Deadly Abandon

by Kallie Lane

  The Shepherd laughed from somewhere to her right. “Congratulations, my darling. I didn’t think you’d be able to get free. I could almost admire your persistence if I wasn’t so angry with you.”

  “You sick bastard.” Breeana bunched her muscles in a fight-or-flight response. It was long past time to get moving. She staggered, cutting away from his shrill voice as fast as her trembling legs could carry her. She didn’t get far.

  “Enough fooling around.” He wrenched her by the shoulders and pitched her back on the chair. “I’m running out of patience with you. It’s time to say the rosary and beg forgiveness for your sins.”

  “I don’t know the rosary,” Breeana cried out. “I’m not Catholic.”

  “What?” He gripped her neck. “You are nothing but a filthy liar. I saw you at mass with your friends. I watched the three of you giggling like schoolgirls as you tromped out of St. Pat’s. You dared to laugh at Father Mike’s sermon.”

  Breeana focused the nausea and terror away, and then pushed her mind back to the day in the cathedral, the day she had gone to mass with Miranda and Rainey who were members of the parish. She remembered the service and the despicable priest. He had sounded like a raving lunatic, tainting the scriptures to send his sexist message to everyone in the congregation. He had preached about whores and their day of atonement.

  The pieces of the puzzle came together with gemstone clarity. It was why Miranda and Rainey were dead, because they had walked out of church before the priest had finished spewing his venom. And, this was why she would be the next to die. One member of the congregation had taken the priest’s ramblings to heart.

  “You will learn the rosary, Breeana. Or die trying.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tracking the police-issue SUV to Hannah Grime’s property was a piece of cake, thanks to GPS technology. Clemente had no idea he was being followed. There were some things a military man could do better than the guys on the force. Tracking was one of them. Blending into his surroundings was another.

  Sully didn’t just search the terrain around Hannah Grime’s house. He became the terrain, and was impossible to spot. It wasn’t long before he picked up footprints matting the grass along the border of lawn and then followed them to the entrance of an old root cellar hidden by twisted foliage. No wonder the investigators hadn’t found it. He knelt to touch traces of blood dotting the graveled entrance. Breeana was injured, how badly he couldn’t tell. And The Shepherd was with her now.

  Theo’s voice whispered into his earpiece. “Clemente’s SUV is parked in the garage. No one’s inside.”

  “They’re in a root cellar edging the property. I’m going down.”

  “Roger. I’ll call it in and catch up.”

  Sully’s tread was light on the stairs. He moved silently, trying hard not to think about Breeana and what he would find in the cellar.

  Don’t go there. You can hear her. She’s still alive.

  “No, you stupid, stupid girl!” The Shepherd’s voice shrilled with frustration. “You made another mistake. Start again from the beginning. It’s in the book. One more mistake and I’ll have to punish you again.”

  The son of a bitch is as good as dead.

  Sully crept across the floor from the main part of the root cellar and plastered himself against the outer wall of the makeshift chapel. He inched forward. In his haste to reach Breeana, he failed to notice the metal bucket lying on the cement. It connected with his foot and rattled across the doorway. Fuck!

  “Breeana? I believe we have company.” The sound of The Shepherd’s voice chilled Sully’s blood to ice.

  “Come out where I can see you, Lieutenant. Otherwise, I’ll finish her off.”

  Sully pushed through the doorway and into the room. He inched as close to them as he could get without spooking Clemente. Breeana moaned. Sully’s chest constricted as his gaze locked on her. She was pressed against The Shepherd’s body, pinned there by an arm strapped across her chest. The blade of a KA-BAR at her throat, blood from the knife prick trickled down her neck. He couldn’t get a shot off without hitting her.

  You rat shit bastard! That woman is my life! You will not hack her to goddamn pieces! “You don’t want to do it, Sal.”

  “Salvatore Clemente is gone forever! I’m The Shepherd and you will deal with me, Lieutenant. Drop your weapon!”

  Sully barely recognized the madman standing in front of him. There was no resemblance to the mild-mannered detective he worked with on the force. This psychopath was The Shepherd, plain and simple. He derived pleasure from murdering women and inflicting pain. He was absolutely insane.

  “Do it now, or I swear I’ll cut her again!”

  My God, Bree, what has he done to you? Sully could see abrasions on her skin, the odd angle of her hand and wrist. He locked on her gaze and sent her a silent message. Don’t worry; we’ll get out of this.

  He was sure she understood when she gave him an imperceptible nod. Then he dropped his police-issue firearm and put his hands in the air. Where is Theo?

  “Now, take out your backup piece. Ease it out of your ankle holster and slide it over.”

  Sully bent low at the waist and whispered under his breath into his mic. “It’s up to you, bro. Take the shot. Take the goddamn shot!”

  Theo appeared at the entrance to the room like a specter, his Glock extended from locked forearms as he took precise aim. The Shepherd moved in an instant. He twisted himself and Breeana in Theo’s direction. His knife moved a fraction of an inch away from her exposed throat. Finally, the break Sully needed. He raised his snub-nosed .38 caliber, leveled it at Clemente’s head, and squeezed the trigger.

  The Shepherd dropped like a rock as the bullet shattered his temple. Sully closed the distance, scooping up Breeana before she fell to the floor. He gathered her against him, shielding her from the worst of the carnage.

  His brother holstered his firearm and heaved a sigh of relief. “Your homicide squad and the EMTs are on the way. They should be here soon.”

  “Theo…thanks.” Sully’s hand trembled as he squeezed his brother’s shoulder. It had been too close—way too close.

  “Don’t mention it. I’ll stick around, explain things, and meet up with you later.”

  Breeana clung to Sully and buried her face in the crook of his neck. “Please…I want to go home.”

  “Soon, after a trip to the hospital.” He lifted her in his arms and carried her up the stairs, away from the hellhole and the stench of death. He could hear sirens wailing in the distance. They couldn’t get there fast enough. Breeana trembled like a leaf, and he knew she was already in shock. Whipping off his shirt, he wrapped her in it. She wouldn’t be going home tonight, that was for sure.

  “It’s over, cookie. It’s finally over.”

  ****

  “So, that’s why Bruiser attacked you at Rainey’s?” Breeana managed to pull herself up higher in the hospital bed with Sully’s help. He fluffed the pillows behind her head. The doctor had insisted on keeping her for a few days, and Sully wholeheartedly agreed. She’d been outvoted. While she wasn’t happy about it, at least the intravenous pain meds dulled the worst of the throbbing in her hand.

  “Right. The dog was really after Clemente. Bruiser knew Sal had killed his mistress and it was payback time.” Sully passed her a glass of juice from the tray and helped her take a sip through the straw. “It’s one of those times when I wish animals could talk.

  “I think Bruiser may have also saved your life. After leaving the rosary in your bedroom, Clemente couldn’t go back inside your house once you brought the dog home. He was scared to death of the Rottweiler. I remember him making the sign of the cross and drawing his weapon when I first opened the door to Rainey’s laundry room. He knew Bruiser wanted to kill him.”

  “What I don’t understand is how The Shepherd planned to get me out of the house, after the pizza was delivered with the tranquilizers. Wouldn’t Bruiser have attacked him then?”

  Sully bent
to brush a kiss at her temple. Then he scooted her over in the bed and slid in beside her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he hugged her close. Laying her head against his chest, she was comforted by the steady beat of his heart.

  “Bruiser wouldn’t have had the chance. Sal would have shot the dog while we were all out cold. But, he couldn’t take the chance on coming by the house beforehand. He knew what would happen if Bruiser went after him in front of me. He would have headed my suspects list, for sure.”

  She sighed. “I’m so glad it’s over. I want to put this behind us and go on with our lives.”

  He skimmed his fingers along her cheek and brought her mouth up to meet his, melting her with a heart-stopping kiss. Gathering her in his arms as if she was porcelain and would break, he smoothed a hand down her back. “I know, cookie, and if you behave yourself, the doctor will release you tomorrow. In the meantime, we’ll just have to pretend we’re already home.”

  “Hey, ‘hot lips’! What are you doing in bed with my mom? She’s injured…or haven’t ya noticed?”

  Cody and her father had entered the room. Sully’s team filed in close behind them, except for Hawke, who occupied a room down the hall. Sully had mentioned Cody and her dad would fly back today. Her brain must be fuzzy from the meds because she’d lost track of time. Breeana could feel a flush rising from her toes to the top of her head. Sully eased away from her as Cody came forward into her arms.

  “It’s great to see you, Mom. Looks like I got here just in time. Boy, the lieutenant has more moves than Micah, and that’s saying a lot.”

  “Relax, pal,” Sully laughed. “It was only a harmless kiss.”

  “I don’t know. Gramps, what do you think?”

  Jack eyed Sully thoughtfully, a devilish glint in his eyes. “We’ll have a private chat with the lieutenant later. I’m sure he was just about to heave his carcass out of my daughter’s bed, anyway. Right, Lieutenant?”

  “Not if I had my way,” Sully muttered under his breath, then shot Breeana a wolfish grin, and planted another wet kiss on her mouth before swinging his feet to the floor. “We were just discussing Sal Clemente and how he managed to keep himself off the suspect’s list.”

  “It must have given him one hell of a shock when Millette called Rainey Dubé’s death in to your homicide squad,” Theo said.

  “I imagine it did. All his other murders had gone undetected and the last thing he wanted was to have homicide involved. I remember how sick he looked when I first arrived at the murder scene. He blamed it on eating cold pizza.” Sully rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “On the other hand, once we took over the investigation, he was able to manipulate the facts.”

  “How did he manage to tamper with evidence without getting caught?” Micah asked.

  “It’s not difficult, considering he worked the case. Clemente monitored the surveillance feed from the docks of The Shepherd trapping rats. He claimed a clear picture of The Shepherd never appeared on those tapes. Forensics called me an hour ago. The tapes were doctored. I’m guessing Clemente removed any video footage of himself.”

  “But, why did he kill the church secretary?” Reece wanted to know.

  “Because Hannah Grimes was his mother. Although, oddly enough, I don’t think he really wanted to kill her. But, he didn’t have a choice, not when he knew we would question her. He must have been afraid she would tell us about him.”

  “You planned to ask her about those rosaries stolen from St. Pat’s all those years ago?”

  “Right, Bree. I’m guessing she knew he took the rosaries. Clemente had no idea if she’d rat him out. He knew his mother despised him. Yet, even with that, he may have wanted to keep her alive so he’d still have an excuse to murder other women. Joelle believes he envisioned murdering his mother with every innocent life he took. She also believes he had some unhealthy fantasies about her.”

  “Oh-oh, information overload.” Cody clutched his throat and forced a gag.

  “Do you know how he chose his victims?” Law interrupted, laughing at her son’s antics. “I’ve never understood how psychopaths decide who’s going to live and who’s going to die.”

  “I know how he chose Miranda, Rainey and me,” Breeana offered, trying to get more comfortable in the bed. “He followed us home from St. Patrick’s Cathedral after mass. He was furious with us, because Father Mike was giving the sermon and we walked out in the middle of it, when the priest started saying incredibly vile, horrible things about women. We couldn’t sit there any longer and listen to his poison.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Sully said. “Father Mike was Clemente’s biological father and the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree. The priest and Hannah had been having an affair for years. And I believe they abused Sal as a child.”

  Breeana shuddered, and Sully slipped his arm around her shoulders again. “I can’t believe a mother would hurt her son for any reason.”

  “I know, cookie, but remember…both of his parents were total whack jobs.”

  Hunt shuffled on his feet. “I guess it doesn’t make much sense, but I almost feel sorry for the guy.”

  “Even after what he did to Breeana?” Sully carefully took her injured hand, which was wrapped in a cast, and raised it off the pillow a few inches. “I can’t feel sorry for him. He killed innocent women, and my guess? He used his badge to get close to them. So, there were never any signs of a struggle. We found a tackle box in his beach shack where he hid souvenirs from his kills. Plus, he almost murdered Cody. I would kill him again if I had to.

  “While I might grieve for Sal Clemente the child, I have no sympathy, whatsoever, for the man he became. The Shepherd was nothing but a cold-blooded killer who preyed on women to satisfy his sick cravings,” Sully added.

  “Oh, oh, Gramps,” Cody snickered. “It’s time to roll up my ears and tuck them in my head. It sounds like Sully’s going to talk about kinky sex. Micah hasn’t explained those things to me yet.”

  “Mic!” Sully growled. “What have you been teaching the kid while you guys were recuperating?”

  “Will you relax, Sully?” Breeana saw Micah roll his eyes and wink at both her son and her father. “We only had normal conversations about the birds and bees. I would never tell Cody anything his own grandfather wouldn’t want to teach him.”

  “I’m not so sure, Mic,” Sully said, curling his lip.

  “Hey.” Cody’s grandfather interrupted. “Why don’t we let Breeana get some rest and play a little poker over at my place? I’ll supply the beer and cigars.”

  “Sweet, Gramps. Let’s go see if Hawke wants to get in on the action. We could always break him out of here for a couple of hours. Let’s go, guys!”

  Breeana lay against the pillows and laughed until tears ran down her cheeks and her stomach hurt. The expression on Sully’s face was priceless. He clearly had no idea what life with Cody and her father was all about. After they all filed out and he had a moment to regroup, he cupped her chin in his warm hands, tenderly lifting her face.

  “Bree? I love you beyond belief.” He gazed into her eyes with something close to terror in his own. “It took almost losing you to realize I don’t want to live my life without you. I never thought it could happen to me. I’m lousy at relationships and I don’t know how this will end.”

  “Well, maybe it doesn’t have to end,” she whispered. “Why don’t we take it one step at a time and see where it takes us? Because, Sully, I love you too, and I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Aw, cookie,” he groaned, carefully moving over her on the bed, still holding her face between his hands and kissing her lips. “I’m a lousy prospect for marriage. I live life in the dangerous lane and there’s always the risk I won’t make it home to you one night. It wouldn’t be fair to you, or Cody.”

  Breeana’s heart plunged as if it would shatter in a million pieces. She loved Sully so completely. She knew he would never hang up his shield, or stop fighting for the innocent. It was who he was. The man she lo
ved. She was more than willing to take the risk of being a part of his life, for as long as he wanted her. “Sometimes you think too much. Go lock the door and show me how much you love me.”

  “Now that’s something I can handle.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Sully brought Breeana home the next morning and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. “How about taking a nice hot shower?”

  “It depends. Are you offering to scrub my back?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and winked at him. “If you are, we’ll have to hurry. Cody and my father will be back from the arena soon.”

  “There’s an offer I can’t refuse, if you’re sure you’re up to it. Just let me put the dogs out in the yard. I’ll get the water started in a minute.”

  He set her down on the bed, ran downstairs, and pulled up short as two pairs of eyes drilled into him. Cody and Jack were already home. If looks could kill, Sully figured he’d be choking on his last breath right about now.

  “Good morning, Lieutenant.”

  “Morning, Jack,” he mumbled.

  “Hockey practice was cancelled and we’re home early. We were just about to have breakfast.” Jack led them into the kitchen and reached in the cupboard for three bowls. He slammed them down on the counter next to an apple-cinnamon pie. Then he tossed the pie into the microwave and scowled in Sully’s direction. “So, before you take a shower with my daughter, you’ll be joining us.”

  “Right. Don’t mind if I do, Jack.” The scent of fear mixed with sweat oozed from Sully’s pores. He’d sooner be facing the Son of Sam than going up against the tag team of Cody and Jack. There wouldn’t be a trial. They’d go straight for the lynching, and he sure couldn’t blame them.

  He was guilty, caught red-handed last night in a hospital bed sampling the spoils of victory, rolling on the sheets with Cody’s mother and Jack’s daughter, however innocently. And, now they’d heard him talk about taking a shower with her. Maybe he should just shoot himself and get it over with. Hell, he probably deserved it.