Gabe (In the Company of Snipers, #8)(22)

She beamed. “It’s Independence Day.”

A ton of joy hit him square in the heart. The Fourth of July. Best damned birthday ever.

Harley took a deep breath of fatherhood. And life was good again.





Chapter Seven



“You guys,” Kelsey muttered tiredly, finally awake after her long nap. She’d slept the better part of two entire days and resembled a raccoon with her two black eyes and purpled cheekbones. “Don’t you ever go home?”

“No, ma’am.” Gabe set his magazine aside. “There’s no place I’d rather be. I promise. Can I get you anything?”

“A drink,” she said. “My mouth is dry. I’m thirsty.”

No sooner said than done. He held the water bottle for her while she took a long sip. The simple assignment to guard Kelsey had become everything to Gabe. The image of her underwater in that car still haunted him. No one would hurt her again, not as long as he breathed.

Zack had barely stepped out to take a call from Mark, who anxiously wanted to speak with Kelsey and get her version of what happened.

She had lost nearly all of her privacy. Zack hovered over her as much as Gabe did. They camped outside her hospital room when they weren’t allowed inside with her. Doctors and nurses had to prove who they were before they could enter. All she had to do was stir, and Gabe was off his feet and ready to assist. It still didn’t feel like enough.

A sad smile breached the corners of her mouth. She pulled herself into a sitting position in her bed, a difficult task for a woman with several broken fingers. Libby had brought her a bed jacket. It helped Kelsey feel comfortable. That was all that mattered.

“Someone tried to kill me, Gabe,” she whispered, trying to interlock her splintered fingers on her lap. She gave up and laid them flat on the beige blanket.

He pulled a chair alongside her bed. “Yes, ma’am. Sure looks like it.”

Kelsey’d done very little but sleep since he and Zack found her. Mark and the authorities only knew the barest details and some nonsense about Alex finding her, but if she felt well enough to talk, Gabe was all ears.

“The sheriff’s wrong. He told Mark that I lost control of my car because I was hysterical, but I wasn’t, Gabe. I want you to know that.”

“Don’t worry about him,” Gabe assured her. “He jumped to that conclusion before his deputies even finished investigating the crime scene. But why were you way out there then? It’s quite a ways from your house. Were you just tired of being cooped up and decided you needed some fresh air or something?”

“No. Not at all. A man called. He said he could prove Alex was still alive. He asked me to meet him there. That’s why I went. I was excited. You know, hopeful.”

“Did he sound familiar?”

“No. I didn’t recognize his voice.”

“Tell me exactly what he said.”

She thought for a second. “He said he could take me to Alex.”

“Where did he want to meet?”

“On the walking path along the river. He said to meet him at the picnic table. I was watching for the turn-off into the parking lot when I got stopped.”

“What happened?”

Kelsey took a slow breath. A shadow shifted over her battered face. “A car slid sideways in front of me. I thought maybe the road was wet, but...” She coughed for a moment and needed another drink before she continued. “But then, another car slammed into my back bumper, so I had to swerve sideways to avoid the first car—you know, the one that slid in front of me. I didn’t want to hit it. I might’ve hurt someone.”

“What kind of vehicles? Do you remember?”

“Both were big SUVs, a lot bigger than Harley’s Jeep, and both black. I don’t know what kind, but I couldn’t believe someone would ram an old car like mine with a brand new SUV. The guy behind me could’ve stopped, but he didn’t. I saw him in my rearview mirror. He meant to hit me.”

She took another sip from her water bottle and licked her lips. “After he hit me, he backed up real fast and cranked his wheel. I thought maybe he meant to run from the scene, but he rammed into me. He pushed me all the way into the river. It happened so fast. I kept pushing the brake pedal all the way to the floor, but it didn’t make any difference. He had one of those ramming bars on the front of his vehicle.”

“A push bar? Your story matches the tire tracks and evidence at the scene.”

“And I couldn’t stop and...” She shuddered, reaching for Gabe’s hand, splints and all.

He accepted her broken fingers carefully, wishing he could pour comfort into her through his grip. “But they didn’t kill you. They might’ve tried, but they missed, Kelsey, and a miss is a good thing. Focus on that. Can you describe what either driver looked like?”

She nodded. “Alex taught me how to estimate height and weight. I couldn’t see the top of this guy’s head, the one who rammed me. I think maybe six-three, six-four. He wore dark glasses, but he had a square-shaped head and a buzz cut, from what I could see of it. He had a scar on his left cheek. I could tell because his skin was puckered under the corner of his eye all the way to his mouth. His eye drooped. Caucasian. No neck. Around two hundred and fifty pounds. And his license plate number is...”