The guy had only partially turned back, so the side of his head slammed full force onto the metal floor of the van with Luke’s entire weight on top of him. Luke waited for any sign of resistance, but Milton was out cold.
Unfortunately, the action also jarred Luke’s injured arm. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he quickly retrieved the gun from Milton’s pocket and handed it to Elle, who stood a few feet away.
“Is he d-dead?” she asked.
“No, so keep this trained on him in case he comes to while I’m looking for something to tie him up with.”
“We should call 911.”
“No. Let’s wait.” He hesitated. “I think the prick knows where the kidnapper is, and I want that information before we turn him in.”
“Oh…okay.” Elle glanced around. “Holmes should’ve been here to help you stop this. Where is he?”
“No clue. But he’s going to get my foot up his ass for letting Carmichael try to abduct you and cause this snafu.”
“You were amazing with the way you kept Milton talking and created trust with your flattery. I’m just so glad no one got shot. Seeing it happen once was enough for my lifetime. And I hate to think what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up.”
He clasped her shaking hands. “You’re safe, Elle. I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Now, can you hold the gun steady and not shoot me?”
She nodded jerkily, her eyes glistening.
He gave her a quick kiss and returned to the van. When Milton groaned, Luke punched him hard, and the guy passed out again. He lifted Milton’s legs, rolled him into the van, and then climbed inside after him.
The van was a pigsty but well-equipped. In addition to a blow-up mattress and sleeping bag, there was a camping potty, a portable electric cooler, jugs of water, cartons of canned goods, a propane stove, cookware, and a locked security box. He wanted to investigate the last item, but instead, focused on finding some rope. In no time, he uncovered a coil of rope and a bunch of plastic zip ties. After securing the man’s hands and feet and using a washcloth for a gag, he jumped out of the van and slammed the sliding door shut. Then he relieved Elle of the gun and helped her into the passenger’s seat before climbing into the driver’s seat.
“You good?” he asked, cupping her cheek.
“Yeah. Can’t we just go home…I mean back to Jake’s?”
“Not yet, babe. This scumbag might be the key to finding the kidnapper. I have an idea. Just play along.”
“All right,” she agreed tentatively.
Lying on the floor directly behind the seats, Milton groaned again.
Luke gave him a sharp poke. “Wake up, genius. If you don’t want to go to jail, directly to jail, do not pass go, then you need to start talking.”
Milton opened his eyes. Reality registered, and panic set in. He grunted and twisted, but to no avail.
“When you’re tired of wasting your energy, let me know.” Luke turned to Elle. “Call Holmes. I couldn’t get him to answer earlier.”
While she placed the call, Milton pounded the floor with his bound feet and made muffled squealing noises.
“What? You want to cooperate? Then scoot over here, man, so I can take that nasty cloth out of your mouth,” Luke said.
“No answer,” Elle muttered, disconnecting. “Where the hell is he?”
“I don’t know. We’ll deal with Holmes when we’re done here.” He yanked the washcloth from Milton’s mouth. “If you don’t want me to arrest you for attempted kidnapping and then take you directly to the Ramona Sheriff’s station, you had better tell me the truth. Got it?”
Milton nodded sullenly.
“Okay. Where is Elle’s kidnapper?”
“How the hell would I know?”
“Bad move, dude. You just earned a one-way ticket to jail. Kiss your freedom good-bye.” Luke started the van with the key Milton had left in the ignition.
“No! No, wait,” Milton cried. “I…uh…know where he…was.”
“Where, dammit?”
Milton gulped loudly. Twice.
“Tell me now or I’ll tear apart this damn van to find your tracking shit. You already told us that you tagged his truck and RV. Help us stop him, so he doesn’t grab Elle again.” Luke shot her a sideways glance, and she caught on immediately.
“Please help me, Mike,” she pleaded. “You probably know the kidnapper tried to get me yesterday, and I’m scared he might succeed next time.”
The stalker looked from Elle to Luke and back anxiously. “The bastard shouldn’t have kidnapped you…because you’re mine. But he won’t bother you again, honey, so you don’t have to be afraid anymore. I…I’ve taken care of him.”
Dread swept through Luke. His eyes met Elle’s before he turned to Milton and asked warily, “What do you mean you’ve ‘taken care of him’?”
Chapter 26
Elle kept her gaze glued to Luke. His calm, cool demeanor had been the only thing keeping her from totally losing it as her impression of Mike Milton had shifted dramatically from obsessed fan to white knight to wannabe kidnapper. Now the pendulum swung all the way to possible murderer, and she so wanted to scream.
But she couldn’t freak out. Not yet. They were making progress on finding the kidnapper and solving the mystery of her abduction. No way would she screw this up. Keep it together, girl. You can do it.
Still securely trussed, Milton sat in stubborn silence.
She drew a deep breath, turned toward him, and met his angry gaze head-on. “I really need your help, Mike.”
He glared at her suspiciously.
She swallowed hard and crafted a convincing lie. “I’m very grateful that you’ve ‘taken care of’ my kidnapper, but I have to see it with my own eyes. I don’t care what you’ve done to him. I’m not going to judge you. But I must see him if I’m ever going to feel safe again.”
Milton jerked his head toward Luke. “What about him? He’s a cop. Just you and me should go, honey.”
“Not happening,” Luke said. “But I swear I don’t give a shit about the bastard who kidnapped Elle. I hope he burns in Hell.”
“Yeah, right,” Milton sneered. “You gotta obey the law.”
Luke shrugged. “Hey, sometimes you just have to go rogue. I’m down with getting justice without all the red tape and annoying paperwork. What do ya say?”
The guy shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”
“Look, asshole, I took time off from work so I could help Elle without being handcuffed by the book. But now that you mention it, maybe I should call my buddies at the Sheriff’s Department. I’m sure we’ll eventually find the kidnapper, but you’ll have wasted your leverage.”
“Fine. I’ll show you…for Elle’s sake. But you have to promise you’re not going to arrest me.”
“I promise. Do we have a deal?”
“Yeah, deal.”
Luke handed Milton’s gun to Elle again. “Keep an eye on him while I’m gone.”
She gasped. “What? Where are you going?”
“To lock up my truck. I’ll be right back. Shoot him if he tries anything. Don’t hesitate,” he said as he left the van.
She gaped at Luke in disbelief. How could he leave her alone with this dangerous, delusional man? She watched incredulously as he charged through the hedge and disappeared. Scooting as far from Milton as possible, she aimed the gun at his chest with trembling hands.
“C’mon, honey. I did all this for you. Cut me loose while the cop is gone.”
“No. I’m grateful you decided to help me, but I can’t.” His forlorn expression did nothing to change her mind.
“I’d never hurt you, Elle. You gotta believe me.” He sighed heavily. “I love you. And once you get to know me, you’ll love me, too.”
A shiver raced across her skin, and bile rose in her throat. She pressed her lips together to keep from gagging.
“C’mon, Elle. I’m helping you. You should trust me. We can be in Mexico in no time.”
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She forced a thin smile and lied again. “You’re really sweet, Mike, but I need to wait and see if you hold up your end of the deal. Afterward, I’ll consider your enticing offer.”
Milton huffed, and then they sat in stony silence until Luke returned a few minutes later.
He gave Elle a reassuring nod. “We’re good to go.” Putting the van in gear, Luke glanced at the guy in the rearview mirror. “Where to, boss?”
Milton rallied from his sullenness. “Lakeside. You know where that is?”
“About a thirty-minute straight shot south on Highway 67. Lie down, so you don’t get banged up.”
They left the Poway Business Park behind, and by the time they reached the highway, they’d outrun the dense fog. Only eerie tendrils floated overhead as the van sped down the winding road.
Elle had a million questions for Luke but none she could ask in front of Milton. Forgoing her seatbelt, she leaned against the dashboard so she could keep the gun on him. But he seemed content to roll back and forth on the floor with the movement of the vehicle.
Without taking his eyes from the road, Luke patted her leg. “It’s going to be okay. You’re doing great.”
“What…what if—” she whispered.
He shook his head to cut her off. Yes, her questions would have to wait.
* * *
When they arrived in Lakeside, Luke braced himself for what was ahead. He’d spent most of the short trip mentally planning various strategies to handle whatever they found. His gut told him it would be bad. How bad was the question.
“Sit up, Milton. We’re in Lakeside. Where are we going?”
After a few roly-poly-bug moves, the guy managed to right himself. He leaned forward between the front seats to peer out the windshield.
“Stay back,” Elle warned, raising the gun.
Milton scowled. “You shouldn’t be pointing that thing at me, honey. It’s loaded.”
Every time the crazy bastard called her by some endearment, Luke wanted to strangle him. “Hey, pay attention, man. Am I turning somewhere along here?”
“Yeah. I don’t know the name of the street, but I’ll recognize it when I see it.” He studied the passing landmarks for a minute. “Okay, it’s a left at the next light.”
Luke made the turn. “Now where?”
“Before you get to a big lake, there’s a dirt road on the left. Turn there. Careful. It’s not much of a road.”
Ten minutes later, he eased onto what looked more like an ATV trail than a road. The van bounced along as though it had no shocks. After half a mile, Luke ended the bumpy ride.
“Why are you stopping?” Elle asked.
“Ran out of road.” He glanced at Milton over his shoulder. “Where to now?”
“See all those big trees over there,” he said, pointing by angling his head. “The pickup and RV are parked on the other side of them. Let’s go, but drive real slow so you don’t hurt my van.”
Luke surveyed their surroundings. There wasn’t a building, vehicle, or person in sight. The kidnapper had picked a perfectly secluded spot to hide. They were on their own if things went wrong.
He turned off the headlights and engine. “I’m going in on foot. Keep the gun aimed at Blue Van Man.”
“Right,” she said and gulped.
“Wait. I need to go with you,” Milton whined.
Luke shot him a get-real look.
“Okay, fine. But why walk in?” the guy asked irritably.
“So the kidnapper doesn’t see or hear me coming.” Of course, that wasn’t the real reason. Honestly, he didn’t want to risk Elle seeing something awful.
“He won’t,” Milton insisted.
Luke narrowed his eyes. “Why not?”
The stalker’s lips curled into a creepy, cruel smile. “He’s…tied up.”
Elle wrinkled her nose. “You left him tied up for how long?”
Milton’s grin faded to a sneer. “Long enough for him to regret what he did to you. I thought he should know how it felt.”
Elle shuddered.
Luke took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t think about it. It’s over. You’re safe, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She nodded but wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“Get your hands off my woman,” Milton snarled.
“In your dreams.” Luke gave him a warning glare. “Behave while I’m gone. Got a flashlight?”
“Glovebox.”
Elle found it and handed it to Luke.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked.
She nodded again.
“If I’m not back in thirty minutes, call 911 and drive to the gas station we passed on the highway. Understand?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
Then he leaned sideways and planted his lips firmly on hers. He ran his fingers through her hair and savored the kiss before pulling away.
Milton growled the whole time.
After climbing out of the van, Luke checked his Glock even though he didn’t expect to need it. Then he ran toward the trees with the flashlight aimed at the ground. Before entering the woods, he gave Elle a thumbs-up, but he couldn’t see if she responded from inside the dark vehicle.
His gut clenched. He didn’t want her to witness what he might find, but he also wasn’t happy about leaving her alone with Milton for so long. The jerk was trussed up like a turkey and Elle had the gun, but still, shit happened. A growing urgency to finish his mission gnawed at his nerves.
Doing his best to protect his aching, injured arm, he shoved his way through the thicket of trees and brush. Just before reaching the other side, he switched off the flashlight but had no trouble spotting the white pickup and RV parked about twenty yards away. He stashed the flashlight in his pocket and knelt to assess the situation before advancing.
Once his eyes adjusted fully to the moonlight-only illumination, he studied the campsite. A single folding chair and a small plastic table sat beside the RV. No grill, no fire pit, nothing to produce smoke or flames that might attract attention. No voices, no music. The hum of equipment, probably a gas-powered generator, was the only sound. Even though the windows and blinds on this side of the RV were all tightly closed, the glow from an indoor light would still be visible, but there was none. From all appearances, no one was stirring.
The kidnapper might be asleep, especially if he was tied up as Milton had indicated. But the stalker’s insinuations suggested a more serious scenario. Could the kidnapper actually be dead? Milton’s obsession with Elle had driven him to rescue her from Carmichael at gunpoint, but was it powerful enough to have compelled him to kill someone? Unfortunately, Luke’s trusty gut said murder was possible if Milton was as mentally unstable as he seemed.
Luke stood up and, after one last critical look around, darted across the open space to the RV. Silently, he leaned against it and listened. Again, nothing but the noise from the generator. Crouching below the windows, he crept around to the other side and scanned the length of the rig.
“Shit.”
He raced to the RV’s door and yanked it open. Probably figuring it wouldn’t matter, Milton hadn’t bothered to lock it after he’d “taken care of” the kidnapper sometime earlier. Quickly, Luke fastened the latch to hold the door wide-open. Then he gulped air and held his breath. He was up the retractable steps and inside in two long strides. After flicking on the first light switch he saw, he dashed to the closed door at the front of the rig. He flung it open and stared at the bed.
“Fuck.”
Chapter 27
C’mon, Elle. You know you want to run away with me,” Milton whined.
She clamped her lips together to keep from telling off the guy. Luke’s conversation with her delusional fan at the business park had demonstrated the safer approach of not antagonizing him. Luke had skillfully lulled the man into a sense of trust through flattery and camaraderie. Since they didn’t know the extent of Milton’s mental issues, provoking him seemed unwise, especia
lly if it led to a violent reaction. Something she definitely shouldn’t risk while alone with him in the van. The gun, although an advantage in her possession, held its own risks.
Pasting on a fake smile, she said, “It’s a tempting offer, but we need to be sure you get credit for stopping my kidnapper first.” She almost gagged on the words.
“I don’t care about the credit. I care about you.” His expression turned ugly. “I don’t like that cop hitting on my woman. He needs to stop before I…I get real mad.”
Bile rose in her throat. “Don’t worry about Deputy Johnson. He…he’s not hitting on me. We’re…” What? What are we? Lovers? Physically, but not emotionally. Friends with benefits? Sorta. Colleagues? Yeah, that sounds innocent enough. “We’re only colleagues, working to solve my case.”
Milton’s eyes said he didn’t believe her. He sat in sullen silence for a few minutes. “Then why did you two kiss?”
Oops. Yeah…about that. She scrambled for a compliment to appease him. “You’re an alpha male, Mike, so naturally you’re doing the whole protective, possessive, macho guy thing. You are an intimidating presence, and Deputy Johnson is probably afraid you’re going to encroach on our…our working partnership. Especially with how expertly you handled Richard.”
His chest swelled with pride. “I sure took care of that asshole.”
“Yes, and I’m very grateful,” she said with some truthfulness. Glad to get him off the subject of Luke, she steered the conversation in another direction to bolster his self-importance. “You know, Mike, it’d be a great help if you could tell me anything you learned while tailing the kidnapper across country.”
“Like what?” he asked, eyes narrowing.
“Like…uh…did he have an accomplice?”
“I never saw anyone, but he talked to someone every day. Like he was checking in, ya know.”
She nodded encouragement. “Yeah, like with a boss. Did you ever hear him use a name?”
“Nah. I usually wasn’t close enough to hear many specific words.”
“Were there ever any clues about where the other person might be?”
Only Obsession (Rogue Security Book 3) Page 22
