Chapter Eight
“This is a mistake,” Jameson said. He’d been repeating a variation of that since Mandy’s second phone call.
Kelly figured he was right. It was a mistake, but she didn’t have a choice. Just as Jameson hadn’t had a choice to bring her along. Of course, he hadn’t done it willingly, but she’d finally convinced him that one way or another she was going to get to her sister.
Apparently, she’d promised her sister that she would help her if anything went wrong. And something had. Now it was up to Kelly to try to make that right.
If that was possible.
She would hear the sound of that gunshot for the rest of her life. It had cut her to the bone. Since just thinking about it nearly caused a panic attack, Kelly reminded herself that Mandy could have gotten away from the men. After all, she’d managed to escape from them once, so perhaps she had been able to do it again.
“Mandy wouldn’t have met with you if I hadn’t been with you,” Kelly pointed out to Jameson.
It also was a repeat, and they’d been hashing out the same argument since leaving for the Carswell Shipping warehouse on the outskirts of San Antonio. Not a long trip. Less than forty-five minutes, but each mile seemed like an eternity.
They hadn’t followed Mandy’s orders to a T, though. Yes, Kelly was with Jameson in a cruiser. Not alone. Cameron was driving it, and behind them was Gabriel and another deputy, Susan Bowie, in an unmarked car.
But that wasn’t the only precautions Jameson had taken.
They were all wearing Kevlar vests, and SAPD would be nearby when they approached the warehouse. Jameson had insisted on backup. Had also insisted on her staying in the vehicle at all times.
“The ambulance will be there, too?” she asked.
Jameson nodded. “There’ll be one with the SAPD officers.” He looked at her. Except it was more of a glare. “You do know that this is a stupid idea.”
“Yes, but I’d do plenty of stupid things to save my sister.”
“You don’t even remember her,” he spat out. “Do you?”
“No. So far, the bits and pieces I’m remembering are of you and that baby.”
Boyer’s baby. Once Mandy was safe, then Kelly could find out where the child was and make sure she was safe, too. Because if those thugs had come after Mandy and her, they might go after the child, as well.
“Do you know of anything Mandy has ever done to make you distrust her?” Kelly came out and asked.
Jameson stayed quiet for a moment and then shook his head. “I didn’t know her that well, and you never mentioned any concerns you had about her.”
Judging from the flicker of his jaw muscles, there was something else he wanted to say. Something that Kelly wouldn’t necessarily want to hear.
“I guess I’m troubled by the fact that Mandy would participate in a baby’s kidnapping,” he finally explained.
That meant he was troubled with her own participation in it, too. Well, welcome to the club. Kelly didn’t even know who she was any longer, but it didn’t sit well with her to have done something like that. Especially if she’d been duped into it by Hadley. Because if Boyer was right, Hadley had wanted the baby taken to get back at him.
“I’ll try to call Mandy again,” she said, taking the phone from Jameson. Kelly had lost count of how many times she’d done that. Had lost count of the prayers she’d been saying for her sister’s safety. Not just from the kidnappers but also from the gunshot wound.
When she redialed the number, there was still no answer. That didn’t mean her sister was dead, though. Mandy could have ditched or dropped the phone while she was running from her kidnappers. Plus, since Mandy’s phone was on silent, she might not know about Kelly’s repeated attempts to call her. Of course, Mandy had to know they would be trying to get in touch with her.
“When we get there, you won’t leave this cruiser,” Jameson reminded her. Since it was yet another bit of repeated info, she wasn’t likely to forget it. Or find some way around it. Still, if Mandy could just see her from a distance, maybe that would be enough to draw her out.
First, though, Jameson, Gabriel and the deputies would have to make sure the kidnappers were no longer a threat.
“Keep trying to remember anything that will help us with this,” Jameson added when he took back his phone. He also continued to keep watch around them.
Kelly was doing the same and considered pressing Jameson again to give her a weapon. He’d refused the other times she’d asked, but maybe once they got closer to the warehouse, he’d reconsider.
She didn’t want to close her eyes for fear she would miss something, like someone following them. But Kelly did do as Jameson had said, and she tried to force those images and fragments back into her mind. Since there were so many pieces that didn’t make sense, she tried to focus on the baby.
And she saw her again.
Smiling, wearing a pink dress. She was reaching up her hands as if she wanted someone to take her. Kelly looked past the child, hoping to figure out where she was. A room with white walls. It could have been any room in any house, because there were no other details for her to latch onto. Like the other memories, it was gone in a flash.
Replaced by a much more recent memory.
“You kissed me,” she said. Though she certainly hadn’t meant to say it aloud.
Jameson frowned when he turned toward her. He didn’t say a word, but there was a what-the-heck look in his eyes.
“When we were at the window at your house,” she added. “You kissed my forehead.” Since he was still frowning, Kelly waved that off. “Sorry.”
The frown continued, added with some muttered profanity. “You caught me at a weak moment.” He paused, said more of those under-the-breath curse words. “I have a history of weak moments when it comes to you.”
For some stupid reason, that made her smile. Though it shouldn’t have. It was obvious Jameson wanted things to be over between them. And they would be. As soon as they rescued her sister and caught the people responsible. Kelly desperately wanted those things to happen, but it gave her an empty feeling inside to realize that after this, she might never see Jameson again.
“Are you remembering something?” he asked. Maybe to change the subject or maybe because Kelly was certain her expression had changed. Definitely not a smile now.
She shook her head but didn’t have to add more because Jameson’s phone rang. Just like that, her heart was right back in her throat, but it wasn’t her sister. Those calls had come through as Unknown Caller, but this one had the phone number. Jameson answered it, putting it on speaker, and Kelly immediately heard a familiar voice.
“What the hell’s going on?” Boyer demanded.
“Plenty,” Jameson snarled. “Did you have something specific you wanted to whine about?”
Even though Boyer didn’t answer immediately, Kelly could practically feel the man seething with anger. “You know why I’m calling. It’s Mandy. You found her.”
Jameson’s eyes narrowed, and she knew why. Someone had obviously leaked the info to Boyer. That shouldn’t have surprised her since the SAPD cops were on scene. Kelly didn’t remember how law enforcement communicated with each other, but it was possible Boyer had access to those communications’ channels.
“Did we find her?” Jameson countered. “Because we’re not sure exactly where she is.”
“The warehouse,” Boyer snapped.
“That’s just a guess, and she’s on the run from kidnappers. Mandy could be anywhere.”
It was true. And that caused Kelly’s chest to tighten even more.
“She’s there,” Boyer insisted. “And I soon will be, too. If you get to her first, find out if my daughter is with her.”
Jameson didn’t agree to that. “Just stay out of the way,” he added, and Jameson ended the conversation when his phone dinged to indicate he had another call coming in.
This time Unknown Caller was on the screen.
“Please tell me you’re coming after me,” Mandy said the moment that Jameson answered.
“We are if you’re at the Carswell warehouse.”
“I’m not. I had to get away from there. I’m about a quarter of a mile from there at a truck stop. I’m hiding behind the building.”
Cameron immediately relayed that info to Gabriel.
“Do you have eyes on the kidnappers?” Jameson asked her.
“No, but they have to be nearby.” Mandy made a sound that he thought might have been a muffled sob. “Please hurry.”
“We will, but if you can, stay on the line in case you have to go on the move again.”
“I’ll try. Is Kelly with you?”
“Yes,” Kelly answered, causing Jameson to give her another of those nasty glares.
She listened carefully for her sister’s reaction, but there wasn’t one. Not one that Kelly could hear anyway.
“Why did I tell you I’d help you if something went wrong?” Kelly pressed. “What exactly were we doing that had the potential to turn bad?”
“You honestly don’t remember?”
“No. Just bits and pieces that don’t make sense. Who’s trying to kill me and why? And who kidnapped you?”
“I don’t know.” Her sister didn’t hesitate that time. “But I think it all goes back to that file you took from Jameson. Do you remember someone trying to kill you after that?”
Heavens. She definitely hadn’t remembered that. “No. Who?”
“I figured it was Jameson. Or someone in his family. That’s why I didn’t want to trust him or his brother.”
Jameson cursed. “I didn’t try to kill her. Neither did Gabriel.”
“Well, someone did, and that’s why you went on the run.” Mandy made that low moan again. “I figured there was something in that file that someone wanted to keep secret.”
Kelly thought that could be true, but if so, she still didn’t believe Jameson was behind it. “Do you have the file?” Kelly asked her.
“No. You do.”
Kelly’s stomach sank. That was not what she wanted to hear. Because she had no idea where it was.
“How far out are you?” Mandy asked, the urgency in her voice going up even more.
“Less than five minutes,” Cameron provided.
“Well, hurry, because I just spotted the thugs again. I have to go.” And with that, her sister ended the call.
Cameron was already driving as fast as it was safe to go, but he pushed even harder on the accelerator.
“Your sister is smart,” Jameson reminded Kelly. “She’ll stay hidden until we’re there. You’re smart, too,” he added without even hesitating. “That’s why you’ll stay put in this cruiser. Agreed?”
Kelly nodded. It was the smart and safe thing to do. She only hoped they didn’t arrive to her sister being caught in the middle of a gunfight. Or worse. Mandy could be hurt even more than she already was.
“Once we’ve had a chance to question Mandy,” Jameson went on, “she might be able to fill in some of your memory gaps.”
He put away his phone, and because they were getting closer to the truck stop, he drew his weapon. Kelly hadn’t needed a reminder of the danger, but that gave her another jolt anyway.
Another jolt of memory, too.
This time it wasn’t the bits and pieces but a full-fledged image. Of her running. It was so vivid she could feel her pulse throbbing, could hear her own ragged breath. There was a taste in her mouth, too, and it took her a moment to realize it was blood. She had blood in her mouth as well as on her face because she could feel it running down the side of her head.
“Are you okay?” Jameson asked. She heard the alarm in his voice, and he touched her arm.
Kelly tried to answer, but she was caught up in the images. So real. So painful. And the images kept coming. She stumbled, her body pitching forward, and she fell, landing on some damp grass. That’s when she realized she was in a pasture.
No. The pasture.
The place where those men had attacked her and robbed her of her memory.
“It’s not real,” she said, repeating it so that it wouldn’t cause her to have a panic attack. She had survived, more or less, and the memories and those men couldn’t hurt her now.
But the reminder didn’t work. More memories hit her. She saw the gun in her hand, felt the grass beneath her as she rolled over and came up ready to fire. If she didn’t shoot, they would kill her. Kelly could see that cold, flat look on their faces. She was a job to them.
The one on the right took aim at her, but Kelly pulled the trigger first. Her shot slammed into his chest. Before he even dropped to the ground, she put two bullets in the other one.
“I remember killing those men,” Kelly managed to say. “I did it. I killed them.”
Judging from the sound Jameson made, that hadn’t surprised him. However, he kept staring at her, clearly waiting for more. But there wasn’t more. The images faded just as quickly as they’d come.
“It’s a start,” he added. “For now, though, I need you to get down on the seat.”
She snapped toward the window, and that’s when Kelly saw the truck stop just ahead. Or at least she saw the trucks. There were five semis parked around the one-story building, and four men were milling near the front door.
No sign of Mandy, though.
She slid lower in the seat but kept her head high enough so she could hopefully glance out the front window, but Jameson pushed her down.
Then he cursed.
“I see Mandy,” Jameson said, “and she’s got a gun.”
Kelly shook her head, certain he was wrong. Her sister hadn’t said anything about a gun when she’d called them. “Maybe she took it from one of the kidnappers.”
Of course, there could be another explanation. One that Kelly prayed wasn’t true. That this was a trap and her sister had betrayed her.
“She’s bleeding all right,” Cameron added a moment later.
That got Kelly sitting up, and it didn’t take her long to spot the woman peering around the back edge of the building. She had dark brown hair that was cut short and choppy. There was nothing familiar about her face. Nothing familiar about her. But there was indeed blood on the sleeve of her light blue shirt.
Her sister lifted her head, her attention going straight to the cruiser. She didn’t move, though. Instead, she looked around, maybe for those goons who’d taken and injured her.
Cameron pulled the cruiser closer and stopped at the side of the building. He couldn’t go any farther because of a Dumpster and several parked cars. Mandy was still a good ten feet away.
“If you get out of the cruiser, I’ll arrest you,” Jameson warned Kelly.
She didn’t think he was bluffing, either. However, he got out. Before Kelly could tell him that it was too dangerous, he had the door open. He didn’t go to her sister, though. He kept cover behind the door of the cruiser.
“Jameson,” Mandy said. “Where’s my sister?”
“Inside the car.”
It was hard to tell from Mandy’s expression if she was relieved about that. “And you’re positive you can trust the cops you brought with you?”
“I trust them with my life,” Jameson assured her. “And Kelly’s.”
Mandy hesitated as if deciding if that was true or not, but she finally did start toward them.
“You’re not getting in the cruiser unless you give me that gun,” Jameson ordered. And it was indeed an order. It stopped Mandy in her tracks. “When you come closer, hold the gun down by your side and don’t make any sudden moves.”
Mandy glanced at the gun as if debating that. Not good, because it was probably way too dangerous for her to be out there. Too dangerous for all of them. Even with Gabriel behind them and the San Antonio cops nearby, Mandy and Jameson could be cut down in a gunfight.
“If this is a trick, I’ll make you pay,” Mandy spat out like profanity. She followed it with some real profanity before she finally walked to Jameson.
He took the gun from her, tucking it in the back waist of his jeans. In the same motion, he opened the front door of the cruiser and put her inside. “Search her,” he told Cameron.
The deputy did. He patted her down and then shook his head. “No other weapons.”
Mandy mumbled more of those curse words. “The only reason I had that gun was because I took it from the men who kidnapped me.”
Kelly prayed that was true. Actually, she hoped everything her sister had said and done wasn’t part of some scheme that Kelly didn’t understand or couldn’t remember.
“There’s an ambulance nearby,” Jameson told Mandy. “We can take you to it now.”
But Mandy didn’t even react to that. Instead, she looked over the seat, her eyes meeting Kelly’s. Kelly thought maybe she saw some relief there. Relief that didn’t last long.
“The ambulance can wait,” Mandy insisted. “We have to get out of here now.” She tipped her head to the car behind them. “Is that your brother, Gabriel?” she asked Jameson. “The one you said you’d trust with your life?”
Jameson paused so long that for a couple of seconds Kelly didn’t think he would answer. Finally, though, he nodded.
“Good. Because we might need him. But not any SAPD guys. I don’t know if any of them are working for the kidnappers or not. Come on,” Mandy quickly added before Jameson could argue with that. “We have to get to the baby before those men find her.”