Page 6

FIVE

BLACK ROCK FALLS

In the bulletproof, bombproof, tricked-out black truck affectionately known as the Beast, Jenna stared at the list of escaped prisoners. Knowing Eduardo Souza was out there, free to exact vengeance against her and her family, sent shivers down her spine. She hadn’t divulged the names on the list of criminals who had escaped the prison bus and, taking a deep breath, turned to look at him. “I have the list of names. One of the missing prisoners is Eduardo Souza.”

“What!” The tires screamed as Kane slammed on the brakes and pulled alongside the highway. “We just sent Tauri to the kindergarten. If this happened yesterday, it’s possible that Souza was picked up by a chopper. He could have his goons in town by now.” He pulled out his phone. “Shane, we have a code red. Eduardo Souza escaped from prison yesterday.”

“Copy that. Have you activated the chopper security net?” Footsteps echoed on tile as Wolfe walked through the mortuary and into his office.

“Yeah, it’s never off unless we know someone is dropping by.” Kane met Jenna’s gaze and his eyes widened when he read the list of escaped prisoners. “Souza is likely the organizer and will be in the wind, but the others are in Stanton Forest with a female prison guard. They’re all serial killers and tried and convicted scum of the earth, but right now Souza is my worry. You know as well as I do, if we let down our guard for one second, he’ll use Jenna and Tauri to get to me.”

“Leave the security to me. You have Nanny Raya to watch over Tauri. It would be very difficult to infiltrate the kindergarten after all the changes we’ve made since the last attempt on your life.” He cleared his throat. “What are y’all planning to do? The DOC should be in charge of the retrieval.”

Unable to meet Kane’s gaze, Jenna swallowed hard. “I’m only guessing the warden has gotten the wheels rolling. He has no men to spare. The fire is taking up all his resources. The Department of Corrections hasn’t contacted me yet, but I’d expect them to send officers from the state pen. We have the Blackwater Sheriff’s Department on the ground, and I guess we call in Louan and the Montana Highway Patrol to set up roadblocks.” She frowned. “There is another resource, the Two Bear Air Rescue. The DOC will need to call them in to assist with air surveillance. The problem is, Shane, right now we’re on our own and we can’t sit on our hands. We need teams out there searching and we need them moving now.”

“Blackhawk is here today. I’ll ask him to supply the horses we’ll need and bring along any other trackers available. If you work out what you need, I’ll get the supplies together.” Wolfe sighed. “Call me when you get a team organized. I have a storeroom filled with survival packs. You don’t know when a relief team will arrive. Do you need me to pull some strings?”

“Okay, thanks, Shane.” Kane stared straight ahead. “We need to bring these guys in before they hurt someone.”

Concerned by Kane’s reaction to knowing that Souza was free, she grabbed the list of the other prisoners to show him. Surely if Souza had arranged the breakout, which was more than likely, he’d be long gone by now and back in a secret family facility. She tapped Kane on the arm to allow her to speak with Wolfe. He gave her a slight nod. “The governor has already offered to call in the local sheriff’s departments to join our search parties. All I need to do is call him, Shane. It might be better if you’re not seen to be involved.”

“Trust me, Jenna, no one will ever know that I’m involved.” She could almost see Wolfe smiling. “You handle the governor and I’ll keep you safe in other ways. I’ll arrange for someone to monitor the exterior security footage at the ranch and around your office. If he or one of his men takes a step inside your property or work, we’ll know about it. We have ID on the majority of Souza’s people, so the facial recognition software will be running until he’s caught.”

“That’s good to know.” Kane looked over one shoulder and moved the truck back onto the highway. “Thanks. We’ll need you in the field. These guys need to be captured. Can you make time?”

“Yeah, not a problem.” Wolfe’s chair squeaked in a familiar way as he pushed away from the desk. “I’ll get my gear ready. Just call when you’re organized and I’ll load up my truck.” He disconnected.

“Call Nanny Raya.” Kane spoke to the Bluetooth phone connection and in seconds she picked up. “Souza escaped from prison. Take every precaution to protect our son. Leave an hour early today and stay inside the ranch.”

“Okay and I always protect Tauri, but I’ll step it up.” Nanny Raya was inside the kindergarten by the sound of the kids in the background. “I’ll volunteer to help out today and I’ll call to confirm when we’re home this afternoon. I’ll be there by two. Tauri won’t leave my sight and I’m armed.”

Glad they had her to protect Tauri, Jenna ran a hand down her face. “Thank you, Raya. See you tonight.” She waited for Kane to disconnect and then looked at him. “I didn’t consider Souza as an immediate threat. I figured he’d be more concerned about leaving the state than coming after us again.”

“We have no idea what plan he cooked up in prison.” Kane flicked her a glance and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Never underestimate a cartel boss. Their numbers breed like rats and every member lives in fear of being killed. He pays them well to risk their lives and they’ll face any danger to complete their task. We took down most of his henchmen, but others would be coming along to take their place, and all as sadistic and ruthless as him. No matter how many of those vermin we catch, there’s always more of them. Now he’s back in charge and we’re all in danger—again.” He ran a hand down his face.

Unable to push away the feeling of emptiness and hopelessness she’d experienced when Souza kidnapped Kane and Tauri, a sudden terrible thought struck her. Her fingers trembled as she looked at the list of escaped prisoners. “You don’t figure Souza organized this escape to get us hunting down the prisoners in the forest so we’d be away from the protection of our home and office, do you?”

“It’s possible.” Kane’s mouth turned down. “I wouldn’t put it past him to recruit notorious serial killers to do his work for him. He’s already broken them out of prison, he’d likely offer them safe refuge once the job was done, a new identity, and money. It would sure beat spending the rest of your life in prison. I mean, killing us would just be sport to them.”

A rush of fear sent goosebumps running up Jenna’s arms. “Now I guess you’re going to tell me that I can’t get involved with the search. I might be waddling around, but my brain is working just fine. You know darn well I’ll be able to find these men.”

“The only way you’d be safe without me around is if I’d locked you in a jail cell.” Kane drove into the back entrance to the sheriff’s office and parked in his usual spot. “I’m not letting you out of my sight today. Raya’s truck has bulletproof glass, and I had the door panels reinforced. She should be fine driving back to the ranch today, but until we catch them, Tauri is staying home where it’s safe, and so should you.”

Uncomprehending, Jenna stared at him. “I’m not staying at the ranch.”

“Yes, you are.” He climbed out and opened the back door to lift Duke down from the back seat and gave her a long look. “How do you plan on trekking through the forest at almost eight months pregnant? You understand the conditions out there and we’ll be moving fast on horseback.” He ran a hand through his hair and then pushed on his black Stetson. “I’m seriously considering locking you in a jail cell.” He scratched his cheek slowly and stared at her for a long few seconds as if making up his mind what to say next. “Will you please stay home with Tauri and Nanny Raya? You can oversee everything from there.”

Anger flared and Jenna slid from the truck, gathered her things, and then whirled around to face him. “Absolutely not.”