They were getting perilously close to the house getting taken. In the distance, she caught a flash of light and breathed a sigh of relief that the south and west sides were still being held by the agents. They were engaged away from the war raging around the house. She was lining up her sights on another piece of scum when she heard a sound that made her blood run cold—someone had crashed through the back door and set off the small booby trap they had placed there. Coop was stationed by the back entrance, but far enough away that if the door was breeched, he wouldn’t be hurt when the explosive was triggered. They knew that wouldn’t stop additional people from coming in through the blown door, but Coop was good with a gun, or so she had been told. A spray of gunfire and then a cry had Cole’s head whipping around.
“Hold your position, Davenport,” she yelled. The gunfire resumed in the kitchen, and another yelp had Jessie fearing the worst. She turned briefly to look over her shoulder and saw Coop backing out of the kitchen, rifle in hand shooting toward the back door at the same time the front door exploded; after the initial explosion, a man flew through the opening wielding an assault weapon. He charged into the room and took aim at Cole. She had no time to think, just to react as she rammed her shoulder into him and threw him to the ground with a grunt.
“Down!” Jessie yelled the command when she heard a small delay in bullets from the back. She shot at the man who had entered the room, and he dropped.
They retreated to the back door and found Coop, dazed and holding his shoulder. Blood coated his hand. Shit, she thought, but there was no time to treat the wound. Cole grabbed him and tugged him toward the door. Adrenaline coursed through her and she didn’t notice the aches and pains of her own body, the burn on her arm and head injury long forgotten.
Cole stepped over bodies as he dragged his brother to the door. Jessie was in front of them, clearing the way. Coop had taken down more than a few men, judging by the blood and gore. A man staggered out, coughing, and Jessie rushed him, knocking him in the back of the head with the butt of her gun. He had never been more turned on in his life. She was a ferocious combatant. The scene outside was of utter chaos, the other teams had converged and were kicking ass—men and a few women were lying prone and bleeding or zip tied and moaning.
The worst of the fight appeared to be over. Cole helped Coop down to the ground, while Jessie covered them. He had his back turned for a second when he heard a gasp from behind him. He turned, as if in slow motion and saw, to his horror, Jessie being held by a man. A man who held a gun to her head. He reached for the holstered gun on his hip and stopped when she, ever so slightly, shook her head no.
“Well, Ms. Carpenter, we meet again.”
“Ryan. I suggest you put that gun down and turn yourself in.”
“Now, why would I do that? I have the best bargaining chip possible.”
“You are completely surrounded and won’t get out of here alive. I won’t let you take me alive, and if you don’t have me to shield you, you won’t get two feet off this property.”
Cole believed every word she spoke. She would never leave with him. The resolve on her face terrified him, as much as, if not more, than the gun to her head. Her hand moved toward her gun and Cole wanted to stop her, to shout at her to not be stupid, but it would alert him to her movement. Instead, he stood, frozen, not knowing what else to do.
“Where are your parents, Jessie?”
“You first, asshole, where’s my brother?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you, would I? Your parents. Where are they?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.” She used the same words he had, and Cole swallowed hard. Stop baiting him, he thought.
He jerked her head back with one fist and wrapped his hand around her throat with the other.
“Don’t test me,” he spit out.
“Maybe it’s you who shouldn’t test me.” Her face was beginning to turn bright red.
“I’m only going to ask you this one more time. Where. Are. Your. Parents?”
“And I told you. I. Don’t. Kn—”
“Right here.” Cole watched Jessie’s face go bright for a split second before it tightened, and his head shot toward the male voice, and he nearly crumbled when he saw four heavily-armed people. Two he presumed were Hank and Sharon Carpenter. The other two he knew very well.
“Mom. Dad,” Coop whispered from the ground by Cole’s feet.
In a flash, Jessie moved, stepping on the instep of John Ryan’s foot, her arm going back as she jabbed her elbow into his sternum. With lightning-fast movements, she reached up and grabbed his wrist, bringing it down in a violent motion. Cole swore he heard the wrist snap from where he was standing. Ryan dropped the gun and howled, but Jessie wasn’t done. She spun and smashed her head into his and the man crumpled to the ground.
Cole had a moment to once again think how she was a sight to behold before there was movement from so many directions at once. He didn’t know which way to look, and he didn’t know if he should go to his parents or to Jessie. She looked equally torn and stood for a moment breathing heavily. Smiling tentatively at him, she took a step toward her mother and father while holding his gaze. There would be time for them to discuss their future later. For now, she was indicating he should go to his parents. It was when she took the next step that he saw a small movement behind her.
“Jessie, get down!” he yelled.
She dropped to the ground as no less than ten people—including himself and both of Jessie’s parents—unloaded their weapons into the man who was called El Diablo. His body riddled with bullet holes, he slumped once again to the ground, and as he went limp, the gun he had been holding fell from his hand and landed on the ground next to his body, his eyes open and unseeing.
Jessie didn’t even blink. Cole watched as she just stood up, dusted off her rump and brushed the dirt off her hands before she ran into the waiting arms of the parents she hadn’t seen in fourteen years. His own parents rushed him and Coop.
22
Cole could hardly believe his mother was standing before him. She had changed so much. Where before she was in shape from physical labor on the farm, she had still been soft and curvy. The woman in front of him was no longer soft and curvy; she had rock hard muscles and world-weary eyes. For that, Cole wanted to kill El Diablo again. His father was also changed—his skin tan and muscled. Cole had never looked more like him than he did now.
“Mom…Dad, you look…Mom, you look like a girl version of Rambo.” Both his parents were in tactical gear and had holstered weapons.
“Pretty sexy, isn’t it?” his father said. While he spoke, he goosed his wife, pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. His mother was smiling like a loon when they pulled apart.
“Oh, you,” she responded, slapping him playfully. “We got some gear from a friend of Hank and Sharon.”
“He didn’t want us showing up to this cluster without some kind of protection.”
“Friend?” Coop asked, wincing as Sydney, who had just shown up with a bus to transport wounded, dressed his wound.
“Sit still, Coop. It went clean through, and it’s not bleeding as badly as it was, but if you keep moving around, it’ll start up again. We’re going to need to transport you to the hospital. This is basically putting a Band-Aid on the problem, and they can get you properly fixed up. I’ll be right back. I need to assess all the other people here and decide who needs transport first.”
Their mother and father were solid, but he noticed the worry in his mom’s eyes. He imagined she was terrified for Coop. He couldn’t blame her. After finally having their children back, it would be a shock to have one shot.
“Can I ride with him?” Karen asked.
“Unfortunately, we won’t have room, but I think Cole can give you a ride out, Mrs. Davenport.” Sydney seemed flustered by the scene in front of her. Even a consummate professional would struggle with the resurrection of two pillars of the community. Not to mention the blood bath th
at was surrounding them.
“And, we need to debrief you, ma’am,” Jessie said from behind Cole. He couldn’t stop himself, his body stiffened. The way his body reacted to her voice was at odds with the way his instincts reacted with the tone of her words. He wanted to pull her to him and never let her go, but there was another feeling that popped up simultaneously and mingled with his relief. It was uncertainty and a little bit of pissed off. Debrief them? After fourteen years lost in the system?
“Can’t it wait?” he asked icily.
“You know it can’t, Cole.” Her voice was all business, but her eyes were sad. She wanted to let him have this time with his parents, but she couldn’t, and he knew that. It didn’t make it easy to swallow though. “Let me talk to them. It’s better if we get everyone’s statement while it’s fresh in their memory. I can push off the more formal debriefing a couple days.”
It would take a lot of jumping through hoops, but with her family connection, he didn’t doubt she could make it happen. Not to mention he couldn’t fault her for wanting information. JD was still missing, and so was Race the Stars—the whole reason for his getting involved in this nightmare. A nightmare that was at the same time the best thing that ever happened to him. After all, he wouldn’t have his parents back, and he wouldn’t have met Jessie.
“I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.”
Sydney came back with a stretcher and Cole watched closely as Sydney loaded Coop onto a stretcher; his brother was far too pale for his liking, but Sydney assured him there was nothing to worry about. The wound was through and through she said, and she was going to be a doctor, so he should trust her. He noticed the way she behaved around Coop and found himself smiling. It appeared Sydney was interested in his brother. He liked the matchup. After he made sure Coop was safely in the ambulance, he waited to give his own statement. Jessie would make sure she wasn’t the one taking it—to protect the case.
It surprised him how quickly the assault went. From start to finish, it wasn’t all that long, but the length of time was made up for in bloodshed.
Farther away, he could see Sharon Carpenter. Jessie could have been her younger sister. The years had been good to the older woman, even if they had been on the run. He hadn’t met JD—but from the pictures he’d seen, he could see that JD favored both parents.
With nothing better to do, he found Harrison, and they got to work trying to locate JD. They had a starting point and had been working on and off to find him while they were waiting for El Diablo to make his move. After an hour of energy spent making a game plan, Jessie came rushing toward him. Her face was bright, and color was high in her cheeks.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, instantly on alert.
“I just got a call. A passerby found a young man wandering down a country road looking for help.”
“JD?” His own spirits lifted at the prospect.
“Yes! He wasn’t far from here, maybe twenty miles away. They’re bringing him to be evaluated at the hospital. But listen, I can’t leave for a while. I still have work to do. Have you given your statement?”
“Say no more, I’ll go make sure he’s taken care of properly. Coop is there, and I’ll check on him too.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you,” she said and kissed him lightly on the lips before she rushed off.
“It’s the least I can do,” he said to her retreating figure.
Jessie lost track of how long they kept at it. In the end, there were six dead, eight were critical, and it was touch and go if they would make it. Another six were injured badly enough to be transported to the hospital—Coop included—and another eight headed to federal lockup. Fortunately, only two of the injured were good guys, and their injuries weren’t considered life-threatening. The rest of the people involved had minor cuts and bruises. Nothing that warranted a trip to the hospital though.
She stumbled into the farmhouse that had been in pretty bad shape and found her parents trying to clean up the dining area. Cole had reported that Coop was spending the night in the hospital, as was JD, who was banged up and dehydrated.
“Oh, Jessie, are you hungry?” Karen Davenport asked. Jessie must have looked skeptical because Karen laughed and added, “The whole town must have heard what happened, our resurrection, the whole shootout…anyway, the gatekeepers—AKA your crew—won’t let them through, with good reason. I mean, this is an active crime scene. Since they can’t come up here, we’ve been invited into town. The local restaurant is opening up for all of us to come to eat. Your agents are invited as well.”
“That’s very kind of them,” Jessie said, and she wasn’t embarrassed when she found her eyes stinging and her throat burning with unshed tears.
“Nonsense, it’s how this town is. And it’s the least they can do to honor your parents for keeping us alive.” She smiled and came over to embrace Jessie. “My dear girl, your parents are an inspiration, and you clearly learned from them. You’re quite the sight when in action; I thought your dad was going to blow a gasket when that scumbag put his hands on you. Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything,” Jessie answered.
“Good. Can you tell your mom and dad to stop trying to clean the house? I fear it’s going to take more than what we have to give right now.”
“Will do.”
“One more thing?”
“Like I said, if I can make it happen, I will.”
“Don’t let my son push you away. I see how he looks at you, but I suspect he’s a bit scared of how intense his feelings are. Don’t let his fear stop you from grabbing on to him and not letting go.”
Jessie wasn’t sure how to respond to the request. She squeezed the woman who had been through more than anyone should. She had missed so much of her children’s lives, and Jessie answered as honestly as she could.
“That’s a tall order, but I can promise to do my best.” She smiled and pulled away, then turned to go talk to her parents.
“Mom, Dad?” They turned in unison, smiling from ear to ear.
“Jessie!” Her mother pulled her into her arms and held her tight. “I don’t know if I can stop hugging you.”
“Gah, I missed you, Mom. You, too, Dad.”
She inhaled deeply and absorbed the scent of her mom. They had been able to shower, which was good. Hopefully, they had rested as well. Though she wasn’t sure where they would have rested, rumor was the upstairs was relatively unscathed. Sure, the house was riddled with bullet holes, but only the first-floor interior had damage. There was a lot of blood and gore all over the kitchen where the booby trap was set up. A couple of the critical patients had been found there. All in all, it could have been so much worse. After all, the barn was ash.
Jessie found herself begin to laugh so hysterically, she couldn’t stop. The laughter had come out of nowhere, and her mother released her, looking at her with a concerned look on her face then glancing at her father with the same look. But Jessie ignored it. She laughed until tears streamed down her face and then the tears turned into sobs and Jessie—strong, independent, kick-ass Jessie—melted down. In the middle of what was left of the dining room. After everything, all the years of waiting to have her parents back, after the fire, the bomb, the gunfire, she had pushed it all back. Stomped on it and not allowed herself to feel what she needed to feel. She had been the anchor that everyone needed. Finally, she wasn’t forcing the lid on her emotions. Her mother and father knew enough to let it happen, not to try to console her. Somewhere in the back recesses of her mind, she knew Cole had come into the room, that her mother had held up a hand when he had entered, indicating for him to leave her be.
After the tears slowed, she wiped at her cheeks and laughed, feeling stupid.
“Well, not sure what that was all about…”
“I imagine it’s been a long time coming. My dear Jessie, you have always felt so much more emotion than the average person. You are intensely loyal, you have an iron-clad resolve,
and you are trustworthy to a fault. It’s true you’re a spitfire when provoked, but you tend to bottle things up until sometimes it has to spill over. The last few days have been intense. You are entitled to have a small moment to feel.”
Jessie glanced at the door where Cole had been standing, but he was no longer there. Had he been there at all? Her mother placed her hands on Jessie’s shoulders and pulled her tightly to her again.
“Thank you, Mom. I needed that.”
“You know what else?”
“What?”
“When you love, you love hard. Your love is what drove you to take on this whole mess, to go undercover to find us.” When Jessie looked startled, her mom smiled a sad and wistful smile. “Ted kept us well informed of all your accomplishments.”
“He’s a good SAC; he came through for me.” She made a mental note to send him a huge gift basket.
“He is, but he isn’t what got you through. All of the qualities I listed aren’t either. Your love is what pulled you through. Your love is what makes you loyal and trustworthy. It solidifies that resolve. The man that wins your heart is going to have an awful time shaking you, and it’s a tall order to fill to find a man that will fit you just right.” Her mother looked to the door where she had sworn Cole had been standing.
“If I’m not mistaken, I think that order has been filled. On both ends,” her father said. Jessie chuckled and swiped at a stray tear. Her father pulled both women into a hug. “We’re going to go see JD at the hospital. If you want to come with?” her father asked.
“I would, but I have to wrap things up here. Then I have to go back to my field office and square things away. After that, I believe I am deserving of some R & R.”
“Yes, I think you’re right,” he agreed.
“Anyway, I know he’s in good hands, and I know he’s going to be okay. As a matter-of-fact, I hear after he found out we were okay, he asked about Race the Stars. So, in my opinion, he’s going to be just fine.”
Missing the Stars: Chandler County Page 19