Chapter Twenty-Four
“When we get out of here, we need to have a conversation,” Camden said to Rochelle. Her heart skipped a couple of beats at the intensity in his beautiful eyes as he said those words.
He was right. They needed to talk.
“I was thinking the same thing,” she admitted.
“Okay, then,” he said.
“Can you lift the deputy?” she asked.
“Cover me,” he said to her before bringing a hand up to touch her face. His touch was so tender, it caused goose bumps to run up and down her arms. With a look of resolve, he turned toward Lee, walked over, and then picked the deputy up fireman-style.
Lee grunted in pain.
They needed to hurry.
“How did you know it was Kage?” he whispered.
“Blue flannel,” she said.
“Asher is wearing the dark hoodie,” he said.
She nodded as the caravan of seven moved toward eventual freedom. If they could make it back in time.
A buzz overhead revealed a drone that skipped right on by without pausing. Rochelle didn’t want to take it as a bad sign. It was almost dark, and she couldn’t be certain they were going in the right direction toward the trailer.
“I’ve spent the past twenty-four hours out here,” Kage finally spoke up. “We should be on the right path.”
“Do you know how long before we make it back?” she asked, lowering her voice.
“Another thirty to forty-five minutes, if I had to guess.”
The timeline wasn’t reassuring. Deputy Lee might bleed out before then. The strain on Benny’s face said there was no way he could carry Justina much longer, not to mention Kage and Camden. Should they stop and take a break? Or keep marching ahead?
Commotion ahead caught her attention. She put up a hand. Everyone stilled. Were they sitting ducks?
Rochelle drew her weapon and motioned for everyone to wait. She headed to the left to make a circle around whatever made the noise.
Several quiet steps away from the caravan, she froze.
“The drone must be mistaken,” a male voice said.
“They might have drifted to the left or right, but they should be in this area,” a second voice said, this one female.
The cavalry?
Rather than startle either one of them, Rochell identified herself.
“We’ve been searching for you,” the female said. “I’m Lieutenant Andrea Warner and we’ve been sent to find you.”
Rochelle emerged from behind a tree to find a swarm of helpers. “We need you. We found them. And a deputy has been shot.” She immediately turned. “Follow me.”
Boot on. Injured foot. Neither of those things mattered right now. All she cared about was getting help to those who desperately needed it.
Lee sat propped up against a tree trunk.
The victims sat on the ground, huddled together, looking pitiful.
But thankfully, they were alive. Rochelle studied them as law enforcement and EMTs flooded the scene.
It was a shame her work stopped here because she wanted—no, needed—to make sure they would get the help they needed.
Maybe she’d seen too much but needed to switch gears and be on the other side. On the side of helping victims rebuild their lives.
The revelation caught her off guard. And yet, it was undeniable how right it felt. Her supervisor was right. She needed to take some time off. Figure out her next steps. Because it was time to make a change.
“You found him.” A male wearing a hoodie stepped out of the woods.
Rochelle immediately drew her weapon and pointed the barrel at Asher Foley.
His hands flew up, palms out in the surrender position.
“Asher Foley, you are under arrest,” she began before Kage jumped in between them.
“You,” he said to his twin.
“I’m Kage Durham,” Hoodie said. “This man is Asher Foley.”
Their faces were identical. Their voices the same.
It was impossible to tell them apart. Except that Kage had been wearing blue flannel.
Asher had on the hoodie. She was certain.
The person who’d helped her to safety wore the blue flannel.
There was no way Kage would willingly change clothes with a twin who was trying to frame him.
“Why would you do this to me?” Kage said before bum-rushing his twin—a twin who was trying to flip the script. It would be the perfect crime. Kidnap and murder, then let your twin take the blame allowing you to get off scot-free while he spent the rest of his life behind bars.
Hoodie’s expression morphed as an officer stepped in between the two men, keeping them from a fistfight.
“You didn’t grow up with our mother,” Hoodie said through clenched teeth.
“You didn’t spend your life being told what a mistake it was to keep you.
She said I was the bad twin, and she hated me.
But you. You were the perfect twin in her mind.
” Asher bared his teeth at Kage like a wild animal.
His eyes were wild too. “She punished me for not being you. And then she died. Do you know how many times I wished I’d killed her a long time ago and ended the pain?
But I was too weak.” He puffed his chest out.
“Not anymore. Now, I’m the strong one. And look at you.
You broke the law too. You’re no better than I am. ”
Kage stood there, fists clenched, ready to pounce on the brother he never knew existed until recently. “Oh, we’re different. I made a mistake and then paid my dues. I changed. You, on the other hand, are pure evil.”
With that, he turned his back on Asher. The twin lunged toward him but was immediately wrestled to the ground and placed into cuffs.
“It ends here,” Kage said, walking over to console his brother’s victims. “I’m sorry he did this to you. And I plan to help make it right in any way I can, if you’ll allow me to.”
Justina blinked at him like he was a mirage. And then, she nodded. Slowly. Purposefully.
That was the difference between the twins. Kage wasn’t a bad person. He’d gotten off on the wrong track, made mistakes, and then decided to make a change for the better.
Rochelle would find a way to help him too and she would start with writing a glowing report to his parole officer.
The lieutenant walked over to Camden. She must have delivered a powerful message because his expression morphed. The lieutenant pointed him in a direction. For a split second, Rochelle thought he was going to leave without saying goodbye.
Then, his gaze searched for her. The second their eyes met, he made a beeline toward her. This was it. This was going to be the end of the case. And the end of her time with Camden.
“My grandmother is awake,” he said. “I have to go.”
“I understand,” she said, turning away before the tears welling in her eyes escaped. She tucked her chin to her chest so he wouldn’t see her cry.
Camden cupped her chin and lifted her face until their gazes met. “I want you to come with me.”
A tear escaped. He thumbed it away.
“Okay…” It was all she could manage to say.
He reached for her hand and then linked their fingers, as they headed out of the woods and toward the Bronco.