Silenced (Alaskan Courage Book #4) (26 page)

Marshall said there were only two army bunkers on Imnek—the others being a combination of navy and coast guard. Jake was roughly twenty miles away from the first one, and the second was on the other side of the island, across a mountain from Gage and Darcy’s search area. It was Angela’s way of making sure the search party was split.

Please, Father, let her be at
the closer one. Let me find her now.

He couldn’t let a Markum rip another woman he loved away from him. Couldn’t let anything happen to Kayden. Though knowing Angela’s vindictive nature, he feared she may already have started inflicting pain.

She and Joel sure made a pair. Evidence had proved he liked to torture women. Jake only prayed his wife wasn’t following suit.

His throat constricted at the thought of Kayden being at the woman’s mercy, fearing Angela possessed none.

But this was Kayden. She was the strongest woman he’d ever met. If anyone could stand up to Angela, it’d be her . . . and that’s what worried him. Angela would want complete domination, and Kayden wouldn’t comply.

Climbing back in his truck, he punched the closer army bunker’s coordinates into his GPS and flew back down the rutted road.

Please
, Father, let her be here. Let her be okay.

Fifty miles an hour wasn’t fast enough, but he couldn’t go any faster on the dirt roads leading toward the bunker. Truth be told, he should be going a lot slower, but he couldn’t. He had to reach Kayden before it was too late.

Kayden came to with a throbbing headache. Had the woman seriously hit her with a bat?

She looked up in dismay to find herself cuffed once again. This time her shackled hands were mounted on a hook on the wall over her head, and not far from her an empty pair of shackles hung on a second hook.
Jake
. She swallowed. How sick was this woman?

“I should have known you’d be trouble.” Angela sat in a chair with a gun leveled at Kayden’s head. “You’re nothing like the last one.”

Kayden frowned. “The last one?”

“Jake’s wife, Rebecca.”

Kayden blinked to clear her vision. “What about her?”

“She was very different from you. Docile, submissive. Just stood there frozen as I hit her.”

Shock roiled through Kayden. “
You
hit Becca?”

“Yes. I warned Jake to back off, but he wouldn’t listen, so I had to teach him a lesson.”

“I thought your husband . . .”

“Joel.” She laughed. “Please, he got physically sick when he realized he’d killed that girl. Called me in tears, the weakling.”

“So you stepped in?”

“I had to. It’s not like Joel had the strength to take care of his own mess. He just wanted to ball up and cry.” She shook her head. “Pathetic.”

“So you helped him cover up the crime.”

“There was no way I was going to let some trampy co-ed ruin my life.”

“So you helped him bury her?”

“No. He helped me. Lots of help he was, though. Kept getting sick. Such a pansy.”

“And when Jake discovered the body?”

“Jake,” she snapped. “He couldn’t just let things rest. Had to keep hammering, keep digging until he discovered Joel’s connection to the girl.”

“And then?”

“And then Joel, coward that he was, was planning to confess, to turn himself in.”

“But I thought . . .”

“That he killed himself?” She laughed. “That was my plan. Racked by guilt, my husband takes his own life, leaving me alone—the poor, innocent, grieving widow.”

“You killed your own husband?”

“It wasn’t hard. He’d been drinking. I played on his insecurities, got him to hold the gun to his head, and . . .”

“You pulled the trigger.”

“Over his finger, of course.” She smiled. “The perfect crime.”

“Not so perfect. Jake figured out your role in the aftermath of Candace Banner’s murder. He knew you helped cover up evidence and helped hide the body.”

“That was unfortunate, yes. I thought taking his wife
would distract him enough that he’d quit digging, but no, he just kept coming until he had me behind bars. He didn’t figure out the rest of it, though, did he?” She stared—cold and heartless. “He didn’t figure out enough to keep me there for longer than a few years.” She leaned forward, hatred welling in her dark eyes. “Do you have any idea what prison is like?” She glanced at Kayden’s shackles. “Well, you and Jake are about to learn.”

“Please . . .”

Angela checked her watch. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon. He’s very good at following clues.”

The woman was mad.

Please, Father, don’t
let Jake walk into her trap. I know he’ll
do it just to try to save me, but don’
t let him sacrifice himself in the process.

Jake cut his engine a mile out from the bunker, not wanting to announce his arrival. Dawn approached, the last wisps of night air cold and crisp. He trekked in on foot, following the tire marks to Angela’s truck hidden behind an overgrowth of bushes.

He called the confirmed location in to Marshall, knowing he’d in turn alert the others, though it would take them the better part of the morning to arrive—spread out as they were in their search quadrants, and with Gage and Darcy headed to the other side of the island.

He walked the perimeter of the bunker, assessing the entrance and exit options, and only found two—the main entrance and a small door at the rear of the bunker.

Going in the front was no doubt a trap, but going in the
rear could take too long to locate Kayden. As Marshall had explained and as he was quickly learning for himself, these bunkers were underground mazes. However he approached, she’d no doubt see him coming. Angela Markum was clearly crazy, but she was not a fool. She’d no doubt planned out every detail.

Unwilling to leave Kayden alone with Angela any longer, he entered through the front door. The bunker was dark and dank. Old barrels and spare mechanical parts littered the floor. It was the perfect place to hold Kayden with her broken leg and wounded shoulder. It would be a nightmare to try to escape in the dark.

There were only two ways he could get Kayden out safely—be lucky enough to kill Angela off the bat or convince Angela to take him in place of her. He was more than willing to do either. Whatever it took to keep Kayden safe.

Angela hurried along the side corridor, moving to intercept Jake with a good old-fashioned jolt. Soon she’d have her revenge, and it would be glorious. By her calculations she still had a good while before the others showed, spread out as they would be in an island-wide search. She’d left some surprises for the future guests, but she should be long gone by the time they arrived.

She slowed as she approached the spot, following Jake on the camera feed. The four years in prison had given her time to formulate an undefeatable plan—with contingencies for every deviation. Jake no doubt saw the
Bering
article she’d left for him on the board along with particularly timed surveillance photos, so he’d think that’s how she’d found him, but in truth the PI she’d hired—well, the third PI she’d hired—had located him nearly six months before her release.

She’d sat back and watched, learned their routines, seen the way Jake looked at Kayden, seen the sickening look of love in his eyes.

And now to begin the final phase of her plan. She stood ready, weapon in hand. Jake paused before reaching the
door, his gun shifting in her direction, as if sensing where she stood.

Frustration seared inside. The man was good, but she was better. She pulled the trigger from her pocket and flipped the switch. A small explosive went off to Jake’s right. When he moved to shield himself from the blast, she reached out and tased him.

Within seconds, he was writhing on the floor at her feet and then went still.

Perfection
.

Kayden waited, her heart in her throat. What had Angela done to Jake? What had caused the explosion? Surely Jake hadn’t come alone. Was one of her siblings hurt?

Angela reentered the room, pushing Jake strapped with bungee cords on a red metal dolly. She wondered if that was how Angela had moved her.

“I think we’re going to need a little more light for this,” she said, her voice sending a chill down Kayden’s spine.

She opened a trunk and pulled out a series of battery-operated lanterns, setting them up around the room. “I want to be certain Jake can see you clearly.”

She removed the bungee cords, letting Jake fall to the floor.

Kayden once again bit back a cry.

Angela pulled him by the legs to the shackles beside her.

Fear reverberated through Kayden. What did the evil woman have planned?

Reef woke to the ringing of his cell phone. “Yeah?”

Please let it be good
news, Lord
.

“Jake’s found Angela’s hideout,” Sheriff Marshall said. “The old army bunker up on the north bluff. It’s marked on your topo map. If you and Kirra cut across the ridge rather than going around, you should be able to reach them in under a couple hours.”

“Okay, I’ll wake Kirra now and we’ll head straight out. Have you alerted the rest of the teams?”

“I have my deputies on it as we speak.”

Good. The more, the better.

“Be careful.”

“Will do.”

Unzipping his tent, he moved to Kirra’s. “Kirra?”

Rex moved, his collar jingling.

Reef unzipped her tent. She was sound asleep, Rex sitting at the ready beside her.

He growled.

“It’s okay, Rex. It’s just me. We need to wake Kirra up.”

Man, she was a sound sleeper.

“Kirra,” he said louder, and she stirred, shifting her arms over her head. Her blond hair was disheveled about her.

“Kirra!”

Her eyes shot open—beautiful crystal blue staring back at him, full of . . .
fear
? “What?”

“Jake found them. We need to move.”

“Oh.” She shook off the lingering sleep and whatever had her fearful. “Give me five.”

He nodded and set to dismantling his tent.

A few minutes later Kirra emerged from hers—dressed for the day, Rex bounding out beside her. “Just give me a minute to get my pack set and we can go.”

Reef nodded, amazed by how vibrant and beautiful she
looked just minutes after waking.
Whoa!
He had to stop thinking of Kirra that way. The elevation must be going to his head.

He exhaled. Who was he kidding? He lived at this elevation all snowboarding season.

He rolled his tent and sleeping bag, putting both in his pack while Kirra did the same.

“Where are they?”

“The old army bunker out at the north bluff. Marshall said if we cut across the ridge we can make it in under two hours.”

Kirra studied the topographical map they’d brought. “He’s right. It’s a strenuous hike, no truck access through a good portion of it, but it’s a lot faster than hiking back to the truck and taking the road all the way around.”

Reef cinched his pack on his back. “Let’s do it.”

“Did Jake say how Kayden was?”

“Marshall just said he’d located Angela’s truck, not that he had eyes on Kayden yet.”

“I just pray she’s okay, that they both are.”

Reef appreciated her sincerity. “I do too.”

“Would you like me to say a quick prayer?”

“That’d be nice.” God would no doubt be more likely to listen to her prayers. She was the ultimate good girl.

She bowed her head and Reef did the same.

“Father, only you know what’s happening with Jake, Kayden, and Angela now. We pray for protection for Jake and Kayden and that justice would be done. Please lead us to them quickly, and may we all be home secure in our own beds tonight. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

“Amen,” he said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Not just for the prayer, but for caring about my family.” Being away so long, it was good to know his siblings had such good friends standing by them and looking out for them. He wanted his siblings to know he’d stand by them too. Maybe Anna was right. Maybe this was where God wanted him.

“They’re good people,” she said, shifting her pack and the topic, a hint of longing in her voice. “Have Cole and Bailey landed?”

“Marshall said they have, and they’re en route now.”

“Jake.”

It was Kayden’s voice.

“Jake.” Chains rattled nearby. “Can you hear me?”

He forced his eyes open. Lights glowed in the dimness around him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice weaker than he’d ever heard it.

He turned to see her shackled beside him, dried blood in her hair, bruises on her face . . .

His heart lurched.

“Kayden.” He reached for her, his shackles pinning him tight to the wall overhead.

“I’m okay.”

She clearly wasn’t.

“Angela’s crazy.”

“I figured that one out.”

“She killed her husband.”

“What?”

“She made it look like a suicide. And Becca . . .”

“What about Becca?”

“Oh, now you’ve gone and ruined the surprise,” Angela said as she reentered the room.

“You!” He struggled against his shackles. “You killed Becca and our daughter?”

“I didn’t know she was pregnant.” A cool smile spread on Angela’s lips. “Not that it would have made any difference. In fact, it made it all the better revenge-wise.”

Jake wrestled against his bonds, determined to get out of them, even if it meant breaking his own hands.

“This time you get to
watch
the woman you love die.”

Jake looked at Kayden. He prayed she knew he truly loved her, even if Angela was the first to actually say the words.

She looked over at him, such sweetness and sincerity brimming in her eyes despite the dark circumstances. “I love you too.”

“What?” The breath left his lungs. She loved him? He’d been praying he’d been right about her starting to care for him, but she
loved
him?

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.” She wept. “Sorry I kept you at arm’s length.”

“It doesn’t matter. You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”

Angela lifted her gun. “Not for long.”

An explosion rocked the south wall. Angela glanced over. “Looks like we’ve got company.” She moved to the camera feed.

Jake took the opportunity to dislocate his thumbs and slide his hands free of the cuffs. He signaled Kayden to be quiet while he grabbed the Taser.

He moved behind Angela. She must have caught his reflection in the monitor because she turned and shot.

He stumbled back with the force of the bullet, with the heat searing down his arm.

“No!” Kayden screamed.

Rex burst into the room, followed by Reef and Kirra.

Angela took off with Rex at her heels.

“Jake.” Kayden wrestled to break free.

“Kayden.” Reef’s gaze landed on her with alarm.

“Jake’s been shot.”

Reef and Kirra’s attention shifted to Jake. Kirra moved to assess.

“It’s just a shoulder wound. He’ll be fine.” She grabbed the blanket off the air mattress and began tearing it into strips long enough to bind his wound.

Reef moved to help Kayden.

“Angela has the keys, but there are some nails on the floor.”

“How are nails going to help?”

“Here.” Jake moved before Kirra could finish bandaging his shoulder, popping his thumbs back in place with an agonizing grunt. He pulled a pick from his pocket, surprised Angela hadn’t patted him down while he was out. She’d taken his gun and knife but hadn’t bothered checking his pockets. Sloppy.

He bent and picked Kayden’s handcuffs until they both opened. She lunged forward and hugged him.

He winced as she collided with his gunshot wound.

She pulled back. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” He cupped her face gingerly and brought her lips to his, kissing her with all the loving fervor he’d been storing up for years.

She kissed him back, just as passionately, and he never wanted to let her go.

But Gage and Darcy barged in.

“Well, it’s about time,” Gage said before Darcy elbowed him.

“What?” he said. “Everyone else is thinking it.”

At the distant sound of Rex’s bay, Jake pulled back. “Which way did she go?” He needed to keep Kayden safe, and that meant finding Angela and getting her back behind bars, where she belonged.

Kayden pointed. “She took off down that corridor. Rex should distract her for a bit.”

Jake focused on Rex’s barking. “It sounds as if he’s chased her into the underground maze at the rear of the bunker. I’ve explored three of these already, and from my experience, it might be a while before she makes her way out.

“Gage and I will go out the front and wait at her truck. Reef, you and Kirra go after Rex and flush her out.”

“She’s got booby traps set up,” Reef said. “Luckily Kirra spotted the trip wire or we would have been toast, or at the very least, seriously maimed.”

Jake smiled at Kirra. “Nice work.”

“Thanks. As a vet I deal with the effects of far too many poacher traps. I’ve learned to watch for them whenever I’m in the wilderness.”

Jake turned to Kayden. “Please stay here. There’s no way Angela will work her way back. Please. I need to know you are safe.”

Clearly too exhausted to argue, she nodded and sat down at the rusty table as he and the others raced out of the room.

Relief filled Jake when he and Gage reached the brush and
found Angela’s truck still there. After disconnecting her spark plugs, they hid behind the nearby copse of trees.