Page 43 of Good Girls Don't Cry

“I’m fine, just a little sleepy.” Olivia smiled at her. “Thank you for finding me. I knew you’d come.”

Taking a seat opposite, Jenna turned to Raven. “Go and clean up. The takeout will be here soon.”

“Thanks.” Raven smiled at Olivia. “You’re in good hands.” He hurried from the room.

Keeping her expression pleasant, Jenna looked at Olivia. “Your parents will be here soon, but your mom said it was okay to talk to you about what happened. I’ll record it so you won’t need to keep repeating it, but you might have to answer a few questions later. One thing I need to know is how did Silas Thorne get into the limo?”

“I don’t know.” Olivia gripped the cup with both hands. “We didn’t see him until we heard a gunshot and then saw the blood splashed on the window between the driver and us.”

Jenna nodded. “Okay, I know it’s painful, but what happened next?”

She listened in horror as Olivia described the terrifying moments before she saw the limo drop into the river. Without prompting, she went on giving as much detail as possible. The girl gave a very harrowing description of her time in the caves. Sickened by the vivid descriptions, she thanked Olivia and stood. “Deputy Rio will stay with you until your parents arrive. Please don’t hug them. I’m sure the medical examiner will need to take samples from your clothes. Thorne might be dead but there will still be a full investigation. I’ll be sending details of his crimes, plus his DNA, across the US. There are many unsolved crimes and he might be responsible for many of them.” She squeezed Olivia’s hand. “You’ve been so brave, but please take the help you need to recover. I’ll always be here if you need to talk.”

“I’ve proved to myself I’m stronger than I thought.” Olivia gave Jenna a determined look. “I’ll never forget what happened, but I won’t fall apart. I need to live a normal life. I want to remember my friends and tell their stories. I want to make sure this never happens again.”

Nodding, Jenna motioned to Rio to come inside. “I’ll work hard to make sure men like him are caught and brought to justice. Deputy Rio will wait. I’ll send someone down with takeout. I’m sure you must be starving.” She patted Olivia on the shoulder and headed for the door.

Exhausted, Jenna walked back to her office. The case was solved, the team still running smoothly and very capable of tying up any loose ends. She’d wait for Kane to shower and eat and then she’d thank everyone and head home. For now, she’d leave law enforcement to her trusted team. She smiled as Kane, Carter, and Raven came into the office carrying a box of takeout. “The takedown went like clockwork.” She looked at Kane. “It was a clear case of self-defense and Carter, wow, that was some fancy finger work.” She swung her attention to Raven. “You just fit into the team as if you’ve been here all along. Thank you, for solving the case.” She looked at Kane. “When you’re done here, take me home. I want to spend the next week or so relaxing.” She smiled. “As of this second, Rio is in charge.”

“About time.” Kane grinned at her. “Let’s go.”

Forty-Eight

Monday, the Following Week

In his dream, Kane ducked and weaved as four men attacked him somewhere in the middle of a desert. His hand went instinctively for his weapon and came up empty. He never slept unarmed, never, and where the heck was he? He spun and kicked and the other men ran away. Now that never happened. The man on the floor rolled around, groaning and panting. He should leave before someone found him. He tapped his ear. “Gigabyte, do you copy?”

“Dave. Dave, wake up.” A familiar voice came close to his ear.

Kane opened his eyes. The bedside lamp was on and Jenna was shaking him. He rolled onto his back, his mind still in combat mode, and forced tight muscles to relax. “I’m awake.”

“It’s time.” Jenna smiled at him. “Contractions are seven minutes apart.”

Springing out of bed, Kane pushed his feet into his boots and reached for his jeans. “Okay. Call Nanny Raya.”

“I have already. She’s in the spare room. I don’t need her with me.” Jenna’s face turned red and she moaned and puffed out breaths.

Panic he’d never experienced in his life hit him in the pit of his stomach. “Is it real bad?”

“Not yet.” Jenna sucked in a deep breath and smiled. “On the bright side, it’s the Fourth of July. Our baby will have fireworks every birthday.”

Duke whined and walked in circles before resting his head on the bed beside Jenna.

“I’m okay, Duke.” She rubbed his head. “You go and lie down in your basket and watch over Tauri until we get back.”

Kane grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet and then stared at his feet, wondering when he’d put on his boots. He glanced at Jenna, who looked at him and raised one eyebrow.

“Maybe it will be easier to take off your boots.” Jenna’s lips quivered into a smile. “Are you okay?”

Kicking off his boots, he hopped on one foot to pull on jeans. He shook his head in disbelief at waking up without a brain. They’d been over the sequence of events hundreds of times, what to do first, when the time came. He had this. He dressed in record time and ran to the front door to get the Beast from the garage. He left the truck idling and hurried inside for Jenna’s hospital bag, sitting packed beside the front door. He tossed it onto the back seat, slid behind the wheel, and was hurtling along the driveway before he realized he’d left Jenna behind. He slammed his hands on the steering wheel and threw the truck into reverse. “Get a grip, you idiot. She needs you right now.”

He ran the plan they’d discussed through his mind again. First, make sure Tauri was cared for, check the contractions, call Wolfe, get bag, go to hospital. Too easy. He’d jumped straight to step four. Getting Jenna to the hospital had somehow become his first priority. He drove back to the house and dashed inside. As usual, Jenna was calm and in control. She had Wolfe on the phone and was listening to his instructions. Feeling a little stupid, he sat on the bed beside her as she disconnected. “Is there anything I can do? The Beast is outside and I’ve got your bag.”

“You might want to put on matching boots and your sweater is inside out.” Jenna grinned at him. “It’s okay. It will probably be hours yet, but Wolfe said to head off between contractions and make sure to place a wad of towels on the seat—just in case my water breaks.”

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Kane chuckled. “Well, that’s a first. I was dreaming so vividly. I figure my brain hadn’t turned on when you woke me.”

“Dave, you’re combat-ready in an instant. Please, don’t stress.” Jenna smiled at him. “I’m okay. We’ll look back on this day and laugh ourselves silly.”

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