A part of her wondered why Kane hadn’t rushed to her side to say goodbye. His professional mask had slipped firmly into place as he scoped the hillside with his sniper rifle then fired a barrage of shots. She understood the drill. Wolfe was close by with the knowledge to tend her and Kane was providing cover fire. She heard his voice again and wanted to say something, but she couldn’t lift her hand to turn on her mic.
“Webber, fire to the west of the tallest tree on my command.” Kane sounded calm and in control and somehow it made her feel better. “Wolfe, you’re good to go – on my count, one, two, three.”
She turned her head to see Webber standing at the corner of the house. He lifted his rifle shoulder-high and the barrage of shots made her ears ring. All around the smell of gunpowder tainted the fresh spring air. The next moment footfalls thundered toward her, and then Wolfe had scooped her up and was running toward the barn. She bit back a cry of pain and stared up at his grim expression. I’m going to miss you all, especially Kane, Wolfe and the girls. “How bad?” She didn’t recognize her raspy voice. “I think they hit a lung, I taste blood.”
Wolfe laid her gently against the wall of the barn. “Let me take a look.” He tugged off her coat, and then released the Kevlar vest. A cold hand snuck up her back, pressing her ribs. “Take a deep breath.”
Jenna found she could breathe. She spat out the blood in her mouth. “It hurts like a bitch.”
“You’ll be fine. The vest caught the rounds and you’ll be bruised, but nothing’s broken.” Wolfe touched her face. “Let me see your mouth.” He nodded as he peered inside. “Don’t worry about the blood. You’ve bitten your tongue is all, when you fell.”
Jenna met his pale gaze and smiled. “Thanks, I figured I was a goner for sure.”
“I’ve got morphine in my field kit.” Wolfe got to his feet. “I’ll go get it and it wouldn’t hurt to strap your ribs and ice them.”
Jenna shook her head. “I’ve got Tylenol in my pocket.” She pushed a hand inside her jeans pocket and produced a strip. “I’ll get into the hot tub tonight. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll pull the rounds out the vest, and then you should put it back on. It’ll support your back.” Wolfe went to work and removed the bullets, then helped her dress. “They’re a small caliber; he didn’t intend to kill you.”
The gunfire stopped and Kane came to crouch by her side, his concerned gaze examining her face. “You okay?” He took her hand and squeezed. His latex glove felt strange against her skin.
Jenna nodded. “Wolfe says I’ll be fine. I just had the wind knocked out of me.”
“You’re lucky you turned your back or the rounds would have hit the weakest part of the vest.” Kane smiled at her. “You’re one tough lady. I know how much it hurts, Jenna; you’ll be black and blue come morning.” He glanced up at Wolfe. “How fast can you get her a liquid armor Kevlar vest?”
“A what?” Jenna looked from one man to the other.
“It’s experimental technology.” Kane looked down at her. “The vest is saturated by a liquid called STF. It remains fluid unless hit by a bullet or a knife, then it hardens.” He lifted his attention to Wolfe. “I want one for her, like, yesterday.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Wolfe straightened and leaned against the barn. “Did you take the SOB down?”
“Nope. I didn’t catch a glimpse of him.” Kane stood and stared toward the hillside. “Where did you first catch sight of him?”
“I caught a glint at the top of the rocky outcrop, which makes me figure he’s not military.” Wolfe rubbed his chin. “No fool would use a weapon that reflects, and a sniper would have taken a head shot. I’d say hunter, maybe at best.”
“Maybe.” Kane stared into the distance. “He must have dropped down the other side out of view. I had a clear shot to the outcrop and couldn’t see him.” He sighed. “It’s pointless chasing after him; there’s a dirt road on the other side and he’d be heading for the hills by now.”
“Would you like a drink, ma’am?” Webber knelt beside Jenna and handed her a bottle of water. “I always bring a couple of extras with me.”
Jenna took it with a smile. “You’re a lifesaver. Thank you.” She took a couple of pills with a sip, and then glanced up at Kane. “We need to check the root cellar. This might have been a distraction to keep us from finding Amanda.” She tried to get to her feet but Kane laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Rest awhile longer. I’ll go.” He turned to Webber. “Stay with her until I get back.”
Jenna shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I’m safe here in the shadows and Wolfe needs him to do a forensic sweep of the house.” She pulled out her weapon. “And I have this. Go. Amanda may be down there.”
“I hope not.” Kane grimaced and edged toward the barn door.
* * *
Kane slid around the door of the barn and peered into the dim light. Nothing had changed since his last horrendous visit. He pulled out his flashlight and aimed it all around, noticing a wire running from a small hole in the floorboards up a post beside the hayloft and out throug
h a hole in the roof. On closer inspection, it appeared to be the same solar panel set-up they’d found in another old house during the search for Lindy. The Shadow Man had required a power source in the cellar. The idea of finding another dead girl in that godforsaken place curdled Kane’s gut. He made his way slowly to the hatch and examined it for wires. Not willing to pull it open and risk detonating an explosive device, he searched around and found an old hay-rake handle to lift the lid. It came open easily and fell back with a clatter onto the floor.
After waiting a beat, he aimed the light down the steps – and grimaced. The treads carried bloodstained footprints in a grisly reminder of the past. He sucked in a deep breath and dropped his mind into combat mode. His heart slowed and his muscles tightened on alert as he edged down the steps. The smell of mildew, damp and rats greeted him with each step into the murky darkness. At the bottom of the steps, he drew his weapon and aimed the flashlight down the muzzle of his gun.
He’d never forgotten his first visit to this hellhole. He gritted his teeth, and then took a quick look around the corner. Ahead, a long red brick passageway led to an open door. His flashlight lingered on the black footprints on the concrete floor, flooding his mind with unwanted memories. After the murder, no one had bothered to remove the blood spilled during the slaughter of a young woman. The victim had resembled his sister and the memory of finding her mutilated body haunted him to this day.
With his pulse pounding slowly in his ears, he moved forward. The darkness closed in around him, suffocating, and so silent he could hear his own breathing. As he edged to the doorway, a cold breeze lifted his hair and made a spider run up a dangling cobweb suspended in the doorframe. He searched all around the doorframe for signs of an explosive device but found nothing. The dusty floor had footprints overlaying the bloody reminders of the past but they likely belonged to Rowley and Webber.