Raven nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
He followed her along the hallway and into a kitchen. On the stove something bubbled and it smelled bad. When she stood to one side and waved him through the mudroom to an open doorway, he headed for it and stepped down onto the muddy ground, scanning the backyard for Larkin. A loud clanging sound echoed through his brain, and pain shot from his eye sockets. His knees buckled. He wanted to alert Ben but agony had stolen his words. Somewhere in his dazed brain, Kane’s advice surfaced, and before he tumbled to the ground, he pressed his buckle twice and blacked out.
* * *
He was dizzy and the metallic taste of blood coated his tongue. Voices arguing seemed to penetrate the fog surrounding his brain. The Larkins had him by the feet and were trying to drag him away from the house. He opened his eyes a slit. Tight rope encased both ankles and wrists. How long had he been out? He tried to move his fingers. They throbbed and would be swollen, so some time had passed. What did they mean to do to him? As Larkin turned, sunlight caught on the handle of a weapon stuck in the back of his jeans. If he called Ben, Larkin would shoot his dog without a second thought. As his senses returned, Raven kept his breathing even. The longer they believed him to be unconscious the more time Kane had to find him. Would he come, with Jackson so ill?
“Put your back into it.” Larkin glared at his wife, his eyes blazing. “Once we get him to the end of the path, I can hook him up to the tractor and drag him down to the pigs. No one will find a trace of him.”
“He can’t have walked here.” Mrs. Larkin scanned the area. “You’ll need to do something with his vehicle.”
“Not a problem.” Larkin heaved at the rope. “I’ll drive it into town and drop it at the Triple Z. You can follow me.”
Fully awake now, and head pounding, Raven waited for them both to turn their backs and pull on the rope before clumsily pressing his buckle again. He heard a slight click and pressed twice. Kalo had explained the significance of one or two clicks and any follow-up clicks. The trackers for the deputies had no speech facilities, like the sheriff’s and other female family members. One click meant “trouble”; two “officer down”; repeat meaning “in fear of life.” He trusted his message had gotten through or he’d end up as lunch for the pigs. They’d trussed him up so well, he couldn’t defend himself. He figured they must have had experience beforehand because he’d found nothing in Larkin’s background to indicate any military training. Just how many people had they fed to their pigs? The idea made him sick to his stomach.
The familiar roar of Kane’s Beast coming in hot sent birds flying high in the air. Another engine could be heard close behind. The wooden fence behind him shattered, spilling wood and splinters high into the air, and shouts of “sheriff’s department” came from everywhere. He heard Kane’s voice from behind him and watched in horror as Larkin spun around, one hand reaching for his weapon. Raven pushed out words as loud as possible. “He’s got a gun.”
Before Larkin had time to aim, his shoulder exploded in a burst of crimson. He cried out, dropping the gun and falling to his knees. Mrs. Larkin just stood there gawking, her hands still pulling feebly on the rope.
“Stay down, if y’all know what’s good for you.” Wolfe ran past him, pistol in hand. “You”—he glared at Mrs. Larkin—“on the ground, hands on your head.”
“Man, I can’t leave you alone for a second.” Kane knelt before him and, using his Ka-Bar knife, sliced through the ropes. “You’re covered in blood. Where does it hurt?”
Raven smiled at him. “Everywhere.”
Rowley and Rio burst out of the back door, weapons drawn. In seconds, they had the Larkins cuffed. As Kane helped Raven to sit up, pain hit him in waves and nausea clenched his stomach. “I’m going to spew.” He rolled over and heaved, the action making everything worse.
“Just sit for a time.” Kane crouched beside him. “Wolfe’s gone to the truck for his kit.” He glanced at the Beast. “Here he comes now.”
Raven took in the smashed wooden fence. “I hope your truck isn’t damaged.”
“Nah.” Kane shook his head. “The push bumper protected it. Where’s Ben?”
His dog would be beside himself. Raven whistled and moments later Ben bounded around the Beast and hurtled toward him. The dog straddled him and growled at Kane, showing his long canines. Raven ran a swollen hand over Ben’s head. “Friend.” He leaned on him. “Good boy.”
He looked at Kane. “I couldn’t risk Larkin shooting him. I made him stay on the edge of the forest.”
“Are you lucid enough to tell me what happened?” Wolfe was beside him examining his head.
Raven didn’t risk nodding. “Yeah. When I arrived, the Larkins were having an argument. I was only here to ask questions, not cause any problems, and Mrs. Larkin invited me in the house and told me that her husband was outside. She showed me the way out through the mudroom, but the moment I went down the steps, I figure she hit me with something because the next thing I know I’m flat on my back. I lost consciousness almost immediately but had time to press my buckle.” He winced as Wolfe poured something cold on his head and then wrapped his head in a bandage. “I came around tied up and unable to move. I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but my hands were throbbing, so I assume it had been at least twenty minutes or so. The Larkins were trying to pull me toward the end of the pathway so they could hitch me to the tractor and drag me. They intended on feeding me to the pigs and taking my vehicle into town and dropping it at the Triple Z. That’s when you arrived.”
“The pigs will need to be slaughtered.” Wolfe raised an eyebrow at Kane. “You have no idea how many times they’ve done this before.” He checked Raven’s eyes and then patted him on the back. “I’m taking you to the hospital for observation. The head wound requires stitching and you’re showing signs of a concussion. I can have you placed in the secure ward, which means you can take Ben with you, and I’ll tell Em what’s happened.” He smiled. “I’ll go and stabilize the prisoner.” He turned to Kane. “It’s a through and through. No major damage. The man is lucky. I don’t know how you do it.”
“It’s not luck.” Kane’s eyes narrowed. “It was a choice. Personally, I’d have preferred to aim between the eyes. What kind of lowlife feeds a man alive to pigs? The thing is, Shane, I have Jenna in my ear. She wants to hear their stories and so does Jo. They want to know why men like him do these things. Most cops who face a drawdown shoot center mass—he’s lucky I’m not most cops.” He put an arm around Raven and hoisted him to his feet. “Come on, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Raven wanted to refuse to go, but right now he didn’t have the energy to argue. “Ben’s food and bowls are in my truck.” He put his throbbing hand into his pocket and pulled out the keys.
“I’ve got it.” Rowley smiled at him and took the keys. “It’s just as well you weigh two-fifty, they’d never have gotten you to the end of the pathway before we arrived.” He put his arm around Raven and helped walk him to the Beast. He chuckled. “Wanna know what put you down? We found a heavy frypan. Seems she hit you with that and added a few blows with a hammer. You’re lucky to be alive.”
Very wobbly, Raven moved slowly. “It’s just as well they’re not too smart. They planned to hitch me to the tractor and all they needed was a longer rope.”
“When we have the pigs removed, Wolfe will go into the pigpen with a team and see if they can discover any human remains. Sometimes they find teeth.” Kane helped him into the back of the truck. “Rest up. I’ll help get the prisoners into Rio’s vehicle.” He stood to one side as Ben jumped in beside him.
Blurry-eyed, Raven placed one arm around Ben. He’d worked real hard to upgrade his hand-to-hand combat skills. He’d never be as good as Kane or Carter, but he had gained more confidence. He should have been able to defend himself. The deputies had trained him in procedure, drilling him mercilessly—for his own good. Basic training in this town wouldn’t cut it with serial killers around every corner. He chewed on his bottom lip. Being complacent had caused an almost fatal error. The problem was, he trusted people. It was the doctor in him, he guessed. The fact a woman might attack him from behind had never entered his mind. His attention went to Kane and Wolfe as they questioned the Larkins. They’d never fall into a trap. He leaned into Ben and the dog whined as if feeling his pain. “I need to wise up before I get one of us killed.”
Thirty-Three
Jenna stared at Carter and Jo in dismay. “Is Raven okay?”
