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SEVEN

At the office Jenna and Kane worked the phones, trying to get everyone on the same page. Getting special agents to drop everything and come at once would be difficult. Katz and Styles had assisted her in the past, and Jo and Carter were close friends, but they’d all agreed in seconds and would be on their way soon. After speaking with the governor, he’d already liaised with the DOC and had the highway patrol setting roadblocks within her county on both sides of the bus wreck. With two of the prisoners potentially armed, they could easily steal a vehicle from one of the local residents in the forest and be heading along the highway. The other local counties would have roadblocks set up on the borders, and help would come as soon as it could be organized.

As she disconnected, she overheard Kane talking on a call to Atohi Blackhawk. A family member via their son, Tauri, Blackhawk was a close friend and a superb tracker. She looked over at Kane. The talk was about horses. He’d just returned from the ranch with the horse trailer.

“Yeah, that sounds fine. I’ve only brought Warrior. Seagull gets spooked too easy.” Kane smiled across the desk at her. “Thanks. I appreciate you.” He disconnected.

Raising her eyebrows, Jenna looked at him. “What was that all about and why didn’t you bring Seagull? I’ll need to ride her.”

“Atohi is bringing along the extra horses and wanted to know how many we’d need.” Kane stretched out his long legs. “Seagull is an Arab, who dances and gets spooked by falling leaves. You must admit she’s not really suitable for sneaking up on escaped prisoners, is she?” Kane shook his head. “Blackhawk says his horses are bombproof.” He gave her a long look. “The other reason I didn’t bring her is because you need to stay home and protect our son, Jenna.”

Rolling her eyes, she stared at him. “You want me to stay home when we have an FBI agent as a nanny?”

“Yes, I’m sure Wolfe will advise you chasing down serial killers on horseback isn’t safe for a pregnant woman in the third trimester. Seagull is a handful at the best of times and I’m concerned about what might happen out there. To be perfectly honest, I don’t want you delivering our baby in the forest with three serial killers on the loose.” He sighed. “For once, run the case from the office, delegate, and organize. Leave the grunt work to us.”

Of course Kane was right, but she’d been coping well with the extra weight, apart from the backache and swollen ankles. She did have the option to sit this one out and stay home with Tauri and Nanny Raya. She clicked her pen and stared at him, seeing only concern in his eyes as she made her decision. “Okay, I’ll stay here or at home.”

“Good. Blackhawk is bringing along a packhorse as well. I’ll spread out the supplies and extra ammo to lighten our load.” Kane stood and bent to kiss her on the forehead. “Now everything is planned. Wolfe is bringing extra com packs if we need them. Rowley and Rio have packed everything we need into our backpacks. As soon as the FBI teams arrive, we’ll be leaving. Once they’re thirty minutes out, I’ll get Tauri and drop you home.”

Jenna blew hair from her eyes and leaned back in the chair. “Oh goody, you mean I don’t get to be locked up in the cells.”

“It’s not too late.” Kane gave her an amused look and then checked his phone. “Jo has uploaded a file to the server. It’s profiles on the three prisoners. The warden also sent a file on the female prison guard.” He looked at his watch. “We have at least two hours, maybe more before the choppers arrive. Do you want to look over these now?”

Jenna shook her head. “We’ll all head to Aunt Betty’s and discuss the files over a meal. I figure having a snack before you leave would be good. I’ll grab some sandwiches and coffee for later as well. You’ll need to keep up your energy if you plan on catching them.”

When they arrived at Aunt Betty’s Café they headed to the reserved table in the back. Rio, Rowley, Wolfe, and Raven had already arrived. She sat down, opened her tablet, and looked at them. “From the report I received from the Blackwater sheriff, the prisoners were heading north along the river. It’s what most people would do if they wanted to avoid getting turned around. So you should be able to pick up their trail if we can estimate how far they’ve traveled.”

“It also gives them access to cabins along the way.” Raven frowned. “If they’re armed, we might be following a trail of dead bodies. They’ll need clothes, food, and weapons.”

“Maybe.” Kane leaned back in his seat, with one hand wrapped around a cup. “The mountain folk tend to shoot first and ask questions later.”

Looking from one to the other, Jenna shrugged. “What if they send in the prison guard? It’s what I’d do in their position. They’d have guns aimed at her back, and she’d know they’d kill her if she slipped up.”

“That’s a valid point.” Rio rubbed his chin. “I’ve been giving this some thought as well. If I were an escaped prisoner, I’d keep walking all night if necessary until I found a safe place to hole up. Raven mentioned the cabins along the river. If they made it there and took down the owner, it’s likely they’d rest up for a short time and then keep moving.” He looked at Jenna. “We might be out in the forest for days. Rowley packed supplies, but will you be okay to ride for so long?”

“You’re not contemplating riding are you, Jenna?” Wolfe raised both eyebrows and his gray eyes flashed concern. “I would certainly advise strongly against it. You could deliver early. Have you thought this through?”

Suddenly the wisdom of Kane’s words struck home and her annoyance with him melted. Lifting her chin, she turned to Rio. “I’m staying at the ranch. Maggie will be in the office and I’ll be coordinating the teams from there or home. Seeing as Souza is on the loose, I’m not risking my son a second time.”

“That’s good to know.” Rio smiled at her.

“Amen to that.” Wolfe blew out a relieved sigh.