stuck on the incline, two men stared at the tires and scratched their heads. The long line of cars and trucks parked bumper-to-bumper had made it too difficult to steal.
His hand went to his hip. No weaponto draw, but no one else was in sight. “You know those guys?”
“Sure, that’s Craig’s car.”
Levi crossed to the stuck vehicle. “U.S. Marshal, pop your trunk.”
The man who was obviously Craig scratched his head again but walked to the driver’s side. “I just called the sheriff. Stan noticed my car jacked at this angle. Looks like the guy got stuck and got scared off. Why’s a marshalhere?”
Could the man move any slower?
Levi, with the EMT next to him, waited to hear the latch click. His blood pounded through his body. This had to be it. Someone stealing a car, stuck, then looking for another vehicle. The two locals were lucky to still be alive.
Jo had to be here. She has to be here.
The trunk popped and blessed relief pushed the tension and pain straightfrom his body. Alive. They’d kept her alive. He staggered a couple of steps into the ditch out of the way.
“There’s a body in here. Craig, go get the sheriff.” The EMT reached through and immediately felt for a pulse, then gently shook her. “She’s alive.”
Craig and his friend ran toward the train.
Waiting for the firefighter to examine Jo drove him crazy. He couldn’t think, letalone concentrate. He knew one thing—he wasn’t leaving her. He’d depend on the locals to handle a search for her abductors.
“I think she’s been drugged. Nothing I can do except transport.”
“I’ve got her. Do whatever’s necessary to get us out of here in three minutes.”
“Yes, sir.” The EMT jogged back the way they’d come, talking into his radio.
Levi scanned his line of sightone last time before sliding to the ground, car tire to his back and Jolene in his arms. When he’d heard “she’s alive” his brain had jump-started.
The guy who had abducted her might be long gone, but he’d be back trying to find them soon. Levi’s window of opportunity to keep her safe was shrinking.
“Don’t you die on me, Jolene Atkins.” He smoothed her hair, tucking it behind her ears,exposing a small scar that wasn’t there the last time he’d seen her.
But he knew all about it from the monthly report he received. She’d fallen on a rollerblade date four months ago. Three stitches just in front of her right earlobe. He ran his thumb over the healed mark. “If I ever meet Darrell Taylor, I’ll give him a strong lecture on what a good date should be. Never did tell your dadabout the ER visit. Neither did you. Hang on, hon.”
They hadn’t killed her, just drugged her to get away without making a scene. When he caught them—and he would—they’d never harm her again.
Chapter Six
Jolene stretched her arms, tried opening her eyes and quickly covered them. She wanted two aspirin before she moved too much. The pain in her head warranted stronger stuff than she had in her medicine cabinet. She rubbed her temples and swung her feet over the side of the bed, hitting a wall.
“Ow.” Her eyes popped open. Her mind reset on what had happened the daybefore and the memory that was still clear in her mind. “Levi?”
“Hey, welcome back.”
She heard his voice and soon a shirtless marshal emerged around the corner of a hotel bathroom.
“What happened?”
“You’ve been asleep for over twenty-four hours,” he said, slipping into a T-shirt that lay across the back of a chair. “Bathroom’s all yours.”
I lost an entire day?
“Thelast thing I remember is the steward going into the train after you.”
“Short summary version. The guy chasing us drugged you. I found you before he escaped, drove you to Dallas against doctor’s orders and checked us into this hotel.”
“And the guy who started the fire got away?”
One king-size bed. He’d slept there, the pillow next to her confirmed it.
“Just some major smokebombs. And
His hand went to his hip. No weaponto draw, but no one else was in sight. “You know those guys?”
“Sure, that’s Craig’s car.”
Levi crossed to the stuck vehicle. “U.S. Marshal, pop your trunk.”
The man who was obviously Craig scratched his head again but walked to the driver’s side. “I just called the sheriff. Stan noticed my car jacked at this angle. Looks like the guy got stuck and got scared off. Why’s a marshalhere?”
Could the man move any slower?
Levi, with the EMT next to him, waited to hear the latch click. His blood pounded through his body. This had to be it. Someone stealing a car, stuck, then looking for another vehicle. The two locals were lucky to still be alive.
Jo had to be here. She has to be here.
The trunk popped and blessed relief pushed the tension and pain straightfrom his body. Alive. They’d kept her alive. He staggered a couple of steps into the ditch out of the way.
“There’s a body in here. Craig, go get the sheriff.” The EMT reached through and immediately felt for a pulse, then gently shook her. “She’s alive.”
Craig and his friend ran toward the train.
Waiting for the firefighter to examine Jo drove him crazy. He couldn’t think, letalone concentrate. He knew one thing—he wasn’t leaving her. He’d depend on the locals to handle a search for her abductors.
“I think she’s been drugged. Nothing I can do except transport.”
“I’ve got her. Do whatever’s necessary to get us out of here in three minutes.”
“Yes, sir.” The EMT jogged back the way they’d come, talking into his radio.
Levi scanned his line of sightone last time before sliding to the ground, car tire to his back and Jolene in his arms. When he’d heard “she’s alive” his brain had jump-started.
The guy who had abducted her might be long gone, but he’d be back trying to find them soon. Levi’s window of opportunity to keep her safe was shrinking.
“Don’t you die on me, Jolene Atkins.” He smoothed her hair, tucking it behind her ears,exposing a small scar that wasn’t there the last time he’d seen her.
But he knew all about it from the monthly report he received. She’d fallen on a rollerblade date four months ago. Three stitches just in front of her right earlobe. He ran his thumb over the healed mark. “If I ever meet Darrell Taylor, I’ll give him a strong lecture on what a good date should be. Never did tell your dadabout the ER visit. Neither did you. Hang on, hon.”
They hadn’t killed her, just drugged her to get away without making a scene. When he caught them—and he would—they’d never harm her again.
Chapter Six
Jolene stretched her arms, tried opening her eyes and quickly covered them. She wanted two aspirin before she moved too much. The pain in her head warranted stronger stuff than she had in her medicine cabinet. She rubbed her temples and swung her feet over the side of the bed, hitting a wall.
“Ow.” Her eyes popped open. Her mind reset on what had happened the daybefore and the memory that was still clear in her mind. “Levi?”
“Hey, welcome back.”
She heard his voice and soon a shirtless marshal emerged around the corner of a hotel bathroom.
“What happened?”
“You’ve been asleep for over twenty-four hours,” he said, slipping into a T-shirt that lay across the back of a chair. “Bathroom’s all yours.”
I lost an entire day?
“Thelast thing I remember is the steward going into the train after you.”
“Short summary version. The guy chasing us drugged you. I found you before he escaped, drove you to Dallas against doctor’s orders and checked us into this hotel.”
“And the guy who started the fire got away?”
One king-size bed. He’d slept there, the pillow next to her confirmed it.
“Just some major smokebombs. And
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