Voices outside conferred for a moment, but Jax only heard the man and woman, not the cop.
Feeling a bit of give, Jax strained harder against the tape and it tore, allowing him to pedal his feet and free his hands. Without more than a grim smile at Kylie, he scrambled to his feet and carefully moved forward until he could look through the curtain.
⋘⋆⋙
The woman looked out the door at the New Mexico State Trooper slumped over a bush, six bullet holes through his uniform. The final shot had entered through the man’s cheek, obliterating much of his features.
Maria glanced at Alan and scowled, trying to cover the fear she’d felt during the brief shootout. Blowing the cop’s head off had been unmitigated horror for her. Not that she hadn’t been prepared to take a shot herself if it had come to that, but....
“I had it under control.”
“Like hell.” Alan waved her off as he followed her down the steps. They stood, staring down at the bloody corpse. “You were stammering like a kid caught on a porn website.”
“Like hell,” she shot back, annoyed at his insinuation that this was somehow her fault. “I was playing him. You’re the one who let that little witch play you, and she somehow let someone know she was in trouble.”
Alan growled in response, and she knew she was right. “If there wasn’t so much riding on her, I’d shoot her right now. I’m still tempted.”
“Don’t you dare. She’s the whole reason we came this way, and the El Paso office will bring down a world of hurt if she’s not served up whole.”
“Well, accidents happen.”
“Not to the Buford brat.” Maria squelched a stab of panic at the thought of what Price would do if he wasn’t the one who got to ruin the girl.
“Well, what do we do now?” Alan challenged, pointing to the body. “His backup will be here any minute, and—”
Before he could finish, they both turned as the RV pulled away from the shoulder amid a spray of gravel. Alan raised his pistol and emptied the rest of his clip into the retreating vehicle, with no apparent effect.
Maria slapped his gun hand. “Are you mad? What if you hit the girl?”
Alan turned a look of disgust on her. “She’s getting away!”
When she didn’t respond, he impatiently stuffed his pistol into the waistband of his pants and stooped to the fallen officer.
“What are you doing?”
“Unless you want to wait around for his backup to arrive, we need to get this body out of sight. We’ll use the patrol car to catch up to them.”
Maria had to defer to Alan on this. She was a planner, not a fixer. Technically, Alan wasn’t a fixer, either. He was far too volatile and impulsive to do more than blast his way out of a bad situation. Maria had always thought such a lack of conscience would be a good quality to have in a partner, but now she wasn’t so sure.
Alan frisked the cop, pulling a stun gun out of a pouch on the officer’s utility belt, then a small pistol from an ankle holster, both of which he tossed to her. She almost dropped them, and fumbled to catch them to her chest. By the time she secured her grip, Alan was dragging the corpse into the ditch next to the road, behind a stout sage shrub. When he straightened and marched past her, she followed him along the shoulder of the road toward the waiting patrol car.
Maria climbed in the passenger seat as Alan reached in and popped the trunk latch. She saw him rummaging around for a moment, then he entered the car, tossed a red case at her, and pulled the door shut.
“Wanted to pull the LoJack,” he said in answer to her unspoken question.
“I thought those were impossible to disable,” she said.
He shrugged as he opened the case—a first aid kit—and rooted around, looking for something in particular. “There are only so many places to put them, so I was hoping to get lucky, but no joy. Just means we can’t keep the car long. We’ll dump it once we catch up with the RV. Help me find something to fix this.”
It was only then she realized he was bleeding from a wound on his leg, inside and high up. He’d found a tiny pair of scissors in the kit and cut a slit in his pants.
“What happened?” she asked.
He gave her a look that accused her of being an idiot. “Bullet went clean through. Another three inches higher and....” He stopped talking to tear open an antiseptic wipe with his teeth.
Maria felt a new level of panic. “You’re bleeding on the car seats. What about DNA from your blood?”
“If you’re not going to help,” he snarled, “at least shut up. For one, I’m not in the system, and two, we’ll burn the car.” He gave up trying to clean the wound and opted to just slap a gauze pad on both the entrance and exit holes, then bound it tightly with a wide wrap.
“I’m gonna kill that boy when we catch up to them,” he growled as he put the car in gear and pulled onto the highway.
Chapter Six
After freeing Jax, Kylie hopped over and provided the same service for Vera, who then helped Kylie start a cut in her own restraints. Danica whimpered as Vera moved to help her. Once she was free, Kylie looked up in time to see Jax slip through the curtain. She held her breath. What’s he doing?
She found out when the RV jerked into motion, causing her to stagger backwards against the seat cushions.
Seconds later, she heard the sound of gunfire and two of the mirrors in the cabin shattered. Danica and Vera screamed, and all three of them hit the floor. The RV swayed wildly, then straightened as she felt the acceleration.
“Is everybody okay?” Jax called from in front. Kylie looked back at the other girls.
“I’m good,” she said. “Vera?”
Vera shook shards of glass out of her hair, and turned wide eyes on Kylie. “I-I’m okay, I think.”
“Danica?” The brunette didn’t respond. She was looking down, shaking. “Danica? Are you all right?”
“I....” She looked up at them, and Kylie saw blood on her hands.
“Danica?” Vera’s voice rose in panic. “Oh, Jesus. She’s been hit.”
“What’s going on?” Jax shouted, and the RV swerved.
“I’m bleeding,” Danica said, her voice shaking. “I can’t.... There’s blood.”
“It’s just a cut, I think. I’ve got you,” Vera said, and hugged the other girl close.
“I’ll check with Jax,” Kylie said, “then see if I can find a first aid kit.” She moved to the front of the RV and pulled the curtain back. Jax glanced up at her, and the RV swerved again, which caused Danica to shriek. “Easy,” Kylie said, noticing a pained expression on his face. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “What about the girls?”
“Danica got cut by broken glass, but I think we’re okay. I’ve got to find a first aid kit. Are they following?”
Jax checked the mirrors, swerving again as he moved his head. “Not yet.”
“How fast are you going?” Kylie had to grab hold of the driver’s seat to stay on her feet.
The RV swerved again as he looked down at the speedometer. “Eighty-five.”
“Holy cow.”
“We don’t exactly blend in, you know. They get into that cop car and they’ll be able to catch up to us really quick. Those things can do over a hundred easy. We’ll be sitting ducks if we don’t get some distance on them, then get off the road before they see us.”
As he spoke, they crested a rise. The road swept around a corner, putting a low hill between them and the way they’d come.
“Hang on!” Jax said, and Kylie grabbed hold of the passenger seat as the RV went wide around the curve. “There! On the right!” he said, and she saw the dirt road splitting off the highway.
“We’re going too fast!”
Danica and Vera screamed as the RV left the pavement, catching air over the highway’s shoulder. As soon as the tires hit gravel, the RV fishtailed from side to side. With a wordless shout, Jax hauled on the wheel, straining to keep it upright as they skated on the gravel. When th
e dirt road turned, they didn’t. The front of the RV left the ground again as they plowed over the lip of a ditch, then skidded and bounced before it turned sideways to the momentum and succumbed to gravity.
Kylie cried out and flailed her arms for something to hang onto as they toppled over in slow motion. Sound exploded as the RV landed on its side, shattering windows and rending steel as first the front, then the back met the hard-packed yellow clay earth. The breath left her as she slammed against the passenger side, and she threw her arms in front of her face in an effort to protect herself from the flying debris.
Ears ringing in the sudden absence of sound, she slowly became aware of small noises. The tinkling of glass continuing to fall, whimpering from the other two girls, and groaning from the front of the RV. A harsh, rasping sound faltered, and she realized it was her own panicked breathing.
“Jax?” She carefully pushed away the seat cushion that had come to rest on her, which had protected her from flying glass. The space around her was chaos. The RVs fancy chandelier lights and window blinds hung catawampus above her, cushions from all the benches lay scattered everywhere, and every window had blown out with the force of their landing.
“Jax!”
She looked over and saw Vera helping Danica sit up, but Jax still hadn’t answered her. Pulling her feet under her, she stood, then stumbled over the uneven surface toward the front. Hanging onto the passenger seat, she peered over it to find Jax in a heap, wedged face-first into the corner made by the passenger door and the crazed glass of the windshield. She stifled a sob when she saw his arm twitch.
He was still alive!
She reached out and brushed his leg, then leaned farther over the seat to try and reach his hand. “Jax, can you move at all? I’m afraid to touch you.”
“I think I’m okay,” he said, his voice muffled. She realized the remnants of airbags lay under him, deployed from the side curtain and the passenger dash. The driver’s side airbags dangled above their heads.
None of them had been wearing any kind of restraint, and Kylie considered it a miracle they weren’t all seriously injured or even dead.
When Jax pushed himself up, Kylie saw blood on the white airbags, but she couldn’t tell where it had come from. She looked around the cab of the RV. The contents of the visor compartments had emptied, and the glove box and console covers gaped open—empty.
Just like they talked about in the disaster trainings she’d attended with her mom, her mind shifted into crisis mode to assess what they needed and what they had on hand. She turned back to the other girls and asked, “Do you see a first aid kit anywhere?”
Vera jumped at the chance to act on her instructions. “I’ll check in back.”
“Be careful.” Then she thought of something else. “See if you can find our clothes and shoes. I have a feeling we’re going to need to be able to run.”
She looked back to see Jax had turned over and was sitting up. His face was covered in blood from several cuts, but all his limbs appeared intact.
He flashed her an uneven smile through the rivulets of blood. It reminded her of a horror movie. “I sure messed that up. Do you think we can be seen from the road?”
“Hard to say,” she said. In her mind’s eye, she saw the ditch right before they launched into it. “We went down, but I don’t know how far.”
He shifted, tried to lean forward, then gave up and sat back against the dash.
“Jax?”
“Just gotta catch my breath,” he said. She frowned when she saw his arm pressed against his side. Something was very wrong with him.
A crashing sound from the back made Kylie turn as Vera jumped down from the hallway, which was now a crawlspace opening on the upper side of the vehicle. She was dressed in blue jeans and a black tee and held a small case in her hand, which she offered to Kylie.
“This has some first aid stuff in it,” she said. “There’s more clothes, but I wanted to bring this up first.”
“Great. Thanks.” Kylie crossed to her.
She heard Jax call out behind her. “Take care of Danica first. I’ll be back there in a minute.”
⋘⋆⋙
Janie stared into her coffee cup, feeling like she should be doing something, but knowing there was nothing she could do.
It was a horrible feeling.
Mitzi had stepped outside to brief Sheriff Jonas, who was already en route to Clovis. Daddy had gone off somewhere. More than likely, he was taking this worse than Janie. He was a man of action, and she wouldn’t be surprised to learn he was on his way to New Mexico right at that moment.
Cody had left with Dylan, who had offered to fly him to New Mexico. She’d tried to insist they take her, but Dylan’s chopper was only a two-seater—a bird designed for little more than crop dusting and fighting small-scale wildfires—and since Cody was paying for the fuel, he was the obvious choice to go.
That left her alone with Tim, her mother, and her brother. Blue paced back and forth in front of the window, and Momma was in the diner’s kitchen, probably rustling up some food because that was her answer to everything. Tim sat beside her, his arm across her shoulders, absently stroking his thumb back and forth over the curve of her upper arm. The movement was soothing, although not quite enough comfort to put her at ease.
She glanced at him, glad for his support and company, but she had no idea what was on his mind. Before she had a chance to ask, the front doors rattled. She turned to see Esmeralda peering through the glass. Dylan had closed the café, and more than one of his regulars had come knocking, trying to get in.
Blue went to the door and cracked it open.
“The café’s closed,” she heard him say. “Family emergency.”
Esmeralda looked taken aback for a moment, then she smiled uncertainly at Blue. “Oh, Mr. Blue, I’m not here for food. I saw Mrs. Thomas’ car outside. I need to tell her something.”
Blue stood aside to let her pass, then locked the door behind her.
“Momma,” Janie called. “Esmeralda is here to see you.”
Janie couldn’t make out the words, but Momma’s voice had a questioning tone to it. “She should be right out,” Janie said to the handsome Latina woman who’d been the cook out at the Lazy J since Janie was in high school.
“Miss Janie,” Esmeralda said as they waited. “May I ask what is the emergency?”
Janie looked helplessly at Tim, her grip on her coffee mug tightening. He asked a question with his eyes, and she nodded, not trusting her voice.
“Kylie’s missing,” Tim said bluntly. “She disappeared at the fair last night, and we just confirmed that she and Jax have been kidnapped.” The cook gasped, but Tim went on. “Everything points to it being a sex trafficking ring. She was sighted in New Mexico in an RV.”
“Ay, Dios mío! Que barbaridad,” Esmeralda said, and crossed herself. “Pobrecitos Kylie y Jax!”
Janie knew Esmeralda was shocked. It took a lot to get her to slip into her native Spanish.
“You have found her?” she asked.
Janie shook her head, and Tim answered for her. “It looks like they’re on their way to Mexico.”
Just then, Momma walked out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl of pancake batter she was stirring. “Esmeralda? Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no, Mrs. Thomas.” Esmeralda held up her hands in a placating gesture, and Janie noticed she carried a letter. “I see your car while I am going to store. I have letter from Mexico I must show you.”
Momma set the bowl on the counter and wiped her hands on the apron she had borrowed. “What is it?”
“Mi mamá.... She is ill. Papá says I should come home, bring José. I must go, but I no want to leave you without cook.”
Momma enfolded Esmeralda in a gentle hug. Compassion and comfort were two things Momma had in abundance, and gave without bias or restraint. “Don’t worry yourself, Esmeralda,” she said. “We’ll make do without you. Is there anything we can do to help?”
She sho
ok her head. “I think no. Oh, maybe I make telephone call home tonight?”
“Absolutely. You just stop by the house whenever you need and help yourself. We’ll pray for your safe journey and for your mother.” Momma hugged her again before letting her head back to the door.
When Blue unlocked it, she paused before going out, then took an uncertain step back toward Janie.
“These people will take Kylie across the border, yes?”
“That’s what we’re afraid of,” Janie agreed.
“Going into Mexico is much easier than coming back. These bad people, if they have money, the policía will not stop them, not check them. They will go to big crossing, where is easier blend in. A small crossing and they would stand out, easier pick on.”
Janie absorbed what she heard. “So you think they will try to cross in El Paso?”
Esmeralda nodded. “Sí. It takes longer because of lines, but policía very busy, miss much. Smaller crossings have policía who make trouble.” The woman glanced at Tim, then over at Blue with an almost shy smile before swiftly exiting.
“I’ll tell Mitzi,” Blue said, jumping at the opportunity to do something.
“I’m making pancakes,” Momma called after him, “so y’all come back and eat, you hear?”
Blue waved over his shoulder as he headed across the parking lot toward Mitzi’s patrol truck.
Janie leaned against Tim as Momma went back into the kitchen.
“I feel so helpless,” she said, and not for the first time. “I hate this sitting around. I’d try to go to work, but I know I couldn’t focus. But you.... If you want to go back out to the ranch, I wouldn’t hold it against you.”
Tim pushed her back from himself so he could study her face. “No,” he said after a moment. “I couldn’t let you wait alone.”
Even as she protested, she hoped her gratitude came across. “I’m not alone. Momma’s here.”
Tim just wrapped his arms around her, and her arms snaked around his middle. Yes, she may not require his presence, but she certainly desired it.
“Thanks,” she murmured, her lips against his shoulder. He just rocked her slightly in acknowledgment.
One Last Song (A Thomas Family Novel Book 3) Page 5