Chapter 4
FOUR
Kianna raced to the edge, careful to avoid the same divot that had caught Cole by surprise.
Titan barked, then whined and continued to pace.
If Cole was hurt…
Kianna grimaced. She didn’t have her medic bag with her, which meant she’d need to get creative on how to help him.
She crouched, and the wet snow and dirt seeped through her pant legs and sent shivers coursing through her.
She peered over.
Cole sat on the ground and was brushing snow off his pants. “Are you okay?” she yelled. The declining slope was more than twice his height. And with the slick conditions, Cole had slid down fast.
Bushes and a few small trees scattered the open field below. Who knew if there were any rocks masked under the snow?
Cole stood up and took a step toward the base of the drop-off. “I’m fine.”
He gave her a thumbs-up, but she wasn’t convinced. At least he was talking and moving. Those were good signs.
“I’m going to work my way back up.”
He grabbed a handful of branches on a nearby bush and used them to pull himself up the steep incline.
Titan nuzzled up next to Kianna’s side, and she rubbed his head. “It’s okay, bud. Cole’s coming back. He’s not going to leave us.”
Leave us.
Her own words pierced her heart, more painful than a pointed icicle falling and striking her.
Why did her mind have to go there now?
This situation was very different from the fallout from her previous friendship.
She and Cole weren’t even friends.
Acquaintances and first responders. But that’s where their connections ended.
The wind picked up again and nipped at her cheeks. Sitting here made the cold weather more noticeable.
Cole had climbed a quarter of the way back up the embankment. She wished there was something she could do to help. Just waiting here seemed useless.
He pulled himself up another few inches, but his foot slipped, and he slid down again.
“Cole!” Kianna shouted. Her voice echoed in the open expanse.
He clawed at the side of the hill for something to hold on to.
Instinct had her reaching over the edge with her arm. But it didn’t matter. He was too far down.
Cole braced his foot against a bush to keep from falling all the way down again, then peered up at her.
Titan let out a low growl.
“I’m not going to fall down too, boy.” Kianna smiled as if that would reassure both of them.
“I can’t get good traction with my shoes,” Cole called up.
He began ascending the hill again, but a few steps in and he backslid.
Kianna’s breath hitched. They needed a rope or something to use.
She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Hang on. I’m going to try and find something to pull you up with.”
She turned around and stood up, surveying the wooded area. Tree branches were too short and would just snap, and any of the longer ones would be nearly impossible to break off.
Titan walked at her heel, and Kianna leaned down to rub the dog. Her hand brushed over the German shepherd’s collar.
“Your leash. Where’s your leash, boy?” It was worth a shot. Kianna hurried back over to the edge. “Is Titan’s leash with you?”
Cole slung his backpack off one shoulder and pulled out the restraint. He wrapped it into a tight ball, then tossed it up to her.
She latched on to the nylon strap. “I got it!” She unraveled it and tied the end snug around her gloved hand to ensure a secure grip. Then she let the rest of the strap fall over the edge of the hill.
It dangled two feet short of Cole’s position.
He began to climb up the slope again, each step slow and methodical. Every few seconds, he’d stop and extend his hand.
“You’re so close. Just a few more steps.” Kianna blew out a breath, and the hot air puffed in front of her.
Cole thrust himself up, and a tug on the strap pulled her forward.
“I got it,” he exclaimed.
Titan must have understood the victory, because he yelped and turned in a circle.
Kianna dug her feet into the ground and leaned back. She refused to lose her grip.
Cole held on to the strap and climbed the rest of the way. He pushed himself over the top of the hill and crawled a few paces away from the drop-off before standing.
His cheeks were red—whether from the cold or the exertion, Kianna couldn’t tell.
Titan jumped up and put his paws on Cole’s legs.
“I’m here, bud. Everything’s okay.” He scratched the dog’s head, then turned to Kianna. “Thank you.” The creases on his forehead disappeared.
She handed him the leash. “You sure you’re not hurt?”
“I’ll be fine.” He took off his backpack and unzipped it. “But you look cold.” He pulled out a scarf. “Here.”
She could say the same about him. The temperature must have dropped a few degrees.
“Thanks.” Kianna took the scarf, and her hand brushed against his. Even though she wore gloves, heat worked its way through her fingers and to her face. There was no way of hiding her rosy cheeks now.
Cole was just being chivalrous. A simple gesture that showed concern for another human.
Right?
Kianna wrapped the scarf around her neck. The wool fabric created a cocoon that thawed the edges of her cold skin.
She wasn’t going to read into the situation. The last time she’d done that, her heart had been shattered into tinier fragments than a single snowflake.
How long had they been out here, anyway? It must be getting close to late afternoon.
A buzz came through Cole’s radio, and he put his finger to his ear.
A figure to their left caught Kianna’s attention. “Who’s that?” She waved her hand to get Cole’s attention.
Titan let out a bark and took off.
The person was still a ways off, but Kianna’s heart beat double-time. If it was Mackey, Cole could make the arrest and end this hunt.
“There’s someone out here on the east side of the forest,” Cole relayed in his radio. He paused, then said, “Copy.”
“It’s one of my buddies.” He waved to the person who was making his way over to them with Titan on his heel.
Kianna’s shoulders dropped. They were so close, yet so far away from finding Mackey.
The officer was decked out in a hat and a scarf that covered most of his face, but Kianna still recognized him from the scene of the car accident.
The name lettered on his jacket read Thomas.
“You couldn’t have come a few minutes earlier, man?” Cole laughed and shook his head.
“This weather is slowing everyone down.” Thomas squinted against the flurries. “Where are the footprints?”
Cole pointed. “Just watch out for the uneven ground. I already had one run-in with the embankment.” Cole turned to Kianna and grinned.
She wasn’t sure what to make of his response, so she smiled but didn’t say anything.
Thomas bent down to inspect the shoe marks. “They appear to be pointing south and following the perimeter of the trail before winding down toward the main road.”
“Shall we?” Cole waved in the direction of the trail.
“No sense losing any more daylight.” Kianna followed Titan and the officers. The movement added warmth once again to her bones.
The German shepherd led the group and stopped every few minutes to sniff the air before returning his nose to the ground. The flurries had tapered off, and a few breaks in the clouds made visibility more favorable.
The gravel path was slick, and a few times, Kianna had to catch herself from falling.
“How close are we to the main road?” she asked. The pine trees continued to grow farther apart, but there was no telling the distance to town due to the minimal traffic. The air was still. Almost serene.
Except, instead of the peaceful hush that blanketed an area after a fresh snowfall, the quiet mocked them.
It whispered that they were trapped in a snow globe with no way out. And the only person who knew the escape route right now was Mackey.
“About five minutes out,” Cole said. “Mackey’s chances of circumventing us are growing.” He grunted.
“This isn’t over until it’s over.” Kianna would not let the convict gain the satisfaction of eluding officials in this town and making a clean break.
She focused on every detail of the area. From the clusters of bushes with red berries on them to the tall tree trunks—wide enough for someone to hide behind. There were even dry patches surrounded by areas of dirt mixed with slush.
Thanks to the precipitation that washed it away, or because someone had disturbed the area?
Titan sniffed the air and halted.
Kianna stopped walking and scanned the area. “Hang on.” She moved to a pile of twigs poking out of the slush and leaned down. “This looks like someone’s watch.” The gold face and brown band stood in contrast to the white snow. Droplets of red tinged the area. Kianna gasped. “Is this blood?”
Cole pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and picked up the piece.
“Titan.” Cole whistled and the dog trotted over. He held out the watch to the K-9, who sniffed it. “Search.”
The dog bolted past the bushes.
Cole ran after Titan, his weapon drawn.
“I need backup near Greenleaf Road.” Thomas spouted off the coordinates of their location, then jogged after Cole.
Kianna took off after them.
“Over here.” Cole’s voice carried through the air, breathless.
Kianna dashed past a few trees before coming to where Cole and Thomas crouched.
A woman lay on the ground, her jacket covered in snow. Blood seeped through and covered her arm. More red droplets lay on the ground.
Kianna unraveled her scarf. The fabric would work as a tourniquet and tide them over until the ambulance came and she had more supplies.
“She’s unresponsive.” Cole glanced up and frowned.
Kianna knelt on the woman’s left side. Her face was pale, her brown hair matted and tangled.
She pressed her fingers to the woman’s neck. “There’s a pulse, but it’s light. She’s ice cold too—no doubt hypothermic.”
“This has Mackey written all over it.” Thomas grimaced. Then he pressed the button on his radio. “I need an ambulance, stat. Unresponsive female. Bullet wound and hypothermic.”
“Can you help me lift her off the ground so I can wrap this around her shoulder?” Kianna asked Cole.
“On three. One, two, three.” Cole held the woman’s upper body while Kianna worked to secure the scarf and keep the bleeding at bay.
Now they needed to wait for the ambulance and pray the woman woke up.
She was the best chance they had of learning Mackey’s whereabouts and what he had planned next.
For Jaxon’s sake and the safety of the other children in Last Chance County, Kianna would do everything to keep this woman alive and not let justice fade away.