by Meg Ripley
“Why are you doing this? I didn’t do anything to you.”
The leering man scoffed at the same time the eerily calm man moved into my view. There was a striking resemblance between the two men, the calm man—obviously the ringleader—looked at least two decades older than the other. Father and son? Great, I had multiple generations of psychos wanting to kill me, and I still had no idea why.
“I’m sorry, Sarah, it’s true you didn’t do anything,” he spoke as if he regretted what he was about to do, but there was no sincerity in his tone. “But I’m afraid when your father took away everything that was valuable in my life, I vowed to return the favor.”
How could my father have possibly done anything so horrid as what the man was suggesting? The only possibility that came to mind… “Are you…are you my real father?”
“You think that I would kill my own flesh and blood? Well, perhaps that is not so far from the truth. But I assure you I am no such thing to you, my dear. I eliminated that vile traitor who was your ‘real father’ many years ago.”
“I don’t understand.” I really didn’t. But inch by inch, the cloud of panic that had settled over me at the hospital was beginning to recede, and in its place was the terrifying certainty that I was going to die.
This man was going to kill me. And yet, I couldn’t make the smallest sliver of sense of what he was saying.
“They really have kept you in the dark all these years, haven’t they?”
“Who is ‘they’? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t understand any of this. You must be mistaken.”
He heaved a heavy sigh. “I suppose it’s only fair, isn’t it?”
Fair? This man wanted to talk about fair? What was fair about this?
“Your father was not the man you believed him to be, Sarah. All that time he spent away on ‘business’? Your father was not a businessman; more like a man who couldn’t keep his nose out of other people’s business. He killed my brothers…my cousins…and the family of mine he did not kill, he had taken away.”
“No! You’re lying.”
“It’s difficult to accept, I know. And the man you think so fondly of now, Declan Ross…”
What did he know about Declan? Nothing! The man was a liar.
“Just shut up. You don’t know a goddamned…” The sting of the younger man’s hand across my cheek cut off my words, causing the tears that had been brimming in my eyes to flow over.
“You’ll have to forgive my son, Sarah. He’s grown rather…fond of you.”
The van came to a halt then, and I couldn’t stop my body from rolling hard against the leering man’s legs. I skittered away as quickly as I could, feeling like a wriggling worm, using my hips and shoulders to move myself.
“Ah! We’re here. Bring her along, Vincent,” the older man called back as the door opened and he stepped outside.
In that moment, my body shook so hard my cheek vibrated off the van’s floor. I tried to kick out at the younger man as he reached down to pick me up, but it was no use. He lifted me up and tossed me over his shoulder, one hand on my ass and the other subduing my legs. He leapt down from the van and I was forced to squint against the bright light. For some reason, I thought it would be dark. Murder happened in the dark…in shadows and alleys…not in the light of day.
He didn’t put me down right away, and I craned my neck to look around, trying to get my bearings, as if that could somehow help me. I recognized my surroundings right away. We hadn’t traveled far, which meant I hadn’t been unconscious for very long at all. We were just outside of town in a remote area of a nearby state park. That time of year, with the leaves already beginning to morph from their vivid greens to mottled hues of yellow, orange and red, there weren’t many visitors around, unfortunately.
The man holding me suddenly slid me to the ground and swung me around, pressing me against his chest. Before I could kick back at him, he’d shoved a thigh between my legs, hampering my efforts and making every attempt I made futile.
“Your father really did try to keep you safe, Sarah, and that boyfriend of yours, caught between protecting you and hunting me…you were fortunate to have such dedicated men in your life. It’s a pity it has to end now, isn’t it?”
“Who are you?” I whispered, not that it mattered. What difference did it make what his name was? He was the man who was going to kill me…
“My name is Dominic Cane.”
The name meant nothing to me. I’d never heard it before. How could a man who I’d never heard of want to kill me?
“Please…” I shut my mouth and forced back the tears threatening to spill over. I wouldn’t finish that sentence. I wouldn’t beg. And I damn well wouldn’t let that son of a bitch see me cry.
“Let’s get on with it, shall we?”
Chapter Ten
Declan
Something wasn’t right. I’d felt it from the moment Sarah had left her house that morning. I’d stayed there most of the previous day and all night, watching from a careful distance and cursing the stubborn woman all the while.
Aside from a brief jaunt to the pharmacy, she hadn’t stepped out of the house once all weekend until she’d left for work three hours ago. I’d swung by the motel to quick shower and check in with my informants, though they turned up no more than they had in the past several weeks at that point. Cane was being very careful about keeping the whole world in the dark about his whereabouts.
I should be there, a voice in the back of my head whispered to me over and over, but I dismissed it each time. I wasn’t going to spend the next several weeks shadowing Sarah’s every move. In fact, if staying close had done little to aid in taking down Cane, maybe it was time to branch out. Instead of playing babysitter, maybe it was time to get back to what I did best: hunting the bastard down and smoking him out. Then I’d be free to move on just as easily at it seemed she’d been able to do.
I’d been too close to her all this time, too afraid to divide my attention in fear of not being there when she needed me the most. Even though she’d taken away my ability to be there, I needed to check on her at least once more, if for no other reason than to satisfy the incessant little voice that was threatening to drive me crazy.
I hopped off my bike at the hospital, anxious to be on my way since I’d decided on my next move. I needed to put some distance between me and Sarah. I’d gotten far too used to being with her; far too accustomed to feeling her there beside me when I woke up in the morning; and I’d started liking it too damn much.
I looked past the triage desk in the hospital, but I didn’t see her. I waved to the woman there to announce my presence and walked through to the emergency area. She wasn’t there. I checked my watch, but it wasn’t Sarah’s break time. So, where was she?
“You must be Sarah’s secret,” a woman spoke from behind me.
I turned to find her smiling up at me knowingly. It didn’t surprise me that Sarah had kept me ‘secret’. It wasn’t like her to chatter about her private life.
“I suppose I must be,” I smiled, turning the charm on the young woman, hoping she’d happily point me in the right direction.
“Good. Tell her to get her ass back to work. Disappearing in the middle of her shift—what was she thinking?”
“What do you mean ‘disappearing’?”
“I mean, one minute she was here working, and the next she wasn’t. I thought she’d ducked into a closet here with you or something, but that was a while ago. If she’s going to hook up at work, she really needs to learn the meaning of a ‘quickie’.”
Blood was pounding in my ears as my mind raced through every conceivable possibility of what happened to her, hoping for some reasonable and rational explanation for her sudden absence.
But there wasn’t one. Not a good one, anyway. It wasn’t like Sarah to skip out on work, especially not in the middle of a shift. No, she wouldn’t have left willingly, and that only left one other possibility.
I turned on my
heels and started back the way I’d come. There was no point in trying to question the woman any further; she’d thought Sarah was getting it on in one of the hospital’s closets. Obviously, she wasn’t going to be of any help.
I hopped on my bike and revved the engine, trying to figure out what the hell had happened without a single clue to go on. Why the fuck weren’t you there? that goddamned voice screamed at me all the while. I’d been vigilant for weeks; I let my guard down just once and…
No; I refused to consider it. She wasn’t dead. Sarah wasn’t dead. Damn it, she couldn’t be. Cane wouldn’t have killed her right there in the hospital; there would have been too many witnesses and no time for him to draw it out the way he’d like to.
Okay, so he’d taken her somewhere. But where? Where could he take her to ensure his privacy while he…
My stomach churned violently and my head spun as white-hot rage simmered in my veins. If that son of a bitch had laid a finger on her, I was going to make sure he died slowly, painfully; the most horrific death ever imagined.
I mentally scanned through the area, thinking of all the potential places Cane might consider, but just then, my phone buzzed with an encrypted text from a nearby informant.
Target spotted. Black Van. Twin Harbors State Park down the 105. 46.8574° N, 124.1086° W. Heading in for back up.
It wasn’t in town, but it wasn’t far, either. Plenty of trees and not many people around this time of year—definitely a logical place.
My hands trembled in fury as thoughts of just what he was intending to do tried to filter back in, but I forced them out. I sped through town as fast as I could, cursing the way the bike seemed to be moving slower than usual. I killed the engine about a half a mile from the area and double-timed it on foot as fast as I could. I couldn’t risk the bike’s engine alerting Cane to my presence there if this was the place. I had nothing but a Glock 22 .40 caliber and a knife on me, so stealth and surprise were definite priorities.
No matter how fast I ran, it didn’t feel fast enough. A minute passed and then another, but it felt like hours, even worse when I had to slow down as I got close, but it was the only way to silence my footsteps on the dried leaves on the ground.
It didn’t take long to find her; Cane wasn’t even being discreet about it, that son of a bitch. A wave of relief washed over me, yet at the same time, my blood began to boil anew. I was relieved she was still alive, but there was no doubt Cane didn’t intend for her to stay that way for long.
He had her not fifty feet from the park’s pathway. From where I was hiding, I could see that Cane’s son had her, and either he was holding her so tight she had no ability to fight him, or she’d given up fighting. I wasn’t sure which one bothered me more, but there wasn’t time to think about it.
Cane had a gun in his hand, and though his hand still hung at his side, I could see the way his fingers were twitching. He wasn’t nervous; he was eager. He’d been waiting for this moment for a long time.
I crept closer, cursing the damn loud leaves on the ground that slowed my progress, but within seconds, I was in position. Two shots and they’d be down; so quickly, neither of them would know what hit them.
It irked me to know they wouldn’t suffer, because at that particular moment, other than seeing Sarah safe, there wasn’t much I’d have relished more than seeing them writhing in agony.
So, without a moment’s regret, I reached for my Glock, squinting my eye as I aimed. The son would have to go first. I couldn’t risk him having the opportunity to try to use Sarah as a shield. And that meant I’d have to be quick…and precise. I wanted to leave zero chance for Cane to have time to raise his gun.
One deep breath. Exhale. And then the familiar bang reverberated in my ears.
My target’s eyes bulged for the briefest of seconds as the bullet hit its mark, but I couldn’t take the time to watch to make sure he fell.
One more breath. Exhale. Another shot rang out and the immediate crisis was over. The son fell to the ground and his father followed him down like a domino. Sarah stood there motionless, her expressive face making it clear she had no idea what was going on, but she didn’t fall to pieces.
The woman was smart. She knew it wasn’t over, that there wasn’t time for her to crumble just yet, and she started to run.
Not three steps in, two men appeared from behind the black van next to where she’d been standing. I still had my gun in position, knowing there was no way Cane and his son would have been there alone. Three more steps and the man in the lead fell to the ground, never given the chance to reach for the gun in his holster.
His fellow lackey didn’t miss a step, but continued right past, then a mere yard behind Sarah. He had one hand outstretched in front of him while the other slipped inside his jacket, but I was already there. I squeezed the trigger and knew before the bullet penetrated the man’s skull that it was over.
Sarah was safe.
I stood up from where I’d been crouching. I needed to see her up close…to touch her…to know with all my senses that she was okay. Her steps slowed, stuttered and stopped, but she didn’t approach me. Hell, she didn’t even look the least bit relieved to see me. She didn’t turn and run, but even with the distance between us, I could feel the nervous energy radiating from her.
She was ready to dart.
I took a slow, tentative step out from amid the brush. “It’s okay, Sarah. It’s over.”
“Is it?” she shot back as she took a single retreating step, eyeing me warily.
“It is. They’re gone. No one’s going to hurt you.”
“He knew you, Declan. How the fuck did he know who you were?”
Damn. I’d known there would be no getting away with keeping Sarah in the dark after what had just happened, but I hadn’t anticipated the conflicted look in her eyes. Shouldn’t the guy who just shot the bad guys automatically be counted as one of the good guys? But it seemed she had no idea what to think, and I didn’t like the sting that came from it.
I suppose I couldn’t really blame her.
“He knew me because… because I worked with your father, Sarah. I’ve been looking for Dominic Cane for the past several weeks.”
That was the best I could do at the moment.
She opened her mouth and then closed it again. No doubt my answer did little to ease the confusion in her head. At least she didn’t bolt in the opposite direction when I took another tentative step forward, and then another. Her eyes were wide, watching me all the while, but she stayed where she was as I continued.
Then I was standing in front of her where I could clearly see the swollen, red imprint of a hand on her cheek and the bruises on her arms. Her wrists were chafed raw like she’d been struggling valiantly against restraints for some time, which was no doubt exactly what had happened. I breathed deep, trying to tamp down the fury rising anew. I wished I could bring the bastards back to life just to kill them again.
Unbidden, my hands reached out. I just wanted to put my arms around her, to feel her against me; the warmth of her skin and the moderately steady rhythm of her breathing. Her whole body still trembled, but the tremors grew quieter as I held her close and pressed my lips against her forehead.
Just then, I heard the sound of leaves crunching behind us. My informant and comrade, Jesse, had arrived to help take care of the mess.
“You guys alright?” he asked, panting as he slowed his steps.
“Yeah, man. There’s four of them down. I’ve gotta get her out of here, so thanks so much for offering to step in and get rid of these douchebags.”
“Hey, no worries. You’ve gotten my back plenty of times, brother. Consider it done.”
With a nod, I led a very stunned Sarah back to my bike and we sped off toward her house.
It was done.
Sarah was safe, and I’d done what Erik had asked of me. There would be nothing more to do but leave and get back to my life.
Except…was that what I wanted? Was I ready to disapp
ear again and take up what had been my life for the past decade?
Right then, Erik’s words came back to me. Put it all away…it’s time to move on…Sarah will be there…
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it had happened, but somehow, her father’s words didn’t seem so ridiculous anymore. When exactly had it gone from harmless fun to…something so much more?
Ten minutes later, I pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. As we got off the bike, I could still sense wariness on her part. She was looking at me, but what was she thinking? That I was a monster, just like Cane?
Every life I’d taken and every vile thing I’d done in the name of justice flitted through my mind, and maybe ‘monster’ wasn’t so far from the truth. Even if I stopped right then, it wouldn’t undo the past, all the times I’d precariously balanced the thin line between justice and revenge.
Could I really expect Sarah to want a monster? I didn’t know, but for the time being, I had to get her to calm down and understand the situation.
“Hey… let’s go inside and I’ll draw you a warm bath.”
“No.”
It was the first word she said to me since Jesse had shown up at the park. She squared her shoulders, despite the tears in her eyes, “No, I’m not going anywhere until you explain to me exactly what the hell’s been going on. Those men were going to kill me, Declan. But instead…you…you killed them.”
“I know. I didn’t have a choice.”
“How did you do it?”
“Sarah, you said it yourself: they were going to kill you. What was I supposed to do?”
“I mean, how did you do it? Since when were guys in big business skilled in shooting people?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” I sighed heavily.
“So, tell me.” She sat down on the front steps then, and I knew that unless I planned on tossing her over my shoulder and carrying her into the house, she wasn’t moving. Wrong of me or not, I debated it for a minute, but eventually, I sat down on the steps next to her.
