Maggie K. Black - Cold Case Secrets

Her eyes scanned the drop and then her chin rose. “Okay. I’m coming!”

He shoved his gun back in his holster. She took a deep breath and leaped. He opened his arms and she tumbled into them, just as easily and smoothly as if she’d been made to be in them. Her hands latched around his neck. He held her tightly.

Grace Finch was in his arms...

“I’m sorry I left the crevice,” she said. “I just wanted to get a better look at what was going on.”

“That’s okay,” he said.

“Thank you for catching me,” she said and pushed back against his chest. He set her down. “He’s got a modified TEC-9. Don’t ask me how because he definitely didn’t take that off a guard. All I know is I don’t want to be here when he gets it working.”

“Me neither.” A weapon like that could shred the trees and take them down a dozen times over before they even known what hit them. And a serial killer and escaped convict had somehow gotten ahold of one? “Come on.”

Impulsively, he grabbed her hand. She let him take it and together they ran along the rock face.

“Kevin!” he shouted. “We need an airlift. Now.”

“Good!” Kevin said. “Because that ten minutes is running out fast.”

“Don’t remind me,” Jacob said. “We had a second criminal sighting—Victor Driver. Somehow he’s gotten his hands on a TEC-9.”

He could’ve done without the whistle Kevin filled his ear with.

“How’d he get an illegal black market semi-automatic?” Warren barked. “He must have outside help. There’s no way he lifted that from a guard.”

“Yeah, we know.”

“Are he and Cutter working together?” Warren asked.

“No clue. Just get us out of here, and I’ll fill you both in and call in the sightings while we’re in the sky.”

As much as he’d have liked to bring both Cutter and Driver back with him, saving Grace was enough. More than enough.

“Okay, there’s a sheer stretch of rock sixty degrees southeast,” Warren said. “I can lower the ladder there. Just follow the sound of the river.”

“What about the rescue basket?” Jacob asked.

“There’s something wrong with one of the tether points,” Warren said. “Ladder is safer.”

“Got it,” Jacob said. At least he already knew Grace was comfortable climbing, although a suspended ladder wasn’t exactly the same as the rock crevice. He ran with Grace by his side and her hand tight in his.

“Watch out!” Kevin said, “There’s another heat signature coming up on your right—”

But even as he spoke, he saw the stocky figure of Cutter ahead of them, a fresh gun clutched in his hand. His heart stopped. He had one convict ahead of them, one behind them, a forest to his right, a rock wall to his left...and a woman holding his hand who he had to protect with his life. Jacob pulled his weapon and fired, but not before Cutter was able to get off a shot of his own.

“Grace, get down!” Save her, Lord! Jacob leaped, throwing himself in front of Grace just as he felt the searing hot pain of Cutter’s bullet pierce his shoulder.

* * *

He’s been shot! Fear flooded Grace’s core, even as her body hit the ground. Jacob landed beside her, his cry of pain mingled with the sound of gunfire that still seemed to echo in the air.

Detective Jacob Henry had been shot.

She rolled, sliding her body out from under him as safely as she could without jolting him. Her eyes darted around the trees. She couldn’t see Cutter anywhere, but whether he’d been shot, run off or was just biding his time, he couldn’t have gone far. Either way, they couldn’t just stay here and wait for him to fire again. A large jagged rock, at least three feet high, lay to her right. She grabbed Jacob’s uninjured arm and crawled for it, half leading and half pulling him, feeling him crawl after her. They collapsed behind it and she turned to Jacob. He was lying on his side. Blood seeped from his right shoulder. “Jacob? Are you okay?”

“No!” He groaned. “I’ve been shot.”

She almost laughed at the sheer strength of the frustration in his voice. “Yeah, I got that. Tell me you’re left-handed.”

“Nope, sorry.”

“Do you want me to check it?”

“Not right now. Thankfully it’s just a graze.” He yanked a bandanna out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Bullet’s not in the wound. Tie this down over my arm right here, like a bandage, not like a tourniquet. Hopefully this will absorb the blood and help it clot until we get somewhere we can get it properly bandaged.”

She took the bandanna and tied it over his sleeve in the place he pointed. She could tell he was trying not to wince, even through gritted teeth.

“Where are you?” Cutter’s voice came from behind the trees. “Get out here! Show yourselves!”

“Sorry, Detective, but I’m borrowing your gun,” she said and yanked the weapon from his holster. She crouched on the balls of her feet, set Cutter in her sights and fired twice. He swore and disappeared into the trees. She looked back down. Jacob was saying something in his shoulder microphone.

He looked up. “Tell me you hit him.”

“I don’t know.” She scanned the woods. “But I can’t see him or hear him. Driver either. But he can’t be far behind. Tell me your guy’s ready with that helicopter.”

As much as she wanted to reach the cabin and get that information, escaping the shadow of her father’s blackmail was way less important than getting them both out alive. Cut bait now. Circle back later.

“Warren says that it looks like Cutter is retreating, Driver’s climbing down the rock behind us and that there’s a clearing ahead of us to the left. He’ll lower the rope down and collect us there.” Jacob started to pull himself up, then winced. She reached out her hand for him and felt his hand grip hers for a few moments as he climbed to his feet. Then he let go. “Now give me back my gun.”

She bit her tongue to keep from asking him why he didn’t just use Cutter’s gun, partly because every inch of his tone implied that now was no time to argue, but mostly because he’d taken a literal bullet for her. She handed him back his gun. He took it. “Now, come on. Let’s go.”

She ran, dodging between the trees with Jacob right behind her, expecting at any moment to hear gunfire behind them. The trees parted and a long open slab of rock spread out in front of her, making a smooth gray platform. She stopped short, her feet on the edge of the tree line. Once she ran out, there’d be no cover.

The roar of rushing water ahead mingled with the thrum of the helicopter above.

“Go!” Jacob shouted. “Trust me!”

A rope ladder tumbled down from the sky, dangling out over the stone ahead, promising rescue and survival. She gasped for breath and ran for it, feeling her footsteps slip as they crossed the smooth wet rock. She leaped for the ladder, gripped it tightly and started climbing, rung after rung, as it shook and swayed beneath her, tossing her like laundry in the wind.

For a moment, she thought she was going to fall. Then she felt the rope ladder go tight like she’d suddenly been anchored. She looked down. It was Jacob. He’d holstered his weapon and was awkwardly clinging to the rope one-handed below her. The helicopter rose, sending the ladder flying out over the raging water below. She glanced past Jacob to the river churning beneath them. Her stomach lurched. This was reckless. She couldn’t do this.

“Grace!” Jacob shouted. “Look at me!”

She clenched her jaw and shifted her gaze to the strong and determined face of the man beneath her. His eyes met hers, a reassuring smile crossed his face and she felt something like a light switch on inside her.