Page 27 of Vanished in the Mist (A Mystic Lake Mystery #2)

He checked the loading of Warren’s gun, then took off toward the woods, where he’d disappeared.

“Kaden, don’t you dare go into those woods on your own. Let the police handle it.”

He made a disgusted sound and jogged into the forest.

In desperation, Shanna yelled, “Don’t you dare leave me alone to face some murderous psychopath while you go off chasing my idiot ex!”

Silence.

Then, Kaden slowly stepped out from the trees, his jaw set and the gun down at his side.

Dawson’s SUV slid across the gravel driveway, barely stopping a few feet from Kaden’s truck.

Kaden ignored him as he stalked forward to where Shanna stood at the bottom of the steps. “You don’t play fair,” he accused.

“As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters.”

“Kaden, Shanna, what’s going on? I heard gunshots.” Dawson ran up to them, his weapon out and down at his side. “What happened?”

Kaden stared at Shanna and shook his head in disgust. “You do realize he almost killed you, right? And now, he’s free to try again.”

“Who’s free to try again?” Dawson demanded.

Shanna smiled up at Kaden. “I have faith in you. You’ll keep me safe.”

Dawson rolled his eyes and stepped away to make a call.

“Ortiz, yeah, I’m at the Tate cabin. Someone’s been here shooting up the place.

A knife’s buried in one of the porch railings and there’s blood and evidence of a scuffle beside Kaden’s truck.

I need backup… Yesterday. I’ll update you on the situation and who we’re after just as soon as I can get Kaden and Shanna to stop flirting with each other and answer my questions. ”

Kaden glared his displeasure at Dawson.

Shanna burst out laughing.

“At least tell me how many bad guys I’m after,” Dawson said. “And which way they went.”

Kaden arched an eyebrow at Shanna. “I’ve got backup. Now, will you lock yourself inside the cabin?”

“What?” Dawson asked. “I’m not backup. You are.”

“I’d be happy to,” she said. “Go get him.” She jogged up the steps and headed into the cabin, locking the door behind her.

It couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes later when a knock sounded at the door.

“Ms. Hudson, it’s Officer O’Brien.”

Shanna hurried to unlock the door and pull it open. But her greeting died on her lips when she saw the urgency in O’Brien’s face. “What happened? Is Kaden—”

“Mr. Rafferty and the chief are both okay. The chief phoned in an update as I was pulling into the driveway. You’re going to be hearing a lot more sirens, other people arriving, in just a few minutes.

I’ve been asked to make sure you don’t leave this cabin, that you stay locked inside.

Even if, um, even if I have to handcuff you to the refrigerator, or whatever I can find to make sure you can’t leave the cabin. Ma’am.” Her face turned a slight red.

Shanna narrowed her eyes. “The chief wouldn’t have told you that.”

“Not in those words, no.”

“Kaden did.”

O’Brien gave her a pained smile. “Will you promise you’ll wait until Mr. Rafferty or one of us police tell you it’s okay to come out before you do so? Please?”

Shanna sighed. “Fine. Okay. I promise I won’t come out until I’m given permission.” She rolled her eyes. “But only if you swear that Kaden’s really okay.”

“He’s uninjured, from what I’ve been told. I haven’t seen him yet. I only spoke to him on the phone.”

“Fair enough.”

The policewoman gave her a relieved smile, then hurried outside, pulling the door closed behind her.

Shanna turned the lock, then settled down to wait, her foot tapping an impatient tune against the wooden floor.

“W AKE UP, BEAUTIFUL . We’re leaving.”

“Hmm?” Shanna slapped at the hand pulling on her covers and snuggled into her pillow.

An impatient sigh sounded. “Come on, sleepyhead. Your chariot awaits.”

“Chariot?” She yawned, wondering what kind of dream had chariots and grumpy-sounding princes in them.

“Unbelievable,” her prince complained.

Her world suddenly tilted and her head fell back against something hard. And warm. The ground began to shake. She grabbed for her pillow.

“Ouch, dang. Sheathe those claws.” Her world tilted again and her bottom pressed down on something hard and cold.

Her eyes flew open. She blinked and looked around. What the? She was in the bathroom? On the floor?

“Ew,” she exclaimed, trying to jump to her feet. Her legs got all tangled up in her comforter. Her comforter?

Laughter sounded above her.

She looked up into Kaden’s amused eyes as he bent down and began pulling the comforter off her shoulders.

“Kaden?”

“Shanna?” He freed her and tossed the comforter into the tub.

“Why am I in the bathroom, on the floor? With you?”

“Because I couldn’t wake you up. Do you always sleep like the dead?”

“I have no idea. Help me up. Why were you trying to wake me, anyway? Wait, Kaden. You’re here.”

He was laughing as he helped her stand. “I don’t remember you being this confused this morning when you woke up.”

“That’s because I woke up on my own, not when some rude person dropped me onto the bathroom floor. Gross, by the way, regardless of how much of a clean freak my sister might be.”

“I didn’t drop you. And you have approximately five minutes to do whatever you need to do in here before we leave.”

“Leave. Wait, that’s what the prince said.”

He frowned. “Prince?”

Her face heated. “Never mind. It must be late or I wouldn’t be this tired. Not that I can tell the time with all the windows blocked out.” She blinked at him, her stomach clenching with sympathy. “Your right eye’s turning black.”

“Warren got a lucky shot in earlier. Poor jerk.”

“Poor jerk? He’s a stalker and an attempted murderer. I have absolutely no sympathy for him. Wait. You caught him? Dawson’s taking him to jail?”

His jaw tightened. “Not exactly.” He glanced at his dive watch.

“I’ll explain on the way. I’ve already packed you a bag.

Just…wash your face or whatever you need to do and get dressed.

You have four more minutes. After that, I’m hauling you out of here, even if you’re naked.

” He checked his watch. “Make that three minutes.”

“Ugh.” She stomped her feet in frustration and shooed him away with her hands. “Get out. I need a minute.”

“I figured you would.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, or ease the tension along his jaw.

Before she could ask him again what had happened, he left, pulling the door closed behind him.

True to Kaden’s threat, he was back to get her in just a few minutes. Luckily she’d already emptied her bladder and brushed her teeth. She was tying her shoes when he knocked, then shoved open the door.

“Let’s go.”

She called him some unsavory names that had his mouth twitching with amusement, but he didn’t complain. He didn’t say anything at all. He just grabbed her hand, and hauled her through the cabin and out the door, barely giving her a chance to grab her purse.

The sky was black as velvet, not a star in sight.

Clouds must have moved in while she was sleeping.

Seeing the driveway and yard empty now, except for Kaden’s truck, her sedan, and his boat trailer sitting near the end of the cabin sent a shiver up her spine.

It was too dark, too quiet, especially given the chaos she’d heard outside earlier when all the police had been there.

Refusing to answer any questions, he lifted her into the truck and shut the door.

After rushing around the hood, he hopped into the driver’s seat, tossed a black leather carry-on bag into the back and locked his door.

His tires spit gravel as he turned around in the yard, then he sent his truck barreling down the road toward town.

“Slow down, Mario Andretti,” she complained, clinging to the armrest, “or we’ll end up in a ditch.”

He checked the rearview mirror and the side one before easing up slightly on the gas.

“Well, that was fun,” she said, letting her death grip on the armrest go. “Fastest I ever got ready. Hope you don’t mind the lack of makeup. Lucky for you I have some in my purse so I won’t scare everyone who sees me in the morning. It’s too late for me not to scare you.”

As if against his will, his mouth curved in a smile. “You’re adorable when you first wake up. But your disposition could use some sweetening.”

She snorted.

He laughed.

“Since this is the road into town,” she said, “and according to the clock in your truck it’s past, oh wow, two thirty in the morning, we’re either going to the police station—”

“Nope.”

“Or…out of town?”

“Too far a drive right now through a creepy, dark two-lane road for an hour to reach Chattanooga. I’m half-asleep myself. We’ll figure out our next steps in the morning, after we get some rest and both have a clear head.”

“Ah. We’re going to Stella’s, the B and B.”

“Best hotel in town.”

“The only hotel in town.”

He smiled. “I called ahead. The desk clerk said he’d leave our room key under the cookie jar on the counter.”

“That sounds really secure.”

“I’ll clear the room before we go inside. And the police station is just across the lake. If we need them, they’re less than a minute away.”

“You sound like a cop yourself lately. ‘Clear the room.’ I think you’ve been around far too many police officers this week.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“All right. The B and B. We’ve got about fifteen minutes before we get there. Well, the way you’re driving, maybe only ten. Plenty of time for you to tell me what happened after I humored you by locking myself in the cabin. Speak, Kaden. I’m about out of patience.”

By the time he made the turn at the end of Main Street and headed around the end of the lake in town, she was numb with shock over what he’d told her.

He and Dawson had tracked Troy into the woods and found him tied to a tree, his throat slit.

Beside him was Sam Morton. Tied to the same tree, covered in blood. But it wasn’t his. It was Troy’s. Sam had numerous cuts and scrapes, and was covered in bug bites. But there was nothing more serious wrong with him, physically at least, except for stun-gun burns on his neck.

Just like Jessica.

He’d seen the killer slice Troy’s throat and was hysterical and blubbering behind a gag over his mouth when Dawson and Kaden found him.

When they’d calmed Sam down, he told them he and Jack had been taken at knifepoint and with the threat of a stun gun by the killer behind the public boat ramp, as the police had theorized.

He’d forced them to hike endlessly through the mountains.

Eventually, he’d brought them to a side-by-side, a four-wheeler hidden in the woods.

He’d tied them to the seats and blindfolded them before taking them on a long, winding ride that seemed to take hours.

Sam didn’t know where Jack was. Jack had been taken away while Sam was left handcuffed to a tree.

This morning the killer brought Sam to the woods behind Cassidy’s cabin.

He’d heard in town that Shanna had some stalker bully after her.

In his own sick way, the killer had planned to kill Sam—someone he considered to be a bully, too—and leave him as an offering of justice for Shanna.

When Troy showed up, he became the perfect target. Instead of killing Sam, the killer had murdered Troy. After slicing Troy’s throat, he’d warned Sam, “This is what happens to bullies.” Then he’d taken off before Kaden and Dawson could catch him.

Shanna shivered as Kaden pulled the truck into a parking space behind the B and B.

True to his word, the clerk had left the key under the cookie jar.

And Kaden, with a gun in his hand that must have been given to him by Dawson, made her wait just inside the door while he checked out the huge walk-in dressing room closet, under the bed, the attached bathroom—anywhere he thought a killer could possibly hide.

Only then did he allow her to move freely around the room.

She immediately sank onto the bench at the end of one of the two double beds, her horrified and confused mind full of questions. But she only asked one.

“Kaden.”

“Hmm.” He’d just finished putting their toiletries in the bathroom and set the bag on a chair in the dressing room before sitting beside her.

“Who is this man who exacts his own form of perverted justice against people that he thinks are bullies? Who is he?”

His voice was subdued, tired, as he answered. “He told Sam he was the Phantom.”

“Oh, my God.” Her shoulders began to shake with her sobs as the events of the last few days shredded her composure.

Kaden pulled her onto his lap and cradled her, whispering soothing words against the top of her head as she cried against his neck.