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“I remember.” Kane let out a long sigh. “I want that back, Jenna, but I’m so darn angry right now.”
Concerned, Jenna frowned. “Angry at me?”
“Not you.” Kane barked a laugh. “You’re amazing to put up with me. I know I’ve been a pain in the butt these last couple of months.” He swallowed. “It’s not being able to join a mission to take out the man who killed Annie that’s eating me up inside.”
Jenna bit her bottom lip. He rarely mentioned his wife’s name. Annie died in a car bombing by a terrorist group in his other life as a special agent. He had been the obvious target and Annie was collateral damage. “There will be no mission. Don’t you remember? Wolfe told you POTUS gave the investigation top priority but the terrorists were like ghosts. If they find any leads, anything at all, they’ll handle it and you’ll be notified.”
“That’s not the problem.” Kane’s hands tightened on the steering wheel and Jenna could hear his leather gloves creak. “Because my memory of the days before the bombing are so clear now, I’m convinced it wasn’t a terrorist group at all.”
Astounded, Jenna sucked in a deep breath. “Then who would want you dead?”
“Someone on the inside, close to me.” Kane’s mouth turned down. “Someone I trusted.” He looked at her and she could see the cold calculating government assassin looking back at her. “I figure POTUS had his suspicions as well, that’s why I’m here with you. If there is a double agent they’ll figure I’m dead.”
The reasons behind Kane and Wolfe’s arrival in Black Rock Falls to join the sheriff’s department slid into place. She’d left DEA Agent Avril Parker behind and become Jenna Alton. In witness protection with a new face, she assumed Kane and Wolfe had arrived to protect her but she was wrong. POTUS wanted Kane surrounded by people he could trust because he suspected a double agent was trying to kill him. Perturbed by the implications, she leaned back in her seat and stared out at the miles of frozen scenery considering the options. After giving the problem some thought, she turned back to Kane. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing.” Kane tapped his head with one finger. “It’s all in here in bits and pieces. I just need time to fit it all together. I’m replaying conversations in my head and trying to figure out what doesn’t add up.” He snorted. “It’s not going to happen anytime soon, Jenna, it could take months and I’ll need Wolfe to run down some information for me as I go, but one of these days I’ll find the traitor and make him pay.”
Jenna squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll make him pay, Kane. You’re not alone now.”
“I know.” Kane pulled up at the side of the road and turned to look at her. “You’re an incredible friend—in fact the most tolerant and patient woman I’ve known. I’ve given this a lot of thought and I’d really like to go back to our movie nights and dinner dates, if that’s okay with you.”
“Dates, huh?” Jenna poked him in the arm to see if the iceman had finally thawed. “You mean that? Because you’ve made it quite clear you’re still in love with your wife.”
“Yeah, I mean it.” Kane gave her a slow smile. “I remember how it was between us before the head injury scrambled my brains and I think we’re good for each other.”
Feeling like she was sixteen again, Jenna met his gaze and nodded. “Baby steps then?”
“Yeah.” He touched her face. “Baby steps.”
When they arrived at Wolfe’s house, Julie and Anna Wolfe rushed out the door to greet them, chattering so fast Jenna burst into laughter. She turned to see Kane swing Anna onto his back and stride through the yard to take a look at the snowman the girls had built earlier in the week. She turned to answer Julie’s stream of questions. “Yes, you can ride Lady; she is well named, but only up and down my driveway. Your dad has given us strict instructions not to allow you off my land.”
“Anna won’t be able to ride Dave’s horse, it’s way too big.” Julie frowned. “Maybe she can ride with me?”
“Anna is riding with me.” Kane loomed up behind them grinning like a baboon. “After the ride you get to eat Jenna’s cookies.”
“Not too much sugar.” Wolfe appeared in the doorway smiling. “I have to live with them and this behavior, right now, is normal.”
Jenna followed everyone inside and Kane went back to his truck to grab Dr. Weaver’s computer for Wolfe to examine. When the girls took off to collect their things, she turned to Wolfe and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Try and make time over the next couple of days to speak with Dave. I can’t give you any details but he needs to speak with someone in confidence.”
“Sure.” Wolfe frowned and his eyes showed concern. “Are you worried about his head?”
Jenna shook her head. “It’s not his injuries, it’s something else.”
The front door opened and Kane came in carrying the computer.
“Where do you want this?” Kane looked at Wolfe.
“In my workroom.” Wolfe led him away down the hallway and into a room.
“Hi, Jenna.” Emily strolled toward them and gave her a hug. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m great.” Jenna laughed. “I’d be better if I could solve this case; it’s keeping me awake at night.”
“Dad will have some answers for you in a couple of hours and he mentioned the blood test on Ella Tate should be in by now as well.” Emily pushed her long blonde hair over one shoulder. “I didn’t get the feeling Ella was involved in Sky’s disappearance. She seemed genuine to me. You know what I mean, stunned and a bit disorientated. I’ve studied various types of behavior and she acts like a victim of trauma.”
Over the past couple of months, Jenna had come to appreciate Emily’s friendship and their discussions on crime. She nodded. “Yeah, but a killer can act exactly the same as well, especially after a crime of passion. I’m not talking psychopath, they can fool the best of us, but most normal people who kill for whatever reason are in shock and traumatized to some degree.”
“So I should never jump to the first conclusion?” Emily sighed. “It’s more difficult than I imagined.”
