In a blur, his view changed. Holly shifted to the left, placing her head in the line of fire. Lifting the gun to the sky, he drew a shaking breath. How close had he been to pulling the trigger? How close had he been to accidentally shooting Holly? Liam knew the answer to both questions—he’d been too damn close for comfort.
Wyatt put his hand on Liam’s shoulder. He whispered, “Remember, Darcy’s the only person who knows Sophie’s whereabouts. Until we have your daughter back, we have no choice but to let her live.”
Dammit. Wyatt was right. Liam had to get his head back into the mission.
Pointing to Marcus, Liam whispered, “You stay here and cover the front of the house.” Then to Wyatt, “And you, go around the property and come up to the front door from the opposite side. I’ll take the back.”
Both men nodded their agreement.
Crouching low, Liam soundlessly crept through the trees. He crossed the overgrown lawn, coming up to the back of the house. There were three windows along the upper floor. On the lower level, four. Set into the side of the house at an angle, the double doors to the basement were metal and painted black.
There was a single important detail that the satellite image had failed to capture.
A chain had been looped through both handles. The ends were connected by a padlock, which was rusted shut. Stealth and speed were his best weapons, so taking time to pick the lock or cut the chain was unacceptable. It left him with the windows as the only possible way of entry. After holstering his gun, he pushed on one. It didn’t budge—the frame had swollen shut, making it impossible to open. He tried the next one and the one after that. No luck.
As if his heartbeat were a clock ticking down the seconds, Liam wondered how much time he had before Darcy made her next move.
Minutes? Or was it less?
Either way, he didn’t have time to waste. What Liam needed was to think of another plan...and quick. Because if he didn’t, Holly was as good as dead.
Wiping his palms on his pants, Liam pushed on the final windowpane. The glass was covered in dirt, and his hands slipped. Or had the old wooden frame moved? He pushed again. The window slid upward, opening completely. Liam hefted himself onto the sill. He paused, half in, half out, and removed the gun from its holster.
Soundlessly, Liam dropped to the floor, landing on a threadbare carpet. A cloud of dust rose out of the rug, surrounding Liam in a decade’s worth of dirt. He smothered a cough as he surveyed his surroundings. He was in a dining room, complete with a chandelier of tarnished brass hanging from the ceiling. A china cabinet had tipped forward and was held up by the table. Chipped plates and broken glasses littered the floor.
Yet where were Holly and Sophie? Standing still, he listened.
The sound of voices carried from the front of the house. From the cadence and pitch, he recognized one as belonging to Holly. Redoubling his vigilance, he moved toward the conversation.
He heard Holly speak first. “Give me Sophie. If you do, I’ll leave and never come back. I won’t say anything about you or where you’ve gone.”
Holly’s delivery had been convincing. Yet her explanation was implausible. All the same, he needed only a few more seconds. Liam crept down a darkened hallway. The air was stale and stank of mold and decayed wood.
The other woman laughed; the sound was louder. Liam knew that he was close. “You couldn’t have thought it would be that easy.”
Liam stopped at the end of a dim corridor. He pressed his back to the wall, peering around the corner. Darcy Owens on the porch, her back to the room. Just beyond, Holly stood on the stoop. Her eyes darted toward Liam. Their gazes met for a split second before she returned her attention to Darcy.
Liam slipped back into the shadows, his heartbeat hammering in his ears.
Holly said, “You want easy, give me the child.”
“Why would I do that? You came here by yourself. You haven’t told anyone what happened.”
Darcy continued, “What’s stopping me from killing you a second time?”
Liam didn’t need to hear any more. Launching himself from the hallway, he came up behind her.
“Me,” he said, fury in his voice. “I’m the one who’s going to stop you.” He pressed the barrel of his gun hard into the base of Darcy Owens’s skull.
Chapter 19
Liam wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger.
“Where’s Sophie?” he demanded.
“She’s not here,” said the killer, with a smile. “And I’ll never tell you where she is.”
“It’s a lie,” said Liam. “You didn’t have enough time to take Sophie anyplace else.”
“Are you sure?” Darcy asked.
Gripping Darcy’s shoulder, Liam turned her to face him. “Where’s my daughter?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
He pressed the gun into the middle of her forehead. His trigger finger itched. “Tell me or I’ll splatter your brains against this wall.”
“Go ahead,” said Darcy. “Kill me. Then you’ll never know what happened to your kid.”
Liam’s heartbeat raced. The thumping echoed in his skull. Or did it? Holding a hand for quiet, he asked, “What’s that?”
It came again—a soft thud—as if the house had a heartbeat.
“It’s her—it’s Sophie,” said Holly. “Stay with Darcy. I’ll find her. I promise!” She shushed him as he started to protest. “We’re not leaving without her.”
Holly pushed past Darcy and entered the house. “Sophie!” she called out. “It’s me, Holly. Where are you?”
Thump, thump.
Liam turned to the sound but kept his eyes on the killer. “It’s coming from the closet!” he shouted.
Holly opened the closet door. There, in the back corner, with her knees pulled under her chin, his daughter trembled with fear. That same bone-deep need to protect his child was met with a desire for one thing: revenge.
“Sophie,” said Holly again, opening her arms. “I’m so glad we found you.”
Wide-eyed, Sophie scooted back, disappearing from Liam’s view.
“Sophie, it’s me, Holly. I’m here with your father. We’ve come to take you home.”
“But she said you would lie to me about Daddy.”
“Who said I would lie? Darcy?”
Holly, her jaw clenched, met Liam’s gaze. “Your dad’s here with me now.”
“Daddy?” the child called out.
“I’m here, honey,” Liam answered. “I’m here and Holly’s with me. You can come out now, baby girl. You’re safe.”
* * *
Sophie ran straight to Holly and wrapped her small arms around Holly’s neck. Relief washed over Holly and she sagged against the wall. In the distance, the sun crept over the horizon, starting a new day. Friday. Had it been only five days since Liam and Sophie walked into her school? Into her life? To Holly, it felt like years had passed. Or maybe, because of them, she was a different person.
Tucking her head onto Holly’s shoulder, Sophie said, “I knew that you weren’t bad. I was just so scared.”
Holly hugged the child tight. “You are a very brave girl,” said Holly. “I’ve got you now and I’ll never let you go.”
“Promise that you’ll never leave.”
“I swear.”
Stepping away from the closet, Holly carried Sophie back to the living room. The scene hadn’t changed. Liam still held the gun to the middle of Darcy’s forehead. The killer still presented her palms. Was it a gesture of supplication and surrender? Or was it only a ploy?
Liam’s finger rested on the trigger. A bead of sweat trailed down from his hairline. “Take Sophie out to the car,” he said. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Holly rushed out the front door just as Marcus Jones and Wyatt Thornton raced onto the sagging porch with their guns
drawn.
She ran toward Liam’s waiting car, anything to leave the nightmare behind. The whole time, she reassured Sophie, “It’s okay. You’re okay. It’ll be okay.”
Heat signatures rose in the distance a moment before four black SUV’s came into view. The promised backup had finally arrived.
The vehicles pulled onto the overgrown lawn, and FBI agents armed with guns and clad in bulletproof vests jumped out of the vehicles. They swarmed around Darcy, pushing the killer to the ground, securing her hands with metal cuffs.
Despite the distance that separated Holly from the house, she could still see through the open door. Her eyes were drawn to Liam. His chin sagged to his chest. With a shake of his head, he lowered his gun.
“You should have let him do it,” said Darcy. Two men in navy blue windbreakers ushered the killer toward a waiting car. “You should have let him kill me.”
Liam came to stand next to Holly. He placed his hand on her shoulder. He was strong and warm and solid. He was everything she needed.
“It looks like our hunch about the White Wind paid off,” said Marcus as he approached.
“How’s that?” asked Liam. “Did they find her accomplice?”
“No,” Marcus continued. “But it proves that she had one at the resort. Soon, we’ll all know who.”
“By the way, Liam,” said Wyatt, “you did a good job.”
“You know I didn’t do any of this alone.” Liam gave Holly’s shoulder a squeeze. “Holly’s the best partner I’ve ever worked with.”
“That’s saying a lot that she worked with you at all. I thought you were a loner,” Wyatt teased.
“Sometimes things change,” said Liam.
“Speaking of change,” said Marcus. “I need your bank account information, Holly. Then I can arrange a transfer of funds.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “The consultant’s fee.”
“No,” said Marcus. “I’m a man of my word. You earned the entire sum discussed for helping apprehend Darcy Owens,” he continued. “Twenty thousand large.”
Liam took Sophie from Holly’s arms.
“The money,” she said, her voice a whisper. Funds to pay off the bank loan and save her school had been the only reason she had gotten involved in this case. Yet the reasons she had remained were so much more important. “I had forgotten all about the money.”
“You don’t have to take the cash if you don’t want it,” said Marcus. He winked at Holly, a sure sign he was joking.
“No way,” said Liam. “Holly has very important plans with that cash.”
“I need the money to pay off debts. If I don’t have the money today, the bank is going to sell my school to another buyer.”
Marcus said, “I can take care of the transfer now. The money will be waiting for you when you get back to Pleasant Pines.”
Holly gave Marcus the routing number for her account.
“I’ll drive you back,” said Liam.
She turned to Liam. “Won’t the FBI need to interview us about what happened?”
“Yes,” said Marcus. “But go now. We can talk to you later.”
“Come on,” said Liam. He shifted Sophie to his hip. Holding out his free hand to Holly, he continued, “Let’s go.”
“Yeah, Holly, let’s go,” Sophie said, echoing her father.
Holly reached for Liam. He took her palm in his own. She laced her fingers through his. With a deep breath, Holly said, “I’m ready.”
* * *
Liam sat behind the steering wheel of his car and pressed his foot down on the accelerator. The powerful engine revved as the speedometer climbed. Holly sat in the passenger seat with her cell phone cradled to her chest. In the back seat, Sophie napped.
“It amazes me that Sophie can take a nap after all she’s been through,” said Liam. “But even as a baby, she was a good sleeper.”
Holly gave him a wan smile. “Rest might help her make sense of everything that happened with Darcy.”
Liam gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. “Do you think it’ll stay with her? All the terror and confusion? Will Sophie always bear emotional scars of what happened today?”
“All scars heal with time and care. But, Liam...you need to understand that she was terrified. She was afraid of losing you.”
“I do understand, damn it. I felt the same way. But what—”
“What does that mean? A lot. She could react any number of ways. She might have nightmares—bad ones, Liam—for a long time. I remember she asked for a night-light at the resort, but that might not be enough, not at first. She might have severe separation anxiety for a while. Eventually she might not remember much of what actually happened, but as a teenager or adult, it’s possible that she could develop other symptoms,” Holly said. “Like claustrophobia. But if you take your time with her, care for her, give her the love and space she needs to recover...maybe she’ll grow up to be as strong as you.”
“Is that your professional opinion?”
“It’s my sincere hope,” said Holly. She smiled at him once more and looked out the window.
Liam turned his eyes back to the road. “I wanted to kill Darcy,” he said. “It’s not enough for her to go to jail. I wanted her dead.”
“You were caught up in your anger,” she said. She reached for him, placing her hand on his arm. Her touch was soft and warm. She was a good person. Could she ever care for a bad man? Holly continued, “You wanted to make sure your daughter was safe—not just now, but always. But, Liam...”
He glanced at her.
“I would have done whatever I could to stop you. Because whatever happened to Sophie when she was with Darcy, it would have been worse to see you take that step. You could have lost each other forever.”
He felt shame spike through him. She was right. In that moment, he felt an intense relief that the FBI had shown up when they did. Most of all, that both she and Sophie were safe.
“She’ll spend the rest of her life in jail,” she said. “You know that, right?”
“It wasn’t enough, not for me at least. I needed to...”
“But you didn’t,” she said, cutting him off.
“No.”
“Why not?” she asked.
He dared to look at her again. “I’ve been asking myself the same question,” he said.
“What’s your answer?”
He took a deep breath. “You.” There, he’d said it.
“Me?”
“Holly, for you, I’ve broken every rule I created that keeps order in my life. It’s made me a different—a better—person.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Liam, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you’ll stay in Pleasant Pines.”
“I’ve accepted the job in Ohio.”
That was news to Liam. It struck him in the gut like a sucker punch, leaving him breathless and in pain. “When did that happen?”
“Last night,” she said. She paused and added, “Afterward.”
After they’d made love. After he’d proposed. After they’d fought and he’d left the bedroom, hurt and petulant. Was there any way he could undo the mess that he’d made?
“Fair enough,” said Liam.
He checked the clock: 7:29 a.m.
The bank would open at 8:00 a.m. They had more than thirty minutes of driving to reach Pleasant Pines.
“What if I get you back to the bank as it opens? What then?”
She paused. “Really, I don’t know. These past few days have given me time to think—and ask myself what I really want.”
“And what’s your answer?”
“Something different. Something more.”
With his chin, he gestured to the phone that Holly still held. “Try calling the bank,” he said. “We’ve got to be close to a c
ell tower, even out here.”
Holly looked at the phone. “I’ve got a couple bars of coverage.” Touching the phone’s screen, she added, “I’ll put the call on Speaker.”
The car filled with a trilling sound. One ring. Two. Three. Liam continued to count. Four. Five rings. “You’ve reached Thomas Irwin,” said a recorded voice. “Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”
Holly cast a glance at Liam. Her cheeks were flushed. Was she excited? Nervous? Worried?
The message ended and was followed by a long beep. “Thomas, this is Holly. I’m on my way back to Pleasant Pines. I have the whole payment. I’ll be there soon. Don’t do anything until we talk. Please.” She ended the call.
Liam pushed the car to drive faster, watching as the speedometer crept upward. The tires squealed as they hugged the mountainside road.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting you to the bank.”
“You can slow down,” she said. “Nothing is that important.”
He remembered the scar on her abdomen—along with the confession that it had come from a car accident. Letting his foot off the accelerator, the engine slowed, and the speedometer dropped.
“Besides,” she said, “you need to take Sophie to see a doctor and make sure she’s okay.”
“And you, too,” he said.
She sighed. “You’re probably right. Then I’ll go to the bank.”
Still, Liam was resolute. He would get Holly back to Pleasant Pines and to the meeting that would determine her future...and his.
Chapter 20
Liam drove them all to the hospital. Sophie was examined first by the town physician and given a clean bill of health. Then it was Holly’s turn. She encouraged Liam to take Sophie home, but he wouldn’t relent, promising to wait while she was examined by the doctor.
Doc Lambert had been Holly’s doctor for as long as she could remember. More than that, he’d always looked the same—close-cropped gray hair with a matching silver mustache and goatee.
Agent’s Mountain Rescue Page 20
