Chapter Thirteen
Kane was debating which tactic to take with the Senator in regards to the probe when his cell rang. Sky’s caller ID blinked on, and his pulse notched up. Maybe she’d changed her mind about helping. “Hey, there.”
“Kane.” Her voice came out weak, forcing him to increase the volume on his phone.
“Sky? What happened?” He jumped up from the sofa and headed outside for better reception.
“I need your help. I was in an accident.”
“Are you hurt?” From the way her voice trailed off on the last word, it appeared she had been. The silence that followed sliced through his gut. “Sky?”
“Maybe a little. Everything’s stiff, but there’s only a little bit of blood.”
“Jesus Christ. Where are you?”
“I’m on 89, about two miles north of the perfume factory.” She sucked in a breath, clearly in pain.
“Do you need an ambulance?”
“No.” She nearly shouted that answer, which implied she was better than he’d first thought.
“Hold on. I’ll be right there.” He swiped the off button and raced back inside the RV to the Senator. “Sky’s been in an accident. Lock the door and don’t let anyone in but me.” He grabbed his keys and sped out to his Jeep without waiting for a response or providing any more information.
The next thirty minutes was the longest half hour he’d ever experienced, having no idea if she was bleeding internally or if she had a concussion. Sky seemed the type to understate her condition. Dear God, what had she gotten herself into? Fortunately, he encountered few cars on the road. God Bless the small towns of Arizona. The glow from her headlights bounced off the rock wall ahead, making her easy to find. Since there were no other cars nearby, apparently, he was the first to arrive.
Kane killed the engine and was by her side in five seconds. The driver’s side window was up, and he flashed his light inside. Sky’s eyes were closed, and blood had caked her forehead and cheek. His muscles tensed as he rapped on the window. She jerked and immediately covered her eyes. Damn. He hadn’t even identified himself. He lowered the light. “It’s me, Kane.”
He waited a second for her to react before tugging on the handle. It was locked. At least she’d had the sense to protect herself. As he pulled, she pushed, and the door opened. When she levered her legs out of the car and stood, she swayed, and he grabbed her shoulders to steady her. The flashlight in his hand lit the front of the cruiser. The damage would be a bitch to repair.
She winced. “Ouch. My shoulder.”
“Sorry.” He eased her down to the seat. “Tell me what else hurts?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m going to put you in my Jeep. Did you call for a tow?”
“Harvey is taking care of it.”
Kane slipped his arms under her legs before she had a chance to resist. “Wrap your arm around my neck.” Not only did she hold on, she rested her head against his chest, and an overwhelming sense of need rushed through him. He tried not to think of her body next to his as he carried her the ten feet to his Jeep, but he couldn’t help it.
Once at his car, he slid her onto the seat, careful not to let her head hit the roof. “Hold on. I have a blanket in the back.”
“Are you always so prepared?” Her voice quivered.
“I was a member of FAST.”
“What’s that?”
“Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team. You have to be prepared for every eventuality.”
“Hence the shovel, the flashlight, and the blanket.”
He chuckled. “Yes. If you get hungry, let me know. I have some power bars too.” He smiled. “I never know when I’ll have to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress.”
Before she shot back a retort, a tow truck rolled up behind them. A young man jumped out, waved at Kane and Sky, then surveyed the damage and whistled. “Ms. Sky, you sure are hard on your vehicles. It might take me more time to fix this than it did to repair all those bullet holes.”
She held the blanket tight around her shoulders. “Please don’t repeat that to the Chief.”
The young man smiled. “You betcha. I’m getting rich off your bad luck.”
“Ha. Ha. Not funny.” Sky shivered.
Just then, a cruiser rolled up. An older officer eased out and walked toward them. Kane leaned in. “I thought Harvey was coming.”
“No. He sent Elmer Peacemaker. He has the late shift.”
She explained he’d been ill, which might be why Kane hadn’t met him. He vaguely remembered Harriet mentioning that.
“You okay, Sky?” Elmer asked.
From the blood on her shirt, he had to see she’d been injured.
“I’m good.”
“Care to tell me what happened?”
Kane stepped over to him, and kept his voice low enough for Sky not to hear. “I need to take her to the hospital. Can the report wait?”
“Oh, sure. I’ll make note of the damage, and Sky can tell me everything later.”
Kane nodded then turned back to her. “Elmer will take care of everything. Let’s go.” For once, she didn’t argue.
On the ride back, Sky kept her eyes shut, and he worried there was more to her injury than she was saying. As he reached the turn off at 89 to Savory, he headed north toward Page instead of returning back. While he assumed Savory had a local doctor, she might need an X-ray or need some other type of advanced exam and assessment that the small town couldn’t provide. Good thing she kept her eyes closed, because if she knew where he was headed, she’d be upset.
In less than fifteen minutes, he entered Page proper and followed the signs to the hospital. After parking near the emergency room entrance, he cut the engine and came around to her side. When he opened the door, she was sitting up, her lips pressed together. He was happy there wasn’t a lot of light to see the fire in her eyes.
“I am not going into any hospital. I’m fine.”
“What are you worried about? That your boss or your dad will find out about this?”
She flinched. He must have hit a nerve. Harriet would have to fill him in on the father-daughter relationship. The boss relationship, as he understood it, was bad.
“No.” She flicked off the blanket. “Oh, crap. My purse is in my cruiser.”
“I’m sure the tow boy won’t steal it.”
“That’s not the point. My insurance card is in there.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of your payment.”
She cocked her head to the side and stared at him, acting as if no one had ever offered to do something nice for her. And here, he thought he had demons. Sky Nash was one complicated bundle, though in truth, it might be fun to unravel her, one issue at a time.
Inside, he made her sit wrapped in the wool blanket while he spoke to the admittance nurse. After Sky filled out the paperwork, they were told to wait until the next doctor was available.
“Tell me again what happened,” he said. She opened her mouth then shut it. “Don’t leave anything out,” he commanded.
She started with learning the name of the beheaded man and his connection to the perfume factory.
“That’s excellent work.”
“Thanks.”
“What happened once you arrived at the factory?”
She told him about the three Hummers and how she thought she’d left the lot alone. Their lights-out maneuver reminded him of his military days. Christ. This was worse than he thought.
A very tall male nurse approached them. “The doctor will see you now, Ms. Nash.”
She stood and looked back at Kane. “You’ll be here when I get out, right?” She clutched her hands by her side.
“I can’t stay. I’ve got to get back to the Senator, so if you don’t mind walking home, I’d appreciate it.” All fifty miles of it. He then tossed her a smile and winked. When her chin dropped, he shot out of his seat and stepped close. “I’m kidding. I’d never leave you.”
Her shoulders sagged, and then a bright smile captured her lips. “I knew that.”
Sky Nash was something else. She turned and followed the nurse through a door. By the time she returned an hour later, he’d come up with a plan.
Her forehead was bandaged, but she wasn’t sporting a cast or showing any sign of a serious injury. The relief took his breath away. Kane stood and met her halfway. “You’re okay?”
“Just cold and hungry. No broken bones or internal injuries. Thanks for asking. The doctor said I’ll be quite sore tomorrow, and I’m supposed to rest, but you know me. That ain’t goin’ to happen.”
He laughed. “Let’s put you to bed then.” She stiffened for a split second. Oh, boy. That reaction implied someone had done a serious number on her, and he could only hope it wasn’t that boyfriend of hers.
On the way home, they went back and forth about who might want her to stay away from the perfume factory and why. She told him about the article she’d read claiming aliens might be kept in a kind of underground detention camp, but he wasn’t willing to entertain something that farfetched even though he couldn’t come up with a better alternative.
“You just passed the turn off to my place.”
Here came the argument. “I don’t want you staying alone.”
“Why? I’m a cop, and I own a gun.” She turned in the seat to face him. “You think someone will try to harm me?”
“You mean, harm you again? I don’t know, but I don’t want to take any chances. My other concern is that you might have side effects from the accident. Unless you think Harriet will stay with you, I’m volunteering for the night.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“You hope.”
She tugged the blanket tighter around her shoulders, and he slid the car’s heater to high. “You know Rosalie’s is the other way, don’t you?” she said.
“Did I forget to tell you that I’ve moved into the Senator’s RV?”
“No, but I should have guessed. You do know that if we stay in his motor home, you’ll have to be on your best behavior.” For the first time, a smile claimed her lips.
Call the press. Sky Nash was flirting with him.
As they pulled into the Wildacres RV Park, she sucked in a breath. “I forgot to ask about the results from the Senator’s probe. Harriet said you had information.”
“Yes.” He cut the engine and faced her. “I’ll tell you, but please let’s not discuss your opinion in front of the Senator.”
“You keep saying that, and here I believed you valued what I thought.”
He groaned. “I do. All right, here it is. The lab said that the probe wasn’t made from any kind of material they were familiar with.”
She pumped her fist and winced. “Shoulder. Bruised. Damn. Remind me not to get excited. You know what this means?”
He was afraid what she’d say. “Tell me.”
“Lab equipment can diagnose every mineral and metal known to mankind.”
“So that means you think the implant is alien.”
“Yes. This is amazing.”
“Sky, the government is developing all sorts of new materials, altering their physical properties to make them stronger and lighter. They don’t want the terrorists to get a hold of this research, so they hide the information.”
“You don’t think the probe is alien then?” Her voice dipped low.
He didn’t want to upset her any more. “All I’m saying is that we can’t be sure.”
She let out a breath. “What did the Senator have to say about this?”
“The Senator wants nothing to do with little green men. Can you imagine what would happen if the public got wind of the possibility the Senator was abducted or had alien technology implanted in his leg?”
She bit down on her lip. “He’d never get reelected.”
“Right.”
“So now what?”
“I’m going to find out who’s responsible.”