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  He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Mandy had kneed him in the head hard enough to knock him out cold.

  She went for his gun first and tucked it in the back of her jeans then removed his nightstick. He had left the keys in the cell door so she locked him in then ran for the only exit.

  Just as she got there, the large officer walked through holding a jelly doughnut and was licking his lips from the filling. How cliché. Mandy almost hated to clobber him. Almost. “What are you hollering—” He stopped talking when he discovered her standing out of the cell.

  She held the nightstick like a pro and he dropped his doughnut. He motioned for his gun and she took a step closer. “Don’t even think about it, Burford.”

  “Name’s Roy.”

  “You too stupid to know…never mind. Hands above your head.” When he did so, she took his gun. “Get in the cell next to your friend there.”

  “Aw maaaaan. Hunt is gonna have our hide.”

  “I don’t see as how that is my problem. Move. Don’t make me knock you out. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t drag you to the cell.”

  He started to walk past her, but then turned quicker than she would have thought he was capable of and seized the arm that held the nightstick. She kneed him in the groin and he hit the ground. She pulled out the gun and touched it to his forehead.

  “Get in that cell or your head will look like the doughnut you were eating.”

  Chapter Twelve

  After inquiring where to find Roy’s truck keys, Amanda sped away in it, taking a different route than she had with Hunt. She hated that she had said she wanted to go toward West Bolton, but he knew she was lying about everything else—maybe he would assume she was lying about that, too. She would probably add some time to the drive, but that didn’t really matter. The way Hunt kept interfering was slowing her down badly enough. What was another hour? At least she was out of that cell. She really thought it would be much worse.

  “At least you didn’t have to shoot anyone,” she said to herself as she turned on the radio. Roy had it set to country, so she hit the scan button. It took a while to find another station. She was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. “It’s not nowhere, but you can see it from here,” she mumbled.

  After making two full passes around, the radio finally stopped at a classical station. Lee Oskar’s “Before the Rain” was playing. She hit the button again so it wouldn’t continue to seek. Amanda’s mind went to Hunt’s comment about whistling that song in the bathroom. It was odd that he knew that song, let alone mentioned it to her. It had been a favorite of hers for as long as she could remember. It had been playing in the garage just about every time she went out to visit her dad when he was tinkering with the ’57 Chevy he was taking his time restoring. No one else had ever heard of it, and she didn’t ever recall listening to it over the radio before. She got chills, but chastised herself to get a grip. “It’s only a song, dummy.”

  Her stomach flip-flopped as she imagined Hunt standing there in just a towel. She cursed at her reaction to the memory. He was handsome and had a great body, but she wanted nothing to do with him. “Shake it, Mandy. He’s too arrogant and conceited for you. Not to mention the whole cop thing.” She shook her head. “Since when did you start talking to yourself, you stupid bitch.” She hit her palm hard on the radio’s power button and turned the music off. Laying her foot a little heavier on the gas, she continued down the gravel road in silence.

  “What the fu—” Just seeing the condition his deputies were in caused Hunt to stop talking mid-sentence. He ran to his office for the cell key and rushed back into the room.

  “What the hell happened?” he said angrily as he unlocked Roy’s cell.

  “She got the upper hand on Cool Hand Luke there.”

  “And that’s why you’re locked up, too?” Hunt turned to let Luke out as well. “What happened, kid?”

  “Don’t call me that! You’re barely older than I am, Sheriff.”

  “Just spill it, dammit!”

  “She was sprawled out and unconscious.”

  “You mean you thought she was unconscious.”

  “I suppose I did. I watched her fall to the ground. It seemed like she hit her head pretty hard. She wasn’t moving, man.”

  “But she moved fast enough when you went to check on her, right? Dammit, Luke! I told you not to go near her!”

  “Right! And if you came back and she was dead, who would you blame then? The doughnut king over there?”

  Roy grasped Luke’s shirt and slammed him into the cell’s gate. “Suck it, Junior!”

  “Both of you knock it off!” Hunt hollered. “I don’t suppose she’s getting far on foot. Both of you get your asses out there and start looking. Keep your ears on your radio for reports on stolen cars.”

  Roy let go of Luke and looked away in shame.

  “What?” Hunt asked.

  “She took my truck keys.”

  “Perfect. Just fucking perfect.” Hunt stormed out of the back room. His men were close behind. Picking up a duffle bag, Hunt haphazardly stuffed weapons and ammo into it. He added enough magazines for the rifle to take down a small army. He threw in every pair of handcuffs that were sitting in the locker and a handful of zip ties.

  “Just who are you expecting to—”

  A glare from Hunt cut off Luke’s question in a hurry. “You two bozos will pick up the slack in the shifts while I’m away. Figure it out.” He turned to walk out the door, but Roy stopped him.

  “When you coming back?”

  “Not until I have her again. I’m so pissed off at you two idiots I can’t even speak.” Again he stormed toward the door. Again Roy stopped him.

  “But, Boss…”

  “Don’t ‘but boss’ me. She already has too much of a lead.”

  “You know where she’s goin’?”

  “I have an idea.” Turning to the door, he was stopped again by what Roy said.

  “I’ve got a tracker in my truck.”

  Hunt spun back around. “Like OnStar?”

  “Hell no. A thief would see that. She won’t even know this is there.”

  Hunt dropped the heavy duffle bag to the floor. “How do I track her?”

  “I’ll get you the GPS device from my locker.” He was back in less than a minute and offered it to Hunt. He gave him a quick explanation of it. “That’s all there is to it.”

  Hunt put it in his pocket. “You’re still on my list.”

  “I know, Boss. I’ll pull doubles till you get back.”

  “Split the shifts with Junior here and call in Ole if you have to.”

  “He ain’t gonna be too happy about coming out of retirement.”

  “He ain’t gonna be too happy with my foot up his ass, either.”

  “Yes, Boss,” was said to a closed door. Hunt was gone too fast to wait for a response.

  After tossing the bag of weapons in the lockbox bolted to the truck, Hunt climbed in and booted up the GPS. “Who would have thought the doughnut king would have had the brains and foresight for this?” Hunt didn’t usually talk to himself either, but his nerves were on edge. He’d never come across a criminal as slippery as Amanda before, and it drove him crazy that he couldn’t figure her out. His nerves were about as shot as they’d ever been. “Bitch thinks she’s fucking Rambo, for crying out loud.” When the red bleep finally popped up on the screen, he smiled from ear to ear. “Gotcha.”

  He recognized the road she was on, but remembered what she said about going to West Bolton. If he stuck to the main road, he’d get there when she did. “Get ready to pucker up and kiss my ass, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hunt was surprised when he hit West Bolton an hour later and had to keep going. He was sure he would have beaten her to it. She must have been driving like a maniac on the county roads. It had crossed his mind to call the local authorities, but that thought was driven out of his head. He wanted her for himself. Also, not wanting to explain her escape was a
big factor. Being made a fool of with his deputies was one thing. Involving another county’s department was another altogether.

  He was certain she still had the truck. There was no way she knew about the device. She was sure to keep the truck as long as she could. He didn’t put grand theft auto above her, but the fact that she was taking side roads led Hunt to believe she believed she was fairly safe. When the red dot started to head east, Hunt switched to dirt roads as well. He grew angrier as the miles ticked by. He no longer cared about sneaking up on her. If the truck wasn’t Roy’s, he’d ram her and drive her off the road on sight.

  The light stopped moving and he began closing in on it fast. Judging from the road they were on, Hunt expected it to find the truck parked at someone’s summer cabin. Instead, he found a bar that was a lot larger than the area called for, with more than its share of neon lights advertising various beers.

  Hunt circled the building and spotted Roy’s truck parked in the back. He was on his last nerve and didn’t hesitate for one second before putting his truck behind it, blocking her in. He was glad no one was in the parking lot to smart off at him. He was ready to plug the first person that looked at him wrong.

  As usual, Hunt was allowing his temper to take over. Rather than walk in quietly and try to be inconspicuous about locating her, he pulled the door open will all his force and about ripped it off its hinges. There was no automatic closer on the door and it pulled a lot more freely than he had expected.

  A few people at the bar glanced his way for a brief moment then simply returned to their beers. One man’s eyes hurried away as if to say, “Whoa. I hope that wasn’t his wife I was just hitting on.”

  Hunt scanned the bar area and didn’t see her. He walked up a small flight of stairs to the dining area and caught sight of her in the far corner right as she spotted him. She was sitting next to a man built pretty much like he was, but his skin was much darker. Hunt couldn’t place his nationality from this distance, nor did he care. Closing the gap, he took long strides toward them.

  A waitress passed with a tray full of beers. Hunt took one off and threw a ten dollar bill on her tray. “Keep the change.” She wasn’t going to complain about him shorting her a customer’s drink. She walked back to the bar to replace it.

  When he reached the table where Amanda sat, he spun the chair backward, sat down, and took a long draw from the beer. “Hey, doll face. Come here often?”

  Amanda’s eyes had been wide from the moment she spotted him. He expected that. She had to be nothing short of shocked to see him. What he didn’t expect was her to not try to flee. She sat next to the man as if in fear of him, not Hunt.

  The man, whom Hunt decided was Italian, wrapped his arm around Mandy’s shoulder. “Can we help you with something, friend?”

  Calmly, Hunt took another long draw of beer. “You? No. Her? Most certainly. Your arm is around something that is mine right now, and I intend on taking it back.”

  The man glared at Mandy. “New boyfriend? So soon? Tsk tsk, Amanda. What will Gerard say?”

  “I’m not her boyfriend, and I don’t give a fuck who Gerard is. The lady is leaving with me.”

  The man held his hand out as if he were trying to calm Hunt down. “I’m afraid as she’s just found her way back to us. I can’t let you take her.”

  “Us? Are you one of those intellectual types that insist on referring to yourself in the third person?”

  “Turn around and meet Bennett,” he said with a smile.

  Hunt turned around and took in the figure walking over toward them. He was roughly the size of a small house, and the bulge in his jacket was unmistakable. The dude was packing. It wasn’t illegal to have a concealed weapon in Vermont, but Hunt was now especially intrigued by his new “friends.” With the stories Mandy had given him, he couldn’t imagine what her connection was to them.

  Hunt turned back around and smiled at the man. “Is that all you got, Guido?” He turned his attention to Mandy, who was shaking her head ‘no.’ He still didn’t like the fact that she was acting so afraid. Not that he cared if she were lying in a pool of sweat; he just didn’t understand why she fought so hard to break free of him and find these men if she was only going to sit here afraid of them.

  The name finally registered with him. Mandy had said Bennett was the name of the man who had kicked her. The father of her child. Something was seriously wrong. Making no secret of what he was doing, Hunt bent down and looked under the table. Sure enough, he could see a gun pointed at Amanda’s side. It was the gun she took from Roy. When he sat upright, the man he called Guido smiled wide.

  “Just go about your business, friend. There’s nothing to see here.”

  Hunt got to his feet and moved his jacket aside, revealing his own gun in its holster. He hadn’t attached his badge on purpose and was glad he didn’t. He sensed in this case, it would have only made matters worse.

  “I’m not your friend. I can’t tell you how much I need the company of this lady with me back to my hometown. I’d appreciate it if your interference stopped here.”

  Guido laughed. “You hear that, Bennett? Pretty boy would appreciate it if your interference stopped here.” He glared at Hunt. “And I can’t tell you how much I’d appreciate your company, outside.”

  Hunt glanced to Amanda, who had been silent since he’d gotten there. Is she really worth this? he thought to himself as he walked toward the back door.

  Once everyone was outside, Bennett pointed toward a large black SUV and Hunt walked over. The man finally introduced himself, saving Hunt from calling him Guido again.

  “The name is Tony and you’re leaving here alone.”

  “I’m afraid I’ve got a problem with that,” Hunt replied.

  “I’ll say you do.” Bennett pulled out his gun and pointed it at Hunt, but Hunt was on his just as fast. It was a standoff.

  Mandy finally found her voice. “Leave him out of this, Bennett. Your beef is with me. Barney here will leave without any trouble. Won’t you, Barney?”

  Hunt didn’t drop his stance with the gun, but turned to Mandy with an angry glare. “Sweetheart, if you call me Barney one more time…”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The fight they pretended to start was enough of a distraction. Hunt was able to knock the gun out of Bennett’s hand and knock him in the chin hard enough with the butt of his gun that it sent him to the ground with a solid thud. He was out cold.

  As soon as Hunt had knocked the gun free, Mandy rammed Tony in the gut with her elbow. When he bent down, she kneed him in the chin as well. Hunt shot out one of the tires to the SUV then took Mandy by the hand and ran for his truck. He figured he could take them one-on-one in a street fight, but two on one with semi-automatic guns kind of screamed, Just grab the girl and get the hell outta here, idiot.

  Hunt unlocked his door with his fob as they ran. He shoved Mandy in just as a sharp stinging hit his side. Fighting the urge to cry out in pain, he climbed in and pulled his door closed, ducking as bullets hit the side of the truck. His tires squealed as he sped away.

  “You’re hit!” Mandy screamed as she watched him pull his hand away from his side. It was covered with blood.

  “Just grazed me.”

  She leaned over his lap. “I want to look at it.”

  “I’m fine!” he shouted as he shoved her away. “I want to put some distance between us and your goons first.” He took the first gravel road they came across. “Turn my GPS on. I need to get us outta here.”

  “You don’t know where you are? How did you find me?”

  “You’re welcome, by the way.”

  “You want me to thank you? I had things under control before you showed up!”

  “Under control? Is that what you call a gun in your side? My department’s gun at that.”

  “Tony would never shoot me.”

  “And why is that? ’Cause he’s in love with you?”

  “No, asshole. Gerard would kill him.”

  Hunt s
lammed on the brakes. They skidded sideways for a few feet. The gravel was loose, but Hunt showed no concern about losing control. “Just who the hell is Gerard, and who the hell were the goons, Mandy?”

  She crossed her arms. “I told you not to get involved. You couldn’t just let me leave the fucking hospital.”

  He held her arm. “Who were they?” Before he could even tighten his grip, he winced in pain and leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

  “Hunt?” Mandy slid forward in the seat and tried to direct Hunt to lie down. He wasn’t putting up a fight. She lifted up his blood soaked shirt. “It’s not a graze, Hunt. There’s no exit wound.”

  She reached into his glove box, looking for the stash of fast food napkins that should be there, but there weren’t. “That’s right,” she said with a sigh. “You’ve probably never had a Big Mac in your entire healthy-Mister-Workout life.”

  “Shit’ll kill you.”

  Mandy removed her blouse since she still had on a tank top underneath. She wasn’t willing to get naked to help him. Okay, she probably was. She tried wiping away the blood to get a better look at it. He winced but didn’t smack her hand away.

  “The bullet is right at the surface. I can feel it. I have to get you to a hospital and get it out, Hunt.”

  “I’m not going in and having them knock me out so you get the chance to split again.”

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  “The hell I don’t.” He sat upright and tried to grasp the steering wheel with his left arm, but it wasn’t cooperating. He smacked the steering wheel with his right hand and bellowed, “Shit!”

  “Scoot over.”

  “No way.”

  Mandy leaned as far as she could toward the dashboard. “Scoot the hell over. I’m driving.”

  “We both know how that turns out.”

  She took his shirt by his collar and tie then slid him over. He screamed as she did that, but she showed no emotion over it. She got behind the wheel and took off.