“Remy?” Eli shouted again. Like before, he got no response that Ashlyn could hear.
“Maybe Remy shot Dominick,” Ashlyn said.
“Maybe,” Gunnar agreed. “Or else Dominick got the gun from Remy and turned it on him.”
That was possible, but if so, then why hadn’t Dominick just come out of the vehicle? She was certain he hadn’t, or Eli would have already told Gunnar.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Gunnar told her, and he gave her a warning glance to stay put before he hurried back to the front door next to Eli.
Ashlyn wanted to hear their conversation, but she didn’t want to move any farther away from Cora and the bedroom window. So she stood there, the gun gripped in her hand, and she waited. She could tell from Gunnar’s expression that he didn’t have good news when he came back to her.
“Neither Dominick nor Remy is responding,” he said. “Either Remy turned off his phone or it’s not working.”
Ashlyn had no idea which of those could be true, but it was possible the shot she’d heard had damaged the phone. “What happens now?” she asked.
“Kellan’s here in the cruiser, and he’s about to drive closer so he can try to see in Remy’s car. If Remy killed Dominick, accidentally or otherwise, he might be too scared to come out.”
True. Or Remy could be lying in wait to gun down Kellan or anyone else who approached him. If the man truly wasn’t thinking straight, then there was no telling what he would do.
“Is there any way of knowing where the shot went?” she pressed. Ashlyn hadn’t heard it hit the house, but there were plenty of ranch hands patrolling the grounds. She hoped it hadn’t hit one of them.
Gunnar shook his head. “The windshield on the car is intact, but it’s possible the shot went out the back. Kellan’s not going to let this drag on,” he added. “He’s already called for more cruisers, and when they get here, they can box Remy in.”
Since the cruisers were bullet-resistant, that would hopefully mean Remy wouldn’t be able to fire a shot into the house. Also, if he lowered his window to try to do that, Kellan or one of the hands would almost certainly take him out.
Ashlyn hated the thought of someone being killed, especially just yards away from her baby, but Remy might not give them a choice. If he’d truly lost his mind, then there might not be any turning back from this for him.
Gunnar went back to the front, taking up position on the other side of the door from Eli. Ashlyn kept her attention on them, and that’s why she didn’t miss when Eli glanced back at her. Their eyes connected, and she could almost feel his worry and regret. He would blame himself for not being able to stop this, blame himself for not realizing just how close to the edge that Remy had been.
Eli’s gaze slashed back to the window when there was another sound. Not a gunshot, thank goodness. This was a screech of tires, and for a moment she thought it was Kellan moving in with one of the cruisers.
But no.
Ashlyn’s heart jumped to her throat as she saw Eli’s and Gunnar’s reactions. The two bolted away from the door, both of them running in her direction.
And the car crashed through the front of the house.
* * *
ELI WAS CURSING and praying at the same time. There’d been only seconds to react. Seconds between the time Remy had gunned the engine and used his car as a battering ram to tear into the house.
The front of the car did plenty of damage, breaking down the front door and shattering windows. And setting off the security alarm, which immediately started to blare. If the crash hadn’t woken up the baby, that would certainly do it, and despite everything else going on, Eli added a prayer that the little girl wouldn’t be scared.
Ashlyn and Gunnar took aim at the car, and while Eli appreciated their quick backup, he wanted Ashlyn away from this. Well, as far away as she could get, which would mean going in with Cora and Gloria. For now, though, Eli used his phone to turn off the security alarms so he could hear.
He heard all right. The sounds of the car engine crackling from the impact. Wood and glass falling. But beneath all of that, he also heard the moans. Someone was hurt. Hopefully, Remy. Eli didn’t have any sympathy whatsoever for the man since he’d endangered not only his hostage but everyone in the house.
The moaning picked up a notch, and then the front passenger’s door of the car creaked open. Dominick stuck out his head, and since the lights were still on in what was left of the house, Eli had no trouble seeing the blood on the man’s head. It looked as if he’d hit it during the collisions.
“Remy set a fire inside the car,” Dominick said, and his voice was a mix of pain, fear and anger.
Eli had already noticed the smoke, but he’d thought that had come from the crash. Apparently, though, Remy was determined to do even more damage than he already had.
“Let Kellan know about the fire,” Eli told Gunnar. Kellan would almost certainly be approaching the vehicle, and he’d need to be aware what he was up against.
“Is Remy alive?” Eli asked Dominick. He didn’t go to the man to help him out of the car and wouldn’t until he was positive that Dominick hadn’t had some part in this.
Dominick opened his mouth to answer, and then he cursed and groaned. A moment later, Eli saw why Dominick had had that reaction. He got out of the car, and Remy was right behind him.
Remy had a gun pointed at Dominick’s head.
Hell. They still had a hostage situation on their hands, and the smoke from the car was getting worse, which meant if there was indeed a fire, it could soon spread into the house. Worse, Kellan wouldn’t be able to do anything about that fire as long as Remy had Dominick. Of course, his brother might be able to get a clean shot to take out Remy, and if so, that would put an end to this.
Remy staggered out of the car, and Eli could see that he, too, had a head injury. There was a line of blood snaking down his temple all the way to his jaw, but Remy didn’t even seem to notice it. His face was tight with rage and determination. Not a good mix when it came to an out-of-control armed man who seemed hell-bent on doing as much damage as possible.
“Get in the room with Cora,” Eli told Ashlyn. Thankfully, she did move but only into the doorway of the bedroom. He would have preferred her to be in the bathroom, but at least she wasn’t in the direct line of fire.
Gunnar and Eli took cover, too, both of them scrambling behind the sofa. It wouldn’t give them much protection if Remy started shooting, but Eli hadn’t given up on reasoning with the man. Maybe that wasn’t even possible, but he had to try especially since Kellan was going to be tied up trying to deal with the car.
Behind him, he could hear Cora crying. Could also hear Gloria trying to soothe her.
“Remy, you need to put down your gun,” Eli warned him. “We have a baby here, and you could hurt her.”
“That baby is my granddaughter,” Dominick spat out. He angled his narrowed eyes back at Remy, who now had him in a choke hold. “So help me, if you put one scratch on her, I will kill you.”
Remy didn’t have a reaction to that, either. He seemed to be in shock as he forced Dominick through the debris from the crash and into the living room. However, Eli rethought that “shock” diagnosis when Remy positioned himself so that his own back was to the wall. It would make it much harder for Kellan to get off that shot. Ditto for Gunnar and Eli. Right now, neither of them could fire because they would almost certainly hit Dominick.
“You need to stop this, Sergeant Slater,” Dominick spat out, saying “Sergeant Slater” as if it were the profanity he added after his demand. “You need to kill this lunatic before he does any more damage.”
“And you need to stay quiet,” Eli told him. It definitely wouldn’t help if Dominick agitated Remy even more than he already was.
Dominick glared at Eli and gave him a look that could have frozen hell. Apparently, the man wasn�
��t going to make this easy, so Eli needed to try to defuse this as fast as he could.
Through the gaping hole in the front of the house, Eli saw Kellan and one of the hands inching toward the car. Since the smoke was still spewing from it, maybe they’d be able to deal with that. If Remy let them, that is. If Remy saw them, he might try to shoot them. And that’s why Eli had to keep Remy occupied.
“Before you crashed your car into the house, I had Gus on the phone,” Eli told him. Not a lie but what he would say next would be. “He agreed not to move Marta’s body, and yes, he’ll put that in writing.”
Gus would probably agree to it only to appease Remy enough to have him put an end to this, but Eli was betting there was no way Gus was going to let Marta’s body stay where it was.
Remy didn’t say anything, but his gaze continued to fire around the room and toward the car. His eyes were wild, and his hand was shaking. Clearly, he wasn’t in control, which made this situation even more dangerous.
Kellan leaned into the smoking car, and using his hat, he batted at the flames. Eli couldn’t tell if he’d managed to put out the fire because there was still plenty of smoke. Smoke that was seeping into the house.
“I need a car or truck so I can get out of here,” Remy finally said.
Eli huffed. Well, at least it was a demand he could work with. A demand that didn’t make sense, though. “Why’d you crash your own car if that’s what you wanted?”
Remy shook his head, and yeah, he was dazed. “I didn’t intend on doing that. It just happened.”
“I was trying to get away from him,” Dominick volunteered, “and the idiot jammed his foot on the accelerator.”
So that hadn’t been part of the plan. Of course, neither had Remy holding Dominick at gunpoint in the living room.
“Obviously, we’re not dealing with a bright bulb here,” Dominick added in an enraged grumble.
Remy might have been dazed, but he didn’t care much for Dominick’s insult, and he ground the gun even harder against Dominick’s head. “I want a car or truck,” Remy repeated, and his words were suddenly as fierce as his expression. “Get it now. I know Kellan’s out there, and I can use his cruiser.”
Eli nodded. “That can be arranged. I’ll have Kellan bring in the keys.”
“No,” Remy snapped. He glanced out at his car again, and even though Kellan and the hands were no longer in sight, Eli knew they were nearby and waiting to respond.
Dominick huffed. “Like I said, he’s not very bright. You’ll need the keys, moron,” he added, tossing Remy another look from over his shoulder.
Eli wished the man would just shut up, because that put a new layer of rage on Remy’s face. “Tell Kellan to leave the keys in the ignition of the cruiser,” Remy ordered. “I want the engine running and ready to go. And I want her.”
Remy looked past the sofa, past Eli, his attention going into the hall. And Eli’s stomach went to his knees, because he knew that Remy was talking about Ashlyn.
“I’ll take her instead of Dominick,” Remy went on. “She’s not as likely to put up a fight, and I’m betting Kellan or you won’t fire any shots at me if I’ve got Ashlyn with me.”
“You’re not taking Ashlyn,” Eli snapped, though he wasn’t sure how he managed to speak with everything churning even harder inside him.
Remy’s gaze slashed straight to Eli’s. “Then I start shooting. You don’t want that to happen because like you said, the kid could get hurt. I’m betting Ashlyn will come with me to stop that from happening.”
“I will,” Ashlyn said.
Eli didn’t look back at her. He didn’t want to take his attention off Remy, but he wanted to give her a back-off warning. No way was Eli going to let her leave with Remy. In the man’s state of mind, he could kill her.
“Take me hostage,” Eli insisted. “Kellan and Gunnar won’t fire if I’m with you.”
Eli could see Remy considering that. And he also saw him dismiss it. “I want Ashlyn. She’s likely to give me less trouble than you would.”
Yes, she was less likely because she wouldn’t be able to defend herself against Remy, who was much larger than she was. Which was another reason why she wasn’t leaving with him.
“I won’t be armed,” Eli said, trying again to reason with Remy. “I’d leave my gun here.”
Again, Remy considered that, and this time there wasn’t an immediate dismissal. Not from Remy anyway, but Eli heard Ashlyn mutter a soft “no.” There was plenty of emotion in that single word. Especially plenty of fear, because she had to know just how dangerous Remy was right now.
“All right, Eli, we’ll deal,” Remy finally answered. “Put down your gun and have Gunnar cuff you. I want your hands behind your back. Then you and I will walk out of here and go to the cruiser.”
The cuffing wasn’t ideal because Eli wouldn’t be able to fight back, but he trusted Kellan to stop Remy before they could make it to the cruiser.
Remy’s eyes narrowed even more than they already were when he looked at Eli. “If you try to pull anything stupid, I start shooting. The kid could get hurt.”
Eli hoped like the devil that Gloria had stayed in the tub with Cora. While he was hoping, he added that they were all right. He could no longer hear the baby crying, so maybe that meant she’d gone back to sleep.
“Here’s my gun,” Eli said, sliding it across the floor toward Remy. He had a backup, but Remy didn’t ask for that.
Remy nodded. “Okay, Gunnar. Get the cuffs on him. And I want to watch you when you do that.”
Eli motioned for Gunnar and him to stand, and he went ahead and shot that warning glance at Ashlyn. She was still there in the doorway. Still had a grip on a gun that she had aimed in Remy’s direction.
When Eli stood, he eased his hands behind him, and Gunnar moved closer so he could start putting on the plastic cuffs.
“Remember, no tricks,” Remy warned them. “If you pull anything, I shoot, and it wouldn’t be my fault. It’d be yours if the kid gets hurt.”
Dominick made a deep throaty growl of outrage, and while Eli could understand why the man was furious with Remy’s threat, it wasn’t a good time for Dominick to be anything but cooperative. Dominick, though, obviously had something different in mind.
Something that could get them all killed.
“This ends now,” Dominick spat out, and before the last word had even left his mouth, he whirled around. In the same motion, he took hold of Remy and slung the man across the room.
Remy slammed against Eli, sending them both to the floor.
And Remy pulled the trigger.
Chapter Sixteen
The sound of the shot was deafening, and it was like a blast roaring through Ashlyn’s head. She could have sworn she felt the vibration of it all the way to her bones.
She also felt the slam of fear that quickly followed.
Oh God. Had Remy managed to shoot Eli? Or had the bullet gone into the bathroom where Cora was?
She fired glances all around her but didn’t see the signs of where any gunshot had landed. However, she did hear Gloria and Cora. Cora was crying, causing Ashlyn’s fear to spike even more.
“Cora!” Ashlyn shouted.
“We’re okay,” Gloria called out. “We’re not hurt.”
The relief came flooding through her. Her baby hadn’t been harmed. The relief was short-lived, though, because Ashlyn knew there could be other shots. Plus, she still wasn’t sure if Eli was okay. He certainly wasn’t calling out to her to let her know he was all right.
Ashlyn blinked back the tears that automatically started to burn her eyes, and with her gun ready, she hurried out of the doorway of the bedroom and into the hall so she could see what was going on.
And what was going on was chaos.
Eli was alive, thank goodness, but she saw that there was blood on his hands.
That tightened the muscles in her chest so that it was hard for her to breathe. The slam of adrenaline didn’t help, either. Everything inside her was screaming for her to get to Eli to save him.
But Eli was trying to save himself. He had his hands clamped around Remy’s, and the grip no doubt stopped Remy from firing again.
Dominick reached down, scooping up Eli’s gun from the floor, and he took aim at Remy.
“No,” Gunnar told Dominick, taking the word right out of Ashlyn’s mouth. “Don’t shoot. You could hit Eli.”
Thankfully, Dominick held back, but she could tell from the way he was moving around that he was trying to find a clean shot. Gunnar was doing the same, but Remy wasn’t making that easy for them. He and Eli were locked in a fierce battle, rolling around on the floor while Remy kicked and punched at Eli. Somehow, despite all of the blows he was getting, Eli managed to hang on to Remy’s shooting hand.
“The fire’s out,” Kellan said when he hurried in through what was left of the front door. He also had his gun drawn, and he cursed when he saw the struggle that was going on between his brother and Remy.
“Was Remy alone when he brought you here?” Kellan snapped at Dominick.
Dominick nodded and kept moving. Kept looking for that shot. It was obvious he was furious with Remy, and Ashlyn didn’t think it was solely because of the kidnapping. She’d heard the rage in Dominick’s voice when Remy threatened to fire shots into the house.
Kellan moved to the side of the room, looming near Remy and Eli, and he tipped his head to Dominick. “Move. Go back toward the door and stay down. This clown could get off a shot.”
Yes, a shot that could go anywhere, including into Eli or Cora.
“Did you see any other gunmen?” Gunnar asked Kellan.
The question gave her another hit of adrenaline along with another jolt of fear. Eli was in a battle for his life, but she needed to make sure no one tried to climb through the window to get to Cora. Now that Eli had turned off the security system, they wouldn’t even know if a hired gun broke in.
Settling an Old Score Page 15
