Glaring at his partner, Remy eased inside the car and let his head flop against the headrest. He slowly arched his back, relieving the stress on his stitched side, and the pain eased.
Santorini crouched between the door and the car. “You’re about to collapse, LeBeau.”
He lifted his head and eyed the PI. “Santorini, I’m not leaving her.”
“Anderson and I can handle — ”
“If you tell me to go home, I’m gonna punch you.”
Santorini held up his hands and backed away.
The SWAT sergeant joined them. “Yeah, Detective?”
“Load your men. Be ready to roll,” Anderson said.
“Got it.” The sergeant retreated.
Anderson looked at Remy. “Think, LeBeau. If you were Brad, where would you take her? What makes sense to you?”
Remy sighed. What was he supposed to do? Brad had dispelled every theory, every profile they could come up with, and still managed to evade them. Right now Remy’s head was cluttered. What he needed was some clarity.
“Give me a couple of minutes to think.”
Anderson and Santorini gave him curt nods and joined the SWAT sergeant.
Remy closed the car door and shut out the noise, staring out the windshield. What did he know about Brad so far?
Stepson of Jack Hawthorne, the lead detective on the Rodeo Sweethearts serial killer case. Brad’s fiancée, Terri Halbrook, was victim number six. Her death led to tensions between stepfather and stepson, resulting in Brad’s departure. There were four years unaccounted for in Brad’s life.
Was it possible that Brad was the killer all along? No, there were too many discrepancies between the previous six murders and the current ones. Brad had studied the case files. Learned what the cops suspected and knew.
What didn’t make sense was how he stayed one step ahead of them. Someone else had to be helping him.
The tension in Remy’s shoulders pulled on the muscles in his neck. Pain throbbed at the back of his head.
“Think, Cajun. Where would Brad take Cody?”
Terri. She was the key to this. The catalyst for Brad’s revenge.
Remy pulled out his cell and hit the speed dial button for Moreno.
“Moreno.”
“Lieutenant, give me the specs on Terri Halbrook’s file.”
“Hold on a sec.” The rustle of paper drifted over the line. “Okay, here. Terri was found on November twenty … Oh, no. It’s today.”
“What’s today?”
“LeBeau, today is the fifth anniversary of when Terri’s body was discovered. She was found in Delco Stadium. They closed that place down two years ago. It’s been empty since.”
The perfect place to hide a kidnapped woman and keep away unwanted attention.
“What’s the address?”
Moreno rattled off the location, and Remy scribbled it on a scrap of paper. “Send a patrol unit out there to scout out the place. Make sure they don’t enter without us.”
“LeBeau, stop him. Do whatever you have to.”
“Yes, sir.” Remy slapped his phone shut and bailed from the car. “We’ve got a possible location.” The group turned as he marched toward them.
“Where?” Anderson asked.
“Delco Stadium.”
“Why would he go there?”
Realization dawned on Santorini’s face. “That’s where Terri Halbrook was discovered.”
“Exactly. And since it’s practically abandoned, what better place to hide a potential murder victim.”
“Roll out!” the SWAT sergeant shouted.
Anderson fell in step with Remy as they returned to the car. “I don’t like the look in your eyes.”
He glanced at Anderson. “What look?”
“Murder.”
Remy halted. Was he capable? Moreno said to stop Brad however he needed. There’d only been one time Remy had to shoot another human. He wounded the man. But this was different.
Concern covered Anderson’s face. “I know Cody means a lot to you. But is she worth losing a piece of your soul?”
Only if he had a soul left to lose. “C-Bar, it’s too late for that.”
• • •
At some point in the drive, Cody had cried her last tear and passed out. The soft drone of voices reached her as she came to. Her cheek was pressed against something cool and smooth. She blinked her eyes against the glare of fluorescent lights and widened them. She was lying on the concrete floor of what looked like a janitor’s room void of the equipment that belonged there. Mildew tickled her nose. She wiggled it to ward off the sneeze.
The muffled voices rose in agitation. What were her captors fighting about? And how’d she get in here? She vaguely recalled being lifted out of the trunk. It was a haze after that, but here she lay. Cody held up her arms. Still bound with the rope. Her gaze swept the room. Simply nothing to help her get free. Well, lying on the floor wasn’t going to get her out of here either.
She shoved off an elbow and sat up. A dull throb in her ankle and the pinch on her back where the killer’s knife had found its mark served as reminders of her precarious position. Even still, they hadn’t killed her yet, and Cody didn’t intend to let them make her an easy target.
Crash!
She jolted, head-butting something sharp. Rubbing the sore spot, she twisted around and a smile tugged at her lips. A low positioned hook stuck out of the concrete block wall.
The surprises just kept coming.
Examining the nylon rope, she figured it would take quite a bit of work to cut through it. Hopefully the two screamers had forgotten about her for the time being.
With part of the rope between her wrists straddling the end of the hook, Cody sawed furiously. Tiny fibers frayed and pulled apart. She worked at it for a few minutes then paused to listen for her captors.
The arguing had ceased. She needed to move faster.
Lip tucked between her teeth, she continued. Half way through the rope, footsteps outside the door made her stiffen. She pushed away from the wall and laid down in somewhat the same position as she remembered waking up in with her back to the door. The lock clicked and the hinges squeaked. She went slack and tired to keep her breathing even.
Whoever checked on her huffed and snapped the door shut, locking it again. Cody waited a few seconds then carefully rolled over. The door locked from the inside. It didn’t appear that they were trying to keep her in, but someone out.
Why? Did they want her to escape? With her sprained ankle and not knowing where she was being held, she probably wouldn’t get far if she tried to run for it. Earlier the killer didn’t take her cell, and she’d led Remy right to them. Maybe this was part of the plan. A kind of a hunter versus the hunted game, with Cody as the bait. Let her run free and then attack.
Cody Lewis, you’re letting your imagination run wild.
The more likely scenario was as long as she was unconscious she wouldn’t be a threat. Once she woke up, they’d drag her out of here and secure her in a better spot.
Not gonna happen. She resumed sawing on the rope. It snapped and her arms jerked aside, but the next wrap remained fast. She growled low in her throat. With a glance at the door, she started in on the cantankerous line. The fibers split and peeled back. She could feel the slack in the rope. A little more and she’d be free.
The killer and the woman’s voices drifted under the door. This time Cody could understand.
“I want you out of here before they show up. LeBeau’s smart, but Moreno is smarter. I think he’s on to you. Why else would he drag you in for questioning?”
“I’m not going. You need me to keep an eye on her. What happens when she wakes up and figures out she can walk outta there?”
Cody smirked. Too late f
or that. The rope gave a bit more. Sticking her tongue between her teeth, she sawed harder.
“I just checked on her. She’s still out,” the killer said.
“Not for long.”
“Mom, you’ve done enough.”
Cody’s head jerked toward the voices. Mom? It was his mom? Who the hell used their mom as a partner in a killing spree?
“If it goes bad, I need you to continue. LeBeau and Moreno have to pay.”
“How long before they figure it out?” the woman asked.
“Oh,” the killer snickered. “They probably know by now. And that means you need to get before they trap you here.”
No-no-no-no-no, Remy! Stay away!
“Fine. I’ll go home and play the distraught mother.”
“I’ll call when I’m done. If you don’t hear from … ”
Cody strained to hear what he said, but they’d moved too far away. Finally, the last of the rope unraveled and she unwound the restraint. Tossing it aside, she braced her hands against the wall and used it to help her climb to her feet. With most of her weight on her good leg, she gimped to the door. She pressed her ear against the heavy wood and listened.
Silence. Whether that was a good thing or not, she wasn’t about to risk it.
Slowly, she turned the handle, letting the lock pop. She hesitated, her ears tuned for any noise, then carefully pried the door open to avoid the squeak. Still no sound of alarm, she peered through the crack. The glimpses outside the room didn’t give her much of a clue of where she was hidden. She widened the gap and poked her head through.
Cody stepped into a large room that looked like a basement storage area for a business. A few empty cardboard boxes lay side down on the floor. Shoved up against the wall to her left stood a table. The knife the killer used to prod her along at the cemetery sat on the tabletop. She bypassed it and limped to the only exit.
A glass pane filled the top half of the door. She checked, found the way clear and hurried out into a hall reminiscent of the Stanton Enterprise Center halls. Where in the world had they taken her? She looked one way and the other. Which way did she go without running into the killer when he came back? A curled over piece of paper caught her eye.
She eased along the wall to the paper and laid it flat against the cement blocks. It was a flyer for a Bon Jovi concert from three years ago.
She was in Delco Stadium.
Cody smiled. Oh, the killer might’ve been crafty enough to drag her here and lure in Remy. But he probably didn’t stop to think that as a barrel racer, she used to ride in the rodeos once held here. Her gaze drifted along the ceiling. She knew these halls and how exactly to get out of here.
• • •
Remy peered around the corner. “Clear,” he whispered.
Anderson zipped past and proceeded down the hall. Back to his partner, Remy double-checked their trail then followed.
Silence permeated the stadium, except for the occasional squeak of a rubber sole or click of a boot heel. In other parts of the building SWAT made their sweep, hushed chatter coming over the comlinks stating no sign of Cody or Brad.
Remy ground his teeth. They had to be here somewhere. It was the only thing that made sense.
Were they too late? They’d been too late in finding Marie. And Remy barely recovered from her brutal death. If Cody was dead, slashed open like a hunk of meat … Remy swallowed the bile rising into his throat.
No, he wouldn’t think like that. Cody was stronger than Marie. If anyone was capable of fighting back, it was the cowgirl.
But against a determined killer? Could Cody walk away from this unscathed?
He would worry about that after they found her. Right now, he needed to focus on catching Brad and making the bastard pay.
Anderson jerked up his hand and closed his fist. Remy snapped back to the situation, halting behind his partner.
“I’ve got movement,” Anderson whispered.
Slowly, Remy inched up next to him and scanned the hall. They’d entered a tunnel leading into the stadium arena. Gray blocks of light from the skylights dotted the concrete floor. Cobwebs dangled off the archway.
Anderson held up two fingers and gestured to move. Together, they tread silently forward.
A soft male curse brought them up short, and they swung their weapons to the right. Sound carried in the huge auditorium. Remy wasn’t sure where the curse actually came from.
The whisper of movement at the far end of the arena drifted toward them. Anderson straightened and pointed at a tunnel opposite of theirs.
Cody!
Chapter Thirty-Four
Cody leaned against the tunnel wall. Her ankle was like a bed of hot coals, shooting fire up her leg. And somewhere nearby the killer lurked.
Moments after escaping the janitor’s room, he returned. His curses drove her forward, but the frantic pace was too much for her swollen ankle.
Her gaze darted between the two exit tunnels. Neither were close, both left her exposed in the arena, and she didn’t think she had the strength to continue.
“I’ve about had it with this hide and seek, Cody.”
She bit her lips to squelch the gasp. He was near.
“Show yourself.”
Plastering her body against the cool cement, she kept to the shadows. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement on the far side of the arena. She squinted and tried to focus on the spot. Nothing. She could’ve sworn she saw something.
“Cody.”
Her attention jerked to the back of the tunnel. He was coming.
She had to try for the exits. Give me strength! She grabbed a breath, steeled her spine for the pain, shoved away from the wall, and sprinted into the arena.
The killer let out a roar, and she heard the slap of shoes against the concrete floor. Cody cried out as her ankle gave way and she crumpled, sliding across the floor.
He was on top of her in seconds, spitting curses as he flipped her over. “Bitch, you’re dead.” He raised the knife.
Cody screamed, throwing up her hands to deflect him.
“Brad, stop.”
He stiffened and looked up.
That voice. Cody craned her neck and saw Remy emerge from the shadows, gun centered on the killer. “Remy! No. He’ll kill you.”
“Shut up,” the killer screamed in her face.
She clamped her mouth closed and shrank under him. He smirked and trained his gaze on Remy.
“So, you figured it out.” He placed his hand on her neck and pressed. “Think you can save her?”
Cody choked and gasped. She clawed at his hand, but he tightened his grip.
“Suffocating her? Isn’t that a bit beneath you, Brad?”
“One way or another, she’s gonna die. And so will you.”
Black spots danced on the corners of her vision. She dug her nails into his flesh and gagged.
“Stop it.” The fear in Remy’s voice penetrated her foggy head.
It seemed to surprise Brad and he let up. Cody sucked in a deep breath. Tears rolled down her temples.
“Hell.” Brad brought the knife closer to her side. “I didn’t think you could get scared.”
Cody felt the shift in his stance. Her eyes widened at the twitch in his arm.
“You need to stand down, Brad.” Remy’s partner joined the fray. “Don’t do this.”
“Stupid cops. Someone will pay.” Brad drew the knife back.
“Brad, stand down.” Remy and Anderson shouted as one.
Cody’s throat clogged with sobs. She tensed, ready for the strike to her body.
“Damn it, Brad, stand down.”
“Go to hell.”
Curling on herself, she flinched. Gunshots filled the air. Above her, she felt Brad j
erk and stiffen. She opened an eye and peered up. His once white shirt was stained dark red. Pink bubbles appeared in the corners of his mouth. He coughed, spraying bloody spittle on her. As the last breath left him, he looked down at her with glassy eyes, then toppled over.
Her hearing cleared, and she heard screams. She was the one screaming. Cody writhed and squirmed to get out from under the body.
“Cody! Cody, look at me!”
A fresh set of screams died on her tongue and she looked up. Remy’s tense face filled her vision. “Remy,” she said, her voice hoarse.
“It’s over, ma ’tite belle.”
Sobs ripped free, and she grappled for a hold on his arms.
Carefully he dragged her free of Brad’s body and wrapped her tight in his arms, kissing her forehead. “It’s over.”
She began to convulse uncontrollably.
• • •
Remy jerked as Cody shook. “She’s going into shock.”
Anderson shrugged out of his coat and threw it at them. “There’s a bus on the way.”
Remy draped the coat over Cody’s body and drew her closer to him. He rocked her as she continued to cry. Thank God we got here in time. Chaos erupted into the arena as SWAT converged on them. Remy tightened his hold, shielding Cody from the onslaught. Anderson stood sentry over Brad’s body, cell phone pressed to his ear.
Remy tore his gaze away from the men around him and focused on the woman in his arms. She drew in a shuddering breath, her sobs easing. Tenderly, he brushed back the red strands. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing enlarged pupils.
“Remy, don’t … ” Her voice cracked.
“Shh. I’m not leaving.”
Her eyes drifted closed, and she turned her face into his chest.
As he sat there on the cold concrete floor, cradling her shock-ridden body — her heart still beating — tendrils of warmth spread through him. Somewhere in the course of the past few weeks he’d fallen in love with her. A part of him realized this earlier, but he didn’t want to admit it. Not until the threat of her death propelled it forward.
He squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. She could never know.
Texas Temptation Page 170
