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Kane shook his head. “No, I’ll wait until he’s finished.”
“We’re done with one victim and the others are on the list for tomorrow.” Emily’s gray eyes met his with concern. “Is something wrong? Is Jenna—”
“Jenna’s fine, everyone is fine.” Kane stared at the floor. “I just need to speak to Shane—alone.”
“Okay, I’ll go get him.” Emily pushed open the doors to the examination room and went inside.
Kane paced the spotless white tiled floor, ignoring the smell of antiseptic and burning flesh. It was cold and at least ten degrees lower than outside but Kane welcomed the chill on his boiling flesh. His mind was in turmoil. He’d been told the man responsible for Annie’s death had been killed but had that just been a ploy to keep him in Black Rock Falls? He recalled the shock on Jenna’s face. She had seen what haunted his every waking moment. Now he understood why he could find no peace. The man responsible still walked the earth. Had Annie been reaching out from beyond the grave to tell him so?
The door to the examination room opened in a whoosh. Kane stopped pacing as Wolfe appeared and peeled off his scrubs and tossed them into a bin. He walked slowly toward him. “You know why I’m here, don’t you?”
“Nope.” Wolfe stood hands balled on his hips and stared at him. “Is there a problem?”
Kane swallowed the grief blocking his throat. “It’s private.”
“Okay, we’ll speak in my office.” Wolfe led the way and once inside, went straight to the coffee machine and brewed two cups. “You’re wound up as tight as a drum, pace up and down or do whatever you need to do while you explain, but I’ve been working for eight hours without a break and I’m making coffee.”
The coffee machine hummed and hissed before spilling out two cups. Trying not to pick up the machine and toss it against the wall, Kane took a few deep breaths and dropped into his state of calm. There were two sides to this state. One, he could withstand an incredible amount of pain or suffering and the other, he could kill without conscience. He’d never used it to keep calm when his mind was screaming for revenge and not when dealing with a friend. He hadn’t fooled Wolfe and he noticed the change in his expression. Even Duke eyed him with suspicion. He sat down and waited.
“Drink the coffee.” Wolfe piled a cup with sugar and cream and slid it over to Kane. “You look like you’re going into shock. What the hell is happening to you? Is it flashbacks?”
Ignoring the coffee, Kane rolled his head from side to side, he’d been clamping his jaw so tight his neck ached. “Why didn’t you tell me Carter was the lead investigator on my case?”
“I didn’t want to drag up unpleasant memories for you.” Wolfe frowned. “It’s not as if you can thank him.”
“Thank him? I don’t think so.” Kane stared at Wolfe’s confused expression. “You informed me the FBI took care of the terrorist group that killed Annie. Was that true or just a way to keep me here?”
“It was the information I received from the top, why?” Wolfe pulled out a box of cookies and placed them on the t
able. “Eat something. You look like shit.”
Remaining in his calm state, Kane took out his phone and accessed the images of the car bombing and slid them across the table to Wolfe. “Carter has these and discovered the device used to murder Annie was made by the same person who made the bomb in the Louan case.”
“Oh Lord.” Wolfe’s face went sheet-white. “He didn’t mention anything to me about the device. He asked if I could trust you both to keep a state secret, so of course I said yes. He doesn’t know anything about you or Jenna.”
Kane gathered his thoughts before he attempted to speak. “I was led to believe the case files were sealed. I want to know how much Carter knows about me and why he is spreading the files around. Does he know I’m alive—or my name?”
“No, not a chance. Carter doesn’t have the clearance. He’s a specialist in his field and a darn good investigator. He risked his life to take out the bomber. This is why he has access to the files, and recognized the match in the devices.” Wolfe frowned. “You can trust him.”
“Can I? He killed the wrong man. A terrorist maybe but I’d bet my last dime, the guy wasn’t involved in my wife’s murder.” Kane slammed his fist on the table, making the coffee wash over the sides of the cups. “Now I know why Annie won’t allow me to get on with my life. The man who killed her is still out there and now he’s killing again. This time he’s turned up his game. You know as well as I do, Shane, if there’s a girl missing from the house, he has her. He’s a pyrotechnic psychopath hell bent on teaching someone a lesson but I have the upper hand this time. When I’m given a target, I never give up and he doesn’t know I’m alive.”
Ten
Thursday
After a restless night worrying about the missing girl and Kane’s sudden departure, Jenna woke at five to the sound of his voice outside her bedroom door. It wasn’t unusual for him to let himself in after he’d finished tending the horses but as he hadn’t returned the previous evening to discuss the case, she was anxious to know if he was doing okay. She’d fended off questions about Kane’s sudden departure with Duke, telling white lies about Kane being concerned about Duke’s health and perhaps he’d gone to visit the vet. Albeit at ten at night. With Kane missing and everyone exhausted, she’d opened the door to the cottage for Carter and after making sure Jo was settled in her spare room had lain awake for hours. She scrambled from the bed and went to the door. She noticed Carter lingering in the hallway and looked at Kane. “Did you want to speak to me?”
“Nah, just letting you know, we’re heading to the gym.” Kane gave her a look that gave no clue to his absence and waved Carter away. “Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you.” He turned back to her. “You planning on a quick workout? You’ll have two partners this morning.”
“Forget that. What happened to you last night?” Jenna looked up at him. “I had to make out Duke was sick and you’d gone to see the vet.”
“I knew you’d think of something.” Kane narrowed his gaze. “I needed to speak to Wolfe.”
Bolstering her courage, Jenna dropped her voice to a whisper. “That was Annie in the photos, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Kane stared at his boots as if unable to face her. “That’s all I remember before I passed out. It was the last time I saw her.” He looked back up and she could see the torment in his eyes. “She was my soulmate, Jenna. It tore out my heart when she died.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “Wolfe told me they’d taken the bomber down and now I discover he’s still breathing.”
Feeling his pain, Jenna squeezed his rock-hard arm. “He won’t get away this time with the four of us chasing his tail. I want to get into the office as early as possible. I’ll need to make arrangements for Rowley to take over the day-to-day running of the place if we’re going to be helping Jo.” She stared at him. “Maybe you should skip your workout this morning?”
