He had a price on his head—and no one to trust

An Emergency Responders thriller

EMT Kaitlin North can’t believe the shooting victim at an isolated Ozark cabin is the man who once saved her life. Now the only way she can keep undercover police officer Daniel Ryan alive is to help him elude the hitmen on his trail. With danger closing in, can Kaitlin and Ryan trust each other’s instincts...and take a chance on love?

VALERIE HANSEN was thirty when she awoke to the presence of the Lord in her life and turned to Jesus. She now lives in a renovated farmhouse on the breathtakingly beautiful Ozark Plateau of Arkansas and is privileged to share her personal faith by telling the stories of her heart for Love Inspired. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Also By Valerie Hansen

Emergency Responders

Fatal Threat

Marked for Revenge

Military K-9 Unit

Bound by Duty

Military K-9 Unit Christmas

“Christmas Escape”

Classified K-9 Unit

Special Agent

Rookie K-9 Unit

Search and Rescue

Rookie K-9 Unit Christmas

“Surviving Christmas”

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Marked for Revenge

Valerie Hansen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09691-1

MARKED FOR REVENGE

© 2019 Valerie Whisenand

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

Note to Readers

This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings:

 Change of font size and line height

 Change of background and font colours

 Change of font

 Change justification

 Text to speech

“We can’t stay here long or they’ll figure out where we went.”

Grasping the edge of the truck bed, Kaitlin straightened enough to peek over it. “So far, so good. Nobody followed us.”

“What now?”

“We steal a getaway car.”

“What?” Daniel’s gaping jaw snapped shut when he heard her chuckle.

“Relax.” Kaitlin grinned. “This is my truck. All I need is the keys and we can take off.”

“Where are they?”

“In my purse. In your room.”

His shoulders slumped. “My room?”

“Yes, but I know other ways in. Don’t try anything funny while I’m gone. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Daniel grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Be careful.”

“I will. Wait right there.”

He watched her for as long as he could, then hunkered down in the chair. Kaitlin had to make it. She had to come back to him in one piece.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and prayed for exactly that.

Dear Reader,

I come from a family filled with firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and nurses. My stint as an EMT was a short one but it taught me a lot about the rigors of that life. As Kaitlin and Daniel observed in this story, it takes a special kind of person to put themselves out for others, over and over again, with no expectation of reward or praise. They burn out. They struggle against unmerited guilt for failing to save every victim. They remember years later what a suffering child may have said to them in the midst of a terrible wreck and it haunts them.

So the next time you see or hear an emergency vehicle, please stop and pray for the ones aboard and the people they are racing to help. And if you harbor any doubts about your prayerful connections to the Lord, start by asking Him to accept you into His, into our, family.

I love to hear from readers! Visit me at my website, valeriehansen.com, or email me directly at Val@ValerieHansen.com.

May you be blessed and thankful for it every day.

Valerie Hansen

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

—Psalm 51:10

To my children and grandchildren who put in long hours helping others, both in emergencies and in hospitals. I’m so proud of you all! And to my Joe, who led the way and is still with me in spirit.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

ONE

Fog filled the valley in the Ozarks. Icy morning air chilled off-duty police officer Daniel Ryan to the bone. He’d been sent to the remote, deserted homestead for his own safety, or so his chief had claimed, but he knew there would be no true escape for him. Ever. Too much had happened.

He tensed. Real threats could lurk out there in the fog. Assassins. Armed and deadly. He could almost see them, sneaking through the misty, overgrown fields to ambush him and collect the bounty on his head.

“I am certifiable,” he muttered, shaking off the disturbing visions. If he hadn’t been forced into isolation, maybe his partner, Levi Allen, would still be alive and his former fiancée, Letty Montoya, wouldn’t be blaming him for Levi’s murder. Not that she hadn’t played a part in the mistaken-identity killing by inviting Levi to move in with her as soon as she’d had the opportunity.

Daniel made a face and set his shoulders. All he could do at the moment was continue to lie low and let his coworkers in the St. Louis Police Department sort out the facts, no matter how frustrated he became. Chief Broderhaven already believed that Daniel was suffering from PTSD after being the victim of a near-fatal kidnapping. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’d been put on leave and ordered into hiding after Levi’s murder. Okay. So maybe his reasoning wasn’t totally logical these days. That didn’t mean he’d make an easy target for assassins. Besides, the whole situation might be nothing more than a series of unfortunate coincidences.

“Yeah,” Daniel huffed. “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that somebody isn’t really out to get you.”

He glanced at his dwindling stack of firewood, decided to add to it and stepped off the porch. Complete silence suddenly enveloped him. No birds called. No insects chirped.

His pace slowed, his senses keen. His right palm reached for the grip of his sidearm. The holster was empty! He’d been cleaning the .38 when he’d decided to get some fresh Ozark mountain air. Stupid move. Careless. Foolish. The best defense available to him was, at that moment, lying in pieces on the kitchen table. A lot of good it would do him there.

But he did have a long-handled ax on the splitting block. Common sense insisted he did not need to be armed every second he spent in such a peaceful, pristine place. His overburdened mind argued otherwise and easily won, just as something tightened around his ankle and stopped his forward momentum.

He dropped like a rock. Caught himself with outstretched arms. Hit the ground rolling and came up next to the slab of log he’d been using as a chopping block. Heart pounding, he grabbed the ax handle.

Daniel peered into the fog. “If you’re out there, come on.” Shadowy oaks, sycamores and cedars near the old homestead still provided plenty of cover for would-be assailants, as did the fallow, brushy fields. Soon, when some of the trees had shed more leaves, he’d be able to spot interlopers better.

Breathing raggedly, he remained hunched behind the chunk of oak, waiting. Time slowed. He finally grimaced and accepted reality. “Get a grip, man. There’s no threat out there. Not even a hungry mosquito.” His cramped shoulders began to relax, his heart following. It was a good thing he was still in his early thirties, fit and healthy, because an older man might have had a coronary on the spot.

“The chief was right. I do need a shrink.” Only he couldn’t go back to the city for treatment. Not yet. Not until his cop buddies figured out who had killed his former partner and if that attack had been due to error, the way Letty had insisted.

Daniel stood and brushed off his jeans. Something glistened near the ground. A wire? That’s what had tripped him?

Astounded, he peered at it. If his enemies had gotten close enough to string that wire, why hadn’t they attached a bomb to it or kept coming and killed him while he slept?

Brandishing the ax, he braced himself. The air seemed choked with unseen threats, imagined dangers. In his mind he was once again tied hand and foot, lying helpless on a dirty concrete floor, gagged so tightly he could barely breathe, and waiting for his own death at the hands of the criminal gang he’d infiltrated.

He recalled breaking loose and running blindly through the old warehouse on the outskirts of Springfield, finally emerging onto Battlefield Blvd.

Every nerve in his body was screaming, Run again! He made a dash for the farmhouse, boots pounding up the porch steps.

Just as he jerked the dilapidated screen door toward himself he heard a bang and a whine. A bullet slammed into his thigh, spinning him around. The force felt like he’d been hit with an armload of baseball bats.

Daniel clambered to his feet and dove through the doorway, scrambling toward the table. Toward the disassembled .38.

All he had to do was stay conscious long enough to put it back together. Judging by the blood pulsing from his wound, that might not be easy.

* * *

“How much farther?” EMT Kaitlin North called to the ambulance driver and paramedic, Vince Babcock. He switched off the siren. “It’s just up ahead.”

“I think I see it.” A third member of their crew, Josh Metcalf, was pointing. “The place looks deserted but don’t let that fool you. Like I said, Vince and I were sent out here once before. This guy is a real nut case.”

“Terrific.” Kaitlin kept bracing herself. The narrow, ungraded dirt roads that had brought them into the back country of the Ozarks were so rough her muscles already ached.

Vince parked the ambulance with its rear doors facing the ramshackle house, then reported their arrival to dispatch. Josh grabbed his jump bag and went for the gurney. Kaitlin was right on his heels, her blond ponytail swinging.

A sharp, loud noise stopped everything. Josh put on the brakes so fast Kaitlin crashed into him and almost took them both down. She keyed the mic clipped to her shoulder. “On scene. Shots fired. Repeat, shots fired.”

“Copy that,” Belinda replied from the station. “You all okay out there?”

“Affirmative.”

“Okay. Hold short. Deputies are on the way.”

Her partners seemed perfectly willing to wait. Kaitlin would have been, too, if she hadn’t spotted so much blood on the porch. Unfortunately, the front door was closed and plywood was nailed over the windows. “I’ll check around back,” she announced, racing for the side of the house.

Vince was adamant. “No way, rookie. You heard our orders.”

She had. But what good was loitering by their ambulance when somebody might be bleeding to death?

“All I’m gonna do is look,” she called back.

Rounding the second corner of the small, clapboard building, she was so startled to see someone coming toward her from the opposite side that she faltered, her blue eyes wide, her pulse racing. “Vince! You scared the daylights out of me.”

“That was the idea,” he said harshly. “What if I’d been a guy with a gun?”

Kaitlin flushed crimson. “Sorry. I never thought of that.”

“Yeah, well, I did.” He hooked a thumb. “I found a window with a gap at the top of the boards back there. It’s too high off the ground for me to see in. Come on. I’ll give you a boost.”

Following, she managed a wry smile. “How mad at me are you? We know the guy inside is armed. We heard him shoot.”

“I don’t mean for you to stick your head through the hole.” He clasped his hands together to make a step for her. “Just take a quick look then back off.”

Shaking from excitement as well as trepidation, Kaitlin put her boot in his hands, strained to grasp the top edge of the plywood and pulled herself up. The board creaked and groaned but held. A brief glance told her plenty.

“There’s only one person in the room,” she reported. “He’s down and it looks like he’s unconscious. Hold on a sec.” Making a fist she rapped on the glass. The victim didn’t stir. “Yup. He’s out cold. I can’t tell if he’s breathing.”

“You’re positive he’s alone?”

“In this room, yes. Can’t tell about the rest of the house.”

She felt herself being lowered and jumped clear. “Let’s go.”

Vince was saying, “I’ll check on the ETA of the police,” as Kaitlin powered around the building. She never slowed going up the porch steps. A screen door hung off to the side like the broken wing of a bird. One swift kick with her boot and the front door popped open.

She had enough good sense to fall back until she’d double-checked the scene. That took mere moments. The unconscious, injured man was as rugged-looking as her partners had reported but not a bit frightening or off-putting the way they’d said. Avoiding the red pool staining the bare floor, she dropped to her knees by the victim’s head, pushed back the collar of his plaid flannel shirt and felt for a carotid pulse.

Smiling and gulping in breaths, she looked up and proudly announced, “He’s alive! We’re in time.”

* * *

Daniel wanted to speak, to warn his erstwhile rescuers that the shooter might still be out there, watching and waiting. His will was strong. His capabilities were not.

Was that a woman’s voice? Letty? he wondered. No. This person sounded empathetic as well as professional. First responders must have understood his jumbled 911 call and found him. Given the remoteness of the homestead and the fact that he’d done his best to shun everyone since he’d arrived there, that was pretty amazing. Only once, after a passing hunter had reported an armed trespasser acting mentally unstable, had anybody from Paradise checked on him. After that mistaken diagnosis was corrected and the medics turned away, Daniel hadn’t been bothered again. Until today.

His eyelids refused to rise. Male voices were issuing orders. Somebody was sticking a needle in his arm and taping it down while someone else slit the leg of his jeans to expose the injury site. A stethoscope touched his chest. He felt the leads of a defibrillator being stuck to his skin to record his heartbeats. His mind kept shouting, “Get me out of here!” yet his lips never moved. This felt like the kind of nightmare where you want to scream a warning but are unable to speak, no matter how hard you try.

“I think we should stabilize and transport ASAP,” one of the men said. “He’s lost a lot of blood in spite of the tourniquet he made with his belt.”

Yes! Do it! Take me away from here!

“I don’t know. What’s the sheriff’s ETA?” another asked.

What had happened to the woman? Daniel wondered. She hadn’t said a thing since confirming he was alive.

“Finish packing that wound and let’s roll. Doctor’s orders,” the first man said. “The cops are lost somewhere out here and we can’t wait for them to find us.”

Daniel wished he could cheer. Tired. So tired. It was getting hard to make out the conversation going on around him. He felt his body being rolled, moved, lifted. Someone reached into his pocket and tugged on his wallet.

Finally he heard the woman’s voice again. “Back off. You’re making the bleeding worse.”

“Okay,” one of the men replied. “We’ll let the docs in ER confirm identity.”

“From the looks of him he was probably using an alias, anyway,” the other man said. “Rookie, get the gurney and let’s go.”

* * *

Kaitlin and the other two worked as a team, securing and loading their patient flawlessly. She followed the gurney and supported the IV bag, then hung it and grabbed a seat as Josh climbed in with her and Vince slammed the doors. The engine revved. Tires spun, then caught. The man on the gurney moaned.

Kaitlin touched his forehead, noted that he was clammy and covered him with a blanket, leaving his leg exposed so she and her partner could monitor the injury.

“You’re going to be okay, sir,” she said. Her fingers brushed back his thick, dark hair. His lips trembled and parted as if he were trying to talk.

Kaitlin shushed him. “Take it easy. Save your strength. You can tell the doctors everything after we get you to the hospital.”

His “No” was faint but unmistakable.

Astonished, she leaned closer and spoke softly. “It will be all right. I promise. My name is Kaitlin. And this is Josh. We’ll take good care of you.”

Josh tapped her shoulder. “Knock it off.”

“Why?”

“Because his pulse is spiking. What you said was apparently not what he wanted to hear.”

“I just told him my name.”

“No. Before that. I get the feeling our hermit is not fond of hospitals.”

“Ah, I see.” She gently patted the patient’s shoulder. He seemed to be unconscious again but she explained, anyway. “If we don’t get you to a medical facility that’s equipped to take proper care of you, you’ll be in far worse trouble than you already are. So chill, okay? We’ve given you a little something for the pain and you should feel better soon. You need to trust us. We’re the good guys. It says so on our uniforms.”

Again his lips parted. Kaitlin leaned as close as possible, allowing for the pitching of the vehicle. Whatever he was trying to say didn’t come through.

“Vitals are starting to normalize,” Josh reported.

Kaitlin was more than glad; she was thankful. Every shift, every call, began with a fervent prayer for support and wisdom from God. That she’d survived her wild youth was a wonder she didn’t take for granted. Making the most of the life that had come after was her deepest desire. It didn’t matter that her parents thought she was a failure because she hadn’t finished school to become a doctor. She knew she didn’t need an MD degree to help people. This job was just as important. Just as fulfilling.

Laying a cool cloth on the patient’s forehead she silently prayed for him and blessed him. His arm twitched beneath the blanket. Kaitlin uncovered his hand to check the IV and saw his fingers moving.

She took his hand. He grasped hers as if she were an old friend. If the contact gave him comfort she was fine with it. Truth to tell, something about this patient seemed familiar enough that she, too, was comforted. Losing a patient was the worst part of her profession, by far, and it looked as if this one was going to make it. That alone was such a relief it brought unshed tears.

She averted her gaze to keep Josh from teasing her about being such a softy. Her reputation on the job was pretty good, if you didn’t count the scoldings Vince had given her for being too impulsive. The fact that he was right didn’t help. She knew she had to get a better grip on her enthusiasm and do things more by the book if she intended to survive her probationary period and be hired as a paramedic when she was fully certified.

The only thing she could not do—would not do—was step back when a life was truly in jeopardy. She might not be a superhero but she was smart enough to know how to act in an emergency. That was a special gift denied to most. When civilians screamed and fell apart, she and those extraordinary people like her kept their cool and did what was necessary. Even as a child she’d been that way. Now that she possessed the right training she felt totally confident and whispered, “Thank You, Jesus.”

The hand she was holding tightened on hers. Once again the patient’s lips moved. She leaned closer to listen. He wasn’t whispering an amen to her prayer. He was saying, “Danger!”

TWO

A trauma team was waiting when they arrived in Paradise and immediately whisked the patient away.

“I’ll help you guys finish restocking supplies before I clock out,” Kaitlin told her partners. “Dee should be here soon to take over for me.”

Vince made a sour face and Josh chuckled at him. “You look like you’d rather have the rookie stick around.”

Vince huffed. “Makes no difference to me.”

Kaitlin joined in the friendly taunting. “Yeah, right. Sheriff Caruthers’s daughter is your favorite teammate.”

“I never said that, either.”

Josh and Kaitlin both laughed. “No kidding.” Her attention was drawn to an arrival in the adjacent parking lot. “Well, well, look who’s here.” Not only was Dee Caruthers arriving, she was being officially escorted by the sheriff himself.

Kaitlin stripped off her gloves and waved at her longtime friend. “Hi, Dee. You missed all the excitement.”

The brunette twentysomething shot a wary glance at her father. “No problem. A peaceful shift is fine with me.”

Kaitlin could hardly hold back her excitement. “Not me. You won’t believe the call we just worked.”

Rolling her eyes, Dee approached. “Gunshot wound. Dad told me. That’s why he came along.” When she got closer she lowered her voice and leaned in. “He’s been giving me fits again about being in a dangerous job. I keep reminding him I’m not law enforcement the way he is.”

Kaitlin grinned. “Does that help?”

“Nope.” She peered into the ambulance. “I guess I waited long enough. You got it cleaned up already.”

“We did,” Kaitlin said, still smiling. She checked the time. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to grab my purse and run in to see how our patient is doing.” To her chagrin, she felt herself blushing.

Dee picked up on the telltale sign immediately. “Oooh. Is he good-looking?”

“I’m worried about him, that’s all. Don’t you care when you transport a critical case?”

“Sure. And then I set that aside and move on. You’ll have to learn to compartmentalize if you expect to last at this job. You can’t get personally involved. It’ll drive you crazy.”

“I suppose you’re right. But he’s the first really critical patient I’ve worked on since I started here. Besides, there’s something about him that’s a puzzle. I must have seen him before. I just don’t know where or when.”

“Right.” Dee waved Kaitlin off. “Go on. Check on his condition if it will make you feel better. Then go home and get some rest.”

“I know I won’t be able to sleep until the adrenaline wears off. I can’t believe the rush I got. No wonder first responders love their jobs.”

“Most of them do,” Dee replied with a sigh. “I’m beginning to wonder if it’s time for me to get a different one, maybe teaching at a preschool or something safe like that.”

Kaitlin shuddered and shook her head. “Not me, thank you. Kids are scary, sticky, ornery and loud.”

“What are you going to do when you have your own?”

“I’m not. Ever,” Kaitlin vowed. “I know I’d make a lousy parent. I’d probably expect my kids to be doctors or lawyers and stars in their fields, to boot.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Her friend patted her on the arm. “I forgot what you went through.” She brightened. “But look where you ended up. At the top of your EMT class and already halfway to becoming a paramedic. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I know. Thanks.” With a sigh Kaitlin started to turn away. “Take it easy tonight.”

“Will do.” Dee cast a surreptitious glance at the waiting ambulance. “You never told me who your mystery man is. Anybody we know?”

“I don’t know him. I suppose we may have passed on the street, although I think I’d have remembered.” She blushed. “It should be against the law to look that good when you’re bleeding to death.”

Dee smothered a chuckle. “Hah! Well, let me know if he turns out to be interesting. You may not be in the market for a husband, but I am.”

Amusement at her friend’s candid remark stayed with Kaitlin. She located the injured man as they were wheeling him to a room. His leg was bandaged and his pupils were mildly dilated when she checked, meaning he had pain meds on board.

She made small talk with two nurses maneuvering the gurney. “How’s he doing?”

“Better than expected,” one of them said. “It was a through-and-through. Missed the femur. Came close, though.”

“What about a name? Did you get one?”

The other nurse giggled. “Depends on which one you pick. His wallet had two different IDs.”

“Really?” Now Kaitlin was really curious. She eyed the quiescent man. “When I first saw him I thought he looked familiar. What did he actually say?”

“Not much. He sure wasn’t happy when I found a police identification card with his picture on it tucked behind his fake driver’s license.”

“He’s a cop?”

“Apparently. Either that or he stole the wallet.”

Kaitlin stood back until the other two finished with the patient and left, then reached for his chart and began to read. Dave Roark? That didn’t ring any bells. Daniel Ryan? Kaitlin racked her brain. For some reason Daniel sounded right. She stared at his scruffy but appealing face, trying to picture him without the dark stubble. Something was bothering her. She just couldn’t put her finger on it.

“What happened to you?” she asked softly.

The patient looked asleep. It not for a flutter of his eyelids she might have thought he was comatose. Hearing was the last sense to go and she knew there was a chance he was picking up her questions even though he didn’t or couldn’t reply.

Replacing the chart, Kaitlin leaned over him and whispered, “Listen. You’re going to make it. We got to you in time but the next time you call an ambulance, we’d appreciate it if you didn’t take potshots at us. Understand?”

Did he? Judging by the way his right hand fisted the blanket covering him she assumed he was at least aware of her presence. “I’m going to leave you now,” she said. “Rest. Sleep as much as you can. I’ll be back in the morning to check on you. I promise. Daniel.”

As she touched his hand in a farewell gesture, his fingers moved the way they had when she’d thanked the Lord during transport. She gave the back of his hand a quick pat and stopped at the foot of the bed to check his toes. Both feet were equally warm, meaning his wounded leg had adequate circulation. Good.

Moisture gathered in her eyes. She smiled. Her first run with a severely injured trauma patient had been a success. All was well in her world. She wished she could say the same for the shooting victim.

* * *

Daniel peeked from beneath lowered lids to watch the concerned EMT leave the room. Judging by her questions she didn’t remember who he was. But he knew her. How could he forget? He’d broken department rules and received a strict reprimand when he’d allowed her to go home after she’d been caught up in a drug bust involving minors. What he saw now, the useful person Kaitlin had become, proved he’d been right to cut her some slack. Vindication felt good.

He grimaced. Yeah, it felt a lot better than his leg did. Talk about sore. It throbbed in time with his heartbeats and ached plenty in between despite many painkillers. But he was still alive. This might be an era of fantastic modern medical breakthroughs, but a man could still die in mere minutes from one bullet hole. The fact that the ambulance had found him before he’d bled out, in spite of the leather belt he’d tightened above the wound as a tourniquet, added to his sense of awe. And thankfulness.

“So, now what?” What, indeed? Daniel figured he was in the local hospital in Paradise. The problem was, they knew his real name now. If word got back to St. Louis and his whereabouts became common knowledge before he had a chance to make new arrangements, he was in big trouble.

Testing himself, he raised on one elbow. His vision blurred. His thoughts swam. They had him so doped up it was a wonder he was even conscious. The next time he was offered something to dull the pain he must refuse, he told himself. Hurting was better than dying because he was happy and clueless. If it became necessary for him to try to escape he’d need all his wits about him.

Further movement brought a core-deep groan. He gritted his teeth against the thoughts he couldn’t suppress. How far did the influence of the men who had ordered the hit on him spread? Could they have cohorts in Paradise? Maybe even the sheriff or town cops? It was certainly possible.

He trusted a few special officers in his home department, including the chief, but somebody on the inside had to have revealed his hiding place. Otherwise, the guy who’d punched a hole in his leg would never have located him.

Forcing his eyes to stay open, Daniel stared at the door. Anybody or anything could be on the other side. Watching. Waiting for a chance to finish him off. He knew that.

He also knew there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

* * *

Kaitlin phoned the hospital first thing the next morning. Planning a second visit with the man she’d helped rescue gave her an energy boost despite the fact that she’d tossed and turned during the night.

As soon as she was told the patient was awake and alert she donned her uniform to give herself visible authority and started for town. The drive had seemed unending, the hospital corridor miles long. His door was ajar. She rapped, anyway. “May I come in?”

A woman’s voice answered. “If you must.”

Kaitlin gave the door a push. A lithe, raven-haired beauty stood beside the bed, holding Daniel’s hand possessively and eyeing the interloper. “You don’t look like a regular nurse.”

Kaitlin was grinning. “That’s because I’m not. I was on the ambulance that brought the patient in last night.” She focused on only him. “How are you feeling today? Better?”

“Yes, thanks. And thanks for saving my life.”

“I had help, but you’re welcome.”

His dark eyes seemed to bore through her. “You don’t know who I am do you, Ms. Kaitlin North?”

That took her aback. “How do you know my full name? Did my partners tell you last night?”

“No. I was too busy bleeding to ask.”

A smile lifted the corners of his mouth, making her insides tremble. Maybe Dee had been right. Maybe taking a personal interest in patients was foolish. This one was certainly unsettling her.

“The hospital nurses told you about me?” she asked.

“Actually, no.” He drew his hand over his newly shaved cheek and continued to smile at her. “Think again. No beard. St. Louis. Five years ago. That park by the arch. Remember a beat cop hardly dry behind the ears?”

“That was you?” Tears gathered. She blinked them back. “I don’t believe it!”

“Believe it,” Daniel said with tenderness, then quipped, “We have to quit meeting like this.”

The woman standing beside the bed was scowling. “Care to let me in on the joke, darling?” Bitterness colored her query and she drew their clasped hands to her chest as if declaring ownership, daring Kaitlin to interfere.

Although she had no romantic intentions toward the injured man, his companion’s attitude set her on edge.

Apparently, Daniel felt the same because he jerked out of the woman’s grasp and avoided her reach when she tried to reconnect. “This is Letty Montoya, Ms. North. She and I were engaged until she decided she preferred my partner over me.”

“Oh, dear.” Embarrassed, Kaitlin started to withdraw. “So sorry to intrude.”

Daniel stopped her. “Don’t go. I want to know all about how you put your life back together after I drove you to your parents’ place.” He looked her up and down. “You obviously got your health back.”

“Yes. I did.”

“Your mom and dad must have been overjoyed.”

“You could put it that way.”

“No?” He was frowning.

“Do you remember what I told you that night? Well, they weren’t glad enough to have me back to make them change. But I stuck it out. They did pay for rehab and my classes to become an EMT. My prior medical school training made it easy.”

Letty huffed with undisguised disgust. “Lovely. Now, if you’re done reminiscing, Daniel and I have personal matters to discuss. In private.”

Kaitlin shrugged. No way was she going to let herself be thrown out by the likes of that woman. What did Daniel see in her, anyway? Guilt for prejudging a stranger rushed in and convicted Kaitlin before she could think of a snappy retort. The injured man, however, had no such problem.

He pushed himself up and grimaced. “No, Letty. We have nothing to talk about. You made your choice and it wasn’t me. You need to leave.”

Tears began to cascade, mascara running, as Letty sobbed. “It’s all your fault. You owe me.”

“I don’t owe you a thing,” Daniel snapped.

Letty made a grab at him. “Please. I have nobody left, Daniel. You—you have to marry me.” Raising her reddened eyes she looked into his stern face. “There’s a baby coming.”

Kaitlin hoped she hadn’t gasped aloud. This was like watching one of Dee’s soap operas. It was super embarrassing to see but fascinating at the same time. “I really should go,” she said, backing toward the doorway.

“No,” Daniel barked. “It’s not mine and she knows it.”

The weeping waned. “But you love me. You said so. We can get married like you wanted. I’ll make you happy, darling. I promise I will.”

“Out!” he shouted, pointing to the exit. “Now.”

Hands covering her mouth, sobs shaking her shoulders, Letty ran into the hallway.

“Shut the door,” he ordered Kaitlin, then added a softer, “please?”

She tried a smile. “Well, since you asked politely...”

“I’m sorry you had to hear that. Letty broke up with me months ago and I thought all the fighting was over.”

“She seems sorry now.”

“Yeah.” He raked his fingers through his wavy dark hair and shook his head. “She didn’t get what she’d bargained for.”

“The other guy ditched her?”

“No,” Daniel said soberly, sadly. “Levi was murdered.”

“Whoa! That’s terrible.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his leg through the blankets as if that would hurry the healing. “The police think the bullet that killed him was meant for me.”

Speechless, Kaitlin stared. Daniel’s gaze captured hers and held it. The suffering she saw in his expression was unmistakable. There were so many things she wanted to ask that she didn’t know where to begin. One fact was evident. He had been using an alias for a good reason.

“You were in hiding here in Paradise?”

“Yes. My chief sent me to that old homestead in the hopes my department could break up the gang that was out to get me.”

“There’s really somebody after you? You’re sure?”

“Unless this was a hunting accident, the way your sheriff assumes,” he said with a gesture at his bandaged thigh. “I’m not done for, so I’m not positive. Hit men usually have better aim.”

“Terrific. It’s nice to know they take such pride in their work.”

Shock was quickly replaced by his laugh. “You’re something else, Ms. North. You know that?”

“Call me Kaitlin,” she said. “We saved each other’s lives. We should be on a first-name basis.”

“Agreed.”

“So, Daniel, suppose you fill me in?”

“You already know too much. It’s better if I don’t reveal more.”

“Better for who?”

“For you. Letty’s coming here is bad enough. She could have been followed.”

“What did Sheriff Caruthers say when you told him you’d been attacked?”

“He figured a careless hunter shot me and I didn’t argue.” Daniel waved a hand as if cleaning a dry-erase board. “I don’t trust anybody. Okay? It’s not that I think your sheriff is crooked, it’s just that I can’t be certain who he might talk to.”

Scowling, she reminded him, “He knows your real name. It’s on the chart. There’s a good chance he’s already contacted law enforcement because your girlfriend showed up. Where have you been working?”

“Still in St. Louis. I don’t have anybody special there but I did have friends. And a partner I trusted until he moved in with Letty and paid the ultimate price.” He paused, rubbing his leg and wincing. “That’s why I have to get out of here ASAP.”

“Impossible. You shouldn’t be moved, let alone stand.”

“Yeah, well, that can’t be helped.”

“And here I was thinking you were intelligent. You have no proof your real identity has been shared with the bad guys. That woman, Ms. Montoya, didn’t seem like the kind who would purposely out you. After all, you’re no good to her and her baby if you’re on the root side of the lawn.”

“I do not intend to marry her, or anybody else. I should have realized that my job is too dangerous to take the chance of jeopardizing a wife, let alone kids.”

Kaitlin was about to agree with him when Letty burst through the door. Her eyes were wild, her face flushed.

She pushed Kaitlin aside and lunged at the bed, grasping Daniel’s arm and shaking him. “We have to go. Now. They’re here! I saw them.”

THREE

It took Kaitlin several seconds longer than Daniel to react, but once she’d made up her mind he saw decisiveness fill her expression.

Grabbing Letty’s arm she wrenched it away, insinuating herself between the patient and his ex. “Leave him alone. He shouldn’t be moved.”

Letty reached out. “He’d better be.”

Daniel understood his ex’s sense of dread because he shared it. Until they knew who had shot Levi and killed him, anyone could turn out to be the enemy. Kaitlin, however, seemed fearless. That was not a plus. Not in this case.

He managed to slide off the bed and stand on his own. “I can handle myself. Get me my clothes.”

“You won’t want what you came in wearing,” Kaitlin said. “It’s a mess. It’s also probably been bagged as evidence. You were shot, you know.”

“I know the importance of that better than you do,” he told her. “These guys mean business. Letty’s right. I need to get out of here before they find me and other people get hurt, too.”

“And go where?” Kaitlin stood firm, hands fisted on her hips, feet apart in a no-nonsense pose. If Daniel hadn’t been filled with dread he might have laughed.

“Scrubs, then. Get me some of those.”

When neither woman moved, he shouted, “Scrubs!”

Instead of heading for the door to do his bidding, Kaitlin pointed at Letty. “Go down the hall, third door on the left. That’s a linen closet. You know his size better than I do.”

Surprised, Daniel scowled. He’d expected the EMT to fetch him something to wear. The fact that Letty obeyed, although reluctantly, was a surprise.

As soon as the door closed behind the other woman, Kaitlin threw her purse onto a chair, dashed to the closet and pulled down a clean, folded, hospital-green outfit. She thrust it at him and turned her back. “Hurry up. It won’t take her long to figure out I sent her on a wild-goose chase.”

“What? Why?”

“Because of the way she warned you.” Kaitlin rolled her eyes. “Think, Daniel. How did she know she was seeing the hit men? How would she know who they are?”

Kaitlin was right. She was a civilian, yet she’d just bested his professional logic. Even if Letty wasn’t responsible for the danger he was in, she was clearly not revealing everything she knew. And he had blithely accepted her advice as if she were totally innocent.

Dressing rapidly would have been harder if his adrenaline had not kicked in. He felt like an idiot. How long had he been fooled? And by how many of his former cohorts? There was no telling how much inside information his enemies were receiving.

His guttural “Ready” brought Kaitlin to his side. He looped one arm over her shoulders, figuring she’d help him walk all the way out.

Instead, she guided him to a wheelchair and pointed. “Sit.”

“I can make it on my feet.”

“Maybe. But if we have to run, I’d rather have wheels under you. Sit, or I’m leaving.”

“Okay, okay. You don’t have to get testy.”

She shot him an incredulous look as she locked the brakes on the chair. “Apparently, I do.”

“I’ll draw more attention like this than I would if I walked.” Nevertheless, he lowered himself and held his leg up while she carefully propped it atop a raised footrest before placing green booties on both his feet.

“Not after I get through with you, you won’t,” she declared. A blanket tucked around him came first, then a towel that draped over his head and covered his hair as well as masking the sides of his face. “Put your head down and pretend you’re sleeping.”

Daniel did as she asked, marveling at her quick thinking and wondering what other tricks she had up her sleeve. If he had been alone when Letty had arrived with the warning, he might have let himself be led to the slaughter.

He huffed. Might have? He would have. That, or the killers would have located his room and taken care of business right there. It didn’t matter how it happened, he’d have been finished.

Pulling the blanket close to hide his arms and hands, Daniel kept hold of the leading edge of the towel and braced himself with his good leg, his foot pressing the footrest.

The door swung open with a push from Kaitlin, barely missing his raised leg. He gritted his teeth.

She swung the chair to the right, into a branching hallway. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“What difference does it make?”

“None. Just get me out of here.” She knew this hospital, he didn’t. Where he’d have wandered, perhaps gotten lost, she was right on track. He hoped.

They passed room after room, most occupied. He had to escape before anybody started shooting. Stray bullets would find plenty of innocent targets in a place like this.

The chair briefly rose on one wheel as Kaitlin spun him around another corner. Daniel gasped.

She slowed and leaned over him from the back. “Sorry. Did I hurt your leg?”

“I’m too worried about your driving to know,” he snapped. “Try not to dump me in a heap, okay?”

“You are one ungrateful patient,” she replied wryly. “Here I am, rescuing you, and all you can do is complain.”

“Are you ever serious?” he bit out, bracing for the next jolt.

“Sure, when I don’t feel in control. Trust me. I’ve got this.”

He felt her falter for an instant, then pick up the fast pace. Although he couldn’t see her he sensed tension. “What just happened?”

“I got a glimpse of your girlfriend at the far end of that hallway. She wasn’t alone.”

“Terrific. How many?”

“Two.”

“Did they see us?”

“I don’t think so. Hang on.”

As if he wasn’t already. Letting go of the towel, he gripped the armrests of the wheelchair with both hands. Kaitlin was pushing him straight at a bank of closed glass doors! Why didn’t they move?

Just as he was about to shout, the doors slid open. Tight passage dislodged the blanket. He made a grab for it.

“Let it go. We’re almost in the clear!” she ordered, sounding like a kid on the downward slope of a roller coaster, enjoying every minute of the thrills.

“This is serious,” Daniel insisted, speaking over his shoulder.

“I know. Do you want me to weep and wail like your girlfriend did or get you out of this mess?”

“Point made.” His grumbled reply turned into a series of groans as she bumped his chair off a low curb and started to push him across the paved hospital parking lot. “Are you looking for potholes to hit?”

“Yup. How’m I doin’?”

There was no understanding her, he concluded. The meek, frightened girl he had once rescued had matured into a mix of Nurse Ratched, Wonder Woman and Hot Lips Hoolihan in that old TV series set in the Korean War. If one of her personalities didn’t get him hurt or killed, the others might.

He bit his tongue when they bounced through another series of shallow pits in the asphalt surface. Before he could comment again, Kaitlin pushed him behind a pickup truck and stopped so suddenly he almost slipped off the seat.

“Ack!” Daniel righted himself. His forehead was dotted with perspiration despite the cool, autumn weather. Not only was his companion out of breath, so was he.

She rounded the chair and bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath and grinning. “We made it.”

“Right. Now what? I can’t stay here long or they’ll figure out where we went.”

“I...know. Just...chill.”

Daniel wasn’t worried enough to keep from feeling contrite. “I’m sorry. I know that had to be hard on you. Are you okay?”

“I will be.” Grasping the edge of the truck bed she straightened enough to peek over it. “So far, so good. Nobody followed us.”

“What now?”

“We steal a getaway car.”

“What?” His gaping jaw snapped shut when he heard her chuckle.

“Relax.” Kaitlin grinned. “This is my truck. All I need is the keys and we can take off.”

“Where are they?”

“In my purse. In your room.”

All the air seemed to go out of him. His shoulders slumped. “My room?”

“Yes, but I know other ways in. Don’t try anything funny while I’m gone. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Daniel grabbed her wrist to stop her. “No. It’s too dangerous. That room is the first place they’ll search and Letty knows what you look like.”

“But the other guys don’t.”

As she was speaking she was reaching behind her neck. When Daniel saw her long, wavy, blond hair fall loose over her shoulders, his heart, which was already racing, made a little extra jump.

“What about your uniform? She’ll surely spot that.”

“No worries.” Kaitlin stripped off the light blue tailored shirt that bore her first name and the ambulance company insignia and handed it to him. Underneath she wore a plain, sleeveless tank top that matched the navy of her plain slacks. Spreading her arms she twirled for him, obviously pleased with herself. “See?”

“Be careful.”

“I will. Wait right there.” She sobered and eyed him, head tilted. “Promise?”

“I promise. Just hurry.”

He watched her for as long as he could, then hunkered down in the chair. Kaitlin had to make it. She had to come back to him in one piece.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, tried to quiet his mind and prayed for exactly that.

* * *

The hospital corridors were fairly crowded since visiting hours had begun. Kaitlin checked her watch. Shift change was coming, too, and the new nurse on duty would surely notice that Daniel was missing and sound an alarm. She didn’t have much time left.

What she wanted to do was press her back to the wall and inch down the hall sideways. She didn’t, of course. That would definitely draw attention. Instead, she straightened her shoulders, pasted a passable smile on her face and stepped forward boldly. The rubber soles of her work boots on the polished floor kept her passage silent.

One more turn. Five more doors. Her pulse was thudding so loudly she was nearly deaf to sounds around her. She raised her hand and placed her palm on the door to the room Daniel had just vacated. Something stopped her. Voices? Yes! A woman was speaking. In seconds, Kaitlin deduced that Letty was on the phone.

“He’s gone, I tell you. I’m in his room and the bed’s empty.” The other woman sounded panicky. “No, I didn’t see where he went. He can’t have gotten far.”

In the hallway, Kaitlin held her breath. Tell me where they are right now and where they’re headed, she thought, adding, Please, God, as an unspoken prayer.

“All right. I’ll wait for you here,” Letty said, “but hurry.”

No! Kaitlin wanted to scream. If she hoped to rescue Daniel from these thugs she had to get to her purse and truck keys. And Letty was in the way. Now what? If she waited until the men arrived there was no way she’d be able to retrieve her purse. Suppose Letty discovered it? Stole it? Kept it? Then what? They’d have no resources that couldn’t be traced and little money for traveling.

There was only one thing to do—stage a blitz attack.

Life on the streets as a wild teen had been hazardous and difficult, but it had taught Kaitlin a few tricks. One, an unexpected assault usually worked better than a face-off. The main trouble with a physical confrontation was the conflict with her Christian faith.

“I’ll forgive Letty later,” Kaitlin vowed. “And ask her to forgive me.”

Right here, right now, her task was clear. She had a duty to perform and the tools with which to do it lay inside that hospital room.

Preparing to burst through the door, Kaitlin heard the clicking of Letty’s heels on the hard floor. She strained to listen. The sound was receding, then stopped. Could Daniel’s ex have spotted her purse? There was no time to waste.

Kaitlin pushed open the door. If it had squeaked Letty would have noticed but it moved on silent hinges. Letty was standing at the window, her back to Kaitlin, concentrating on her cell phone.

Unmoving, Kaitlin waited for just the right second to spring. She didn’t want to hurt anybody, not even this deceitful woman, yet she must act boldly and with force or fail Daniel. What good would all her prior efforts do if that happened?

Still facing the window, Letty spoke into her phone. “You won’t believe this. I see him! He’s...”

Kaitlin rushed her. Knocked the cell phone out of her hand and threw her onto the empty bed.

Letty fought back, kicking and scratching. Her false fingernails raked Kaitlin’s bare arms like a hawk’s talons as they rolled back and forth, grappling.

The pain actually helped. So did the fact that Kaitlin had been exercising to keep fit for her job. She was stronger, but the spitfire she was trying to subdue was quick.

They rolled to the edge of the bed. Kaitlin grabbed a pillow to try to buffer the blows. That threw Letty farther backward and they slipped off the bed in a tangle. Letty landed first, with a stunning whack to her head.

Kaitlin grabbed the smaller woman’s hands and bound them together with tubing from Daniel’s IV. That would do as long as Letty was groggy. There was no time or reason to do more.

Gasping, staggering, Kaitlin lunged for the chair where her purse had been. It was gone! She fell to her knees in despair—and spotted the leather handbag on the floor.

Letty’s discarded cell phone lay nearby. Kaitlin could hear a male voice shouting through it. “Stay there. We’re on the way.”

Rational thought insisted on immediate action despite the fatigue and pain from the fight. Pushing off the seat of the chair with her hands, Kaitlin straightened and grabbed the purse. She ran to the door. Two nurses in the hallway had stopped and were staring at her. That couldn’t be helped.

Swiveling, she looked both ways and noted movement to her left. Whoever was headed her way was not wearing white or hospital green. That was enough for her.

Kaitlin went right, clutching her purse to her chest and breaking into a run. She heard a ruckus behind her. Knew the thugs must have discovered Letty.

The final turn was right there. As she whipped around it she chanced a look back. One surly-looking man was at the far end of the corridor, zeroed in on her as if he were a hungry lion and she a helpless gazelle.

Well, she was not about to become anyone’s victim. And she certainly wasn’t going to let the man who had saved her from the streets be harmed. Not while she had one spark of life left.

Kaitlin plunged her hand into the gaping open top of the purse as she exited the hospital at a run. “Keys! Keys. C’mon, where are the keys?”

Her fingers probed the recesses. She’d switched to a key ring with a furry fob for this very purpose, to be able to locate her elusive keys no matter what. So where were they?

For an instant she wondered if they might have fallen out onto the floor when she and Letty grappled. That notion stuck in her throat like a dry cotton ball until she finally touched something soft and fuzzy. That was it!

Almost to the parked pickup truck she spotted Daniel. Raising her hand with the keys and waving it as if she were leading a cheer at a bowl game, she shouted, “Get in!”

FOUR

Daniel was more than ready. He’d already thought through the moves that would put him in the passenger seat with the least effort or pain and proceeded to execute them. He pulled himself to his feet against the door, looped an arm over the side mirror and balanced on one leg while he reached for the door handle. Gave it a jerk. It didn’t budge.

She’d locked the door! An instant swell of anger took him by surprise and he tamped it down. Of course Kaitlin had locked her vehicle. A shift had to be at least eight hours and anybody who knew what she drove would have had that long to steal her truck. If they wanted to.

He almost smiled. Who in the world would take this beater truck when there were so many others to choose from? Nobody, that’s who. To say that their erstwhile getaway vehicle was less than perfect was to compare a Ferrari to a rusty bicycle. Still, any port in a storm, as they said.

Momentum took Kaitlin into the tailgate. She bounced off as if that was the way she always approached. “I thought I told you to get in!”

“Door’s locked,” Daniel yelled back.

“It just sticks. Give it a yank,” she told him as she made her way, gasping for breath, along the edge of the truck bed, then pulled open her own door and threw herself behind the wheel.

Following her directions almost landed Daniel on his back pockets in the lot. Hopping on his good leg he managed to round the gaping door and turn his back to the interior, intending to sit, then push himself up.

Instead, a strong pull on the neck of his scrub top threw him totally off balance. The engine roared to life. He made a grab for the steering wheel and used it for leverage, swinging both legs inside just in time.

Kaitlin’s grip was surprisingly strong. “Turn around and hang on. They’re coming,” she shouted at him. That was all the extra incentive Daniel needed, and a good thing it was, too, because she was already backing out.

Getting the seat belt fastened was difficult but he figured if he wasn’t belted in he was liable to break apart from her wild driving. He pulled the strap across his chest and almost succeeded in clicking the buckle in place several times before it finally caught.

That gave him more freedom to brace himself and try to baby his wound. By this time his leg was throbbing so badly the pain had affected his temper, which had been stretched pretty thin to begin with. “Are you trying to kill us both?”

“Not presently, no.”

He saw her knuckles whiten from her grip on the wheel and noted her determined expression. Her chin was raised, her arm muscles flexing, her spine stiff despite the way she was leaning forward, peering ahead.

“Where are we going?”

The instantaneous glance she shot him was incredulous. “You care? After everything we went through to escape you’re worried about where I’m taking you? I don’t believe it.”

Daniel had to admit she had a point. “Not worried. Curious, okay? You aren’t planning on turning me over to the police, are you?”

“Because...?” Slowing on the two-lane road as they approached a small town square, Kaitlin peered over at him. “Look at me.”

He obliged. “Why?”

“I want you to tell me again that you’re one of the good guys. Straight up. Honest. Nothing held back.”

Daniel raised his right hand in position for an oath. “I’m one of the good guys. My problem is I can’t tell who else is at the moment.”

“But you trust me?”

“Obviously.”

All he could see was her profile as she turned back to navigating the narrow streets of the town. That was enough. She was definitely smiling. He just hoped that being associated with him never spoiled that smile or brought tears to those amazing blue eyes.

Glancing in the side mirror he checked traffic behind them. It was impossible to tell whether or not his assassins had followed them from the hospital. But one thing he did know for sure. They were out there somewhere. And they would never quit until they were stopped. Or they stopped him.

* * *

Adrenaline helped Kaitlin stay on top of things for a while. She could tell it was wearing off when her hands began to tremble and her body felt as though a thief had made off with most of her bones.

The reason she hadn’t told Daniel where they were going was simple. She didn’t know. If she took him into the hills and hid him there, the way he had been when she’d first encountered him, how could she be certain she wouldn’t be making matters worse? Yet, if they stayed around Paradise they were sure to be spotted, particularly if his pursuers had seen her truck leaving the hospital.

That left a bigger city as the only sensible choice, at least for the present. In the Ozarks, a pickup truck was the vehicle of choice for probably half the population. Hiding a tree in a forest had to be easier than making it invisible when it was the only one left standing in a farmer’s field.

A quick peek at her passenger confirmed her decision. He wasn’t complaining but there was perspiration dotting his forehead, and the muscles of his jaw showed that he was clamping his teeth together, presumably to mask pain.

“Your leg,” Kaitlin began. “How is it now?”

“Feels like it has a hole in it. Why?”

“How about the rest of you?”

“Rotten. Just keep driving until I figure out what to do.”

“Rest that overworked brain of yours. I already know,” she shot back.

The look he gave her in response would have been funnier if he hadn’t been suffering. “Who made you sheriff?”

“I got the job by attrition,” Kaitlin said. “If you want to take my badge you’re going to have to prove you’re sound enough to wear it.” She reached across and lightly touched his forehead with the backs of her fingers. “Right now I’d say you need sick leave.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not an option.”

“Sure it is.” Pulling into a gas station along the way she slipped a credit card from her purse. “I’m going to fill up, get us something to drink and see if they have an ATM. From now on we’ll need to use cash.”

“TV cop shows again?”

“And street smarts from long ago. You’re the one who reminded me of my past. I may as well use what I learned.” Pausing at the open window of the driver’s door she leaned in. “Anything else you need?”

“Yeah,” Daniel said, lifting his hand off his thigh and displaying a fresh crimson blot on the leg of the scrub pants. “I could use more gauze and some aspirin. The stuff they gave me in the hospital is wearing off.”

“Not aspirin unless you want to bleed more. I’ll find something,” she promised. “You stay put.”

His cynical chuckle followed her. “Good idea.”

As much as she hated to leave him, even for a few minutes, she knew she must plan ahead. Her mental list of necessary supplies kept growing. Above all, the man needed proper medical care whether he liked the idea or not. While he’d been in the hospital his doctors had run antibiotics through his IV. Now that they were on the run she’d have to find an oral substitute.

Done filling her gas tank, Kaitlin pushed through the door to the little store and headed straight for the ATM. Her next stop was the coolers. Cheap foam ice chests were stacked nearby, so she picked up one of those before choosing bottled water, a power drink containing electrolytes and plain orange juice. The more necessities she could charge on her credit card, the better since this was the last time she’d use it.

Not knowing how long their cash would last or how far they might have to go before this nightmare was over left too many open-ended questions. Kaitlin fought off a moment of dizziness and mild nausea. She was hungry. And thirsty. But first things first. Medicine for her patient.

The aisle of painkillers and other over-the-counter remedies offered no bandages other than little sticky strips that would barely do for a skinned knee. Daniel needed more. Better. And there was only one sure way to get proper treatment. She just wasn’t sure how she was going to manage that without an attending physician reporting his gunshot wound again. That was the law. He, of all people, would balk at breaking it.

That notion didn’t sit well on her conscience, either. In the old days she might have scoffed but no more. Turning her life around had meant a renewed dedication to God as well as the vow to become a stand-up good citizen.

Kaitlin glanced out the front window at her parked truck, her burden weighty. That man was counting on her. She owed him. Plus, she prayed every day for the Lord to show her how to help others, how to fulfill her destiny with honor and grace. Given that heartfelt desire and corresponding prayer, how could she turn her back on anybody in need? She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

The problem wasn’t whether or not to help Daniel, it was how to best go about it while keeping right and wrong separate. For instance, it was wrong to tell a lie, yet if the truth meant her patient might die, what then? The Bible held lots of examples of lies ruining people’s lives but it also spoke of thwarting enemies. That was how she must view this escapade, she reasoned. It was a case of good versus evil and she was on the right side. She had to be. There was no way she’d ever believe that the kindhearted cop who had once granted her a second chance would now deserve the punishment of death.

Paying for her purchases and adding a bag of ice for the flimsy cooler, Kaitlin lugged it all back to the truck and set it down by the passenger door. “How’re you doing?”

“I’ll live.”

“That’s the idea.” She handed him the sports drink. “Start with this. I have water, too, but you look like you need more.”

“I need a cave to hibernate in.” He shivered. “And maybe a blanket.”

“The last one I gave you, you threw away,” she quipped, hoping to lift his spirits.

His “You made me do it” was emphasized by a mock scowl.

“I did, didn’t I? They don’t have everything on my shopping list at this place. I figured to make one or two more stops.”

“Before?”

She sighed, then confessed, “Before I take you to an urgent care clinic for a prescription. You need antibiotics. Badly.”

“I can’t show up at one of those.” Pausing to chug some of the drink, Daniel eased back against the seat, making Kaitlin wonder if he was about to pass out again.

“We’ll figure something out,” she said. “Trust me.”

Judging by the way his dark eyebrows lifted he found her suggestion of trust impossible. Nevertheless, he also seemed to realize he had no choice. He might not have the background in medicine that she did but the man was no fool. He knew he was sick and his fever was spiking. He also knew it was necessary to let her take the lead until he felt better. That would do. She didn’t care whether he agreed with her decisions or not. As long as he followed orders that would bring healing she’d be satisfied.

Kaitlin got herself a bottle of water, stowed the ice chest in the bed of the truck and weighted down the lightweight lid before sliding behind the wheel and passing him a small pill bottle. “This is all they had that won’t make you bleed more. You can take more than the suggested dose as long as you don’t go over four thousand milligrams a day. I’d start with four tablets if I were you.”

He washed them down with the remainder of the sports drink. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

Despite the dire situation Kaitlin laughed. “Oh, you owe me a lot more than one, mister. And we’re just getting started.”

Laying his head back with a guttural moan he closed his eyes. “No doctors. Please. I can’t chance being put into a computer system that may connect us to the hospital.”

“Then what would you suggest? A veterinarian?”

“Only if you know one personally,” Daniel said as she pulled out of the gas station heading north.

“Nope. But I did go to school with a nurse practitioner who ended up working in Springfield. I’m hoping she’ll agree to see you without reporting a shooting.”

“Fat chance.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m going to ask, anyway. If she’ll treat you and hold off notification of the authorities we’ll be okay. All we really need is a good head start.”

“And wings. And maybe a gun for me,” he countered.

“The wings I can’t manage but the gun is a possibility. It can’t be a handgun like you had at your hideout because there’ll be a waiting period. How about a rifle or shotgun?”

Daniel was scowling when he opened his eyes and turned to stare at her. “Are you serious?”

“Always,” she teased, knowing he’d get the subtle joke.

His “Right” was an exaggerated Southern drawl followed by a smirk that she found amusing enough to relieve some of the tension between them.

“Hey, I’m figuring this out as we go along, okay? So far I haven’t done that badly.”

To Kaitlin’s surprise he reached across and touched the back of her hand. Electricity shot up her arm straight to her heart. Any emotional connection she’d sensed in the past had now been proven. She was supposed to be there. Supposed to be helping him. It was as if she were on a divine mission and no way was she going to back down, no matter what.

If, as she believed, God had put the two of them together for the second time, she was duty bound to continue, to do whatever she could, to go wherever their path took them, until Daniel was safe and healed.

Those mental and emotional assurances buoyed her courage and renewed her strength. One way or another, her heavenly Father was going to bring them through this valley of looming danger and show them the mountaintop on the other side.

The analogy was straight out of Christian music, Kaitlin knew. It didn’t matter to her. She was more than willing to make use of anything that would carry her along, would give her the extra courage she needed.

“Now I really am worried,” her wounded companion said as they halted for a red light.

“Why?”

“Because you’re smiling,” he said cynically. “You’re scary enough when you’re driving like there’s a T. rex on our tail. Looking pleased about it is terrifying.”

“I was never afraid to look under my bed or in the closet,” Kaitlin said. “I don’t believe in monsters.”

“Well, you’d better start believing in human ones.” Daniel was rubbing his knee below the bandages. “I’ve met some.”

“Yeah. So have I.” Although her smile faded, she managed to keep from frowning. “We’ll make it through this,” she assured him. “I know we will.”

When he didn’t answer she noticed he was staring into the outside mirror. “What? Do you see something?”

“Not sure,” Daniel said.

Kaitlin could tell by the set of his jaw that he was uptight again. She saw the chance to make a quick right turn as the light changed and took it. To her relief, the vehicle Daniel had been watching didn’t follow. None of them did.

Seeing him start to relax helped raise her mood. “Better?”

“Yeah. For now.”

“Then close your eyes and try to get some rest. I’ll stick to back roads as much as possible and work my way toward the clinic. It’s not too far from that famous sporting goods store.”

“Springfield is not my favorite city,” he muttered.

“Care to tell me why not?”

“Maybe later,” Daniel said. “Right now I’m going to take your advice and try to rest.”

“Okay, but don’t be too agreeable or I’ll worry you’ve lost your will to fight.”

“Only where you’re concerned,” he replied. “I’m still plenty ready to take on the rest of the world.”

No witty comeback occurred to her so she stayed silent. He might think he was ready but she knew better. The fever signaled the beginning, not the end, of his recovery. Without making use of modern medicine he was no better off than a soldier wounded on an ancient battlefield. More of those died from the complications of infection than from their original wounds.

Kaitlin had been observing Daniel as they drove and realized his condition was worsening. Given his obvious intelligence and the fact that he was a cop, he probably knew it, too. That meant she’d have two battles to fight. The one against raging bacteria and the one for his mind.

Once he believed he was done for, it would be doubly hard to pull him back from the brink. The only plus their likely pursuers provided was a continuing threat. Having them in the picture was good for Daniel because it gave him a reason to want to recover and fight again.

Kaitlin huffed, disgusted by the way her brain kept coming up with crazy scenarios. And yet, in retrospect, she had seen it work before. The threat at the hospital had brought out extra strength and conviction. All she had to do was stay far enough ahead of the hired assassins to keep them both alive.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.