the van again. Clancy was still out of it. She was on the point of going over and pulling him out when Sam shouted “Papa!”
“Mama!”
She heard a man yell “Sam!”
“Mr. Kettering?”
“Yes, that’s Miles. I ordered him on pain of death and dismemberment to stay back. And here’s your little girl, ma’am.”
Keely was wet to the bone, her flannel pajamas plastered to her, her hair hanging in her eyes. Katie swept her up into her arms and held her so tight the little girl squeaked.
“Keely got me, Papa! Keely woke me up and opened the window in my room to fool Beau and Clancy, then we went out the window in her bedroom. We’ve been hiding just over there, behind that tree. I recognized Beau and knew we had to stay hidden. Did you see Uncle Dillon? He kicked the crap out of skinny old Beau!”
Uncle Dillon? Katie smiled, kissed her daughter’s wet hair, and called out, “You wet as Keely, Sam?”
“I’m wetter than a frog buried under a lily pad.”
She saw Sam’s smile before she saw the rest of his face. He was being carried by a big man who was as wet as he was, and who was smiling even bigger than his boy. She liked the looks of him, liked the way he held his boy.
Miles carried Sam up onto the front porch. He saw Beau lying on his back, not even twitching, and he handed Sam to Savich.
He went down on his hands and knees, closed his fist around Beau’s shirt collar, and jerked him up. “Hello, you miserable scum.”
“Get off me, you bastard!”
“Oh, I’m lots more than a bastard. I’m your worst nightmare, Beau. I’m meaner than the man who just kicked your ass. I’m Sam’s father and do you have any idea what I want to do to you?”
“Get him away from me!”
“Oh, no,” Savich said, Sam now hanging about his neck, held real close. “You deserve whatever he wants to do to you. If he wants to, he can kick your tonsils out the back of your neck.”
Miles Kettering pulled Beau to his feet and sent his fist into his jaw. Beau went down and stayed down.
Miles gave him one more dispassionate look, then turned to take Sam from Savich.
“You walloped him good, Papa,” Sam said, and he patted his father’s face, dark with five o’clock shadow. “Can I hit him, too?”
“Nah, he’s had enough. You just stay real close to me until I get over being so scared.”
Sam hugged his father’s neck, really hard. “This is Katie, Papa. She helped me a whole lot.”
Katie stuck out her hand even as she held Keely against her with her other arm. “Mr. Kettering, you’ve got some brave boy here.”
In that instant, Katie saw black smoke billowing up around the front of the van. “Oh no—Fatso, I can’t even see him through that smoke! I forgot about him! I’ve got to get him.” She pushed Keely into Miles Kettering’s arms, and took off running toward the van.
Savich, who saw flames licking up from beneath the van, yelled, “No, wait! No, Sheriff!” He leapt off the porch and ran after her. He yelled over his shoulder, “Miles, protect the kids!”
Katie was no more than twelve feet from the van when she was tackled from behind, hard, and smashed facedown into the wet ground.
In the next instant there was a loud explosion, and the van blew up in a ball of orange, parts flying everywhere. He was covering all of her, his head on top of hers, his arms covering both their heads. The heat whooshed toward them, sucking the air out of their lungs, heavy, scalding.
She heard him grunt. Oh God, something had hit him. She heard him suck in a breath, then she did the same.
Then it was over. Everything was still again, except she could hear Keely crying, “Mama, Mama.”
He’d saved her life. He’d known the van was going to blow, and he’d brought her down.
Katie said, trying to turn over, “Agent Savich, are you all right?”
He grunted again, then she felt his determination as he pulled himself off her.
She was up in an instant, standing over him as he remained on his
“Mama!”
She heard a man yell “Sam!”
“Mr. Kettering?”
“Yes, that’s Miles. I ordered him on pain of death and dismemberment to stay back. And here’s your little girl, ma’am.”
Keely was wet to the bone, her flannel pajamas plastered to her, her hair hanging in her eyes. Katie swept her up into her arms and held her so tight the little girl squeaked.
“Keely got me, Papa! Keely woke me up and opened the window in my room to fool Beau and Clancy, then we went out the window in her bedroom. We’ve been hiding just over there, behind that tree. I recognized Beau and knew we had to stay hidden. Did you see Uncle Dillon? He kicked the crap out of skinny old Beau!”
Uncle Dillon? Katie smiled, kissed her daughter’s wet hair, and called out, “You wet as Keely, Sam?”
“I’m wetter than a frog buried under a lily pad.”
She saw Sam’s smile before she saw the rest of his face. He was being carried by a big man who was as wet as he was, and who was smiling even bigger than his boy. She liked the looks of him, liked the way he held his boy.
Miles carried Sam up onto the front porch. He saw Beau lying on his back, not even twitching, and he handed Sam to Savich.
He went down on his hands and knees, closed his fist around Beau’s shirt collar, and jerked him up. “Hello, you miserable scum.”
“Get off me, you bastard!”
“Oh, I’m lots more than a bastard. I’m your worst nightmare, Beau. I’m meaner than the man who just kicked your ass. I’m Sam’s father and do you have any idea what I want to do to you?”
“Get him away from me!”
“Oh, no,” Savich said, Sam now hanging about his neck, held real close. “You deserve whatever he wants to do to you. If he wants to, he can kick your tonsils out the back of your neck.”
Miles Kettering pulled Beau to his feet and sent his fist into his jaw. Beau went down and stayed down.
Miles gave him one more dispassionate look, then turned to take Sam from Savich.
“You walloped him good, Papa,” Sam said, and he patted his father’s face, dark with five o’clock shadow. “Can I hit him, too?”
“Nah, he’s had enough. You just stay real close to me until I get over being so scared.”
Sam hugged his father’s neck, really hard. “This is Katie, Papa. She helped me a whole lot.”
Katie stuck out her hand even as she held Keely against her with her other arm. “Mr. Kettering, you’ve got some brave boy here.”
In that instant, Katie saw black smoke billowing up around the front of the van. “Oh no—Fatso, I can’t even see him through that smoke! I forgot about him! I’ve got to get him.” She pushed Keely into Miles Kettering’s arms, and took off running toward the van.
Savich, who saw flames licking up from beneath the van, yelled, “No, wait! No, Sheriff!” He leapt off the porch and ran after her. He yelled over his shoulder, “Miles, protect the kids!”
Katie was no more than twelve feet from the van when she was tackled from behind, hard, and smashed facedown into the wet ground.
In the next instant there was a loud explosion, and the van blew up in a ball of orange, parts flying everywhere. He was covering all of her, his head on top of hers, his arms covering both their heads. The heat whooshed toward them, sucking the air out of their lungs, heavy, scalding.
She heard him grunt. Oh God, something had hit him. She heard him suck in a breath, then she did the same.
Then it was over. Everything was still again, except she could hear Keely crying, “Mama, Mama.”
He’d saved her life. He’d known the van was going to blow, and he’d brought her down.
Katie said, trying to turn over, “Agent Savich, are you all right?”
He grunted again, then she felt his determination as he pulled himself off her.
She was up in an instant, standing over him as he remained on his
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