Chapter 30

Concerned, Kane wanted to remove the worry from Jenna’s shoulders, but in truth the next couple of weeks wouldn’t be easy for any of them. The one thing he could do would be to help her solve the current homicides. He finished the cookie he’d been eating and sipped his second cup of coffee. “How far have you gotten in the cases?”

“Zip.” Jenna blew out a long breath. “I haven’t spoken to Rio or Rowley since I left this morning, but I gave them a ton of grunt work to do. They’re hunting down CCTV footage of this Carter-like guy and sending it to Agent Katz as Kalo is on vacation. They have a couple of people of interest, mainly because they resemble Carter. We’re grabbing at straws.” She shrugged. “I’m sure if they’d had a breakthrough, they’d have called me by now.”

Nodding, Kane leaned back on the sofa, pulled her close, and moaned with delight at just holding her. “I guess, we’ll find out in the morning. There’s just one thing I need to know.”

“Shoot.” Jenna rested her head against his shoulder.

Kane stared into the fire. “No one has mentioned my Harley. Did you find it and just how bad was it damaged?”

“It’s in the garage.” Jenna chuckled. “Wolfe and Atohi collected every fragment and bagged them.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s okay to look at. The mirrors came off when it got wedged between the trees. It has a couple of scratches but it doesn’t look as bad as you do.”

Relieved, Kane smiled. “That’s good to know. The cosmetics I can fix. Parts might be difficult but parts can be repaired. Does it run?”

“Heavens above, Dave.” Jenna sat up and turned to look at him, eyes wide. “You were missing. There was blood on the blacktop. The last thing on my mind was if your motorcycle ran or how bad it was damaged.” She shook her head slowly. “I did look at it when Atohi pushed it out of the trees, since then I’ve been a little busy, with my son being kidnapped and all.” She rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you go and look for yourself… Oh and I drove the Beast. Maybe you need to make sure it’s okay too.”

Surprised, Kane examined her face and the slight tremble in her hands. The shock was setting in just like Wolfe had warned him. He pulled her close and held her against him. “It was just a question. Material things can be replaced. You and Tauri are my first concern and always will be. Okay?”

“Okay.” Jenna nodded against his chest. “I know that. I’m still a little stressed. I didn’t mean to snap at you, I’m sorry. It was a perfectly logical question. You worked for months building the Harley. It’s only natural you wanted to know what had happened to it.” She waved a hand. “All this, the cartel, you and then Tauri, a case we can’t solve. It’s like trying to climb the side of an iceberg. I keep slipping down and having to start again.”

Kane stroked her hair. “You’re just tuckered out, is all.” He wrapped his arms around her and stood, lifting her into the air. She weighed nothing and snuggled into his arms. He kissed her forehead and smiled. “I know it’s only eight but we’re going to bed. Everything can wait until the morning.” He carried her into the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him.

* * *

Rain streaked down the windows when Kane woke at five the following morning. He dragged on his clothes and checked on Tauri. Once asleep, Tauri and Jenna slept like the dead. He slept like a cat with one eye open. Until the trial date came and went and for some time after, he’d be watching his family very closely. He went to the mudroom to push his feet into ice-cold work boots. He filled the coffee pot and then headed out in the dark to tend the horses. It would be a long day and he set up the stables so they could swap the horses into clean stalls when they arrived home. The scent and warmth of the stables were soothing to his aching muscles as he mucked out the stalls and groomed each horse until they shone. Being exhausted after a long day, any shortcuts were welcome. If it hadn’t been raining, he’d have turned out the horses into the corral for the day, but they’d be comfortable enough in their large stalls with the radio on to keep them happy.

His usual workout could wait. He’d had all the exercise his body could take this morning. The deep grazes to his hip and knees restricted his movement, the areas both stiff and sore, with skin so tight the healing flesh tore open with each movement. He’d tend to them once he’d had a shower and in a day or so he’d be fine. The antibiotic shot Wolfe had insisted administering before he left last night would prevent infection. Sitting in a rat-infested barn with open cuts had been one of his concerns. The idea vermin might try and feast on him the moment he fell asleep had kept him awake all night.

He closed the barn door and stared at the garage for long seconds. He’d pushed the accident and the potential loss of his Harley to the back of his mind, but just looking at the garage pulled everything into focus. Wolfe had mentioned finding wire at the crash site and he recalled the blow to his chest before he hit the road. He walked to the garage door, used his handprint to unlock it, and waited for it to slide open. Inside, the Beast was parked where he usually left it and set beside his partially rebuilt Indian motorcycle was his Harley. On the bench against the wall, someone, he assumed Wolfe, had laid out all the parts they’d collected. Alongside them sat his helmet. He turned it around in his hands and stared at the dent. He’d have died in the wreck without it, but that was easy to replace, not so the damaged parts of his motorcycle. He looked over the Harley and winced. He’d restored it to its former glory and now the tank had a long line of scratches on both sides. The mirrors were missing, torn off, and the saddlebags caked with mud all along one side. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his phone and took images of the damage and then sent them to one of the restorers he’d met during his journey with his motorcycle. He could fix just about anything but trusted the paintwork to a specialist. When he had time, he’d drain the tank and send it to his guy. The broken parts might be more difficult to find. He ran his fingers over them, deciding if any could be saved or repaired. Sadly, they were just mangled pieces of metal. The saddlebags would clean up. Leather was very forgiving and a once-over with saddle soap would have them clean again.

He climbed into the Beast and drove it to the front of the house. There was no need for Jenna and Tauri to get wet this morning. His mind went to his little boy. The kindergarten was a safe place, but so was his ranch and the cartel had gotten to them. He had no idea how many more of them were out there planning on taking him out. He’d speak to Nanny Raya. Maybe she needed to stay with Tauri at the kindergarten, just to be safe. He climbed out of the Beast and headed to the front porch. He used the retinal scanner to gain entrance and removed his boots before padding softly back to the bedroom. As he undressed and headed for the bathroom, Jenna’s voice came from behind him.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Jenna stared at his bruised and battered body, and her eyes widened. “Look at you. You should be resting up today. Is your head, okay? The helmet has a huge dent in it.”

Nodding, Kane stood motionless as she examined the bruises and scrapes. “I’ll be fine. These are more of a nuisance than anything else. A straight cut can be stitched and then forgotten. Large areas of grazes from the blacktop have two problems: they’re part scrape and part burn, plus they have dirt in them. I’d rather leave them open to dry, but Wolfe insisted I cover them with a dressing after my shower and use ointment to prevent infection.” He rubbed his hip. “He gave me a shot before he left last night and that hurts more than the grazes.” He bent to kiss her. “I stink of horse. Give me five minutes. The coffee is ready.” He headed for the shower. “Then we can discuss the case before Tauri wakes up.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Jenna yawned explosively. “I hope the guys made progress in my absence.”

Kane smiled at her. “So do I.”