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Using her hands, she tore rocks and branches away, scooping away great armfuls of dirt. Beside her Carter was pulling the rifle from Kane’s fingers. He’d grasped his hand and was pulling hard.
“Jenna, help me pull him clear.” Carter had one of Kane’s arms out to the shoulder. “Grab my belt.”
Jumping up and taking a firm grip, Jenna dug her feet in and pulled, using every ounce of strength. A hand pushed through the dirt and she rushed in to grab it. Lifting a two-hundred-fifty-pound man covered with dirt and rocks was like moving a mountain. Seconds later, Wolfe was there, digging out Kane’s legs and dragging him clear. The next moment Kane emerged from the mound, coughing and spluttering, but alive. She rushed forward to wipe the dirt from his face.
“Let me care for him, Jenna.” Wolfe eased her away and pulled open Kane’s mouth and scooped out dirt with his fingers.
“Breathe through your nose, good… and now take some water and wash the dirt from your mouth. Don’t swallow. Don’t panic, your nose is clear, and I have oxygen.” Wolfe pressed water to his mouth and Kane made an effort to spit but the muddy water just ran down his chin. “Again. Spit it out.” Wolfe gave him more water and this time Kane spat out the dirt two or three times, and then grabbed the bottle, drank, rolled to one side, and spewed.
“Come on man, sit up.” Carter dragged Kane into a sitting position. He dusted off Kane’s black Stetson and dropped it beside him. “How you saved your rifle and your hat is a story worth hearing.” He slapped Kane on the back and got a blank stare in reply.
“Wash your mouth again.” Wolfe examined Kane’s head. “Where does it hurt?”
When Kane pointed to his eyes, Carter emptied a bottle of water over his head, washing away the dirt. Jenna just sat there and watched, feeling strangely remote. It was like an out-of-body experience as Wolfe methodically checked Kane for injuries.
“He’s in shock, but as far as I can tell without X-rays, he’s okay. The vest helped and he’d pulled his hat down over his nose and used the boulder for cover. He’s a very lucky man.” Wolfe’s gaze moved over her. “You’re not doing so well yourself. You’ve secured the prisoners and cared for the wellbeing of the hostages. Leave them to us
. Carter can handle the extraction. Kane needs you right now. Sit with him, keep up the oxygen, and I’ll go check on the others.”
Jenna hadn’t realized she’d been crying until Duke came up beside her and licked her cheek. She put an arm around him and then noticed his paws were streaked with blood, claws torn from his frantic digging. “You’re such a good boy. You saved his life and nearly dug him out alone.”
She sat there in the dirt for what seemed like hours, with one arm locked around Kane as he sat staring into nothing, his face covered by an oxygen mask unless he was coughing or spitting. She’d seen Wolfe inject him with something before heading back to the cabin with Carter. She could hear her team via her com, discussing plans with the chopper pilot to send search and rescue out to collect everyone. Carter was hauled up into the chopper by a rope ladder and would return with help to secure the prisoners.
When Kane’s hand closed around Jenna’s, she turned to look at him. Wet and muddy, his eyes seemed to have lost their faraway look. She smiled at him. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” Kane lifted her hand and peered at her shredded fingers and then looked at Duke. “Look at the pair of you. I can’t take you anywhere without you getting into trouble.” His voice was little more than a croak.
Sighing with relief at hearing him speak, she smiled at him. “You brought down a pair of serial killers by risking your own life. How the heck didn’t we have them in the equation?”
“How could we have included them?” Kane rubbed Duke’s long dusty ears and brushed the dirt from the deputy’s badge hanging from his collar. “There was no link, nothing to make us suspicious of them.” He sighed. “I was as surprised as you when Kara just spat out the information. She must have thought we knew she’d been involved. I think her arm is broken and the shoulder was a through and through.” He looked at her. “You didn’t want her dead, so I had to risk it and bide my time to get a clean shot. She planned to kill both of us.”
Jenna nodded. “After doing that, you didn’t expect me to walk away and leave you here to die, did you?”
“When the landslide slipped, I rolled beside the boulder. I didn’t expect to get out alive and I can’t believe my rifle survived. It became my lifeline, stuck against the boulder, it provided me with a little air and marked my position. Although, Duke here, wasn’t giving up. I could hear him barking.” Mud caked the corners of Kane’s smile. “I made all sorts of promises to get back to you, Jenna, and yet again, I’ve been given another chance.” He shook his head in disbelief. “It seems like you’re stuck with me.”
Spent and an emotional wreck, Jenna leaned into him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Then marry me, Jenna.” Kane’s expression had turned serious.
Heart bursting, Jenna watched a rivulet of dirty water run down Kane’s temple. Dark blue eyes stared at her from a mud-splattered face. He was usually so immaculate and seeing him like this seemed surreal, but in those eyes she could see the real Dave Kane. The kind and gentle person she’d come to love and trust. She dissolved into tears and clung to him, unable to utter a single word, but he just held her, rocking her until the emotion drained away. She sniffed, wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands, and blinked at him. “Yes.”
FIFTY
The cleanup operation happened in a blur. Having an efficient team around her made Jenna’s life so much easier. Carter had returned with a chopper and deputies from Louan to escort the prisoners, both would be held for a time at the hospital’s secure ward with a deputy on duty around the clock. Watching Kane being strapped to a stretcher and winched into a chopper with Duke had made her feel sick, but she knew he’d be okay. Before he’d left, he’d pressed a set of keys into her hand and asked her to check on the Beast. With Rowley at her side, she’d made her way back down the mountain, her stomach churning at what she might find. As they turned the bend in the road, a shaft of sunlight sparkling gold with dust motes picked out the truck. She grinned at Rowley. “It’s dusty but fine.”
Feeling a little shaky, she tossed him the keys. “You drive.”
“Me?” Rowley gave himself a shake. “Wow!”
Jenna grinned at him and climbed in. “Drop me at the office and take it through the carwash. By the time you get back, I’ll have a change of clothes ready for you to take to the morgue for Dave.”
“The morgue?” Rowley slipped behind the wheel and ran his hands over it with reverence. “Not the hospital?”
“Nope, Kane hates hospitals. Wolfe will take him to his office, so he can take a shower. He’ll look at Duke as well. His feet are cut up pretty bad. The dog trusts Wolfe but hates vets.” Jenna leaned back in her seat. “Okay, let’s go. I so need to take a shower.” She turned back to him. “What did the paramedics say about Rio? Is he going to be okay?”
“He was conscious when they arrived. He’ll need sutures in his head and they’ll keep him in the hospital overnight for observation.” Rowley started the engine and let out a long breath. “Piper is at Wolfe’s house. Mrs. Mills is with her. She’ll stay there tonight. Wolfe sent Mrs. Jacobs and Cade to the ER. He figured they were both in shock. Cade was incoherent when I untied him.”
As they headed down the mountain at a snail’s pace, Jenna’s phone chimed. “Hi, Bobby, do you have anything for me?”
