Page 16 of Final Approach (Lake City Heroes #4)

EIGHT

Silence.

Andrew obviously didn’t know what to say, but Kristine had a feeling there was more to the story. And no, she didn’t feel one bit of guilt at eavesdropping through her open window. It had been stuffy in the car. She’d needed air.

Eh, not really true. The heat was blowing so she could have simply turned that off or switched it to air, but she wanted to hear what was said.

“...gonna explain what you mean by that?” Andrew was asking.

“Yeah, but not here. I’m still processing what I learned. Let me think on it a bit more.”

“All right. You can stay with me for a while. I’m in an Airbnb with a spare room. You can use it for now.”

“No, I’ll figure something out. Staying with you isn’t safe, I mean for you.”

“I think I can handle it. Here’s a new phone.”

“Thanks. I’ll forward my old number to it.”

“Is that smart?”

“It is the way I’ll do it.”

“All right then. Ditch your car and hop in. After we drop Kristine at her car, we’ll talk.”

After a brief hesitation, Hank pocketed the phone and said, “I just picked up this vehicle after I ran. None of the SN goons know it. I think it’s safe to drive it.”

“Fine, then follow me.”

“Okay. I can’t think of another alternative except to get a hotel room.”

Raindrops plopped on the windshield, but she left the window down for the moment.

“Lead the way.” Hank’s voice was rough, tired. “No need to stand here and get wet. I’ll be right behind you.”

Kristine’s phone buzzed and she watched the text from her father banner across her screen.

I had some business in town. Stopped by the townhome and found you’re not home. You okay?

She rubbed her eyes and sighed, then tapped,

Fine, Dad. Talk later.

He gave her a thumbs-up emoji and let it drop. She relaxed a fraction. That wasn’t so bad. If that was the way he handled all their interactions, she wouldn’t get so annoyed with him.

Her brother’s words played in her mind like they did several times a day. “Walk away from him , Kris. He’s too controlling. You give him an inch , he’ ll take ten miles.” And just like she did several times a day, she shoved them away.

Honor your father and mother.

Those words echoed too.

But where was the line? At what point did she ... could she ... walk away from him and not look back? Physically, she might be able to do it. Emotionally? Not yet. Because of her mother. It was her fault her father was alone now. Her fault...

The door opened and Andrew slid into the seat, jerking her from her thoughts. He glanced at her window and quirked a smile.

She grimaced. “Busted. Sorry. I’m nosy. In my defense, if it had been a deeply personal conversation, I would have rolled it up.”

“It’s fine. You saved me from having to repeat the conversation.”

He put the car in gear and drove back up the little gravel road to the main turnoff. Lake City Lake faded into the background and they began to wind their way back down the mountain.

Kristine couldn’t see the drop-off to her right, but she’d driven the road enough to know it was there.

It reminded her of a friend who’d died. “You know, we haven’t been to Bolin’s since Brenda’s death.

” Brenda had been mostly Steph’s friend.

James’s sister had been caught up in helping Detective Tate Cooper, the man who was now her husband, find Brenda’s killer.

He’d been connected to Bolin’s—the ecotourism hot spot in Lake City.

“The owner, Cherry Bolin, has been struggling to make ends meet after all the bad press.”

“I heard about all of that.”

“Once this is all over, we should go up there and have fun. Support the place.” She glanced in the side mirror to see Hank’s headlights staying with them.

“Zip-lining?” he asked.

“Or river rafting. Do some glamping. They have some nice cabins, firepits, the works.”

He laughed. “I heard about that glamping stuff too. You guys seriously don’t do tents?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “You do?”

A hard slam into the back of his vehicle cut his laugh off and threw them against the seat belts, then back.

Kristine cried out and tossed a look at Andrew.

“What...?” Seeing him fighting the steering wheel, she twisted in the seat to see Hank disappear over the edge. “Hank went down the mountain!”

“He hit us, but someone hit him.”

“Yes, and he’s coming back for another!”

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than he slammed on the brakes. The second impact was harder than the first and sent them skidding toward the edge of the road. Kristine clung to the door handle while the seat belt bit into her shoulder.

The vehicle roared past them and around the next curve. The squeal of tires on the slick road faded and Andrew’s car jerked to a stop.

“We have to help Hank!” Kristine scrambled for the door and pushed it open, looked down into a black void, and sucked in a breath. A hand grabbed her bicep and kept her in the seat. His headlights illuminated the drop-off and she was right over it. “Andrew?”

“Yeah, shut the door and hang on a sec.”

She did so and he backed up the SUV. Once she was certain it was safe, she shoved out of the vehicle, ignoring the chilly downpour. “We have to get to Hank.”

Andrew stood next to her, rain drenching him. “I know.” He looked at his phone. “I don’t have a signal, Kristine.”

She checked her phone. “Me either. You don’t happen to have that new satellite emergency thingy on your phone, do you?”

“Nope. My phone is too old.”

“Yeah, same here. Great. I’m getting a new phone as soon as we get out of this.”

“Whoever ran us off the road knew this was a dead zone.” Kristine led the way to where Hank’s car had disappeared and spotted it about twenty feet down, trapped between an outcropping on the side of the mountain and a tree. “Hank!”

No answer. She scanned the area. “We’re going to have to go to him.”

“Yep. Someone must have followed him in spite of what he believed.” He shook his head. “All right. I’m going down. You want to wait here?”

The drop-off was sloped enough she thought she could make it. “No, you might need help.”

An engine purred in the distance and Andrew froze.

She snagged his gaze. “You think he’s coming back? Or someone who could be help?”

“I don’t know and I don’t think we should find out. Hang on a sec.” He ran to his vehicle, opened the rear door, and pulled out a backpack, then hurried back to her. “All right, let’s go.”

“Medical supplies?”

“Yeah. And more.”

The engine grew louder as she stepped off the shoulder and started making her way down.

Andrew stayed behind her. It was a slippery journey, and the rain came down harder, almost blinding her.

She swiped her eyes and kept going. When she finally reached the car, she looked inside.

Hank was out cold, facedown against the airbag.

She reached through the shattered driver’s window and felt for a pulse.

It thudded strong beneath her fingers and she let out a breath of relief.

“He’s alive.”

“Thank God. Let’s get him out of there.”

A loud crack cut through the sound of the rain, and a spark shot off the hood of the vehicle.

“Someone’s shooting at us!” Andrew’s shout reached her at the same moment his hand clamped around her arm and pulled them to the ground. Wet soaked her jeans, chilling her, but adrenaline pumped and fear spiked. Then her training kicked in and she ignored the urge to run. Hank needed their help.

Andrew rose to his knees, and she did the same. He opened the driver’s door, which added a bit more protection from the shooter’s location. Two more pops sounded and the bullets bounced off the car.

“Can you get him?” Andrew asked. His breath whispered across her cheek, a brief moment of warmth in the cold she was now feeling in every pore of her body.

“I think so. I don’t want to hurt his neck if—”

Another bullet shattered the cracked windshield, sending glass throughout the interior.

“Don’t have time to worry about his neck,” Andrew said. “The guy is coming down.” He pulled his weapon and popped off a shot, sending the attacker ducking behind a nearby tree before Hank shifted, catching her attention. His head rolled toward her. Maybe his neck was fine.

Andrew growled. “Stupid rain is messing up my aim.”

Hopefully it was messing with the other guy’s too. “Hank’s coming around,” she said. She turned back to the dazed man. He had a gash on his forehead and who knew what other injuries. “Hank, come on. We’ve got to go. Can you walk?”

“What? Um ... yeah.”

“Someone’s shooting at us.” She glanced up the embankment. “Or they were. But we have to be careful. They might start up again.”

He blinked at her and his eyes finally focused. “They found me.”

“Seems like it.” Andrew looked around. “We could stay here and see who runs out of bullets first, but I don’t want to take a chance he’s got more firepower than we do. So, come on.”

Andrew grabbed his buddy’s arm and hauled him out of the vehicle. “Hang on to me. Kristine, lead the way.”

“I have no idea where I’m going.”

“Doesn’t matter as long as it’s away from the bullets.”

He had a point.

She slipped a shoulder under Hank’s armpit and wrapped an arm around his waist. He sucked in a harsh breath at her tough grip.

Something else was hurting besides his head, but they needed to go.

“I’ll help. You think he’s really going to come after us?

Especially now that he knows there’s at least one weapon between us?

” She had her gun as well but wouldn’t pull it out until she needed to use it.

A shot rang out once more and Kristine flinched. “Never mind. Let’s move.”

Andrew let go of Hank, turned, and fired back. “Stay down,” he said. “Keep the car between us and the shooter. There are plenty of trees to use as cover if we can get to them.”