Kyle lowered his achy body from the truck. He and Cassidy both needed another day to rest and recover, but he didn’t blame her for wanting to press on.
As soon as Dennis dismissed the team, the two of them agreed to interview the homeless man who’d talked with Jason. The dress shoes had piqued Kyle’s interest, and he wanted answers.
He turned to Cassidy. “How are you feeling?”
“About as good as you.” Her shy grin made him smile.
“That good, eh?”
She laughed, and it sounded wonderful.
He’d missed the softer side of her. “You need to do that more often.”
She scrunched her forehead. “Do what?”
“Laugh.”
“There hasn’t been a lot of reason to do that lately.”
He understood. “Maybe we can spend more time together once you’re safe.”
“I’d like that. You used to come around anytime you were off duty. I’ve missed you.”
His heart leaped at her admission.
“Then it’s a plan.” He parked the rental truck and motioned to their destination. “Come on, let’s find our witness.”
Jason had stated that the man had sobered up and had found a part-time job but still lived on the streets, using the shelter to shower before his shifts.
The stench that filled the alley known for the Valley Springs homeless population made Kyle flinch.
The sheriff’s department came to the alley often to bring food and support those who lived there. He’d never seen it so neglected or deserted since he started visiting when he’d moved into town.
The folks who called the area home cared for each other and kept the space free of unsanitary habits.
What had happened?
He stood, hands on his hips, and scanned the tents, cardboard boxes, shopping carts and sleeping bags. Not one person lingered nearby.
Cassidy stepped next to him. “This is too quiet.”
“I agree. Maybe the shelter picked everyone up for a hot meal and an offer to stay inside. The weather is getting colder.” But he’d never seen the place abandoned.
“Is this normal?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I’d like to look around. See if we can find anyone.”
“I’m good with that. I’d like to ask a few questions myself.”
Every tent and box was empty as they moved toward the end of the alley. “This is just weird.”
“Over there.” Cassidy pointed to what looked like feet sticking out from beneath a stack of cardboard. “Is that a pair of dress shoes?”
Kyle squinted. “It looks like it.” He motioned for her to follow. Approaching unannounced wasn’t a good idea, so he called out, “Excuse me. Sir, are you awake?”
The person didn’t move.
He tried again. “Sir, can you hear me?”
“Is he alive?” Cassidy leaned to the side, peering at the shoes.
“Unfortunately, he’s probably drunk. Be careful. We don’t want to startle him and elicit a negative reaction.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a rookie. I’ve dealt with my fair share of questionable situations.”
“Point taken.” Kyle continued toward the goal.
Cassidy grabbed him, threw him backward and off to the side. He hit the brick wall and slid down.
She appeared in his line of sight. “Get down!”
Kyle glanced up in time to watch a piece of PVC pipe roll toward a wire. His eyes widened. A trip wire. He threw his body over Cassidy.
An explosion filled the air, sending debris flying.
The rubble peppered his back.
He held Cassidy close, praying they both survived.
Cassidy’s ears rang. Her cheek, plastered to the asphalt, ached. Smoke and dust swirled around her, making it impossible to see beyond a few feet in front of her. She coughed, but the weight on top of her kept her from getting a full breath.
Heat warmed her skin. The raid. The explosion. Her team. Her arms burned, and sweat beaded on her upper lip.
“Cass?”
Her mind struggled to catch up with what had happened. Not the raid, but the alleyway. Kyle’s foot, six inches from the trip wire. She almost hadn’t seen it.
Thank You, God.
Nausea swirled in her belly. She’d come close to failing another person in her life.
“Cassidy?” Kyle’s tone sharpened.
“I’m here. But something’s on top of me.” Heat wafted in her direction. Face pinned away from the explosion, being unable to see the flames scared her more than she cared to admit.
“That would be me.”
“Can you move so I can breathe?” The weight shifted, and she filled her lungs for the first time since the blast. “Thanks. Are you hurt?” Cassidy rolled over and got a good look at the dying flames. Her pulse slowed.
Kyle grabbed her hand and tugged her away from the fire. At the end of the alley, he pressed his back against the brick wall, slid to the ground and closed his eyes. “I have a few more bruises and scratches to add to my collection. That was a little too close for my taste.”
She sat next to him. “I don’t recommend doing it again.”
His gaze met hers. “Are you really okay?”
“Nothing time won’t fix.”
“What about flashbacks from the raid?”
She shrugged. “I already have them occasionally—what’s a few more.”
“Stop that. Stop downplaying your feelings.”
“What do you want me to say? I’m scared. My hands are shaking. I want to throw up. I’m struggling to keep my mind from reliving the explosions over and over. Well, they’re all true.” Rivulets of tears poured down her cheeks. “I’m not the perfect all-together person everyone wants me to be.”
Kyle wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “You don’t have to be perfect. Just be you.”
She laid her head on his chest. Her body shook like a nervous Chihuahua, and the tears refused to stop falling.
“I’ve got you.” Kyle rubbed her back. “We’re okay, thanks to you.”
Several minutes later, she pulled away and instantly missed the warmth of his embrace. “I’m sorry that I got you all wet.” She wiped the front of his jacket.
“I’ll dry.” He tipped up her chin. “Feel better?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I do.”
“Good.” He hesitated a moment, retrieved his phone from his pocket and placed a call.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“Sonja, this is Detective Howard. There was an explosion at the homeless camp. I need fire and a crime scene crew.”
“Copy that.” He heard Sonja relaying the message. “Do you need medical?”
“It’s not urgent. Only scrapes and bruises.”
“Everyone’s on the way. And heads up, the sheriff went code three out of here when he heard.”
“Copy that.” Kyle hung up. Wonderful. His boss left the office with lights and sirens. “Brace yourself. You’re about to see the mother hen side of Dennis.”
She laughed. “Now that’s a picture I’ll never get out of my mind.”
Cassidy pressed her hand on the wall and stood. She turned and got her first good look at the damage. “Wow. Talk about targeted. That was meant for whoever tripped the wire. There’s no other damage. And check it out. The box at the end of the alley moved. No one is there. Only the shoes.”
“So, it was a setup all along. Ever get the feeling someone’s out to get us?” Kyle crossed his arms over his chest and winced at the tug of the new scrapes on his back.
“Who knew we were coming here?”
“Only the team. And they had no reason to tell anyone.”
“How is he finding us? Or should I say me?” She felt like a cat with nine lives. Only, she’d used eight of them.
The flash of lights and whine of sirens filled the air. Multiple vehicles raced in their direction.
“Looks like Sonja called the entire town.”
“Sonja?”
“Our dispatcher.”
Cassidy inhaled and braced herself for the barrage of questions from the fire department, PD and sheriff’s department. Technically, VSPD had jurisdiction, but she doubted the sheriff would stand aside without a fight.
An Anderson County Sheriff’s Department SUV hit the brakes, and the sheriff threw open the door and strode toward them. “What happened?”
She and Kyle walked Dennis through the events, including spotting the trip wire at the last second.
“You two need to see the medics.” Dennis’s suggestion held the tone of an order.
“Sheriff.” Doug rushed over. “I just spotted John Morrison driving away from the area.”
“What was he doing here?” Kyle asked.
“No idea. But he drove in the direction of his office when I arrived on the scene.”
Dennis pointed to her and Kyle. “You two get cleaned up and get some rest. Doug, I want you to visit Mr. Morrison. Don’t make assumptions. I want him interviewed again.”
“No.” Kyle planted himself in front of Dennis. “Sheriff Monroe, I want to look the guy in the face when he explains why he was in the area.”
The use of his title paused Dennis’s response.
“I need to find out who tried to kill us.” Kyle refused to back down, but the request was personal. “Come on, Dennis. Let me do this.”
Dennis stared him down. “No careless action. No retaliation. Get the information and report back.”
“On it, boss.” Kyle grasped Cassidy’s arm and gently tugged her to the truck. “Let’s get out of here before the paramedics zero in on us.”
“I’m with you on that one.” She jumped into the rental truck and scanned the street.
Was John Morrison her attacker, or was a killer out there—watching—planning his next move?
Kyle refused to change his clothes before confronting John Morrison, but he and Cassidy had taken time to treat the new scrapes acquired from the explosion.
Anger simmered, and he struggled to keep it from boiling over. If Morrison had anything to do with the trip wire that targeted Cassidy, Kyle would make sure the man paid for his action.
He held the door open for her at Morrison’s office building, and the two of them marched to the receptionist’s desk.
Khloe stopped typing on her computer and met his gaze. “May I help you, Detectives?”
Good. She remembered him. “We need to speak with Mr. Morrison.”
“I’m sorry, but he can’t be interrupted at the moment.”
Kyle inhaled and released the breath. Stay calm. “Khloe, there are questions I need answered, and your boss is the only one who can do that. Now, please tell him we must speak with him.”
The young woman seemed to understand that his patience had waned. “I’ll do what I can.” Khloe hurried down the hall.
“I think you scared her.” Cassidy toyed with the bandages on her hand.
“I’m not in the mood to be messed with. You could have died today.”
“Same for you, Kyle.”
The click of heels signaled Khloe’s return. “Mr. Morrison said he’d see you now, but he has a meeting in ten minutes that he can’t miss.”
“Fine.”
“Follow me, please.”
Kyle placed his hand on the small of Cassidy’s back and trailed behind Khloe.
The receptionist opened the office door and invited them inside.
Morrison stood behind his large oak desk. “Detectives, I don’t have much time, but how can I help you?”
Cassidy joined Kyle in front of John Morrison. “We have a few questions for you.”
The tech guru folded his arms across his chest. “I’ll do my best to answer.”
Kyle made a note of the man’s closed-off stance. “Where were you an hour ago?”
Morrison’s flinch was so subtle that most people would have missed it. “I’ve had meetings all day. I did go next door for a cup of coffee, but other than that, I haven’t left the office.”
Cassidy opened her mouth, but Kyle shook his head. He didn’t want to alert Morrison that they caught him in a lie. He had gone farther than to the coffee shop.
She pursed her lips, not liking that he’d stopped her. Her spine straightened. “Mr. Morrison, why didn’t you tell us that the carjacking you witnessed was that of your business partners?”
Anger flashed in the man’s eyes, but his voice remained neutral. “Witnessing the shooting isn’t something I want to think about. I hope you understand.”
The man was daft if he thought Kyle would let it go that easily. “What was your relationship with the Hugheses? How well did you get along?”
“I don’t like what you implied, detective. Do I need a lawyer?”
“Not at all. I only asked a question.”
Morrison’s jaw twitched. “I think your time is up. If you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to conduct. You know the way out.”
“We’ll go for now, but if we have more questions for you, we’ll be back.” Kyle jutted his head toward the door.
Cassidy took the hint and exited the office. She started to say something.
“Not yet. Wait until we get outside.”
They strode from the office building and headed to the rental truck. “What were you going to say?”
“Did you see the framed business logo with the four quarters?”
“No. I was too focused on Morrison. Why?”
“4Gen Tech. As in 4 Geniuses. How arrogant can he be?”
“I wondered what it stood for.” Kyle unlocked the truck, and they got in.
“I can’t believe he flat-out lied to us about his whereabouts when the explosion happened. Yes, he admitted he left the office, but only went next door. Why would he do that unless he had something to hide?”
“I don’t know, but let’s report back to Dennis and see what he thinks. It’s flimsy for a warrant, but you never know. Besides, the sheriff is good with stuff like that.” He placed the call. Once he hung up, Kyle pulled from the parking lot. “Dennis said he’d try. He’ll let us know in the morning.”
Cassidy slouched in the seat. “I hate the wait.”
“Me too, but we don’t have much of a choice. Let’s get some sleep, so we’re ready for tomorrow.”
He glanced at her and noted the bags under her eyes. They both needed time to rest and recover.
Cassidy returned to Doug’s house, refused dinner and took a hot shower to wash off the grime from her eventful day.
Comfortable in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, she collapsed on the bed. Her body hurt, and her head ached. She’d downed a couple tablets of ibuprofen and craved sleep. The concerned look in Kyle’s eyes had unraveled her composure. She’d escaped before she’d fallen apart in front of him and Doug.
Tears flowed unchecked. She’d never survive if she lost another person she cared about. And Kyle had come six inches from meeting Jesus face-to-face.
She closed her eyes. Praying the images disappeared.
Cassidy’s heart pounded. The wire stretched tight a couple of feet in front of her. A scream caught in her throat. She had to stop Kyle...
Amber’s eyes widened, causing Cassidy to peer inside the side window next to the front door. Red numbers on a timer counted down. The digits glowed six, five... She had to stop her team...
Kyle’s foot landed inches from the thin line, waiting to blow him up. She grabbed his arm and yanked him away from the trip wire...
Cassidy had to stop her team. She fisted her hand in the air, but would it be in time? Amber met her gaze a second before her friend shouldered McCarthy out of the way and breached the door...
Boom! The explosion threw Cassidy across the lawn.
Her eyes flew open. Nausea swirled in her belly. She stumbled to the ensuite bathroom and retched. Two nightmares had intertwined, switching back and forth in rapid succession, leaving her no way of discerning where one ended and the other began.
Another wave of the memories hit her in full color, and a cry escaped. Amber had breached early, sacrificing herself to save the team. Three more seconds and the task force would have been in place, and more people would have died. Instead, they’d had serious injuries but the only fatality was Amber.
Cassidy sat, leaning against the wall, and rested her head on her knees. Sobs racked her body, and sweat matted her hair. Oh, Amber.
“Cass?”
She lifted her face and found Kyle kneeling next to her.
“I heard you getting sick. I called out, but you didn’t answer. I’m sorry for barging in, but I couldn’t stay away.”
Tears flowed unchecked down her cheeks.
“Honey, what’s wrong? Did the explosion today trigger a nightmare?”
It was so much more than that, but speaking was beyond her abilities, so she nodded.
Kyle sat next to her and tugged her close.
She buried her face in his chest and cried for her friend who’d made the ultimate sacrifice.