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Wolfe bent to examine the spot and straightened. He looked at Jenna. “There’s no evidence Dave braked hard or swerved to avoid a collision before the wire and there’s no trail of him past this point. Someone lifted him into a vehicle, which means he’s been abducted.” He looked at Blackhawk. “Can we push the Harley onto the back of your truck? You have ramps, right?”
“Yes, but we’ll need to collect the parts as well.” Blackhawk frowned. “Do you have an evidence bag I can put them in?”
Wolfe returned to his truck and handed the bags to Jenna, along with a few swab kits. “I’ll help Atohi move the Harley. Take a sample of the blood on the blacktop and collect any parts you can find. When Dave comes back, he’ll want to see if he can salvage anything.” He leaned closer. “Right now, we play this as a local matter. You’ll need to get into the office and hunt down any cases where he was involved and the perpetrator is due for parole or release. I figure this is payback.”
“Shane.” Jenna’s grip on his arm was so tight he winced. “I’m not convinced. I’d rather never see him again than have him tortured by terrorists. We must do something now.”
Shaking his head, Wolfe looked at her. “You have no idea what you married, have you? Even after all this time and what you’ve seen with your own eyes, you still don’t understand what he is capable of doing. He is a weapon, so highly prized by POTUS he is protected as an asset. If this is a local group of thugs or anyone else we’ve discussed, Kane will drop into combat mode and use all his skills to escape. Even if it means taking down every last one of them. He’ll be in full control unless they try to harm you or Tauri, then without me in his ear issuing orders, he’ll kill them all.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Find out who might have done this and we’ll hunt them down before this happens. Some things I can’t clean up, Jenna. In this town, he’s just a deputy.”
“I’ll need help and Kalo is on vacation.” Jenna blew out a sigh. “He’d find a connection in seconds. I’ll get Rio and Rowley to search the database as well. I can access Dave’s case files but as far as I know, we were both involved in just about all of them. If he’s been abducted, he could be anywhere. We’ll need help. I can only search to the county line.”
Taking in her ashen face, Wolfe nodded. “Why don’t you head back to the ranch? I’ll see if I can locate Carter. If not, I’ll call the Rattlesnake Creek field office and ask Dax Styles to assist on your behalf. We need a military man to help out, one that works well under fire and I know Styles is like Carter—bombproof.”
“Don’t call in someone I don’t know just yet.” Jenna shook her head. “I need to check out a few things first.”
TEN
Hugging her chest to stop trembling, Jenna watched as Wolfe and Blackhawk loaded Kane’s Harley onto the back of Blackhawk’s truck. She dropped one hand and went to Tauri, who seemed more inquisitive than concerned. She looked down at him. “We’ll head back to the ranch. Daddy might have walked home by now.”
“Atohi said Duke would find him if he walked anywhere.” Tauri wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Daddy told me about how Duke barks and wags his tail when he finds something and sits down when there’s no scent to follow.” He pointed to the road. “Atohi said Daddy got into a vehicle.” He frowned. “Why did he do that? It’s bad to get into a vehicle with strangers.”
Always amazed by Tauri’s retention of information, Jenna forced her lips into a smile. She needed to reassure him right now. If anything bad happened, she’d deal with it at the time. “That’s right, but Daddy can take care of himself and he was carrying a weapon. He’ll be safe. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”
Legs like Jell-O, Jenna led Tauri back to the truck and placed him in his car seat. She clipped in Duke and climbed behind the wheel. Nothing was making a whole lot of sense right now. All their trackers worked the same as a satellite phone. To disable them, someone would need to know about them in the first place, which was impossible. They could switch off Kane’s phone but not his belt. Using a signal jammer or holding Kane deep underground would likely interrupt the signal. Stomach clenching as images of Kane trapped somewhere underground danced across her mind, she swallowed hard. Driving slowly, she continued the circuit around her ranch. She recalled the time it had taken to clear this old road. They’d worked side-by-side discovering the once hidden backroad, mapping it, and then getting in a crew to clear it. Now she wished it didn’t exist. Someone had laid a trap for Kane, which meant they had been watching their movements for weeks. With their high security, the only possible explanation is that they used a drone. She’d need to talk to Kalo when he got back and see if there was any way they could detect drone activity around their home.
She left the Beast outside the ranch house and headed inside when her phone buzzed. She grabbed it and stared at the caller ID. It was Rowley.
“Morning, Jenna. We just got a call from Brian Lock, he’s a local carpenter. He had a job out at Rosemount Drive for a Ms. Jennifer Kriss. The owner’s truck is there but she’s not answering and there’s a bad smell. He said the woman was insistent he come by today at this time as she works.” He sucked in a sigh. “Do you want us to go and check it out? Lock is on scene now.”
After giving him a quick rundown on Kane’s disappearance, she gathered her wits. They had a murder to solve and this might be another. As sheriff, she must try and work on both problems at the same time. She had no choice. “Yeah, check it out and call me if there’s anything suspicious. If not, get back to the office ASAP. I’m going to need everyone on duty this weekend.”
“Not a problem. I don’t believe anyone is capable of kidnapping Kane.” Rowley’s footsteps sounded on the tiled floor. “Rio just walked in. I’ll bring him up to speed. We’re heading out now.”
Jenna nodded. “Copy that. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll meet you at the office. If not, send me the address.” She disconnected and called Nanny Raya. Having a nanny with high military clearance was a priority.
After explaining the situation, she went into Tauri’s bedroom and packed his things into a backpack. Nanny Raya had changes of clothes and everything else he needed, but Jenna liked to make sure Tauri had his special toys with him, especially when the time she’d be away from home was uncertain. She smiled at him. “I’m sorry but I have to go to work, but I must try and find Daddy. Nanny Raya is making cookies today. Maybe you can help her cut them out?”
“She has dinosaur cookie cutters.” Tauri giggled. “Dinosaurs with chocolate spots.”
Grinning, Jenna hugged him close. “That sounds like fun. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“I don’t mind.” Tauri hugged her back. “Daddy would be sad if you didn’t look for him. I’ll have fun with Nanny Raya. She lets me watch TV but not all the time.”
Jenna nodded. “Okay, I have your things. Is there anything else you want to take with you?”
“Duke.” Tauri scampered out of the bedroom. “Come on, Duke. Walkies.”
Debating if it was a good idea to leave Duke with Nanny Raya, Jenna collected her things. She strapped on her utility belt and holstered her weapon. Finding Kane was her priority, but she couldn’t leave Rio and Rowley to handle the murder case. She chewed on her bottom lip. What would Dave do?
Indecision pulled her in all directions. As sheriff, the homicide was her responsibility, but so was finding Kane. She straightened. One step at a time had always been her motto—their motto—from a relationship, to adopting Tauri, to solving cases. She’d been in tighter corners and could handle anything with the right mindset. She’d gather her team around her and do her job. Pushing down all doubts and fears, she held her head high and headed for the Beast. “You can have Duke with you for company. I have food and spare bowls for him in the back. If I need him to track Daddy, I’ll come and get him.”
“You’ll find him.” Tauri yawned and leaned back in his seat. “He’s just resting right now.”
Her chest squeezed as she looked over one shoulder at him. Her little boy seemed to have a sixth sense about things. Blackhawk said he was an old soul. What kept her going was the fact that he wasn’t overly worried about Kane going missing even though he’d seen his Harley in pieces. That sight alone had shaken her to the core. As she headed for Nanny Raya’s house, she allowed Wolfe’s words to percolate through her mind. He’d never discuss Kane’s missions, but he’d know what situations he was capable of handling and how he’d cope under extreme circumstances. She hoped he was right.
ELEVEN
Even on the coldest mornings, Johanna Worth ran in the forest. Appreciating the solitude after working at the pizzeria until late, with the noise and extremes of heat, plus being on her feet all day. The forest rejuvenated her, and although exhausted by the time she arrived home, running each morning was a different kind of exertion. She had many things on her mind. A handsome cowboy had come by a few times and been very attentive. He’d laughed and joked with her, leaving a huge tip each time he dropped by. No one like him had ever shown interest in her. Her disastrous marriage had lasted a little over two years when her husband had come clean and told her he’d only married her to get permanent residence and a green card. His lies had destroyed her faith in men, but the cowboy was a citizen. She’d joked with him and gotten the conversation around to where he was born and raised.
