Nancy decided that at the moment, the only thing she could do was play for time. Surely Eli and Jeremiah would come looking for her and Matthew soon. It had to have been all of a half an hour since they’d left the sheriff’s office.
“Of course you want my cell phone. That’s what this is all about.”
“No, Ms. Jessup, what this is all about is a failure to act with discretion—and the consequences that one therefore reaps as a result of that failure.”
He’d had some rope with him, and after he’d had her tie Matt’s fee, he had tied her to one of her own kitchen chairs which he’d made her bring into the living room first. A fast response on her part had prevented him from binding her hands behind her back. She’d cried out in pain, tears falling, claiming that she’d pulled some muscles exercising. Her assailant had taken pity on her, tying her hands in front of her and her body to the chair, but not her arms.
Matthew clearly didn’t know what she had up her sleeve—or skirt—but when their assailant had turned his back on them for a moment, her cousin had winked at her.
That hadn’t been weeping, whimpering, or simpering, either. That had been conniving and manipulation and thank God it had worked.
Nancy would proudly own up to having more than her share of the family’s “conniving” genes.
So here she sat in her living room, facing a man with a gun. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry to shoot her, so that was good. She watched as he adjusted the drapes so that he could peek outside without revealing himself to anyone who might be staring at the house.
“What are you looking for?”
“The rest of the cops. They should be here soon.” He let the curtain fall and then studied her for a moment. He flicked a quick glance at Matt. “I know you’re not the sheriff. I’ve seen his photograph.”
Nancy didn’t sense anything overtly threatening in his perusal of her and Matt—well, except for the fact that he conducted that perusal while he trained his weapon on her. He’d made sure that Matt saw she was his target. Nancy might not be the trained observer that both of her men were, but even she knew he’d done that as a form of threat, so that Matt would behave.
The best thing Nancy could do, she figured, was to keep the guy talking. “What makes you so sure that the rest of the cops will come?”
“A couple of reasons, actually. I heard your cell phone vibrate moments after I got my hands on you. Someone called you. Likely when they can’t get a hold of you, they’ll come looking. Or, maybe the cops will come looking for their deputy—or, they might even come in response to, say, an anonymous tip.”
An anonymous tip. Whoever was behind this man’s actions was likely calling that tip in right now. Nancy wondered if her assailant expected a TV-show-style response to the situation. Did he think that there were going to be cruisers with sirens blaring and lights flashing, pulling to a stop in front of her house with a squeal of brakes? She decided that he must, because he only seemed concerned with the view out the living room window—the view of the street in front of her house.
Adam and my men won’t come that way. They might send Connor or Mel as a distraction, but they’ll come up the back. Nancy wanted to shake her head, because that was the way her assailant had gained access to the house. She was sure of it.
“Who are you, anyway?”
“Who I am really isn’t important. Senator Davies sent me to take care of a problem, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’ve never killed anyone before—but I believe in him, and if he says he needs you dead, then I guess you have to die. Nothing personal, Ms. Jessop. Reese Davies is a great man, and great men sometimes require the ultimate sacrifice from their disciples.”
Nothing personal? He was fixing to kill her and it was nothing personal? Was he crazy?
Nancy narrowed her eyes as she considered him. There didn’t seem to be anything crazy about the man. His gaze met hers for just a heartbeat. She saw no sign of insanity there. But he did seem determined to do whatever it was he had in mind.
“You’ll excuse me if I take exception to your ‘nothing personal’ comment.” Damn it, she didn’t think she needed to argue the matter logically, but passionately. Tears had worked before. This time, she didn’t have to try very hard to make them appear. Just thinking of never seeing Eli or Jeremiah again made her want to sob. “I don’t want to die. I’ve finally fallen in love, when all my life I never thought that would ever happen for me. I want to get married and have babies and grow old.”
A look of sympathy crossed his face. “I’m sorry. There’s just no other way.”
Or was there? This entire situation was nothing like the hostage dramas she’d watched portrayed in the movies. This man, whoever he was, didn’t seem to be maniacal, or unbalanced, or hell, even very passionate himself on the subject of his devotion to Senator Davies.
Except for that moment when he told her about great men demanding sacrifices from their followers. Those words he’d said with an almost religious fervor.
“I can’t believe your devotion to a disingenuous politician like Reese Davies would push you to commit murder.”
He looked at her, and although he didn’t seem to so much as blink she could have sworn that he’d been a little discomfited by that statement.
As if it wasn’t quite the truth.
Maybe I’m making headway. “What’s your name?”
“Uriah.” He turned from her then and put his gaze on the window once more. “Now, please be quiet or I’ll gag you the same way I did the deputy.”
Nancy thought he was beginning to get nervous. Did he really intend to kill her? Or just make it seem as if he meant to? She’d never been a gambler and didn’t want to start being one now.
Nancy kept her gaze fastened on Uriah, and assessed her situation. She was partially obscured from his view by the arm of the recliner, which stood between her and where he kept his vigil. Was it enough of a block? Could she ease up the hem of her skirt without his noticing? It was already up a little, just from the way she’d sat down. She laid her hands flat on her lap. She felt the gun and holster, of course, and just knowing they were there gave her a measure of courage. Inhaling deeply, she began to slowly pull her skirt up.
She shot a glance at Matthew. He looked perplexed—he clearly saw what she was doing but didn’t understand. She shook her head at him, and then winked. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by him. She needed to keep her focus on Uriah, so she could stop when he turned her way.
Uriah flicked a glance at her, his gaze seeming intent. Then he went back to silently keeping his vigil.
Nancy wanted to exhale in relief but didn’t dare. Instead she kept her gaze on her captor and continued to work.
She caught a blur of movement in her peripheral vision, on the far right, as if someone had just moved past the kitchen window.
In the next instant she heard the faint scratching that sounded as if it was coming from the kitchen door. Uriah had found the controls for the music and turned it off. That scratching sound seemed loud to her, but he didn’t notice.
Nancy nearly had her skirt high enough to reach her Walther. Moving her thumb subtly over her skirt, she felt for the thin strap on the holster that held the gun in place, and once she found it she released the snap on it. She heard the back door open and quickly looked at Uriah—and noticed something for the first time. With the table lamp turned on and the curtains opened halfway, she could not only see out onto her street, she could see the kitchen reflected in the window glass.
Understanding dawned, and just as Jeremiah’s head came into view, Nancy drew her weapon.
* * * *
Jeremiah stood face-to-face with the man he called brother—the man who was his brother in all but blood.
“I’m the better shot, close range, Eli. We both know that. I should be the one to go in.” He wondered if Eli would dispute the fact.
With no time to plan and little room in which to work, the op they’d planned all morning got to
ssed in the trash. Just he and Eli, along with Adam Kendall and Connor Talbot, were going to infiltrate Nancy’s house and—please God—rescue her and Matt Benedict. It was just a question of position going in, and who’d take the point.
Jeremiah loved Nancy beyond all reason, and he knew that Eli did as well. But he also understood one thing about his brother, with absolute certainty.
Eli wouldn’t hesitate to kill the man who’d dared to put hands on their woman.
And after the dust settled, that sin would weigh heavily on him for the rest of his life. Jeremiah was just as determined to save Nancy, but he didn’t intend to kill the bastard holding her, unless he absolutely had no choice in the matter.
“Damn it all to hell. You are, too.” Eli spewed a couple of very bad words, and then turned to face Lusty’s sheriff.
They were gathered behind and to the east of Nancy’s house. Connor Talbot had snuck around the small Victorian with a high-resolution microphone and returned. He’d reported that Nancy sounded calm as she talked to whoever it was that held her captive. He’d also told them that she was “tied up.” Those had been her words, Talbot had said, and they didn’t know what that meant.
“I got a brief glimpse of him, though he didn’t see me. He was looking behind him—probably at Nancy,” Connor said. “He told Nancy if she didn’t shut up he would gag her the same way he had the deputy. And, he appears to have taken up position by the front window.”
Adam grunted. “Yeah, likely waiting for the storm of cop cars he expects after his partner called in that ‘anonymous tip.’” He shook his head. “These city boys seem to think that because I’m the sheriff of a small town, I’m fucking stupid.”
“No,” Jeremiah said. “There’s a certain class of folks that think they’re fucking superior to everyone else. Reese Davies is like that, and it doesn’t surprise me anyone associated with him would be, too. It has nothing to do with you, personally. It’s them.”
Jeremiah looked at Eli, waiting to see if his brother would snap out of his fury and step up—which he did the very next instant.
“Okay, then asshole by the front window is likely unconcerned about the back door because he probably relocked it when he entered the house.”
“That’s what I figured,” Adam said. He nodded to Connor, who headed back to where the cruiser was parked, down the street, out of sight of Nancy’s house. “I’m assuming you can pick a lock quietly and quickly?” he asked Jeremiah.
“Yeah, and I’m faster and better at that, too.” Jeremiah gave them all as cheeky a grin as he could muster. Eli just snorted.
That sound eased Jeremiah’s conscience and his concerns. Eli was in cop mode.
They both really would have preferred calling the shots and likely would have. But they’d already discovered that Adam didn’t think like a small-town sheriff.
“All right.” Adam nodded. “We’ll get in position. Then Eli and Connor will take the front, and I’ll be behind you, Jeremiah, at the back. Of course, Eli and Connor will stop at the corner and wait for my signal. You’ll go around the far side of the house to come up on his blind spot. We’ll mark three minutes from the moment I give that signal. That’ll give Jeremiah enough time to get in, and assess things. We’re all wired for sound, so if there’s a problem, Jeremiah, you need to let us know immediately.”
“Will do.” Jeremiah took out his gun, and checked it. He raised an eyebrow when Connor came back and handed a thin black case to Adam.
The sheriff opened what looked like an ace burglar’s tool kit and held it out to him. Jeremiah smiled and chose the pick he was most familiar with. “You keep surprising me, Adam.”
Adam Kendall nodded. “Good. Are we ready?”
Eli and Connor both checked their handguns and nodded. “All right, let’s do this.”
The four of them moved, quickly and quietly. He stopped with Adam behind him shy of the back door. Crouched down, Eli and Connor moved further, toward the back corner of the house. As they passed the unknown motorcycle, Connor paused just for a heartbeat of time. His hand moved fast, and it took Jeremiah a moment to realize he’d taken a moment to pull some wires.
If by some fluke of timing their perp got past them, he’d find his motorcycle wouldn’t start.
Jeremiah crouched by the back door. The instant Adam gave the signal, his partner slipped out of sight and Jeremiah applied his pick to the door. Two seconds, and he felt the lock release. Jeremiah slipped the tool into his pocket and, gun in hand, slowly opened the door.
He’d been half-afraid he’d be given away by the squeak of hinges in need of oil, but the door opened easily and quietly.
He eased into the kitchen, staying down, knowing that if he stood to full height, and the perp turned toward him, he’d be seen. Silence greeted him, and he wondered for one terrible moment if somehow, they were all too late. But he didn’t smell death, or even blood.
Conscious of the time, he crept forward, toward the open arch that separated the kitchen from the living room. He reached position, looked back. Adam was there, and he saw by the look in the man’s eyes he was totally focused on the mission. One inch more, and he could see the man who stood by the window. Older than he expected, and a lot calmer, as well, for the unknown perp stood statue-still, his gaze seemingly focused on the view out the window. He saw Nancy, too, but she also seemed focused on the window.
Fuck, can they see Eli and Connor after all?
Then Nancy gasped and moved at the same instant the perp began to turn. The loud explosion of a gunshot, and a scream of pain catapulted Jeremiah into the next room. The front door exploded open and Eli barreled in, his gun in a two-handed grip.
“Federal Agents! Freeze!” He and his partner both shouted out the same words at the same time, years of partnership kicking in and taking over.
Jeremiah blinked and looked from Nancy, wrists tied together, but holding her Walther pointed at the ground, to her captor, writhing on the floor, one hand holding the other hand close to his chest, blood seeping through his fingers.
Adam stepped up beside him and then moved into the room, to a tied, gagged, and livid Matthew Benedict. Adam looked over at Nancy as he worked on his deputy’s bonds. “At least this time, you didn’t miss completely.”
Chapter 24
“You scared the shit out of me, woman!”
Eli untied her and lifted her out of the chair. He gave her one good shake, and then wrapped her tight in his arms. Nancy slid her arms around his neck.
“Damn it, sweetheart, I nearly died just now.”
His heartfelt words, delivered in a tortured whisper, bathed her neck and made her heart turn over.
She pulled back in his arms so that she could meet his gaze. She cupped his face in her hands. “I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t have a choice.”
He set her down, and then Jeremiah gathered her close. “What he said.” Jeremiah tilted her face up and gave her a way too short kiss.
Jeremiah, like Eli, was shaking. She leaned against him, her arms around his waist, and just held on. Eli moved closer so that she was caught between them.
Surrounded by the heat and the heart of these two men, Nancy felt her emotions begin to level off, and her heart rate return to normal.
Very quickly, her house became full to bursting—or at least it seemed that way. Connor and Mel, along with Colt and Ryder, had arrived moments after she’d shot Uriah. Jake showed up two minutes later with Jordan—who’d also approved of her “not missing” her target this time.
And just two minutes after that, her brothers, Warren and Edward, rushed into the house, emergency equipment in hand. When they saw her, they both visibly exhaled heavily and relaxed.
“Grant said it wasn’t you who’d been shot but…” Warren’s words trailed off. What he’d left unsaid was that he’d been afraid their cousin had gotten the information wrong.
“I’m okay, brother, but the man bleeding all over my rug isn’t, I’m afraid.”
�
��Over here, guys.” Adam Kendall called to her brothers. As she watched, their expressions changed and they became the epitome of trained paramedics.
“You can transport him to the clinic,” Adam said. “Matt will ride with you—and you can make sure someone checks him out as well.”
“I’m fine, Adam. I’m just pissed at myself to have been caught off guard like that.”
“You’ll get checked out, Matt. You lost consciousness.”
“All right, let’s see what we have here. Matt, you okay to go and sit in the passenger side of the van? If so, do so.” Then Warren squatted down, and even though he must have known that the man he was treating had threatened his sister, his demeanor was nothing short of professional.
“Man finds the woman meant to be his and he turns into a bossy Alpha type.” Matt grumbled that but he headed out of the house, telling Nancy he likely had one hell of a headache. She turned her attention to the man on the floor.
“She shot me,” Uriah told him. There was neither anger nor whine in his voice. He sounded as matter-of-fact as he had when he’d told her that Davies wanted her dead. “It never even occurred to me that she’d have a gun…where did she have that gun? I didn’t see it at all.”
Adam looked up at her, his eyebrow raised. It was Warren who answered him.
“If my sister shot you, it was with the gun she had in the leg holster I gave her for her birthday as a gag gift a few years ago.”
“A leg holster. Huh. Clever. Very clever.”
Jake looked at her front door, which hung crookedly, thanks to the large crack near the top hinge. It took Nancy a moment to recall that rather than opening the thing, Eli and Connor had kicked the door in. Then he looked down at her carpet, which did boast some blood stains “I’ll get all this fixed within the hour,” he said. He came over and stood with them and watched as Warren wrapped Uriah’s hand in sterile gauze.
Love Under Two Undercover Cops [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 23
