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Jameson had anticipated what Boyer might say, but he certainly hadn’t anticipated that. He looked at Kelly to see if she was remembering any of this, but she only shook her head.
“What file?” Jameson snapped. “And why the hell not just come to me for it?”
“I didn’t go to you because I didn’t want you to know I was an agent. I didn’t want it leaked, and at the time there were rumors that there was a mole in the Rangers.”
“There wasn’t a mole,” Jameson argued once he got his jaw unclenched. If so, he would have darn sure heard about it.
“I couldn’t risk it. I’d already told Mandy and Kelly, but I only did that so I could get any information you had on your parents’ murders.”
Of course, he’d known the file that Kelly had stolen was about the murders, but he didn’t care for a deep cover agent having an interest in the case. He made another circling motion for Boyer to continue.
But Boyer only said two words. “August Canton.”
Now Jameson had to take a moment because the memories came. Of his parents’ murders. Of the pain and grief over losing them.
“August was originally a murder suspect,” Jameson said. “Several people were. But my father was also investigating a situation where a local widow, Hattie Osmond, had been milked out of lots of money. August was a suspect in that crime, too, but Hattie refused to name him. She passed away last year so there’s no way to press her for the truth.”
Boyer nodded. “I interviewed her. So did Kelly.”
“Kelly?” Jameson repeated. She seemed just as surprised about that as he was.
“Yeah. She talked to Hattie about two years ago. And she questioned Marilyn Deavers, the woman who’d given August an alibi for the night of your parents’ murders.”
Jameson looked at Kelly, but she only shook her head. “I don’t know why I did that. Or if I learned anything.”
“Marilyn is dead now, too,” Boyer went on. “She died in a car accident.”
So if Marilyn had altered her story about August being with her, then there’d be no way to confirm it. Unless they found that file.
“I believe August did scam money from Hattie,” Boyer continued a moment later. “Maybe others, as well. But that’s not why I was investigating him. I believe August is involved in a money laundering scheme. I’d hoped there’d be something in your files that would help, something that hadn’t been in any of the police and FBI reports. But there wasn’t.”
Kelly whispered a single word of profanity under her breath. “So I stole that file for nothing?”
“I obviously didn’t know that at the time.” Boyer didn’t sound the least bit apologetic, either. “When I realized the file was useless, I pressed you to get more info from Jameson. You said you would, but then you disappeared.”
“Why did I do that?” she asked.
“I have no idea. I didn’t hear from you for two years, and then this morning, I got a frantic phone call from you. You said you were in Houston and that someone was trying to kill you.”
“Someone did try.” She touched her fingers to her head. “Who?”
“I don’t know that, and you didn’t know, either. You said someone tried to run you off the road, and you needed my help.”
Jameson considered maybe that was how she’d gotten the head injury, but he dismissed it. She’d been bleeding in the ambulance, and that didn’t look like a wound that’d happened hours earlier. It still looked fresh.
Kelly looked at Jameson. She opened her mouth, closed it, and it seemed as if she changed her mind about what she was going to say.
Had she remembered something?
Something that would incriminate her?
“I told you to go to a hotel,” Boyer continued, “and stay there until I could arrange security. I sent two men, both federal agents, and I believe those are the two men you killed tonight.”
Kelly fumbled around behind her, located the table and sank back down on it. “Why would I have done that?”
“You tell me.” Boyer glared at her. “That’s why you’re under arrest.”
“She’s not,” Jameson argued. “Remember that part about you not having a court order. Plus, we don’t even have ID’s on the dead guys so we don’t know if they’re agents or not. They could be the same men who were trying to kill Kelly in Houston. Once the doc has released her, we’ll all go to the sheriff’s office and get this straightened out.”
That didn’t please Boyer, and he gave Jameson more of that glare. “Why are you protecting her?” Boyer growled. “Are you sleeping with her again?”
Jameson hadn’t cared much for Boyer, and that question didn’t help. “Before tonight, I hadn’t seen her in two years, either.”
He considered telling Boyer about the note that Kelly had tucked inside her shirt. But decided against it. Best to keep that close to the vest until they could figure out what was going on. That started with identifying those two men. And making sure Kelly got the medical attention she needed.
“We also have a witness,” Jameson added just to test Boyer’s reaction. “Someone saw part of the altercation between Kelly and the two dead men.”
And it got a reaction all right. Boyer’s eyes widened. “Who is it? I want to see the person right now.”
“He’s in protective custody.”
Not exactly a lie. The guy was at the sheriff’s office and had hopefully stayed there. Just in case he was thinking about leaving, Jameson stepped to the side and sent a text to Gabriel to tell him to keep an eye on the man and to keep him away from Boyer. Until Jameson was certain he could trust this agent, he didn’t want him to be part of the investigation.
“Are you warning your brother that I’m on my way to the sheriff’s office?” Boyer snapped.
“I sure am,” Jameson admitted.
Boyer cursed and glanced around as if debating whether he should leave or stay there to watch the woman he intended to arrest. “Kelly’s not to leave here unless I say so,” Boyer said as if his order would be obeyed. “I’ll come back after I’ve spoken to this witness.”
“Good luck with that.” And Jameson didn’t bother to take the sarcasm out of his voice.
As much as Jameson hated to pawn Boyer off on Gabriel, he was relieved when the agent stormed out. But not nearly as relieved as Kelly was. She blew out a long breath, and while she didn’t exactly relax, her muscles seemed to loosen up a bit.
“Please don’t let him take me,” she whispered.
He couldn’t promise her that it wouldn’t happen. If Boyer did manage to get that court order, then Jameson would have no choice, and that’s why he needed to press the CSIs to get identities on those dead men. However, his phone rang before he could even start the call. Not Gabriel this time, but rather Cameron.
“Jameson, we got a problem,” Cameron said the moment he answered. “The security guard at the hospital just called 911. He said there’s a guy in the back parking lot, and that he’s got a rifle.”
Chapter Four
Kelly’s breath froze. From the moment she’d been carried into the hospital, she’d had a bad feeling about this place. It just wasn’t safe. And the gunman that the security guard had spotted proved it.
The gunman was after her.
She didn’t need her memories to know that, but it certainly would have helped if she remembered why someone wanted her dead. Because if she knew the why, then maybe she could figure out who was behind this. And perhaps put an end to it. Of course, at the moment she wasn’t in shape to stop much of anything. But she did need to get the heck out of there.
Kelly stood to do just that, but Jameson immediately made sure that didn’t happen. “You’re not going anywhere,” he warned her. However, he did draw his gun from his holster and stepped in front of her.
Protecting her.
She figured that wasn’t something he especially wanted to do, but he was a lawman, and he probably considered this to be part of his job.
“Get me some backup now and patch me through to the security guard,” Jameson told Cameron. He now had the phone sandwiched between his shoulder and ear. It only took a few seconds for that to happen.
Seconds that the man in the parking lot could be using to make his way to the hospital. Kelly looked around for something, anything, she could use as a weapon, but other than some medical equipment, there wasn’t much. Plus, she definitely wouldn’t win a hand-to-hand fight with this guy. Not with the way her head was still spinning. She could barely stand up.
“Hank, do you still have eyes on the guy with the gun?” Jameson asked the security guard.
Jameson didn’t put the call on speaker, but since Kelly was right behind him, she heard the guard answer. “Yeah, but he’s on the move. He’s darting from one car to another, using them for cover, but he’s definitely heading this way.”
Jameson growled out some profanity under his breath. “Some deputies are on the way, but if you have to, shoot this idiot. Don’t go for a kill shot, though, because I’d like to take him alive.” He paused. “Did another man just leave the building? Bulky build and bald?”
“No. Haven’t seen anybody like that. Why? Is he dangerous, too?”
“Maybe,” Jameson answered. “Just watch your back around him if he shows up. And lock down the hospital. There could be other gunmen at the front or sides of the building.”
She hadn’t needed anything else to rev up her heartbeat, but that did it. There could be any number of hired guns, and Kelly doubted that just locking up would keep them all out.
Jameson ended the call, putting the phone back in his pocket, and he looked at her. “I need to go to the guard to make sure this gunman doesn’t get out of the parking lot. I know the guard—Hank Winston—but I have no idea if he’s a good enough shot to stop this person.”
And even if he was a good shot, it was too big of a risk to take. The gunman could shoot an innocent bystander. Heck, if he got inside, he could shoot Hank as well before coming after her.
“I want to go, too,” Kelly insisted. “Just give me a gun.”
Jameson gave her a flat look. “No gun. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave you here alone since we don’t know where Boyer is. That means I want you to come with me, but I don’t want you to do anything stupid.”
She nearly asked Jameson what he would consider stupid, but he didn’t give her a chance to say anything. He got them moving out the door of the examining room. Fast. Too fast for Kelly to keep up with her wobbly legs, and Jameson cursed again when he glanced back at her. He looped his arm around her waist and started walking, slower this time.
“Once I take care of this,” Jameson said, “you can finish up with the doctor and then I can get you to the sheriff’s office. If you need protective custody, we can work it out there.”
Kelly didn’t miss the “if.” He still didn’t trust her—which was reasonable—since she couldn’t remember what she’d done or why she was carrying that note ordering her to kill him.
“We need to find my sister, too,” she reminded him, though Kelly was certain he remembered.
“Gabriel’s looking,” he assured her.
Yes, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t look, as well. And she would. But first she had to take care of a possible killer and then find a way to escape. Or at least find a way to get Jameson to believe her so he would help her.
No easy feat.
Apparently, they’d been lovers, but judging from the way Jameson glared at her nearly every time their eyes met, he didn’t feel even a trace of affection for her. However, the attraction was still there, and perhaps that was one of the reasons he was glaring. He didn’t need this heat between them any more than Kelly did.
They made their way down a wide corridor with shiny gray tile floors, and Jameson slowed when they neared the back exit. The guard was there, his gun drawn and pointed at the glass door.
“He’s still out there,” Hank said, sparing Jameson and her a glance. “What should I do?”
“Come over here and wait with her.” Jameson tipped his head to the hall. He took up position by the side of the door so he could peer out into the parking lot. “But keep watch. I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us.”
Neither did Kelly, so she kept watch, as well. “Maybe if I could get a look at the gunman, I might recognize him?” she said.
Jameson spared her a glance. “Your memory’s starting to come back?” There it was again. The skepticism that she’d never lost it in the first place.
“No. But seeing him might trigger something.”
“Seeing him might get you killed,” Jameson pointed out. “This glass is reinforced, but it’s not bullet-resistant.”
Which meant Jameson could be shot, too. Kelly had already put him in enough danger, so she leaned out, trying to get a glimpse of the gunman.
And she got it all right.
The tall lanky man ran from the back of an SUV to a truck. But the new position didn’t put him closer to the building. Nor did his next move when he darted behind a car. He was moving laterally. Maybe so he could have a better shot?
Or was this about something else?
“Hell,” Jameson said. “I think this clown is just a decoy.” Obviously, he’d reached the same conclusion Kelly just had. “A second gunman’s probably already in the building.”
Both Hank and Kelly shot glances around them. The hall wasn’t empty. There were two people wearing green scrubs, a man holding the hand of a toddler and a woman carrying a vase of flowers. All seemed to be doing normal things that people would do in a hospital.
Seemed.
The flower-carrying woman was walking slow, staying behind the man and the little boy, but Kelly didn’t think they were together. She got confirmation of that when the boy stumbled and the woman didn’t even reach out to break his fall. It was the man who picked up the child. He kissed the boy on the cheek and started walking again, coming up the hall toward them.
Jameson took out his phone and texted someone. Gabriel, probably. To let his brother know what was going on.
“See anyone suspicious?” Jameson asked Hank and her when he’d finished.
Hank shook his head. Kelly didn’t. “The woman with the flowers could be carrying a gun,” she said.
Though it wasn’t visible. Still, she was wearing jeans and could have a concealed weapon in a slide holster. Plus, there was something about the intense look on her face that set off alarms inside her. So intense that Kelly moved out of her line of sight and pulled Hank next to her.
Jameson hurried from the back door just long enough to glance down the hall, and he made a frustrated sound of agreement. “We can’t risk her firing shots. Not with that kid and the other innocent people standing around.”
Kelly could see and feel the debate going on inside Jameson. They didn’t have time to wait for backup. Nor did they have a lot of options here. If whoever was behind this had indeed set up a decoy, then there could be more than one hired killer in the hospital.
“Come on,” Jameson finally said. He motioned for them to follow him to the door, and he made brief eye contact with Hank. “Keep hold of Kelly, and when we get outside, get her down behind the first vehicle you reach.”
The blood rushed to her head, and Kelly felt the kick of adrenaline. And fear. So many things could go wrong right now, and staying put could be the biggest mistake of all. Still, she hated to go out there without any way to defend herself.
Hank put his arm around Kelly’s waist, and the moment Jameson unlocked the door, they started moving. So did the decoy. He lifted his head, and Kelly saw the surprise register in his eyes.
It didn’t last.
Because the moment the man turned his rifle in their directions, Jameson took aim and shot him square in the chest. The guy dropped like a stone, and Kelly could tell he was dead. But she could no longer see him because Hank did as Jameson said, and he pulled her to the side of a minivan.
“Do you have a backup gun or knife?” she whispered to Hank. “I’m a PI. I know how to shoot.” Or at least she thought she did. Now, if she could just remember the firearms training she would have almost certainly had in order to get a private investigator’s license.
Hank glanced back at her, and even though Kelly could tell he was plenty uncertain about this, he lifted the leg of his pants and took a small handgun from his boot holster. Kelly didn’t waste a second pivoting toward the door so she could keep watch for that woman who might be coming after them.
Jameson took cover as well—using the red truck on the other side of the door. And they waited.
The moments crawled by, and Kelly soon heard a welcome sound. Sirens. Backup had arrived, and maybe that meant these would-be killers would call off the attack. She wanted answers. Wanted to know who was responsible for this. But she didn’t want those answers if it meant innocent people could die.
“Get down!” Jameson shouted just as a shot was fired.
Kelly expected the bullet to go in Jameson’s direction. It didn’t. It came in hers. The shot slammed into the minivan just inches from where Hank and she were crouching.
That sent Kelly and him scurrying to the side, but moving in any direction was a risk. Yes, Jameson had shot the decoy, but that didn’t mean others weren’t all over the parking lot.
But this shot had come from inside the hospital.
Kelly peered around the minivan and spotted the woman. She was no longer carrying flowers, but she had the back door open a couple of inches. Her gun was jutting out through the space.
And she fired again.
This time at Jameson.
From their new position, Kelly could no longer see Jameson, but he’d probably tried to shoot the woman. Judging from the sounds Kelly then heard, Jameson had been forced to take cover, as well.
Kelly figured Jameson wasn’t going to like what she was doing, but she leaned out enough from the minivan so she could see if she had anything close to a clean shot. She did.
And she took it.
Kelly aimed, fired, and the bullet crashed through the glass and into the woman’s chest. Like her decoy comrade, she fell, but that wasn’t the only sound Kelly heard. Jameson cursed—the profanity aimed at her.
“I told you to stay down,” Jameson snarled, and in the same breath, there was another shot.
Sweet heaven. Who was Jameson shooting at now?
Kelly scrambled around Hank and made her way to the rear of the minivan. There, she had a good angle to see Jameson. To see the glare that he tossed her, too. Obviously, he wasn’t happy that she had changed her position or that she fired that shot. Kelly wasn’t especially happy about it, either, but she saw it as a necessary choice.
“Put down your gun,” someone shouted.
Gabriel. He had apparently arrived with backup. Good. Kelly hoped he had brought a lot of deputies with him so they could secure the hospital.
“He’s there,” Hank said, motioning in the direction of the far side of the building.
There was a man carrying a handgun in the spot where Hank had indicated. However, the man didn’t drop his weapon as Gabriel had ordered. He turned and fired a shot, no doubt aiming for the sheriff.
Jameson took care of the guy. He double-tapped the trigger, but he hadn’t gone for kill shots. The bullets went into the man’s shoulder and shooting arm. He stayed on his feet, but his gun clattered to the ground.
Suddenly, there were the sounds of footsteps. Plenty of them. And they were all converging on the injured man. With his gaze still firing all around him, Jameson reached the guy first, but Gabriel and a deputy soon joined him. Another deputy stepped out from the back door where the gunwoman was still sprawled out. She was almost certainly dead. It gave Kelly a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach to know she’d killed someone, but if she hadn’t, Jameson, Hank and she could have been murdered.
“Don’t kill me,” the gunman yelled, attempting to hold up his hands. Hard to do, though, with his injuries.
Kelly had been right about the gunshot wounds. They didn’t appear life-threatening, but he was bleeding and needed medical attention. That wouldn’t be difficult to get since they were in a hospital parking lot, but Gabriel likely wouldn’t let any of the medical staff approach until he was certain it was safe.
Even though Kelly knew Jameson wasn’t going to like it, she started to make her way toward them. She did keep low, though, crouching, and her pace wasn’t exactly fast since she was still unsteady.
When Jameson spotted her, he didn’t curse, but she could tell that’s what he wanted to do. “Stay behind cover,” he warned her.
She did, but that didn’t stop her from getting a better look at the gunman that the deputy was now cuffing. Just as everyone else she’d encountered, Kelly didn’t recognize him, but when the man looked in her direction, he did something strange.
He smiled at her.
Jameson and Gabriel noticed that smile, too, because they both shifted their attention to her. “You know him?” Jameson asked her.
Kelly immediately shook her head. But the man just kept on smiling.
“I know you,” the injured gunman growled, “because you’re the woman who hired me.”
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