Chapter Twenty-One
As Rochelle crossed the kitchen, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye in the backyard along a patch of trees. A flash of red caught her attention. She froze as she realized what was happening. “Camden.”
He doubled back, walking toward her in a couple of quick strides. “What is it?”
As he looked out the window, the first flame was lit.
“Everyone out!” he shouted. But the flame spread in a matter of seconds.
“Gasoline,” she said as she searched for a fire extinguisher or anything they could use to break through the fire circling the trailer.
“Shirts up over your nose,” Camden said as everyone gathered.
“The twisted bastard has a mannequin with a blond wig that he’s been pounding with a hammer,” one of the officers said.
“He wants the evidence to go up in flames,” Rochelle stated as she bolted toward the front door. “We have to make a run for it.”
Before she could say another word, Camden and Benny were to either side of her. A bonus for this perp would be to kill her in the process of wiping out evidence.
Then what?
Didn’t Asher Foley realize he would be on the most-wanted list for the rest of his life after killing six law-enforcement officers from multiple agencies? Then again, maybe he didn’t care.
As the trio emerged, a shot rang out.
Camden pulled her back inside. They ran to the back door instead, and then bolted outside. “Stay close to me.”
The rest scattered.
One of the officers jumped the fire and then rolled onto the scrub brush to put out the flames.
Others followed suit after finding a spot.
One by one, they went for it. As someone made it across, they rolled to put out any flames and then pulled their weapons so they would be ready in case shot at or attacked.
Smoke filled the air, whipping around in the wind. Rochelle lost sight of Camden in the flurry of activity. Rather than wait, she saw an opportunity and then went for it.
The jump took all of two seconds as flames licked at her. She immediately dropped and rolled just to be safe. A fireproof vest covered her chest, but the rest of her body was exposed. In the melee, she lost a shoe but that wasn’t important right now.
Where was Camden?
She had to know he’d made it across safely. She scanned the area, still sitting on her bottom after making sure all the flames were out. Shock kept her left hand from hurting despite the burn marks. In the jump, she’d rolled her ankle, but she was otherwise okay.
“Rochelle,” Camden called out.
Rather than give away her location, she moved toward the sound of his voice. Hopping on a shoeless foot, she landed on a thorny stick, lost her balance, and smacked the hard dirt once again.
“Hey,” a familiar voice whispered from behind her. She immediately shifted her attention toward Kage. “Let me help you get out of here.”
“Camden,” she said through a wince as she tried to stand up, keeping her weapon aimed at Kage.
His hands came up, palms out. “Don’t shoot. I’m here to help.”
“You disappeared on us,” she stated.
“Because you tried to arrest me,” he said with disdain. “Remember?”
She nodded.
“Don’t let my brother kill you,” Kage pleaded. “He’s done enough damage already.”
Reluctantly, Rochelle waved him over to help her, lowering her weapon but keeping it at the ready.
“I’ll come back for Camden,” he promised. “Just come with me before you end up shot.”
Could she trust this person?
Did she have a choice? She could shout for Camden and give away her location to Asher, or she could go with Kage and let him bring Camden to her.
On a sharp sigh, she took the hand being offered.
“Lean against me,” Kage said. Up close, she studied his features. How would she know if this was Asher?
Rochelle leaned against the man she believed to be Kage. There was something in his eyes that made her trust him. A raw honesty that she’d noted from the first time they’d knocked on his door in what felt like ages ago. Funny how time had a way of speeding up or slowing down based on perception.
Kage—at least she hoped so—led her deeper into the woods, where he’d set up a makeshift shelter that blended into the woods. “You should be safe here while I go get your partner.”
She climbed into the shelter and turned around, gun at the ready and pointed just to Kage’s left. A moment of hesitation could mean the difference between life and death. Kage had helped her to safety. Would Asher do that? To what end?
The answer came quickly. To taunt Camden and torture her.
“I’ll whistle so you know it’s me,” Kage said, drawing her attention back to him. He demonstrated a tune.
“Got it,” she said, wincing as the pain in her foot hit full force. She leaned forward and picked a tiny stick out of the tender part of her arch. As she withdrew her hand, she saw blood. “I’m not exactly going anywhere. Find Camden and bring him to me.”
Kage—at least she believed it was him—nodded before disappearing.
The makeshift shelter would keep animals from reaching her. The other predator wouldn’t be so easily detoured. Asher was out there, searching. Was it too late for Justina?
Should Rochelle move to a different location in case this was Asher and not Kage?
Logic kicked in. Wouldn’t Asher have attempted to kidnap her by now? Why would he leave? He had her in his grasp. She was in a vulnerable position, injured. He could have made a move on her already.
What if Asher got to Kage? The innocent man could be injured or dead at this point.
The secret whistle had been a good idea because she wouldn’t know which one of them turned up based on looks.
Kage had on a blue flannel shirt and jeans.
He also wore brown boots. She repeated the description a couple of times in her mind to ensure it stuck.
Memory was a tricky thing during stressful times.
It dawned on her that she hadn’t checked her cell.
She fished it out of her pocket and checked to see if she had bars.
There was no service out here, as she’d feared.
The remote location was likely the reason she hadn’t thought to check before.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered how difficult it had been to get bars the last night.
The sound of sirens echoed into the woods. Fire trucks? More law enforcement?
It was possible Asher had already been apprehended. Kage too. He would be detained for questioning if not arrested in his brother’s place. Without ID, there was no way to prove his identity.
Should she sit tight? Or head back toward the trailer?
On balance, sitting here and doing nothing proved more stressful. Rochelle decided to make the walk back. She might be slow considering all she had to work with was a rolled ankle and a shoeless foot to stand on.
She could take her time, and check for cell coverage along the way. In her experience, even remote locations had spots of connectivity. Camden would be worried sick by now if Kage hadn’t delivered the message she was okay and hidden in the woods.
The blaze could be seen from this distance. The air filled with the smell of burning rubber, which meant the fire had reached the trailer. The taste of steam and sulfur sat on her tongue as she lifted her shirt over her mouth and nose to filter the smoke.
At her present location, she was downwind, so she headed east in a zigzag pattern toward the activity.
By the time she limped back to the scene, a flurry of activity was going on between attempting to put out the fire, to law enforcement either being attended to by EMTs or searching the area. She scanned the faces, needing to find Camden.
The burn on the back of her left hand hurt. As she made it to the yard, an EMT immediately looked up and then stopped what he was doing to run toward her. Based on his reaction, she must look like hell.
None of that mattered. Because she was desperate to see Camden’s face again and know that he was okay.
“Where is Marshal Remington?” she asked as the EMT with a name badge that read JT stopped her.
“I’m more concerned about you right now,” JT said as she kept limping past him. “Ma’am. I need to examine you. Okay?”
Rochelle didn’t realize how much of her strength had been drained just walking back to the site. Her gaze locked on to Benny. The second he saw her, she waved him over.
Benny came running as the EMT helped her sit down and lean against a tree trunk.
“Where’s Camden?” she immediately asked her friend.
Benny blanked. “I don’t know. I thought he was with you.”
“No,” she said, reaching for JT’s arm so she could pull herself up to standing. Her burned hand gave out and she landed on her backside. Hard. “Find him. Please.”
“Stay here,” Benny said, holding his hands out to stop her from getting up. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“I have something for that burn,” JT said before reaching into his bag. He pulled out a jar of white cream and then slathered it on the burn.
“That’s better,” she said, surprised by the miracle in the jar.
“Let me wrap it so the salve stays,” JT urged as she scanned the area. At least she was out of the smoke.
She gave a slight nod for JT to keep going.
“What happened to your shoe?” he asked after finishing up with the burn.
“Lost it during the jump,” she said.
“You’re cut up pretty decently,” JT said, examining the bottom of her foot next.
“Do you have a boot in that bag?” she asked.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“I rolled my other ankle,” she said.
“As a matter of fact.” JT held up a finger to indicate he’d be right back. He ran to the ambulance and was back in a flash. He held up a boot. “This should stabilize that ankle and make getting around easier. For the swelling, you’ll have to elevate it above your heart.”
“Okay,” she said to appease JT. The minute he cleared her, she intended to find Camden. With every passing minute Benny was gone, her stress levels heightened.
Where are you, Camden?
Camden caught sight of a male in a black hoodie and matching joggers running into the woods. Asher?
He didn’t have time to hesitate if he was going to keep Hoodie in sight and he couldn’t risk losing the man if this was Asher.
At this point, it could be Kage, for all Camden knew.
He’d been in the area last night, in this exact location.
Was he still here? Hiding? Trying to find answers for himself?
Or evidence to prove he wasn’t the one responsible for the kidnappings and murders?
Guilt for being wrong about Kage struck like a physical blow. Guilt for letting Rochelle down nailed him. And guilt for being terrible to the folks who’d been kind enough to bring him up slammed into him.
Hoodie was nothing more than a dot weaving through the trees at this point. He was too far away to catch. Camden’s lungs burned from inhaling smoke. He couldn’t get a deep enough breath to fuel him. His thighs screamed for relief as he continued to push.
This had to be Asher unless Kage had memorized the terrain.
The dot suddenly disappeared. Was there a ravine up ahead? A splash echoed.
Camden cursed, pushing a little harder. Pumping his arms like a track star, he managed to increase his speed.
By the time he reached the bank, Hoodie was nowhere to be found. The deep creek snaked through trees that blocked his view downstream.
Chasing Hoodie turned out to be a lost cause. At least Rochelle was safe back at the trailer. It dawned on him that he hadn’t actually seen her again after she’d jumped across the flames. His opportunity to do the same came seconds too late to make eye contact with her on the other side.
She was safe. Right?
Dammit. Camden doubled back. He’d been running for a long time and could no longer see any signs of the fire through the canopy. By this point, he hoped the blaze had been put out and emergency crews had arrived.
A quick check on his cell revealed no coverage out here. He’d expected no less but it was always good to be certain. His GPS wouldn’t work either. He couldn’t be one-hundred-percent certain this was the same trail he’d taken a few moments ago. Was he going in the right direction? Was he lost?
A twig snapped. Camden whirled around. A thought struck.
Was he lost or being hunted?