by D. K. Hood
The air filled with smoke as flames claimed the dry pines in a whoosh of crackling and sparks showered down, igniting everything they touched. In seconds Jenna’s way back to Kane and safety was blocked by a wall of fire and thick clouds of smoke. Dragged by her horse, Jenna finally staggered to her feet, but there was no calming the mare. Seagull’s eyes rolled in terror and she reared, flailing her front legs. Fighting to get her horse under control, Jenna remounted, but the jittery mare wanted to bolt. Thickening smoke filled her lungs and, coughing, Jenna pulled a facemask from her pocket and with some difficulty pressed it over her nose. The fire was like a roaring freight train as the flames reached the top of the pines. A whining noise surrounded her as if the forest was screaming. She searched for a way through the dense undergrowth, but the ravine blocked the way on one side, the fire on the other. She turned Seagull around. Behind her the flames would kill them in seconds, and ahead was a serial killer. It was catch-22, and her chances of survival had just dropped to zero.
Forty-Nine
A crack of lightning like a cannon exploding hit a tall pine and split it in half. As it tumbled to the dry forest floor, the uppermost branches ignited in a whoosh of flames, so intense they heated Kane’s exposed flesh. The cowboy had been close to the strike and Kane doubted he’d survived. Fingers of flames danced across the ground to the surrounding pines and ran up their trunks like liquid fire. Branches hissed and crackled as trees exploded into fireballs. All around him, pine needles fell like burning matchsticks, igniting everything they touched.
Kane ran to Warrior and grabbed his reins. After pushing his rifle into the scabbard attached to his saddle, he dashed to where he’d hidden Duke and hauled the dog onto the horse. He mounted and rode away from the fire and headed to the fork in the trail. If Jenna was in trouble, he had to get to her before the fire reached her. A wide river ran from the mountain not far from the trail and heading there would be the best option. They could travel on horseback up the river and reach the firebreak, the Beast, and a way out of the inferno. He urged Warrior up the track as smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe. The raging dry storm overhead had darkened the sky, and through the smoke the sun had turned into a dark-orange moon.
It seemed to take forever to reach the fork, and once there Kane turned Warrior around the corner and headed downhill. The smoke was thick, and glowing sparks spiraled down, setting small fires where they landed. He pushed Warrior on and the horse responded without hesitation. He called out for Jenna, but his voice was drowned by the roar of the fire as it gorged itself on the dry forest. She should have turned back and been on her way by now. Coughing, and eyes streaming, Kane pulled on a facemask. In front of him Duke whined and he dismounted and lifted him down. “Stay. I’ll come back for you.”
He looked at Duke’s trusting face and climbed back into the saddle. His dog wasn’t stupid. If the fire came closer, he’d head for the res, but with the wind heading away from him, unless it changed, he’d be safe enough. Sweat trickled down Kane’s back as he pushed on. In front of him, an orange wall of flames reached for the heavens and spread out as every gust of wind sprinkled the dry forest with sparks. Cold wind seeped through his clothes from the ice-capped mountain peaks behind him, offering a respite from the heat, but as the storm intensified the howling wind pushed the fire down the mountain toward Black Rock Falls. The wind came in huge gusts over the mountain peaks and whistled down the hillside. The lightning flashed and a crack like a shotgun exploded a tree farther down the mountain. He rounded a corner. Ahead spot fires had taken hold in the ravine, and wildlife dashed across the trail looking for a way out of the heat. Thick gray smoke blocked his way and he couldn’t see more than a few yards ahead of him. The next second a blood-curdling scream came from down the trail. Male or female, he had no idea. The leaping flames roared like a jet engine as trees exploded into fireballs. Heart racing, he dismounted and knotted his reins. Warrior would wait for him or run to safety. He had to find Jenna and couldn’t risk taking him any closer to the fire. He settled his backpack on his shoulders and, taking his rifle, ran headlong into the choking smoke.
Fifty
Screams pierced through the howl of the fire and fear bunched Jenna’s stomach as her mind went to Kane. She tried again and again to reach him on the com, without success. Lungs bursting, she scanned the forest. The screams sounded human, and fear created images in the swirling blaze. She stared at the uncontrollable, greedy band of red and orange flames. The smell of burning hair singed her nostrils as a man, his clothes on fire, staggered from the forest, waving a knife. She gaped in horror as flames engulfed him, but he kept on coming, his blackened mouth stretched in a hideous grin and brown eyes staring out of a ruined face. He took a few steps and then fell face down in a smoking, charred heap. Before Jenna could process the sight before her, the man stirred, rising up on his elbows to drag himself toward her, knife still clutched in his fire-ravaged hand. The remnants of a cowboy hat fell to ashes as the man sank to the ground and remained still as flames lapped around him.
Bile rushed into Jenna’s mouth as she stared at the man. “Oh, my God!”
The man wasn’t Kane or James Stone. Stone had been wearing army fatigues, which meant he was still out there waiting for her. Fast running out of options, Jenna scanned the trail for a way out of danger. At her back the fiendish, hungry blaze consumed the forest in deadly delight. Trees exploded, shooting fireworks high into the air as boiling sap ran down the trunks like molten lava, and ahead, if she rode back up the trail, she’d face James Stone, a brutal serial killer intent on dismembering her. He’d already fired a warning shot. She’d heard it above the murderous screeches of the blaze but she’d ridden hard and used the smoke to shield her. Without doubt, the rifle shot would bring Kane. Thinking it was a call for help, he’d walk straight into James Stone. The storm raged above her, lightning flashed, and the mountain shuddered as thunder pealed out like a stampede of elephants. She had to warn him. She pressed her com again—if one or two words got through it would be enough. “Kane, Stone on trail. Do you copy? James Stone is here.”
A crackle came in her ear but not a sound from Kane. She repeated the message three times. Had she gotten through to him? Swallowing the fear threatening to strangle her, she examined the line of fire. The black edge and smoldering stumps had grown wider in the past few minutes. The wind was at her back and pushed the fire down the mountain. She’d move deep into the forest, using the trees and dense smoke to conceal her, in an attempt to go around Stone, and hopefully meet Kane where they’d parted. She urged Seagull from the trail and through the trees. The terrified mare bucked and snorted and Jenna’s soothing words were lost in the deafening noise. Seagull dug in and refused to move. Jenna dismounted and tied the mare’s reins around a tree. She shrugged out of her backpack, vest, and jacket and then removed her T-shirt. After dressing quickly, she pulled her T-shirt over the mare’s head to cover her eyes. When Seagull settled, Jenna untied her and led her through the forest, following animal tracks and keeping as far away from the main trail as possible. Behind her the forest moaned in agony and above her the storm raged, lighting up the fast-moving dark clouds.
“Jenna.”
The voice carried on the wind like a whisper in her ear. Who was calling her? Kane or Stone, she couldn’t tell. Jenna stopped to listen and the call came again. She turned to look behind her, but only an orange glow greeted her, shrouded by thick smoke. She stroked Seagull’s neck and carefully removed the shirt from her head and stuffed it into the saddlebags. The mare had calmed some and snickered, rubbing her nose against Jenna’s pocket, searching for sugar or the apples she carried as treats. “Okay. We have to find Dave.”
Mounting the mare, she urged her in the direction of the voice. If it was Stone, she’d take him down and end this nightmare once and for all. Her mind was set. There’d be no second chances for him this time. The moment he aimed his rifle at her, he was a dead man.
Fifty-One
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Kane stopped walking and listened intently to his com. The broken transmission from Jenna had mentioned one name: Stone. That was all he needed, and he melted into the trees alongside the ravine. If somehow James Stone had escaped from jail and engineered this entire fiasco by stealing his dog and calling the forest warden to lure them here, he’d been smarter than he’d given him credit for. The jigsaw fell into place. Adams and Long had been the decoys. Both had likely committed murder and by coming forward had thrown enough doubt to avoid conviction. He shook his head and moved through the trees, sporadically calling Jenna on his com. He’d seen her after interviewing Stone, her back rigid as she attempted to shake off the terrifying memories provoked by meeting him again.
A blast of cold air shifted the smoke into curling waves and the forest moved. He raised his hunting rifle to peer through the scope and scanned the trees. Walking through the forest as large as life was James Stone. He strode confidently, keeping between the safety of the trees. Stone obviously believed his henchmen had taken him out and Jenna was alone. Kane scoped the forest up and down the trail and spotted Jenna’s white mare moving between the trees. He swallowed hard. She was riding straight toward Stone. He picked up his pace, leaping over fallen trees. The injury he’d suffered a month previously hampered his movements. Two stab wounds to the chest had come close to killing him, and breathing in the thick smoke didn’t help. The storm had moved on, now only a rumble in the distance, but the wildfire still roared and crackled toward town, devouring everything in its path. He heard Stone calling Jenna’s name and pressed his com again. “Jenna, do you copy? I’m on my way. Stone is calling you, not me. Take cover.”
To his relief, the com crackled in his ear. Jenna had heard him.
“Copy. I know he’s there, but I don’t have eyes on him yet. He’s carrying a rifle but he doesn’t plan on killing me outright and I doubt he knows I’m wearing liquid Kevlar. He wants to have some fun first, so won’t risk a headshot. I’ll have the advantage and he’s out of second chances. The moment he draws down on me, I’m taking him out.”
Kane swore under his breath and pressed his com. “Stone is ten yards ahead on your left. I’m one hundred yards from you. Wait for me to get to your position. We’ll be able to flank him.”
“I need to face him alone, Dave. It’s the only option. I want this nightmare to be over. Jenna out.”
Her voice rang with a finality that alarmed him and he broke cover and ran down the trail. Over the roar of the fire, he could just make out sirens—the fire spotters had activated the plan that brought volunteer firefighters from Black Rock Falls and every surrounding county to fight the blaze. Everyone had been on standby, waiting for the inevitable, and would be out in force to protect the town. Moving his attention along the tree line, Kane searched for Stone. His camouflage gear was doing a fine job of concealing him, and Kane could be running into his firing line. He zigzagged along the tree line, the smoke offering him a modicum of cover, and then slowed as he approached a bend in the trail. He’d be close to Stone’s position and in Jenna’s line of fire if she planned to confront him. Slipping into the cover of the trees, he edged his way through the forest. He made out Seagull, her back legs dancing impatiently, head jerking at the reins Jenna had attached to a sapling. A conversation carried to him. Stone had raised his voice to be heard above the roar of the fire. He sounded excited but in complete control. Kane’s stomach cramped into knots as Jenna stepped out of cover. She had her rifle tucked into her shoulder and a determined look on her face.
Kane crept through the trees and took up a position ten yards away. He lifted his rifle and took aim. Jenna wanted to deal with Stone and bury the ghosts that haunted her. Killing him the first time they’d met would have saved three, maybe four, people’s lives, and he understood how, as sheriff, she’d feel responsible. He listened. The voices were clearer now. He placed his eye on the scope and aimed for Stone’s head. Jenna would be taking the collar, but he’d cover her back. He pressed his com. “I’m ten yards ahead on your left. I have eyes on Stone.”
Kane heard a tap, her signal she’d understood his message. He controlled his breathing and slowed his heart rate. Whatever happened next, he’d be ready.
Fifty-Two
Disgust flowed over Jenna in an overwhelming hatred for James Stone. She’d heard Kane’s message in her earpiece, and having him close by offered her some modicum of comfort, but it didn’t diminish the fact that the man taunting her was a manipulative psychopath intent on killing her. She’d seen his mutilated victims, all the same type as her, killed to appease something in his twisted mind because he’d been unable to control her. She would be his ultimate goal, his grand finale, until someone else bruised his incredible ego. It made her sick to her stomach knowing she’d been the trigger that led to him committing such atrocities, the true facts so vile they were never released in open court. She’d spared his life that day on the mountain and, somehow, he’d manipulated his followers to kill in his stead, and now he’d found a way to escape a maximum-security wing to wreak havoc again in Black Rock Falls. Killing didn’t come easy to her. She’d believed that given a chance everyone could change—until she’d met James Stone. He was the psychopath’s psychopath, the one they all admired, and seemingly unstoppable. She took in his smug, self-satisfied expression and her stomach roiled.
Jenna pulled out her phone, turned on the video recorder, and slipped it into her top pocket. It might not record everything but would get the audio. For her own peace of mind, she’d play it by the book, but she kept her rifle aimed at his head. No more deaths on my watch. You’re out of chances.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Stone stepped out onto the path, his rifle aiming in all directions. “You came to see me and I know you’ve never stopped thinking about me—have you, Jenna?” He chuckled. “Have you been chasing your tail trying to find someone to convict for the recent murders? I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Knees trembling, Jenna sucked in a breath of smoke-tainted air and gathered her cloak of professionalism around her. Stone played on weaknesses, trying to make himself appear superior. She understood so much more about psychopathic behavior since working alongside Kane and Jo. Confident she could handle him and get the answers she needed, she gathered her courage around her and, using a thick tree for cover, raised her voice. “Are you so frightened of me you need to keep a rifle aimed at my head to talk to me? Your reputation will be torn to shreds when the inmates at the jail discover you acted like a coward with a woman who took you down and had you jailed for ten life sentences.”
“Really? I don’t think so. They respect me but they spat on you, didn’t they, Jenna?” Stone’s cruel mouth turned up in a wry smile. “I chose not to kill you. I could have picked you off at any time, but a quick death wasn’t what I wanted. Dying fast was too good for you. I wanted to make you suffer.” He chuckled. “I still do. So as sure as hell, I’m not planning on shooting you in the head. A knee, maybe, so you can’t run away.”
Jenna aimed her rifle at his head. “I’m not alone, but you’re smart enough to figure that out by yourself, I’m sure.”
“I’m not alone either.” His grin widened. “That shot you heard was one of my disciples taking out Dave Kane. You’re alone, Jenna. No one is going to save you. Not this time.” He lowered his rifle a little. “If you want to play fair, we’ll talk.”
A shiver of apprehension slid down Jenna’s back. If she hadn’t known better, his smooth talking would have convinced her he was really a nice guy. She could play his game and stood her ground, never taking her eyes off him for a second. “Okay, start talking. My patience is wearing thin. What do you need to get off your chest, James? Spit it out—this conversation is getting boring.”
“Don’t you want to know how I escaped?” He laughed. “I’m a genius. It was so easy.”
In Jenna’s ear, Kane’s voice whispered. “Ask him about his disciples. How he recruited them. If ther
e’s more out there we need to know.”
Jenna tapped her com. “I don’t care about the jailbreak, James. I want to know how many men you’ve invited to the party.”
“Three fascinating sexual deviates.” A wide grin spread across Stone’s face. “I think sadomasochists would come close to a description, they enjoy torturing and raping their women before they kill them. I thought they would be a perfect match for you and you know how I love to watch—well, for a time, anyway.”
Three? Three other men in the forest. One had died in the fire, so two more were close by. She could be surrounded. An uncontrollable tremble went through her and she clenched her teeth. Stone would never see her fear of him. She pressed her com and dropped her voice to just above a whisper. “Three others, one dead in fire.”
“Two dead. I shot one.” Kane cleared his throat. “Keep him occupied. I’ll scope the forest.”
The skin on Jenna’s arms pebbled, the uncanny feeling that someone was right behind her was making her skin crawl. She tried to keep her voice calm. “I don’t believe you. I know you had no contact with anyone in the prison. No one from outside or inside could get near you. All this is a figment of your imagination, James, just like our relationship. It never happened.”