Walking through the stacks, she re-played the evening in her mind. It had been great to catch up with Nora and give her the chance to spill out all her doubts and insecurities about her relationship with Gabe. The poor woman was a mess of self-doubt and loathing. She truly felt like she was a failure as a wife. Seeing her that way broke Aubrey’s heart, but after a long, heartfelt conversation and several shots of tequila, she and Autumn had convinced her that if things really were as bad as she thought they were with Gabe—it wasn’t her fault. People grow apart, they change and evolve. Nora needed to start making her happiness a priority, and if Gabe was what she wanted, it was time to fight for him. If not, then it was time to move on. Living in limbo in a farce of a marriage wasn’t healthy for them or the children.
A sound from the end of the stack caught Aubrey’s attention and she turned towards it, brows furrowed in curiosity. “Hello?” she called out. She was the only one working in the library today, the budget cuts had really taken a toll on their ability to compensate employees. They weren’t due to open for another thirty minutes so the doors should have still been locked. She strained her ears and listened intently. When she didn’t hear the sound again, she chalked it up to her overactive imagination and continued stacking the shelves, dragging her cart behind her.
Her mind drifted to West and the way the moronic man had affected her. From the first contact of his hands on her when he’d stolen their booth right down to their hotter than sin kiss outside the bar, each interaction with him was burned into her brain. The way he’d easily defused the situation with Carl; asserting his alpha male tendencies without causing a full on brawl was such a turn on. He was a man that knew how to take charge in a situation without being an ass about it and that just made him so much sexier.
But despite her reaction to him, she couldn’t indulge in her fantasies. West was a man with a troubled past. He came from tragedy and loss. He’d been essentially broken until just a few weeks ago when he started emerging from his self-inflicted exile. He’d never be interested in something long-term with a woman like her; and she wasn’t the type to just have a one night stand and be done with it. She’d just have to avoid him if they ran into each other and keep things strictly professional when he came into the library for his books.
A loud bang sounded from the back of the library and this time Aubrey knew she wasn’t imagining things. Placing the book in hand back on the cart, she moved slowly towards the sound. The stacks on her left side were tall and obstructed her view, but on her right side the space was open, several long wooden tables and chairs filled the area; a quiet space where students were free to study or read. Rounding the table, she headed to the back corner where the emergency exit was located.
Reaching the door and still not discovering anything out of place, she again wondered if she was losing her mind. Granted, she had over-indulged the night before, but she’d taken some Tylenol to take the edge off the dull headache and otherwise felt normal. On instinct, she tried the emergency door handle, pushing against the long stainless steel bar to open it. It didn’t budge. Confused, she pushed again, but it still refused to open. The door was engineered to only be locked from the outside, not the inside. Panicked, she moved quickly through the library to the main entrance to try that door. When it too wouldn’t budge, she felt cold fear slide through her body. She was locked in. Spinning around, she scanned the still seemingly empty library, but she could feel it now. She wasn’t alone. She was being watched. Covering her mouth with her hands, she sucked in a deep breath. That’s when she smelled the smoke.
* * *
The man stood cloaked in the shadows and watched in amusement as the little librarian raced around the library searching for a way to escape. Did she really think it would be that easy to escape the trap he’d set for her? He had no idea observing from afar would offer him a similar rush of adrenaline as watching terror up close, reflected in his victim’s eyes.
When Aubrey rushed around the desk to pick up the phone, he casually dropped another book onto the floor. The bang caused her to jump and let out a muffled scream as she spun around, eyes searching frantically around the room for the origin of the sound. The phone fell forgotten from her fingertips as she backed up to round the desk, searching the stacks for any sign of movement. Making a snap decision, he shifted a little to the right, letting her see him. Their eyes locked and she froze in mid-step. For a single moment in time, they were all that existed, each enthralled with the other. In her eyes he watched shock change to fear then terror. In his, she saw her own death. He wasn’t there to help her, he was the reason she was trapped. He was the devil in living form, come to drag her off to hell.
She backed up and ran, desperate to put as much distance between them as she possibly could. The rustling behind her only confirmed her fear that he was coming after her and at top speed. She raced towards the back office, if she could reach it, she could lock herself in there and call for help; something she should have done at the front desk. Inwardly smacking herself for her cliché horror movie girl stupidness, she rounded the last stack before the office and stopped dead in her tracks.
A large pile of books on the floor was currently on fire, the flames consuming the pages. The blaze was so high it blocked the way to the office, effectively making the aisle a dead end. Sweat began to run down her back as she realized that he was playing a game with her, watching her run through the stacks knowing that he’d set fires and there would be no way for her to get free. Refusing to give up, she retraced her steps and ran down another walkway, only to be met with the same fate. He’d caged her in. There was no way out.
“Oh God, oh God,” she whispered, walking backwards, her eyes never leaving the flames. Her back collided with something hard; immovable. Her body shook as she slowly turned and looked up into the face that had herded her into this spot. A ski-mask blocked his identity, making him a faceless menace that would haunt her dreams if she made it out of there alive.
“Say goodnight, pet,” he told her. She looked at him quizzically for a split second before he brought his fist up and everything went black.
The man hummed as he hooked his hands under Aubrey’s arms and dragged her along the floor. Mila had ordered this one’s death and he was nothing if not a loyal servant. Dumping her beside the file cabinets, he gathered up more books and dumped them all in a pile around her. When he was satisfied with his collection, he slipped his hand into his pocket and withdrew his pack of matches. He struck the flame and with a flick of his wrist, dropped it into his makeshift fire pit. His hands twitched and he looked down at the blow torch at his side. It would be so easy to just spend a few minutes playing with her, he was intrigued to see how her pale, milky skin would look when alive with flames. The fact that he couldn’t take the time only fueled his rage further. Mila owed him for denying him his pleasure.
The flames came to life, dancing across floor to latch greedily onto the books he’d arranged. Power coursed through his veins, electrifying his pulse into a furious pace as his handiwork came to life.
One tiny ember is all it took to engulf their world in flames.
One dance of the molten blaze extinguished everything of importance. Glancing at his watch, he realized he was cutting it close to his meet with Mila and she was not a woman who would be pleased to be kept waiting. With a regretful look, he turned and walked away from his creation, without a second thought of the woman he was leaving behind to burn.
“Thanks for the game, pet. Be seein’ ya,” he called out as he walked to the only unblocked exit in the library. It wouldn’t be long before the whole building lit up. Knowing that he was responsible for that filled him with pride. His work, their work would make him a legend. They’d be talking about his masterpieces for years to come. Especially this one.
* * *
West slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times. His neck protested when he moved his head too quickly and he raised a hand to rub the back of it. He was sitting str
aight up in the passenger seat of his car, seatbelt firmly in place. “What the fuck?” he wondered out loud. How much had he drank last night? He never let himself get out of control when drinking. To think that he was that out of it that he had no recollection of how he ended up in the passenger side of his own car, parked outside the—the library? It made no fucking sense.
He looked himself over. He was covered in ash, black marks covering his hands once again; just like the other morning when he woke up with parts of his memory missing. His blackouts were coming more and more frequently and were starting to scare the shit out of him. West rolled his stiff shoulders and looked at the clock. Almost ten a.m. He’d told Aubrey he would come by and see her this morning; but he wanted to go home and clean up, she shouldn’t see him in this state.
Climbing out of the car to move to the driver’s side, something caught his eye at the library. Squinting, he stared hard at the building, eyes widening when he realized what he was seeing. Smoke. Smoke was billowing out of one of the windows.
“Fuck!” he yelled and took off at a run towards the building. He yanked his phone out of his pocket and called the station.
“Chief, it’s me. I’ve got a live one at the library, send the truck,” he ordered and disconnected. When he reached the front entrance, he found it barricaded. Horror filled him; fuck if she was in there and had tried to get out, this would have prevented it.
He tore the thick two-by-four blocking the door away and yanked it open. The library was filling with thick black smoke and he didn’t have any of his gear. Thinking fast, he tore the pretty pink and yellow floral curtain down from its rod and used it as a makeshift mask.
“Aubrey! Aubrey, can you hear me?” he searched the stacks methodically, desperate to find her. The flames had engulfed half of the library and were spreading fast.
“Dammit, Aubrey where are you?” he coughed. Rounding the last row of shelves he saw something at the end of the row. As he moved closer, he could just make out the shape of a body lying on the floor. He ran the few remaining feet and dropped down beside Aubrey’s unmoving form.
“Fuck,” he swore, feeling for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. He tore the curtain in half and tied half around her head in an attempt to protect her from further smoke inhalation. Scooping her up into his arms, he moved as quickly as possible, retracing his steps to the front door. He vaguely heard the sirens in the distance and was filled with relief that the cavalry had arrived.
He burst out the front of the library and inhaled a deep gulp of fresh air. He laid Aubrey on the grass a few feet away and checked her over for injuries. Her face appeared to be swelling up, but other than that she was unharmed. The damage the smoke inhalation had done remained to be seen.
The paramedics rushed over and West stepped back to let them do their work. Aubrey’s eyes fluttered open as her body shook with the force of her coughing. Struggling to take in clean air, she stared into the face of her savior. Familiar brown eyes were watching her with concern.
“West?” she croaked. He gently pushed the hair back from her forehead as he knelt down next to her.
“It’s me, sweets. I got you, you’re safe now.” Tears leaked from her eyes as she nodded, still gasping for breath. He’d saved her life.
West stood to give the paramedics more room to work and the put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. She immediately struggled, trying to rip it off.
“Hey, hey sweets, leave that on for me okay?” West got in her line of sight, hoping to calm her. “You’re safe. You’re okay. But you inhaled a lot of smoke and I just need you to keep that on for me. Can you do that, please?” She stopped struggling and gave a slight nod.
“How is she, Karen?” he asked the paramedic. Karen removed the blood pressure cuff and pulled off her stethoscope.
“Vitals are strong, but we’re going to need to take her to the hospital to monitor her. She inhaled a lot of smoke and a doctor needs to check her over,” she explained.
The crew was getting ready to enter the library; Chief Watson barking orders left and right. West needed to grab some gear and get in there with his men.
“Aubrey, I’m going get them to call Autumn and she will meet you at the hospital, alright, doll? You’re gonna be fine.” He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand, the look of fear in her eyes eating away at him.
“Karen—” he began but she cut him off.
“I got her, Lieutenant. Get your ass in there and save what’s left of that library.” West nodded his thanks and with a last comforting look at Aubrey, left to join his brothers. Fury boiled inside him that he’d almost lost her, someone had deliberately trapped her in there and left her to die.
Picking up his fire axe, he swung through the doors, ready to extinguish the fire that had nearly stole the future he hadn’t known he’d wanted from him.
“Alright, boys,” he yelled into his walkie. “Let’s take this bitch down.”
Several hours later, West stood in the locker room trying to process everything that had happened. He wrenched his helmet from his head and sent it flying across the room in frustration. She’d almost died. If he’d been five minutes later, she’d cease to exist. A close call like that struck deep within him, rattled nerves that should have been made of steel. Instead, his hands shook with the realization that Aubrey meant more to him than he’d admitted to himself.
This fucker had Aubrey in his sights, and if he succeeded, she’d be his next victim. “Not on my fucking watch,” he swore out loud. “He’s gonna have to go through me first before he ever lays a finger on her.” The fear he’d seen in Aubrey’s eyes was enough to have his blood boiling. One way or another, he would end this psycho’s reign of terror once and for all.
CHAPTER NINE
Sheriff Brady James finished reading the report that the Stockton Crossing Sheriff’s department had sent over and closed the file with a heavy sigh. This serial arsonist on the loose in a town not that far from Durham Heights was a growing concern. With each victim he was growing more cocky and courageous; not afraid to up the ante when he wasn’t caught. Sheriff Moore was in over his head with this case and the longer it went without a resolution, the more the citizens would be at risk of losing their lives. His conscience wouldn’t allow him to sit back and do nothing, the time to act had come.
There was a loud rap on his office door and it swung open to reveal Gabe Thornton and Theo Barrington—two men that had become like brothers to him. Gabe was a good friend from years back, but he had only just recently met Theo in the past couple of years when working on a case that had threatened to ruin them all. Marcus Drake. Marcus and his band of lowlifes, in Brady’s opinion, were the worst criminals he’d ever encountered. His operation of kidnapping women, forcing them to become pregnant and then stealing those infants from them over and over—it was sickening. What those women had been forced to endure haunted him every night. His only salvation was the fact that they’d been able to rescue Gabe’s son before it was too late.
“Sittin’ down on the job again. I think I need to talk to someone about our tax dollars going to waste while you sit behind that desk eating donuts,” Theo joked as they came in and shut the door. “Yep, I can see the weight gain from here. You’ve really let yourself go, Sheriff.”
Brady got up and gave Gabe a one-armed hug. “Shut up, you ass,” he said to Theo. “Gwyn doesn’t even let me touch donuts anymore. She’s on this health food kick; turkey bacon. Who the fuck eats turkey bacon? Sarah has to sneak me in the real stuff when I know she’s not working at the diner,” he complained, taking his seat again.
Gabe laughed as they took a seat in the two chairs in front of Brady’s desk. “You’re in trouble with that one, man. Already changing your diet and you’re not even married yet.”
“Nah, she’s worth it. I don’t mind sneaking a bit of bacon behind her back if it keeps her happy. I’m damn lucky to have that woman.”
Theo stood up and looked around as if searching for
something. “People! We have a situation here—Brady has lots his balls! Organize a search party, stat—”
Brady tossed a pencil at his head. “Sit your dumbass down. Jesus Christ, what do you two want?” he demanded with an aggravated sigh.
Theo finally turned serious. “There’s a situation over in Stockton Crossing. Gabe’s buddy, West is a Lieutenant with the fire department there. We’re thinking it might need some “extra” assistance.” Their eyes met and Brady knew that they were all remembering the day they skirted the law to rescue Caleb, and ultimately baby Hope and Greta as well. Their actions may not have been on the straight and narrow, however none of them would change a thing. Anything that ensured the safe return of Caleb to his family and allowed Hope to be saved from being sold on the Black Market was a win in Brady’s book. They were just damn lucky that they had enough connections to keep their asses from being fried.
“I know all about it. Sheriff Moore sent me some reports to review. It’s a fucking disaster. This guy is upping his game with each victim. What can you tell me that isn’t in this report?” Brady was smart enough to know that there was more to the story than what was in the official reports.
“They think this fuck is some sort of inside man. He’s got knowledge of things he shouldn’t. He’s either involved in some sort of law enforcement job or he’s got someone feeding him information. At this point, everyone is a suspect. They can’t be too careful after…” Theo trailed off and looked away, uncharacteristically quiet.
“After Jed. I see. Well, I know you two have some sort of plan up your sleeves so go ahead and fill me in.” The reminder of Jed Rims and the torture he’d inflicted on Brady’s town left a bad taste in his mouth and a hard ball of rage knotted in his belly. The fact that he’d been right under Brady’s nose the whole time still burned him, the blood of those victims was on his hands—he’d failed to protect them. To make Durham Heights a safe place for its citizens.
Denouement (The Darkness Series Book 3) Page 8
