Grave Christmas Secrets, page 13
She obeyed and after a quick pass of the blade, the restraints snapped off. “You did it! Thank you.”
Blood streaked Keegan’s hand.
“Let me get a look at your shoulder,” she said.
“It’s fine.”
“Keegan.” She used the tone saved for the rowdiest of her college anthropology students.
He shrugged out of the jacket and rolled up the shirtsleeve. Taya shifted into doctor mode, ignoring his muscular physique, and aimed her attention at his wound. “It’s a significant laceration. I’d recommend stitches. For now, do you see anything we can apply to stop the bleeding?” She reached into her coat pocket, grazing a small object. “In our rush to leave Ashfall, I didn’t log this,” she confessed, holding up the bullet casing.
“Better to keep it in your possession anyway,” Keegan affirmed, then looked down, inspecting the injury. “That’s just a scrape. It’ll be fine.” He pulled on his shirt and jacket.
Stubborn man. She pushed the casing into her pocket and zipped it closed, ensuring she wouldn’t lose it. “How did you find me? Is Bear alive?”
Keegan launched into a hurried explanation about finding Bear unconscious. “If Wanda hadn’t warned me about my blown cover, I would’ve never arrived in time to give him the Narcan.”
“She saved both your lives.”
He blew out a breath. “Yes, she did. All right, let’s compare notes. Your turn. Start at the beginning. What happened after I left?”
Taya shared her terrifying encounter with Folze. “I have a confession. I’ve only shot a gun a couple of times and never at another human being.”
He nodded as if he’d already figured that out. “Did you hesitate?”
“No. I guess survival instincts kicked in. I pulled the trigger. Except I forgot to remove the safety.”
“I shouldn’t have assumed you were comfortable with a weapon.”
“You’re not to blame. It was my pride. I didn’t want to appear incompetent.”
Keegan leaned closer. “Taya, you’re the furthest thing from incompetent.”
She shrugged, straightening her posture. “I could’ve killed him.” Her voice faded, contemplating the reality. Keegan remained silent, and she continued rattling off the entire wretched event. “I awakened in Folze’s pickup and heard him talking to Brando. He demanded more money and offered to...” she paused, hating her quivering voice “...‘take care of me.’ Brando told him Vice would do it.”
Keegan’s head jerked up. “He said ‘Vice’?”
“Yes.” She searched his eyes. “Who’s that?”
Keegan swallowed. “His real name is Vern Zilner. His rap sheet is an extensive list of everything from petty crime to murder. Vice is Brando’s cleanup guy.”
“He’ll kill Folze?”
“In a heartbeat. Once Brando has you, the SIM card and the remains, Folze will have served his purpose. Removing him is the logical next step.”
“He didn’t appear upset by the instructions.”
“Then he’s stupider or more manipulative than I thought. By dividing the evidence, it gives him time to negotiate. Or he’s planning to bluff his way out of it and get away. Brando’s men already searched the house here, so Folze’s got the evidence hidden somewhere else.”
Taya relayed the rest of the conversation she’d overheard. “I guess it’s a good thing I was unconscious and had tape covering my mouth. If I’d screamed, Brando’s men might’ve found me before you did.”
“I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t found you.” His husky tone and penetrating gaze held Taya.
“Thank you for not giving up on me.” Her eyes traveled over his face to his jaw.
His Adam’s apple bobbed and he leaned closer. His breath was warm on her face.
“The shelves,” she blurted.
He jerked back and cleared his throat. “What?”
“We can use them like a battering ram.”
“Oh, right. Find a short plank.”
She pushed off the stair and dug through the wood, needing distance from him before she did something stupid. And immediately hated the absence from him. “Folze told Brando to meet him at his cabin.”
“I found a car registration with an address in Running Water, South Dakota. That’s located on the other side of Chief Standing Bear Bridge, roughly 45 minutes away. I’m guessing that’s the cabin. Did they discuss a time?”
Taya thought back to the conversation. “No.”
“The door is old and rotted. It’s splintered but not giving way. Whatever he’s got on top of it is holding tight.”
“Right.” She backed up, unexpectedly kicking something hard. “What on earth? Keegan, can you bring the flashlight closer?”
He moved beside her and searched the rubble at her feet, finally withdrawing a small black fireproof box. “Ah.” Then, digging into his pocket, he removed a piece of paper with numbers scrawled on it.
“Found this in the house,” he explained. He entered the digits into the safe’s keypad and the lock released. Keegan opened the lid, revealing rolls of money. He closed the safe and passed it to her. “We’re taking it with us.”
Taya found a sturdy plank, and Keegan rushed up the stairs, ramming the wood into the door. After several more thrusts, a crack resounded.
“It’s working!” Taya exclaimed.
“No, he’s got something on the door.” Keegan shifted positions and, holding the shelf in an upright manner, pushed up, forcing it partially open.
“Go through!” he grunted, propping the door open with the wood plank.
Taya climbed out and turned back to him. “Folze placed more wood planks lengthwise over the door and added sandbags to hold them down. Give me a second.” She dragged off a sandbag.
Keegan thrust open the door and climbed through, carrying the money box.
They ran through the trees where Bear’s old pickup sat, all four tires flattened. Keegan slammed his hand on the hood, startling her. “When I get my hands on Folze—”
“Is there another vehicle?”
“You’re brilliant.” He ran toward the last Quonset and Taya rushed to catch up. Inside sat Folze’s game and parks pickup. “He traded his truck for his sports car.”
“What sports car?” she asked, confused.
“Long story.”
“How kind of him to leave us a ride,” she quipped, climbing into the passenger side.
“And to leave us the keys,” Keegan added, gesturing to the ring hanging from the ignition.
He pulled out a cell phone and paper. “Enter the address into the GPS.”
She did, passed him the phone, and he studied the screen. “I’ll take you to the sheriff’s office. I’m not risking your life again.”
Taya crossed her arms. “Don’t even go there. Face it, you need my help. We’re finishing this. Together.”
An argument lingered in his stormy eyes, then morphed into a grin. “I had to do the gentlemanly thing and offer you an out.”
She rolled her eyes, but a smile played on her lips.
He extended his hand. “Challenge extended.”
Taya grasped his hand and gave it a hearty shake. “Challenge accepted.”
TEN
Keegan focused on the blurred yellow lines, his thoughts jostling between fury at Folze and amazement at Taya’s fortitude. She’d been attacked, shot with a Taser and tranquilizer gun, left in a pitch-dark root cellar and bounced back, more determined than before.
“I don’t remember if I thanked you.” Taya reached up and fingered her blood-caked hair and bruised face. Both testimony of a struggle she never should’ve had to fight.
Sarcasm? No. The appreciation was legitimate and undeserved. “You should be furious with me. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Other than the brain-shaking headache, I’m fine. The wound was superficial and stopped bleeding a while ago.”
“Taya, I’m so sorry.”
“For what? You’ve done nothing wrong. I’d have escaped if I’d remember the safety and watched where I was going down the stairs. I’ve learned valuable lessons in all of this.”
“Care to share?”
“For one, I never want to experience a Taser again. It was the worst sensation! I was conscious but unable to move.”
“That’s the idea. The electricity stops the person in their tracks and gives the officers time to apprehend them,” Keegan said flatly. Why was he spouting useless information? Anything to silence the guilt trip looping on an endless reel in his mind.
“Two, when this is all over, I’m learning how to shoot a gun.”
Keegan grinned. “I love your moxie.”
“Change the things you can and all that.”
An interesting comment. “What can’t you change?”
Taya turned away, muffling her voice. “Fears.”
He recalled her reaction in the cellar and probed, “You mean like the dark?”
“Yes.”
“It’s possible to overcome anything with God.”
Taya snorted. “Maybe. Let’s just forget about it.”
“Nope, either you talk to me, or you’re singing. I need background noise. It’ll make the time go faster for both of us.”
She hesitated, and Keegan wondered if he’d pushed too hard.
“When I was a kid, I got locked in our farmhouse attic for a night, sometime before Christmas.”
“How old were you?”
“Ten.”
“By accident?” He refrained from looking at her, afraid she’d clam up.
“My parents went out of town for the evening. I was supposed to stay at my friend’s house, but I overheard my sisters planning a secret party and hid in the attic. Figured I’d surprise them.”
Keegan chuckled. “I’m sure they loved that.”
“Definitely not. They’re nine and eleven years older than me. I’m the quintessential annoying little sister.”
Patrice bounced to the forefront of his mind, and his throat tightened.
“My flashlight battery died, and I rushed to the door. I didn’t realize it locked from the outside. The music was so loud, no one heard me. I cried myself to sleep and spent the whole night trapped in the dark. My parents came home early the next morning and found me.”
“Did your sisters get in trouble?”
“Yep, grounded for months.”
Keegan’s heart tugged for young Taya. “Poor kid. You must’ve been terrified.”
She was so quiet, he looked over to see if she was okay. He gave her shoulder a one-handed squeeze.
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?”
“For not making fun of me.”
He hadn’t expected that.
“Jeremy never understood. He laughed and told me to get over it,” she explained.
Ol’ Jeremy gained points by the second. “I’d never do that to you.” His hand was still on her shoulder.
“I don’t doubt you.” She gave him a small smile. “I have another confession, though.”
“Okay.”
“When Folze kidnapped me, I was angry with you. With Bear. I wondered if they were in cahoots. My suspicions went all over the place.”
Lord, give me wisdom. “In all fairness, we view things through our lens of experience. Considering the hurt you’ve endured, it’s understandable. Truthfully, it wasn’t fair of us to ask you to trust two strangers.”
“Agreed, and normally, I wouldn’t have. Although, none of this has been normal. Evaluating facts makes me competent in my vocation. Still, there’s no benefit in equivocating the truth. I’ve unfairly placed blame on all law enforcement officers for Jeremy’s misdeeds.”
A vulnerable confession layered in her shield of intelligence. “Fair enough. Brutal truth? Jaded might better describe your outlook.” Keegan softened the admonishment with his best encouraging smile.
She shook her head. “As a scientist, I cannot condone that attitude.”
“I’d say this falls into the ‘change the things you can’ category. You said you like fresh starts. This is a great way to begin the new year. Choose to think the best first.”
“Your comment coincides with something I recently read in my Bible study about thinking on good, worthy things.”
“Philippians 4:8?”
She smiled. “Very impressive.”
“Years of sword drills in Sunday school.”
Taya recognized the phrase referring to a Bible game she’d played as a child. “Because of the evil you deal with, isn’t it hard to be a man of faith? You can’t just turn the other cheek. How do you prevent becoming jaded with the less than desirable people you encounter?”
“Looking for advice?”
She grinned. “Perhaps.”
“Law enforcement officers are peacekeepers. We bear the burden of tough split-second, life-altering calls so it’s a delicate balance. We choose to serve the public by willingly laying down our lives to protect the innocent and ensure order. Admittedly, it’s not always clear who is for or against us. I can’t assume everyone’s a criminal or take every person at face value. I suppose it’s a skill developed over time.”
“You’re a wise man, Keegan Stryker.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that far.” The timing couldn’t be worse, but he liked the woman behind the intellectual mask more every minute they were together. When the case concluded—and it would tonight, it had to—he’d never see her again. They’d go their separate ways. He wasn’t ready for that to happen. “Taya, I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“I echo those sentiments.”
Hope bounded. Outstanding. She felt the same connection. Ignoring the past-relationship warning he’d clung to, he said, “Do share.”
“I spend the majority of my time in a laboratory setting or in front of a classroom filled with eager college students. I can say without reservation this has been the most adventurous time of my life. I’m not accustomed to working perilous weapons trafficking cases with an undercover ATF agent.”
Keegan chuckled, gaining courage. “You’re the first anthropologist I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.”
“We’ve got one bright spot in this nightmare. Our heroic acts will be the stuff of legends in both our fields,” she teased.
“I’m hoping our ties don’t end with the case.” He plunged forward before his bravery depleted. “I’d love to get to know you better. Once we’re safe and not in the middle of life-threatening danger,” he added.
Dead silence.
The comment sucked all the prior openness from the atmosphere and replaced it with an awkward lull.
A tingle swept up the back of his neck and across his face, burning his cheeks. Afraid to speak, he glimpsed at Taya. She stared straight ahead.
Fantastic. Say something. Anything. “Sorry. That came out totally wrong.”
Taya remained quiet for several horrendous seconds before clearing her throat and addressing him. The bogus smile she wore faded into an expression lingering somewhere between pity and surprise.
In a word. Rejection. Desperate to save the minuscule pieces of his dignity, he said, “Forget I said anything.”
“Keegan.” Her placating tone shrank him in the seat. “Of course we’ll keep in touch after you return to Missouri.”
Did he imagine the hiss in her voice on the last word?
“I’ve enjoyed our talks and I’d like to be friends.”
Ouch. That was worse than having her shoot him down in flames. Why had he said anything?
Eyes glued to the road, Keegan replayed the conversation, honing in on her emphasis of him returning to Missouri. He recalled her abrupt dismissal at the school as soon as he mentioned the promotion opportunity. She’d clarified how she’d never conform to the wishes of any man after Jeremy’s betrayal. The changes it would’ve required are more than I care to make at this stage in my life. Besides I’ve already given up too much. I’ve no desire to do that, especially not for a man. Bitter words to cover up her real dream of working for the FBI?
“I hope I’ve not offended you,” she went on. “You’re a wonderful person and I appreciate all you’ve done.”
Keegan tried to laugh it off, but he emitted a strange mixture of grunt and cough. “No. Not at all.”
For a mile, neither spoke.
“How much farther to the cabin?” Taya asked, erecting that invisible wall between them.
“About a half hour.” Thirty long what-are-we-supposed-to-talk-about-now minutes.
“I’ve never heard of the town Running Water.”
Grateful for the change of topics, Keegan explained finding the pictures and homing in on the sign over Chief Standing Bear Bridge.
“I remember studying the trial of Standing Bear in my college Native American history course. He fought one of the most infamous legal battles in 1879.”
He’d forced the poor woman into rambling historical facts for the sake of conversation?
Taya continued, “Standing Bear carried the bones of his sixteen-year-old son for two winter months, trekking the Great Plains. Then he was arrested, all for wanting to bury his son on their native land.” She sighed. “Kind of ironic, isn’t it? We’re battling to recover Patrice’s remains in the same location in the same wintry season.”
“Did he win the battle?”
“Yes, in May that same year.”
“If we’ve got any hope of victory in this war, we need to work on our plan of action, starting with what arsenal we have. If Folze’s got company, surprise and darkness are our only advantages. Would you mind hopping in the back and checking for any other weapons? Maybe he left us his tranquilizer or Taser guns, too.”
Taya grunted, climbing into the back seat. “Unless he added a bunch after tossing me in the root cellar, I doubt there’s anything here.” A few moments of rustling, then she said, “Nope. Nothing but a locked toolbox and zip ties.”
