Caroline knew there was a good possibility that a would-be killer was waiting for them out there. That could have been part of the plan all along. Get them out so they could be gunned down. But the primal part of her brain was screaming for her to escape from the tear gas and get some fresh air.
Jack went out the window first. The moment his feet were on the ground, he glanced around again. He was looking for anyone who might be there to attack, but in the same motion, he took hold of Caroline’s arm. He pulled her out with him, pushing her against the side of the inn. Keeping in front of her to protect her.
She dragged in a long, much-needed breath. Then another. And she blinked hard to clear away the remnants of the tear gas. The rain helped, but her eyes were still stinging and she couldn’t see clearly.
Clarie climbed out of the window then, landing on her feet right next to Caroline, but they didn’t stay put. Maybe because Jack believed the intruder would be coming to that room, to that window.
Keeping close to the wall, they hurried through the weeds and underbrush. It wasn’t easy. The ground was soft from the rain, and Caroline’s shoes bogged in the mud while the bushes scraped and poked at her. Still, it was better than being in there with the tear gas.
They ran, weaving in and out of the ground clutter until they were at the edge of the porch that stretched all the way across the front of the inn. They dropped down next to what was left of the porch railing. Not far from the cruiser. But to get to it, they’d have to go out into the open.
“Stay down,” Jack whispered to her, and he maneuvered Caroline behind one of the overgrown shrubs while he peered around the corner at the porch. “I don’t see anyone,” he added.
Good. Maybe they’d get a few minutes to regroup and recover. They desperately needed that, and then maybe they could pinpoint the location of the person who’d gone inside.
As her eyes and mind started to clear, Caroline got a horrible thought. What if the person was already gone? It was possible that he or she had already escaped, maybe because they believed the tear-gas ploy had failed. If so, then Jack and she were right back where they started—without any proof as to who wanted her dead.
“I’ll text Gunnar and let him know our location,” Clarie whispered, taking out her phone.
While she did that, Caroline got as good of a grip as she could manage on the gun that Jack had given her. Even though her hand was weak, she needed to be able to help if it came down to a fight, and everything inside her said that was exactly what was going to happen.
“Gunnar lost sight of the woman by the trees,” Clarie relayed when she got a response to her text. “He’s going to look for her while he makes his way here to us.”
Caroline welcomed the backup, but she knew it would also pose a big problem. They wouldn’t be able to fire if they heard or saw something, because they wouldn’t want to risk hitting Gunnar. Plus, this meant Manuel was alone and without backup. The deputy wouldn’t be a primary target for the attacker, but he was still at risk.
Jack glanced back at her, their gazes connecting for a moment, and she saw the fear on his face. Not fear for himself but for her. Caroline wished she could do something to assure him that it would be okay, but she wasn’t certain it would be.
And that cut to the bone.
Once again, Jack was in trouble because of her.
Maybe she should have just gone off on her own, far away from him. But while that would have been the smart thing to do, it would have crushed both their hearts. She didn’t want him hurt, or worse, but at least they were together.
“I’m going to get in the cruiser and drive it over here,” Jack said. “I’ll get as close as I can. Wait here with Caroline,” he added to Clarie.
But Caroline was already shaking her head before he even finished. “You can’t go out there. If this person had tear gas, you know he’ll have a gun. He’ll be watching the cruiser.”
Jack didn’t disagree with any of that. He couldn’t. However, the look he gave her let her know that he was going to do it anyway. Maybe because he felt it was the only option they had.
“We can wait for Gunnar,” Caroline tried, though it wasn’t much of an argument. They could be attacked before the deputy made it to them, and he had his hands full looking for the woman. If they managed to capture her, it could possibly give them as many answers as catching the person who’d used that tear gas on them.
Jack levered himself up, and he gave her one last look. A dozen things passed between them. A silent conversation that Caroline wished she could have said aloud.
She had so many things to say to him.
“Be careful” was the only thing she managed before he moved away.
Keeping low, Jack left the meager cover of the shrubs and started for the cruiser. Like their trek from the window, it wouldn’t be easy. He’d have to deal with the soggy ground along with the rocks and tangled underbrush.
Clarie moved in front of her, protecting her as Jack had done, but Caroline kept her eyes on Jack until he disappeared behind what was left of a hedge. She maneuvered herself up so she could try to see him, and that was when she heard the sound behind her.
Caroline pivoted, bringing up her gun.
But it was already too late.
JACKWASONLYa few yards away from the cruiser when the front door of the inn opened and the tear-gas canister came shooting out.
Hell. Not again.
