Just Enough Light (26 page)

Kellen made it across the short distance separating them and gathered her close. “Hey, you,” she whispered. “It’s okay. Jake’s going to be fine. I’m fine.”

She could feel Kellen’s hands as they came up and framed her face, then felt the fleeting, silky soft touch of her lips. Lighting a fire inside her and numbing her mind of everything except Kellen. But only for an instant. As she drew back, she narrowed her eyes and studied her intently.

“How much?” she asked. Her voice shook with repressed energy. “How much of the blood on you is yours?”

“Only a bit. Honestly, most of it belongs to Jake. I promise.”

Dana shuddered again, then reached for Kellen’s hand and led her to the clinic and into one of the exam rooms without saying another word. Helping her out of her jacket and tattered sweater, she removed the bloodied bandages and examined the deep gash along her neck. “I can’t remember if I’ve asked you before. Any known allergies to medications?”

“No.”

Working in silence, Dana concentrated on treating the wound, not stopping until it had been closed by a neat row of stitches and covered with fresh bandages.

She had just finished when Annie poked her head around the curtain. “So? How’s our girl?”

“Stitched and bandaged,” Dana answered, managing to get the words out before her throat closed and her eyes filled with tears. Life really was a game of inches, she thought. An inch to the left and the bullet would have missed her completely. An inch to the right—

“Annie,” Kellen said, “my sweater’s trashed and my jacket’s not much better. Do you think you could get me something to wear?” As soon as Annie disappeared from view, she got up, pulled the curtain closed, and drew Dana into her arms. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours. Please, don’t shut me out.”

Dana burrowed into the security Kellen’s arms offered. She felt the steady beat of Kellen’s heart and the strong arms that held her where she knew she was safe. Where she knew, if she let herself, she could fall apart. “I’m not shutting you out. Not really. But it scares me to realize how close he got to you again, in spite of having those two sharpshooters along for the ride.”

“Dana—”

“No, Kellen. Even you have to admit the situation is going from bad to worse. It’s like he’s toying with you. A game of cat and mouse. Trying to show you he can get you at any time, no matter what you do.” Dana swallowed. “And I’m scared. Damn it, I’ve just found you and I don’t want to lose you. But this bastard’s doing his best to kill you.”

“Maybe. But we’re not going to let him, are we?”

Dana shook her head. “No. But I’ve no idea how the hell we stop him.”

“I don’t know either,” Kellen admitted, exhaling a ragged breath. “Something doesn’t feel right, but I’m hurting, I’m tired, I’ve lost a bit of blood, so I’m not thinking straight. I just know I need to figure it out because I won’t live in fear. I had enough of that when I was growing up, living on the street. I won’t go back there.”

“And I don’t want you to. But I don’t know what I can do. How can I help?”

A mere breath away, Kellen spoke softly. “Just be with me. With you I can be me, without worrying about who that is.”

Dana’s eyes widened and Kellen realized that was probably the closest she had come to telling her how she felt. But she also sensed more than knew that Dana didn’t want to talk about how she was feeling anymore. Her emotions were too raw, the wounds still too fresh.

Leaning closer, Kellen whispered, “As soon as Annie brings me something to wear, why don’t we go back to my cabin? The girls will need to see I’m all right, Bogart will need to be fed, and you, Doctor, look like you need to rest after all this.”

“Are you going to rest with me?”

“Where else would I be?” Dana’s skin was soft, the feel of her breath warm. Kellen kissed the top of her head and held her close a little while longer.

Hours later, Dana lay sleeping, her left arm tucked under Cody, her right holding Ren close. Standing in the shadows, Kellen dragged a hand through her hair. She was bone tired, her head ached, and her stomach growled, reminding her too many hours had passed since she’d last eaten.

But she had no real interest in food. Nor could she pull herself away from where she stood. Watching the three most important people in her life sleeping soundly in her bed.

The feel of Bogart’s nose against her hand reminded her that others still relied on her for their needs. “Sorry, Bogart. Don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

After putting food and fresh water out for him, she put on her boots and grabbed a jacket, so she could take him out as soon as he was finished eating.

Short minutes later, she was enjoying the affirming sting of cold air. Watching puffs of vapor form as Bogart ran down the laneway and back, returning to her side each time with the brightly colored ball she’d thrown. Panting, tail wagging, waiting for her to throw it again. All perfectly ordinary. Lighthearted and innocent.

Until Bogart alerted.

Kellen went very still. The wind blew her hair in her face, but she didn’t try to stop it or push it back. She didn’t move at all because she felt the presence of a predator, somewhere nearby.

In that fleeting instant, she also saw a movement. Someone coming along the lane toward her. A hand raised in greeting. A shadow that morphed into Calvin Grant while Bogart continued to look at the woods to her right.

She thought about it—for less than a second. And then she stopped thinking. She simply acted. She felt herself move toward him, knew her boots were crunching ice and snow, felt the wind whipping her hair. Then everything faded as she lunged, hitting Grant in his midsection, taking him down hard and leaving them both desperately short of breath. An instant later, a bullet whistled mere inches above their heads.

“Jesus, that was too close,” Grant muttered in her ear as he regained his breath. “Whatever you do, Ryan, don’t move.”

“Not moving.” She couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to. The world had become gray and out of focus.

Keying his body mic, Grant called out reinforcements. Kellen listened as he gave them his present location, advised them he was not alone, and indicated roughly where the shot had come from.

Kellen remained where she was, lying on top of Grant. Acutely conscious of the pounding of her heart, while Bogart remained protectively beside her. Too visible, she thought, and patted the snow beside her until he lay at her side.

It felt like an eternity passed before one of the FBI sharpshooters returned. “You’re safe to move,” he said. “We know where he was, but he’s long gone. All I can tell you right now is he left behind a shell casing and some blood. Vasquez, Roberts, and Singer are following his trail, but they’re not optimistic about finding him. It’s like we’re chasing a ghost.”

He reached a large hand and helped Kellen to her feet, then gently touched her neck and stared at his fingertips. “That’s blood. You’re hurt.”

Kellen felt Grant and the sharpshooter staring at her as she touched her neck, felt the wetness there, and only now started to feel the pain. “It’s not new,” she said. “It’s from my last encounter with the bastard, from this morning. I must have popped a couple of stitches.”

“Frankly, I don’t care when it happened. We need to get you some medical attention,” Grant said. He started to pull her in the direction of the clinic, but Kellen resisted.

“It’s okay. Dana—Dr. Kingston—is at my cabin and it’s closer.” She pulled her hand back only to sway beneath a wave of dizziness. Grant steadied her, and between the two FBI agents, they helped her back to the cabin, with Bogart following close behind. As she walked, she couldn’t help but wonder if Dana and the girls had heard the shot and had been frightened. And how annoyed Dana was going to be that she was bleeding again.

*

Dana opened the front door before Kellen and the two FBI agents made it up the steps. Her heart had been pounding wildly since the crack of a single rifle shot had shattered the stillness of the evening.

Cody and Ren had wanted to immediately go out and find Kellen, and as much as Dana wholeheartedly concurred with the sentiment, her first responsibility was to keep the girls safe, and it had taken everything she had to convince them to stay with her. Inside Kellen’s cabin, waiting for her to return.

She had to return. That was the only outcome Dana could conceive because Kellen not coming back to her was simply not possible.

And now here she was. Covered in snow and blood. Being helped by Calvin Grant and one of the steely eyed FBI sharpshooters, while Bogart followed her every move.

“Oh God, what have you done?”

“It’s nothing, Dana. I just popped some of the stitches when I tackled Special Agent Grant.”

Dana looked toward the tall heavyset agent and back to Kellen. “You tackled
him
? Jesus, Kellen. Are you crazy? He looks like he should be playing pro football.”

It was Grant who finally spoke. “I don’t know how she knew he was there. I do know she likely saved my life. If she’d been a second or two slower in bringing me down, the shot you heard would have taken me out.”

“Bogart alerted,” Kellen said wearily. “When I saw you coming toward me, I don’t know why, but I knew he’d go after you, not me. Maybe this shooter is trying to terrorize me by picking off those around me. And I don’t want anyone else hurt on my account.”

As Grant stared at her, his expression softened. “Whatever the reason, thank you.”

The urge to hold Kellen in her arms and never let go almost toppled Dana. Instead, she reached for Kellen’s hand and squeezed. She then pulled her to the kitchen and sat her at the table while Ren fetched her medical bag and Cody stoked the fire.

As she carefully removed Kellen’s coat and sweater, and cut off the bloodied bandage from her neck, she felt her throat tighten. The images of Kellen hurt and bleeding that had haunted her since hearing the echo of the gunshot returned and almost unraveled her composure.

Kellen reached for her, held her hand for a moment. “I’m right in front of you. Real, solid, and very much alive.”

Disregarding the two FBI agents in the room, Dana pressed her lips to Kellen’s temple. “What is it with you and the girls? Are you all mind readers? Ren gets my medical bag without my asking. Cody stokes the fire before you start to shiver. And now you reassure me everything’s all right without my saying a word.”

“It’s what happens when you care about each other, I guess. Part of being a chosen family.”

Dana nodded, and with a strong sense of déjà vu, she cut off the bloodied bandage on Kellen’s neck and once again began the process of cleaning and stitching the bullet wound. Except she really had been there before. Just a few hours ago.

She wondered if she would ever achieve the kind of connection the girls and Kellen seemed to share. A connection she’d previously not understood and now wanted more than anything.

“You already do,” Kellen said. “You just don’t know it yet.” She gestured to the FBI agent. “What about you, Special Agent Grant,” Kellen asked, aware the agent’s eyes missed nothing. “What was it that brought you out this fine evening and nearly got you killed?”

Grant gave her a sharp look and she suddenly realized his presence this evening wasn’t just because of the pending case.

“One of these days, you’re going to call me something other than my title, which no one else manages to say quite so derisively. But if you must know, I heard you’d been hurt this morning and I wanted to check and see how you were doing.”

“Really?” Kellen bit back a grin. “Keep that up and someone’s going to suspect you actually like me.”

“They’d be right. Damn. Never thought I’d see the day, but I do like you, Kellen Ryan. Even if you are going to be the death of my reputation.” Grant laughed. “Now it’s time to sleep. We’ve still got a shooter out there and if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s never to miss an opportunity to sleep. You never know when you’ll get another.”

When Grant and his silent sidekick left, Kellen remained at the table lost in thought until Dana approached.

“How did you know he was there?”

“Like I said. Bogart alerted.”

“Kellen—”

“I just felt something was wrong. I felt it in my gut.”

“You trust your gut, don’t you? Has it ever let you down?”

“Only once.” Kellen fell silent, absently rubbing Bogart’s ears. “My parents…I never saw that coming. But then, maybe I didn’t develop my gut until I had spent some time on the street. It’s a wonderful teacher, the street. It teaches you lessons in ways you never, ever forget.”

“Is that why you keep that backpack in the front closet?” Dana stared at the closed wooden door as if it was holding back a dark monster. Or perhaps she had already come to regret her question.

“Kel?” Ren approached her quietly. “Do you want me and Cody to go so the two of you can talk?”

She shook her head, flinching slightly as the new stitches pulled. “No need. We’re family.” Getting up, she walked to the closet and retrieved the backpack. And then she gave it to Dana. “Have at it,” she said. “I’ve nothing to hide from you.”

*

Dana stared at the backpack, her heart pounding and her head spinning with uncertainty. She wanted to ask Kellen more questions, to make sure this was really all right. To make sure looking didn’t imply a lack of trust. Then she realized letting her see was Kellen’s act of trust. Her gift. And then she pushed all hesitation aside, opened the backpack, and spilled its contents on the table.

She found herself at a complete loss for words.

In among the jeans, T-shirts, boxers, and socks, was a thick stack of twenty dollar bills, a number of credit cards, and three passports, along with a variety of legal documents. Dana could see birth certificates, university diplomas—

Picking up the closest passport, she opened it and found herself staring at a photo of a blue-eyed woman with short, spiked blond hair. From Montreal, Canada. She looked different, but there was no question the woman in the picture was Kellen.

“I speak, read, and write French. Quite fluently. So does Ren, for that matter.”