“Not at this moment no, she went into the mall and started walking from store to store, then she went into the changing room so we’re sitting outside, don’t worry she has to pass us to get out what’s up?”
“She’s the master of disguise. She could’ve passed you and you wouldn’t even know it. Get into the store and make sure she’s there.” I grabbed the laptop and hot footed it out the door.
I made one more call with my heart in my throat.
“Kat, you two okay?”
“Yes Colt, why”
She had a laugh in her voice so at least she wasn’t still sitting in that room crying.
“Don’t let anyone in the house.” I didn’t want to tell her what I’d found over the phone, she’d freak.
“I’m on my way. Should be there in ten, baby, love you okay.” Now she started crying again.
“Don’t cry baby, everything’s going to be okay.
“Okay, love you too.” She sent me kisses and hung up. I gave the guys a quick rundown before hopping on my ride and heading for home.
I rode with one hand while holding the laptop in the other and sped through the streets to get home. I knew it all along, the gut never lies. I should probably call my father in law and let him handle it but there was a lot to think about before I went there. This shit could come back to what went down in Arizona. I have to get my shit straight before I get anyone else involved. If it was just me, I probably would say fuck it and let Drake have at it. Then again, the thought of losing my wife and kid did not sit well with me at all. There was no sign of him and will never be, and Kat still hadn’t put anything together about our trip. As far as she knew, it was just so she could visit her mom. I’ve been keeping up with the news and nothing had been uncovered so we were still in the clear there but I don’t know how much this nut knows. I now had a pretty good idea why she’d targeted my wife though. Fuck, this was going to set her back.
I turned down my street and my gut went on high alert. I throttled back without thought and lifted the hand with the laptop to halt my guys who were fast on my tail. We idled down the rest of the way. I hopped off my bike on the street a little ways down from the house instead of pulling into the driveway. The guys followed suit and came towards me.
“I think she’s here, she’s not at the fucking mall.”
“How do you want to do this?” Jared was chomping at the bit to get at her but I had to keep a cool head. I have no idea what’s waiting for me in there and I can’t think about that fuckery right now or I’ll lose my shit.
“I’m going in alone, through the back. You guys surround the house and some of you head around back to the fence line. If she’s not here already, she’s coming. Don’t ask me how I know? I just do.”
I left them to follow orders and took a deep breath as I geared myself up to deal with whatever was waiting for me in there.
I eased around the back, being as quiet as I could, and praying the whole time that just this once my gut was wrong. I was going on pure instinct. Nothing looked out of place, there was no screaming coming from inside, but I knew. My heart threatened to stop on me when I thought about my family in danger inside that house. I wanted to scream in rage but I had to tamp down on that impulse. They’ll be time enough to let off steam later. Taking a deep breath, I eased my way around to the outer door. I saw my men getting into position, guns drawn. There was no movement coming from inside, so I eased the sliding door back as slowly as possible. I toed off my shoes after placing the laptop on the table in the kitchen. Keeping to the wall, I eased my way down the hallway. I heard the voices when I reached the entrance to the living room. Please don’t have my kid in there. That was all I could think of. I didn’t want her caught in the middle of whatever this was.
“It’s all your fault, you stupid bitch.”
“Please just let me put the baby down and we can talk.”
Fuck, she had the kid.
“No, give her to me. You took my life now I’m going to take yours. I’m going to kill you and the stupid kid and then guess what? I’m going to fuck your husband before your body’s even cold in the ground.”
“The baby has nothing to do with this, it’s me you’re mad at, please just let me put her down.” She sounded scared as fuck and the knots in my gut grew tighter. I tried peaking around the corner without being detected but the way the room was built I couldn’t see right in. I was going to have to be careful on my next move because I’ll probably have only one shot at this. My mind was processing shit like a machine. The only reason Kat would let her get the drop on her was if she had a weapon, so whatever I did, I was going to have to make it count.
“Please just let me put her there on the couch, she’s scared, can’t you see she’s scared? She’s just a baby. She has nothing to do with this.”
“You know what, you might be right. It might be fun raising your brat while you rot. Think about me torturing the little bitch every day of her life. Of course that luscious husband of yours and I will have more kids. I think I’ll send the stupid little brat to boarding school.”
“Why are you doing this? You’ll never get away with it, think about it. Colt knows all about Taylor and what he did…”
“Lies, all lies, my boyfriend would never have touched you and that other bitch. You both made it up because you were nobodies. No one even knew who you were until you started spreading your filthy lies. I took care of her though, but you got away before I could get to you.”
“What? What do you mean you took care of her?”
That’s right baby, keep her talking. I’d already hit record on my phone. I guess those cop shows were about to pay off. I could see them now, her back was to me and she had Kat backed up to the fireplace. There were gifts and the tree and the big ass gingerbread house blocking her in. Kat had her body twisted slightly to the side to shield the baby the best way she could and from the angle of the nut’s arm, I surmised that she was holding a gun on them.
“ I mean that I was the one that killed her. That’s’ right, I didn’t even have to touch the stupid bitch, just held the gun on her until she offed herself. Only, you’re not going to get off so easy, you I want to suffer.”
“You’ll never get away with this. Colt and my father will figure it out. How do you plan to hide who you really are? Eventually they’ll find out.”
KAT
I’m glad Colt isn’t still so angry with me. I’ve had more than enough time to think about how stupid I was. Sitting in that car with my daughter screaming in fear in the backseat was about the scariest thing I’ve ever faced worst even than my own ordeal. Colt hadn’t said anything, but dad had filled me in a little and even he was holding something back. The men in my family were set on protecting me from everything but I’m stronger than they think. From what dad had said, it hadn’t been an accident and Carol’s phone call five minutes after Colt left the house answered the question of why she wasn’t where she said she would be. Even after being run off the road, I still hadn’t pieced it together. Someone had deliberately drawn me out of the house to hurt me. Not just me, but the baby.
The thought brought tears to my eyes. Life had been so perfect the last year or so. Colt saw to that, he shielded me and now us from all the horrors of the world. I guess I should stop ragging him about his cop shows and stories of gloom and doom people really do suck. Caitlin was up and seemed none the worse for wear. I decided we should go finish our cookie baking and make daddy his favorite foods for dinner to make up for mommy being a ninny.
We headed downstairs after a diaper change and she pointed to her gingerbread house so I walked over to let her play before we got started on our baking. At least she was happy. I heard Colt at the back door and started to smile as I heard him coming down the hallway. I didn’t stop to wonder why he would be coming in that way when he always came in the front but I didn’t have time to ponder that when a complete stranger entered the room.
“Who are you? What’re you doing in my hou
se?” She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place her. The hair was all wrong but the face rang a bell. It was the look she gave me that alerted me to the real danger, that and the gun she raised and aimed at me. I twisted instinctively to shield Caitie, my heart beating out of my chest and my mind a complete blank. What was going on? I kept my eyes on her and the gun she kept trained on us as I looked for a way out of this latest catastrophe.
“Who are you?” She still hadn’t answered that question, just stood there glaring at me.
“That’s not important, what’s important is why I’m here. Now hand me the kid.”
I moved back a step in horror.
“You’re not having my daughter.” I didn’t want to antagonize her but there was no way I was just handing my baby over to her gun or no gun. Was this one of those things you see on the news about baby snatching? But didn’t they usually go after newborns in hospital wards? And why did she look so damn familiar? The answer was right at the edge of my mind but I kept drawing a blank. Could she be someone from Colton’s past? She came farther into the room and with the light from the fireplace, her face came more into focus.
“Oh shit it’s you, how, why?”
“I’ll do the talking here. You don’t get to ask me anything, you’ve done enough.”
“Me, what have I ever done to you?” Keep her talking Kat just buy some time. Colt, please hurry; that’s all I could think of while this crazy bitch held me at gunpoint. Colt is going to be pissed when he gets here. But what if he walks in and she shoots him? Shit, I have to do something, but what? I can’t knock the gun out of her hand the way Colt taught me because I have the baby. Why didn’t I listen to Colt? This is the last time I doubt him. That’s if I survive this. Caitlin was starting to fuss and that was just making the nut more agitated. The look in her eyes said she’d do exactly as she threatened. If I could save my little girl, at least that would be something, so I just have to keep her talking. I wanted to scratch her eyes out when she talked about fucking my husband and sending my kid to boarding school. I guess that answered one question, it had to have been her that called me that day.
She kept moving forward and there was nowhere to go, the fire and the tree and gifts were in my way and it was finally setting in that I could really die here today. Why did I never see things the way Colt did? He’s always telling me to be careful, always trying to keep me from getting hurt. I’ve always thought he was overreacting but now when it might be too late, I finally get it.
LYON
It was now or never Kat was scared. I could see she was about to panic and the baby was starting to fuss. I couldn’t shoot the bitch in her head because my kid was right there but a knee shot was good enough for what I had in mind. Kat caught sight of me just as I was lining up my shot but my brave girl didn’t make a sound. I knew her well enough to recognize the look of relief that came into her eyes. I took the shot just as my little girl noticed me and started to call out for me. The bullet was true, one behind the knee and she dropped with a yell. I was in motion before she hit the ground.
“Get upstairs Kat and call your dad.”
I put my knee in the idiot’s back and took the gun from her hand as she flopped around in pain. She wailed in anger and tried pushing me off of her. It took all my strength not to strangle her.
“Get off of me, I have to finish this, she ruined my life, I’m going to kill her.”
I pushed my knee harder into her back because it was the only recourse left to me. I could hear the guys rushing the house through the backdoor calling out for me.
“The only reason you’re still breathing is because my wife and kid are in the house. I’d like to put a bullet in your fucking head and end you right here you crazy bitch.”
She kept struggling to get up and I kept applying more force as the guys bounded into the room.
“Go upstairs Jared, I sent the girls up there.” I turned my attention back to the screaming woman beneath me. All the hate and rage I felt threatened to over power me as I thought of what she could’ve cost me.
“Keep moving bitch and I’ll change my fucking mind. I always knew it was you. You never fooled me for a second. I got your laptop and I saw the disguises you’re done. You’re going to spend the rest of your life behind bars where that fuckwit should’ve been and guess what? My wife and kid are going to be very happy for the rest of their lives, I’ll see to it.” I played a hunch and threw a question out at her.
“Where’s that rapist asshole boyfriend of yours anyway? He needed a woman to fight his battles?”
She went crazy under my knee, screaming and cussing, throwing out harmless threats. She’s totally gone, how the fuck hadn’t I seen it that day in the hospital?
“He had to go away because she lied. Now I’m all alone and it’s all her fault. Taylor would never have done what she said, she lied.” She started crying, snot and tears flowing freely. I heard sirens coming but didn’t move. Kat was on the stairs calling to me and Jared held a screaming Caitlin while holding her back.
“Come let your dad in Angel, it’s okay. I’m okay.” She seemed disoriented for a minute, like she didn’t know if to go to the door or come to me.
“It’s okay, go let your dad in.” By now, Drake was pounding on the door. It opened to him and a few of his deputies who assessed the situation and one of them got on the horn to call an ambulance. I moved off the woman on the floor and grabbed my wife while my guys stood back. They’d put their guns away but were still standing guard.
“You’re okay baby, I’ve got you. Get that bitch out of my house.” I turned to Drake who knelt beside the nut who was all but slobbering at the mouth.
“We have to wait for the ambulance, she’s bleeding.”
“Put her ass on the driveway. I want her the fuck out of my house now.”
“Colt we can’t do that. This is a crime scene.”
“Well, do whatever the fuck you need to do and get her out. Here, this might help.” I threw him my phone.
“I want that back, so make a copy or some shit.”
“What’s this?” He studied the phone in his hand.
“I recorded her admitting to the shit she’s done and the reason she’s here. There’s a laptop on the kitchen table as well, you don’t have to wait for a warrant because it belongs to Elena.”
This whole time, the nut was still screaming about killing Kat and I realized I still didn’t even know her real name. Back at the apartment, I’d only had time to see the picture of her and Taylor before I went into motion. There had been no time to dig any farther and I’m glad now that I hadn’t. This shit was going to give me nightmares for a long time. Fuck me, she wasn’t supposed to get this close, I fucked up.
“Who is she Colt?”
“She’s from Arizona.” I didn’t need to say anymore, he could piece the rest of that shit together. I needed to go see to my family.
“Tell me what happened here Katarina.” He turned to his daughter while one of his men cuffed the nut on the floor.
“She came in through the backdoor. I’m sorry Colt. I didn’t realize the alarm was off. I forgot.”
“It’s okay Angel. Don’t think about that now.” I held her close and smoothed her hair while she told her dad what had happened.
“She, she had a gun and she started saying all these things. She killed Donna, it wasn’t suicide.” She broke down then and that was enough for me.
“That’s it. Get her the fuck out of here. I don’t care crime scene or not.” I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing how upset my wife was. There will be no victories for her today and if it took everything I had, I would make sure Kat didn’t spend another thought on this murderous bitch.
The ambulance showed up and the nut job was taken away in handcuffs with a police guard. I called up Xavier and Paul who had been the only two who’d gone home because they were supposed to take the night shift on this bitch. I guess one of the others had let them in on what was going
down because they were already here. I wasn’t taking any chances that she might escape the cops, so I sent them to the hospital to stand watch.
Drake walked over to where Jared stood with the baby and took her from him rocking her back and forth in his arms. He had tears in his eyes and I could only imagine the shit that was going through his head. His kid had faced danger twice now, and this time had been too close for comfort.
“You guys are gonna have to come down to the station.”
“Fine, we’ll follow you down there. Just let me call mom to come stay with the baby.” I didn’t even think of asking Jared because I know my guys, none of them were going to let us out of their sight for the next little while. We all face danger from time to time. It’s par for the course with our lifestyle, but not when it came to our women and children. I could argue with them that tomorrow was Xmas and they should go be with their families but I knew it would be a wasted effort.
Drake left while we waited for mom and the guys all sat around pissed off and glum. She’d outsmarted us on our own turf. That shit was a hard pill to swallow. I should’ve been more careful with them, should’ve put my anger aside and…shit there was a whole lot I should’ve done different but hadn’t. Now I’ll have to live with the sight of my wife and kid being held at gunpoint for the rest of my life.
We spent damn near the whole night down at the station. Drake did his thing with the information we’d uncovered and we finally learned who she was. Rachel Chappell, former girlfriend of Taylor Porter from Phoenix Arizona. She was twenty two years old, from a good family who had already put out a missing person’s report on her months ago. Which meant she’d been in the area or close by for a while. That shit gave me chills. She’d found Kat from that stupid Youtube video after her fight with Jennifer at the mall of all things; what were the fucking odds? With the recording of her admitting to killing Donna, shit went down a whole new avenue. There were calls made to Arizona to the authorities there who had to open a case in what they had thought was a suicide. Since her present crimes were small change compared to murder, they were gonna get her first I guess, or at least that’s what I got from what Drake told us. I didn’t miss the flicker of his eyes in my direction when he reached the part on the recording when she claimed Taylor had disappeared to make a new start. Kat didn’t seem any the wiser, and that’s all I cared about. She was beating herself up for forgetting to set the alarm but between the car getting run off the road and being held at gunpoint, I couldn’t find it in me to be mad about that shit. I’d spent way too much time in the last few days mad at my girl. That wasn’t what I wanted our lives to be. I had finally come to the understanding that my Angel was always going to be innocent and just a little bit naïve and the truth is I wouldn’t have her any other way. I’ll just have to see about keeping her and whatever kids we have as protected as it was in my power to do.
Lyon's Heart Page 20
