Page 71 of Relentless
“She was home and in her yard this afternoon. Her house backs up to state preservation land, and he came at her with a shotgun.”
“Is it hunting season up there?”
Chad nodded. “Bear season.”
“He wanted it to look like a hunting accident,” Ethan muttered.
Again, Chad nodded. “Her security was in the house the entire time.”
Ethan had never heard such disgust in his cousin’s voice, and he couldn’t blame the man. What good was security if they let their client out of their sight?
“Damn,” he said. “I take it he missed?”
“She’d just bent down to pick a weed when he fired. Why he didn’t use a rifle, I don’t know, but we can be grateful for his unusual choice. She has a fair amount of buckshot in her upper back and shoulders, but nothing life-threatening. The shot brought the security team out. They saw a flash in the woods and pursued. They lost him about a mile away from the house.”
Peter Hilton had been in the wind for the past few days, but somehow it was worse knowing he’d been within their grasp and had slipped away. “Back to my other question, do we need to worry about him showing up tonight?”
“He was still in Portland at four this afternoon. It’s ten hours by car and it’s only been eight. Never say never, but if I were him, I’d wait until Kara was back in Mystery Lake. Much easier to navigate unnoticed there than someplace like this.” He gestured toward Tia and her team spread around the room. Venues the size of this one would inevitably have gaps in security, but Chad was right. Gaining access to the private backstage room would bemuchmore complicated than going after Kara in Mystery Lake.
“Astrid is really okay?” he asked. Kara would want all the details when he told her later this evening.
Chad nodded. “They dug out several pieces of buckshot, and she needed a minor transfusion. But she’s resting now.” He paused then added, “Colton called in some favors, and she’s well protected. The way she should have been all along.”
Ethan nodded. He agreed Hilton was unlikely to come after Kara tonight, but the attack on Astrid made him twitchy. The fact that Peter was continuing his killing spree—despite knowing that HICC was monitoring the situation—wasn’t a good sign. The man was either desperate or devolving. Or perhaps both.
His gaze traveled to Kara, who had just twirled out of Cody’s arms, her head thrown back with a laugh. “How long before Teague and Ryder get here?” he asked. The two HICC operatives who would take them back to Mystery Lake were the best defensive drivers on the team. Ethan didn’t think they’d need those skills, but having them at their disposal gave him a measure of comfort.
“Twenty minutes,” Chad answered.
Kara turned back around to Cody, but then held up a finger and shook her head. A look of confusion crossed Cody’s face, but then he linked arms with Sabina and led her into a line dance. Ethan’s gaze tracked Kara as she moved to the side of the room and pulled her phone out.
She ducked her head as if trying to hear someone over the loud music. Then she plugged her free ear with a finger and frowned. She glanced up, her gaze sweeping the room. Ethan caught her attention and started making his way toward her. She nodded to him, then motioned to the door, letting him know she needed to step out to take the call. The crew was still breaking down the set, and she wouldn’t be alone. Even so, he didn’t like the idea of her being out of his sight. He shook his head in response, but she’d already turned and pushed through the exit.
Whether reasonable or not, panic shot through him. He shouted for her to wait, but the music made it impossible for her to hear. Forcing his mind away from dark thoughts, he focused on making his way through the post-show crowd. With every step, he reminded himself that she wasn’t alone. He reminded himself that the crew was still working, and that Hilton couldn’t have gotten backstage even if he’d managed to make it to California from Oregon.
The reminders didn’t take away his anxiety, but they did ground him. Nothing would happen to Kara. She’d be fine. In twenty seconds, he’d walk through the same door she’d passed through, and she’d be standing there, finishing her call. She’d smile at him, and the tightening in his chest would ease. And then soon, they’d be on their way home. To Mystery Lake.
He focused on those thoughts as he continued toward the door. He was less than ten feet from the exit when the lights went out and two shots echoed through the vast venue.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
Cody pulledKara up from a dip but before she could recover, he spun her out of his arms. She laughed as she looked at him, enjoying the carefree moment and the glimpse into this side of him. The man had more energy than he knew what to do with considering he’d just put on a three-hour show.
He held out a hand to pull her back in, but her phone buzzed in her pocket, drawing her attention. Holding up a finger to let him know she needed a minute, she moved off the dance floor. A shard of worry pierced her happy mood when she saw Astrid’s name flash on the screen. Hitting the Connect button, she walked toward a far corner, hoping it would be quieter.
“Astrid?” she answered.
A garbled response met her greeting.
“Astrid?” she said again. “Can you hear me?”
Another disconnected response. Annoyed with her reception and a little concerned about the reason for the call, she glanced up and scanned the room for Ethan. He caught her attention and started walking toward her. Not wanting Astrid to hang up, she motioned to him that she was going to step outside. She could hear the crew on the other side of the door and knew she wouldn’t be alone.
Pushing through the exit, she stepped into a long, wide hall. She didn’t know if the reception would be better, but she tried again.
“Astrid?”
A crew member carrying two stage lights walked toward her. She smiled and waved as he passed. He nodded and carried on.
