“I agree, although all three should be vetted regardless.” He sighed. “In all fairness, they could be innocent. We don’t know for sure that someone chartering a plane from that hangar is involved. Could be one of them learned Stuart was in debt from gambling, making him an easy target for the job.”
“True.” And yet another reason to ask Raine, Doug, or Griff to lead the investigation. “I can’t imagine being in debt is enough to convince someone to ruthlessly sabotage a plane, killing everyone on board.”
“Yeah, it’s a little crazy.” Dom frowned. “Maybe the cartel threatened him in some way if he didn’t agree to help.”
“Maybe.” In her mind, gambling alone didn’t equate to agreeing to committing murder. “Raine didn’t mention gambling as something the South African cartel was involved in. Just gold, gemstones, and drugs.”
“I keep wondering if my dad stole the Krugerrand from the cartel.” Dom stared out at the dark parking lot. “He may have sold a bunch of the coins to pay for the plane.”
“Gunther Volter could have paid your father in Krugerrand,” she pointed out. “Maybe that’s how he had his fellow cartel members pay Stuart too.”
Dom shrugged but didn’t say anything. She could tell he was torn between wanting to defend his father’s innocence while also considering his father’s culpability. Kendra realized she and her siblings were the fortunate ones in this tragedy. Their parents had been killed through no fault of their own. Not that Gary Lakeland had deserved to die, but if he had done something to let the cartel track him to Billings, then he was partially responsible for leaving Dominic an orphan.
The streets were dark and empty, but when she caught a glimpse of headlights coming toward them, she instinctively killed the engine. At her sudden movement, Dominic glanced over.
“What’s wrong?”
She pointed to the lights growing brighter with every passing second. “Sink down in the front seat as low as possible,” she whispered.
With his height, that wasn’t an easy task. She scooted down, hugging the driver’s side door, giving him room to bend over the center console.
“Who do you think is out there?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” She lifted her head just enough to look over the edge of the dashboard. Then she sank back down again. “It looks like a large truck. Similar to the one that passed me on the road back in Greybull.”
“The shooter?” Now Dominic lifted his head to see better. “He’s out there looking for us?”
Kendra didn’t know if the truck belonged to the shooter or not. She grabbed the front of Dom’s jacket, tugging him down. The lights outside grew so bright she found herself holding her breath, anticipating the SUV would be slammed with bullets any second.
She desperately wanted the truck to assume the SUV was empty and move on. But when the lights didn’t fade away, she pulled her weapon from her waistband, preparing for the worst.
If they were going to die today, she would do her best to make sure she took the gunman down with them.
7
Despite his height, Dom scrunched down in the seat as much as possible. He wasn’t sure the headlights belonged to the shooter, but he understood Kendra’s concern. And when he glimpsed the gun in her hand, his blood ran cold. They were sitting ducks out there. If the gunman behind the wheel intended to open fire, their chance of getting out alive was next to nothing.
Despair hit hard. If they died there today, they’d never know the truth about who this guy was or why he’d come after them. Or how they kept getting found. And worse, Kendra would lose her life because of him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Not your fault,” she whispered back. “If he opens fire, I’ll do my best to take him down.”
He was tempted to take the gun from her, to do the deed himself, but knew she was likely a better shot than he was. He was about to risk a glance over the steering wheel when he noticed the lights weren’t as bright as they had been. He frowned, trying to imagine what might have been happening. The lights hadn’t abruptly shut off, indicating the gunman was getting out of the truck to investigate. The brightness slowly faded as if the vehicle was driving away.
Still, he didn’t move. His face was inches from Kendra’s. Another irrational thought hit. He didn’t want to die without kissing her.
Ridiculous to be thinking of such a thing at a time like that. Then again, he’d never faced death like this before. He’d lost his father, but that was different.
Kendra wiggled around to peer up over the dashboard. After a moment, she pushed herself all the way up. “The truck is gone.”
“Good.” Dom unfolded himself from his cramped position. Then he grabbed Kendra’s hand. “Please drop me off and head home to the ranch. I can’t stand the thought of this guy killing you.”
“I can’t stand the idea of this guy killing you either.” She held his gaze, her fingers tightening around his. “I mean it, Dominic. I won’t leave you to face this guy alone.”
He tried to come up with an argument that would change her mind. He was the real target here, not her. Although maybe by now this guy wouldn’t be satisfied unless he took them both out of the picture.
“Your father and my parents were ruthlessly murdered,” Kendra spoke in a low, soft voice. “We’re in this together. I have a feeling that it will take both of us to uncover the truth.” She glanced to the back seat where Smoky was still stretched out asleep. “All three of us,” she amended.
