Without her even having to introduce herself, Liam knew it was Celia.
And he now knew exactly what Eddie wanted from Terry Hillier.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Celia greeted Kyle and Liam at the door, then led them to the den where Eddie was already waiting, ignoring the fact that Liam’s eyes remained locked on her wheelchair the entire way.
Eddie didn’t pause at the sight of them, he simply smiled and asked Celia to go play on the iPad or watch TV in the family room. Then he turned to Kyle and asked, “Did Sheila call yet with an update?”
Kyle shook his head.
“You do know that this was done for Bree, right? To protect her?”
“But how did you know?” Kyle asked. “How did you know about the threats I was getting?”
“Sheila.”
“Sheila?”
Eddie nodded. “I called her after you brought Bree back from camp. I knew there was something going on when you wouldn’t talk about why you brought her home. So I called Sheila and she told me about the video in the woods. She said it was just a prank, but I knew there was more to it. I knew what was going on. Someone was trying to get you to back off. And I knew you wouldn’t do anything about it.”
“So that’s why you called Shelia?” Kyle asked. “Not to tell her that you were worried about me, but to check up on what had happened with Bree at camp?”
As Kyle finished the question, his phone rang. He slipped it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was Sheila.
“They found her,” Sheila said through sobs. “She’s okay. They found her.”
“Where?” Kyle asked.
“Downtown. In the lobby of a building under construction. A security officer found her.”
“And Adrea?”
“They found her too.”
“Is she okay?”
“She was drugged and had some red dye spilled down her neck to make it look like her throat was slit, but she’s fine.”
“Is Bree there? Can I talk to her?”
“She’s at the police station. I’m on my way now. I just got off the phone with them.”
Kyle said he’d meet her there, then hung up.
Eddie was smiling.
“I don’t understand,” Liam said. “What the heck is going on?”
“I kidnapped Hillier,” Eddie said.
“I got that much. But after meeting your daughter, I figured it was so you could see if Hillier could get her to walk again. Have him transfer energy over to her to see if it has the same effect with her as it does with him.”
“No. That was just a secondary benefit. A bonus,” Eddie said. “I kidnapped him for Bree. For Ky. I had to make sure Bree would be safe.”
Liam shook his head. “So I don’t get it. You made her safe by getting her kidnapped?”
“In a sense, yes,” Eddie said. “When you told me how weak and frail Hillier was, I knew I had to grab him before he got healthy. So I’ve been parking outside his building at night waiting for him to leave. And last night, he left. So I followed him and grabbed him. The guy was such a mess that I actually thought he might never wake up again after I drugged him. But he did, and when he woke I offered him a deal. I told him that as long as he transfers some of his energy to Celia and gets her to walk we won’t try to stop him from doing what he does, so there will be no reason for him to harm Bree.”
“Wait a second,” Liam said. “You made a deal with him where you agreed to let him continue to kill?”
“I think you’re looking at this the wrong way,” Eddie said, his expression tightening. “Bree won’t be harmed.”
“But you did this for Celia. That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” Kyle said. “Even in the beginning. As soon as you realized there was some legitimacy to what Liam was saying, it was your plan to get Hillier to transfer energy to Celia. Even before you found out about Bree. That’s why you were calling Liam, why you were so interested in John of God.”
Eddie sighed. “Did I consider it? Of course. Would I have gone through with it if we were able to prevent this madman from continuing to kill?” He looked Kyle square in the eyes. “We’ve been best friends for how many years?” His expression deepened. “Even if it meant my baby could walk again, you know I wouldn’t let these deaths continue.”
“So why are you allowing it now?” Liam asked.
Eddie’s eyes turned steely. “Because he’ll have Bree killed if we don’t. The guy’s a mercenary.”
“A mercenary?”
“Yes, Liam. A fucking mercenary. You made that connection yourself. He’s a damn hit man. He does exactly what you thought he did, kills for hire. He’s a damn hit man. That’s it. A glorified one who has the most perfect game in town—he leaves no evidence and can get what he needs accomplished whenever the hell he wants to. And he has one of his mercenary buddies ready to kill Bree if he’s harmed. Kyle knows. As soon as Hillier didn’t check in with his buddy this morning, Bree was abducted. And the only reason why she wasn’t killed is because I told Hillier we didn’t want to stop him. That all we wanted was for him to help out Celia. That’s it. So there was no reason to hurt Bree. He agreed to it and called his buddy and told him to let Bree go.”
“What about Allie?” Liam asked. “Will he be able to help her?”
Eddie paused and softened his expression. “I can ask him,” he said. “And I can tell him that getting Allie out of the coma has to be part of the deal.”
“Did he say he could do that?” Kyle asked.
“I didn’t ask, but if he can get Celia to walk I can’t imagine he won’t be able to help Allie as well.”
Liam swallowed. “But he’ll have to kill to get the energy to do that, right?”
Eddie didn’t respond.
“Of course he will.” Liam lowered his eyes, answering his own question.
“I suppose he will. But would you rather Allie die? Would you rather Bree die?” Eddie asked. “Because those are the alternatives.”
“There has to be another way,” Liam said.
“There isn’t. This is it.” He looked at Kyle, who was sitting quietly. “And we all have to make our fucking peace with it because this guy is not going to screw around. Did you see how quickly he had his buddies nab Bree?”
Liam’s face was frozen. He turned to Kyle. “There’s got to be some other way, right?”
But Kyle just looked down at his feet.
“There isn’t another way,” Eddie said. “There simply isn’t. How else will he transfer energy over to Allie if he doesn’t have any to give? And what about Bree? This guy has connections all over the place. The government, KnightWare, the police. You’re the one who made that connection. You know he’ll find out, and he’ll kill Bree if he doesn’t kill Kyle first.”
Kyle looked up, his eyes narrowing on Eddie. “How do you know that? How do you know he has those connections other than Liam’s stories?”
“You don’t think a guy with his ‘talents’ puts them to use for the big guns—DEA, FBI, NSA? C’mon, Ky.”
“So we’re supposed to just let this happen?” Liam asked. “Even though we can prevent so many innocent deaths, we’re just supposed to let it go by? Not say a word?”
“I’m not saying it’s easy,” Eddie said. “But yes, that’s what we have to do. It’s the same thing Kyle’s been doing, or what he was going to do. Let it happen.”
Liam shook his head. “But what if we just kill him? Or just let him die. Let his energy just run out. Then he couldn’t harm Bree.”
“Then Allie dies, or becomes a living vegetable.”
“But no one else will.”
“You’re forgetting about Bree.”
“No I’m not,” Liam said. “If he’s dead, he can’t kill her.”
“That’s not the way it works,” Eddie said. “You think he doesn’t know that? He dies, his buddy kills Bree. No matter how long it takes.”
“We can hide her,” Liam countered.
“W
here? Where are we going to hide her so she’ll be safe for the rest of her life and still be able to lead a relatively normal life?”
“Maybe she won’t be able to live a normal life,” Liam said. “But no more innocent people will have to die.”
“Easy for you to say,” Eddie said. “Bree isn’t your daughter. Besides, you really don’t think this guy’s friends will be able to find her? Really? You run a fucking comic book store. You think you’ll be able to keep her hidden?”
The room remained silent. No one spoke.
Liam looked over at Kyle. “I’m sorry, Kyle. I want Allie back more than anything in the world, but I can’t let this happen. I can’t sit by and let this guy keep killing. And I can’t let someone else die to save Allie’s life. There has to be something we can figure out, but we can’t let this happen. We can’t let someone else die.”
Liam began to leave the room, but Eddie blocked the entrance.
“Where the fuck are you going?”
“I’m going to call the Crusaders,” Liam said, his beady eyes zoning in on Eddie’s. “And then I’m going to call the police. And if they try to cover it up, or shut me up and keep this quiet, I’ll have the Crusaders go public with everything. This has to stop.”
Eddie pushed Liam hard in the chest, causing the chubby man to fall backward and tumble to the floor. “You aren’t going anywhere, and you’re not calling anyone.”
“Eddie!” Kyle yelled. “What the hell are you doing?”
“He’s going to get Bree killed,” Eddie said. “Is that what you want?”
Kyle helped Liam to his feet, then glared at Eddie. “He’s doing the right thing. Let him go.”
“Let him go? What about Bree?”
Kyle swallowed. “I’ll have to get her in protective custody, or something. I’m not sure. But he’s right. We can’t let this go on. I can’t let this go on. It has to end.”
“Do you think these guys are joking around, Ky? They’re killers. Trained killers. Yeah, they faked Adrea’s death, but that was only because they didn’t need the risk. It was just to get your attention. But they will kill Bree.”
Kyle stared at him. “How did you know they faked Adrea’s death?”
“Hillier told me.”
“How would he know? He was with you.”
“His buddy told him when Hillier called to tell him to back off and let the girls go.”
Kyle kept studying Eddie, seeing the sweat form above his upper lip. He was nervous. He was also lying. Kyle could see the façade of deceit sliding off until there was nothing at the core but resignation.
And then Eddie did the unthinkable.
He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Liam and Kyle.
“No one is going anywhere.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Terry Hillier wasn’t going to be able to deliver what the man wanted. It simply wasn’t going to work for a number of reasons. The first being that he was barely able to keep himself alive and help out Evan, let alone add someone else to the mix. And even putting that aside, he just couldn’t do what he was being asked. Transferring energy to help someone focus was one thing, getting someone to walk again was a whole other universe—one that strengthening the mind would do little to fix.
But he had needed to bide his time and play along until he was healthy again. He had no choice. He was slipping away and needed a hit, quickly. As he rolled his neck while taking slow, deliberate breaths to try to control the pain, he considered his options. He could either wait and see if the man would actually let him take a hit and then go from there, or he could try to do something before the man either killed him or turned him in. He’d much prefer the latter option, but he wasn’t really in a state to act on it. His hands were tied behind his back and his body was on the verge of complete collapse.
But he had to fight through it and at least try.
He’d already scanned the room for something with a sharp edge to cut through the twine binding his arms, but hadn’t found anything useful. His only option was to create his own sharp edge by breaking the glass coffee table and then using one of the shattered shards of glass. It would take some time, but it was all he could come up with. So he shimmied the chair over to the bookshelf and grabbed a metal paperweight in the shape of a globe and about the size of a softball. Together with his weight, it’d likely do the trick. He shimmied back to the coffee table, positioning himself so the back of the chair was against it and the paperweight in his hands facing it. He mustered what strength he had left and leaned himself and the chair backward so that he landed, paperweight first, flush on top of the table. His body cried out in pain as the glass shattered on impact—sharp, throbbing signals screaming up and down his back, shooting over to his arms and legs.
When the coursing pain subsided enough to allow him to take inventory, he realized the collision had much better results than he’d intended. The fall had actually cracked the back of the chair, allowing him to slip the twine off rather than fighting to keep the tremors steady long enough to cut it loose. His hands were still bound, but he was free from the chair. He tried opening the door leading to what he believed was a garage, or maybe the outside, but it was locked from the other side. Normally that would be odd, as a home lock typically prevents someone from getting in, not out, but he was sure it was something the man had done just for him to make sure he didn’t escape.
He had to try the other exit, even if the man was waiting for him. It was the only option. He walked up the stairs, sure the door would be locked just like the one downstairs. But he had to try. He had to rule out the easy options. When his aching body finally made its way to the top, he turned his back to the door and used his still bound hands to turn the knob. Locked. Just as he expected.
But there was something else there. He could feel it. His nerve endings began dancing, the electricity prickling the hairs on his neck.
There was someone outside the room.
And whoever it was, was most definitely a match.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Kyle stared at the barrel of the gun as Eddie corralled them toward the couch. He couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Have you completely lost your mind?” he asked. “Are you really doing this?”
“You apparently know what I already did,” Eddie said, seemingly trying to calm his own nerves, “so you tell me, what choice do I have?”
Eddie was right. Kyle had figured it out. Eddie had not only abducted Hillier, but he had Bree abducted as well. And Kyle knew why; Eddie didn’t want Kyle getting in his way. He didn’t want Kyle ruining his plan to have Hillier help Celia, so he made it seem as if Bree’s life was at stake since, without that threat, Eddie knew there’d be no chance Kyle would stand by and do nothing. Even if it meant Celia could walk again.
“Yes, I figured it out,” Kyle acknowledged. “I know it was you who staged Bree’s kidnapping, and I know you aren’t going to hurt her.”
“Hurt her?” Eddie quickly repeated, his eyes narrowing at the thought. “You’re damn right I’m not going to hurt her. I went out of my way to make sure of it. The fucking goons I got to lift her phone up at her camp and stage that video didn’t involve her at all. And when they grabbed her today, they were under specific orders not to mess with her, not to even fucking talk to her if they didn’t have to. They weren’t even to goddam look at her the wrong way. And they didn’t hurt her friend either. It was all fake. I went out of my fucking way to kidnap her in the least fucking threatening way possible. You’re goddam right she won’t be hurt. I love that little girl. I never wanted to do any of this. But it was the only way to keep your Goody Two-Shoes ass from messing things up.”
“I know,” Kyle said reassuringly, trying to calm him, trying to find the rational man he’d known for so many years. “I know you wouldn’t. And I know you wouldn’t harm anyone else, either.”
“Well, he’s got a gun pointed at us,” Liam said. “And he’s letting Hillier go, so I would say you�
��re probably wrong on that account.”
“He’s not letting anyone do anything,” Kyle snapped, digging his eyes into Liam, begging him without words to stay quiet and let him handle the situation. Then he turned back to Eddie, who still had the gun pointed at them. “Liam does have a point though. Why don’t you put the gun down? You know I’m not going anywhere until we get this figured out. And I know you aren’t going to shoot us, Eddie. And you know it too. So let’s just put the gun away. There’s no need for it.”
“Of course I’m not going to shoot you,” Eddie said, unable to mask the warring conflict being waged inside.
“So then just put the damn thing down,” Kyle said.
Eddie’s grip loosened, but he didn’t lower the gun.
“And think of it this way. Even if we did try to make a run at you,” Kyle forced a smile, “do you really think you wouldn’t be able to handle us without a gun?”
“Good point,” Eddie said, allowing himself a smirk.
“So put it down already.”
Eddie relaxed, his expression becoming much more familiar to Kyle than the crazed façade that had replaced it.
“I may not shoot you,” Eddie said, “but I’ll knock you on your ass if I have to.”
“You won’t have to.”
“Fine,” Eddie said as he placed the gun on the table next to him. “So what do we do now?”
But before he even finished the question, Liam sprang from the couch and ran straight at him. Eddie barely flinched, simply sidestepped the awkward bull-rush then grabbed the chubby man by his ears and lowered Liam’s head into his rising knee. Liam fell to the ground, blood gushing from his nose.
Kyle rushed to his side. “Jesus, Eddie!” he yelled. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Me? I didn’t have to do that? What about him? What the hell was that?”
Kyle helped Liam up and moved him back to the couch, grabbing a decorative fleece and applying it to Liam’s nose.
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