Trail of Evidence

Had he gone in or simply opened the door to head around the building? She pressed her finger against the earpiece. “Are you inside the fence?”

“Just now. Had to cut my way through. You get him?”

“Not yet.” She kept her voice low, her back to the side of the building.

A screech came from inside the building. Guess that answered that question. “He’s inside. I think he pushed open one of the steel doors at the back. I’m going after him.”

“Backup will be right behind you. Max and I are on the way.”

Brooke gave him her location and slipped through the door into the dark. She stopped just inside to the right, making sure she didn’t make herself a target in the open doorway. She let her eyes adjust, but she still had trouble seeing anything. Too dark. Easy for someone to sneak up behind her. She needed a light, but didn’t dare take the flashlight from her belt.

The good thing was if it was dark for her, it was dark for him. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out shapes so it wasn’t pitch-black. She had to be careful to stay in the shadows. Again, if she could see a little, so could he.

She moved softly, her steps cautious, her ears tuned to the area around her. Her neck and back tingled. She expected a bullet to slam into her at any moment. The vest she wore would offer some protection for her torso, but nothing for her head. She hadn’t seen a weapon on the man running from Jonas’s house, but until she saw otherwise, she’d treat him as armed. And dangerous.

“Where are you?” she whispered.

“Max, Mercy and I are coming inside.”

She heard a scrape to her left and spun, her weapon ready, hands steady in spite of the adrenaline pumping through her.

A light flashed then disappeared. Footsteps on stairs. The sound still coming from her left. Brooke moved toward the noise, still cautious, but determined to stop him. Shadows danced around her, light from the half moon filtering through the dirty windows. And the blue lights now flashing, offered even more light. “Up the stairs,” she whispered. “To the left of the door about twenty feet.” She placed her foot on the first step, then started up.

“Got it. Backup’s outside.”

“Saw the lights.”

A loud scrape from the top of the stairs made her pause. The windows along the second floor offered very little light. She could make out shapes, but nothing moving. She took another step, which put her about halfway up the staircase.

A large shadow appeared at the top of the stairs. An object teetered on the edge of the highest step. She blinked, her brain trying to discern the image.

Then the thing wobbled once again. A head appeared around the edge. A grunt reached her ears.

Brooke finally registered what was happening and turned to flee as a loud rumble came from behind her and whatever was at the top of the step slid toward her. She gasped as her foot turned on the last step and she fell to the floor. She rolled and looked up to see a large upside-down desk a split second away from crushing her.

FOUR (#ulink_11e0dc40-dfa8-5385-8e21-448c0cb23ce1)

Jonas’s drive past his house resulted in nothing. But the police cruiser that zipped past him as he turned back on the main highway caught his attention and he followed it to the old textile office building. Police tape ran the length of the fence. The K-9s and their handlers were out and the air crackled with law enforcement energy.

He couldn’t get to the fence due to all of the emergency vehicles so he parked and stood on the hood of the vehicle. He scanned the faces, looking for the one that he most wanted to see. Not there. One of the officers to his right on the other side of the fence pointed to the building and said something into his phone.

Was Brooke inside the building? Or was she just lost in the crowded chaos?

Gawkers from the nearby neighborhoods had come to the line to see what was going on and officers held them back. Jonas could go no farther either. He would have to wait. His fingers curled into fists. He forced them to relax. Don’t get anxious until you have something to be anxious about. The order didn’t work. He scanned the fence line and looked for a way in.

Hopelessness coursed through him as he realized he was in for a wait. There was no going through and no going around.

A car pulled up beside him. The vehicle had the Capitol K-9 logo on the side. The officer climbed from the vehicle, a frown on his face. He flashed his badge at Jonas. “Are you Jonas Parker?”

“I am.”

“I’m Chase Zachary. I got a call you went AWOL.”

“Something like that,” he muttered. “Brooke called me and had to hang up because she was on surveillance and someone showed up. I had to make sure she was okay.”

“You might want to leave that to us. Now would you please get back in your vehicle? I’ll follow you home.”

Jonas had great respect for law enforcement, for the officers who put their lives on the line every day for him. If it had been anyone else in that building besides Brooke, he might have followed the order. Instead he shook his head. “I’m waiting right here until I know she’s safe.”

Chase lifted a brow. Then he narrowed his eyes and gave Jonas a closer once-over. Whatever he saw must have convinced him arguing would be futile. “She means something to you?”

“Yes.” Jonas didn’t feel the need to elaborate.

“Right. Then sit in my vehicle at least. We don’t need some sniper trying to take you out while you wait.”

Jonas blinked. “Sniper?”

“You’ve had two incidents tonight. A break-in and a Molotov cocktail through your window. Seems someone’s after you.”

Jonas nodded. Without another word, he opened the passenger door to the K-9 vehicle and climbed in. He slammed the door, his gaze on the building. “Can you get us through?”

“Of course I can. No reason to, though. It’s being handled.” A dog nudged his ear and without thought, Jonas reached back to scratch his ears. “Who’s this?”

“Valor.”

“He’s beautiful.” The Belgian Malinois butted up under Jonas’s hand again. Jonas complied with another ear rub.

“He’s a great partner.”

Jonas looked at the building again. He knew the situation was being handled but that knowledge didn’t stop him from wanting to be closer. “She’s in there, isn’t she? She went in after him.”

Chase nodded. “She and Nicholas Cole, another K-9 team member. And the dogs. They’ll get him. There’s no way he can get out of there without someone grabbing him.”

“What if he decides not to come out? What if he decides he wants to make one last stand?”

“Then it could get ugly. But Brooke and Nicholas are trained. They can handle him. They’ll get him.”

“Of course they will.” Because if they didn’t get him, whoever they’d chased inside might get them and Jonas didn’t think he would survive that. Don’t let her die because of me, God, please.

* * *

Brooke clasped Nicholas’s hand and rose to her feet with a grunt. She swayed and took a moment to get her footing and catch her breath. “Thanks.”

“You okay?” he asked. He looked pale and a little shaken himself.

“Yeah.” She looked at the mangled pile of wood and steel. Nicholas had pulled her away at the last possible second. “How much do you think that weighs?”

“More than you want slamming on top of you.” She shuddered and Nicholas patted her shoulder. “Don’t think about it.”