Kade

by Delores Fossen

  Kade took out the small notepad he kept in his pocket and dropped it on the table by Jamie. “Write down the address of the house where Bree was held.”

  Jamie shook her head. “They burned the place to the ground. Kirk told me that when he called to threaten me to stay silent.”

  Hell. But still a burned-out house was better than nothing. “I want the address, anyway,” Kade insisted. He’d get a CSI team out there ASAP. Maybe they could find something that would give them clues about the identity of Kirk’s boss.

  Of course, the biggest clue might be sitting in front of them.

  When Jamie finished writing the address, he took the note paper but kept staring at her. “I want those surveillance backups.”

  “I can’t. I told you they’re my insurance so that Kirk’s boss won’t kill me.” Jamie yanked off her glasses, and he could see that her eyes were red. Maybe from crying. Kade had to consider that she was truly afraid, but he couldn’t put that above Leah’s and Bree’s safety.

  “You can give them to us.” Bree also moved closer to the woman. “And you will. In exchange we’ll provide you with protection.”

  Jamie jumped to her feet. “You can’t protect me. No one can. My advice is for both of you to leave town for a while. Get lost somewhere and enjoy the time with your baby. Because as long as you continue this investigation, the danger will be there for all of us.”

  She turned as if to walk away, but Kade stepped in front of her. “The backups,” he reminded her. “I won’t let you leave until you tell us where they are.”

  The threat was real and had no sooner left his mouth when he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. Something in the trees. And it wasn’t the spot where Mason had said he would be. This was farther down by the end of the pond.

  Bree must have noticed it, too, because her head turned in that direction. “Get down!” she yelled.

  But Kade was already moving. He latched onto Bree and Jamie and dragged them down with him. It wasn’t a second too soon.

  A bullet sliced across the top of the wooden table above them.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bree didn’t take the time to berate herself for coming to this meeting in such an open place, but she might do that later. However, the bullet meant Kade and she were in a fight for their lives.

  Again.

  Since Kade was already holding Jamie and her, Bree drew her weapon and scrambled forward, using the table for cover. It wasn’t much, but it was the nearest thing. The trees and their vehicles were yards away.

  Mason, too.

  Though maybe Mason was already trying to figure out how to stop what was happening.

  Another bullet bashed into the table. Then another, until they were coming nonstop. Jamie screamed with each one and covered her head with her hands.

  Kade turned, took aim in the direction of the shooter and fired.

  Bree was ready to do the same, but Jamie’s screams got louder, and the woman tried to bolt from the table. She probably thought she could make it to her car that was parked nearby. But Bree knew that once Jamie was out in the open, she’d become an easy target.

  “The shots are going over us,” Kade mumbled.

  Somehow, Bree managed to hear him over the noise

  of the shots, Jamie’s screams and the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. She listened and watched.

  Kade was right.

  The first two shots had gone into the table, but these were much higher.

  Bree kept a grip on Jamie’s arm, and she looked where the bullets were landing. In the trees near Kade’s truck and Jamie’s car.

  “He’s not shooting at us,” Bree said. If Jamie heard her, it didn’t stop the woman from struggling.

  There was another shot. Different from the others. From the sound of it, it had come from a rifle.

  Mason.

  Thank heaven. Because the shooter stopped firing.

  Bree shifted so she could try to see what was going on, but in the shift, Jamie threw off Bree’s grip. She reached for the woman again, but Jamie bolted out from beneath the table.

  “Get down!” Bree yelled to her.

  Jamie didn’t listen to that, either. She got to her feet and started running to her car.

  She didn’t make it far.

  Another shot tore through the air, and Bree watched in horror as it smacked into Jamie. The woman screamed and fell to the ground.

  Bree didn’t think. She started toward Jamie, but she felt Kade put a hard grip on her shoulder.

  “No. You can’t,” he insisted.

  And Bree knew he was right. If she went out there, she’d be shot, too. In fact, that was probably what the shooter wanted her to do.

  Bree waited and watched while Jamie squirmed on the ground and clutched her left arm. There was blood, but thankfully it didn’t appear to be too much. And the wound seemed to be limited to her arm. Still, she needed medical attention.

  “I need your phone,” Bree told Kade.

  With his attention fastened on the area around the shooter, he retrieved it from his pocket and handed it to her. She called the emergency dispatcher to request backup and an ambulance.

  “Stay down,” Bree called out to Jamie the second she finished the call. Maybe, just maybe, Jamie would listen this time.

  “No more shots,” Bree heard Kade say.

  He was right. There hadn’t been another shot since the one that injured Jamie. And that meant either Mason had managed to neutralize the shooter or…

  The thought had no sooner crossed her mind when Kade’s phone buzzed. “It’s Mason,” Bree said.

  “Answer it,” Kade instructed since he was still keeping watch.

  Bree pressed the answer button.

  “He’s getting away,” Mason said. “I’m in pursuit through the east side of the park.”

  Oh, God.

  This wasn’t over.

  “I heard,” Kade let her know, and he moved out from beneath the table. “Stay with Jamie. I’m going after this SOB.”

  * * *

  KADE KEPT LOW, STARTING away from Bree and Jamie, and he headed for the area around the pond where Mason had said he was in pursuit.

  It was a risk.

  And he had to do this in such a way that he could still keep watch to make sure the shooter didn’t double back and come after them again.

  Specifically Jamie, since she seemed to be the target this time around.

  He hoped her injuries weren’t life-threatening, and while he was hoping, he added that the ambulance would be there soon. Backup, too.

  Kade didn’t want to leave Bree and her without as much protection as possible, but if Mason and he could catch this gunman then that could put them one step closer to making an arrest.

  Behind him, Jamie was still yelling, and he could also hear sirens in the distance. Thank God. Kade threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Bree had stayed put under cover of the table, and she had her gun aimed and ready.

  Good.

  Kade followed along the edge of the pond. It wouldn’t save him, but if the gunman started firing again, at least he could dive into the water. He hoped it wouldn’t come down to that. Bree had already had enough shots fired near her today. Jamie, too.

  He saw movement in the trees but didn’t fire. Good thing, because it was Mason. His brother motioned to his right and then disappeared into the trees.

  Kade hurried.

  Mason was a good cop, but he didn’t want him facing down a professional hit man on his own.

  If that’s what the shooter was.

  Something wasn’t right about all of this, but Kade couldn’t put his finger on exactly what was wrong.

  Kade heard the ambulance come to a stop behind him so that meant Jamie would soon have the medical care she needed. Added to that, the gunman hadn’t fired in minutes so he was probably trying to get out of the area. Not stopping to take aim.

  Neither did Kade.

  He broke into a full r
un to the spot where he’d seen Mason. No sign of him yet, but he zigzagged his way through the trees and underbrush. Kade knew what was on the other side of the trees.

  The back parking lot.

  He listened for the sound of a car engine, but Kade couldn’t hear anything over his own heavy breath and the sirens from both the ambulance and a deputy’s car. Kade shoved aside some low hanging branches and ran out into a clearing that led to a hill.

  Mason was there.

  He had his left hand bracing his right wrist, and his gun was aimed at the parking lot.

  His brother fired.

  That made Kade run even faster. He barreled up the hill and caught just a glimpse of the black car before it disappeared around a bend in the road.

  Mason cursed.

  Kade did the same.

  “Did you get a look at him?” Kade asked.

  Mason cursed again and shook his head. “He was wearing a ski mask.” He pulled out his phone and hit a button. A moment later, Kade heard the emergency dispatcher answer. “The assailant is driving a late model black Chevy on Elmore Road. He’s armed and dangerous.”

  Kade knew the dispatcher would send out all available deputies to track down this guy, but he also knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the shooter reached the interstate. Once there, he’d be much harder to find.

  “I’ll do everything I can to catch up with him,” Mason promised, and he started running toward the road where he’d no doubt left his truck.

  Kade would have liked to go in pursuit, as well, but with the shooter already out of sight, he had to check on Bree and Jamie. He could still see through the trees, but he wouldn’t breathe easier until he’d talked to Bree.

  He made his way back through the wooded area and came out at the pond. There was a lot of activity already going on. An ambulance and two cruisers, one of which was speeding away—hopefully out to search for the shooter.

  But Kade picked through all the chaos to find Bree.

  She was there, next to the medics who were lifting Jamie onto a stretcher. Bree spotted him, and she hurried toward Kade, meeting him halfway. She went straight into his arms.

  Right where Kade needed her to be.

  “Are you okay?” she asked in a whisper.

  He nodded. “You?”

  “Okay.”

  But he checked her just in case. No signs of injury, thank goodness.

  Kade automatically brushed a kiss on her forehead, looped his arm around her and went to the medic, Tommy Watters, who was strapping Jamie onto the stretcher.

  Jamie’s face was paper-white, and she was shaking from head to toe. “Did you catch him?” she asked Kade.

  “No. But Mason is after him. We might get lucky.”

  Jamie groaned, and tears spilled down her cheeks. “You can’t rely on luck. You have to catch him because he nearly killed me.”

  Kade assured her they would do everything to find the shooter, and he turned to Tommy. “How is she?” Kade asked.

  “Not bad. Looks like a flesh wound to me.” The young medic followed Kade’s gaze to those straps that Tommy was adjusting. “All this is just safety procedures. I’ll take her straight to the hospital and have the E.R. doc check her.”

  “We need to be there in case the doctor releases her,” Kade whispered to Bree.

  She nodded, and they hurried to his truck. Later, there’d be a ton of paperwork to do—there always was when it came to a shooting—but it could wait. Jamie had said a lot of things, made a lot of accusations, and Kade didn’t want her slipping away before she told them the whereabouts of those missing surveillance backups.

  They got into his truck and followed right behind the ambulance as the siren wailed.

  “You’re sure you’re okay?” Kade asked when Bree didn’t say anything. She kept checking the area all around them. “Because I think that gunman is long gone.”

  “I agree.” She squeezed her eyes shut a moment. “But I also think something about this wasn’t right. The gunman wasn’t really shooting at us. He kept the shots high despite the fact Jamie was under that table with us.”

  Yeah. Kade’s thoughts were going in the same direction. “What are you thinking?”

  “I hope I’m wrong, but maybe Jamie set all of this up to make herself look innocent.”

  Again, his thoughts were right there with Bree. “If so, it was working. Still is. After all, she got shot. That’s a way to take blame off yourself.”

  Bree nodded. “But I watched her when you were running after the shooter, and she was stunned. And angry. I know people have a lot of reactions to being wounded, but something about this felt like a setup.”

  Kade made a sound of agreement. “Maybe we can press her for more info while she’s at the hospital.”

  If her injuries were as minor as the medic seemed to think. If they weren’t, then Bree and he would have to rethink their theory about this being a setup.

  Kade stopped his truck in the hospital parking lot and got out, but he’d hardly made it a step when he saw the man walking toward them.

  Anthony.

  Kade stepped in front of Bree and slapped his hand on his gun.

  Anthony held up his hands in mock surrender, but didn’t stop until he was only a few feet away. He hitched his thumb to the ambulance that had stopped directly in front of the E.R. doors.

  “I was at the sheriff’s office when the call came in about the shooting,” Anthony said. “Who’s hurt?”

  Kade considered being petty and not answering, but Anthony would learn it sooner or later. “It’s Jamie. She was shot.”

  Anthony made a sound of stark surprise and dropped back a step. He looked at the medics as they lifted Jamie out of the ambulance and whisked her into E.R.

  “Is she alive?” Anthony asked.

  “Yes,” Kade and Bree answered in unison.

  It was Bree who continued. “In fact, according to the medic she’ll pull through just fine.” She stared at Anthony. “Bet you’re all torn up about that.”

  His stark surprise turned to narrowed eyes. “I don’t wish Jamie any harm, but she was a fool to think she could trust my father. Or Agent Cooper.”

  Bree huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “And you think one of them is responsible for this?”

  “Who else?”

  “You,” Kade quickly provided. And he silently added Jamie’s name to that list of possibilities.

  “You’re wasting your time trying to pin any of this on me.” Anthony tapped his chest. “I’ve told you who’s behind all of this, and yet both are still out on the streets. How many more shootings will it take for you to haul my father and his lackey FBI friend in for questioning?”

  Right now, speaking to Jamie was his priority.

  “Come on.” Kade slipped his arm around Bree and started for the E.R. entrance.

  “Jamie accused me of all of this, didn’t she?” Anthony called out. “I’ll bet she said she had some kind of proof of my wrongdoing. But let me guess, she didn’t have that proof with her.”

  Kade and Bree stopped, and Kade eased back around to face him. Not because he wanted to see Anthony, but he wanted to make sure the man wasn’t about to pull a gun on them.

  “She doesn’t have proof of anything,” Anthony went on, “unless it’s crimes she committed.”

  “I thought Jamie and you were friends of sorts,” Kade reminded him.

  “No. She’s a viper. My advice? Watch your back around her, and don’t believe a word she says.”

  Kade didn’t intend to believe any of them, and this conversation was over. Even though Anthony continued to bark out warnings, Kade and Bree went to the E.R. and entered through the automatic doors.

  The first person Kade saw was Tommy Watters, and he made a beeline toward them. “The shooting victim is in the examining room.”

  Good. Maybe it wouldn’t take long, and then Kade could get Bree out of there. Even though she’d been stellar under fire, the spent adrenaline
was obviously getting to her. It was getting to him, too. Besides, he needed to call Grayson and check on Leah.

  Kade didn’t stay in the waiting area since he wanted to keep an eye on Jamie and talk to the doctor about her injury. He led Bree past the reception desk and into the hall where there were examining rooms on each side. The first was empty. The second had a sick-looking kid with some very worried parents by his bedside.

  Bree walked ahead of him, checking the rooms on the other side of the hall. She made it to the last one and whirled around.

  “Where’s Jamie?” she asked.

  That was not a question Kade wanted to hear, and he started his own frantic search of the room. He cursed.

  Because Jamie was nowhere in sight.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Bree had no idea what to think about this latest mess. Had Jamie left on her own, or had she been coerced into leaving the hospital?

  Unfortunately, Kade and she didn’t know the answer.

  But after a thorough search of the area and the entire hospital, they hadn’t been able to find the woman. Heck, they hadn’t even been able to find anyone who’d even seen her. Jamie had simply vanished.

  And without her, they couldn’t get those backups.

  Bree had pinned her hopes on the backups. Kade’s latest phone call was to his brother Mason, who still was at the hospital reviewing the surveillance feed of the two newly installed cameras. One in the hospital parking lot. The other, fixed at the E.R. entrance where just weeks earlier someone had left Leah. It was because of Leah’s abandonment that the city had put the cameras in place.

  Kade was seated at Mason’s desk at the sheriff’s office, the phone sandwiched between his ear and shoulder, while he fired off messages to the rangers that he’d asked to assist in the search for Jamie. That’s because all the deputies were tied up either providing protection for Leah and the others or investigating the shooting.

  Bree had personally verified the protecting Leah part because, despite the need to find Jamie, she had an even greater need to make sure her baby was okay. Grayson, his wife and both sisters-in-law had assured Bree that all was well, but she wouldn’t be convinced of that until she held Leah in her own arms.