He’s here with Daisy.
As soon as she hit send, she pressed the record button on her phone’s camera and hoped Eli or some other cop would show up soon. She’d leave her hiding place if she had to, but she wasn’t sure she could take Bob, and she didn’t want him to panic and hurt the child if she startled him.
“Shut up!” The man jerked Daisy by the arm to stand in front of the garbage bag. “Stop your damn crying, or you’re going to end up like her.”
At the sound of tires on the gravel road, he dropped to the ground and pulled the child down into the tall grass. Daisy’s terrified whimpers drifted to Meaghan, and she wanted to cry. Her phone vibrated wildly in her hand, but she couldn’t respond or the recording would stop.
When the car passed, he sat up. She caught a glimpse of his eyes—severely bloodshot and crazy looking. “I wanted to keep you longer,” he muttered more to himself than the girl. “But, now, I have to move you and this one, too,” he said, kicking at the garbage bag. “They’re getting too close.”
Meaghan looked around for something she could hit him with. Closing one hand around the heaviest stick she could find, she dialed nine-one-one with the other. As soon as the dispatcher answered, she said, “I’ve found the missing girl. She’s in a field on Seventy-Sixth near Riley. North side of the road.”
The kidnapper’s head whipped around at the sound of her voice. He lunged at her, shoving Daisy aside.
Meaghan dropped the phone and swung the branch at the guy’s head, missing. “Run to the road, Daisy! The police will be here soon!”
As soon as the words left Meaghan’s mouth, he plowed into her and knocked her to the ground shoving the air from her lungs. Just that fast, he straddled her, his hands going around her throat.
“You stupid cunt,” he snarled, spit flying everywhere. “I’m gonna kill you, and I’m still gonna kill that little bitch.”
Meaghan struggled, but he was so much bigger than her. His eyes glowed with a feverish light as he squeezed, pressing down on her windpipe. Black spots floated in front of her eyes, and her lungs burned. With a desperate burst of strength, she smashed the branch into the side of his head—square in the temple. It was enough to knock him slightly off balance, loosening his grip on her neck. He ripped the weapon from her hand and threw it out of reach, but she managed a few precious breaths of air before he squeezed down again.
The spots returned, and a roaring filled her ears. She struggled, but nothing she did had much of an effect on him. She just wished she’d had a chance to apologize to Eli for not believing him about falling in love with her. She wished she would have told him she felt the same. More than anything, she wished they’d been able to see where their relationship would go. Still, she couldn’t regret her choice—not completely. Daisy had an actual chance at survival now, even if Meaghan didn’t. Daisy had already lost so much. She didn’t need to lose her life, too.
Meaghan’s vision faded. Everything grayed around the edges, and it seemed as if she viewed the world through a soft-focus lens. From what seemed a great distance, she heard something that sounded like an explosion. Her attacker’s hands suddenly fell slack around her neck just before the world went black.
Chapter Fourteen
Eli’s heart left his body as he watched Bob slump over on top of Meaghan. Keeping his hands locked tight around the grip of his gun, he ran to Meaghan’s side and shoved Bob off her. The man was still breathing, but probably not for long.
Placing his fingers on the side of Meaghan’s rapidly bruising neck, Eli couldn’t find a pulse. He laid his ear against her chest while feeling for a pulse in her wrist. Nothing. Yelling for a paramedic, he immediately started chest compressions and rescue breathing.
“Meaghan, c’mon, honey. I need you. Don’t do this to me.”
The two EMTs raced across the field, carrying oxygen and a stretcher, leaving Daisy with one of the other cops who’d arrived on the scene. As soon as the paramedics took over for him, he glanced at Bob. The man’s empty eyes stared at the sky. Eli checked for a pulse. Nothing. He started chest compressions. Still nothing. He worked on the guy until the second ambulance crew reached him. As soon as they took his place, Eli returned his attention to where it belonged.
“Got a rhythm,” one of the paramedics working on Meaghan shouted.
The other one fitted an oxygen mask to her face before they moved her onto the stretcher. Eli moved automatically. He helped the EMTs carry Meaghan to the ambulance, yelling for the second officer to stay with Lewandowski’s body and the other ambulance crew.
Eli helped Daisy into the ambulance and reassured her that she’d see her family as soon as the doctors checked her out. His heart ached for her—for the sadness and fear in her eyes. As worried as he was for the child, it didn’t come close to the terror he’d experienced seeing Meaghan’s lifeless body.
She was breathing now, but would she be okay? How long had she been without oxygen? He’d yelled for Bob to release her, but when the man hadn’t, Eli had shot immediately. He didn’t know how long the man had been strangling Meaghan before then.
He sighed. He hadn’t meant to kill the guy. He’d been aiming for his shoulder, not his chest, but Bob had moved. Eli couldn’t bring himself to feel any real remorse, not when the guy had been trying to kill Meaghan and had most likely killed Ava.
The paramedics secured both Meaghan and Daisy in the back of the ambulance and closed the doors. It nearly killed him to be away from Meaghan, but he needed to do his part and escort the vehicle to the hospital as quickly as possible—lights and sirens blazing.
Radioing the pertinent information to dispatch, he made for the nearest expressway entrance. The drive to the hospital was only twenty minutes, but it felt interminable. The emergency room staff was outside waiting for them in the ambulance bay. He wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or not. Had Meaghan crashed on the way over? Were they just taking extra precautions?
Eli parked and jumped out of the car to follow the gurney into an exam room. He stopped dead when he saw Meaghan. She was bruised all to hell, but she was awake and seemed to be fairly alert. Her eyes filled with tears and what looked like relief when she saw him. He moved toward her, but a short, middle-aged nurse blocked his way.
“I’m sorry, officer, but you need to clear the room.”
Meaghan tried to speak and winced. Gesturing frantically, she motioned him to her side.
The nurse looked between Meaghan and Eli then frowned. “After the exam. Now, out.”
“I’ll be right outside,” he said. Reluctantly, he exited the room to find the chief talking to what he assumed were Daisy’s parents outside her room. When his boss spotted Eli, he excused himself and made a beeline for him.
“I’ll need your report immediately.”
“You can have it after I talk to the doctor about how Meaghan is.”
His boss’ eyebrows rose. “At least, explain what happened to me.”
Eli urged the other man farther down the hall, away from Daisy’s room. The poor kid was already traumatized. She didn’t need to overhear more specifics. He quietly detailed visiting Lewandowski’s mother, finding what he believed to be evidence in the car and receiving the texts from Meaghan.
“How is she involved in this? You know it was her sister that found another child’s body a few years ago.”
The nurse stuck her head out the door. “Officer? Ms. Boulton is asking for you.”
Eli headed into the room, leaving his boss to follow. He immediately went to Meaghan’s bed and gently hugged her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He knew he was getting the side-eye from his boss, but he didn’t give a shit.
Meaghan scribbled, Thank you, on a pad of paper the nurse must have given her.
He had so many things he wanted to say, but not with his boss and the hospital’s most overprotective nurse hovering nearby. He settled for kissing her again and asking, “How are you feeling?”
She wrote, Sore.
&nb
sp; The chief cleared his throat. “Are you able to answer a few questions?”
Meaghan nodded.
“How did you come to be in the field with Mr. Lewandoski?”
Eli prepared himself to explain the images in the wedding pictures, the scrying and everything else. He doubted the chief would believe him, but it was the truth and he’d stand by it. And Meaghan.
She leaned over her pad and wrote. She held up the notepad so they could read it. I was on my way home from work, and I saw what looked like the missing girl near the trees. She seemed to be struggling so I snuck down there to see.
“Can you tell me why you texted Officer Jones before calling nine-one-one?”
I didn’t want the killer to know I was there. Texting is silent.
“At that point, I called for backup immediately,” Eli added.
The chief nodded, and Meaghan began writing again.
The only reason I called 911 when I did was because he said he was going to hurt the little girl. I wanted to distract him.
The chief frowned. “That was an incredibly stupid thing to do. Brave, but stupid.”
Eli leaned forward and whispered in Meaghan’s ear. “That’s his way of saying thank you.”
“When you’re feeling better, someone will be by to get your full statement.” He looked at Eli. “And you’re on leave until this incident is thoroughly investigated.”
He nodded in response. It wasn’t a surprise. He’d killed a man in the line of duty. It had to be investigated. As far as he was concerned, they could take their time. He didn’t plan to leave Meaghan’s side, and he wasn’t worried about the investigation. A department that didn’t check a partial match on a license plate wasn’t likely to be terribly thorough about checking the texts of the two people who’d rescued a missing child. If they did, he’d deal with it. Besides, Ava was the real hero here.
The chief left the room while Meaghan scribbled another note and pointed it at the nurse. Can we have a few minutes alone?
The nurse looked unimpressed but gave in. “You’ve got five, and I’m right outside the door.”
As soon as she was gone, Eli let himself really look at Meaghan. Her face was swollen and scraped, and the bruises around her neck were turning a vicious shade of purple. It terrified him to realize how close he’d come to losing her.
“Hey, Boy Scout,” she choked out. She could barely whisper, and he could tell it hurt to speak.
“Don’t talk. Use the paper.”
Frowning, she grabbed the pen. I’m sorry.
“I wish you would have waited for me.”
Not that. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.
“About being in love with you?”
She nodded.
“Do you believe me now?”
She stared at him so long he was afraid she’d say no. Finally, she wrote, I want to.
His heart started beating again as he reread her words. “That’s enough for me. For right now, anyway,” he amended.
She smiled and hurriedly scratched out something else on the pad and held it up for him to read. I was already half in love with you by the time I snuck out of your hotel room. Pretty sure I’m almost the rest of the way there now.
“I love you, too,” he whispered and gently brushed his lips across hers.
Epilogue
Another wedding down.
Meaghan put her camera and purse on the passenger seat of her car and headed home. It was hard to believe it had only been six weeks since the reception that had changed everything. So much had happened since then.
She’d met with Daisy and her parents a few times. They were doing remarkably well, all things considered. Daisy often drew pictures for Meaghan—pictures that included Meaghan, Daisy and Ava. The coroners figured Ava’s time of death to be at least two to three months before the guy had abducted Daisy, but she was in every drawing. Apparently, Meaghan wasn’t the only one Ava had appeared to.
Eli had been on leave for three weeks while the incident was investigated, and he’d spent the entire time with her. When he’d gone back to work, he’d been moved to the day shift, which she loved because they were together more often than not. This weekend, she planned to ask him to move in. Despite everything that had happened, she’d couldn’t remember ever being so happy or feeling more secure in her own skin. Braking for the kitten was the best move she’d ever made.
As she turned onto her street, she noticed a car following closely behind her. She slowed, hoping it would go around her, but it kept pace. Out here in the country, there were no streetlights so she couldn’t even tell what kind of car it was. Unease built in her middle. She tried to decide if it would be better to keep driving or pull in her driveway. She opted for the driveway, knowing Eli would be home. She grabbed the phone out of the console and dialed his number. No answer.
At the last second, she whipped into the driveway, hoping the other car would continue on. It didn’t. It followed her up around the back of the house. Fear clawed her throat until the red-and-blue flashers of a police cruiser flashed in her rearview mirror. More annoyed than scared, she turned off her engine and killed her lights. What great traffic violation had she committed this time? She knew she hadn’t been speeding. She reached into her purse for her wallet when she heard the sound of footsteps on gravel.
“Step out of the car, ma’am.”
She turned in her seat and looked out the window. “Eli?”
“Step out of the car, ma’am.”
His voice was sharp, but she caught sight of the erection straining his uniform pants. Arousal instantly slicked her folds. He’d been so gentle with her since he’d brought her home from the hospital, and a few nights ago, she’d teasingly reminded him of his fantasy. Apparently, this was what she got for poking the bear.
Meaghan got out of the car and shut the door behind her. “What seems to be the problem, Officer?”
“Erratic driving. Have you been drinking tonight, ma’am?”
His firm, almost impersonal nature was weirdly attractive.
“No, sir. Not one drop.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. “Touch your nose with your right hand and lift your left leg.”
She did as he said but wobbled a little.
“Looks like you might not be telling the truth.”
“It’s hard to stand on one foot when you’re wearing heels.”
“Uh-huh. Walk a straight line toward my car and put your hands on the hood.”
Meaghan caught her breath. Her panties would be soaked by the time she’d walked five feet. Reaching his car after what felt like a month of hiking, she stood in front of it. He followed and stood behind her—not close enough to touch her, but close enough that she felt his body heat.
He reached out and placed a hand in the center of her back then pushed her toward the hood. Extending her arms, she caught herself on the still warm metal. He leaned over her back, his lips at her ear. “I’m going to need to frisk you.”
Happily, she’d decided to photograph the wedding in a short dress with a flirty skirt. She bit her lip to keep from whimpering as he squatted behind her and dragged his fingertips up her bare legs. When he reached her thighs, he scraped his blunt nails along the sensitive flesh, grazing her mound as he reached her hip. He repeated the action on the other leg before skimming his hands over her ass to her waist and over her stomach. She couldn’t stifle her groan as his fingers hovered under the curve of her breasts before skating up and over her aching nipples.
“Is there a problem?” he asked, rock-hard cock now pressing against her ass.
She shook her head, arousal robbing her ability to speak.
He thrust against the silky fabric of her skirt. “I can’t hear you.”
She took a shuddering breath. “No, officer. No problem.”
“Then you wouldn’t have a problem if I did this?” He dragged the straps of her dress down, baring her breasts to the cool night air.
“No.
No problem.”
He cupped her breasts, rubbing circles over her stiff nipples with his palms. “How about this?”
Looking down at his hands on her body, the blue-and-red lights flashing across their skin, she tried to answer coherently, but nothing intelligible came out.
Eli locked an arm around her chest and slid his free hand under her skirt and inside her panties. “You’re so fucking wet,” he growled against her ear.
“Is that a problem, Officer?” she managed to whisper.
He found her clit and circled it roughly with the pad of his finger. Lightning streaked along her limbs as she ground herself against his hand. “Come for me,” he demanded.
She couldn’t have held back if she’d wanted to. Her scream of release was cut off by his hand while she rocked helplessly against him. His hand over her mouth only made her come harder.
Finally, she stilled, and he let her slump against the hood of the black-and-white car. Her breasts pressed against the metal as he dragged off her underwear. She tensed with anticipation at the sound of his belt and zipper being opened.
She widened her stance and dragged her skirt up, baring her ass to him. Instead of plowing into her as she desperately wanted, he stepped away from her and walked around to the side of the car. He reached in through the driver’s side window and grabbed a coil of red rope. Stopping, he stared at her. She could imagine the picture she made—ass up in the air, pussy dripping and waiting to be filled, lights strobing across her body.
His pants hung on his hips, and his cock jutted upward, looking achingly hard. He tossed the coil of rope on the hood. It landed with a thunk that reverberated through her body and flooded her cunt.
“I planned to tie you up before I fucked you, but seeing you like this, there’s no way I can wait that long.” He moved to stand behind her again, and she felt the wide, flared head of his cock prodding her opening. “I just want you to remember you’re going to spend a whole lot of this weekend with that rope wrapped around your body. Is that a problem?” Without waiting for her answer, he thrust hard, filling her completely and nearly pushing the air from her lungs.
Elemental Enchantment Page 10
