Chapter 19
“She didwhat?” Drake demanded as he piled into the van behind the other bounty hunters. Isaac had called the team back and told them the news.
“I couldn’t monitor everything—there was interference. Jinx went to shut down it down, which she did, but on her way back she caught sight of the perps getting ready to take off in a truck. She asked me to track her and snuck into the back of the truck.”
“Why didn’t she wait for us?” Vic asked.
“I told her to, but she said that there was no time and she was afraid they would get away.”
Drake glared at him. “Can you track her?”
“Of course I can. I already am.”
Vic took the driver’s seat, while Kalen was in the passenger’s seat. Asia and Shy sat in the second row; Drake and Isaac sat in the back where Isaac’s equipment was located. Drake felt his breath leave him at the thought that Jinx was in danger and all alone. “Can you speak with her?”
Isaac hit the communications. “Jinx, can you hear me?” Everyone remained silent. “Jinx?”
“I can hear you. You’re a little fuzzy.”
“We’re coming Jinx. Make sure you stay unseen.”
Drake had to ask her, “Are you okay?”
“Fine, if I can survive this bumpy ass truck that is,” she responded.
Hearing her voice and knowing that she was okay eased his tension. Drake could breathe again. Hell, how was he going to handle her constantly being in danger? This was her dream job. If he couldn’t deal with her working this job, they might not have a future. She broke up with a guy she had dated for years over her taking this job. He had to trust that she would be smart and rely on her training.
“Be careful Jinx,” Drake told her, not caring if the others heard him.
“I will. I’m calm and in control. I can do this,” Jinx reassured him.
He closed his eyes and for the first time in a long time, prayed.Please keep her safe. I can’t lose her now.
*****
Jinx felt every bump in the road—twice. Once when they hit the bump and the second time when her body rose up and crashed back down against the bed of the truck. She wouldn’t be surprised if her whole body was covered in one massive bruise.
Sitting there trying to be as still as possible, he thought about Drake and the time they had shared. Jinx had begun to fall for him, and it scared her. Especially when she found herself wanting him almost as much as she wanted to prove herself ready for this job.
All she thought about for years was coming here and working with Vic and Jagger. It had become an obsession. She worried that she had built it up in her head, that she would be disappointed once she actually did it, but Jinx wasn’t disappointed at all. Even the humdrum paperwork was worth it. The thrill of the chase and the importance of what she was doing gave her purpose. She had to make sure these two perps didn’t hurt anyone. They were too dangerous to be allowed to run free.
This was what she had trained to do, what she had worked so hard for. She just needed to stay calm, keep her mind sharp, not alert the perps to her presence, and give her team time to reach her. She could maybe take one of the perps but not both of them.
Feeling the need to do something, she rolled over to her stomach so that she could crawl to her knees. She peeked up to determine which direction they were heading. It was dark outside. They were driving pretty fast, and she wished she had better eyesight. She had a hard time reading the signs. They were slowing down, but there wasn’t a highway or main road that they were turning into.
“Isaac, we’re turning off the main road, but there are no signs.”
“We’re...you”
She frowned at the crack in the connection. There must not be service out this way. Damn, she hoped Isaac could still track her. If not, she might need a plan B or even a plan C.
The truck rumbled a good five miles down some dirt road through a wooded area. When it finally slowed down, she knew they were getting ready to stop. Jinx had to decide if she should remain in the bed of the truck, or jump out? There were several bags back there with her; they would be looking for them. She had to make a jump for it. It would be better to do it while the truck was still in motion.
Waiting for just the right moment, Jinx grabbed hold of the side of the truck and leaped as far as she could. Jinx hit the tree first, then fell to the ground. She stayed where she was, partly because she didn’t want them to see her moving, and partly because she hurt too much to move. She hit that tree hard. Jinx was still sore after her last hand-to-hand encounter. Maybe it had been too soon to come back to work.
She lay there listening to the sound of the truck stopping, the two doors opening and slamming shut. Then the footsteps got farther and farther away. Rolling to her stomach, she looked up and watched the men’s shadowy figures approach a log cabin. They were probably holding out here until the authority manned checkpoints at all transportation stations was lifted. That would take forty-eight hours. These guys had everything needed to hide out for two days. Then they could make a run for it. Something had to be done.
She hit the communications link still in her ear. “Isaac? Are you there?”
