Blindside

Savich didn’t know where the moan came from, didn’t know he had it in him. The woman was very strong.

“Tell me what happened, Sheriff,” Savich said.

Keely, her fingers still touching his cheek, said, “I heard that bad man talking to Mama in the living room, and I knew he wanted Sam.”

Katie said, “And so you made a lump in your bed with a pillow, and went to wake up Sam.”

The little girl nodded. She stuck her hand out to Sam, who took it. “He shoved up the window in my room and we climbed out on my oak tree.” She frowned. “Sam wanted to help you but I told him that you’re really tough, Mama, and that you would fix Beau’s hash. Is that Beau out there?”

“That’s his sorry self, yes,” Katie said. “Now, Dillon, how are you doing?”

“Okay,” he said, and she heard the pain in his voice.

“You don’t seem to be bleeding through the pressure. The paramedics should be here any minute. You’re going to be okay.”

“Make sure you keep the kids with you.”

“You can count on that,” Miles said, and he knew that all the adults wondered what could possibly motivate those two to come after Sam again. Money, there had to be lots of money in it for them.

Katie looked from Keely to Sam. “Now we’ve got two heroes. Well done, kids.”

They heard the sirens in the distance.

Katie lightly patted his shoulder. “Just another minute. I guess Clancy is dead. I can’t get near the van, the flames are just too hot and the smoke’s too thick.”

“He couldn’t have survived that blast,” Savich said. “Don’t worry about it.”

She heard men’s voices outside, one she recognized. “It’s Wade, one of my deputies.”

“Ho! What the hell happened here? You got a dead guy out here drinkin’ rain.”

Katie walked to the front door. “Bring everyone inside, Wade. The paramedics will be here momentarily. Agent Savich’s back was cut by a piece of metal.”

9

M ackey and Bueller helped Savich to the ambulance-it felt like a five-mile hike to Savich, who didn’t think he’d ever want to walk straight again-then eased him down on his stomach onto the gurney.

“It’ll be all right, Special Agent, sir,” said Mackey, so impressed with having a federal officer as his patient that he nearly stuttered. “Sheriff, are you coming with us?”

“Oh, yes. Give me a minute, Mackey.” She turned to Miles Kettering who was holding Keely in one arm and Sam in the other. “Could you bring the children to the hospital, Mr. Kettering? Oh goodness, they’re all wet. Could you change them into dry clothes? As you can see, Sam’s wearing my sweats. You’ll find another pair in my bedroom, folded in the second drawer of the dresser. They’re drawstring, so you can pull them tight enough for Sam. All of Keely’s clothes are in her dresser.”

“Don’t worry, Sheriff, I’ll see to both of them. Just go with Savich. And thank you.”

She kissed her daughter’s cheek, wishing she hadn’t witnessed all the violence, and knowing she’d have to deal with it sooner rather than later. As for Sam, at least he was with his father now.

As she walked quickly back to the ambulance, Katie said to Wade, “Glen Hodges, FBI Special Agent in Charge from Knoxville, will be here very soon with a couple of agents. Just secure the scene and if any idiots chance to come out here to stop and gawk, threaten to toss them in jail. Oh yes, Wade, do give the FBI all your cooperation. It’s their case since it’s a kidnapping, and it happened in Virginia.”

“No problem, Sheriff,” Wade said, and walked over to where Beau still lay on his back, rain splashing off his face.

“He won’t be causing any more trouble. As for that van, we can’t get close yet, it’s still burning too hot.”

“The guy inside was Clancy,” Katie said. “Call the fire department, have Chief Hayes come out here and clean up the mess.”

Keely called out, “Mama, you take care of Uncle Dillon.”

“What?”

“That’s Agent Savich,” Miles said.

“I will, Keely, don’t worry.” So many new people in her life in a very short time, and one of them hurt because of her. She jumped into the back of the ambulance, closed the doors, and settled herself in. “I’m set. Let’s go, guys.”

Mackey had Savich propped up on his side and Bueller had unbuttoned his shirt and scissored his undershirt open down the front so he could attach the EKG monitors. He said to Savich, “We’ll let the doctor take care of getting the clothes off that wound. Just a moment more, Agent, sir, and you’ll be better. It’s important to keep you still now.”

Savich grunted.

When they at last settled him on his stomach, Mackey slipped oxygen clips into his nostrils. “That should feel a bit better.”

It did, thank the good Lord.

“Just a little nip here in the arm, Agent,” Mackey said. “I’m going to start an IV.”

Mackey got it on the first try, for which Savich was grateful.

“Now, Agent, sir, we’re going to apply a little more pressure to the wound,” Mackey said. “You just try breathing as normally as you can and hold still.”

When Savich had the pain controlled, he opened his eyes to see the sheriff on her knees beside him, holding his hand, which was hanging off the side of the gurney. Katie saw his control. He was a strong man, not just physically. She said, “Thank you for saving my life, Agent Savich.”

“It’s Dillon. You’re welcome. You didn’t have to come in the ambulance. There’s lots to do back at your house.”

“Oh, yes I did.” She smiled at him and kept stroking his hand. She said after a moment, “I should have realized that where there’s smoke-”

“Gasoline was leaking out, and the heat was building up fast. I just didn’t know how long it would be before it blew. A little more time would have been nice, though.”

“I wonder if that could happen with my big Vortec V8 engine.”

Savich couldn’t help himself, he smiled through the god-awful pain. If she’d come along to distract him she was doing a good job. “Yeah, it could even happen with that engine.”

Katie said, seeing that reaction, “She’s got three hundred horses at forty-four hundred rpm. Isn’t that something?”

“She?”

“My truck. I know she’s female. She just doesn’t have a name.”

“Three hundred horses, yeah, that’s something, all right.”

His eyes closed a moment; it was time for her to move on, time to get serious here. She said, “My mom told me once that learning lessons always hurt, only this time you took the hit for me. I owe you, Dillon. You saved my life.”

“Everything’s looking good, Agent, sir,” Mackey said. “Your EKG’s A-okay, and the bleeding’s nearly stopped. I’m sorry we can’t give you anything for the pain. You hanging in there?”

“I’m hanging in,” Savich said. “Katie, would you please call my wife in Washington, D.C.? She’s not much into truck engines, though, so you might not want to go there.”

Katie pulled out her cell phone from the T-shirt pocket beneath her wet sweatshirt. “I could teach her.”

He smiled. That was good.

“Okay, give me the number.”

Savich closed his eyes as he gave her the phone number, to keep the moan in his throat.

“What’s her name?”

“Sherlock.”

Katie guessed he wasn’t kidding about her name. One ring, two, then “Hello? Dillon, is that you? What’s going on? Are you all right? What about Sam-”

“I’m calling for your husband, Mrs. Savich,” Katie said, and automatically lowered her voice to make it soothing and calm. “I’m Sheriff K. C. Benedict calling from Jessborough, in eastern Te

“Put Dillon on, please, Sheriff.”

Katie held the phone to his ear.

Savich drew a deep breath, hoping he was wiping all the damnable pain out of his voice. Sherlock could hear the smallest sound; she could even hear Sean’s breathing change before he hollered. “Sherlock? It’s me. No, no, I’m okay, just a little problem. Yes, we got Sam back. He’s fine. So is Miles. What little problem? Well, you see this van blew up and I was a bit too close to it. I got hit in the back by some flying metal.”