Cut and Run

by Amy Elizabeth

  She stiffened as he skimmed a finger across her breast. “Don’t you dare touch me.”

  Sean chuckled and withdrew his hand. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot you’re playing the role of the virtuous little girl. How’s that working out for you, babe? Got anybody convinced yet?”

  “Everybody, as a matter of fact,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m a terrific liar, Sean. After all, I learned from the best.”

  He smoothed his hand through her hair. “See? You and me, Bec–we’re exactly the same. Why are you out here trying to be someone you’re not? A leopard can’t hide its spots. And all the wishing in the world won’t change the fact that you’re nothing more than damaged goods.”

  He paused and grinned at her, like they were both in on a secret. “So, did you tell him about us?”

  “Who?”

  “Your little boyfriend out there. The one who just took you away for two nights for your birthday. Is it Alex or Alec?”

  “It’s Alec,” she said through clenched teeth. “And he’s not my boyfriend.”

  Sean backhanded her hard and fast, his Claddagh ring slicing into her cheek. It stung like hell, but she didn’t flinch as he grasped her chin and dropped his face closer.

  “Lie to me again, Rebecca. I dare you.”

  Her ear was ringing where he’d struck her. “What did you do to him, Sean?”

  His eyes lit up. “You really wanna know?” he asked, grabbing her wrists and yanking her out of the shower. “Come see for yourself.”

  She shrieked and squirmed in a useless attempt to get away from him, but she was no match for his strength. He dragged her across the living room and shoved her into the kitchen so forcefully that she toppled onto her knees. She reached out to break her fall and gasped when her hands landed in something warm and sticky. Sean grabbed her hair and wrenched her head sideways, forcing her to look at the shattered bay window. When the curtains fluttered, her entire world came to a sudden and screeching halt.

  Alec lay crumpled beneath the table, his blood seeping in a slow red river across the hardwood floor.

  Alec.

  Oh, God, no.

  Sean tightened his grip on her hair and knelt beside her. “Take a good look, Bec, ‘cuz you’re the one who did this to him. The only reason Tommy is alive right now is because he knew better than to touch you. But Alec? Well, let’s just say this is what happens when other people move in on my girl.”

  Tears spilled down her face as she craned her head around to glare at him. “I don’t belong to you. I’m not your property.”

  He raised his brows. “You sure about that?”

  Rebecca didn’t care anymore what he was planning to do to her. All she knew was that she’d rather die fighting him than endure his cruelty for one more second. She spat in his eyes and shoved him off her, flying at him in an uncontrollable blur of fists and nails. Obscene words that had once been part of her everyday speech spilled out of her mouth as she clawed at his face and struck at his chest and kicked at his legs. But it was no use. Sean overpowered her in one fell swoop, smacking her so viciously that she stumbled sideways and collapsed against the cabinets.

  Before she could react, he was above her, grabbing her hair again. She cried out in pain as he pulled her to her feet, almost ripping her neck from her shoulders. He forced her back against the counter and locked his hands around her throat, squeezing her until she started to choke. She gasped for air as she fumbled across the countertop, searching for anything to defend herself. Then her hand found the glass of water she’d requested–the glass of water that had just cost Alec his life.

  With an enraged shout, she lifted it and smashed it into the side of Sean’s head. It shattered instantly, cutting his face and her hand, but it gave her the split second she needed to make her escape. As Sean staggered backwards, she raced for the foyer and threw open the front door, tripping over herself as she leapt down the steps.

  There was a faint hint of dawn on the horizon as she sprinted through the damp grass. With nowhere to go and no one left to protect her, she dashed into the staff barn and ducked into Star’s stall. The mare nickered and lifted her head off the straw, but Rebecca laid a hand on her neck to silence her.

  She gasped for breath as she leaned against the wall, hot tears dripping down her cheeks. Why didn’t she leave yesterday, like she knew she should have? Why did she let Alec convince her to stay? Her entire body shook with sobs as she pictured him on the floor of his kitchen, the last of his life draining out of him. Who would look after Walter now? What would happen to him? And where was Tommy? Despite what he said, Sean had probably killed him, too. And all of it was her fault.

  So many people had trusted her–good, honest, loving people–and this is how she repaid them?

  She fully deserved whatever Sean was going to do to her.

  Rebecca opened her hand and pulled a long shard of glass from her palm. Her stomach lurched when she realized that most of the blood was Alec’s. She turned and vomited onto the straw, coughing as her stomach constricted again and again. Then she wiped her mouth and bowed her head, waiting for the inevitable.

  Go ahead and run, he’d told her. I’ll find you every time.

  Sure enough, several minutes later, she heard footsteps gliding through the grass. She could smell the menthol aroma of his Newport cigarette before he even entered the barn.

  “You know what amazes me? Aside from the fact that I know exactly where to find you?” She cringed when Sean’s face appeared over the top of the stall door. “You actually thought you were good enough for him, didn’t you? Not only did you convince him of that, but you managed to convince yourself of it, too.”

  In spite of herself, she felt a rush of triumph when she saw that the side of his head was caked in blood. He eyed her as he took a long drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke in her direction. Any remaining fear she had subsided as she stood and clenched her fists.

  “Go ahead, Sean,” she challenged. “Whatever you came here to do, just shut up and do it already.”

  The horses squealed in alarm when a gunshot shattered the stillness of the air. Sean dropped his cigarette and clutched his side, groaning as he doubled over in the aisle. Rebecca raced to the stall door, stunned to see a red stain spreading rapidly across the bottom of his shirt. He turned his head to see who was out there, and she followed his gaze into the breaking light.

  Alec had fallen to his knees in the thick grass, about a hundred feet from the barn. He was visibly reeling as he lifted his rifle again, taking aim at Sean’s chest. Sean dove over the door into Star’s stall, narrowly avoiding Alec’s second shot. Star squealed and fumbled across the straw as Rebecca made a valiant attempt to escape.

  Sean was too fast for her. He half-tackled her and forced her into the aisle, holding his gun to her temple. She could feel him shaking as he positioned her directly in front of him.

  “Drop your gun!” he ordered.

  What happened next would forever be a blur in Rebecca’s mind. Out of nowhere, Tommy came charging up behind Alec and seized the rifle out of his hands. Sean extended his arm and fired three rapid shots, none of which connected with his target. Then he howled in pain when Rebecca rammed her elbow into his wounded side and wrestled out of his grasp. They both lunged for his gun as it clattered on the aisle, unaware that their struggle sent his wayward cigarette hurtling into Star’s stall.

  It wasn’t until the stall exploded into flames that Rebecca understood what was happening. In an instant Star was off the straw, leaping over the fire and flailing across the aisle. The panicked horse crashed right into them, knocking them both off their feet. Rebecca instinctively rolled out of the way, but Sean was trapped directly beneath the mare. He screamed and covered his head in a useless attempt to protect himself as Star flattened her ears and spun her hindquarters in his direction. Rebecca heard the sickening crunch of bone as the horse launched a powerful kick and crushed Sean against the stall door. He crumpled in
the aisle, his body twisted at a gruesome angle, as Star turned and galloped headlong out of the barn.

  A blast of heat and debris scorched Rebecca’s legs as Twister’s stall ignited. She heard a chorus of frantic whinnies and suddenly realized that the barn was going to burn to the ground with the horses inside of it. She was scrambling to get to her feet when a strong hand pulled her up.

  “Get out of here!” Tommy shouted.

  She ignored his command and instead reached for the latch on Twister’s stall door. Tommy raced down the left side of the aisle while Rebecca raced down the right, releasing each of the terrified horses. Onyx, Pumpkin, Apache, and Joaquin went flying down the aisle as the hayloft blazed above their heads. Both ends of the barn were burning now as Tommy grabbed her hand and they dove for the safety of the grass. Then they watched with their mouths agape as the wooden beams toppled and the once-magnificent barn lay in ruins on the smoldering ground.

  *

  Rebecca clutched at the grass as if it were going to vanish from under her. She sucked a breath into her aching lungs as she lifted her head and glanced at Tommy. Even in the dim light, she could see that his left eye was swollen shut.

  “Are you okay?” she panted.

  He grimaced as he pushed himself to a sitting position. “Yeah. Are you?”

  She nodded as she staggered to her feet and stumbled over to Alec. He lay sprawled on his back in the tall grass, his breaths shallow and labored. Rebecca had never seen so much blood–it saturated his face and his clothes and pooled on the ground around him.

  “Alec,” she choked, collapsing on her knees beside him.

  He didn’t respond as she pulled off her jacket and pressed it to his chest. She met Tommy’s gaze and swallowed hard when she saw the same trepidation in his eyes.

  “I’ll get the truck,” he said.

  As Tommy dashed for the farmhouse, Alec’s eyes fluttered open. “Rebecca,” he whispered, trying to focus on her face. “Stay with me.”

  “I am,” she promised, enclosing her free hand around his. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He broke into a bout of coughing. “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean for–”

  “Shhhh,” she said, horrified to see a trail of blood leak from the corner of his mouth. “Don’t talk, Alec. Just stay still.”

  The truck roared up beside them, and somehow she and Tommy managed to hoist Alec into the bed. Rebecca cradled him in her lap as Tommy sped down the driveway and pulled onto the main road. The morning air was freezing as it whipped past, but she hardly noticed. Her only concern was getting Alec to the hospital before he bled to death. Tears poured down her face as she stroked his hair and pulled him closer.

  “Stay with me, Alec. Please stay with me.”

  What felt like hours later, they arrived at the emergency room. Alec had been unconscious for most of the ride and didn’t stir when Tommy slammed on the brakes. Two paramedics raced out of the hospital, and they carefully pulled Alec’s limp body from the bed of the truck. Three more paramedics rushed out and encircled her and Tommy, peppering them with questions while they attended to Alec.

  “What happened there?” one of them asked, pointing to Rebecca’s right leg.

  She dropped her gaze, startled to see that the bottom of her jeans was burned off clear up to her knee. “I–I don’t know. I hadn’t even noticed–”

  When she lifted her head, two of the medics were wheeling Alec away. “Wait,” she said, watching as they raced towards the entryway. “I need to stay with him.”

  The medic closest to her grabbed her wrist when she tried to follow his stretcher. “Ma’am, you can’t go with him.”

  “But I said I would stay with him!” she shrieked, yanking her hand from his grasp. “Let me go!”

  His hand closed around her arm. “Ma’am, I need you to calm down.”

  “You’re scaring her!” Tommy cried, coaxing her away from the medic and into his embrace. “It’s alright, Bec. Everything’s going to be alright.”

  Rebecca refused to be comforted, watching over Tommy’s shoulder as Alec vanished behind closed doors. A fresh surge of adrenaline pumped through her veins as she let out a loud wail and tried to push herself away from him. She clawed and thrashed and screamed like a banshee as the medics surrounded her and pulled her out of Tommy’s arms. It took three of them to restrain her and lift her up onto a stretcher. Then she felt a cold swab on her upper arm and the icy prick of a needle, and the whole world began spiraling around her. The last thing she saw was the helpless look on Tommy’s face before everything went black.

  *

  Rebecca heard muffled voices as she struggled to alertness. A stinging pain engulfed her right leg, and her entire body felt raw and bruised. At first she had no clue where she was or any memory of what had happened.

  “Easy, easy,” said a soothing voice. “You’re alright, honey, but try to stay still.”

  Her arm was as cold as ice, and when she managed to pry her eyes open, she was shocked to see that she had a needle in her hand. She looked up to see a large bag of fluid dripping into a tube and flowing into her arm. Lifting the sheet back, she saw that her right leg was enveloped in bandages from her knee down to her foot. Suddenly she remembered Sean and the fire and Alec bleeding in her arms, and she gave a startled gasp.

  “Bec?”

  She turned her head and saw Allison racing towards her. “Alli,” she said as her friend leapt onto her bed and threw her arms around her.

  “I’m so glad you’re alright! Tommy told me everything.”

  “Is he okay?” Rebecca asked, panicking when the details of the night came rushing back to her. “Is Alec alright? How long have I been out?”

  “About six hours. Tommy has a concussion and a couple busted ribs, but he’s been treated and released. He’s going to be fine.”

  “Thank God. What about Alec?”

  Allison held her gaze, slowly releasing her breath. “Bec…”

  Her heart plummeted to the floor. “Oh, God, Alli. Please tell me he’s okay.”

  She swallowed hard. “He damaged a major artery just above his heart. They had to go in and repair it, but he’s still unresponsive. They don’t know yet if–if…”

  She couldn’t finish her sentence. Rebecca choked back a sob as Allison moved closer to give her a consoling hug. “Bec, I am so sorry.”

  “I can’t lose him, Alli,” she mumbled into her shoulder. “If something happens to him–”

  “Shhhh. Don’t even think about it.”

  Rebecca lifted her face. “I love him so much.”

  Allison gave a gentle nod. “I know. I know you do.”

  She leaned back against her pillows and dabbed at her eyes. When her hand brushed against her swollen cheekbone, her mind instantly made another connection.

  “Jeff,” she gasped, turning to her friend. “Have you been able to see him?”

  “Yeah. He’s doing much better today. He’s out of intensive care and they’re going to move you to his room as soon as you’re ready. Do you want to know what happened to you, by the way?”

  She looked down at her bandaged leg. “I haven’t even thought about it.”

  “It’s a pretty bad burn, one of the worst they’ve seen. I overheard one of the doctors say you just managed to avoid skin grafts.”

  A willowy nurse entered the room, wearing a dark blue nametag that read Pauline. “How are you feeling, Rebecca?”

  “Okay, I guess. Worried about Alec Westin.”

  Pauline gave a sympathetic smile. “Mr. Westin is still being treated in I.C.U. I can give you an update on his condition in a few minutes, if you like.” She paused and glanced down at her clipboard. “We’re going to keep you here for a day or two to give you time to recoup. It sounds like you all went through quite an ordeal last night.”

  Rebecca shrugged. At that moment, she couldn’t have cared less about spending time in the hospital. Anxiety over Alec far overwhelmed any other emotions she w
as experiencing.

  “Let’s get that I.V. out and move you up to your brother’s room,” Pauline said. “Then I’ll check on Mr. Westin for you.”

  Allison accompanied them as the nurse wheeled Rebecca to the elevator and up to room 331. When she opened the door, Rebecca was thrilled to see that the bandages on Jeff’s head were gone and the swelling on his face had diminished. He still looked terrible, but it was a far cry from where he’d been the previous day.

  “You guys can get up if you want,” Pauline added, “but take it easy and stay in here. Don’t put any weight on that leg, Rebecca.”

  “I won’t,” she said, carefully rising from the wheelchair.

  She gasped when pain rippled through her calf, but she tried to push the thought from her mind. Allison helped her hobble to Jeff’s bed, where she collapsed beside him and gave him an overjoyed hug.

  “You okay, sis?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

  Jeff pulled back to look at her. “Want to tell me who it was?”

  She cringed. “It was Sean.”

  His eyes widened. “How? He’s dead.”

  “He is now.”

  Pauline reentered their room, and Rebecca’s stomach lurched when she saw her expression. “Mr. Westin is still in very critical condition. They’ve managed to stop the bleeding, but it’s unclear at this point whether he’ll recover from the shock. He’s unconscious and being closely monitored, but I want you to know that it’s touch-and-go.”

  *

  Roger stopped by later that afternoon, overjoyed to see that Rebecca was awake and well. She was just as happy to see him. “How’s Walter?” she asked.

  “He’s being well taken care of, don’t you worry. How are you doing? That’s the important question.”

  “I’ll be okay,” she said, managing a half-hearted grin. “How’s everything at the ranch?”

  “The horses are safe. Tommy and I got ‘em rounded up into paddocks this morning. And Star seems just fine. Dr. Truman’s coming to have a look at her tomorrow.”