by Jody Holford
Candy made a noise from behind the gag and held up her bound hands, holding up one finger in Brian’s direction. He laughed. A deep belly laugh.
“I love your temper, darlin’. Love everything about you. Hate that this is how it ends. In case she doesn’t get it, and to make sure I know you do, why don’t you tell her what’s going to happen here, Molly.”
Molly turned to Candice, saw the fear in the woman’s eyes, and wondered if she looked as scared. She definitely felt it.
“Come on, dear. Don’t have much time. Everything I researched says it doesn’t take long this way. Then this will all be over.”
Candy’s eyes widened, and Molly had to blink back tears. “He has the oven open and started the RV. I’m guessing, since he knows cars, he found a way to route the exhaust into the RV and seal up any escape. We’re going to die of carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Brian slapped his thigh, startling both women. “Damn, you are smart. I really wish you didn’t have to be part of this.”
Her head hurt, her stomach rolled, but she still felt like she was in control of her thoughts. “It doesn’t have to be like this. You can tell the police it was an accident. You got in a fight. Candy and I will back whatever you say. Just let us go. Don’t do this, Brian. This isn’t who you are.”
Candice nodded emphatically, murmuring behind the black cloth tied between her lips.
“You might keep your silence, Molly, but how do you think we got here? I tried to tell Candy I did it for her. I’d do anything for her. She just got mad. Blamed me for stealing the love of her life. Even after he divorced her, hurt her in every way a man can break a woman’s heart, she still loved him.”
Molly stared at him, trying to formulate a plan. She couldn’t think of anything other than needing more time. “I’m sorry, Brian. You deserve more than that. So much more. Despite this…situation, you seem like such a kind man.”
He nodded, a sad smile on his lips. “I am. Never wanted to hurt anyone. Hell, even killing us all, I’m willing to do it gently. I didn’t intend to kill Jet, either. Though, I’ll say on that, I’m not sorry I did.”
Molly nodded, wiped her hand across her forehead, and smiled at him through her teary eyes. “I see that. I can’t breathe, though. I’m overheating. You’ve got the exhaust coming in. You don’t need the oven, too. Let me close it? Turn it off? It’s too hot. Please, Brian.”
He glanced at the oven, back at her. “Having it on will make it quicker.”
She kept smiling. “Don’t you want as much time with her, even if it’s the end, as you can get?”
His gaze went to Candy and softened. Turning back to Molly, he said nothing.
“I want to hear the whole story. Please, Brian, give us all a little more time.”
He nodded, pointed the gun at her. “Nothing silly.”
She rose slowly and walked to the small stove. Eyes darting around, she looked for anything she could use as a weapon. Her hands shook as she turned the knob on the stove, then lifted the door closed. The small window over the small sink let in some light. She could see the firepit and chastised herself for coming inside without one hint of an argument. He was right. It was stupid that she’d believed him. There was nothing on the counter. Nothing she could throw at him or use to inflict injury.
“No use, dear. Have a seat and I’ll tell you the story.”
Defeated, she moved back to the seat. Sitting close enough to Candy that their thighs touched, she stared at Brian. Think, Molly.
Brian crossed an ankle over his knee, the gun resting against his jeans. “Like I said, I didn’t mean to kill Jet.” He stared at Candice while he spoke. “I went back to get your jacket and heard fighting. I picked up the crowbar as a weapon, but only because I didn’t know what I was walking into. Saw Jet and Herman pounding on each other. I was going to intervene, but Herman got a final shot in and took off. Don’t even know why I held onto the crowbar. Adrenaline maybe?”
Candice squirmed, pulling at the bindings on her wrists. Molly watched, then looked at Brian. “Let me untie her.”
He laughed. “No, darlin’. She’ll be all over me like a cat on a mouse. She hasn’t got near the calm you have.”
“Brian, we’re going to die, right?”
She wondered how long they’d even last. It was a big RV, but if carbon monoxide poisoning didn’t take long, she was surprised she wasn’t feeling sicker. Or more light-headed.
“We are. Together.”
She looked at Candy, eyes wide and fierce. Please play along. Please understand I need you to play along.
Looking at Brian, she lowered her lashes and used the tears clogging her throat to her advantage. “You win. You get the girl. Wouldn’t you rather she was wrapped in your arms when the moment comes? Let me untie her. She won’t do anything. She doesn’t want it to be more painful either. And I think she gets it. This is the end. Right, Candy?”
Candy’s eyes locked with hers and held. Then she nodded, slowly breaking eye contact and turning to Jet. She went down on her knees and shuffled over to him, lay her head on his lap. A guttural sound left his lips as he lifted the gun out of the way and stroked a hand over her hair.
“Aw, darlin’, this is all I ever wanted. You and me.”
Molly inched along the bench. “You have it, Brian. Untie her.”
Taking a deep breath, she did a physical assessment. Headache was moderate. Her stomach was tense, but calmer than it had been. How long would they have before the symptoms hit? Before they passed out and succumbed to the fumes they couldn’t even smell.
Brian was stroking Candice’s hair. Molly would wait until he agreed to let her be untied, and then, somehow, the two of them would overpower him.
“Okay. Untie her so she can curl her arms around me,” he said. Molly started to move when a strange sound came from the doorway about a second before the door simply fell away from the RV.
Fully vested and armed men burst into the room, Chris leading the way. Brian saw them and pointed the gun at his own head. Candice reared up, out of his lap, knocking his hand hard enough to dislodge the gun from his hand. In seconds, Chris had him on the floor, hands behind his back.
“Brian Stoleman, you are under arrest…”
Molly collapsed onto the seat, Chris’s words a blur in her head, tears spilling from her cheeks. One of the cops helped Candice up. Chris was leading a sobbing Brian out the door when Officer Wills sat beside Molly.
“Come on, Ms. Owens. We need to get you checked out.”
“I thought carbon monoxide was quick,” she said through tears. Her throat hurt.
“We cut the pipe he had leading in here. There hasn’t been any exhaust coming in for ten minutes.”
Before she could respond, she heard thumping footsteps and her name being yelled. Sam appeared in the doorway, eyes wild when they landed on her. Officer Wills stood.
“Looks like he’ll want to help you,” he murmured in an amused tone. He stepped aside so Sam could get to her.
When he did, he fell to his knees and ran his hands over her face, her shoulders, her arms, hands, thighs.
“You’re okay? You’re okay? Tell me you’re okay?” His eyes were scanning her, his hands moving frantically.
“I’m okay.” She took her hands in his to stop them from moving, then launched herself at him. He fell back so he was sitting on the floor and she was in his lap, his arms wrapped around her like a vice.
“You scared the life out of me,” he said.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Sam rocked her back and forth, murmuring that she was okay. That everything would be okay.
“Uh, guys?” Chris called from the doorway.
They looked up. Chris clenched his jaw, one hand on his hip. He pointed at her with the other one. Then he shook his head and lowered his hand with a deep sigh.
“We cut the engine, but you still shouldn’t stay in here. Molly needs to get checked out by a doctor, Sam.”
“I’m okay,” Molly said.
Sam cupped her face in his hands. “Your face is bruising, and someone tried to poison you. Could you pick your battles? Please?”
Laughter bubbled up around the tears. “Okay.”
“Hurry up,” Chris said, leaving.
Sam rose, taking Molly up with him as if she weighed no more than feathers. Adrenaline. It was still coursing through her, too.
“I can walk,” she told him.
When he was sure she was steady on her feet, he pressed his forehead to hers with enough pressure that her brows rose. “You really don’t understand what careful means.”
She hated that she’d worried him. She hated it more that she didn’t really have a plan for escaping. Would she and Candy have been able to overpower Brian? Would they have died? She thought of how she’d feel if the situation were reversed, and tears spilled over.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought he was going to hurt himself.”
They made their way out of the RV, and even though she probably hadn’t ingested that much carbon monoxide, she took a minute to take a few deep breaths. The RV’s door had been detached using the hinges. How they’d done it silently was far beyond her current level of comprehension.
Brian was in the back of a cruiser that Deputy Patrick was getting into. Wills was standing by the ambulance, talking to Candice, who was being looked at by a medic.
The air, while cool, was refreshing and welcome. Molly took another deep breath. Sam’s hand linked with hers as he watched her trying to gulp in the fresh oxygen. Chris joined them.
“I have to deal with paperwork. Take her to the hospital, then come by the station.”
“Yes, sir,” Sam said.
Chris stared at Molly. She wanted to lower her gaze. He’d told her, several times, to let him do his job. If she’d just had faith, trusted someone she knew she could count on rather than seeing something that wasn’t there with Brian, he wouldn’t be looking at her right now like he wanted to throw her in a cell, too.
She forced herself not to look away. Sam’s hand tightened on hers.
“Sarah can give you the gift she made me pick out,” he said, his voice harsh.
Molly stiffened. “What?”
“For your birthday. I’m getting you a dictionary,” Chris said, still mad. He pointed at her, wagging his finger like he didn’t know what to do with her.
“I…what?” Molly stared, confused.
“For someone who spends their life looking at words, you have very misguided understanding of several of them.” He held up his index finger, pointing it skyward. “Police.” He held up a second finger. “Detective.” A third. “Reporter.” A fourth. “Meddling.” Five fingers splayed wide. “Civilian. You don’t know the meaning of any of those.”
Sam chuckled. Fresh tears filled Molly’s eyes, and she launched herself at Chris, hugging him hard. His belt dug into her, and his vest made it hard to get close, but she did her best.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I scared you. That I didn’t call you first.”
He wrapped his arms around her, and he squeezed, then released her, setting her back with his hands on her shoulders. “Swear to God, Molly. Next investigation? I’m putting you on house arrest.”
Sam slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side. “I’ll stand guard,” he said.
She looked up at him, relief, love, and happiness mixing with the vestiges of sadness still simmering within her.
“You won’t need to,” she said.
Neither of them looked like they believed her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Molly tried really hard not to show how frustrated she was with the hospital doctor’s insistence that she stay “for observation.” After waiting to get the results of the bloodwork he’d ordered, she’d been certain he’d discharge her.
“Stop pouting,” Sam said, helping her into the hospital bed. She wore two of those ridiculous gowns, so she was covered. Katherine was bringing her clothes of her own, but they hadn’t wanted Molly to stay in the clothes she’d worn in the RV.
“I’m not pouting,” Molly said, leaning against the pillows. The bed was raised into a sitting position, and she scooted over so Sam could sit beside her.
He tapped her nose. “You’re totally pouting.”
Tears burned her eyes. She didn’t know why she was so emotional, but she knew she’d feel better if she was allowed to go home. Though at least Sam was with her. She tried to focus on that. Reaching out, she took his hand, and he folded both of his around one of hers.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
With one hand, he reached out and stroked a finger down her cheek, where she knew the bruising had gotten worse. It didn’t throb as much now, but that was likely thanks to the pain meds the doctor had prescribed.
“You don’t have to say sorry. I know you don’t want to be here, but I feel better that you are. Even with only low exposure to the gas, you were struck in the head by a man twice your size, and locked in an RV to die.” His voice hitched on the last word. He dropped his hand.
Molly’s heart tightened like it was locked in a vise. “I do have to say sorry. If the situation were reversed and you were putting me through this much emotional stress, I don’t know how I’d handle it. I promised you I’d be careful, and even though I truly meant to be, I was reckless. I should have waited for someone to come with me. I really am sorry.”
Sam put his hands on the bed on either side of her hips and leaned in. “You have a tendency to be reckless, and if I’m being honest, it scares the hell out of me. Other than my parents, I’ve never had anyone in my life that I was terrified of losing.”
The tears welled, and blinking them away only caused them to fall. Sam leaned in and kissed the paths her tears made. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.
Against her ear, he whispered, “I get that you have to be you, and I’ll never try to change you. I just need you to remember when you’re making decisions that I need you, Molly. I love you.”
She tightened her hold. “I love you. So much. And I promise to work on not acting without thinking things all the way through.” Molly pulled back and kissed him. “I need you, too. It’s a two-way street. You know that, right?”
Still close enough that their noses touched, he nodded. “I do.”
The words sent a shiver of delight and promise through her. One day.
Three quick raps at the door got their attention. Chris walked into the room looking like she felt: exhausted.
“How’s it going?” He looked back and forth between them.
Sam straightened and glanced at Molly. “She’s okay, but staying the night for observation.”
Chris crossed his arms over his chest. He was wearing a sweater and a pair of jeans, leading Molly to think he was either off work or just tired of his uniform for the day.
“I’ll see if I can chat with the doctor about that,” Chris said.
Molly grinned. “Really?” Maybe he wasn’t upset with her after all. She’d certainly given both him and Sam reason to be irritated.
“For sure. I’ll see if he can keep you here permanently. At least then I can keep tabs on you, and you can work from anywhere, right?”
Sam laughed, which brought out Chris’s grin. Molly tried to fight it, but her smile broke free. “Very funny.”
Chris checked his watch and approached the bed. “You want a formal statement now or off the record?”
“Maybe call Jill for the formal one, and just tell me and Sam what’s happened?”
With a nod of approval, a slight smile ghosting his lips, he checked behind him.
“Brian said he started to tell
you what happened. He thinks you got him talking because you were trying to delay the inevitable,” Chris said.
“I knew you and Sam would come.”
“Appreciate the faith, as I’m sure Sam does, but I also know we’d both be happy for you to wait on us, preferably me, in situations like this.”
Molly lowered her gaze and sighed. “I know.”
Sam held her hand while Chris continued.
“He went back to get Candice’s jacket and saw Jet heading to the car barn, followed him. He heard the whole thing with Herman and Jet arguing. Waited until they’d each gotten some punches in. Herman left before seeing Brian. According to him—Brian—he went in to see if Jet was okay, still holding the crowbar. Jet made some inappropriate comment about being well enough that he could have had Candy before going home to have Amber.”
Sam swore under his breath and squeezed Molly’s hand.
Chris gave Sam’s shoulder a nudge. “Not on you, man. Not even close.”
“It’s disgusting,” Sam said.
“I don’t disagree, but men like this? They have their own set of rules. Brian wasn’t happy with the comment either. Claims things went hazy, and he just wanted to shut Jet up. He did. Permanently.”
“You think he’ll try to claim insanity or something?” Sam asked.
Chris shook his head. “No. Can’t be sure, but he was pretty cognizant and knows what he did. There’s also the premeditation of what happened with Candy and Molly.”
Again, Sam’s features tensed. Molly reached out and stroked his cheek, the slight rasp of his five-o’clock shadow tickling her fingers.
“How is Candy?” Molly dropped her hand.
“She’s probably in for a night longer than you. She was in there longer with the oven open. Smart thinking, getting him to close it. That definitely bought us some time to get there and cut the hose going into the RV. She said he told her he’d done it for her. She freaked out, said she was going to the police or to that nosy reporter lady.”
“So he brought the nosy reporter to Candice.” Molly sighed.
“Yeah. Said you were too curious to let it go, and he wanted the last word. Which meant dying rather than anyone finding out the truth. Now he feels like Jet had the final jab.”
