Page 59 of Relentless
Kara nodded. “I wasn’t anywhere near the explosion when it happened.”
The paramedics stepped out of the coach, drawing their attention. Tony, the senior paramedic, handed his equipment to his colleagues, then ambled over. “All clear in there. Minor injuries only,” he said, directing his comment to the highway patrol officer. “Let me know if you need my official incidence response report,” he added, his gaze bouncing between the officer and Ethan.
“Good thing no one was in there when it went,” Tony added before giving them a general nod and walking away. Why was everyone so intent on stating the obvious?
“That’s quite a bird you have there,” the officer said to Chad, who’d joined the group.
“It is,” Chad agreed. Then, ignoring the officials, he swept an assessing gaze over her before kissing her cheek and giving her arm a gentle, comforting touch. Turning to Ethan, he pulled his cousin into a hug. A real hug. Not a one-armed bro-hug. “Everyone ready?” he asked, not bothering to appease the officers’ curiosity about the helicopter or even who they were.
“Not yet, but it won’t take long. Mazi’s telling everyone about the change of plans right now,” Ethan answered.
“You wrap up here,” Kara said. “I’ll help everyone in the coach pack up. I assume those who are staying behind know?”
Ethan nodded. She gave his hand a squeeze, then turned and started toward the coach. Before she took a step, though, he caught her hand and brought it to his lips. After placing a gentle kiss on her palm, he let her go.
“That was kind of weird,” Sabina said as the two walked to the bus.
“What?”
“Seeing Ethan kiss you.”
There was something a little off in Sabina’s tone. Something that reminded Kara of her unusual reaction on the phone the day before. But at the moment, she had neither the time nor the inclination to dig into it. When they reached San Francisco, and had both time and privacy, she’d find out what was on her sister’s mind.
“We’re up to speed on the plan,” Tia said as soon as Kara and Sabina set foot in the coach. “But I’d rather not have Cody out in the open for too long. We’ll stay here until it’s time for the chopper to lift off. Other than that, we’re all set to move.”
Sabina had come to a stop at her side, and curiosity rolled off her in waves. She hadn’t met Tia before, but her hyper-observant sister wouldn’t miss the unspoken byplay between the woman and Cody. Or Cody’s obvious hovering over his head of security. But again, she and Sabina could cover Cody’s relationship—or lack thereof—with Tia later.
Kara introduced her sister to Louis, Anne, and Tia, then turned to Cody. “We’re leaving by helicopter as soon as you’re ready. Gather what you need.”
His gaze flickered to Tia, who nodded. “I’ll just grab my two guitars and my overnight bag,” he said. “I assume my coach will continue north once the other one is taken care of?”
Kara nodded. His eyes darted around the space one more time, assessing everyone. In some ways, he reminded her of a herding dog. Not that hewasa dog, but he liked to keep those he cared about close. He couldn’t do that with his family when he was on tour. But his crew members, including his driver and security team, were part of his pack, and he needed to look out for them.
He was in his room when Ethan and Chad joined them. Tia took one look at the two men then laughed. Ethan arched a brow, and Chad frowned.
“Sorry,” Tia said as Cody emerged from his room with two guitars slung over his shoulder and a bag in hand. His arrival brought on another quiet laugh. This time, Cody was the one to frown.
“What?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Sorry. It’s just that you all looksomuch alike. I’d gotten used to you two,” she said, wagging her finger between Cody and Ethan. “But then add him to mix”—she pointed at Chad—“and well…”
“You should see the entire family when they’re together,” Sabina chimed in. “It’s visuallyveryappealing. But from a scientific standpoint, it’s a little creepy how similar they all are. Physically, anyway.”
Tia made a noncommittal “Hhmm” noise then straightened. “Are we ready?”
Ethan ran through the plan one more time, ensuring Cass, Bill, and their bus driver were good staying behind. When the three assured him that they were, Chad called the pilot and gave him an ETA of ten minutes. In response, Kara heard the rotors power up again.
A minute later, all but the three who were staying exited the bus and made their way, single file, to the helicopter. A few minutes after that, they were buckled in and lifting off.
Kara reached over and took Ethan’s hand. She’d never loved riding in helicopters. And it didn’t help that as they lifted, she had a bird’s-eye view of the bus she and Ethan had called home for a few days. Her stomach lurched at the sight—blackened metal curled out and up, and smoke stains leached up the sides.
Had she and Ethan been in bed, they would have taken the full impact of the explosion. A thought she couldn’t bear thinking about for more than a few seconds.
As the helicopter lifted higher and higher, and the bus grew smaller and smaller, she knew she wasn’t alone in wondering if the damage had truly been the product of bad repair. Or if, like her, they all suspected it hadn’t been an accident at all.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Kara stoodat a window looking out on a gorgeous view of San Francisco Bay. Only her mind was elsewhere, and she didn’t really see it. Was the explosion today aimed at her? If so, how had the killer accomplished it? It wasn’t as if just anyone could wander into the area where the coaches parked. Not to mention, Tia and her team had cameras everywhere. Would they find something when they reviewed the footage? And if so, how had the killer even known where to find her?
