nothing except the silent forest that seemed to close in around her. The stillness was more frightening than the rustling had been moments earlier. Where was he … or it?
Something slithered through the dried leaves. Her gut tightened with revulsion. She hated snakes.
Another twig snapped. Something larger than a snake was headed her way.
She shivered as a cold chill wrapped her in fear thick enough to taste. Holding the gun, she tried to steady her aim.
Branches parted. In the darkness, she couldn’t identify much more than a huge bulk that stepped toward the clearing.
Never let them know you’re afraid. The thought rattled through her mind. She mustered her courage, raised her gun and took aim.
THREE
“What are you doing in that tree, Kelly?”
“Phil?”
His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and even from this distance, he could make out her slender body as well as the barrel of the Sig Sauer aimed directly at him.
“Don’t just stand there. Get me down.” She sounded piqued.
“No, ma’am. Not until you holster your weapon.”
“What?”
“The gun, Kelly. I don’t trust anyone who’s pointing a nine-millimeter at my midsection.”
She harrumphed. “I wasn’t planning to shoot you. I heard a noise and thought—”
The words stuck in her throat, but she complied with his request and returned the weapon to her hip holster.
Phil reached for her just as he had wanted to do the moment he had stepped into the clearing and had seen she was in trouble. “Wrap your arms around my neck.”
She complied without an outburst, for which he was grateful. Her leg had to hurt, and her skin felt cold and clammy. He wouldn’t mention shock, but that was a concern. The dropping temperature and her lightweight jacket didn’t help.
Pulling a knife from his pocket, he sawed through the rope and gently lowered her feet to the ground while his arms remained clasped around her waist. She felt soft and fragile and … well, like a woman.
His own pulse raced as he held her tight against his chest, trying to transmit the heat from his body back into hers. She closed her eyes, and a thread of worry coursed along his spine. “Kelly?”
Her breath fanned his flesh and wreaked havoc with his nerve endings. “Kelly? Answer me.”
Thankfully, her eyes blinked open, but she appeared dazed. Then, before he could say anything to reassure her, she pushed her hands against his chest with such force that he took a step back to balance the shift in weight.
Her erratic behavior sent up a warning flag. “You blacked out.”
She put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “You saw me hanging upside down, Phil. Did I look unconscious?”
Relieved by her outburst, he almost laughed. “Next time remind me to leave you in the tree.”
“Right.”
Hearing a hint of levity mixed with her frustration, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and hit speed dial. “Chaplain Sanchez, this is Captain Thibodeaux. I found Agent McQueen. We’ll meet you back at her car.”
Phil flipped his cell closed and stared down at Kelly. Her blond hair was disheveled, but she was trying to maintain some semblance of composure.
“The chaplain checked the other side of the roadway while I headed this direction,” Phil said. “Now tell me what you were doing out here.”
She quickly explained about almost running into the teenager. “He was sitting in the bleachers with a teenage girl at the live-fire exercise today and looked like he might have cleaned up his image a bit. But tonight there was blood on his shirt, and the inside of his arms appeared to have been cut.”
Phil’s eyes searched the darkness in case the injured teen was still around. “Did he recognize you?”
“Probably not with the glare of the headlights. After the near miss, he had to be as shook up as I was.” She glanced down at her Maglite. “If you’ve got a flashlight or extra batteries for mine, we can search the area.”
She took a step to retrieve the light and almost fell.
He grabbed her elbow to steady her. “Hold up a minute.”
Kelly pulled her arm out of his grasp. “I’m fine, Phil.”
But he knew she wasn’t. He looked down and saw the determination she tried to hold in place. “We’ll search the area in daylight, Kelly. Right now you need to get off that leg.”
She took another step, only to stumble again. “It’s a pulled muscle, nothing more.”
Phil had had enough of her attempt to walk. He leaned over and grabbed her flashlight, then, before she could object, he lifted her into his arms.
“Put me down.” She struggled to free herself.
“I will when we get to your car. Right now, save both of us some energy and cooperate.”
She let out an exasperated breath and thankfully didn’t utter another word until he stepped onto the pavement.
“I can walk across the street by myself.” She wiggled to free herself from his hold.
“Humor me, Agent McQueen.”
“It’s Kelly.”
“Okay. Humor me, Kelly.”
Sanchez stood by her car. He opened the passenger door and stepped aside as Phil placed her carefully on the front seat.
Kelly’s brow wrinkled. “I thought both of you were already at the farmhouse.”
“We got hung up on post. Lieutenant Bellows went on ahead of us. He’s probably waiting at the turnoff to the farm.” Phil bent to examine her leg.
She tried to swat his hands away. “That’s not necessary.”
He sat back on his haunches and stared at her. “Here’s the deal. Either I examine your ankle now or I drive you back to the emergency room on post and have the doctor on duty take a look at you.”
She raised her chin and closed her eyes for a long moment. When she opened them, she nodded. “All right. Check my leg. Then I’m going with you to the farmhouse.”
“If your leg’s not broken,” he said.
“It’s merely a sprain.”
Phil worked his fingers over her narrow ankle until his thumb gently pressed a tender spot. She jerked.
“Chaplain,
