Bonaparte's Belle: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (Heroes for Hire Book 24) by Dale Mayer (the beach read .txt) 📗

She frowned immediately. “Are you telling me that you’re going back to Denver with them?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m not sure just what else is involved,” he said, “but I don’t like the idea of any of this going by the wayside.”

She nodded. “Absolutely. We’ll go back to the station, if you’re okay to stay here and then transport the goods.”

“No problem,” he said. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Angela and Bonaparte walked to his vehicle, hopped in, and headed to the sheriff’s station. “Do you think the evidence is safe?” she asked.

“Nope,” he said. “We’re at a very dicey point in time. I didn’t want to leave Stone alone, but I also don’t like the idea of these guys collecting the prisoners on their own.”

“Yeah, more bad guys against those two guys, unless they have a full crew with them or something.”

“We don’t know that they do,” he said, picking up speed, “or what else has happened in the meantime.”

They were only a few minutes out, when she said, “I’m getting a really ugly feeling.”

“You and me both,” he said, as he whipped through the streets of town and came to a screeching stop in front of the station. She was out and running to the front door, before he even had the engine off. She knew he was right behind her because she heard his boots pelting the hardwood floor as she raced inside. She headed for the jail, and, when she entered the supposedly secure area, she stopped in shock.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered. The two women were unconscious or dead on the ground. Considering they were still locked up in their cell, it didn’t bode well for them. As Angela looked farther down the hallway, Henry appeared to be unconscious in his cell. Ronnie and Johnny were both missing. She raced in to check on Henry, but Bonaparte shook his head.

“He’s dead.”

She fished out the keys for the other cell, quickly unlocked it, and checked on both women. “They’re both alive, she announced.

“I’ve got an ambulance coming,” he said.

She headed for her security room. As soon as she got there, she checked the cameras and tapped the screen for Bonaparte to see. “Your two guys were taken out by somebody in the station already,” she said in amazement. “Even with my deputy here.”

“Yeah, speaking of that, where is your deputy?”

She stopped, stared, and swore. Picking up the phone, she called the neighboring sheriff and asked, “How good is your deputy?”

“What do you mean?” he said.

“I’ve got two prisoners missing, another dead, and two more knocked out.”

And, with that, he started swearing. “Where’s my deputy?” he roared.

“No idea,” she snapped. “He apparently mentioned some friends he might bring over as backup.”

“Ah, crap,” he said. “Those two friends of his are both bad news. But that doesn’t mean that he was too.”

“We’re checking now to see if he’s lying unconscious somewhere.”

“They might have taken him along,” the sheriff said.

“This is just bad news,” Angela said. “I have two government officials here, with yet another bad guy, coming to pick up the prisoners.”

“And you’re only missing the two?”

“I’m missing the two I don’t want to be missing,” she snapped. “Plus one dead that I don’t want dead.”

“Of course you are.”

She hung up from him and immediately called Stone. “Watch your back,” she barked. “My prisoners are missing. Plus I’ve got one dead prisoner, two unconscious prisoners, and my borrowed deputy is missing too.”

“I’m on it,” he said. “I’m out of sight and keeping guard on the forensic team right now.”

“You need to,” she said, “because I don’t know whether my escaped prisoners are heading your way or if they’re running.”

“Probably both,” he said, “but they need this evidence destroyed.”

“I can’t leave here until the ambulance arrives. Bonaparte is looking for the missing deputy. The security tapes go to about forty minutes ago, and then it’s been unplugged.”

“Of course,” Stone said, “and that sounds like the deputy.”

“I hate to say it, but that is quite possible. Now I’ve got to call the hospital to check on another prisoner I had under guard,” she said. She hung up from Stone, dialed the hospital, and, when she got the administrator, she asked, “Is my security guard still on your patient?”

“Yes,” said the man on the other end. “What’s up?”

“We’ve had another break-in at the jail, and we have two prisoners missing. I need to verify that you guys are safe over there.”

“Okay, I’m heading that way to check. How serious is this?” he asked, sounding worried.

“I have one dead prisoner, two unconscious, and a missing deputy, among other things,” she said.

“Dammit,” he said. “I’m almost to the ward.”

“Hand me off to the security guard the minute you get there.”

“Hang on.” There was relief in his voice when he said, “I see him sitting there.”

“Good. Let me talk to him.”

He handed over the phone and said, “It’s the sheriff.”

“Hey, Sheriff. What’s up?”

“We’ve got trouble, and it could be coming your way,” she said urgently. “We had another break-in at the station. We’ve got a missing deputy, two unconscious prisoners, and one dead.”

He whistled. “Wow, you really need some help.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve got it now,” she said. “This is a warning for you.”

“And I appreciate it,” he said. “We should be good. No trouble so far.”

“Maybe,” she said. “I’m not so sure about that, so I want you to be very careful. Johnny and Ronnie are both missing, and they could be tying up loose ends.”

“Of course,” he said in disgust. “Those two are just slippery.”

“Absolutely,” she said, “but listen. The deputy from Yorkston County could also be involved.”

“Who, Harry? I thought I saw him in town.”

“Yeah, Harry.”

“Ah,” he said. “Yeah, that makes sense. He’s friends with that pair.”

“What pair?” she asked.

“You know. Those brothers who run that one mechanics shop?”

“Yeah, are you talking about Floyd? Floyd and Roscoe?”

“Yeah. Turns out Harry is friends with both of them.”

“And is that a