Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,172

made no effort to leave.

“I don’t have time to argue.” She headed south, pushing for as much speed as she could get as soon as she was away from the town square—and almost drove off the road when smoke suddenly flowed up from beneath the passenger seat and shifted into Yuri Sanguinati.

“Gods!” Jana screamed. “Are you trying to scare me into heart failure?”

“You didn’t wait for Virgil,” Yuri replied. “I—” He looked back at the Hawk. “We were available to assist you.” He paused before adding, “You are not the kind of hunter who should go out alone.”

Because she was human? Because she was female? Because cops in human cities usually had a partner when they responded to a call?

She slowed to a sensibly fast speed while she fumbled to get the mobile phone out of its holder on her belt. She handed it to Yuri. “I didn’t lock the office. Someone should be there. We still have a storeroom full of uncataloged weapons, and we have some newcomers in town who would love to help themselves to that kind of loot, if we believe everything I was told about them.”

She drove while Yuri made the call. Based on his side of the conversation, she guessed he was talking to Tolya.

“I’ll tell her,” Yuri said just before he ended the call.

“Tell me what?”

“Virgil is … upset … with you for running off without him.”

“Virgil can kiss my furless ass,” Jana snapped. “The information I was given indicated we needed to respond ASAP. He wasn’t available, so I used my initiative.”

When Yuri said nothing, she took her eyes off the road for just a second. “What?”

“I don’t think kissing is what he has in mind. And I don’t think you want his teeth anywhere near your furless ass.”

“Are you laughing at me?”

“Yes.” Yuri nodded. “Yes, we are.”

Darn it! She’d forgotten about the Hawk riding in the back, listening to everything.

Silence filled the vehicle for the rest of the trip, giving her time to gather herself for whatever she would find at the Skye Ranch.

When she and Yuri walked into the ranch house’s kitchen, leaving the Hawk to find the location of the fire, Jana knew something more—and worse—had happened since Truman Skye made the call asking for help.

“The doctor and ambulance will be along soon,” she said.

“Don’t need them anymore,” Truman replied. “Not for her.” He stood up and swayed as if drunk. Then he found his balance. “This way. She left a note.”

Oh gods.

“I never thought.” The Simple Life woman Jana figured to be the cook and housekeeper looked devastated. “She was grieving, yes, and what happened was terrible, but I never thought …”

“We’ll get to that.” Jana focused on Truman. “Show me.”

Two open bottles of pills on the bedside table. Apparently more than enough to do the job.

“We brought her in here to rest until you arrived,” Truman said. “She …”

Jana picked up the note that was on the floor beside the bed. Simple. Cryptic. Chilling.

I saw what killed my husband. It’s out there, watching us. Always watching us.

She looked at Truman. “Did she say anything to you? Anything about what happened?”

“Can we … ?” He walked out of the room. Jana and Yuri followed him back to the kitchen.

The Simple Life woman wasn’t there, but there was a plate of biscuits on the table, along with butter and a berry jam, all under mesh covers to keep away the flies. Jana wasn’t interested in food, but she recognized the custom of providing sustenance so that survivors could continue.

“She and her husband were trying to find a way to reach their daughter, who lives in a small town in the Southwest Region,” Truman began. “I don’t know how long they’d been traveling or where they started from, but they were at a crossroads—the one that would head up to Bennett or down to Prairie Gold—when they were forced to stop by a car blocking the road. Two men with guns. They stole the couple’s car and left them with the other car. The car had gasoline and it started, so they decided to head north to Bennett to report the incident and turn the car over to the police.

“The attack was so sudden, the woman didn’t know what was happening. One moment they were driving along, with nothing of their own except her big purse, which the gunmen had tossed out of her car, and the next thing they knew, something knocked them off the road and they were