Chapter 10
TEN
The morning light streamed through Kianna’s bathroom window, and birds chirped, but it did nothing to soothe her nerves.
She dug her toothbrush harder against her gums and rubbed back and forth.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror.
The bags under her eyes were proof of the restless night she’d had, unable to shut her mind off after the events of the previous twenty-four hours.
She put her toothbrush back in its holder, then splashed cold water on her face before massaging serum into her pores.
Mackey was still AWOL, and Cole had made sure she understood that he was going to finish this case without her.
Which was exactly what he was supposed to do as a police officer.
As an EMT, catching criminals wasn’t her job.
But she couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. Not after she’d invested so much time tracking down this guy. How would Jaxon’s parents handle the news if Mackey was never caught?
They needed hope.
She needed hope. Not just with Mackey being caught, but with Cole.
Hope.
In his name the nations will put their hope.
Kianna sighed. Forgive me, Lord. I was putting a lot of weight on a fleeting hope. I just thought You might be leading me to Cole. To a guy who would show me there was reason to enjoy the holidays again.
But he’d made it clear she was just another civilian to him. The only reason their paths had collided for a brief moment was because of their careers. Never mind that she’d sensed a bond growing between them. Why had he shared about his family, then?
Kianna worked through the knots in her hair with a comb.
She needed to reorient her mindset.
Christ was her hope. A lasting love that wouldn’t change with time. Even while she still longed to be married.
It’s a good gift from You, Lord. I don’t want to throw that dream away either. Yet not my will but Yours.
She changed into her work uniform, then grabbed her phone and headed to the kitchen.
“Hey, Google, play my daily song mix.”
Kianna took out a bowl from the cupboard, then measured out oatmeal.
“O Holy Night” rang through the space, and Kianna stopped pouring the almond milk into the dish and smiled.
Yes, Lord. I hear You.
She set the timer on the microwave to heat up her breakfast, then leaned against the counter.
The chorus broke out, and the woman’s voice built in anticipation. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.
That was where her true hope lay. In Christ.
She could rejoice today, and even this holiday season, because of Jesus.
Is it possible to delight in the hope of You alongside someone else, Lord? Maybe even with Cole?
The timer beeped, and Kianna cupped her hands around the warm bowl, steam rising off the top.
She didn’t know whether things would ever work with Cole. But she was certain of one thing: With God, nothing was impossible. He would give her hope and contentment no matter what the future brought.
After adding cinnamon and a drizzle of honey, she sat down and took a bite.
She could always text Cole and see how the case was going, whether they’d gotten any closer to Mackey’s whereabouts.
There was also time before her shift to stop over at Tiny Paws and drop off a few goodies for the extra pets that would be boarded there for the holiday until the adopt-a-pet event was rescheduled.
It would give her a chance to poke around the place for a bit, maybe even talk to the manager.
Her instincts told her that what Rainy had overheard about the canine currency had something to do with the animals.
A knock sounded on her door.
Kianna rinsed out her bowl, then put it in the dishwasher.
The knock sounded again, this time faster, harder. “Coming!” she yelled.
Kianna opened the door. “Victoria, what’s wrong?” The woman lived in Kianna’s neighborhood, and they occasionally saw each other taking walks, but they weren’t close.
The woman’s face was pinched, and tears dried on her cheeks. “Hurry, please.” She reached out her hand and took hold of Kianna’s wrist. “The car. I…” The woman hiccupped. “I was leaving the development on my way to work, and I saw Mackey. Cole tried to stop him, but he—” She pointed behind her.
Kianna squinted against the sun that shone off the snow-covered grass. A Blazer, like the one she and Cole had used yesterday, was parked by the curb.
Was that Cole’s car? Had he found a lead in this area? “Is Cole hurt? Or Mackey? Hang on.” Kianna closed the front door a crack so she could open the hall closet and pull out a spare first aid kit.
She put on her jacket, grabbed her purse and the medical supplies, then closed the front door. “Where are they?” Kianna’s pulse sped up.
“It’s not Mack…” Victoria shook her head. “It’s Cole. He hit Cole.”
Kianna stilled. “No.” Please, God, don’t let it be critical.
“Mackey hurt him. I can’t tell how bad it is.” Victoria’s brow furrowed.
Kianna broke off into a jog, Victoria at her heel.
Her lungs burned from the cold air.
Kianna sidestepped a patch of ice on the sidewalk and almost barreled into the side of the car.
Victoria’s shoes crunched through the snow behind her, but Kianna blocked out the other woman.
She opened the car door and swallowed. Blood trailed down the side of Cole’s face, his skin pale, eyes closed. “Cole. It’s Kianna. Can you hear me?” She set the first aid kit on the dashboard, then took Cole’s hand to check for a pulse.
Her shoulders relaxed. Steady. Strong.
A hand gripped her upper arm.
“Victoria, call 911.” Kianna peered over her shoulder.
“There’s no need.” Victoria smirked, and in an instant, the woman had her other arm wrapped around Kianna’s neck and her hand clamped down on Kianna’s face with a cloth.
What in the world?
Kianna tried to elbow the woman, but a potent smell filled her nostrils. Her head began to throb until her eyes lost focus and the world spun into a web of darkness.
* * *
Kianna. Someone shook her shoulders. Kianna, wake up. The person’s breath tickled her ear, and she let out a groan. A pine scent wafted toward her nose, making her want to curl up and sleep more.
Had she been dreaming?
She went to turn over and wrap herself tighter in her sheets, except she couldn’t move.
Where was she?
A dull ache clung to her temples. Kianna blinked a few times.
“That’s good. Wake up, Kianna.” Cole’s voice registered next to her.
Finally, her eyes worked with her brain and opened.
Lines etched Cole’s brow, his eyes assessing her.
She pushed herself up on the leather seat. Sunlight shone through the car windows. Trees and snow lined the landscape outside with no houses in sight. They weren’t in her neighborhood anymore.
Victoria. Cole. The attack.
Kianna gasped. “Cole?” she whispered, twisting her upper body. She went to move her hand to the caked blood on his cheek, but a rope tied around her wrists held her back. “Thank God you’re alive.” She bit down on her lip, and tears spilled onto her face. “What happened?”
“Hey. It’s gonna be okay.” Cole lifted his bound hands and used his knuckles to wipe away a tear from her cheek. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to drag you into this.” He leaned his head back against the seat.
“We’ve already been over this. I volunteered on my own accord.” Kianna stared at the bruise on his forehead. The discolored skin had formed a goose egg. “You’re hurt. You need some ice for that.”
“After we get out of here.” He peered out the window. “Victoria is working with Mackey.”
“She’s the one who lured me to you.” Kianna grimaced.
“I need you to follow my lead, okay?” Cole placed his hands on top of hers. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Kianna nodded, or else her voice would betray her. Determination stared back at her in his eyes, and something else. Admiration?
“I thought we had a plan. And now you show up?” Victoria’s shrill voice pierced the air.
Kianna jumped in her seat.
The woman stood a hundred or so feet away outside, near a mound of snow on the other side of the paved two-way road. She flung one arm in the air. Her other hand gripped a red canister with a slim spout. A man with a long beard stood next to Victoria, a frown on his face.
“Cole, she has gasoline.” Kianna’s voice tremored. “And that’s—”
“Mackey,” he finished. “They’re having quite the argument, which should buy us some time.”
“Where’s Titan?” Kianna did a quick scan of the car but didn’t see the K-9 anywhere.
“At the vet.” Cole’s nostrils flared. “Victoria poisoned him.”
“Is he—”
“He’s fine.” They spoke at the same time.
“Poor guy.” Kianna frowned, then glanced out the window again, where Mackey and Victoria continued their fight. “She showed up on my doorstep. Said Mackey hurt you.”
“She attacked me. Not Mackey.” Cole grunted. “She was hiding in my car. I tried to thwart her plan, but when I went to snatch the gun out of her grip, she slammed the base into my head, and I blacked out. I don’t know how she knew where you live though.”
“She’s one of my neighbors.”
“Isn’t that convenient.” He shook his head. “Well, she messed with the wrong people.”
Kianna bit back a grin.
Cole’s hands were clenched in front of him. He was ready to fight.
Courage worked its way through her veins. With him by her side, she could face Mackey and Victoria head-on.
“Does the police force know Victoria is behind it?” Kianna mirrored Cole’s stance and raised her head, back straight.
“We’re on our own at the moment. But my boss knew I was coming back to the station. So when I don’t show up or radio in, he’ll have all hands on deck.”
Cole lifted his hands. “Let me see your wrists.”
Kianna held out her arms. The thick twine was wrapped around several times. He used the tips of his forefinger and thumb to work at the knot securing the bonds, but it didn’t loosen.
“If I create a distraction, can you run and go get help?”
Kianna swallowed. “I can’t leave you to fend them off yourself.”
“I can’t let you die here either. We’re the ones standing between Mackey and his freedom. And Victoria isn’t going to let us stop him.” Cole wiggled on the car door. “It’s locked.”
Kianna tried her side but couldn’t get it open. “They probably have the childproof setting on.” Thanks to the fancy new technology, there wasn’t even a lock switch to lift up, since it was computer programmed.
Cole unbuckled his seatbelt, then climbed into the front seat. “If the keys are in here, I can drive us to the station.”
Kianna pulled back the leather pockets in front of her on the back of the passenger and driver seats. “Nothing back here.”
Cole opened the glove box. “Don’t see anything either.”
Victoria wasn’t making it easy for them.
“Plan B. Cut these ropes.”
“There’s scissors in my first aid kit.” Kianna leaned forward just as Cole turned around with the bag.
Their noses almost collided, and Kianna sucked in a breath.
Cole’s proximity and his evergreen cologne threatened to unravel her.
From this angle, his brown eyes searched hers, beckoning her to find safety here with him.
Cole opened his mouth, then cleared his throat. “Whatever you do, don’t look out your side of the window.”
Kianna swallowed, then leaned back, the moment lost. Cole had the right mindset.
They were trapped in a car, a murderer and his accomplice outside.
She turned to her left, where Victoria and Mackey stood.
If they took note of the movement in the car and realized their victims were awake, who knew how they’d respond?
Cole slid back into the seat next to her and unzipped the first aid bag.
“Give me your hands.” Cole held the scissors.
She followed his second order but did exactly what he said not to do for his first. She peered over her shoulder and out the closest right window.
The car was parked up against the edge of a drop-off.
The snow-covered area did nothing to hide the steepness of the descent.
Boulders and trees littered the steep drop.
One slip and they’d be dead before they knew what they’d hit.
Kianna whipped her head around and jerked her hands. “There’s no way out.”
“Whoa. Watch it.” Cole pulled the scissors back.
“Sorry.” She grimaced.
“Here.” Cole had severed her ropes and now handed them to her to do the same on his.
“I’m going to see if I can unlock the doors from the driver’s side.
I’ll hop out from the front, and you escape through the back.
Keep running and don’t look back. If my assessment of the area is correct, we’re on the south side of the Mountain Ridgeview Overlook.
There are a few houses tucked in the woods north of here, about a mile away.
Go to the closest house and call 911. Tell them Victoria is working with Mackey and that they have my car.
As long as Victoria didn’t disable the GPS tracker on this vehicle, they can pull it up for a precise location. They’ll send out the crew.”
The plan could work, except it wouldn’t. Kianna might get away, but what about Cole? She wouldn’t think that way. He could hold his own. He would make it out alive. Backup would be right around the corner. She would hope for the best outcome. No matter the odds stacked against them.
“Cole.”
“Kianna.”
They said each other’s names simultaneously, and if it weren’t for the dire circumstances, it would have been funny.
Before Kianna could speak again, Cole said, “Whatever happens, I need you to know I’m sorry.” Cole put his hand on top of hers, his thumb rubbing back and forth.
Kianna parted her lips to speak but decided to let him finish first. She’d been in the wrong too. Not respecting that he had a job to do and that he was just looking out for her. Still, the apology soothed over the cracked edges of her heart, restoring the gaps left by hurt.
“It wasn’t fair of me to push you away. You were right about so many things. I’ve kept people at arm’s length to avoid pain. You helped me see that. And you’ve been a great partner on this case.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I just wanted you to know.”
Kianna smiled, even while her lip trembled. “Quit talking like we’re going to die, okay? We’re going to get out of this together. Partner.” She squeezed his hand.
He climbed into the front seat. With a brief nod of his head, he hit the unlock switch and opened the door.
Right as the car alarm screamed.
She’d told him they were partners. And now, thanks to his apology, she couldn’t imagine leaving his side to fight this battle alone. Never mind their plan. They were going to do this together.