As if God, or maybe even Satan, heard my prayers, a shadow bounced off the wall across the room and I looked up, startled, as I tried to peer out the window. Pushing to my feet, I gripped the towel rack for leverage and came face to face with my guardian angel, a dusty window pane separating us.
Ronald.
“Oh my God,” I whispered and then lightly kicked Nicole in the thigh, feeling bad when she winced. You’re going to see the best doctor when we get out of here, I thought absentmindedly as I tugged at my restraints.
“What?” she hissed in response.
“Stand. Up.” I hissed quietly as Ronald nodded at me through the window.
I nodded back as the hallelujah chorus broke out in my head. I knew Logan had a plan! I knew there was more to him just showing up with Mac. He hadn’t come alone. He came with his partner in crime to get all of us the hell out of here as safely as possible.
God, I fucking love that man.
Ronald put his glove clad hands on the window and tried to push it up, but it didn’t budge because there was a piece of wood holding it closed on the inside. But my hands were tied and there was no way I could actually reach the piece of thin, faded wood from where I stood.
“Who is that?” Nicole asked warily as she stood.
“Ronald,” I responded, distracted as I tried to come up with a plan. But then I looked at her, saw the fear in her eyes as she looked at the strange man who was looking right back at us, and softened. “Hey, you can trust him. I promise.”
She hesitated and then nodded her head. “If you say so.”
“Switch places with me.” I finally decided. “Go under my arms and stand closer to the door. I have an idea.”
She maneuvered under me as I listened for any sounds in the other room while Ron looked around outside. The snow was coming down hard and his hat was covered in the soft white fluff as I tried to stretch my arms up. Switching places with Nicole had given me a better angle, but I still couldn’t reach. My heart was pounding and I was sweating, trying to slide the rope up my forearms. But it was so damn tight and it hurt so much.
“Hurry,” Nicole whispered as she bounced on the balls of her feet, looking over her shoulder at the door as Conlon and Logan’s loud voices reached my ears.
“I’ll shoot you, Ashford! I swear to fucking God, I’ll shoot you!”
I froze, my heart slamming so hard against my ribs I was sure Nicole could actually hear it. He couldn’t shoot Logan. No. Focus, Juliette, focus. I took a deep breath and then turned back to the task at hand, shoving my arms up, uncaring of the fact that there was blood literally dripping down my arms, the skin of my wrists beginning to peel with the force of my yanking. I was so close, so fucking close to reaching that stupid piece of wood, the tips of my fingers touching it.
Yes!
I managed to knock it out of the way and it clattered to the ground. I listened for a second, silently praying that Conlon hadn’t heard anything. But when the yelling continued, Ronald shoved the window up and leaned in, flashing a pearly white smile.
“My hero,” I crooned in my best southern accent as he gave a low chuckle and whipped out a pocket knife.
Nicole jumped back, eyes wide when she saw the shiny metal in his hand.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “He’s just going to cut us loose.”
Ronald didn’t waste any time as he leaned his big body through the window, cutting at the thick rope. He cut Nicole’s first, and as soon as she was free, he helped her through the window.
She turned and looked at me over her shoulder as Ronald helped her through the small window. “I’m not leaving without you.”
I nodded my head, trying to listen for any sound from the other room as he cut the rope. My wrists were on fire and I clenched my teeth as he freed them, trying to pull me out the window. But I hesitated, jumping back, out of his reach.
“Juliette,” he hissed and fixed me with a hard look. “Don’t do this right now. We don’t have time for this.”
“Nah.” I heard Conlon’s raised voice from the other room. “I’m not gonna shoot you. I’ll let you walk out of here tonight. But not before I take the thing you love the most, just like you did to me.”
His footsteps were approaching the door quickly and Ronald made one final grab for me, wrapping a big hand around my elbow and tugging me toward the window. The doorknob jiggled and then opened, and there stood Conlon. His thin, lanky frame took up the space in the narrow door frame, and the anger on his face was evident.
As was the metal of the gun that he held in his left hand.
Uh oh.
His eyes went from me to Ronald, and then back to me again. His nostrils flared, the gun shaking in his hand.
“You fucking cunt,” Conlon said in disbelief.
Everything happened so quickly after that, but it felt like slow motion. Conlon raised the gun and pointed it at Ronald with cold, malicious intent in his eyes. Nicole screamed into the night.
And there was Logan, standing behind Conlon with a gun of his own, his arm raised as he pointed it directly between his shoulders.
“Conlon!” he shouted.
Gunshots rang out.
My ears were ringing as I threw myself to the ground.
All I could hear was screaming, and I didn’t even realize it was coming from me.
Chapter 20
I hated violence. Growing up, I hated old westerns that always ended in shootouts and I hated those stupid Fast and Furious movies because there was always death, destruction and mayhem. Anarchy. Now, I wasn’t naive enough to think that life was filled with puppies and rainbows, happily ever afters all around. Life was filled with misery, with anger, with vengeance. I suppose I just never thought I would be in the middle of a shootout.
Then again, who does?
Gran- God rest her soul- was probably rolling over in her grave. She didn’t raise me to get involved with this kind of drama, didn’t raise me to risk my life and put myself in situations where I could be hurt, or worse. Jesus, she didn’t even let me watch R rated movies until I was fifteen years old and now I was practically living in one.
I was on the ground, screaming until my voice was raw, while shots rang out above me. There were flashing lights and I clapped my hands over my ears, frozen with fear. Voices were breaking through the screams, however, as I looked up and saw that Conlon was no longer in the doorway, but Ronald was still halfway through the window, gripping his shoulder as a grimace appeared on his face.
“Juliette!” he yelled, motioning for me to come to the window. “Get the fuck out here. Now.”
But how could I leave? Where was Logan? Was he wounded? Worse? Fear flew through me as I crawled across the dirty floor, a scream erupting from me as something slammed into my side. Knocking me off balance.
Mac.
I wrapped my arms around his wet, furry neck as he licked my face, barking loud in my ear as his tail wagged. He was completely oblivious to what was going on around him, he was just happy to see me. His mother.
His mother who needed to protect him and get him the hell out of dodge.
“Juliette!” Ronald yelled again, motioning for me to stand and jump out the window.
“I can’t leave Logan,” I responded as I stood, hauling Mac up into my arms as I heard a commotion from the next room. The scarce furniture that was out there flew across the room as Conlon and Logan fought in a tangle of limbs on the ground.
“I’ll get him,” Ron responded. When I still wasn’t convinced, he grabbed my arm and shook me. “I’ll. Get. Him. Let’s go.”
Reluctantly and with tears in my eyes, I handed Mac over to him, watching as my dog looked back at me with his ears back, unimpressed with the fact that he had to go out the window. I followed soon after, hauling myself out the small window and landing in the snow, the wind instantly biting into my skin as my hair whipped around my face.
“You’re hurt.” I commented as he handed over Mac’s leash.
Ro
nald’s shirt was stuck to the skin around his shoulder and I could tell that it was blood without him having to confirm. He’d been hit, possibly because I didn’t go out the window when he told me to. He was in pain and clearly pissed off, but I wasn’t sure whether or not he was pissed at me or Conlon.
“I’m gonna kill that fucking punk.”
Okay, so he wasn’t pissed at me.
“You need to go.” Ronald continued. He pointed over my shoulder. “You need to go that way to get to the main road. The police are five minutes out.”
I’d finally gotten a good look around. We were somewhere in the woods, deep in the woods, and the snow was coming down thick and heavy. The trees were dense and loomed over us like monsters, which was fitting considering there was a monster in that cabin. But I couldn’t find a proper path anywhere.
I wrapped Mac’s leash around my hand. “Please be careful,” I whispered and then turned, running toward where Ron pointed. But then I turned around. “Get him out of there in one piece, okay? I have things I need to say to him and I don’t want to say them to a gravestone.”
Ronald nodded and then jerked his chin towards the woods. I turned and ran, hoping Nicole had already made it to the road and was waiting for the police. Mac jogged next to me, his legs disappearing into the deep snow as we weaved around trees and dodged fallen branches, making our way towards the road.
I tried to ignore the way my heart ached at the realization that I had left Logan behind with Conlon. I had to believe that Ronald was going to help him, that they were both going to make it out somewhat unscathed. I had things I needed to say, things that Logan needed to hear, and I didn’t care that what I had said to Ron sounded dramatic. I couldn’t bear the thought of saying those things to a gravestone. Because if, God forbid, he didn’t get out of there, if all of this didn’t go my way, that’s exactly what was going to happen. I’d end up talking to a slab of stone protruding from the ground, and I didn’t want that.
I couldn’t lose Logan, because I’d already lost Gran.
I’d already lost a mother who never even wanted me in the first place.
I couldn’t lose him too. It would be too much and I was smart enough to know that I’d never recover.
Something good was finally happening to me, a happiness I never knew I’d have. Yes, part of me felt selfish for wanting to keep that happiness close, for wanting to keep it right there in the middle of my heart where it belonged. But who wanted to be sad? Who would be stupid enough to let that happiness slip away without a fight?
My lungs burned and my legs ached, it was so hard to run in the snow, and even Mac was panting as he ran along beside me. The forest was so dense as I stopped and looked around, even the cabin was barely in sight anymore. Where was the goddamn road? I couldn’t see anything. Was I lost? Was I-
A loud scream filled the air and the breath whooshed out of my lungs as I was tackled to the ground, landing in a heap on the snow. I screamed and flailed, immediately raising my fists for a fight as whoever it was thrashed on top of me, landing a hard jab to the side of my face.
Mac barked next to me and bared his teeth as my eyes opened, snow sliding underneath my jacket and up my back. It was so cold as I tried to identify who was on top of me trying to, apparently, kill me with loud screeches and sharp nails.
“Nicole!” I bellowed when I finally caught a glimpse of her blonde hair. I shoved my hands against her shoulders and pushed her off me, scrambling to my feet and grabbing Mac’s collar as he tried to jump on her.
“Juliette?” she asked and squinted into the darkness.
“Yes!” I shouted, frustrated and on edge. She’d been hiding behind a tree and impulsively jumped on me, probably thinking I was Conlon. But now I was cold, wet, and wanting to hit her for scaring me as bad as she did.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I… I thought you were Greg.”
“The red hair should have been a dead giveaway.” I snarled and then stopped, pinching the bridge of my nose. It’s not her fault, it’s not her fault. “Listen, we need to-”
Just then, in the dead of night, the unmistakable sound of three gunshots filled the air. My spine tingled, everything stopped, and my heart plummeted.
Logan.
I whipped my head around, barely seeing the cabin, and my breath shook. I needed to go back, I didn’t care if it got me killed. I wasn’t leaving him.
“I’m not leaving him,” I whispered.
“What?”
I turned back to Nicole, who looked scared, shaken, and so small. Making a hasty decision, I unbuttoned my jacket and tore it off, wrapping it around her shoulders before handing her Mac’s leash. She looked confused as I leaned down to give him one last scratch behind the ears.
“What are you-”
“I’m going back,” I said, surprised that my voice didn’t shake. “You need to get to the road, do you understand? The cops are on their way, just wait for them. Tell them we’re going to need an ambulance. Are you listening, Nicole? Do you understand?”
She nodded her head and surprised me by leaning forward and wrapping her arms around me in a quick, tight embrace. “Be careful.”
My heart lodged in my throat. “You too.”
I waited, making sure she was going in the right direction before turning around and running back towards the cabin. I didn’t care that my lungs were burning and my body was cold from being so exposed to the elements. A stray branch scratched the side of my face and I cried out, clapping a hand over my cheek and feeling it come away wet with blood.
It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t running fast enough, wasn’t getting any closer to the cabin. It was like in a nightmare when you’re trying to run away from the bad guy and you just can’t. No matter how fast you move, he catches up to you.
I was at the edge of the woods when I was- yet again- tackled to the snow. A scream tore from my throat and I fought back. Hard.
“Not this time, fucker.” I shouted and raised my fists, landing a hard blow to his shoulder and another to his chest.
“Hey! Ju- ow! Fuck, knock it off. Juliette!”
Two big hands wrapped around my wrists and pinned them to the snow covered ground, a knee on either side of my hips. I looked up, getting ready to spit in Conlon’s face when I realized that it wasn’t Conlon at all.
“Logan!”
Relief swamped me and I tugged at my wrists until he let them go, my arms wrapping around his shoulders and yanking him down to me. My breath shook as I tried to calm my emotions, but I couldn’t help it. Soon enough, I was crying hard, my whole body trembling, and not from the cold snow that was seeping through my thin shirt. I sobbed into his neck, breathing him in, feeling his hard body against mine. I could barely breathe, could barely focus on anything other than the fact that Logan was there. On top of me. Alive, with a heart beating frantically against my own.
“I thought I’d lost you.” I sobbed, hiccuping.
He slid a hand under my head, cupping the back of my neck. “Never,” he breathed. “You’ll never lose me, baby. I promise. I’m right here. Breathe, okay? Just breathe. It’s all over.”
There was a finality to the way he spoke and I believed him.
I’m not sure how long we stayed like that, hugging and laying in the cold snow. I didn’t care. Hell, I didn’t care if I caught hypothermia from this, I just cared that Logan was there, that he wasn’t shot. That he wasn’t dead. When I heard those gunshots, I was sure that it was over for me, him, us. That there wouldn’t be a chance to tell him how I really felt. But there we were, laying in the snow while sirens wailed in the distance.
It truly was finally over.
LOGAN and I were sitting on the steps of the cabin twenty minutes later, my arm hooked through his and my head on his shoulder. The snow had let up a bit and his jacket was draped over my shoulders as two officers marched Conlon past us, a pair of cuffs slapped over his wrists.
How’s it feel to be restrained, assho
le?
It was a satisfying sight, to say the least.
Ronald had fussed the whole time the EMT’s got him settled on the stretcher. Thankfully, the bullet in his shoulder had gone straight through and they didn’t think there would be any serious damage. But they wouldn’t know for sure until they got him to the hospital.
Nicole was on her way to the hospital, too. Minor injuries and they’d keep her for a few days to treat her for pneumonia- I knew I’d been right about that.
Logan’s hands were bruised and battered and he had a nasty green and purple bruise forming around his left eye. But he’d he’d done some serious damage to Conlon, breaking his already crooked nose and dislocating his shoulder. It seemed as though they’d beaten the shit out of each other, but Logan came out on top. He hadn’t been shot, but we both knew he was going to pay for the damaged hands. His RA would be acting up soon, there was no doubt about it. But it didn’t matter and he said he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about was that I was going home with him, exactly where I belonged.
Mac was laying at our feet, rolling around in the snow like a pig in mud. He was having the time of his life and the police were absolutely smitten with him, giving him all kinds of attention when they had a spare moment.
“I was fuckin’ scared,” Logan said quietly as he kissed my temple. “You didn’t come home and I just knew. I knew something was wrong. When I went to look for you and saw your car at the store it all clicked. He had you, and I didn’t need anyone to prove that. I just knew. The kid at the store said he heard a scream, but by the time he got outside, Conlon’s car was speeding down the road and your car door was open.”
I hated hearing the pain in his voice but stayed quiet, squeezing his arm.
“When Conlon called me, I wanted to kill him. I think I would have killed him here. Tonight. The only thing that stopped me was you. If I killed him, I would have been arrested, and there was no way in hell I wasn’t bringing you home with me tonight. Because… because that’s where you belong. You belong at home with me, Juliette. Me and the dogs. We need you. I need you.”
Reckless and Wild: A Small Town Romantic Suspense (Port James Series Book 1) Page 18
