Kill Shot

by Susan Sleeman

  She didn’t want to wake her sister or Wylie, so she grabbed her purse and Dianna’s car keys and left to call Shane from outside. Rain fell softly, but the wind had picked up, and that could indicate a thunderstorm approaching. She strapped Natalie in her car seat and dialed as she settled behind the wheel.

  “Wow, that kid has quite a set of lungs.” Shane chuckled.

  “Would you mind accompanying me on a drive to quiet her?”

  “Glad to.”

  “Dianna’s medicated so I also need someone to stay with Wiley, would—”

  “I just saw Rick’s mom in the family room, and as a mom, I’m sure she’d be glad to help. I’ll grab her, and we’ll be right down.”

  Olivia offered her thanks and hung up. Hoping for a distraction for Natalie, Olivia started the car running and turned on the wipers.

  Natalie’s crying wound down a bit but remained at a deafening level. Olivia turned and jostled her leg while cooing, but she kept screaming even when Shane opened the car door and slipped in.

  Grace poked her head in. “Don’t worry about Wiley. I’ll take good care of him.”

  “Thank you,” Olivia said, working hard to be heard over Natalie, whose screams ramped up into the ear-damaging range.

  Grace hurried toward the house.

  Shane pulled the door closed.

  “Hang on,” Olivia said over Natalie’s noise. “I’ll get us on the road as quickly as I can.”

  She raced down the driveway as fast as the rainy conditions allowed and swung onto the road, then made a few turns to get onto a four-lane road where they could pick up speed and drive for longer stretches without having to stop.

  They’d traveled a mile or so when Natalie’s cries started winding down and another few minutes before they turned to whimpers and finally ceased. Olivia braked at a stop light and held her breath. When no sound came from the backseat, Olivia let out a long sigh.

  Shane peered over his shoulder. “It’s crazy how well a drive works for her.”

  Olivia glanced in the rearview mirror to see the baby sound asleep. “I hate that we’ve come to rely on this method to get her to stop, but her pediatrician recommended it, so it must be okay.”

  “If you stop driving, will she stay asleep?”

  “Usually. At least once we give her enough time to fall deeply asleep. I’ll give her a few more minutes of solid movement, and then we should be able to head back to the house. If I bring her car seat into the house and leave her in it, she’ll sleep for at least an hour.”

  “Only an hour?” Shane turned back around. “She’s not a very good advertisement for parenthood.”

  “She might be a challenge, but she’ll outgrow it, and this fussing is well worth having a precious child.”

  “Do you want to have kids?”

  She nodded, but thoughts of Rick losing his child and saying he would never be a father tugged at her emotions. He had so much to overcome to be happy. To be the guy she knew he wanted to be. Could he do so? Of course, with God’s help, but it would still be a struggle. Olivia offered a prayer for him and added one for his safety, too.

  “We should be good to head back now.” She found a place to do a U-turn.

  The rain picked up, and she increased the wiper speed. The rhythmic sound and motion lulled her toward sleep, but when she approached a major intersection, she shook her head to improve her alertness. The speed limit dropped, and she slowed. The light turned green before she reached it, and she entered the intersection. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a large truck racing toward them at a collision pace.

  “He not’s stopping,” she yelled, not caring if she woke Natalie.

  Shane swung his face toward his window. His hand went up to the glass as if he could stop the truck. He couldn’t. She couldn’t. They were powerless in the lights bearing down on them.

  In the blink of an eye, the truck slammed into the passenger side of the car. The large grille hit like an armored tank, and the car skidded wildly across the wet pavement.

  Chapter 27

  From the front seat of the SUV, Rick stared at Norm Mooney lying in his own blood under a hastily erected canopy in an industrial part of town. Max sat next to Rick, the windshield wipers groaning across the window to clear rain that had picked up in intensity. As Rick had worked to determine the bullet trajectory, a number of homeless men had lingered on the sidewalk that smelled like a public restroom, their lack of interest in the loss of life disheartening.

  “I don’t get the sudden change in MO.” Rick tapped his thumb on the wheel. “According to the police, Mooney has no military connection at all.”

  “There has to be some connection to the shooter, who for all we know could still be Marcus Floyd.”

  “Maybe Mooney’s connection is personal. A friend or family member that the shooter wants to pay back.”

  “Best way to figure that out is to get Kaci started on an in-depth background check on the guy.”

  “She’s still at the coffee shop watching the wireless router. I’ll give her a call.” Rick dialed and put the call on speaker.

  “Did our suspect show up at the shop?” Max asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Can you do a background check on Mooney while babysitting the router?” Rick asked.

  “Not if you want us to apprehend the suspect if he shows up.”

  Max frowned. “Not sure I understand that.”

  “The log I’m watching is real time. If I take my attention away to work on Mooney’s background, our dude could show up, log in and out, and then disappear before I even see the entry.”

  “How about Cal?” Rick asked. “Can’t he watch the log for you?”

  “Um, yeah, but I…I want…”

  “Want to be the one to save the day,” Rick said, knowing how hard it was for her to be in the background all the time.

  “I know it sounds lame, but it’s not often that the geek is the hero, you know?”

  “Hey, you always locate information that helps us bring in the bad guys,” Rick said. “Makes you the hero in my book.”

  “But I’m never the one who sees the final bit of intel and can rush right out and make the arrest like I can here.” She sighed. “But for the good of the investigation, I’ll show Cal what to watch for and start the background check.”

  “Thanks, Kaci,” Rick said, hoping that someday she got her wish and could be the hero she wanted to be.

  * * *

  The scream was long and tortured, and it took some time for Olivia to realize it came from her throat as the car bent to the truck’s will. Time seemed to stand still. Glass shattered. Metal buckled and groaned under the pressure. She thought to turn and check on Shane and Natalie, but she couldn’t find the strength to fight the momentum of the car’s wild slide.

  The rear of the vehicle came to a jarring rest against a tree. Olivia was tossed to the side, her seat belt cutting her and her head slamming into the window. Excruciating pain radiated through her head. Blackness threatened. She blinked. Swallowed hard.

  Stay alert. You have to.

  Natalie screamed in the backseat.

  No, not the baby. Please, Father. No.

  Olivia punched down the already-deflating airbag. Shane lay unmoving against the window.

  “Shane,” she said, “are you all right?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “C’mon. Wake up.” She touched his shoulder, her hand coming away covered in his blood. “No. No. No.”

  Her brain froze. Solid. Unthinking. Terrified. Natalie’s shrill cries broke through. Olivia checked Shane’s pulse at his neck. Found more blood, but also a solid thump under her fingers.

  “Thank God.” She sighed out a shaky breath. “Stay with us, Shane. I’ll get help. Just let me check on Natalie.”

  Olivia twisted over the seat. Her muscles screamed in pain, as did her head. Blood dripped from her forehead, but she swiped it away.

  “Shh,” she cooed, and scanned Nata
lie for any signs of injury but found none. Fortunately for the baby, the truck had hit the front of the car. Shane wasn’t as fortunate. Olivia turned back to him. He was still unmoving. She had to call 911.

  She grabbed for her phone, but it had flown from the cup holder where she’d hastily stored it. Natalie’s cries bit into Olivia’s aching head. “It’s okay, sweetie. Give me a sec, and I’ll come get you.”

  She searched the front of the car for her phone, each movement torture. The truck’s lights shone into the car, but she couldn’t find the phone. Maybe the truck driver had called 911 or at least had a phone.

  “Be right back, Natalie.” She wrenched her door open and climbed out, her body protesting and the pouring rain instantly soaking her.

  The truck backed up and came alongside the car. Good. They wanted to help. She waved at the two men and mimed holding a phone to her ear. The passenger door opened. A short, burly man stepped out. He came around the car.

  “My phone,” she said, the panic in her tone evident even to her. “I can’t find it and my friend is hurt. Did you call 911?”

  He nodded.

  “Good. Good. I have to check on my niece.” She spun and almost lost her balance in the slick mud, but recovered with a hand to the roof of the car. She inched to the back door. Thick Georgia clay sucked at her heels, straining her muscles. She reached the door. Grabbed the handle. Wrenched the door open.

  “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here, sweetie.”

  Natalie’s eyes widened, and her cries intensified.

  “What is it, baby?”

  An arm came around Olivia’s throat, and her body was jerked back and out of the car.

  She screamed.

  The arm tightened, clamping down on her windpipe. Her oxygen was cut off. She clawed at the beefy muscles and tried to free herself. The man started backing away. She dug into his flesh with her nails. He swore and slammed a fist into the injured side of her head. Stars danced before her eyes.

  No, don’t let me pass out. Natalie. Shane. They need me.

  She tried for a breath. Couldn’t get one. The blackness beckoned. He dragged her through the mud toward the truck.

  “Help,” she yelled with her last breath as darkness took her.

  * * *

  Fatigue drained Rick’s body, and he wanted to fall into his bed and crash for a few hours. But he’d promised to check in with Olivia, so he dropped Max at the main house and started back down the drive. He parked in front of the guesthouse and jumped out into the pelting rain. He took a quick glance in the family room window but didn’t see Olivia. Hopefully, she’d forgotten all about waiting up for him and had gone to bed. The sun would be rising soon, and she could do with some sleep.

  That’s what he wanted. At least logically. But in reality he wanted to know she was awake and waiting for him. He wanted her to greet him at the door. Maybe wrap her arms around his neck again and welcome him home with a kiss. He liked the thought of that. Someone in his life again who cared if he made it home okay.

  On the way up the drive, he noticed Dianna’s car was missing. Okay, so maybe Olivia wasn’t sleeping but had taken Natalie on a drive. Just in case she was asleep, he knocked softly. No one answered. The door was unlocked, triggering alarm bells in his head. He slipped quietly inside. Found his mother asleep on the sofa in the family room.

  For a moment he gaped at her, but he soon recovered and gently shook her awake. “What are you doing here, Mom?”

  “Olivia and Shane took Natalie for a drive to calm her down, and I’m here in case Wiley wakes up.” She glanced at her watch and sat up. “That was four hours ago. I’m surprised they’re not back.”

  A niggling of unease peppered him. “I’m going to check the bedrooms just to be sure she didn’t come back and let you sleep.”

  With the car missing, he doubted she’d returned, but he had to be certain. He jogged down the hallway, throwing doors open on the way. Dianna was softly snoring in her room and Wiley curled up in a ball in another. He located the other bedroom, where Olivia had been staying, and found Natalie’s portable crib empty.

  Unease settled in, feeling like a rock in his gut, but he wouldn’t panic yet. On the way back to the family room, he dialed Shane. With each unanswered ring, Rick’s apprehension mounted. The call went to voice mail. He dialed Olivia. She didn’t answer.

  The rock in his gut turned into a boulder. He joined his mother. “Shane and Olivia aren’t answering their phones. Can you wake Dianna up to see if she knows anything while I call Max?”

  “Sure, but she was asleep when I got here.”

  “She may have woken up while you were sleeping and saw something.”

  “Right.” His mom headed down the hallway.

  He tapped Max’s icon and got right to the point when he answered. “Can you check to see if Shane’s in his room?”

  “Something wrong?” Max asked as his footsteps sounded in the background.

  Rick explained the situation, trying to remain calm, as his training dictated. He heard a knock on a door, then silence.

  “He’s not in his room,” Max said. “Maybe you should try him again.”

  Rick hung up and dialed Shane again. No answer. With anyone other than a teammate, Rick would think the owner had forgotten to charge the battery, but their phones were lifelines, and they treated them as such.

  He tried not to panic and called Olivia again. Still no answer.

  Rubbing her eyes, Dianna entered the room, his mother trailing behind.

  “Did you find her?” Dianna asked, her tone as urgent as it could be while she was under the influence of a sleep aid.

  He shook his head. “Did you see or hear from them after they left?”

  “I didn’t even know they’d gone.” She twisted her hands. “Please. You have to find them.”

  His gut clamped around the boulder, but he wouldn’t let himself give in to the panic.

  “Do you have a way of tracking Shane?” His mother helped Dianna sit on the sofa, then took her hand.

  “Yes. Of course. I should have thought of that. Kaci can track our phones.” He dialed her number. It took a few rings before she answered, her voice sleepy. He explained the situation. “Can you pull up Shane’s location?”

  “Hang on.” He heard her moving around, and then her fingers clicking on a keyboard. “He’s down the road a few miles. I’ll text you the GPS coordinates.”

  “With the rain coming down out there, they might have had an accident. Watch the signal for a few minutes to see if he’s moving.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Rick pulled up the text and tapped the GPS link. The map opened, and he recognized the nearby location. Olivia was close. Maybe needing him. No way he’d sit here and wait for Kaci to respond again.

  He relayed the information to his mother and Dianna. “I’m going down there. Call me if you hear from them.”

  He took off running. Into the rain. Into the darkness. Fighting his fear.

  “Shane’s signal’s not moving,” Kaci said.

  Rick let terrible, horrible, mind-numbing thoughts take him for a moment. He saw Olivia’s car crash. Her body trapped behind the wheel. Lying there hour after hour. No one coming to her aid at this time of night. Fighting for her life. Shane maybe injured, too. And the baby…not the baby.

  No! his brain screamed, and he moved on to an even more terrible thought.

  He’d failed to protect another helpless baby and the woman he had to admit he loved.

  * * *

  Forsyth County, Georgia

  Tuesday, September 19

  7:15 a.m.

  Movement.

  Olivia was moving. She tried to open her eyes to figure out where she was. Her lids felt like lead weights. She breathed deeply. Her neck ached. Her head. Her chest. What in the world?

  The accident! She’d been in an accident. Then taken.

  Oh God, Natalie. Shane. I have to help them.

  Sleep beckoned, warm and comfortable. N
o worries. Just peace. She wanted to give in, but fought it off. Her thoughts went to Rick. Did he even know she was gone? Have any idea where she was located? Had he found Natalie and Shane?

  God, please let him figure it out. Please let them both be okay.

  She couldn’t count on his rescue, though. She had to help herself. She listened. Heard tires hum and spit over the wet road. Heard breathing. Two men. A big truck. Her hands were bound behind her. Something plastic, cutting into her tender skin. Wet and moist. Bleeding.

  Panic flooded her chest. She took a breath. Smelled body odor. Pungent. Thick. Nauseating. The men. Who were they?

  She focused all her effort on her eyelids. Forced them open. Her gaze landed on the driver’s hands planted on the wheel. His wrist. A tattoo. Semper fi.

  The killer.

  He had her.

  * * *

  Atlanta, Georgia

  8:00 a.m.

  Panic like Rick had never felt tried to swamp him. He swallowed hard, trying to get control. Took a breath. Then another and another until he could process.

  “I’m heading out there,” he told Kaci as he got the SUV running. “Send backup just in case.”

  He peeled down the driveway and got on the road as if in a foggy dream. His brain fixed on his request to Kaci. Backup meant danger. Meant Olivia, all of them, could be hurt. Meant he might lose her.

  The SUV fishtailed on the slick road. He jerked his focus back to his driving. His heart told him to floor the gas pedal, but he slowed to make the turn onto the four-lane road. Then he pressed the gas hard. His wipers thumped across the window as he flew over the asphalt.

  He approached the intersection where GPS placed Shane. He strained to see through the downpour. Spotted a car in a ditch, the rear end wedged against a massive tree. If he hadn’t been looking in this exact spot, he would have missed it. He flipped on his bright lights. Didn’t help. He couldn’t see a few feet ahead, much less determine the car make or even color. He whipped the SUV to the side of the road and parked. He fumbled with the zipper on his go bag, but finally got a trembling hand on a flashlight and pushed open his door.