Surrogate Escape

by Jenna Kernan

  Jake chuckled. The pain made him clutch his chest and reconsider. “Almost worth getting shot.”

  “They bringing him in here?” asked Bear Den.

  “Transport to Darabee for surgery. EMTs are en route.”

  “What about Minnie Cobb?” asked Lori.

  Tinnin’s smile vanished. “Still looking.”

  Bear Den directed his comments to the chief. “Glass didn’t act on his own, which means the gang is involved and that infant is still in danger.”

  “We might need to have a talk with Mr. Pike,” said Tinnin.

  Jake grimaced and wheezed as he slid from the table. “Where’s my shirt?”

  Bear Den was already heading for the door, and Jake tried to follow. Tinnin stopped him with a hand, and far too easily. Jake sagged and then groaned. He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position but failed.

  “We got the truck and Earle,” said Tinnin, resuming his grip on his crutches.

  “That truck belonged to Trey Fields,” said Jake. “Glass say why he’s driving it?”

  “Says Trey told him to look after it,” said the chief.

  “Hmm. My understanding was that Minnie Cobb drove that truck,” said Jake. “Whereabouts today?”

  “Won’t say,” said Tinnin. “He’s seventeen, so he’s still a minor. I’ll lay down good money that his story about accidentally shooting himself is bull, and that the bullet in his belly is a match for Redhorse’s pistol. Bullet’s still in there, so that’s a bit of luck.” Tinnin turned to Jake. “I’ll need that gun, son.”

  Jake removed it from his holster, released the clip and checked the chamber. Then he passed the weapon to his superior.

  “All this happened while I was lying here?” asked Jake.

  “Well, your bullet made it a lot easier to find Earle.”

  “Who is Earle Glass?” asked Lori.

  “Wolf Posse member,” said Tinnin. “He’s been looking after Trey Fields’s girl while he’s away.”

  Jake knew that Fields had been the one who almost got FBI field agent Sophia Rivas killed by revealing her location to the Flagstaff gang, who had ordered a hit.

  “Isn’t he in jail?” asked Lori.

  “Prison,” Tinnin corrected. Most folks didn’t know the difference. “Weapons charge. But he didn’t buy that truck. Minnie Cobb did.”

  Jake knew that. He even knew the truck, but he hadn’t seen it. Lori had.

  “She used her Big Money,” said Jake. Minnie had wasted her share of tribal revenue carefully tended for the first eighteen years of her life on her older boyfriend, Trey Fields. It was a problem among them, young girls targeted and flattered and cajoled into spending their fortune on the men who used them and then moved on to new targets. Had Minnie reclaimed her truck, or had she chosen a different companion?

  “Where do you want me?” asked Jake.

  “In bed. You looked like hell before you got shot, and catching lead hasn’t improved your appearance.”

  Bear Den reappeared and approached Lori, targeting her like a heat-seeking missile. He glanced at his notes.

  “Did you say you saw something moving in the woods?”

  “Yes.”

  “Human or animal?”

  “Animal, I think. It was so fast.”

  “Black?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Jake’s stomach tightened as he put the pieces together just a little too late. The shout of warning and the moving shadow. He pinched his eyes closed but said nothing.

  Bear Den continued. “A dog, maybe?”

  “Could be.”

  “And you say someone shouted just before the pair broke in through the kitchen door?”

  “Yes,” said Lori. “It gave me time to escape.”

  Bear Den turned to Jake. “Did that warning come from you?”

  Jake met the serious stare and thought for just one moment of lying to protect his brother Ty, who had a black dog and sounded very much like him.

  “No,” said Jake.”

  Bear Den nodded and then spun, heading again for the exit.

  “Where’s he going?” asked Lori.

  Jake stared after Bear Den. “To arrest my brother Ty.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kee returned to the exam area where Jake rested to report that the FBI emergency protection detail was on their way. Jake was weighing his limited options. He knew Bear Den was going to bring Ty in for questioning. He needed to be there for his brother and also be here to protect Lori and Fortune. He felt as if someone had hit him in the chest with a sledgehammer.

  His radio had allowed him to follow the arrest of Minnie. She was en route to the jail in Darabee, where the new chief there had offered their facilities. The FBI were going to escort Jake and Lori to Darabee, where they would attempt to make a positive ID of Minnie. Earle had been transported to the Darabee hospital for surgery, and they would see him later today.

  Kee’s phone rang, and he pulled it from the cradle at his belt. His eyes widened and he met Jake’s stare.

  “It’s Ty,” he said. Kee stuck a finger in one ear and pressed his phone to the other. Jake listened, wishing Kee had put the call on speaker. Kee described Jake’s injuries—bruises, soft tissue and so forth.

  “He’s resting,” said Kee, stonewalling Ty.

  Jake motioned for the phone.

  Kee shook his head, his frown deepening. Was Kee protecting him from Ty, or Ty from him?

  “Would you like to speak to Detective Bear Den? He’s here at the clinic, and the FBI is en route.”

  That was a warning, Jake knew.

  “Fine,” said Kee, and he extended the phone. “He wants to speak to you.”

  Jake took the phone. “Ty?”

  “Jake?”

  Kee muttered something and folded his arms.

  “How you doing?” asked Ty.

  “I’m fine. How’d you hear so fast?”

  Ty did not answer the question but instead asked one of his own. “The baby all right?”

  “She’s fine. Ty, Bear Den was asking me about you. Lori saw a dog.”

  Ty swore. “You should turn that baby over to the feds,” he said.

  “I’m not turning her over to anyone. I’m applying for custody with the tribe.”

  There was a long pause. Jake stared at Kee, who seemed to be holding his breath.

  “Temporary custody?” Ty asked, his tone cautious.

  “What’s this about, Ty?”

  “I need to know if you plan on keeping her.”

  The answer was an immediate yes, followed by another pause and the sound of a long intake of breath.

  “All right. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Ty? You should come in.”

  “Soon.”

  “Ty? Stay away from Pike. This is my fight.”

  “Jakey, you’ve always been able to take care of yourself. But today someone tried to put a bullet in my little brother’s chest. I’m involved. Like it or not.”

  Jake was sure whatever Ty was planning was either illegal or dangerous or both. And he was very much afraid it involved the Wolf Posse.

  “Ty, don’t.”

  “You want that baby?”

  Jake could not answer. He wanted her. But he did not want to say anything that would endanger his brother’s life or force him back to the Wolf Posse. He knew how hard Ty had worked to distance himself from the gang. And he knew Faras Pike, the head of the Wolf Posse. Faras did not do favors for old friends. If Ty cut a deal over Fortune, it would cost him.

  “Glad you’re all right, brother.”

  “Ty, are you listening? Don’t—”

  Ty disconnected.

  “What’s he going to do?” asked Lori.

  “I don’t know.” And he
might never know, Jake realized.

  Bear Den returned with two white males dressed in suits and sporting matching short, military-style haircuts.

  The FBI had arrived.

  * * *

  DETECTIVE BEAR DEN waited in the Darabee police station with Lori while Jake left with Tinnin for the lineup that would include Minnie Cobb. They had arrived with the two FBI agents, who waited for them to finish. Arrangements for their housing were still ongoing.

  Detective Bear Den left her with Carol Dorset, the tribe’s longtime dispatcher. Someone would need to be with the baby while Lori looked at the suspects.

  Lori knew and trusted Carol Dorset. The woman’s somber expression transformed completely as she fussed and cooed over Fortune. Carol dyed her hair, which was still the same black as she’d been born with, but now her hair was thin, and Lori could see her scalp and the rings of flesh that hung on her thin neck like a turkey’s. Carol stroked Fortune’s perfect pink cheek with a swollen arthritic finger, her terra-cotta skin a sharp contrast to the pale pink of Fortune’s tiny face.

  “She’s a pretty baby. Look at that hair. It has some red in it, I think.”

  Lori looked more closely. It seemed blond to her.

  “Really?”

  “I think so. And she has a curl already.” Carol fussed and created a curl of the wispy fluff on the newborn’s forehead. “Oh, I remember when mine were this age.” There was a definite ache of longing in her voice. This was followed by irritation. “I wish my son and his wife would get busy and give me another grandbaby.”

  The chief called for them to come in, and Detective Bear Den returned for her, filling the now-open door. The detective didn’t say a word, but his expression was grim. Jake, Lori surmised, had not made a positive ID. Bear Den stepped aside and motioned to Lori. She glanced back at Fortune in her bassinet.

  Bear Den motioned to the door. “Ready?”

  * * *

  FARAS PIKE STOOD before the big boss. He’d been thoroughly searched prior to being allowed in, including an electronic sweep by something he assumed would check for bugging devices.

  “Update?” said Vitoli Volkov, his accent heavy.

  Faras started to sweat. If Volkov discovered he was lied to, Faras knew he’d be killed. But he just wasn’t ready to murder a newborn, and keeping his word to Ty Redhorse made this a win-win. If it didn’t get him killed.

  “The baby died, and the mother is still on tribal lands.”

  “Hmm. Disappointing. We’ll report a miscarriage to the buyers. Tell them it was...damaged.”

  Faras wondered if he meant handicapped. Would they kill a baby who was less than perfect as some kind of hideous quality control? He didn’t want to think about that.

  “You have a replacement in mind?”

  Faras nodded. It was simple to choose a girl who would not be missed. There were so many. Kids whose families were shit. Easy to lure. Easy to enlist. He just handpicked the girls he would have recruited for the gang and gave the Russians the ones he didn’t want.

  Volkov’s bloodless lips twitched. “The doctor has this name?”

  “The doc’s already seen her. The girl’s pregnant with the same donors as Zella Colelay.”

  “When will you bring her?” asked Volkov.

  “A few weeks. Wait for this mess to die down.”

  “If the feds stay to snoop around that clinic, I want to know.”

  Faras had not mentioned the FBI to Vitoli. But he knew. That made Faras very concerned. He glanced toward the door, wishing he were gone.

  “I can do that.”

  “I may have to move operations.”

  That would mean a loss of income for Faras. But it would also mean he would only answer to the dealers who supplied them with product.

  “I’ll wait to hear about delivery of the new girl. Don’t wait so long that she tells someone she’s pregnant.”

  “She doesn’t know yet.”

  “Good.” Volkov’s gaze flashed to his man at the door, and he gave a slight nod. Faras drew a breath and held it as he waited to see if the man would reach for the door or his weapon.

  Volkov’s man opened the door.

  The meeting was over, but Faras did not breathe easy again until he was back in his own car and heading up the mountain road toward the rez.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They were moved again.

  Neither Lori nor Jake had made a positive ID on Minnie Cobb, and she was released from custody. Jake and Lori were then transported by the FBI to the Darabee hospital, where Lori made a positive ID on Earle Glass.

  Jake and Lori were then transported to an FBI safe house, thanks to the help of Agent Luke Forrest.

  He’d driven to the hospital and assigned two members of his team to escort Jake, Lori and Fortune to the ranch-style home tucked in an upscale suburb of Darabee.

  The men let them into the house and set up protection. One man remained in the main living area, and the second was posted outside in the driveway in the sedan.

  Food was ordered as Lori and Jake got settled and fed Fortune. Fed, changed and tucked into her bassinet, Fortune sucked on a pacifier. As her eyelids closed, the sucking became less frequent until she slept. Jake hadn’t realized just how exhausted Lori was until she dozed off sitting at the table after eating her meal from a foam container. He nudged her awake.

  “Let’s get you to bed,” said Jake.

  At the mention of bed, her eyes opened wide and she bit her lower lip. A rush of heat blasted through him. Lori glanced to the agent, who was reading the paper.

  “Uh, sure. All right.” She lifted Fortune from her bassinet.

  They left the agent on duty and headed toward the bedrooms in the back of the house.

  “We each have a room,” Jake said.

  “I’d rather stay in the same one with you,” she said.

  “I’d like that, too.”

  His room already held his duffel bags. He left her only to retrieve her things and place them with his own. Lori had transferred Fortune to the crib provided by the bureau. He checked on her, watching her breathing as she slept on her back. The green blanket stretched across her stomach and legs and was then tucked under the crib mattress.

  “The bathroom is fully stocked. You don’t need a thing,” she said. She motioned, showing him a large bathroom with white subway tile and an enclosed shower behind a glass door and partition. The clean, inviting bathroom made him realize how long it had been since he’d had a chance to bathe.

  “That looks wonderful,” he said, a note of longing evident in his voice.

  “I could use a shower,” she said.

  “Care to join me?”

  Lori’s brow quirked, and she gave him a look of speculation. The heat in her gaze was unmistakable.

  “Maybe I will,” she said.

  The quiet calm he’d felt over supper had morphed into a charged energy that buzzed between them like a field of honeybees.

  “Are you tired?” she asked.

  He gave a slow shake of his head.

  “Not tired.” She stepped forward.

  His breath caught, and he began praying that he was reading this right. She stopped before him and grabbed his shirtfront, then tugged. He let her pull him against her because this was exactly where he wanted to be.

  She kissed him hard on the mouth, but she didn’t pull back. Instead, she tugged harder, pressing herself to him and angling her head to deepen the kiss.

  Jake let it all happen, the rush of anticipation, the heat of her small, firm body rubbing up against his. When her hips made deliberate contact, he wrapped his arms around her and started backing them up. He didn’t know if he could make it to the big bed down the hall, but after they showered, he was going to make love to Lori if she’d let him.

  Her fingers w
ere splayed over his chest now as they danced backward across the tile floor. She wrestled with his utility belt, which held a loaner weapon supplied by his department. She had his shirt out of his trousers now and her hand raked up his back. Her nails scored the skin across his shoulders.

  He broke away from the kisses, and she redirected her sweet lips to the bare skin above the scoop of his undershirt. His head dropped back, and he closed his eyes in ecstasy and gratitude. Lori was finally in his arms again.

  She stopped and her arms crossed as she clutched the hem of her blouse. A quick tug and she had it over her head, releasing the garment to let it fall behind her. In that same moment, he stripped out of his uniform shirt and the protective vest and dropped them to the floor. Only his white undershirt covered his torso.

  He dragged her close. Her body molded to his, soft and warm. Her stomach was taut, with nothing to indicate she had once carried his child. He wanted another one, but only if and when she did. He wanted to talk to her and kiss her and tell her everything that was in his heart. But there would be time for that later. Wouldn’t there?

  She wore the sort of bra that a woman wears when she hopes something will happen, all lace and lift. He ran a finger down the hollow between her breasts, where the soft flesh crowded in together.

  Lori stepped out of her clogs, and then everything else except the matching scrap of white lace that skirted across her backside and down into the cleft between her round cheeks. Jake forgot how to breathe as his body jerked and twitched as if she’d run an electrical current through him.

  She turned and he stared, his gaze dipping from the high lift of that sharp chin all the way down to her small feet. Her tawny brown skin glowed with healthy pink undertones and the blush of youth. She reached behind her head and freed the tie that held her hair in a practical ponytail at the base of her slim neck. Then she shook out her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders.

  Her breathing was labored and the areolae of her breasts had tightened to press against the lace.

  “Your turn.”

  “My underwear isn’t as fancy,” he said.

  She smiled. He felt his body pulsing, and his skin was ridiculously sensitive. He stepped forward.