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ONE

BLACK ROCK FALLS

The last seven years in Sheriff Jenna Alton’s life had become a kaleidoscope of events. The incident that changed her life forever came when she testified against cartel boss Viktor Carlos. His reaction to the never-to-be-released sentence was to threaten her openly in court. As undercover DEA Agent Avril Parker, she endured abuse for two years to take down his organization. She should have gotten a promotion, but instead, federal marshals whisked her away into witness protection. Before arriving in Black Rock Falls, her entire identity had been changed, along with her face. Discovering the sheriff of Black Rock Falls was weak and left the townsfolk unprotected, she became a deputy, then ran for sheriff and won.

She’d formed a reliable and expert team around her. Jake Rowley she’d trained as her rookie deputy and now he’d become a loyal and experienced law enforcer. They’d managed alone until the unexpected arrival of Dave Kane, who she believed was an injured ex-cop looking to recuperate in a slow town. Later she discovered she had employed an active government asset who POTUS had placed in her town to watch over her. As a black ops sniper and later Secret Service agent, Kane didn’t let the metal plate in his head slow him down. She was instantly attracted to the six-five, two-hundred-sixty-pound fighting machine, but it seemed for the first four years at least, that Kane’s only interest in her was protecting her, which drove her crazy.

Her team of Deputies Kane, Rowley, and Zac Rio and K9 unit Johnny Raven worked closely with the medical examiner and Kane’s handler, Dr. Shane Wolfe. Together, they’d faced some of the most notorious serial killers in America and brought them to justice.

After marrying, she and Kane had adopted Tauri, a five-year-old Native American boy who was the light of their lives. Now almost eight months pregnant and determined to keep working, Jenna stared at her reflection in the mirror. She’d selected loose-fitting clothes, preferring not to attract attention to her condition. She’d realized as she went through her pregnancy that people treated her differently. When in fact, apart from physically engaging a criminal, she couldn’t think of a reason why she couldn’t do her job. Taking maternity leave to care for her children was a given, and she’d rely on the team she’d gathered around her over the last seven years to run the store. They could handle just about anything in her absence.

Right now, suffocated by the concern for her well-being, she needed a couple of hours alone just to think. A drive to the next town to buy baby clothes would be wonderful and give her a rare opportunity to drive the sleek black Mustang Kane had given her for her birthday. In another week she wouldn’t fit behind the wheel. Having a protective husband was wonderful in some ways but annoying in others. She chewed on her bottom lip thinking through what she would say to him. Right now, he was in the garage with Tauri building a Harley from a pile of what looked like junk. She headed outside, enjoying the sun on her face and the fresh breeze from the mountains in her hair. The sound of tools clinking together came from the garage and she found Kane explaining what he was doing and instructing Tauri how to tighten bolts. Her little boy had an expression of wonder on his face as he listened intently. “Hey, you look like you’re busy.”

“We’re trying to piece together some of the parts that Raven dropped by last weekend.” Kane stood and wiped his hands on a rag. He indicated to the purse under her arm. “Going somewhere?”

Nodding, Jenna headed toward her sedan. “I haven’t had too much of an opportunity to drive my car. I figured I’d drive over to Louan and check out the baby store.”

“Okay, give me five and I’ll join you.” Kane smiled at her and turned to Tauri. “We can work on this later.”

“You said we’d work on it until lunchtime.” Tauri’s bottom lip turned down and he looked at him with sorrowful eyes. “Do we have to go to look at more baby things with Mommy?”

“If you don’t want to come with us, I can always ask Nanny Raya if she will read you some stories.” Kane crouched down to look at his son. “We can pick this up again when I get back.”

Nanny Raya, Tauri’s nanny, lived in a self-contained extension to the house. She cared for Tauri when they were working and would be there to assist Jenna with the new baby. The selection of their nanny had been important due to the security necessary around Kane, as he had a bounty on his head. Even with his new identity and face, Kane was kept on standby by POTUS for important missions. Nanny Raya had passed all the necessary security checks, and as a retired FBI agent, she fit in just fine.

“I want to play motorcycles with you, Daddy.” Tauri swiped at his eyes. “Before you go and catch the baddy man again.”

Squeezing Kane’s shoulder to get his attention, Jenna gave a nonchalant shrug. “How much trouble could I possibly get into just driving to Louan and back? I’m weeks away from delivery, and to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t mind some alone time. I know shopping for baby things is boring, especially when I take so much time making up my mind. I’d really like to go alone so I can just stand there looking at everything in the store and not worry about taking too long.”

“That’s not a good idea.” Kane searched her face. “If anything happened?—”

Throwing one hand into the air she stared at him. “What could possibly happen? It’s practically a straight stretch of highway from here and I’m a safe driver. It’s Sunday and very quiet and that little shop is filled with garments and blankets made by locals. It’s only open on weekends. I figure I’ll be away two hours max. It’s not like I have a mother or grandmother to make things for our baby. This is the next best thing.” She sighed. “You’ll never miss me. Just like when I take a nap.”

“Okay, okay.” Kane held both his hands up in surrender. “Go, but call me when you get there so I know you’ve arrived safely, and do the same when you leave.”

Throwing her arms around him to kiss him, Jenna grinned. “Not a problem.” She bent and hugged Tauri. “Do you want to stay here and help Daddy fix the motorcycle or come baby shopping with me?”

“I want to fix the motorcycle with Daddy.” Tauri grinned and hugged her. “Love you, Mommy.”

Waving, Jenna headed for the Mustang. “Love you more.” She opened the door and placed her weapon in the glovebox and tossed her purse on the passenger seat.

Driving the new Mustang was like being inside the cockpit of an airplane. The seat hugged her and the design of the steering wheel, with its flat bottom, meant it didn’t dig into her belly. The car reminded her of her cat, Pumpkin. When she stroked the gas pedal it purred as if it enjoyed the long straightaways as much as she did. She didn’t drive fast and enjoyed the scenery. Late spring in Black Rock Falls was particularly beautiful. Apart from an endless deep blue sky, the forest and the lowlands were awash with bright colors from the many wildflowers growing in abundance. She buzzed down her window to inhale the fragrance and loved the way the wind tousled her hair. She stopped outside the little store and climbed with some difficulty out of the vehicle. “I figure this will probably be my last drive for a while.”

She bypassed the baby store and went inside the diner to use the bathroom and then grabbed a milkshake on the way out. She browsed the abundant baby goods for sale and found herself turning to ask Kane’s opinion on this and that and finding the space beside her empty. She stared out of the window, suddenly wishing that he’d come with her after all. “Oh my, now I’m dependent on him.”

“What’s that you say, my dear?” An elderly lady behind the counter stared at her.

Gathering the pile of purchases she’d chosen and taking them to the counter, she smiled at her. “Oh, I’m just talking to myself. I’m so used to having my husband with me when we go shopping that I turned to talk to him and he’s not there.”

“That’s nice.” The old woman scanned the items and folded them neatly before placing them into bags. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

Shaking her head, Jenna paid with her credit card. “No, I’m from Black Rock Falls, but I’m sure glad I dropped by today. This is a great store and I have everything I need now.”

“Trust me, when it comes to babies, you never have everything you need.” The old woman handed her the bags. “Are you sure you have everything?”

Turning away from the counter, Jenna giggled. She’d had a strange feeling the woman was going to say, “Do you want fries with that?”

She hurried back to the car, dropped her bags into the trunk, and slid inside. She grabbed her phone and called Kane. “I arrived safely and now I’m leaving. I’m sorry I didn’t call before, but I needed to use the bathroom and I forgot.”

“Did you get everything you wanted?” The relief in Kane’s voice was palpable.

Guilty for not calling him before, Jenna chewed on her bottom lip. “Yeah, I did. It was lovely spending some time alone, but I turned around to ask your opinion more than once when I was in the store.”

“I can’t wait to see what you’ve found this time.” Kane paused for a beat. “Oh and check the gas. It was getting low when we last went for a drive. It will probably get you home, but it might be a good idea to top it up just in case.”

Smiling into the sunshine, Jenna started the engine. “Okay. I’ll see you in a little while.” She disconnected and headed out of town.

She recalled a gas station along the highway on her side of the road. It was an old run-down and isolated place and not somewhere she would usually stop for gas, but the needle was just above empty and she couldn’t risk being out of gas in the middle of nowhere. An old battered truck pulled in behind her and two men climbed out. One went inside and the other pumped gas. Jenna swiped her card at the pump, lifted the nozzle, and filled her tank. She tried to avoid the gaze of the man behind her, but his eyes never left her. He was dressed in filthy jeans and a T-shirt with stains all down the front, and she couldn’t miss the festering needle tracks on his arms. Unease rolled through her. She pushed her credit card into her bra and then climbed into the car. She fastened her seatbelt, but before she could start the engine, the man jumped into the passenger seat. A wave of unwashed male and alcohol hit her in a wall of stench. She glared at him. “Get out of my vehicle.”

“Nope.” The man pulled a knife. “You and me are going for a little ride.”

Glad she’d locked the glovebox, and her weapon was safe from him, Jenna pressed her tracker ring. It would alert Kane and he’d be able to hear everything being said, although needing to be saved by him the first time she’d gone out alone stuck in her craw. As a self-reliant woman, being vulnerable wasn’t in her wheelhouse. She’d wanted to prove that even in this late stage of pregnancy, she could do her job. “You’re making a big mistake. Get out of my car. Do you know how long you’ll spend in prison for waving that knife at me and kidnapping me?”

“I’m not getting out.” He pushed the tip of the knife into her arm. “Drive.”

If she got out of the car and ran into the store, he wouldn’t be able to start the car. She had the smart key safely inside her pocket. She unfastened her seatbelt and reached for the door handle. “Just let me out. You can take the darn car.”

“Look at me, lady. You figure I’m fit to drive?” The man’s red watery eyes settled on her face as he waved the knife at her. “I can get cash for the Mustang today, but they won’t want it all banged up. Drive or I’ll stick you.”

Unable to stop her hands trembling, Jenna pulled down the harness Kane insisted was safer for the baby and stared him down. “This is a very bad idea. You’re bringing down a mountain of trouble on yourself. My husband won’t care if you’re on drugs. He’ll hunt you down and show no mercy.”

“You figure I’m gonna let you live that long.” He barked a laugh. “Dream on, lady. No one will ever find you and no one is coming after me.” The man waved his gloves at her. “See, no fingerprints. Now be a good girl and head along the highway. My friend will be right behind us, and one wrong move, you’re dead. He has a shotgun and knows how to use it. Drive or I’ll stick you with the knife, and I really don’t want to mess up the carpets in this brand-new Mustang.”

Trying to remain calm, Jenna stared at him. She’d dealt with many types of criminals over the years, and the way his hands shook, this was an addict desperate for his next fix. In this state, he wouldn’t care about the consequences. It chilled her to the bone knowing he regarded her life as a means to an end. She pressed her ring again. Now the alert would go to her entire team and she needed to get as much information to them as possible. “You know I didn’t want to stop at that old gas station just outside of Louan but the needle was nearly on empty.” She looked at the man. “The next town is Black Rock Falls. I’ll drive there but then you must let me out.”

“You stupid or something? I’m not going into town.” He chuckled deep in his chest and then buzzed down the window, coughed violently, and spat. “Drive to the Triple Z Roadhouse. I’m meeting someone there who’ll give me cash for this ride.” He buzzed up the window and sat staring at her.

Lifting her chin, Jenna refused to be intimidated by this idiot. She needed to be heading toward Kane as fast as possible. “If you have a problem with drugs, there are places in Black Rock Falls that can help you get clean.” She pulled out onto the highway.

“Just drive, lady, before I cut your throat to shut you up.” He went through her purse, finding only tissues and lip balm, and then tossed it into the back seat.

Hoping he hadn’t noticed the phone between her legs, Jenna formed a plan. The man hadn’t clicked in his seatbelt. If she drove fast and then slammed on the brakes, he’d be thrown into the windshield, but what about the baby? Could she risk it? She bit down hard, wanting to growl in frustration. Right now, Kane would be driving toward her. She gripped the steering wheel and accelerated. Immediately, the powerful Mustang ate up the blacktop. She flashed past a few vehicles on the highway, leaving the old truck way behind, but the man beside her didn’t seem to notice. She went past a signpost. Time to give Kane another update. “Ten miles to Black Rock Falls.”

“I don’t need a commentary. Drive or I’ll cut you bad and toss you out. Although, you’re pretty and you smell real nice.” The man’s gaze moved over her and he touched her hair, curling it around his finger.

Swallowing the disgust and building fear, she leaned away. “Get your hands off me.”

What if Kane didn’t get to her in time? Had he even heard her call for help, or had it been drowned out by the roar of a motorcycle engine?