Page 445 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Stella motioned to the cabin with a tip of her head. “Let’s go, Special Agent Franklin. Time to work.”

Addie followed them over to the cabin, moving fast enough they left the cops behind a few feet. They were probably setting up to breach and drag Hank out.

She just needed to get Jacob out, and she would be able to take a full breath rather than these desperate gasps.

Jacob was in there.Breathe.Jacob was bleeding.Breathe.

Jacob could die.

Kyle and Stella halted at the door. Kyle raised his fist.

“Wait.” Addie touched his shoulder. “I do want a shot at talking him down. The last thing we need is this turning into a hostage situation.”

“And yet,” Stella said, “you’re going to walk in there and give him a second hostage?”

Addie pressed her lips together.

“You can. We know you could do this. But that’s not how it works.” Kyle’s expression flashed with something dark.

Stella glanced away. “We need to work together.”

They were right. She couldn’t go off half-cocked on her own. Not with so many cops here to watch her back. This needed to be handled the right way.

Addie nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She held her gun in front, angled down at a forty-five.

Stella braced, ready to go first.

Kyle turned, lifted his foot, and kicked beside the door handle.

The frame cracked, but nothing moved. Kyle kicked it again. It didn’t move that time either.

Stella said, “Barricaded.”

McCauley stepped onto the porch. “Let’s give SWAT a crack at it. Fire is on their way with the EMTs, so if my guys can’t get in they’ll give it a go.”

Addie nodded. But she couldn’t very well stand here and wait. She stalked off the porch to round the cabin and look at the place from every angle. The first window didn’t give her a view—not without standing on something.

Her pace grew more desperate as she rounded the back corner. There should be another exit, per the fire code. Surely.

She stared at the back of the cabin.

Jacob.

The last time they’d been in a situation like this, she couldn’t imagine what their families had been going through. Now she could say she did. Except Addie would never react to it the way her mother had, wailing about how Addie couldn’t be scarred. She was too pretty.

Fix her. She’s broken! She can’t be hurt. She’ll never get a man!

As though that had anything to do with the situation as the cops pulled them out of the cabin Ivan Damen put them in. As they realized Becca was dead and they weren’t. That Hank had been taken as well, the same time they were.

Then in the hospital, her mom had inserted herself into the conversation. He’d looked relieved to see Addie, but her mom demanded to know why he hadn’t given his life to save her. When her mom had barely been around Addie’s whole life.

Addie stowed her weapon in the holster on her belt. She pulled at the back door handle. She braced her foot on the frame and pulled again.

It didn’t move.

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She swiped them away, then kicked at the door. Took out her frustration on the fact Hank had secured it shut.

Jacob was going to die in there, and it would be on her. The same way their breakup was on her.