New Year Heroes: The Sheriff's Secretary / Veiled Intentions / Juror No. 7

She fell to her knees, unable to take another step as the grief that she’d been shoving away since the moment she’d awakened from her nap and found Billy gone rushed in to consume her.

Tears blinded her, and she was unable to control the deep, wrenching sobs that ripped from her throat. She collapsed to the ground, vaguely aware of Lucas holstering his gun and bending down beside her.

“I know,” he whispered as he physically pulled her into his arms. “Shh.” He stroked her hair as she continued to sob, unable to stop.

“They were supposed to be here,” she cried. “Damn him. Damn whoever has them, for putting us through this.” She clung to Lucas, surprised to find his arms provided the comfort she needed.

As she remained in his embrace, she became aware of the frantic beating of his heart against her own. She realized at that moment that his despair was as great as her own, his disappointment was as black as the one that filled her.

She raised her head and looked at him through her veil of tears. His eyes held the same rage that filled her, a rage at the man who had brought them here, the man who had ripped the very fabric of her soul.

“Jenny didn’t do this,” he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “She’d never put us through this.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Mariah replied. She could tell by the dawning horror in his eyes that the realization that Jenny was in terrible trouble was just now sinking in.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said, his voice filled with rough emotion. He stood and held out his hand to help her up off the ground.

She had just stood when a crack split the air and Lucas threw himself at her, tumbling her to the ground as he covered her body with his.

Chapter Five

Lucas couldn’t tell where the gunshot had come from, but he heard the ping as the bullet hit the tomb behind where they had just been standing.

His first impulse was to protect Mariah, and as he lay on top of her, adrenaline pumped through him. He tightened his hold on his gun as he scanned the area.

Dammit, there were too many shadows where a shooter could hide, too many trees and tombs for him to discern the hint of a person. The shot had caused a cessation to the insect noise, but as the minutes ticked by the cacophony of bugs resumed.

As time passed, in the back of his mind he became more aware of Mariah. Her hand grasped the front of his shirt, as if she was afraid he might jump up and run away. Her heartbeat raced against his own, and despite the circumstances, he couldn’t help but notice the softness of her lush curves under his body.

Irritated by his lapse in concentration, he rose to a crouch above her. “Stay here and stay down,” he commanded. “I’m going to take a look around.”

She tightened her grip on his shirt and in the faint moonlight her eyes shone more silver than blue. “Be careful. He could still be out there.” She reluctantly released her hold on him.

Still in a low crouch, Lucas moved away from her, toward the area where he thought the shot might have come from. He didn’t think the shooter was still there.

In fact, he didn’t think the shooter was still in the cemetery. It was a gut feeling coupled with the knowledge that if the man had wanted to kill one of them, he could have with that single shot.

He might have missed because he was a terrible shot, but Lucas didn’t think so. He thought the bullet had missed them because it was just another game the kidnapper was playing. He was taking pleasure in terrorizing them.

He straightened to his full height, making himself an easy target, but no other shots were fired. He walked back to where Mariah was still lying on the ground.

“I think he’s gone.” He held out a hand to help her up.

“Are you sure?” She didn’t move from her prone position.

“As sure as I can be. If he wanted to hurt us, he could have shot us at any time while we were searching the area.” He grimaced. “I think that shot was just a playful reminder that we aren’t the ones in charge of this game.”

She slipped her small hand in his and he pulled her up. “They aren’t here, are they? Billy and Jenny aren’t here and that clue was just part of his stupid game.”

He nodded. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

It was a long walk back to the car. Lucas kept his gun ready and every muscle tense as he watched for danger that didn’t come.

They got into the car and he started the engine, immediately turning on the air conditioner to relieve the sweltering heat and humidity.

As he pulled out of the cemetery, neither of them said a word. The adrenaline that had surged inside him eased away, leaving him not only exhausted but also defenseless against the dark thoughts in his mind.

Jenny. Pain seared through him as he thought of his sister. He’d spent all his adult life trying to protect her, both from herself and from others. He’d tried to guide her, to make her better than she was, better than the mother who had given her life.

“Are you okay?” Mariah’s soft, weary voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“As okay as you are,” he replied.

“Then you aren’t okay,” she said with a surprising touch of dry humor.

“No, I’m not,” he agreed. “I’m frustrated and worried and I don’t think this is about a ransom anymore.”

“Then what is it about?” she asked.

Lucas frowned and tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “I think it’s personal. I think the perpetrator wants one of us to be afraid, to suffer.”

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “Then he’s succeeded.”

Those were the last words spoken for the remainder of the drive home. When they arrived at her place, the first thing Lucas did was check the phone messages as Mariah got them each a bottle of water from the fridge.

The first message was from Mayor Richard Welch. “Lucas, I’ve heard through the grapevine that you’ve sent your men home, but Billy and Jenny are still missing. I hope you know what you’re doing. I need to be updated and maybe we need to put our heads together to see what’s the best way to deal with this situation. The public deserves to know what’s going on in this community.”

Lucas puffed out a sigh. “I wish he’d spend his time governing the town instead of trying to govern me.”

Mariah sank into a seat at the table, her weariness evident in the slump of her shoulders and the hollowness of her eyes. “He’s just trying to be helpful.” She unscrewed the lid on her water and took a long, deep drink.

“It would be helpful if he’d just leave me to the job of upholding the law.”

The next three messages were from neighbors, offering to cook, offering to help. Another two were from reporters looking for an interview. The next message shot a new burst of adrenaline through Lucas.

“Touching scene in the cemetery.” The familiar voice filled the room. “Is she consoling you, or are you consoling her?” The sound of insects was background noise. “A minute ago I stood so close to you both that I could see the sweat on Lucas’s forehead and I could smell that flowery perfume that Mariah wears.”

Mariah jumped as the sound of a shot filled the room. The sound was followed by a low laugh. “I could have killed you just now,” he said. “I’ll be in touch.”

The line went dead.

Mariah released a loud gasp. “He was watching us as we searched. He was there all along.” Emotion choked her voice and she backhanded her water bottle off the table, unmindful of the water that spilled across the floor. She jumped up, her eyes wild. “What kind of person does something like this? What kind of monster is he?”

“I don’t know.” But there were things Lucas needed to do, and with that in mind he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in the number at the sheriff’s office.

“Ben, first thing in the morning I need you to check out the cemetery for me. Somebody took a shot at Mariah and me out there tonight. I want you to see if you can locate the bullet.” He quickly explained to his deputy where they had been standing when the gun had been fired and where he thought Ben would find the bullet. It would at least tell them what kind of gun it came from.

The next call he made was to Ed Maylor. “Ed, did I wake you?”