AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dirt kicked up alongside the truck and pinged off the doors as he picked up speed. The smoke plume had dispersed, and he got his first real look at the fire.
An SUV.
“No. No, no, no.” Slamming on the brakes, Baker pulled the truck off the side of the road and threw it into Park. He climbed out of the vehicle, instantly assaulted by the caustic taste and smell of rubber and gasoline. He stuffed his nose and mouth beneath his uniform collar and shaded his eyes before trying to approach, but the heat was too intense. “Jocelyn!”
There wasn’t any answer. And he hadn’t expected any. If she’d been inside...
Baker lost feeling in his fingers then both arms and that sucking sensation in his chest intensified as the past threatened to pull him in.
The fire grew taller, consuming everything in its path. The entire roof of the barn was missing. Smoke lodged in his throat. He had to get in there. He had to see for himself. The barn door nearly tore off its hinges as the barest touch. He couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe. Hay burned beneath his shoes, leaving nothing but ash. The horses. Where were the horses?
A sick smell accosted him as he stumbled toward the stall to the right. His stomach emptied right then and there, unable to take the smell. Baker forced himself away from the paddock into the center of the barn.
And he saw her.
Seated against the barn’s support beam. Her hands wedged behind her back. Tied. Baker lost his footing. He face-planted mere feet from her bare feet. The dirt crusted in her toenails said she’d been dragged out here. Most likely from the house. Tears and rage and helplessness had him clawing to touch her to make sure she was real. He reached out—
Course fur warmed in his hand.
Baker blinked against the onslaught of sun beating down on him. The fire’s heat beaded sweat along his forehead and neck. Cracked earth bit into his knees as he tried to orient himself in the present. He focused on the K-9 leaning into his hand.
“Maverick.” Something like relief flooded through him. Baker scratched behind the shepherd’s ears before he pulled the dog closer. “Where is she, buddy?”
A low whine grazed Baker’s senses just as he felt a matted section of fur. Wet and warm. Blood.
“Oh, hell. You fought for her, didn’t you? You tried to help.” He hugged Maverick closer, as though he could somehow reach Jocelyn. “You did good, boy.”
Baker shoved to his feet, fully lodged in the present thanks to Maverick, and hauled the shepherd into his chest. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you. I’m going to get you help. All right? Come on. Let’s get you in the truck.”
He lifted Maverick into his arms, but a fierce bark racketed Baker’s pulse into dangerous territory. The German shepherd tried to wiggle free, his claws digging into Baker’s skin. Maverick released another protest—stronger—and Baker set him down. The K-9 ran around the SUV engulfed in flames.
“Maverick, wait!” Baker pumped his legs as hard as his muscles allowed. If something happened to that dog, Jones’s warning would mean nothing compared to that of Maverick’s handler. He cleared the car fire as the chirp of a patrol vehicle echoed from behind. Backup had arrived from Alpine Valley.
But then who did the vehicles cutting across the horizon belong to?
Baker reached out for Maverick, and the dog took a seat. Dust and heat blocked a clear view, but he made out at least a dozen armored, black vehicles a mile out.
Headed for Alpine Valley.
His heart threatened to beat straight out of his chest.
Sangre por Sangre.
“Halsey, what the hell is going on?” Heavy bootsteps pierced through the adrenaline haze. Jones’s voice did nothing to ease the panic settling in. “What do you have?”
Air crushed from his chest. “I think we’ve got a war on our hands.”
Chapter Fourteen
She was a tough cookie. She wouldn’t crumble under pressure.
Something splattered into her face. It ran from one cheek down her neck. Jocelyn tried to breathe through the swelling around her nose. Broken. She could still taste the blood at the back of her throat. Listening for signs of movement, she tried to gauge the bomber’s location. Another splatter jerked her head back slightly.
“You don’t have to pretend to be unconscious anymore.” Shuffling scraped across what sounded like a concrete floor. There was a slight echo to it, as though they were in a large room without windows. A piercing shriek hiked her blood pressure higher as the bomber dragged a metal chair closer. “There isn’t anything that’s going to stop Socorro from finding you dead.”
She swallowed the last globs of blood and dirt and risked opening her eyes. To pitch darkness. Pulling at her hands cuffed at her lower back, she gauged her abductor had zip-tied her. Twice. Less chance of breaking through the plastic. Something wet and cold seeped through her cargo pants and spread down her shirt. “Well, that just makes me feel special.”
His low laugh wasn’t villainous enough to trigger her nervous system, but it didn’t fit, either. “You always had a way of making me laugh.”
