In for the Win

by Melynda Price

  “For what?” Regan snapped. “You didn’t kick the shit out of me every fucking day while I was growing up. You saved my life, and I repaid you with betrayal. It’s beside the point that I’m so in love with your sister that I can hardly see straight. I lied to you. I went behind your back and I broke your trust. Yet here you are. After everything I’ve done, you’ve still got my back. You’ve always been a better man than me.”

  That was not even close to the truth. The problem with Regan was that he deemed his worth from the approval of the one person he’d never gotten it from—and now he never would. Though Kyle didn’t understand why Regan wanted it so badly.

  “That isn’t true. I’ve got my flaws and you know it. The only thing I might be better at is hiding them. You see yourself through your father’s eyes. That’s always been your problem. Maybe now he’s gone, you’ll be able to bury all that shit right along with him. Life’s all about choices, man. You can choose to live in the past and let this define you, or you can make a fresh start with Willow.”

  Just maybe they could all make a fresh start, because the one thing Kyle was sick of living with was regret. But the one lesson they could both take away from Arthur Matthews’ death was that life was short. “You’re not the only one who needs to learn to move forward. When my parents died, so did a part of me—the part that held my hopes, my dreams. And then I almost lost Willow too.” Just letting his mind go back to that night so many years ago made his heart kick inside his chest. “I remember sitting in that emergency room and pleading with God to spare her. When she survived, it was like He had given me this precious gift. She was all I had left in this world, and I’ve spent these last five years living for her. Every sacrifice, every decision I made, has been for her. Looking back, I realize I didn’t do it alone. I couldn’t have done it without you. Your friendship and your loyalty—to the both of us—helped get us where we are today. I would have been poor as dirt and raising Willow living on ramen if you hadn’t gotten me that shot with Coach.

  “I shouldn’t have doubted your feelings for her, your commitment to her, because you’ve spent the last five years earning her love. You deserve it, Regan. You deserve her, and I’m sorry I ever made you doubt your worth. This isn’t you.” He gestured toward the man in the bed. “This is not your legacy. It’s time to close this chapter and start a new one.”

  The truth of his words hit home. Kyle should be taking his own advice. If he wasn’t willing to deal with his past and come to terms with his parents’ deaths, what right did he have expecting Pen to confront hers? And he was so proud of her. Her strength and resilience astounded him. If she could walk through that fire, then so could he. It was time to forgive himself for being the reason they were on the road that night. It was time to face the fact that they were gone and never coming back. It was time to do something he hadn’t done since the day he’d put them in the ground. It was time to say goodbye…

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Pen was throwing the last batch of monster cookies into the oven when her cell rang. She didn’t remember a lot in the days following her father’s death, but she recalled there had been food. Lots and lots of food. And she particularly remembered the monster cookies. Over the years, they had become a comfort food for her, and she hoped they could do the same for Regan and Willow in their time of grief.

  She closed the oven door, set the timer, and then grabbed her cell off the counter to answer it. “Hello?”

  “Miss Cantrel?”

  “Yes?”

  “Hi, I’m calling from Animal Control. One of our officers removed a rattlesnake from your residence a few weeks ago. Since then, some other homes in the area have experienced the same problem. We’re going through your neighborhood and doing home inspections for perimeter breaches, trying to figure out how they’re getting in. We have an Animal Control officer in the area this afternoon. Would you be available to meet him around noon? It will take approximately thirty minutes to do the inspection, depending on the size of your home.”

  “Today really isn’t a good time.” If she was going to go to the house, she’d prefer to have Kyle with her.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. If the officer can’t come out today, then I’m afraid it will be at least another week before we can schedule something. You don’t want them nesting beneath your house and laying eggs.”

  No. No, she definitely did not. One snake was bad enough, but a freaking family? “Alright. I’ll make it work.” Pen glanced at the clock on the wall. She could get ready right now, then leave when the last batch of cookies came out. If she drove straight there, she could make it by noon, and drop the cookies off with Willow afterwards.

  “I’ll put you on the schedule, ma’am.”

  Well, wasn’t this fan-fucking-tabulous? Of all the things she wanted to be dealing with today, a freaking rattlesnake inspection was not one of them. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she grumbled, opening her contacts. She was about to call Kyle, but then changed her mind. He was busy with Regan. The death of his friend’s father trumped her reptile problem. She would go there and meet the Animal Control officer herself. It would be fine. She wouldn’t be there alone, and it would only be thirty minutes.

  It was late morning by the time Kyle pulled up to the cemetery. He cut the engine and sat there a moment working up the courage to get out of the car. His gaze flickered to the flowers on the seat—white calla lilies, his mother’s favorite. Exhaling a sigh, he grabbed the bouquet and large water bottle before throwing open the door.

  His feet were heavy as his heart as he made his way through the cemetery, past the rows of gravestones. It didn’t take long to locate the plot shared by his parents, though he’d only been here the day he’d put them in the ground. The large olive tree near the back marked the shade-covered site, offering respite from the blazing sun. He exchanged the wilted flowers for the fresh bouquet and wondered how often Willow came here. From the looks of the half-dead daisies, he’d say on the regular.

  In the beginning, Willow had come here almost every day, staying for hours. Whenever he’d get calls that she’d ditched school, or if he couldn’t find her, this was where she’d be. Maybe she’d never stopped coming. Wow, he was a shitty son. What kid didn’t visit their own parents’ graves?

  One that doesn’t want to face the fact that they are gone.

  Kyle spent a few minutes arranging the flowers. When he had them just right, he emptied the water into the vase and then he settled in the grass. The ache in his chest was so intense it was hard to breathe. He tried to speak, but couldn’t get any sound past the emotion clogging his throat. He cleared it and tried again.

  “I, uh…don’t know if you can hear me, but I came to say I’m sorry. If it seems like I’ve been avoiding you, it’s because I have. Coming here… It’s too painful, and I’ve been using Willow as an excuse to avoid facing this. But she’s moving on with her life, and I realize after all these years, that I’m stuck in the same place I was five years ago. It’s been hard letting her go, but man, she’s become a strong, independent woman. You’d be proud of her. I know I am.

  “What I’m not so proud of is what I’ve become. The success I’ve achieved, the things I’ve accomplished, have all been for the wrong reasons. But I’m changing that now and I’m ready to face losing you guys. I want to let go of the guilt. I need to move on. But I can’t until I say goodbye, so I guess that’s why I’m here…”

  Pen pulled up to the house with a few minutes to spare. The Animal Control van was parked in her neighbor’s driveway. She surveyed the area then chastised herself for being so skittish. It was the middle of the day and this was her home. How long was she going to let the threat of some asshole keep her in hiding?

  But the threat was real, and she’d promised Kyle she wouldn’t come here alone. He’d be furious if he found out, especially if she didn’t call him. Indecision made her hesitant as she sat in the car, contemplating what she should do. Better safe than sorry. She pi
cked up the phone and called Kyle’s cell. After several rings, it rolled over to voicemail.

  “Hi, it’s me. I got a call from Animal Control and they’re sending someone over to inspect the house for snakes at noon. They think there’s a nest in the area. I’m here now. Just wanted you to know where I am. I’m going to stop over and drop off some cookies with Willow when I’m done. Hope things are okay with Regan.”

  She disconnected the call just as the neighbor’s front door opened and a man wearing a sand-brown uniform appeared in the doorway then turned to face Mrs. Peterson. “I’m happy to tell you, you’re snake free,” he announced.

  “Oh, thank goodness.” The elderly woman stood in the doorway as the AC officer took a backward step onto the porch. “I was so worried.”

  Pen got out of the car and headed to the house as the man obtained the required signatures. She could hear her neighbor thanking him and prattling on about someone she knew who was bitten by a rattlesnake. Pen snickered as she shoved the key inside the door and turned the lock. That poor guy was going to have a hell of a time getting away from her. That lady could talk a person’s ear off.

  As she opened the door and stepped inside, she was greeted with the high-pitch buzzing of the security system. It was a comforting sound. She felt safer knowing the place was being monitored while she wasn’t here, and with the new locks Kyle had installed, perhaps she was overreacting by staying away. Pen entered the four-digit code into the keypad and disengaged the alarm. She re-bolted the lock and was headed for the kitchen to grab a root beer from the fridge when the doorbell rang.

  That was fast.

  Pen glanced out the window before opening the door. The AC officer was standing off to the side, inspecting the area where her garage attached to the house, but she could see the badge of his sleeve identifying him as Las Vegas Animal Control. She undid the deadbolt and opened the door. When the man turned and looked up, Pen’s breath caught in a surprised gasp.

  “Bob?”

  The smile he gave her was friendly, but his expression lacked surprise. Did he know she lived here? “Oh, hey, Pen.”

  “You work for Animal Control?” She wasn’t sure what else to say, she was too busy trying to decide if this was a harmless coincidence or if she should be listening to the prickle of fine hairs rising on the back of her neck. She always got them around him, so the needling sensation was nothing new.

  “For about six months now. Heard you got yourself a little snake problem.”

  He held up his clipboard with a list of addresses for proof he was here to do a job, and he very well might have been, but Pen suddenly regretted her decision to come here alone.

  “Mind if I come in and check everything out?”

  When she hesitated to answer, the brightness of his smile dimmed and he tucked his clipboard beneath his arm.

  “It will only take a few minutes.”

  “I’m sorry. I was just heading out. My boyfriend is expecting me to meet him. Can we reschedule?”

  At the mention of Kyle, any vestiges of pleasantness fell from Bob’s face. Her heart leapt into her throat at the insanity staring back at her. “I’m sorry, but I really must insist…”

  Pen panicked. He reached for the door as she slammed it shut, but it stopped inches from latching. She glanced down and saw his toe wedged in the crack. His fingers wrapped around the edge of the door and his face appeared in the space like a real-life version of The Shining.

  She screamed as Bob shoved the door open, forcing his way inside. He closed it behind him and engaged the deadbolt. “I see you changed the locks. Figured out how I was getting in, huh? The security system is a nice touch.”

  She turned to run, but only made it a few steps before she heard a muffled pop and felt a sharp pain in her leg. Pen glanced down and saw a tranquilizer dart sticking out of her thigh. She grabbed it and yanked, but it was too late. A wave of dizziness hit her and the room began to spin. She stumbled forward as Bob crashed into her from behind. Pen hit the ground hard; the weight upon her back was suffocating. She knew she should fight, her mind screaming the demand, but her limbs felt heavy, her body refusing to obey. She couldn’t move.

  As Pen slipped into unconsciousness, she heard him whisper near her ear, “Seven, eight, nine, ten. Found you. Game over, sweetheart.”

  Kyle’s cell was ringing when he got back to the car. He didn’t realize he’d left it behind until he’d reached for his pocket to check the time and found it missing. Before he could answer the call, it rolled over to voice mail and he saw he’d missed a few—one from Coach, one from Willow, and one from Pen.

  He checked the time of Pen’s call—almost forty-five minutes ago—and tried to ring her back but she didn’t answer. While he accessed his voicemails, he fired up the engine and got the air running. It was hot—like fry an egg on the asphalt hot. Aiming a vent in his direction, he leaned back in the seat, closed his eyes, and listened to the messages.

  “Kyle, it’s Coach. You’d better not be screening my goddamn calls. I need an answer, son. I gotta fly out in a few days so if this is going to happen I want to get the ball rolling. Call me.”

  “Hey, Ky. It’s Willow. I want to thank you for going down to the hospital today. It meant a lot to Regan to have you there. Love you.”

  “Hi, it’s me. I got a call from Animal Control and they’re sending someone over to inspect the house for snakes at noon. They think there’s a nest in the area. I’m here now. Just wanted you to know where I am. I’m going to stop over and drop off some cookies with Willow when I’m done. Hope things are okay with Regan.”

  She was at the house? Alone? They’d talked about this. She’d promised she wouldn’t go there without him. As he headed for Pen’s, the last message played, this one was from Detective Paskel.

  “Mr. Scott, this is Detective Paskel. I tried to reach Ms. Cantrel but haven’t gotten a hold of her. Listen, I think we might have gotten a break in the case. Call me back.”

  Thank God. Finally, some good news for once. He exited his messages and located the number for the LVPD in his log of missed calls. As Kyle sped through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic, he returned the detective’s call.

  “Detective Paskel.”

  “This is Kyle Scott.”

  “Yeah, I tried to call Ms. Cantrel, but haven’t been able to reach her. I might have found a break in this case and wanted to ask her about it. In reviewing Ms. Sinclair’s cell phone records, the day she disappeared she had a call from the Las Vegas Animal Control. I didn’t think much of it until I was going through Ms. Cantrel’s phone records and also noticed she had a call come in from there. I spoke with Dr. Summers this morning and asked her if she had any patients she knows of that work there. And she does. A patient named Bob Pratt. Does that name sound familiar? Has Ms. Cantrel ever mentioned this guy to you?”

  Panic seized Kyle’s heart as he turned down the road, speeding toward Pen’s development. “No, but she’s at the house right now with someone from Animal Control.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Consciousness clawed through Pen’s drugged haze. She slowly woke, disoriented and dimly perceiving she was on her bed, arms stretched over her head. Something sharp bit into her wrists when she tried to move them. Her legs were spread apart, ankles tethered to the footboard. She lifted her head and gasped to discover she was naked except for her black lace demi bra and matching thong.

  Panic seized her and she began to struggle, but something was in her mouth, muffling her screams.

  “Don’t fight. You’ll only hurt yourself.”

  She jerked her head toward his voice and locked eyes with Bob standing in the corner with a sadistic grin on his face. He rolled his shoulder, shoving away from the wall and strolled over to her.

  “It didn’t have to be like this, you know? I told you, you belong to me. But you wouldn’t listen. They never do.” He reached down and slowly traced the edge of her bra, dragging his fingertip over the exposed arch of
her breasts. “So beautiful,” he mused, trailing his finger through her cleavage and down her stomach.

  Pen retched, choking on the vomit surging up her throat. Not again. Please God, not again. Her mind screamed as the past and present merged to create one macabre nightmare. Bob grabbed the crotch of her panties and tugged them aside to expose her as he tipped his head for a better view.

  She screamed against the gag, her cry a muffled wail as she thrashed to get free, but her bonds held tight and the struggle only seemed to excite him more.

  “I didn’t think it was possible, but you’re more perfect than Peyton. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you, Penelope. Wanted you—prepared for you. But you’ve been a bad girl, and now we need to take care of your boyfriend. I met him, you know? The night I removed the snake from your house. It was difficult not to kill him then, especially after the scene he made that night when he raced out of your house, and stood on your front lawn challenging me. He’ll pay for that. I’ll make him watch while I fuck you, and then I’m going to slit his throat.”

  The roar of an engine echoed down the street, drawing closer. Bob reached into his pocket, pulled out a dart, and loaded it into the tranquilizer gun. “It sounds like he’s come to join the party. You know what they say. Better late than never.” Bob opened the closet door and stepped inside, pulling it partially closed and obscuring him from view.

  Pen tried to scream, renewing her efforts to get free, but the bonds held tight. She couldn’t warn Kyle he was walking into a trap.

  Kyle pulled into Pen’s driveway and slammed on the brakes, tires squealing as he blocked in the Animal Control van. A culmination of emotion churned in his gut—relief they were here and fear he was too late. He ran up to the house. The door was locked. Pen would never lock herself in with a stranger.