Chapter 13

13

The front door opened, and Kinsley spun, searching the opening for Dev, wanting to be sure he was safe and unharmed. He quickly stepped in, not before letting in a heavy whiff of the wildfire smoke before he closed the door behind him with a solid thud.

"Are you okay?" she asked, taking in every inch of his body. "Is everything okay?"

He clenched his jaw as he crossed the room. "We have a situation. I'm going to wake Colin up, and I'll explain it to both of you at the same time."

She opened her mouth to beg him to tell her first, but he marched past her, taking long, sure strides to the hallway leading to his and Colin's shared room and leaving her alone to think.

Situation? What kind of a situation had occurred that he had to wake up his brother to tell him about it? Couldn't be good. Couldn't be good at all.

She resumed pacing, back and forth as fast as she could move, her heart beating erratically. She wanted to talk to Jada, but Kinsley had already gone into their shared bedroom to tell her Dev had to go out to see Micha, and she was sound asleep. Kinsley didn't have the heart to wake her unless she needed to.

Footsteps sounded on the wood floor in the hallway. A sleepy-eyed, but already alert Colin entered the room before Dev. Colin was fully dressed in camouflage cargo pants and a black T-shirt. She had no idea if he had to get dressed or if he was sleeping in his clothes, but if he had to dress, he'd been quick about it.

Dev gestured at the plump sofa. "Go ahead and sit."

She hurried over and dropped down on the cushy couch, her focus not leaving his face. "Okay. Please tell us what's going on."

Colin perched on the arm at the far end of the sofa. "Yeah, bro. What's got you so hot under the collar?"

Dev planted his hands on his hips. "We have a drone flying overhead. It's likely our shooter trying to get a glimpse of Kinsley so he can make another attempt on her life."

Kinsley gaped at him. "But how could that be? There's no way he could've found me, is there?"

"That's what I'm struggling with." Dev gnawed on the inside of his cheek. "I know we weren't followed here, but he might've somehow connected me with you and then connected me here."

"He could've asked around about who was under fire at the shooting scene in town," Colin said. "Your name or even Jada's could've come up."

Dev rubbed a hand over his face. "And if he did, that's pretty brazen, which I don't like. It could be a hint into his character, and he's an even more aggressive adversary than we thought."

Colin planted his feet. "Either way, I'm sure you want to find him."

"I do, and that's why I woke you. I want you to stay here with Kinsley. Micha has the door. I'll go looking for the drone operator."

"No!" Kinsley bolted upright in her seat, perching on the edge of the plump cushion as she stared at him. "It's not safe for you to go alone."

"Actually, it's safer for me to go without the others," he said. "One guy moving swiftly through the darkness won't make as much noise as two or more. Easier to keep from raising the guy's suspicions."

"But…" Visions of Dev in danger in the dark with an adversary waiting for him took over her thoughts. Her mouth went dry, and she shook her head to clear out the terrifying scenes. "I don't like it."

He gave her what she thought was meant to be a calming smile. "I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but it's what we need to do. I'll be careful, and hopefully, the next time you hear from me, I'll have detained the drone operator. AKA our shooter."

She wanted to argue, but she couldn't. He not only had her safety to think of, but his sister's as well, and she had no right to tell him not to try to defend his sister. His birth family.

Besides, no matter what she said, he'd made his mind up and was planning to go. She knew him—knew him very well—and there was no way she could change his mind. He was going to head into the darkness to find and apprehend the man who'd been trying to end her life, even if it meant sacrificing his own.

Something rustled in the underbrush ahead. Was it human? The human Dev sought? Or was it an animal?

Dev, weapon in hand, slipped silently forward. He pressed his comms unit earpiece in tighter to secure his lifeline to Micha and Colin. He needed to know if their operator approached the cabin or if the drone stopped hovering, zipped away, or landed.

He scanned through the thick air that left his throat sore and had to work hard not to clear it and alert anyone to his presence. The scrub was thick with ferns and hostas growing large on the untamed property. It would be a beautiful scene with the moon shining down, highlighting the hostas' large leaves and the feathery ferns. Not tonight. Not with the fire in the near distance and when he was likely hunting their shooter.

The leaves rustled.

Dev shot his focus to the area. A small animal scampered through the thick foliage, moving fast. He strained his eyes to get a better look. No human could move that quickly on their hands and knees. Had to be animal, but he couldn't make out the type.

He released a slow, silent breath to calm his nerves. He didn't want to be riled when it came time to confront the operator. No matter that he hadn't yet located the person he was seeking. With the drone still hovering over the compound, he was still optimistic he would find the guy.

He continued forward, silently, as a cool breeze drifted over him. He wished it were strong enough to clear the air. He reached a narrow, rutted service road that his neighbor used for logging and took a step toward it. If he took the road, he could jog ahead faster and find his prey. But he would be too exposed out there. He slipped back into the shadows to take a parallel route.

He reached what he thought was nearing a mile. The drone had to have an extended range, or Dev was on the wrong trail. He rounded a bend.

A battered brown pickup truck had been backed onto the property. He'd never seen his neighbor drive this truck. Had to belong to someone else. Now he was getting somewhere.

A twig snapped ahead. Movement in the scrub. Not an animal. A human at last. Tall. Six feet or more, and thinly built. His hands clutched an electronic controller as he spun to look at the area where the twig had broken.

Yes! The operator. The man Dev was seeking.

Go. Now. Bring him down.

No. Slow your roll and think.

Dev filled his lungs with tainted air and backed away deeper into the woods to watch.

"Drone took a dive but is back up hovering now," Micha said over the earpiece.

"I have the operator in sight," Dev whispered into his mic. "A noise startled him, and he spun, likely losing control of the drone."

"Roger that."

Dev took in additional details of their operator, looking for a weapon. He was dressed in black from head to toe, including a stocking cap, and he tapped his foot on the leaf litter surrounding him. Light from the controller bathed his face. Too bad he was facing away from Dev. He couldn't make out his identity, but it didn't look like he was carrying.

Dev would have to take this guy down to stop the drone. He'd love to have Micha shoot it down or use radio frequency jammers to jam the signal, but both were illegal, even when a drone invaded your privacy and was spying on you. Dev didn't plan on facing federal charges when he could apprehend the man.

He would distract the operator again by throwing a stick into the scrub next to him. Then he would charge. Tackle him. Disarm him if necessary and bring him in.

He listened. Waited until the adrenaline pumping rapidly through his body was under control. Counted to ten. Took a deep breath.

It's go time.

He chose a large branch. Heaved it hard. The wood took its own course and flew through the air, spiraling over the operator's head. Not exactly where Dev had planned for it to land, but it startled the man nonetheless.

"What in the world?" He spun, lowering the controller and ignoring the drone.

At this distance, Dev couldn't hear the drone, but he could imagine the device losing direction and plummeting to earth. A crash that wouldn't be heard from very far away, but the drone would be disabled, and Dev's team could legitimately recover it.

He bolted from his cover. The operator took one look at him, threw the controller to the ground, and ran for the pickup.

Dev took off, ignoring everything around him, his focus pinned to the moving man. Racing. Running.

At top speed, the operator was wiry and quick. Dev outweighed him and was less agile. Slower. He muttered frustrations under his breath. Didn't help. The operator gained on the vehicle. Dev fell further behind. He dug deep to increase speed. He couldn't let this guy get away. He just couldn't.

A small animal lurched out from the side shrubs. Brushed against the operator's legs. Dev could finally make out the animal. A small white dog, barking and yapping, nipping at the operator's pants.

Please. Please let the dog trip him.

The operator gave the dog a swift kick. He yelped and backed off, then resumed barking from a distance in tiny little yips. Dev caught sight of the dog's face. Black circles ringed eyes in an otherwise white coat.

Reid's dog, Bandit. What in the world was he doing out here alone at night?

Didn't matter at the moment. Dev had an operator to apprehend.

He picked up his speed. His lungs screamed for air. He lunged forward. Nearly lost his footing and barely managed to right himself before he faceplanted. The man dove into the truck and got it going. The old engine's rumble sounded louder than a rifle crack at close range, announcing that his suspect was getting away. Taunting him with the rumble. Chastising him for being so slow. For failing.

The guy floored the gas and fishtailed on the rutted road.

Dev lunged for the vehicle. Missed the bumper by mere inches and faceplanted. He'd failed. All he had was dirty clothes, a wheezing chest, and the sooty air to breathe. He sucked it in. Sooty or not, he needed to breathe.

The truck raced away and he searched for plates. They didn't have lights around them and it was too dark and smoky to make out the details.

He could run after the truck, but what good would that do? He would never catch up. Nor could he dispatch someone from the compound in time to trail the vehicle.

No. Dev had to face it. Their suspect was gone. Dev had failed.

He slammed a fist into his other palm. Why hadn't he considered waking up one of the other team members and having them at the ready in a vehicle to go after this guy?

Tactical error on his part. A big one.

Now he had to go back to the others—to Kinsley—and tell them he'd failed. He could just see the disappointment in their eyes. Especially Kinsley's eyes, and he didn't want to go.

So what? He had no choice.

He turned to leave. Spotted Bandit sitting and staring up at him.

"Come here, boy," Dev called out as he squatted.

The little dog trotted forward and pawed Dev's knee, then tried to lick his face. Dev scooped him up. "That kick was something else, wasn't it? But you're not acting like you're injured. Let's get you back to where you belong, and your family can take you to the vet to be checked out."

Dev started through the woods, this time not trying to hide, but still avoiding the narrow service road to preserve any potential evidence that the suspect might've left behind. He would make sure one of them recovered the controller tonight to secure it and get Sierra out here to recover anything that could lead them to the operator and also have her check out the drone. This being an outdoor scene, it would take priority over Kinsley's apartment. Unless Sierra had enough staff to do both. He would ask.

What's the worst thing that could happen? She would say no. And he had to do everything as fast as he could. The shooter could know Kinsley was here and find a way onto the property or take long sniper shots from a distance.

He got out his phone and tapped Reid's number as he crossed the main road.

"Hello." His sleepy tone almost left Dev feeling bad for waking him up instead of keeping the dog with him overnight.

But the last thing he needed was to take care of a dog on top of everything else. "I found Bandit wandering in the woods and scooped him up. I'm near the lodge and can drop him off."

"In the woods?" Reid paused. "He's right here in his…oh, man. The little bugger got his crate open and must've made a run for it out the doggie door. Thank goodness you found him or Jessie would've freaked."

"I'm glad to spare your daughter any heartache," Dev said, and meant it.

"Is he all right?"

"He seems to be fine, but you might want to have him checked out by a vet." Dev described the rough treatment by the operator.

Reid muttered something Dev couldn't make out. "You catch the guy?"

"Sadly, no."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"I hope to get Sierra out here to process the scene, and hopefully Nick will also check out the drone. I plan to look at it too, but an electronics expert like Nick probably would see something in the device that I don't see."

"But what about Kinsley's apartment? I thought you had Sierra going there first thing in the morning."

Dev explained his reasoning regarding the unstable nature of the outdoor scene.

"Good thinking," Reid said. "Sounds like a solid plan. Let me know if you need anything from me. I'll wait on the porch for you to deliver Bandit."

Dev used his passcode to get through the security gate, making sure it latched solidly behind him. He marched down the compound's driveway. Took three minutes of crunching over gravel and sustaining copious licks from Bandit to reach the big lodge. Reid and his brothers had grown up in this house. Now life had come full circle, and Reid, along with his wife Megan, were raising his nine-year-old daughter and Megan's seven-year-old daughter, Ella. They seemed to be the perfectly blended family. Dev had to admit to being jealous at times of their close family unit.

Despite always backing away from his feelings for Kinsley, he wanted to get married. He wanted kids. Hence his big mistake with Hailey. He'd given up on a future with Kinsley and had gotten engaged, but Hailey suspected he was holding back. She ignored her gut feelings, but when the big day came, she couldn't walk down the aisle until she had it out with him. She pressured him until he told her that he still had feelings for Kinsley and he doubted they would ever go away. But he loved Hailey and tried to convince her of that. She didn't believe him and left him at the altar.

He deserved it. He could love and commit to another woman, but not in the way he loved Kinsley. Any woman deserved more than that from him. He had no business getting engaged and cheating her out of what she deserved. But Hailey bailing on him as he stood waiting at the altar still stung and was almost as difficult as not being able to explain it to his family. He couldn't. Not without making Jada feel bad for eliciting the promise from him. So despite his mother hounding him for months, he kept silent and simply took the blame so they didn't think badly of his fiancée.

After connecting with Kinsley again, he knew he wanted her more than anything, but that changed nothing. He couldn't have her.

Reid eased out of the shadows cast by a large wrought iron light fixture hanging near the heavy wooden door. Bandit started whimpering, and Dev hurried up the steps to his boss.

He reached for the dog and held the little thing out to give him a good once-over. "He doesn't seem to be suffering. Did he walk okay?"

Dev nodded. "I didn't notice anything unusual."

Reid drew the dog close to his chest, and Bandit snuggled up against his neck. Reid rested his cheek on the dog's head and cooed in baby tones. If Dev didn't have a suspect to follow up on, he would stay here and razz his rugged boss about being so smitten with a little puppy dog.

"Got to go." Dev turned to leave. "I'll let you know what we find."

"I'll still make sure we have a protection detail at your cabin twenty-four seven," Reid called after him. "Let me know if you need anything else."

Anything else? His boss was just trying to help, and Dev appreciated that, but needing anything else, anything at all, to bring this investigation to a close made the solution seem very far off.

Right now he didn't have the capacity to deal with what was right in front of him, much less try to predict his future needs. Especially not with an adversary who seemed to be cunning and persistent. Very persistent indeed.