It didn’t take long for Brody to regret his ridiculous behavior. What was wrong with him? Yes, he very much believed that all people should be considered innocent until proven guilty, but that wasn’t the way he should have handled the situation with Julianne.
He sat on the edge of the bed and dropped his head into his hands. She’d hit a sore spot, especially dragging up their past argument, throwing her beliefs about Lilly’s disappearance once again in his face.
Yet he couldn’t blame her for asking the question about other kids he’d served time with. Julianne was right, the gunman could very easily be someone he and Nate had met during their time in a juvenile detention center. In fact, it was highly probable.
But what was he supposed to do? Take a wild guess? Or decide who the most likely candidate might be based on decade-old crimes that had been committed? Each one of them had come to the juvie center with a criminal background, some worse than others.
The thought of guessing wrong bothered him. He couldn’t imagine ruining an innocent person’s life, or wasting time going after the wrong perpetrator. No, the best approach would be to wait until the FBI lab processed the evidence, providing direction for their investigation.
Besides, if he were to be completely honest with himself, he knew it wasn’t smart to trust his judgment. He’d believed Nate had turned his life around, which he had, at least initially. But after Brody left to join the army, his former friend had slipped back into his old ways, as easily as if he’d never been a law-abiding citizen for almost eight years.
Nate had damaged so many lives. Trusting him had been the absolute wrong thing to do.
He wouldn’t, couldn’t afford to make the same mistake again.
The sound of a door opening and closing had him jerking his head upright. Springing to his feet, he hurried over to the window, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.
He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that Julianne was only taking Thunder outside to do his business, one of the reasons he’d insisted on getting rooms on the ground level.
She wasn’t leaving him.
At least, not yet.
But she would when this mission was over. And there was nothing he could do or say to stop her.
After watching her and Thunder walk along the perimeter of the building for a few minutes, he forced himself to turn away. Foolish to long for something he could never have. He’d chosen to stay behind, first to serve his country, then to serve his community.
Wishing he could go back to change the past was useless.
He stretched out on the bed, fully dressed, staring blindly at the ceiling. Where was Nate hiding out? Brody didn’t think he’d return to any of his old hangouts, although he should have one of his deputies check things out to be sure.
But Nate wasn’t stupid. He’d know those would be the places Brody would look. It wasn’t a good thing when the criminal you were hunting knew you better than anyone else. Nate had used his friendship with Brody to his advantage, over these past few years.
Brody’s gut clenched at the thought.
Despite his intent not to think about the other kids they’d served time with, he found himself going through them one by one. Billy Ray Creech. John Williamson. Kurt Royce. Jerome Fontaine. Jeff Polzin.
Soon their faces merged together in his mind, morphing into Nate’s round features. Nate was the true bad guy here, and he had to admit that any one of the old crowd could be involved as well.
Apparently Brody had dozed for a bit, because the sound of a door closing had him blinking his eyes in confusion. Julianne and Thunder must have come back inside. He sat up and dragged his hand through his hair, wondering if he should go over and apologize.
Gingerly, he opened his door just enough to see if she’d locked him out, relieved to discover she hadn’t. She was a strong, independent federal agent, yet no one was infallible. Thunder lifted his head, looking over at him, his tail thumping in greeting. But even then, the dog didn’t move from his spot in front of the closed bathroom door. Brody smiled, glad that Thunder was there as an added source of protection for Julianne.
He backed off, leaving his side ajar in case she needed something during the night.
Returning to his position on the bed, he mentally reviewed the evidence they’d gathered so far. Fingerprints at the Broke Spoke, the veterinary clinic and Clark’s house. Blood from the woods and the motel towels. Shell casing and bullet fragment from the woods. Size-eleven cowboy boot with a worn tread from the clinic.
More than he’d anticipated, yet so far not enough to give them a hint as to who the gunman might be.
Thoughts were still running through his mind, and once again he must have fallen asleep because a dull thud similar to that of someone closing a car door brought him instantly awake. Not unusual for a motel, but he got up anyway, moving once again to the window overlooking the parking lot.
It took a minute for his eyes to adjust as he peered through the darkness. His SUV was parked around the corner, out of the immediate area, leaving the parking spaces outside his and Julianne’s doors vacant.
He frowned, realizing that there wasn’t any light illuminating from the small fixtures attached to the wall outside each door.
A chill snaked down his spine, filling him with a sense of apprehension. Even though it was hard to believe that the assailant had found them, he couldn’t afford to take any chances.
Not with Julianne’s life on the line.
* * *
Julianne bolted upright at the sound of Thunder’s low growl. He was standing right in front of the door leading outside, his keen nose and hearing clearly sensing danger.
Grabbing her weapon from the nightstand, she rolled off the bed and onto her feet at the exact same moment that Brody pushed open the door between their rooms.
“Someone cut the power or took out the bulbs in each of the lights outside the doors,” Brody said in a grim whisper. “We need to get out of here.”
She nodded, swallowing hard. “There’s only one way out,” she softly pointed out. “The gunman could be out there, waiting for us to leave, hoping to kill us as easily as ducks floating down the river.”
“I know.” He glanced at Thunder, then shook his head. “But we’re trapped if we stay inside.”
A no-win situation if she ever saw one. The thought of sending Thunder out first made her feel sick to her stomach. She couldn’t bear the thought of her partner being shot.
There had to be another way. But what? Some sort of diversion? Maybe.
She turned to scan the room, racking her brain for a solution. Starting a fire was risky, but smoke would give them a bit of cover as they made their escape.
Towels might burn. She could use Thunder’s metal bowl to contain the flames, but would there be enough smoke? She didn’t think so.
Her gaze landed on the fire extinguisher attached to the wall in the kitchenette area. She quickly ran over and pulled it out of the holder, convinced the canister full of smoky powder would work.
“Good thinking,” Brody said, admiration reflected in his gaze.
Her smile was tight as she pulled the elastic ponytail holder out of her hair and wrapped it around the handle. “Okay, here’s the plan. I’ll hold Thunder back while we open the door. We can use the fire extinguisher to cover us as we rush out of here.”
“I’m afraid he’ll just shoot at the smoke, regardless. I think it’s better if we can toss it outside one door, using the other to escape. They might think it’s a bomb, especially once the canister hits the pavement.”
She could see his point. “All right.” She pulled on her backpack, clipped Thunder’s leash to his collar and tugged him back from the door. Brody took the fire extinguisher through the connection into his room. Her chest tightened with fear, and she realized how much she didn’t want to lose Brody now that she’d found him again.
He pulled the locking pin, opened the door and then pressed the trigger, quickly looping the rubber band to keep it in place. Smoke erupted from the nozzle and he tossed it out the door, slamming it shut and then rushing over to her side.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire hitting the door leading to Brody’s room forced her to back away from her own door.
She turned toward Brody. “Grab the table.”
He seemed to read her mind, grasping one end while she took the other, moving in unison as they upended it so they could use it as a shield. Mere seconds after they dropped down behind it, a single gunman came into the room, coughing from the smoke of the extinguisher. He fired repeatedly as if he couldn’t see very well.
She cringed as bullets crashed into the drywall, the bed, and from the sounds of shattering glass, she knew he’d hit the mirror over the desk.
She and Brody returned fire, and once again she heard a grunt. She guessed that one of them may have hit the gunman. The sound of pounding footsteps made her think the gunman had fled.
Brody didn’t hesitate—he leaped over the table with the quickness and grace of a gazelle and rushed out after the perp. She quickly released Thunder from his leash and followed Brody, Thunder keeping pace at her side.
The smoke had already dissipated, leaving a fine white powder behind. So much for her bright idea. She found Brody standing in the center of the parking lot, watching as taillights became smaller and smaller in the distance.
“He got away.” Brody’s voice was hoarse, either from anger and frustration or because of the remnants of powder floating in the breeze.
“At least we’re safe,” she said, reaching out to grasp his arm.
“Yeah.” He covered her hand with his, the expression on his ruggedly handsome face looking as if it was carved in granite. “Let’s get out of here.”
As much as she wanted nothing more than to get as far away from this place as possible, she shook her head. “We have to call for backup, although I’m sure by now anyone who heard the gunfire has already notified the authorities.”
“Fine.” Brody’s tone was flat and hard. He quickly made the call and told the occupants milling about outside to stay back, out of the way. When they huddled over by the lobby, he turned to her. “It’s clear this guy is after us. Getting away from here will keep everyone else safe ”
By now it was more like the third attempt on their lives, but who was counting? Julianne decided it was useless to argue, especially since she didn’t really want to stick around, either. “Them?” she asked, as they grabbed Thunder’s dishes and hurried over to where they’d left Brody’s SUV.
“There was a man sitting behind the wheel,” Brody said. “Floored it the second the gunman climbed inside the passenger seat.”
Nate, she thought, but didn’t voice her theory. Instead, she looked down at Thunder who was sniffing the ground around the SUV. When he alerted near the back end, she grabbed Brody’s arm.
“Don’t touch it,” she hissed.
To his credit, Brody instantly took a step back. “What’s wrong?”
“Thunder is alerting near the back of your SUV. Remember the bomb under my FBI vehicle?”
“Yeah.” Brody took another step backward and she followed. Soon they were far enough away not to be harmed by an unexpected blast. “Okay, we can’t use the vehicle. But we can’t leave it here...someone else might trigger the bomb.”
“I know.” She glanced toward the wooded area off to the east side of the building. “Let’s take cover over there, we can keep an eye on both the front of the motel and the SUV while we wait for backup.”
Brody must have read her mind, since he was already heading for the woods. “Rick is already on his way, but I’ll request they call Eddie in as well. He’s a retired cop who used to work on the bomb squad in Houston. He’ll know what to do. Once the bomb has been secured, we’ll have Rick take us to the sheriff’s department. Isn’t that where your boss left your replacement vehicle?”
She nodded, following him into the woods and taking cover behind a tree. Thunder stayed on her right while Brody hovered on the other side. The SUV was well within view of their hiding spot.
For a long moment neither of them spoke. She found herself concentrating on the familiar sound of crickets and the low belch of bullfrogs while the adrenaline that had fueled her initial reaction abruptly faded, leaving her feeling weak and shaky.
Brody reached out and wrapped his big, muscular arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She didn’t resist, holding onto him as her knees threatened to give way.
She was strong and had been in difficult spots before, but having Brody’s life in jeopardy had a huge impact on her psyche, something she hadn’t fully appreciated until now. Despite all the hurt they’d caused each other, he still meant so much to her and she drew strength in having him near.
“Brody.” She whispered his name in the darkness and he folded her close, ducked his head and kissed her.
* * *
Brody knew his timing was awful, but he couldn’t resist. Julianne had been great back there, fighting alongside him without hesitation, but the thought of anything happening to her filled him with horror and dread.
He’d do anything to keep her safe from harm.
When Julianne kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck, the years fell away as if they’d never been apart. He’d loved her so much. And at the moment, those old feelings resurged, slamming into him with a tsunami force.
Why hadn’t he gone along with her theory about Nate possibly being responsible for Lilly’s disappearance? Why had he felt the need to prove her wrong?
Why in the world had he let her go?
She finally broke off from the kiss, and buried her head against his chest. He could feel Thunder crowding close, as if wanting to be included in the embrace. The thought made him chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” she asked softly.
“Thunder is feeling left out,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to a spot beneath her ear. “I think he’s looking for a group hug.”
A joyous laugh escaped and he thought he’d never heard a sweeter sound.
“I’ve missed you,” Julianne said, her tone wistful.
His heart thudded erratically. “I missed you, too.”
Long moments passed as they held each other close, clinging to what they’d once shared. But it wasn’t long before his phone vibrated with an incoming call.
Regretfully, he reached for the device. Julianne dropped her arms and moved away, giving him room.
He kept one arm anchored around her waist as he answered the call from Deputy Meyer. “Kenner.”
“Boss? I’m pulling into the Thoroughbred Inn now, where are you?”
“In the woods. Drive around to the back, but keep away from my vehicle. We have reason to believe there may be a bomb planted in there. Eddie our retired bomb expert is also on his way.”
“A bomb?” Rick’s tone was incredulous. “What’s going on around here?”
Nate, Brody thought grimly. Nate had created a human trafficking ring, dealing drugs and for all he knew was selling illegal guns. And the fact that he was using weapons like bombs and grenades was probably aimed at mocking Brody’s time in the service.
The days of Clover County being a quiet and peaceful place to live were long gone.
“Be careful,” he advised. “We’ll watch for you.”
“I take it our ride is here,” Julianne said. And just that quickly, the past evaporated, leaving them firmly rooted in the present.
“Yeah.” He didn’t want to let go, but forced himself to drop his arm from her shoulders.
Less than thirty seconds later, twin headlights bounced around the corner. Meyer rolled over to the wooded area before coming to a stop.
“Let’s go.” Brody urged Julianne forward. She opened the door to the passenger seat and let Thunder go first before sliding in after him.
Brody climbed into the passenger seat. “We need to stay here until Eddie arrives.”
Julianne craned her neck. “Those headlights are probably his now.”
Brody tensed, hoping she was right. The possibility that the gunman might return filled him with dread. But when Eddie climbed out of his truck, he breathed a sigh of relief and went out to meet with the retired cop.
Eddie donned his bomb gear, looking like a dark chocolate Michelin man as he cautiously approached the SUV. Brody wanted to follow, but stayed back out of the way of Rick’s headlights illuminating the vehicle. Brody found himself holding his breath as Eddie examined the space beneath the rear bumper.
“Found it,” Eddie called out. “Bring me the box.”
Brody pulled the steel box out from the back of Eddie’s truck and carried it over. Eddie waited until Brody backed away before carefully dismantling the device, placing it inside the steel container.
Once the threat was neutralized, Brody assisted Eddie in placing the box containing the device in the truck bed. Then he crossed and returned to where Rick and Julianne were waiting. “We need to sweep the motel, make sure there aren’t any casualties.”
The three of them, along with Julianne’s K-9 partner, walked over the crime scene. The front desk clerk and a few other patrons were still huddled together near the lobby doors, where Brody had instructed them to go.
Amazingly, no one else had been injured, although the same couldn’t be said for the structure. Brody gave the clerk his name and information so the owner could contact him, before rejoining Rick and Julianne.
“Let’s head back to the sheriff’s department,” he told Rick.
“Okay.” Meyer shot him a concerned glance as they returned to the vehicle. “It looks like a war zone back there.”
“The gunman is getting impatient,” Brody agreed. Rick put the truck in gear and headed away from the bullet-ridden Thoroughbred Inn. “He pretty much emptied his clip.”
“It’s amazing you both managed to get away unharmed,” Rick said with a dark frown.
“And the other motel guests, too.” Brody glanced back at Julianne and Thunder. “They all stayed out of our way. Thankfully, we were able to improvise.”
“The FBI academy must have some amazing training,” Meyer said, using the rearview mirror to smile at Julianne. Brody had to tamp down the urge to tell his deputy to keep his eyes on the road.
“I need to check in with Max,” she murmured.
Brody glanced at his watch. “It’s four in the morning, you may want to wait until sunrise.”
She shrugged and nodded. “You’re right, it’s not as if we have any additional evidence.”
“I picked up one shell casing,” Brody said. “But we’ll need that Houston evidence team to go through the motel to get the rest of the bullet fragments and casings.”
“They will,” she assured him.
Meyer dropped them off in front of the sheriff’s department. Julianne and Thunder immediately headed toward the shiny SUV. One, he was glad to see, that wasn’t marked as belonging to the FBI.
“You want to drive?” Julianne asked, tossing him the keys she’d found under the mat.
He caught them with one hand. “Sure.” He was surprised she’d offered, Julianne usually preferred to be behind the wheel, but then again, he knew this area better than she did.
“Where to?” she asked with a weary sigh.
“Food first.” They went to a local fast-food chain to get breakfast and coffee, eating everything in the car, although Julianne also made sure to provide food and water for Thunder, too. When they’d finished, her phone jangled loudly.
She answered the phone, putting it on speaker so he could hear, too. “What’s up, Max?”
“We have a lead on the Dupree guard’s brother. It’s possible he may have been at the compound but managed to get away.”
“What makes you think that?” Julianne asked.
“A fisherman on the Clover River reported suspicious activity at an isolated cabin in the woods. He noticed a guy entering the cabin, wearing a camouflage uniform that sounds exactly like the type all the other guards were wearing. Could be a fourth guard that ran off rather than fighting us. He could also be the one who shot the other guard in the head so he wouldn’t talk.”
“Unbelievable,” she murmured.
“The witness claims the guy appeared to be injured. He was favoring his left leg and holding his arm close to his chest. The fisherman didn’t go inside, but it wasn’t long when three additional men dressed in dark clothes and wearing sunglasses arrived on the scene. Our caller hightailed it out of there, but is willing to take us back to where he was when this went down.”
Brody tightened his grip on the steering wheel. A witness! This was the best news, yet.
Four attempts to kill them was four too many. They needed to turn this investigation around, rather than continue running from the shooter.