Fifteen minutes later Kendra and Lynch watched the ambulance drive off down the street.
“I’m out of here.” Jessie strode toward her bike. “I’ll see you at Powers’s place.” She glanced over her shoulder at Kendra with a mischievous grin. “I suppose you’re going to opt for riding with Lynch in that opulent jalopy, but you’re welcome to come with me. I bet you’d have more fun.”
“But I wouldn’t,” Lynch said firmly. “I’ve had enough for one day of wondering whether I’m going to have to peel her remains off a truck or light pole.” He took Kendra’s elbow and led her firmly toward the Ferrari. “She might have fun, but it will take me the entire trip to Powers’s to recover.”
“Poor Lynch. I can see what a delicate creature you are.” Jessie laughed and roared off.
Lynch waited until they were back on the freeway before he glanced at Kendra. “I didn’t think. Did I offend your precious independence?”
“If you had, I wouldn’t have let you push me into this car. I was ready for your ‘opulent jalopy.’ I need to get my breath.” She leaned back against the leather headrest. “In more ways than one.”
He nodded. “That was a wild ride. Jessie is … unique.” His gaze narrowed on her face. “Was it ‘fun?’”
“Yes. And exciting. And scary. It brought back a lot of memories.”
“What kind of memories?”
“Back to the time when I took as many chances as Jessie. In all kinds of ways.” She smiled. “But I was never as good as she is on that motorcycle. Of course, I could go back to it and see if—”
“No!” He paused. “You’ll do what you please, of course. But I’d appreciate it if you don’t do it around me. It was an experience I prefer not to repeat.” He smiled. “Jessie’s right. I’m such a delicate creature.”
“Yeah, sure.” She looked away from him. “So delicate that you’re one of the reasons I have to get my breath and recover.”
“Powers? I had to get the information, and we didn’t have much time.” He paused. “He hurt you. He might have been planning to kill you.”
“That’s not what he said. But he could have been lying. I don’t know what reason anyone would hire someone to kidnap me.”
“We’ll find out. What’s important was that I wasn’t there to help you that day. But I was here today.”
“Oh yes, you were here all right.”
“Look at me.” When her gaze shifted to meet his own, he said, “You know what I am. What I do. Any way I can. I’ll never say I’m sorry. I’d do it again.”
“Do you think I’m blaming you? I don’t have the right to ask you to say you’re sorry. I didn’t stop you. I didn’t even try.” She moistened her lips. “I even helped you. What does that make me? There’s so much damn pain in the world. I hate it.”
“I know you do,” he said quietly. “And I knew there would be a payoff after today. You … surprised me.”
“He knows where Waldridge is. We have to find him, Lynch.”
He nodded. “Anything for the good doctor. I could almost envy him.”
“Envy? We’ll be lucky to find him before they kill him.”
“I misspoke.” He covered her hand with his own. “We won’t be lucky, we’ll be smart. And we’ll be fast.” He pulled off the freeway. “But right now we’ll stop by Starbucks and pick up a couple of cups of coffee. You could probably use the caffeine now that you don’t have Jessie here to cause your adrenaline to spike…”
CHAPTER
11
HALF AN HOUR LATER, Kendra, Lynch, and Jessie stood in the living room of Powers’s house watching as the police searched every drawer and surface. Metcalf emerged from a back room with an expression that was far from encouraging.
“Anything?” Kendra asked.
“Not yet.” Metcalf shook his head. “No ski mask, no night-vision goggles, nothing that you saw him wearing the other night.”
“The guy knows how to clean up after himself,” Jessie said.
Metcalf extended his hand to Jessie. “I’m Special Agent Roland Metcalf. FBI. Your motorcycle makes me think you might be the person who lent a timely assist to Kendra the other night.”
She shook his hand. “I’m Jessie Mercado. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time.”
“Uh-huh. Something tells me there’s more to it than that.”
“There is,” Kendra said. “I’ll explain it to you later, Metcalf.”
“Sure.” Metcalf’s eyes were narrowed on Jessie’s face. “Have we ever met? I have a nagging feeling that I’ve seen you before.”
She smiled. “I don’t think so.”
He was still staring. “I’m pretty sure I have.”
“I think I just have one of those faces.”
“No, you don’t. It’ll come to me.”
She shrugged. “If it does, let me in on the secret. Because I’m sure we haven’t met.”
“Okay. I’ll think about it.” He pulled his gaze away and finally turned to Kendra. “As for our search of the house, we’ve only come up with one interesting thing so far.”
“What’s that?”