Chapter 10 #2
Shana’s heart returned to normal after Peter left the witness stand and the prosecutor called the medical examiner.
She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been, only knew that she couldn’t stand it if Peter’s testimony hurt Dane, knew he wouldn’t be able to stand another friend working against him.
It wasn’t that she thought Peter would really do such a thing, but then the world had already turned upside down with Cap.
She wasn’t sure of anything anymore now. Except how much she loved Dane.
She only wished to hell she was as sure about how much he loved her, and whether he would ever be capable of trusting her.
When Judge Katz banged the gavel dismissing them for the day, Dane’s tension didn’t disappear. Instead it ratcheted up a notch. Peter insisted on doing another press conference as planned.
This time the press was ready and the conference more formal.
Rick Racer had arranged it. A group of reporters were gathered around a portable podium out in front and there were three state police cars and about a dozen local and state police officers keeping people out of the way.
But it was up to Dane and Acer to watch for snipers and other irregularities along with Peter’s special state police protection detail and the lone remaining FBI agent.
Dane scanned the area but saw no other agents if he didn’t count ASAC Mark Richards, which he didn’t.
Richards didn’t concern himself with the task of protection, it seemed.
He was more into making arrests and trouble for Dane.
Maybe he should worry, but he couldn’t work himself up over it right now as he concentrated on the surrounding buildings.
Luck was with them because the sun came out blazing, allowing him and Acer to watch for flashes of metal or the reflection of rifle sights where there shouldn’t be any.
As he and Acer walked down the steps, Shana came up behind him and took his hand.
Her eyes were covered by sunglasses, but she was scanning the horizon, same as he was. He squeezed her fingers.
“Where’s Kimble?” he asked.
“With Peter. She’s waiting for my call before sending him outside.”
He turned to Shana.
“Have the statie, what’s his name, make sure she stays inside. I don’t want her part of the close protection detail.”
She laughed. “Already done. I should be insulted, but I can’t be bothered. No energy for it. Getting up early is taking a toll. The doctor warned me I’d still need more than normal sleep until the wound was completely healed.” She shrugged. “Now I believe him.”
Dane fought the urge to pull her into a hug. Not the time and place. He let go of her hand.
“Sorry for doubting you. I should have known better.”
“I’ll chalk it up to your nerves.”
“Now who should be insulted?” They were at the bottom step to the right where the press conference was set up, no less than a dozen people with mics and cameras buzzing among themselves.
They didn’t bother him, mainly because he was wearing a baseball cap and he’d thrown on an old coat over his jacket.
Shana’s presence might have given him away but he told her to go back inside and tell Kimble to bring Peter out.
“I was going to call—”
“No. And stay inside when you get there.” He wasn’t kidding. She rolled her eyes, but went.
Acer gave him a nod. A reporter staring at him started to approach.
He turned away and resumed his scan of the few local rooftops that could be used.
If the feds had still been involved they could have done a check with a drone.
Cap’s men were stretched as far as they could go.
His force had been reduced to off-season numbers.
The doors opened behind them, but Dane didn’t turn.
He heard them coming down the steps. Peter and Kimble.
He kept his eyes steady scanning. Acer did the same.
The police pushed back on the crowd that had grown too close to a hundred.
Impressive for this time of year. Must be the sunshine that brought so many people out.
His eyes slipped past the rooftop of a bank building for the tenth time, but this time he stopped and went back. Blood pumped in his veins as if someone had opened a pressure valve.
Dane spotted the unmistakable flash of a rifle sight and turned, grabbed Peter by the arm just as he was about to get started, and dragged him forward. Acer joined him, flanking the other side, and they ran to the nearest state police car, jumping in the back seat.
From seemingly out of nowhere, Cap ran toward them, lunged forward, and opened the door, jumping in the driver seat.
“Get us out of here. Sniper at nine o’clock on the roof of the bank building.” Dane forced Peter to double over and he and Acer made the governor invisible as Cap screeched the tires taking off. He didn’t bother responding or making any comment.
“Take us to the Gables’.”
As they passed by the corner of the courthouse a ball of fire exploded from a trash receptacle behind them.
Cap lurched the car to the side, then sped up as Dane twisted around to see out the rear window.
Debris still floated to the ground, people were still running and screaming, the police moving fast, but the flame was already burning out like a flash bang, big and quick.
“Anyone hurt?” Acer asked.
“Hard to say, but it didn’t look like it.” He thought of Shana inside.
“Kimble?” he asked.
“I didn’t see her, but I didn’t see any bodies on the ground. I checked.” Leaving nothing to chance, Dane pulled his phone from his pocket and punched in Kimble’s number.
“What the hell was that?” she shouted.
“You okay? Everyone okay?”
“Yeah. No thanks to you. How’s the governor?”
“Fine. Where’s Shana?”
“Out here with me. She has her phone out. I think she’s trying to call you.”
Dane punched the call off and switched to Shana’s incoming.
“Dane, you okay?”
“Never mind me—I’m fine—How are you? Any injuries?”
“I’m fine. No injuries to anyone that I can see. The debris field is impressive, but harmless. The police are already examining the explosion site. I’m going to— “
“Stay away from it. Meet me at the Gable’s. We have some figuring to do. I’m not sure what the trash can explosion was about, but three was a sniper on a roof. Time to step up our game.”
“I’ll see you there in fifteen.”
He shoved the phone back into his coat pocket and wished to hell she was with him now. She ought to be, if she was at 100%. But she wasn’t.
“Now what?” Cap asked. The first words from his mouth since he came rushing to the car. He pulled up to the gate and stopped outside.
Dane rattled off the code and Cap tapped it in.
The gate swung open faster than he would have expected.
Cap pulled the car through the gates and they rode in tense silence down the long driveway to the portico.
Dane jumped from the car almost before it stopped, not wanting to hear the thanks he knew Peter would have for Cap.
Acer jumped from the other side a beat after, leaving Peter and Cap to make their exchange in quiet.
It didn’t take long. Peter emerged and Cap took off, not leaving rubber, but leaving the impression that he wanted to.
“According to Cap, the feds are being called back in,” Peter said. “And Mark Richards isn’t happy.”