meant giving up everything, her whole life. Would she be willing?

  “Remember my conversation last night with Mayor Parks?”

  She nodded.

  “He and the town council object to my work methods.”

  Ruth hobbled further into the room. “What does that mean?”

  Ethan’s gaze remained fixed on Serena. “Unless Parks changes his mind, I’m out of work in a couple of weeks.” He grimaced. “I can’t ask you to marry me without a job to support you.”