“I did not,” Caroline scolded and then followed her sister into the kitchen smiling and feeling blessed to have her in her life and sharing all these moments together.
* * * *
Cameron’s plan was in motion. He wanted everything to be perfect. He splurged and rented a private house on a lake. It was big and beautiful and secluded. As he fixed up the bedroom and arranged a series of candles around it the way Caroline would like, he looked out the window at the view of the woods. It was gorgeous. He had the windows opened a little because it was warmer here than up north, and the smell of the woods and fresh air was a nice touch.
Chance was two exits down the highway. He planned on checking it out today and to see Caroline. He knew she may be a bit upset at seeing him. Perhaps it would be better to get her alone at the house she shared with her sister? He would make the decision later. He walked over to the duffel bag and pulled out the handcuffs and rope. In case she was defiant, he would need to ensure she didn’t try to run off. He had a lot of convincing to do and if she was too defiant, a firm hand and some discipline would be in order.
He smiled to himself as he stood there in jeans, a T-shirt, and his gun on his waist. He pulled on the hooded sweatshirt to cover his revolver and smiled. “By tonight, you’ll be back in my bed where you belong, Caroline.”
* * * *
C.J. lifted Caroline up and twirled her around. She was laughing and filled with joy as she just beat C.J. in a round of tennis.
“One more game,” he said to her.
“Nope. You owe me a lunch and a dinner, oh, and dessert, deputy,” she teased and he covered her mouth and kissed her deeply. That kiss grew a little wild until they heard someone clear their throat.
C.J. looked over her shoulder.
“Hi, Ed, Liah,” he said to the couple who came to use the other court. Caroline chuckled as she hugged C.J.
“Deputy Mantel,” Ed said and looked at the two of them. Liah smiled and gave Caroline a wave.
“Have a nice game,” Caroline told them and her and C.J. headed out of the courts with their rackets and down the path through the little woods.
“That was so much fun. I think I’m getting better,” she said to C.J.
He gave her ass a slap. “Oh, I think so, too. I’m going to have to warn Hunter and York. You just swindled me into lunch and dinner.”
She hugged his waist. “And dessert,” she teased. He ran a finger along her ass cheek, and she jerked away.
“C.J.,” she scolded.
“You fucking whore.”
Caroline gasped and froze in place the moment she saw Cameron. C.J. turned to the right and exchanged looks with Caroline and went to move in front of her when the gun went off.
It was crazy. The look in Cameron’s eyes, the sight of the gun pointed at C.J. and then him firing it. C.J. went down and Caroline screamed and went to run to him. She saw the blood oozing from his chest and the look of fear. He went to run and still protect her when Cameron pulled her up by her hair. He kept the gun on C.J.
“No. No, Cameron, don’t shoot him again. Please.”
“Fucking bitch. You’ll suffer for this.” He kicked C.J., who moaned and grunted as Cameron pulled Caroline by her hair down the pathway. Caroline tried to pull his hand from her hair but couldn’t. She looked back and saw C.J. He wasn’t moving.
“Oh God, you killed him. Why, Cameron? Why?” She cried hysterically as he dragged her faster through the park. She didn’t see a soul around. It was a weekday. Most people were working and this was a path that was never frequented. He got her to a car that was parked between the trees.
“Get in the fucking car, whore.” He released her hair and she shoved at him.
“No. I’m not going anywhere with you.” He backhanded her across the mouth, shocking her. She came at him again and he struck her with the gun and hit her again and again. She saw stars and felt like she was losing consciousness. He won. He’d killed C.J. and now he was going to kill her.
He shoved her into the car, grabbed her wrist, and connected it to handcuffs and the handle on the door.
“I’ve been watching you for the past two days. You’re fucking three men. You make me sick.” He slammed his firearm against her face and her head hit the door. She couldn’t move as he sped out of the park and her mind felt fuzzy. Oh God, C.J., don’t die. Please don’t die because of me.
* * * *
The call came out over the radio and York sped down the highway and onto the exit ramp for Chance. He was flying, his concern for C.J.’s life and for Caroline’s. There were mixed reports coming in. Numerous 911 calls about a gunshot, about C.J. being shot and a man abducting Caroline.
As he got into town and saw all the police vehicles and the ambulance, he hurried onto the scene as they were getting C.J. into the ambulance. Hunter was there.
“He got her. He fucking shot C.J. while they were walking from the tennis courts.
“Oh God, how is he? Is he going to make it?”
“The bullet appears to be lodged in his shoulder.”
“Find her, York, Hunter. Find that fucking asshole and kill him before he kills Caroline,” C.J. yelled out and grunted as the gurney bounced into position in the back of the ambulance.
“We will. We promise,” Hunter said and he and York approached the sheriff and the other deputies and their friends. Everyone arrived on scene and were gathering clues.
“We have a description of the vehicle and a license plate. I’ve got Mike and Taylor trying to find out if this guy has been staying local. They’ll hopefully come up with something fast,” Max told them.
“Hunter! Hunter!”
York and Hunter turned to see Shelby running toward them as the ambulance pulled away.
“Caroline and C.J.? What happened?” she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.
York placed his hand on her shoulder. “Cameron showed up. He shot C.J.”
Shelby covered her mouth with her hand and cried harder. “Is he okay? What about Caroline? Is she hurt, too?” she asked as Bender stood next to her along with Kenneth. “He took her, Shelby. Cameron has Caroline.”
She stepped back only for Bender to hold her around the waist.
“Oh God no. He’ll kill her. He’s going to punish her and kill her.”
Bender pulled her into his arms and held her tight.
“We’re not going to let that happen, Shelby. We promise,” Hunter said and then looked at York. “What do we do first? Because I’m ready to go hunting.”
Chapter 9
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing. It’s been hours,” Shelby said as she sat in the waiting room at the hospital with Eliza Grace and Missy Ann.
Marlena and her other friends were all there, too. Martha, Jake, Rich, and Paul were all there waiting to get news from the doctor about C.J.’s condition.
As Shelby looked around and saw all the angry faces and the sadness, it confirmed her need to stay clear of Kenneth, Sam, and Bender. She wouldn’t put these people in harm’s way. There was no doubt in her mind that Skip would kill them to get to her or kill them just because she cared about them.
“Shelby, would you like something to drink or eat?” Kenneth asked her as he approached.
She shook her head.
“I don’t need anything, and if I did, I would get it myself,” she said to him. Her friends heard her, and she knew that maybe some of the others did as well. Kenneth was angry and maybe even shocked at her hurtful words. She felt bad but it had to be this way. All she could worry about now was Caroline and C.J. That they would both come through this alive, and that Cameron would be caught before he hurt Caroline worse. Skip was capable of murder. Skip held her hostage, assaulted her, and scarred her body. She knew without a doubt that if she ever saw him again, she wouldn’t live to see another day.
Dr. Anders walked into the room along with two doctors. One of them was the surgeon. They gave soft smiles. “He’s going to be just fine,” the one docto
r said and everyone seemed to exhale in relief. Shelby felt the tears roll down her cheeks.
She barely heard what he said. Something about the bullet lodged under his shoulder bone and that he would have a long recovery and plenty of physical therapy. That he was resting but they could see him.
Through blurry eyes she saw his mother being hugged by her husbands, she saw the relief on everyone’s faces, but then she saw Kenneth talking with four men she didn’t recognize but noticed them watching Eliza Grace . They definitely liked her, but she ignored them like Shelby was ignoring Kenneth.
Shelby stood up and hugged C.J.’s mom and then his dads.
“It’s going to be okay, Shelby. Caroline is tough and this town has everyone working on finding her. My boys Hunter and York won’t let anything happen to their woman. You’ll see,” she said with confidence Shelby just couldn’t understand.
“I’m so sorry that C.J. was caught in the middle of this. I know Caroline must be distraught and thinking he’s dead. She would never want your sons to get hurt or killed because of her.”
“Shelby, they love her, and they would do anything for her, just like Caroline would do for them. That’s what true love is. I’m not angry with Shelby for what this man has done. I’m angry with him. Men like that don’t deserve to live. They don’t deserve kind beautiful women to abuse and hurt like he did to Caroline. We’ll get through this and Caroline will be found alive. You’ll see,” she said and hugged Shelby again. Shelby opened her eyes as Martha released her and her eyes locked gazes with Kenneth. She felt guilty and scared, and wondered how Martha could be so brave, so understanding. Shelby couldn’t be that way, and no matter what, she wasn’t going to put Kenneth and his brothers into the line of fire. Never.
* * * *
“What do you have, Sam?” Hunter asked him as they sat in the truck and spoke with Sam over the phone.
“Okay, good news. Just got off the phone with someone who works in Cameron’s department. He’s been written up numerous times for some disciplinary action. Apparently, he has a bit of a drinking problem, too, but it’s been covered up. He asked for a two-week vacation five days ago. He rented a hotel in Scarlet County but only for two nights.”
“Scarlet County is just a few miles from here,” Hunter said and put the phone on speaker so York could listen, too. The others were around the trooper car. Max, Mike, and the other deputies plus even Bender, too.
“I did a little searching and got his credit card charges.”
“How the hell did you do that so quickly?” Mike asked.
“No questions. Okay, here it is. Bingo. I got it. There’s a charge for renting a house, on a lake deep in Scarlet for nine days. It’s in the woods. I’ve got an address,” he said and they wrote it down.
“He must have her there. He probably planned on taking her there to win her back, if what his friends in the department in New York say. They believe that he thinks she loves him and is just mad at him for breaking her arm, but when they found out he shot a cop, her current boyfriend, and abducted her. They were all talking about how he abused her, was a drunk, and had a short temper. We need to get to her fast,” Max said and they all agreed.
“We can’t go running in there. This guy, if what his friends and coworkers say is true and what his plan was, he won’t expect us to find him or to raid the place. His goal was to get Caroline and try to convince her to come back to him,” Bender said to them.
“Yes, but he shot C.J. and he called her a whore. He knows that she’s been with us and moved on. That made the game change, and if it’s control he wants, then he’ll hurt her until she gives in,” York stated.
“We can’t waste more time. Let’s make a plan to slowly get in there. Hunter has the most experience along with Tazer and Lynch. The three of you can take the lead and get in there quietly. We come in as backup on your signal,” Sam said to them.
York and Hunter looked at Tazer and Lynch. Hunter knew them from the service and from childhood. They were good men, soldiers and secret operatives for the government. Their two brothers, Burk and Harper, were computer analysts and aerial assault specialists for the Army. Very impressive.
“Let’s go get our woman and put an end to this violence and fear once and for all,” Hunter said and they began to gather their guns and make a plan. Hunter prayed that Caroline was still alive, otherwise, Cameron was going to die today, too.
* * * *
Caroline felt the hand caressing her thigh. Back and forth she sensed the skin-to-skin contact but then realized it felt different. She popped her eyes opened and found Cameron there, sitting on the bed beside her. Everything hurt. Her mouth, her head, her ribs. It all hurt. She tried to swallow and not move as his hand slid under the tennis skirt and toward her ass. She was lying on her side and her top was ripped open. She covered herself with her arms and lifted her legs higher, making his hands stop.
“You’re in a lot of trouble, Caroline. A lot of trouble,” he told her, towering over her, sitting on the side of the bed, his thigh against her knees now.
She thought about C.J. and feared he was dead. She felt so angry at him for hurting C.J. and for coming here and ruining everything. Her eye felt swollen and her jaw really hurt. She opened her mouth and coughed. He sat up.
“Here, take a sip of this,” he said to her and brought his hand to her head, cupping it and helping her to sit up as he brought the water bottle to her lips. Her head spun as if she were hungover. He smiled at her.
He placed the bottle down and then pressed a hand over her chest. “Lay back down. We have some things to talk about.”
He moved his hand along her breast, cupping it and then massaging her shoulder. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She hated him so much. She shook with fear and knew he was going to rape her. What could she do to stop him? She had never been a threat to him. He always overpowered her with violence and strength. He continued to cup her breast and then leaned closer to her mouth. She turned away. Her eyes landed on the small table by the bed. A gun. The gun that shot Cameron.
She shivered and he gripped her chin then pressed his lips to hers, forcing a kiss upon them.
She cried out. “No. Don’t touch me. Don’t,” she said and he shoved against her chest hard, making her lose her breath as he stood up.
“Goddamn it. You’re mine. Nothing has changed. This is our time to rekindle things and put the past behind us.”
“No. I don’t want that. We’re over, Cameron,” she said to him. He pulled her up by her shirt, ripping it the rest of the way and jerking her toward him. She felt pain everywhere. She didn’t even know how she was standing. He shoved her up against the window. She placed her hands palm forward to stop from hitting her face. She screamed out. He pressed up behind her. He was so big. Too big for her to fight off.
She cried. “Please, Cameron. Please stop this.”
“Look out there. Look at that scenery, that privacy. It’s all ours. It’s fucking romantic,” he screamed in her ear and turned her around and struck her across the mouth.
She gasped and fell to the rug. Blood dripped from her lip and she tried crawling away from him. She looked toward the nightstand and the gun.
“It’s because of them. Because of those three dicks you’ve been fucking. Isn’t it?” he asked, pulling her hair and making her cry out as he pulled her to her knees. She gripped his hands and shook her head.
Something came over her. Something clicked inside of her. She thought about C.J., thinking he was dead, and about York and Hunter, Martha and her husbands, and Shelby. Shelby had been right. She placed them in danger by getting involved with them. If Caroline had never let into the needs and desires to have Hunter, York, and C.J., and hadn’t allowed herself to fall in love then C.J. would be alive right now and his family wouldn’t be scared and hating her.
She couldn’t go on like this.
“I know what to do with you. You want to be a whore, I’ll treat you like a whore.” He pulled the torn shirt the
rest of the way off of her and as she tried to scramble toward the nightstand to get away from him, he ripped her skirt and kicked her thighs, striking her body repeatedly. He was going to kill her.
“No!” she screamed out and he pulled her back, turned her over, and looked down at her. He pulled the belt from his pants and then tore off his shirt. This was it. He was going to rape her. She continued to scream and he charged at her and she reacted. She shoved her arms at his midsection, surprising him and herself. He stopped short, lost his breath, and she reached for the gun. She rolled to the side and he yelled and charged at her. She pointed and pulled the trigger. One, two, three, four shots rang out as she shook and jerked with each shot.
He fell to the rug in front of her a bloody mess and she dropped the gun and cried and shook. She couldn’t breathe, and when the door burst open, she screamed out in fear but then saw Hunter and two other men, York and Max.
“Caroline,” Hunter screamed her name and he and York got to her. She saw the fear in their eyes and she couldn’t stop hyperventilating.
“He’s dead,” Sam said.
“Oh God, baby, it’s over. We’re so sorry, Caroline. So sorry he got to you when we said we would protect you.”
“C.J.?” she asked between gasps and trying to calm her breathing.
York cupped her cheek. “He’s fine, Caroline. He was shot in the shoulder and will need some physical therapy but he’s fine,” he said and she cried even harder as York held her against him.
“Here, use this to cover her up and keep her warm.” Sam handed over a jacket, and Hunter helped to wrap her in it.
“We need to get you to a hospital, baby. You done good. You fought hard and you won,” Hunter said to her.
“I could have lost C.J. You could have lost your brother because of me. Shelby was right. I never should have fallen in love with you and placed you all in danger.”
“No, Caroline. Don’t say such a thing. It was Cameron’s fault. He’s the monster. He was the bad guy, but you shot him. You saved yourself and ended it all so we could be together and move on together,” Hunter whispered to her.
Town of Chance: Sweet Caroline [The Dare Series 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 13
