Night Watch (Kendra Michaels #4)(58)
“You think?”
Lynch pointed to the cars spinning to a stop in front of a house halfway down the block. “They’re moving in.”
Kendra found herself holding her breath as she waited for some sign that they had the man who had tried to abduct her.
Could he lead them to Waldridge?
Chill out. One step at a time.
Get him first, then worry about—
Buzzz!
She lifted her phone. It was a text from Metcalf.
NO GO. HOUSE EMPTY.
“Shit.”
Before she even knew Lynch had seen the message, the car roared to life and the wheels spun on the pavement.
“What are you doing?”
Lynch shifted gears and sped down the street. “He slipped out after they called. He knew they were onto him.”
“But there were detectives watching the house.”
“He might have crawled through a neighbor’s yard. Who knows? However he gave them the slip, we don’t have time to poke around and figure it out right now. Keep your eyes peeled. He’s got to be close by.”
They roared by the police cars and turned at the corner to circle the block. There were few people to be seen; two kids playing, a landscape crew cutting grass, a man in a track suit jogging with his dog.
“He might have had a car parked on the street,” Kendra said.
“In which case he could be miles away by now. But let’s exhaust all of our other possibilities while we still can. He might be in one of these backyards, in a toolshed, or a barbecue island.”
“… or pretending to be a landscape worker,” Kendra said.
“What?”
“Turn around!”
Lynch spun out and gunned the engine as they faced the direction from which they’d just come. Kendra pointed to the landscape crew. “Check out the guy kneeling by the gardenia bushes. The one in the white shirt and baseball cap.”
“I see him. He looks like pretty much everyone else on the crew.”
“His jeans are the only ones that aren’t grass-stained. Also, no perspiration on the back of his shirt.”
The man looked up and locked eyes with her.
“That’s him!” Kendra said.
Powers jumped to his feet and bolted toward the backyard.
Kendra unbuckled her seat belt and opened her door. “Stop the car!”
“For what?”
“I’m going after him. You circle the block and try to cut him off.”
Lynch hit the brakes. “And if you catch him?”
“We’ll beat the hell out of each other until the cavalry arrives. You’re the cavalry. So get your ass in gear.”
Before he could object, she jumped out of the car and took off running.
The landscape crew stopped their work and stared as she ran past them and bolted down the side of the house. She bent over and grabbed a shovel as she ran, barely breaking stride.
Powers had pushed through the gate and was making for the back fence. He was a big man, probably not the most agile. Maybe she could catch him before he made it over.
He gripped the top of the wrought-iron fence and swung his leg up. A miss. He tried again. Another miss.
She extended the shovel before her, aiming the blade for his lower back.
This is going to hurt, buddy.
But with a burst of energy, he managed to swing his leg up and catapult himself over the fence.
Dammit.
He landed on his feet and was already running through the opposite yard by the time she got within striking distance. She threw down the shovel and climbed up and over the fence.
By the time she made it over, he was already sprinting down the side yard toward the street beyond.
Good. With any luck, Lynch and maybe half the Downey PD would soon be on top of him.
She ran down the side yard and emerged on the street beyond.
What the hell …
The man had vanished.
She glanced around. She suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. He could strike from any direction, especially since he now knew she was alone.
Where the hell could he be?
Maybe on one of the porches.
In the tall shrubs to her right.
In between some cars on the street.
He was inside one of the cars, she realized. Which one?
Powers’s head bobbed up in the driver-side window of a Dodge SUV. Either he owned it or he’d just completed the fastest hotwire job she’d ever seen.
The tires spun hard against the pavement, and the SUV rocketed down the street.
Shit!
She heard a familiar roar and turned to see Lynch’s Ferrari rounding the corner. The cavalry was here. She yelled and pointed at the SUV. “That’s him!”
He nodded and sped after Powers.
She stared dumbfounded at his Ferrari as it roared away. She’d expected Lynch to stop long enough for her to jump in, but of course it made more sense to stay on Powers’s tail and not risk losing him.
Fine. She’d make her way back to Powers’s house and see if there was anything there she could— Another familiar roar. Behind her.
Jessie Mercado’s motorcycle rolled up and screeched to a stop just inches away. Jessie flipped up her visor to reveal those huge dark eyes and a broad smile. “Need a lift?”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. Even though I’m a little annoyed with you right now. I thought we were working together.”