Abandon

From the moment he’d spotted her at the Washington hotel with Judge Peacham the other night, Jesse had known he would have to hurt Mackenzie Stewart one day.

Today just happened to be the day.

Seven

The sound of a baby’s cry drew Rook out of the cover of a trio of white pines and onto the sun-washed dirt road above the lake. A fair-haired woman with a baby on her back gasped and jumped back a step, a rock in her raised hand.

“FBI,” he said quickly. “Andrew Rook. You’re Carine?”

She nodded, lowering her arm. He had his weapon drawn, a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson he sometimes wore on his ankle, but she seemed to relax slightly. “He ran up into the woods.” She motioned vaguely behind her. “The man—you’re looking for him, right? He said Mackenzie—” Out of breath and obviously shaken, the woman looked to Rook for answers.

“Mackenzie’s okay.” He didn’t need to go into detail about the attack now. “Are you or your baby hurt?”

“No.” Carine squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled through her nose, holding the breath a moment before exhaling through her mouth. She opened her eyes again. “I’m sorry.” Her voice quavered. “I’m a little upset.”

“The man you saw, is he on foot? Does he have a vehicle?”

“He’s on foot as far as I know. I didn’t see a car. The road dead-ends. If he had a car, he would have to double back this way, and no one has passed me yet.” She paused, calmer now. “He has enough of a head start that he could be on any of a number of trails. Maybe you can catch up with him. Feel free to go after him.”

Rook had no intention of leaving her. “Let’s get you back to your friend. I’ll walk with you. You can tell me what happened.”

Carine paled even more, but she seemed steadier. “Mackenzie isn’t all right, is she?”

“She’ll be fine. Mac’s tough.”

Unexpectedly, Carine smiled. “She lets you call her Mac?”

“No, but I do.”

“She’s told me about you.”

Carine left it at that, and Rook could imagine what her friend had related about him. All of it true, no doubt.

Incongruously, Carine’s baby grinned at him, showing two top teeth, two bottom teeth and a lot of drool. His dark eyelashes were clumped together with tears. Rook smiled back. “You’re safe now, fella.” He looked at his mother. “Boy, right?”

“Harry.” She sniffled, adjusting him on her back. “That man. Do you know who he is?”

“No.”

“I heard something scrambling in the woods. I thought it might be an animal. I picked up a rock.” She reached behind her and touched her son’s foot, tucked into a red sock that was half-off. “I’ve had encounters with rough types before, but it’s different—” She took in another breath, obviously fighting to control a fresh wave of emotion. “It’s different when you have a baby to protect.”

“I’m sure it is. You did fine, Carine. You’re safe now.”

In measured words, as they continued down the dirt road, she related every detail of what she’d experienced, finishing just as they arrived back at Bernadette Peacham’s house. Rook knew he had to tell Carine about Mackenzie’s injury, but as he started to speak, Carine shot out ahead of him.

“Mackenzie!”

She was sitting on the gravel driveway, shivering as she leaned against the sedan Rook had rented at the airport. Carine hurried down to her, quickly lifting off the pack with her baby and setting it upright on the grass. He sucked on his little fist.

“Harry’s getting big,” Mackenzie said, obviously biting back her pain.

“You’re bleeding—”

“It’s under control. My liver’s not going to fall out or anything.”

Rook stood over her. “You’re white as a sheet, Mac. Is an ambulance on the way?”

“I don’t need an ambulance.” She leaned her head against the car. Most of her red curls were matted to her skull, but a few sticking out, he noted. “I see you rented a black car. Very FBI of you.”

“Mac—”

“It’s just plain in-your-face cheekiness for you to turn up here, Rook. You’re in a suit. You’re armed to the teeth. You weren’t planning to climb Cold Ridge or join Carine and me toasting marshmallows, were you?”

He didn’t answer her. Her eyes had a glassy, pain-racked look to them, and her lips were purple as she struggled to keep herself from shivering. “You’re freezing,” he said instead. Rook pulled off his sport coat and draped it over her. She made a face, but didn’t object. “I’ll take you to the damn E.R. myself if I have to.”

“I told the dispatcher I’d been sliced. I know they’ll send an ambulance even if I don’t need one.” Pressing the bloody towel she held to her side, Mackenzie shifted position, then winced. “If I pass out, just leave me here in the dirt. I’ll come to in a few seconds.”

Carine seemed relieved at her friend’s stab at humor. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I’d love some dry clothes. My backpack’s in the kitchen. I’d rather not go to the hospital in a pink swimsuit and G-man sport coat.”

“I don’t blame you. Back in a sec.” Carine scooped her half-asleep baby out of the pack and headed off to the house, eager to help her friend.

Rook glanced down at Mackenzie. “I take it you don’t own a suit in marshal’s black.”

“Black washes me out.”

Her irrepressible humor had drawn him to her that night in Georgetown in the rain, even before her blue eyes, her quick smile, her intelligence. “Anything I can do?”

“Find this guy.” Beads of sweat had formed on her upper lip, in spite of the breeze. “If he gets enough of a head start, he could be anywhere. There are a lot of hikers this time of year. He could head in any one of a dozen directions. If he decides to blend in, we’ll be lucky if anyone remembers seeing him.”

“Just rest, Mac. The woods will be crawling with search teams soon enough.”

“I’ve been trying to remember where I’ve seen him. Nothing’s coming.” Her head fell back against the car with a thud. “I shouldn’t have let him get away.”

“You disarmed him and kept him from killing you. So you got a little scratched in the process—”

“Bastard. You, I’m talking about. ‘A little scratched.’ Easy for you to say.”

He smiled. “Brought some color back to your cheeks.”

And she would have to admit the slash in her side was nothing compared to what could have happened—even if she did let her attacker get away. An ambulance and town police cruiser arrived within seconds of each other. Rook moved to go and meet them, but Mackenzie reached up and touched his hand. “You know Bernadette Peacham owns this place, right?”

He didn’t answer her.

“If she’s in danger—”

“I’ll take care of it.”