by Hope White
She pulled the trigger.
The guy stumbled backward, just for a second. Then he lunged and ripped the gun out of her hand before she could fire again. He’d obviously been wearing a protective vest.
He pulled her to her feet.
She stomped on the top of his foot and jerked her fingers up to poke him in the eyes.
He caught her wrist. His wicked eyes glowed with delight. He grabbed her neck with his firm hand.
She kicked, swung her arms.
Just as stars flitted across her vision, a chair smashed against the side of the guy’s head and he released her.
Matthew. He was up again, fighting to save her life.
Jenna skirted away just as Eli flung open the cabinet and tumbled onto the floor. She grabbed the little boy and held him close. Rocking him back and forth, she whispered, “It’s okay, sweet boy. It’s okay.” Even though she knew it wasn’t.
Please, God, help us.
“Matt, stop!” Marcus shouted.
Jenna opened her eyes and spotted Matthew, swinging a chair leg at the attacker over and over again, a wild expression pinching his forehead. She almost didn’t recognize him.
“Matt!” Marcus tried grabbing the wooden weapon out of his hands, but Matt yanked it away. “Stop! You’re going to kill him!”
Hooked by fury, he was being pulled further into the darkness.
Because the man he was beating senseless had tried to strangle Jenna to death.
She stood and cupped Eli’s head against her shoulder. Stepping closer to the violent scene, she said firmly, “Matthew.”
He hesitated and looked at her with empty blue eyes.
“It’s okay. You can stop now. We’re all okay.”
He blinked, as if his brain had gone offline, shut down. He glanced at the guy on the floor.
“He’s neutralized,” Marcus confirmed.
“What about the other guy?” she asked.
A car door slammed outside and an engine turned over.
“He probably didn’t want any of this.” Marcus nodded at the unconscious man on the floor. “Hate to state the obvious, but we’ve got to get outta here.”
Matthew didn’t move at first, still staring at the beaten man.
“You guys take my car,” Marcus said. “I’ll drive your truck in case they’re looking for it.”
“What about Matthew’s gunshot wound?” Jenna said.
“I’m fine.” He stood, wavered slightly and avoided eye contact. “Let’s move.”
* * *
Matthew wasn’t fine, and Jenna had to do something to help him. He’d sacrificed himself so many times for her.
As she cast a quick glance at her semiconscious passenger, guilt taunted her. He’d wanted to go to the authorities from day one, to follow proper channels, but her posttrauma issues made her suspicious, especially of law enforcement, and even of Matthew. And now this man couldn’t get proper medical attention because they needed to keep moving.
After a few hours in the car, Eli started squirming and she decided to pick up food. A little sustenance would help her think clearly and map out their next steps.
Catching her reflection in the rearview, she realized she looked different from her former self.
Nor did she feel like the old Jenna, the weak Jenna who cowered from bullies. A flash of the scene in the cabin replayed in her mind: flinging disinfectant, kicking the man’s leg...shooting him in the chest.
She was stronger now, more confident. Even with police and cartel thugs looking for her and Eli, she wasn’t afraid.
She was determined.
Just as Matthew had been determined to save her life ever since the night he’d found her fleeing the community center. They’d grown close as they escaped danger, danger that almost drove him to commit murder on her behalf. She’d never forget the lost look in his eyes as he hovered over the attacker, gripping the chair leg. He would have continued hitting him, but somehow she’d pierced his adrenaline trance and had gotten through to him. His expression of rage eased into confusion and then...remorse.
In Jenna’s opinion, he had nothing to be sorry about. Jenna would have done the same thing, if she’d had the physical strength, to save Matt’s life.
That’s what you did for the people you loved.
Love? Was that even realistic considering how they’d met?
She couldn’t think about that now. Her biggest concern had to be keeping the three of them safe.
Staying under the speed limit so as not to draw unwanted attention from authorities, she mentally prioritized her goals: keep Eli safe. And don’t let Matthew die.
She glanced at her passenger yet again. Matt was still semiconscious. He couldn’t offer suggestions or advice about what to do next.
She was on her own and in charge of protecting the two people she cared about most in this world. She could do this and she knew how, only Matthew probably wouldn’t approve.
A few minutes later she pulled off the expressway to get food. And make the call.
“What...why are we stopped?” he asked, blinking his eyes open.
“I’m picking up food. May I borrow your phone?”
He nodded and handed it to her.
“Can you stay here and protect Eli?” she said.
“Yeah,” he replied groggily. “Sure.”
“I’ll leave the keys in case you need to get out of here quick.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Eli’s safety comes first, remember?”
He nodded.
Eli’s safety. The sweet boy had been exposed to way too much violence. He kicked his little feet and reached for Jenna.
“Hang on, buddy,” she said. She went into the back seat and made sure he had his pacifier and bear. “Be right back.”
A new kind of strength surged through her. She was the protector now, and she would succeed.
She tucked her hair into a knit cap and crossed the parking lot. A plan had clearly formed in her mind. She hesitated outside the restaurant and made her first call.
“Hello?” Patrice answered.
“It’s Jenna.”
“Oh, my friend, I’ve been worried about you.”
“I need a favor. It’s a big ask, so don’t feel bad about saying no.”
“Go on.”
“Do you have anyone staying with you?”
“Not at present, no.”
“Not Emily?”
“The Millers decided to give her another chance.”
Jenna smiled to herself. “Good, that’s good.”
“How can I help?”
“My friend’s little boy is still in danger. He needs a safe place to stay while I sort things out.”
“Of course he’s welcome here.”
“It could be dangerous. Bad men are after him.”
“All the more reason for the Guardians to protect him. How far away are you?”
“I’m guessing about four hours. I have to make a stop first.”
“Want me to meet you halfway?”
“No, but let’s not meet at your place. I don’t want to expose the network.”
“How about Remington’s Pancake House?”
“Too public. There’s the old gray barn historic site just outside of Post Falls. You know it?”
“No, but I’ll plug it into my GPS and find it.”
“I’ll text you when I’m half an hour out.”
“Sounds good.”
With renewed hope, Jenna went into the restaurant and stepped up to the counter to order food.
“May I help you?” a teenager behind the counter asked.
“Sure, I’ll have three burgers with fries and a chocolate shake.”
“Everything on the burgers?”
“Ketchup and mustard only. Hey, have you seen a man with three little kids in Broncos gear?”
“Um...”
“You can’t miss him. He’s super tall.”
“No, sorry.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Three burgers and large fries,” the cashier repeated.
“Oh, and two orders of chicken tenders.” Jenna sighed. “I’d be in big trouble if I forget the tenders. With honey and ranch sauce.”
“Sounds good.”
Jenna paid and stepped aside for the next customer. Ordering a lot of food and asking about a man with three children gave the illusion she was with a group, not just one man and a child.
She mentally repeated her goals once more: keep Eli safe. Check. She would place him safely and anonymously with Patrice.
Don’t let Matthew die. There was only one way to accomplish that goal.
A few minutes later, she collected two bags of food and headed for the car. She glanced through the back window, and her breath caught. She didn’t see Matthew in the passenger seat. Jogging across the lot, she looked through the driver’s side window.
Matthew lay unconscious on the front seat. She flung open the back door and placed the food beside Eli, then handed him a French fry to nibble on. He squealed and sucked on the fry.
She opened the front door. “Matthew?” She felt for a pulse. Weak, but steady.
Propping him up against the passenger door, she climbed into the car. Upon closer inspection, she saw that blood had soaked through the dressing Marcus had applied to Matthew’s gunshot wound.
“You’re gonna be okay,” she whispered and pulled out of the parking lot.
* * *
“Jenna,” Matt said on a gasp, opening his eyes.
Surrounded by pale-colored walls, he fought the confusion pickling his brain.
“Matt.”
He turned to the source of the sound and was looking at his friend, Officer Kyle Armstrong.
“Kyle?” he croaked, his voice weak. Matt shifted, and pain seared down his arm to his fingertips. Right, he’d taken a bullet in the shoulder at the cabin.
“We’re here in an official capacity.”
“Where’s Jenna?” Matt asked.
“That’s what you’re going to tell us.” Chief Billings stepped into view. Matt realized his uninjured arm was cuffed to the bed.
“You’re under arrest for kidnapping,” Billings said.
“Kidnapping?”
“We thought Jenna North kidnapped the child, but it’s obvious you kidnapped both the woman and child and held them hostage. What for, money?” Billings said. “What did Gary McFadden promise you? And where can we find him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Not good enough,” Billings said. “There’s a warrant out on Gary McFadden for embezzlement. He’s been diverting funds from the Broadlake Foundation into offshore accounts. We suspect his wife is going to meet up with her husband in another country.”
Matt clenched his jaw. They both knew Gary’s wife was dead, and the killer was standing here spewing lies.
“You must have found out about their little side business and decided the best way to get some of that money was to kidnap the child,” Billings continued.
Matt didn’t argue or explain himself. There was no sense losing energy by fighting well-crafted lies.
“But for the McFaddens to leave their little boy behind?” Billings said. “In the care of an unstable woman like Jenna North? How cruel. It wouldn’t surprise me if both the woman and child came to a tragic end.”
Matt fisted his cuffed hand.
“What was your role in this?” Kyle questioned. “Were you Jenna North’s bodyguard? Hired to protect the child until he could be reunited with his parents?”
“Lawyer,” Matt said.
Billings’s eye twitched. Kyle shook his head in disappointment.
Billings stepped around to the other side of the bed and analyzed Matt’s dressing. “I was shot once. In the thigh. Hurt like a red-hot poker searing into my skin.”
Matt glared at Billings, waiting.
“I wonder if it hurts as bad in the shoulder as it did in the leg?” He reached out.
“Chief,” Kyle said, eyeing his phone. “A witness spotted the vehicle heading east on I-90.”
Billings didn’t shift away, his fingers mere inches from Matt’s wound.
“Chief, we should be there to help bring her in,” Kyle prompted.
She? Jenna? They’d located her?
“Leave him cuffed to the bed,” Billings said.
“Yes, sir.”
Billings retreated and started for the door.
“Jeremiah, huh?” Leaning closer to Matt with a closed fist against the bed for support, Kyle said, “You’re no longer my family.”
Shame coursed through Matt, then panic. His friend hadn’t understood the meaning of the scripture reference. He didn’t know Billings was a threat, and Kyle’s life was in danger because of his friendship with Matt.
Kyle quickly turned and marched out.
Billings cracked a victorious smile. “We’ll be back.”
They disappeared into the hallway.
With a sigh of frustration, Matt fought the helplessness coursing through him. He shifted slightly. And felt something cool beside his cuffed wrist.
The key to the cuffs.
* * *
Adrenaline kept Jenna’s mind sharp. She was only twenty minutes away from the barn and had texted Patrice that she was close.
She hadn’t wanted to involve Patrice, but she was out of options. She surely wasn’t going to turn herself and Eli in to the police, not with the lies being broadcast about her. Eli would end up in Child Protective Services with strangers who could very well have connections to the cartel.
The boy’s father had said they were after Eli for leverage against Gary, and Jenna would make sure they wouldn’t get anywhere near the child.
Jenna had taken charge.
She’d left Matthew at the hospital without his gun because she remembered him saying before that it would alarm staff. So she locked it in the glove box. Eli would stay with Patrice, and Jenna was driving Marcus’s car that no one could trace back to her.
She’d found Agent Barnes’s number from Matthew’s cell phone and left the agent a message about where she’d taken Matthew for medical care. She said she would turn herself in to authorities once she’d found a safe place for little Eli.
It was time to stop running.
She’d never give up Eli’s location, not until the case was resolved and she knew the child was safe. That goal would no doubt result in her being arrested, tried and convicted for any number of federal crimes.
She didn’t care. All that mattered was Eli’s safety.
Jenna finally felt like the person Chloe had hoped she was: a woman who wouldn’t back down or be intimidated.
A friend who wouldn’t let anything happen to Chloe’s child.
Eli squawked from the back seat.
“What’s up? You lose your Bubba? We’re almost there, baby boy,” Jenna said.
She turned right onto the dark drive leading to the abandoned farmhouse. As she got closer, she looked for Patrice’s car. She’d probably parked out of view in case a local patrolman cruised by on his or her shift.
A light blinked from inside the barn. Jenna sighed with relief. Patrice was there, waiting.
All would be well.
She parked in back, beside Patrice’s SUV, and grabbed Eli out of his car seat. Handing him the white bear, she headed for the barn.
“You ready to meet my friend? You’re going to like her.” Jenna kissed his forehead and stepped inside the barn. “Patrice?”
A flashlight clicked on, blinding her. “
She’s dead.”
TWELVE
Matt uncuffed himself and went to the closet, half expecting his clothes to be missing. Instead, he found a plastic bag with jeans and a clean shirt.
“Thanks, Kyle,” he whispered and got dressed.
As he was slipping on his boots, a nurse entered the room. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“Had to use the washroom.”
“You had to get dressed to do that?” With a raised eyebrow, she said, “Do I need to call security?”
“I’m FBI, working undercover.”
“Sure you are.”
He sighed. “Ma’am, I don’t know how to convince you, but my case has gone south and I’m afraid a young woman and a child might be killed if I don’t get to them.”
The middle-aged nurse studied Matt. He held her gaze, hoping she’d read truth in his eyes.
“I’ll be back in thirty minutes to check your vitals,” she said.
She was giving him notice. He had half an hour to get as far away as he could.
There was only one choice to be made: he needed the resources of the FBI. Even if he wasn’t sure whom he could trust, he had to start somewhere.
He had to find Jenna.
Searching his pockets, he realized his phone was missing. He vaguely remembered Jenna asking to borrow it, which meant he could have work track her location. He hoped. He prayed.
Keeping his head down, he exited the hospital without incident and walked north, toward a convenience store lit up in the distance. He had to call in, report to his supervisor and ask Bob for help in tracking Jenna.
A car pulled up beside him and the passenger window rolled down.
“Get in,” Bob said from behind the wheel.
“How did you—?”
“Jenna North called me.”
“You have her in custody?”
“Not yet.”
“We’ve gotta find her, they’re—”
“You really want to have this conversation out here?” Bob said.
Matt got into the car. They pulled away, quiet for a few minutes.
“The Guerro case is blown,” Bob said. “All the money’s gone, and someone with major tech skills went in and made it look like Jenna North disappeared with the funds.”