P
anting out huge puffs of steam, she strained her ears then heard a sound coming from behind her.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Oh God, he is behind me. A sinister chuckle came from the dark void somewhere to her left. She lifted her weapon but a sharp blow to her wrist knocked the pistol from her hand and it flew into the bushes. A dark, smelly bag dropped over her head. Blind and weaponless, she staggered forward, and before she had time to react to the attack, a large hand covered her mouth, pressing the foul fabric against her lips with such force her teeth hurt.
Someone locked a muscular arm around her chest, pinning her arms to her sides. A thick, strong leg slid between her thighs, lifting her onto her toes. Immobilized, she could not move or scream. None of her expert training could get her out of his grip. A deep, whispering voice came close to her ear, sending ice-cold fear marching up her spine.
“I have a knife. A very sharp knife and I would be happy to see you bleed. Scream or call for help, and I’ll cut your throat, bitch.” His grip tightened around her chest, making it hard to breathe. “Nod your head once if you want to be a good little sheriff.”
Bile rushed up the back of her throat and she nodded her head in agreement. The hood moved and the cold tip of a sharp blade pressed against her throat.
“See how easily I could kill you? But that would be no fun, would it?” The man’s voice, raspy and obviously disguised, vibrated against her cheek. He laughed again. “Call off the big dog and I might allow you to live a little longer.”
She pushed back into his chest, trying to gauge his size, and inhaled but the foul-smelling hood masked the man’s smell. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Things were going nice and smooth and you had to bring in a big-city cop.” The knife pricked her throat, and rather than stiffen to make the cutting easier, she relaxed against him. “Keep your mouth shut and your dog on a leash or I’ll show you exactly what I’m capable of doing.”
Panic bubbled up in a gasp of terror but before she could reply, he cuffed her around the head and shoved her hard into the bushes. She fell onto her knees, tangled in the dense undergrowth. Disorientated, she dragged off the hood and stared into the shadows. Footsteps pounded off into the night in the direction of the Cattleman’s Hotel. Head pounding, she pressed her earring to alert Kane then crawled out the bushes on hands and knees, searching around for her pistol. “Oh my God, what is happening to me?”
Seventeen
Footsteps crunched on the pathway moving fast in her direction. Sheer panic grasped her and years of training melted into terror. Get a damn grip. Staggering to her feet, she took a fighting stance. With her back pressed against the bush, she caught sight of the bouncing light from a flashlight. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”
“It’s Kane.” A dark form came into view. “You okay? Did you press your earring?”
She blinked as Kane’s flashlight moved over her. Trying to make her voice come out as casual as possible and not like a blithering idiot, she took a deep breath and stepped into the beam of light. “Yes, and am I glad to see you. Some guy jumped me and I’ve lost my weapon.” Sensing his desire to chase after the man, she touched his arm. “Don’t waste your time, he’s long gone.”
“What?” Kane strode past her and up the pathway then turned back. “Did he hurt you?”
“Only my pride. I feel like such an idiot allowing him to get the jump on me.” She moved to his side. “I’m not sure what happened. I’m convinced the footsteps came from behind me but when I turned to look in that direction he grabbed me.” She rubbed her throat. “Stuck a bag over my head and disarmed me then held a knife to my throat.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah just shaken.” She stared along the path toward the hotel. “Did you hear anyone running away?”
“Nope.” Shadows obscured Kane’s face as he swung the light back and forth then bent to pull her Glock out of the snow. “Did he say anything?” He handed her the weapon.
She explained, wiped the snow from her pistol, and slid it back into the holster. “One thing for sure, he thinks you’re a threat. I’m confused. I have no idea why I’m supposed to call you off.”
“Did he touch you?”
Jenna swallowed the lump in her throat. She could still feel the pressure of the man’s hard thigh against her, and the stench of the filthy bag clung to her nostrils. She wanted desperately to get into a hot shower and scrub her attacker’s touch from her flesh. “He pushed his thigh between my legs. He had a solid build, maybe one-eighty pounds and six foot, maybe taller. The description fits many of the men in town, including you.” She grabbed his arm, turning him to face her. “I want you to keep this incident between us for now. Being a female sheriff is hard enough but if it gets out I lost my weapon, I’ll never live it down.” She stared into his shadowed features. “Please?”
“Okay, but if this is the same person who tried to kill you, we should be getting every man to sweep the area for clues. I don’t like this one bit. You’re letting him get away with assaulting you, which means he wins.”
She squeezed his muscular arm. “But I won’t be calling you off, will I? I’m not hurt, and overreacting could make things worse. Please just let it go.”
“You’re my superior officer and if you order me to stand down, I have no choice but to obey. Where did you throw the hood?”
“In the bushes.” Jenna watched Kane retrieve the hood. “It can’t be the same man who caused the accident. This guy could have killed me but I think he only wanted to frighten me. I’m not sure what’s going on but I saw the way Josh Rockford looked at you before. It could have easily been him or Dan Beal; they are both strong men.”
“Yeah, if a cab dropped them close by they could have doubled back. It’s easily checked. I’ll speak to the cab company.”
The shadow-lined pathway closed in on her, dark and threatening. I have to get out of here. Jenna moved ahead along the trail. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“Sure.” Kane wrapped his large hand around her arm and shone the flashlight along the pathway. “You’re trembling. Is there anything you’re not telling me?”