by Diana Palmer
He wanted her home with him on the ranch.
Voices drifted in the breeze, and he slowed his pace, inching closer and moving stealthily, determined to sneak up on Moody. Was Jeremy with him now? The two of them working as a team?
How many boys did he plan to leave in that pit?
The voices echoed again, and he crept closer, peering through the bushes at the clearing. Old tools lay rusted and broken in a pile by a hole. This was the hole that led down to the tunnels Tray had talked about.
A tall, big guy with close-cropped hair, wearing army fatigues, paced back and forth by the hole, but he couldn’t see his face. He carried an army assault rifle over his shoulder just as a good soldier would.
He had to be Moody.
A tall, lanky boy also dressed in fatigues stood beside him, weapon poised and pointed at the hole. Judging from the photo and sketch he’d seen, it was Jeremy.
He removed his own weapon and clicked off the safety. Needing to get closer, he inched past a few more trees then veered to the right to get a better view.
A cold knot of terror seized him at what he saw. Two boys were on their knees in front of the hole. Lewis Renz and Phil Jasper.
Will had planted himself in front of them, his look feral.
He was trying to protect the boys.
Dammit. He was going to get himself killed trying to save them.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Julie and Miles veered closer to Brody, fear clogging her throat at the sight of Brody facing down Moody.
Jeremy also had a gun and looked as if he would use it, as if he’d do anything to protect this man the boys called Father.
Johnny had stayed back with Hank to wait on an ambulance and for Hurt and Cord. Knowing the little boy was safe was a small victory when two more boys were huddled together at the edge of the pit.
Will was on his knees as if he was expecting an execution.
Had Moody planned to kill him, then leave the others inside the pit to die?
Then Will looked up and must have seen Brody, because his eyes flickered with hope. Brody eased through a patch of weeds, moving closer to Moody so he could sneak up behind him.
“You have been warned, Kyle,” Moody said. “You are a traitor. You have defied your father and our team. Now it is time for your punishment.”
The other boys looked terrified, but Will jutted up his chin.
Julie motioned for Miles to go right while she went left. Maybe Brody could distract Moody long enough for them to save the other kids.
But before they could reach the woods behind the boys, Brody moved in on Moody. He slipped up behind him and thrust his gun at the back of Moody’s head.
“Drop it, Moody, or you’re dead.”
The world spun into chaos then. Instead of complying, Moody whirled around and jabbed the butt of his rifle into Brody’s stomach.
Julie froze, fear paralyzing her. Dear God, no. She couldn’t lose Brody now.
*
BRODY STARED INTO the cold sinister eyes of the man who had stolen his brother, and couldn’t believe what he saw. Moody almost looked like a normal man.
Just someone you would pass on the street without noticing.
Yet a sickness plagued him that, once he looked closer, brimmed in the man’s crazed expression.
“Tell Jeremy to drop the gun,” Brody said firmly. Moody’s sarcastic laugh rent the air, fueling Brody’s temper. “Tell him, Moody. It’s over.”
Moody jammed the gun harder into Brody’s belly, and Jeremy pointed his weapon at Will. But instead of giving in, suddenly Will jumped Jeremy.
Brody’s heart hammered, but the movement shocked Moody into looking around, and Brody lunged toward him. He knocked Moody’s rifle from his hand with one hard swipe. Jeremy’s gun went off, a shot ringing through the air, and Brody prayed his brother hadn’t been hit.
“Will?” he shouted.
“I’m okay,” Will yelled.
But neither of them were okay. Moody lashed out at Brody with his fists, knocking him to the ground. They rolled in the dirt, exchanging blow for blow.
Sweat and blood trickled down his forehead, and he tasted dirt, but he was determined to win. Moody grunted as Brody punched him in the belly, then pummeled his face.
Grunts and groans from Will and Jeremy echoed around him as they fought. Julie and Miles rushed to the boys by the pit and ushered them to the edge of the woods to safety.
Jeremy had lost his rifle, but crawled toward it, and Will saw he was going for the gun and went after him.
Meanwhile, Moody went for Brody’s pistol, which had flown against a rock. Brody grabbed Moody’s ankles and dragged him through the dirt, then climbed on his back. He tried to choke him, but Moody somehow found a rock and twisted enough to hit him in the side of the head with it. For a moment, Brody’s head spun. Just enough time for Moody to roll from under him and reach the rifle.
Will and Jeremy rolled in the dirt, then Will lunged up and went back for the gun. But Jeremy flew at him and knocked him against a rock. Will’s head hit the edge, and he staggered back and collapsed on the ground, his head bleeding.
Miles suddenly attacked Jeremy, putting the kid into a chokehold. “It’s over, son.”
“Put the gun down, Moody,” Julie shouted.
Brody wiped at the blood and sweat in his eyes, then Moody swung the rifle toward Julie.
His heart nearly stopped.
He couldn’t let the bastard kill the woman he loved.
All the rage and anguish he’d held inside for years surged through him, and he vaulted forward and caught Moody by the knees, taking him down. The gun fired into the air, and Moody tried to turn it on Brody, but Brody clawed at it.
“Give it up, Moody!” Julie yelled.
But Moody was mean as hell and had trained to fight.
He gripped the rifle, his finger nearing the trigger. Brody saw Will’s face in his mind and knew he had to stop Moody or he would hurt someone else’s child or brother.
He gritted his teeth, then snatched the gun. They fought for it again, but this time Brody pushed Moody onto his back, then wrapped one hand around Moody’s neck, squeezing him so hard that Moody’s eyes bulged.
He continued the pressure while Moody wheezed for air, but Moody was weakening and his fingers slowly slipped from the gun. Brody tossed it away, then climbed on Moody, straddling him as he wrapped his other hand around the man’s neck.
Moody cursed, but his words sounded faint as Brody squeezed harder. Brody had never hated anyone like he hated this man. Moody had taken half a lifetime from him, from Julie, from his brother.
He deserved to die.
Brody’s fingers closed tighter, a smile creasing his face as the man’s face grew ashen, his mouth hanging open in vain as he gasped for air.
A shot rang in the air, and he jerked his head sideways to see what had happened.
Julie stood with the gun in the air. “That’s enough, Brody, let him go.”
Miles held Jeremy in handcuffs and he spotted Will rousing from unconsciousness.
“Brody, please,” Julie said as she met his gaze. “Will’s seen enough violence. Let us take Moody to jail where he belongs. The families of the other victims deserve for him to have to face them.”
Brody glanced back down at Moody. His eyes had rolled back in his head, but he was still hanging on.
Julie was right. Will had seen enough violence. And he didn’t want to end up in jail when Will was free now and needed him.
He dug his knee into the man’s groin though before he released him and stood. Julie strode over and rolled Moody over, then slapped handcuffs on him while Brody raced over to Will.
Sirens wailed in the distance, indicating help was on the way.
Will moaned, and reached for his head, touching the blood, and Brody pulled him up against him and held him until the paramedics arrived.
By the time they carried Will to the ambulance, Chief Hurt and Agent Cord had arrived to
take Moody into custody. Brody and Julie and Miles herded the other boys toward the ambulance to join Hank.
Brody ached for them as the medics helped them into the ambulance. He would offer their families help just as he had Tray’s.
Then he moved up beside Will where he lay on the stretcher, a bandage wrapped around his head.
“You were a hero today, Kyle,” he said.
Tears blurred his brother’s eyes, and he shook his head. “My name is Will. I remember you, Brody.”
Emotions swelled in Brody’s throat, tears flooding his eyes as his brother reached for him.
Brody wrapped him in his arms, for the first time in seven years, smiling through the pain because now he believed that Will would somehow be all right.
Julie’s heart squeezed as she watched Brody reunite with his brother. Seven long years and he’d never given up.
Her heart was still pounding with fear from watching him nearly choke Moody though. She understood his fury, but the last thing she’d wanted to do after finally ending this nightmare was to have to arrest Brody.
But it still wasn’t over.
There were three boys that needed to be reunited with their family members. Hank, Lewis and Phil.
They also had to question Moody about Anthony Putnam and Jeff Wickman. Her gut told her they were dead, but she had to know. Their families deserved closure.
Chief Hurt approached her. “I’ll drive Moody back to headquarters and process him.”
Julie glanced at Jeremy. “I don’t know what to do with him. He needs serious therapy but we can’t discount his part in kidnapping Hank.”
“Sad,” Chief Hurt murmured. “We can probably get him in a psychiatric hospital for treatment.”
Julie nodded. “Let me talk to Brody for a minute. Then I’ll meet you at the TBI.”
Chief Hurt dragged a half unconscious Moody toward his car and pushed him into the backseat. Agent Cord took Jeremy from Miles and did the same.
“You can’t take me away from my father,” Jeremy snarled.
Julie simply gave him a pitying look. None of this was his fault, but she was afraid he was too traumatized to recover.
Brody looked up at her from the ambulance where he was sitting beside Will. They both looked haggard but a smile worked its way through.
Brody stepped from the ambulance, his smile fading. “Dammit, Julie, you almost got yourself killed.”
Julie had expected a thank-you, not a reprimand. “So did you, Brody. But we saved Will, and that’s all that matters.”
Anger suffused her. “Johnny can take you to the hospital, I’m going to the TBI to question Moody.”
Brody grabbed her arms, his expression feral. “Walk away from it, Julie. You don’t belong there with those monsters.”
Julie lifted her chin. “Where do I belong, Brody?”
Brody’s gaze latched with hers, a myriad of emotions flickering in the depths, but the ambulance driver announced they were ready to roll, and Johnny appeared, and Brody didn’t reply.
Disappointment filled Julie. She’d wanted him to tell her she belonged with him.
But too much had happened between them. And now he had Will back, he had to focus on helping his brother recover.
*
THE NEXT WEEK Brody and Will spent talking and making up for lost time. Will had shared some of what had happened to him, and as painful as it was to hear, Kim assured Brody that it meant Will was making progress.
Will still had nightmares, but he admitted that he fought them because he knew now that he had a home and a brother who loved him.
He was a natural with the animals and also had warmed up to some of the boys and was making friends. He and Carlos seemed to have bonded. He’d also found some kindred spirits on the BBL.
Ms. Ellen had made it her project to fatten him up. Will already treated the sweet, kindhearted cook like family, like the grandmother he’d never had.
Brody smiled, watched him working with Carlos to groom two of the quarter horses they’d taken for a ride. He had everything he’d wanted for so long. His ranch, the BBL, his little brother back.
He had everything except for Julie.
Her short phone call after Johnny had whisked him to the hospital to be with Will after the arrests still disturbed him. She had sounded the same…yet distant. As if now the case was over, she was moving on.
He didn’t want her to move on. Not without him anyway.
But she’d gone back to the TBI to question Moody. How could he stand to live with her if she continued to do that job? He’d constantly be terrified she wouldn’t come home at night.
Hell, she could have gotten killed a dozen times these past few years.
And he would never have known because he had let her go.
Dammit. He tied his own horse to the rail.
He couldn’t let her go now, could he?
Will finished with his horse, then strode toward him, a smile fighting with the wary look that dogged him when the dark memories crept back to taunt him.
“There’s supposed to be a special news report about the case,” Will said.
Brody grimaced. All of the staff and most of the counselors were aware of what Will had endured, at least that he’d been kidnapped and held for years.
Brody slung his arm around his brother’s shoulder. Already Will was putting on muscle, his skin glowing from the fresh air. “Do you really want to watch it?”
“No,” Will said. “But we both have to face it. I can’t run or live in the dark anymore.”
Emotions welled in Brody’s throat. He was so damned proud of his brother he wanted to cry.
But he and Will had shed enough tears and heartache, so he clapped him on the shoulder and together they walked back to the house. They washed up, then met in the den to watch the newsfeed.
Chief Hurt and Julie appeared in the pressroom, both looking worn and tired. Still, Brody’s breath caught at the sight of her, his heart beating double-time.
The reporter introduced herself, then gestured for them to take the podium. The room was filled with reporters, all anxious to hear the story on Moody and his twenty-year reign of terror.
“It is true that we have arrested a man named Barry Moody for the kidnapping and murder of several young boys spanning the last twenty years,” Chief Hurt said. “He is now in custody awaiting trial.”
One reporter waved her hand. “What triggered his kidnapping spree?”
Chief Hurt indicated for Julie to take the question. “Mr. Moody suffered trauma while in combat overseas. When he returned his wife had left him and taken his little boy. Apparently when he couldn’t find his son, he decided to replace him by kidnapping a boy named Jeremy. That was only the beginning. I can’t divulge all the details, but the boy Jeremy is now in a psychiatric hospital undergoing evaluation and treatment.”
More hands waved, voices shouting questions at Julie.
“What happened to the other boys he took?”
“Did he molest them?”
Julie held up a hand. “The boys were not sexually abused although they were definitely physically and emotionally abused. As Chief Hurt stated, we are not at liberty to divulge details, but all of the surviving victims have been reunited with their families, and are also undergoing extensive psychiatric evaluation and treatment.”
Brody noticed Will’s slight flinch and patted his back. “You’re doing great, Will,” he murmured. “You’re the bravest guy I know.”
Will slanted him one of those wary looks.
“How many victims were there?” another reporter asked.
“You said there are murder charges?” another one asked.
Julie’s eyes flickered in pain then she grripped the podium. Brody saw the fatigue and anguish on her face, and wanted to drag her in his arms and comfort her. Dammit, she should be here with him and Will, not out there fighting monsters like Moody.
“Again, we cannot reveal details, but I can say that Moody kidnapped a
total of ten victims. Sadly, we’ve recovered the bodies of four.” She exhaled a labored breath. “On a positive note, that means we saved six lives. And the man who abducted and abused them is now awaiting trial.”
She squared her shoulders. “So if you take anything away from this, folks, go home and love your children. Watch them, hug them, love them, and most of all know where they are.”
Then she released the podium, dropped her head and walked away.
Chief Hurt stayed to answer more questions, but Brody stared at the screen, wanting more of Julie. Wanting her to be there with him.
“She’s amazing,” Will said.
Brody smiled, all his hesitations and rationalizations for not calling her fading away.
“You and she…you had a thing, didn’t you?” Will asked.
Brody nodded.
“What happened?”
Brody shook his head. No way would he tell him that his disappearance had torn them apart.
It hadn’t, he suddenly realized. He had torn them apart by not turning to the one person who had loved him most back then.
The question was—did she still love him, or had he hurt her too much to have a chance with her now?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Julie had to get away from the cameras. The last few days of interrogating Moody, of listening to the horror stories from the other victims had taken its toll.
She punched the elevator button inside the building, desperate to escape. Her chest hurt from trying to breathe, and for the first time in her life she thought she was going to have a panic attack.
She couldn’t do this anymore.
Between the last case she’d worked, where women had been brutally slashed, and now this case, where so many children and families had had their lives destroyed by such a sick man, her trust in humanity was being slowly eaten away.
Guilt weighed on her. There were going to be more kids, more families, more women, more couples torn apart by some maniac.
When would it ever end?
It wouldn’t. She couldn’t save them all.
And that tormented her.
But you did save Will. And you brought him back to Brody.
