Night Watch (Kendra Michaels #4)(34)

“No. Two uniformed officers were first on the scene. They did a sweep, but the men who attacked you had already left.” He shrugged. “Dancing with the Stars is on tonight. How could you compete? Can’t really blame ’em.”

She managed a smile. She could always count on Metcalf to try to defuse any tense situation. He was a tall, good-looking man in his midtwenties, and Lynch was sure he had a major crush on her.

Metcalf didn’t return her smile. “Hey, you look pretty rough. Are you okay?”

“Yes. Fine. One of the guys got a solid punch between my shoulders and literally struck a nerve, but I’m feeling better now.”

He nodded. “Good. Adam Lynch filled us in, but I’m going to need a full statement from you. San Diego PD will want one, too.”

“No problem. As soon as I get a look up there.”

Two strong arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. Kendra jumped and let out a startled yelp.

She turned to see that it was Lynch and drew a relieved breath. She backed away from him with her hand to her chest. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Guess I’m still jumpy.”

“Shit.” Lynch shook his head. “I’m an ass. I’m the one who should apologize. I don’t know what I was thinking after what you’ve just gone through. I saw you standing there and I just wanted to—” He repeated, “I’m an ass. I’m sorry, Kendra.”

“That’s okay.” She was as much surprised by Lynch’s action as her own case of nerves. Lynch was always cool and contained and seldom displayed any emotion but mockery. “It might not have been your fault. My back took a hit.”

“Did it?” His lips tightened. “I’ll have to remember…”

“Do you still want to go up?” Metcalf was frowning. He was obviously surprised and uneasy with Lynch’s show of protectiveness. “Maybe you should—”

“I want to go,” she interrupted. “Let’s do it.”

Kendra led them into the building and up the stairs, giving them a step-by-step description of her visit there only minutes before. As she drew closer to the scene of her confrontation, she found her slight nervousness giving away to anger.

Anger at those bastards for making her feel helpless and unsafe.

Anger at herself for showing fear in front of Metcalf, Lynch, and those cops in the parking lot.

She was practically steaming by the time she stepped onto the third floor.

Lynch squeezed her arm. “I’m sensing a bit of tension or more likely gale-force winds. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She clenched her jaw. “I’m sure as hell not letting them get into my head.”

“Good.”

She pointed ahead. “I put one of them down right there, but the other struck me in the middle of the back and dragged me into that office.” She led them through the open door, where three uniformed officers were standing around the green fifty-five-gallon drum.

Kendra glanced around. “This is all you found?”

“Yes, ma’am,” one of the officers replied. “Not sure what this barrel is for.”

“It was for me.” She gestured to the floor. “There was duct tape, a hypodermic needle, and a gray handcart, but they obviously picked those up on the way out. They also took the night-vision goggles that I knocked off the man in the hallway. I guess they were in too much of a hurry to take this thing.”

Metcalf crouched next to the drum. “They knew it would have been a giant marker identifying them as the people we’re looking for. We might be able to get some prints off it.”

“Well, we do have DNA for both of them.”

Lynch slanted a glance toward her. “How do you figure that?”

Kendra stepped toward the uniformed cops. “Officers, I need two plastic, evidence-collection bags. Can you help me out?”

The police officers pulled clear plastic bags from their pockets and gave them to Kendra. She placed her hands inside each one and pulled the adhesive seal taut around her wrists.

She held up her plastic-wrapped hands. “I scratched the hell out of both of those guys. I have their skin under my fingernails. Attacker A with the right hand, attacker B with the left.”

Metcalf nodded approvingly. “If either of them has been in jail in the last decade or so, their DNA should be in the CODIS database.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

“Well done,” Lynch said quietly.

She grimaced. “Not pleasant. But my options were limited. I was feeling pretty helpless. It’s all I had.”

Metcalf pulled out his phone. “Tell you what. Suppose I get some forensics people out here so that you won’t have to walk around with those bags on your hands for the rest of the evening.”

“Great idea,” Kendra said grimly. “I don’t need any reminders. I have more than enough.”

*

AS PROMISED, A CRIME-SCENE tech arrived within thirty minutes and scraped the skin from Kendra’s fingernails. After giving a statement to Metcalf and the police officers on the scene, Kendra left with Lynch.

Metcalf appeared clearly disappointed when she refused his offer of a lift to her home. But he smiled back at Kendra and waved as they walked away from him.

“See?” Lynch said as they walked across the parking lot. “The guy has a major crush on you. Even you can’t be so socially impaired that you don’t see it.”