Hunting Justice (Fractured Minds Series Book 3)

by Kate Allenton

  My eyes slid open. He was out there. Right now. I could end this.

  My fingers dug beneath my pillow, connecting with the rubber grip on Grant’s gun. Having a weapon should make me feel safe, but it didn’t. Not with this killer.

  I slipped into some clothes and my tennis shoes as anger grew in my gut with each step. The hall seemed longer. Drip, drip. A leaky faucet was my only company as I moved through my house with quiet precision. The soft yellow glow from the single light shining in the living room should have been comforting. No boogie man lurking within the shadows of these walls. Not yet.

  My fingers slid down the light switch. The quiet click plunged the room into darkness. I had stealth and knowledge on my side.

  My eyes took just a minute to adjust as I replayed the viewpoint of my house to pinpoint where he’d been standing when he was watching my home, my sanctuary.

  The hard edge of my gun dug into my palms as I peered out from beneath the blinds, leaving them in place not to give away my position. I scanned the street corner and neighbors’ homes. Nothing.

  Then I saw it. The one light pole on the street with no light.

  The killer was gone.

  A four-door sedan idled on the curb. The outline of a man sat inside. Too dark to make out his features. No one else nearby. Had he moved to the car? I slipped out my back door and jumped my neighbor’s fence and tiptoed around the side of his house with gun in hand so I could approach from the rear.

  I squatted, trying to make myself invisible to the driver. Pressing my back to the metal, I eased to the passenger side and peeked inside.

  Detective Asher Rowen was eating a sub sandwich while watching my house. Only then did I release a breath.

  I rose from my spot and knocked on the window. Asher’s mouth parted when I waved.

  I’d pulled the door open when the crackle of gunfire broke through the silent night sky.

  The impact from the bullet had me falling inside Asher’s car. Our eyes met, and in that mere second, he understood.

  “Crap,” he said, tossing the sandwich into the backseat. He grabbed me beneath the arms and pulled me the rest of the way inside before reaching over me to slam the door.

  “What the hell?” Asher asked.

  “It’s Tenure. He was watching…” I said, ripping at my shirt to see the bullet had drilled a hole through my shoulder.

  Anger, fear, a hellfire mixture of emotions built inside me like a perfect storm ready to break free.

  Asher slid out of the car and kept his head down as he tried to scan the street. Fire licked in my veins growing with each second.

  This was not good.

  “Not now. Please, not now.” I whispered as killer tendencies slithered beneath my skin.

  I flexed my hand. Trying hard not to let the anger take hold.

  I was losing this battle.

  I struck the dashboard, hard. The pain in my hand did little to still my need to harm.

  “I need to get back in my house. I need my medicine,” I yelled.

  Asher ignored me.

  I tried to climb out through the driver’s side, but he blocked my path.

  “I need my medicine,” I growled.

  “He could still be out there. If you get out of the car, you could die.”

  “And if I don’t take my meds, you could die,” I said, squeezing by him. I held my shoulder as I ran back to my house and entered through the unlocked back door.

  Sirens wailed in the distance, drawing closer on my street. Help was only a minute away, but that didn’t stop me. I busted into my room and reached for the vial on the dresser. I bit off the cap and spat it on the bed as I jabbed the needle into my arm and pressed the plunger.

  As my eyes closed and the darkness pulled me in, a shadow appeared in my room. The same shadow that had been watching me before. The same red glow of the burning end of a cigarette.

  “Where is it, Lucy?”

  Tenure leaned in over my body, his breath hot against my ear. The smell of gunpowder mixed with pine and nicotine filled the space between us. “Tell me where you’re hiding it, and I’ll let you live.”

  Darkness dragged me into its fold, no matter how hard I fought to stay alive with every intent to survive. I was no match for the vial full of calming liquid and the energy I’d used up trying to track Tenure. My desire to kill him might just be the last thought I ever had.

  Chapter 15

  My eyes shot open, and I flew into a sitting position from where’d I’d been lying. “Tenure.”

  The heart monitor machine beeped, the sound steadily echoing throughout the room. The IV hooked in my arm was slowly pushing fluids into my body. The smell of over-bleached linens and towels in the room burned my nose. I licked my dry, chapped lips as I struggled to understand why I was still alive and how I’d gotten to the hospital room.

  If Tenure could find my house, he could find me here. I tossed the covers back on the hospital bed and swung my legs over the side.

  I’d been just about to pull the IV when Noah stepped into the room.

  “Tenure,” I said as if he’d understand.

  “We know. Detective Rowen told us you believe that Tenure was shooting at you.”

  “You don’t get it,” I said, staring down at the bandage on my shoulder “He was there.”

  “We know, Lucy.”

  “He was in my house,” I said as if drawing a map for a kindergartener. “He saw me take my shot. He was standing over me before I passed out. He told me that he’d let me live if I told him where I was hiding it.”

  “He was in your house? You saw him? Are you sure it wasn’t Rowen that you saw? He said he found you in your room, and he didn’t say that you’d left an empty syringe laying around.”

  “Noah, I’ve got to get out of here,” I said just as the door opened again, and this time Asher stepped in.

  “You’re awake,” he said. Relief filled the room as if he’d been unsure that I would wake up.

  “Yeah. Did you catch him?” I asked.

  “I never saw him, Lucy. A neighbor called in the sound of gunfire. I found you in your bedroom, bleeding and passed out. After getting you in an ambulance, we canvassed the area. We never found him.”

  “He was in my bedroom before I passed out.”

  “And he didn’t hurt you?” Asher asked.

  “Maybe he saw that she still had Grant’s gun.” Noah offered a reasonable explanation, even though both Asher and I knew differently.

  “I didn’t have the gun,” I said, ashamed. “I think I dropped it in Asher’s car.”

  Asher nodded as he glanced between Noah and me. “She did.”

  “She’s going to need that back.” Noah clasped his hands in front of him. “Lucy’s brother-in-law, Grant, left Lucy the gun for protection.”

  “Just what exactly are you two mixed up in?”

  “Noah, can you spring me out of here?”

  “Yeah, let me go talk to your doctors.”

  “What happened when you found me in my room?” I asked as I started peeling the sticky EKG electrodes off my chest.

  “You were passed out. When the ambulance showed up, I told them you’d needed your medicine, but we didn’t find any in your home.”

  “I must have been delusional,” I said.

  “Maybe,” he answered as if not buying my claim. “You aren’t in any condition to leave, Lucy.”

  “I’m not staying, Asher,” I said, pulling the IV out of my arm. I hissed as I grabbed a gauze and held it in place, ignoring the sharp pull of the bandage on my shoulder. I slid off the bed, and it took a minute for the room to stop spinning. The hospital gown they’d dressed me in had a flap in the back. A cool breeze chilled my skin.

  Asher caught me as I staggered on my feet.

  “Everything about me is classified, Asher. It’s best you leave it at that.”

  “Not everything, Dr. Bray,” Asher said as he grabbed my clothes on the chair across the room. He took a bandage from
the cabinet and opened it. His fingers were gentle as he fastened it to where the IV had been. He ran the pad of his thumb down my arm to the pulse point in my wrist. “I’ve read your file. I know what you’re capable of.”

  “Then you know that you’re playing with fire and just being near me puts you in danger.”

  He leaned in, his words a whisper in my ear, sending goosebumps down my arm. “I’m going to catch this killer with or without your help, and when I’m done, and you’re ready to shed tears over your boyfriend, then I’ll be there for you too.”

  “Why would you bother? You don’t even know me.” I had to clear my throat.

  “I plan to fix that,” he said as he strolled out of the room, passing Noah and the nurse on the way back in.

  Well, then there was nothing to worry about. Stronger, smarter men than him had tried and failed. Sloan’s persistence and the chemistry we shared were the only reasons I’d let him in, and look where that got him. Nope, Asher wasn’t going to be added to my playlist of regrets. Not in this lifetime. “Watch your back, Asher. You’ll be a target now that he’s seen you too.”

  Asher gave me one more look as he pulled the door closed behind him.

  Chapter 16

  The windmill was exactly as I remembered it from the first time I’d been blindfolded, handcuffed, and whisked to this spot. There was no more need for blindfolds or cuffs. Not anymore.

  This place was calming, even though the reason for it set my teeth on edge. The trickle of the river floating by almost demanded that I stop and take a breath. The churn of the wheel turned through the current. The scent of pine drifted to my nose from the surrounding forest. Even though the windmill looked like it belonged from another era, I knew the truth. I knew once I was slipped through the front door, the modernized functionality waited inside.

  Passing the guards at the door, Noah led me into the high-tech war room. Sam was sitting behind his computer screens, his foot tapping away as he popped M&M’s into his mouth.

  Grant was sitting on top of a table instead of in a chair. His gaze assessed down my body as if trying to find more injuries the doctors might have missed. I think the big bandage at my shoulder should have been enough.

  Carson was across the room, cleaning his guns. His armory was spread out on the table like his own personal buffet.

  Ford Rain, the burglar who’d never met a lock he couldn’t pick, was across the room texting on his phone. He looked up and met my gaze. His softened just a smidge before he dismissed me again.

  “I’m sorry if your plans got ruined. I didn’t mean to connect with a killer.”

  “Not to worry, lass. I was ready to kill my brothers anyway,” Carson said from across the room.

  “And you know I’m in, Dr. Red,” Sam said, peeking up from behind his screen.

  “We’re family, and your sister would kill me if I let anything happen to you,” Grant added with a wink. “I packed you a bag from the house, and it’s in your room.”

  I glanced at Ford, who was shedding his suit jacket. He crossed the room and, without words, pulled me into his embrace, careful of my injury. He leaned in and whispered, “If you’re that reckless again, you’re a dead woman. Don’t be stupid. You don’t run to danger; you escape from it. Have I not taught you anything?”

  “Missed you too,” I said, leaning into the comfort of his arms.

  “She’s here for the night, boys. Get some shut-eye. We start fresh in the morning,” Noah said as he led me down the hall to a room. He knocked.

  Trinity pulled the door open. A look of relief crossed her face before her gaze landed on my bandage. “Did he do that?”

  “Yeah, he must have followed me home.”

  “You two are bunking together,” Noah said, gesturing to the twin beds in the room. My suitcase rested on top of one of them. Trinity’s backpack was on the floor by her bed. A laptop was perched on the desk that separated the beds. Her and Georgina’s things, which we’d retrieved from the motel, were stacked upon each other at the end of the bed.

  “It’s okay,” I said, stepping into the room. I wasn’t expecting much sleep.

  I waited for the door to close before I unzipped my suitcase to see what Grant had packed. I grabbed out some PJ’s, thankful that he’d packed ones I wouldn’t have a hard time maneuvering around my shoulder.

  I checked the side pockets and found my toiletries along with Sloan’s toothbrush in the bag. I held in my grin. Grant’s screw-up in grabbing the wrong one would save me a return trip to my house.

  “How are you holding up?”

  “Everyone is walking on eggshells around me. Conversations stop when I enter a room. It’s weird, but they won’t let me leave.”

  “I’m sure they’re just trying not to upset you,” I offered.

  “Your sister isn’t. She’s been picking my brain all evening trying to figure out how to get us out of this mess.”

  “My sister has been in coma. She’s just worried about me.”

  I grabbed my things and the toothbrush and opened the door unsure which way to turn to find the bathroom. My stint under this roof had consisted of hours and the handcuffs had restricted me from nosing around. “Any idea where the bathroom is in this place?”

  Trinity nodded her head. “Down the hall on your right, just past the only room with a TV.”

  I stepped out into the hallway, and instead of going in the direction of the bathrooms, I walked back into the war room where Sam was still perched behind his computer. I handed him the toothbrush. “Run this DNA against Trinity’s.”

  “Is that…”

  “Don’t ask. Just run it as a John Doe,” I said, lifting my brow.

  “You got it,” he said.

  I grabbed a handful of popcorn and ate some as I wandered down the hall. My growling stomach, had me silently wondering if anyone had bothered to stock the junk food I craved, or better still, a bottle of wine.

  I paused at the threshold of the lounge. The TV’s volume was low. The lights from the movie gave a soft glow to the people sitting on the couch in front of it.

  Gigi, covered in an emerald green blanket, sat on the sofa next to Grant. Grant’s hand rested on her knee. They spoke softly to each other. No sharp objects involved.

  Grant moved a stray hair behind Gigi’s ear, a move I’d seen a million times, and Gigi leaned into his touch. My world was almost back to normal.

  “She’s starting to remember,” Ford whispered into my ear as he guided me farther down the hall and stopped in front of the bathroom door. “Get changed. I have something I want to show you.”

  I stepped into the bathroom and took my time changing, trying hard not to pull the bandage on my shoulder. When I opened the door, Ford was leaning against the wall, waiting. He took the folded clothes out of my hand and led me into the kitchen. After setting the clothes on a table, he opened the fridge and grabbed out a pizza box and two beers before leading me away again.

  I followed him down the twists and turns of the hallway, passing rooms I’d never seen before. He pulled open a door and ushered me in first.

  Inside was a spiral staircase that led to the second story of the building.

  “How did you find this?” I asked.

  “Always know your escape routes,” he answered.

  I stepped off the last step to find the entire second floor was one large room filled with nothing but the spinning water wheel and the sounds of the water stream below.

  “That’s not even the best part.” He led me through a pair of double doors and onto a balcony. The breeze blew around us, carrying the scent of the forest outside. Two chairs were set up outside, along with a small table between them.

  “How did you know I needed this?” I asked, closing my eyes and letting the wind and moonlight caress my face.

  “Because they called us in. That told me enough,” Ford said, setting food and drinks down. He handed me a piece of pizza, and I took a bite as he lifted out a second slice. A fishing pole was pe
rched precariously in the corner. A small cooler rested next to it.

  “I’ve really screwed up this time,” I said.

  “We’ll fix it,” Ford answered as I took another bite. “You going to be able to keep your emotions in check while we find this guy?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Sloan.” Ford’s voice was quiet in the evening air.

  “Right,” I said. “Sloan is even more reason for me to find this guy.”

  “You want answers,” Ford said.

  “I want revenge,” I answered, although the revenge I wanted wasn’t for Sloan’s supposed death, but the fact that he had to hide…with his ex, instead of spending time with me.

  “We’ll find him,” Ford reassured me while twisting the top of my beer open. I waited for him to twist his before I clinked the bottle against his.

  Chapter 17

  Two days and nothing. Forty-eight hours and I was pacing through the windmill, unable to contain the nervous energy eating my nerves. The killer was out there, and we were no closer to finding him than we’d been this entire time. Not one damn clue any of the times I’d tuned in.

  The first time I’d tried, the killer was watching a TV rerun and drinking a Bud Light. The second time, he’d been eating a Salisbury steak microwavable dinner. The third I thought I’d gotten lucky. He was staring down at a redheaded woman. The way his hand was around the woman’s throat, I was sure she was another victim, until after a few more grunts he’d found his release, paid the hooker, and then watched her leave.

  I had no way of identifying his location.

  The others were starting to get antsy too. Tension thickened the air around us. We were wasting their time if we couldn’t hunt.

  Sam walked up beside me and took me by the arm. He led me into one of the conference rooms and closed the door quietly behind us.

  “I got the DNA results back. It’s best we talk in here.”

  My gaze slid across the walls in the room. No two-way mirrors, no cameras hanging in the corners. No chance anyone else would overhear. Sam’s grim expression sent a shiver coursing up my spine.