by Dana R. Lynn
“Agreed.” Ryan squeezed her hand, no doubt to comfort her.
Her house was bugged. That creeped her out as much if not more than the fact that her room had been searched. How would she ever live in that house again? Even when she got Mikey back, to allow herself to live there...
She was getting ahead of herself.
The chief was speaking. “I will see that her house is checked for bugs. As to Hudson being there, did you get a look at him yourself?”
“I did. I could pick him out in a crowd now.”
After another minute, the call ended. Ryan twisted on the seat, moving so he was facing Elise. “Elise, the chief had called earlier because Lieutenant Tucker had learned the name of the man who put out the contract on you. Have you ever heard of a man named Leroy Dellon?”
Thinking, she shook her head slowly. “I don’t believe so. Hold on.” Fishing out her own phone, she flashed him a grin. “The internet knows everything.”
So saying, she typed his name into a search engine and gasped at what appeared. The image of the handsome man that filled her phone was indeed familiar to her. “I can’t believe it!”
“What? Have you met him?”
Turning the screen to Ryan, she said, her voice scarcely more than a harsh whisper, “This man owns the land directly next to mine. Two months ago, my neighbor died of a supposedly accidental overdose, and this man bought the house. I haven’t talked with him that much, although I often see him walking along the perimeter of his land with his dog.”
She’d been completely unaware. She’d thought he was a responsible pet owner. Obviously, his motivations were not quite so benign.
“I would question the accidental nature of your neighbor’s death.” She shuddered at Ryan’s response. He reached out. The warmth of his hand on her face as he turned it toward him helped calm her, although it did little to dispel the chill that had settled in her soul. “Elise, honey, I think we both know that he’s been watching you.”
* * *
The man had been watching her for two months.
The rage that filled Ryan was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Every time he considered that Elise, sweet with a dash of spice in her personality, had a contract on her life, his anger kindled anew. To learn that the man had been watching her, though, made it worse. The evil of it sickened him. He calmed himself, but it wasn’t easy. Only the thought that he didn’t want to offend Elise with the intensity of his feelings helped him regain control.
The squeal of brakes followed by a crash made him look up. A large van had spun, blocking the other side of the bridge. An unsuspecting car had rammed into its side.
Two men bounded down from the van. Both carried assault rifles. A third sauntered around the other side.
The three men started moving. Slowly they made their way down the bridge. One car started to back up. One of the men raised his rifle and shot out the tires. The people on the bridge started screaming. The one man forced the people in the first car to exit, holding his gun on them as they lined up inside the bridge.
“They’re looking for me,” Elise whispered. Her voice was thick with guilt. At least she wasn’t panicking. He needed her clearheaded if they were going to get out of this.
“Yes, they are. But they are not going to find you.”
Carefully he opened his door and slid out. He beckoned her to follow. They were far enough back and close enough to the side of the road that their actions were not immediately noticed.
“Ryan, we can’t abandon these people.” He grimaced at the reproach in her voice.
“We’re not,” he shot back. “My body camera is on, I sent an alert to the chief as soon as we noticed Hudson. The New Wilmington police should be here soon. But in the meantime, if those men recognize you, someone will get shot. And I don’t think they much care if a civilian gets hurt, too.”
“I could hide,” Elise suggested, “and you could—”
“No,” Ryan said firmly. “Even with my gun, there are too many of them for me to take out before they started firing back—and when that happened, there are too many innocent people who’d get caught in the cross fire. Me attacking them alone would just make things worse. It’ll take a full squad of police officers to make them back down.”
Leading her down the gravel-covered slope, he could hear her slipping and sliding behind him. He winced at a particularly loud slide. Twisting, he pulled her up close to the side of the hill and listened. The screaming and crying above was tugging at his conscience. He’d become a cop to protect people from danger like this, and it went against the grain to stand aside and do nothing. But he’d meant what he said. He was one man against five or more. If he’d stepped into the situation, it could have been explosive. People could have died.
The siren of the New Wilmington police broke the tension. He could hear the yells as the cops came from both directions. A gunshot was heard. Then he heard the rev of a motorcycle’s engine, then a second one. There had been three motorcycles. Another gunshot, and the third motorcycle revved. A police siren leaving the scene told him clearly that one of the cruisers was giving chase.
A scraping sound alerted him that someone else was scurrying down the embankment. Pebbles scattered as the person slid down the slope. Adrenaline raced through Ryan’s body. They’d come too far to be found now.
Grasping Elise’s hand, he pulled her with him under the bridge. The cold water from the creek lapped up on the narrow bank, covering their feet. It was uncomfortable, but he was okay with that. He’d willingly suffer from wet, cold feet if it meant that Elise stayed alive.
A shout came from behind them. Ryan chanced a glance back to see that one of the men had indeed seen them and was giving chase. It was the same young man who had escaped back in LaMar Pond. The young man’s face was twisted in a mixture of rage and evil glee. It was hard to believe someone that young could have so much hate inside them. It wasn’t hard to draw the conclusion that he didn’t intend for either of them to make it out of this alive.
Ironically, it was the rapt, fixated look on his face that gave Ryan hope. He’d found that when people gave in to their intense emotions, as the man rushing down the incline had so obviously done, they tended to lose their ability to reason and strategize. Which meant he might make a mistake.
The young man raised his gun, aiming it straight at Elise, clearly going for a fatal shot. Not on my watch. Ryan pushed her to the side. Elise fell, landing in the water, but the shot missed her. The man raised the gun, but Ryan fired before he had the opportunity to shoot again. The man fell. He didn’t get up. It was impossible to tell if he was still breathing from where they stood.
Taking a life was never something Ryan took lightly. Not only because he was a police officer, trained to protect, but also because he’d grown up in a house of healers whose very calling was to save life.
They were in danger, but he still had to check on the man. Every nerve was taut. There was way too much happening just feet away. And he knew that at least three of the men were escaping on motorcycles. Sure, he hoped that the police would catch them. The practical side of him, however, was well aware that motorcycles had more maneuverability through narrow spaces than the police cruisers chasing after them. He doubted they’d catch all three.
Stepping carefully, he worked his way back to where the man lay and laid his fingers against the man’s neck. He was still alive. But for how long? His pulse seemed thready. Ryan sent a quick text to the chief, describing their location and the man’s condition. He knew the chief would make sure the New Wilmington police were alerted. There was nothing else to be done.
Which meant they had to keep moving. He rushed back to Elise, splashing water up his legs in his haste. Pulling Elise to her feet, he helped her to stand.
She was shivering, probably a mixture of cold and shock.
He needed to get her warm.
“Come on, honey. We need to keep moving. Who knows when those men will show up again. And we know that Hudson is in the area. We can’t stay still.”
A tear escaped and ran down her pale face. “I’m so cold, Ryan. And so tired. I still don’t understand any of this. And I’m so worried for Mikey and Leah. Do you think they mean to kill them?”
How could he answer her? He ached to protect her, to comfort her. But she deserved the truth. He wouldn’t disrespect her with lies. “I don’t know. I hope that the fact that Hudson wants his son will protect Mikey at least.”
He could tell that she understood what he’d left out. The only reason they were after Leah was because of Mikey. She wasn’t important to the killers for anything else. Once they had Mikey, she’d be disposed of.
“Come on, honey. The quicker we move, the better chance we have of finding them first.” He hated to push her, but he really needed to get her to a safe place. They kept close to the side of the bridge, hiding under it until the sirens from the police cars dwindled before fading completely. Even then, they walked quietly. Ryan was pretty sure that the killers wouldn’t have gone far, especially if they suspected Elise was in the area.
As soon as he could, he got them into a wooded area. Unfortunately, there were still many open fields in the area. Ryan was sure he was going to hurt his neck, the way he had to keep looking around, constantly searching for dangers.
It wasn’t just him, though. Elise was being vigilant, too.
“Do you think they’re close?”
Again, he knew she deserved to know what he truly thought. “They haven’t given up on you, if that’s what you want to know. But neither have I. We’ll keep going until we find your nephew.”
He couldn’t really promise that, but he did anyway. Because he knew that there wasn’t any way that he’d stop looking. No matter the personal cost to him, he would do his best to get Elise and her nephew back together and out of danger—and get Leah Byler safely back to her family, too.
It was more than the fact that it was his job. Now his honor and even his emotions were too involved to do otherwise.
TEN
She’d be dead now if Ryan hadn’t pushed her away.
Although she was frozen, colder than she could ever recall being in her life, Elise was grateful to be alive.
Thanks to the brave man striding at her side.
Another shudder coursed through her from the chill seeping into her bones. Her teeth were chattering so violently she could hear them. No matter how hard she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, she couldn’t seem to get warm. It had been a hot day when they’d left LaMar Pond, but the temperature had dropped—and the sky had darkened alarmingly.
“We need to find a way to warm you up,” Ryan said. She jumped guiltily. Surely, he had enough to worry about. “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t shoved you into the water—”
“If you hadn’t shoved me, I would have been shot. Trust me, I’d much rather be cold and walking than dead.”
He smiled slightly, but she could still read the concern in his eyes.
The jarring ring of his phone broke the tension. “It’s the chief again.” He accepted the call. “Parker here.”
His face darkened. It can’t be good news. He stopped walking, his frown deepening. “Are you sure?...We’re on foot. I had to abandon my truck beside the bridge...Will do.”
He disconnected and turned to her. “I have good news and bad news. Want to hear the good news first?” She nodded. “The man I shot is still alive and has regained consciousness. Also, according to the chief, he’s feeling talkative. He has no idea why you were targeted, but your house was bugged. And so was my cruiser. We were discussing where we were headed this morning before we changed vehicles.”
Her jaw dropped. “How’d they know—”
“I was seen at your house the morning of the break-in. I wasn’t aware of Dellon’s connection to your case, or his location as your neighbor, but I do recall feeling as though I was being watched.”
“I felt that way, too!” How could she have forgotten that?
“Yeah, well, he took pictures of me and my cruiser. It wasn’t too hard to figure out who I was. So he tagged my vehicle. That’s how he knew we were heading for the bridge. I mentioned my route when I was talking to the chief this morning. Anyway, he figured they’d cut us off at the pass, so to speak. They knew we were there. Fortunately, they didn’t know what my off-duty vehicle was. Otherwise, they’d have headed straight toward us.”
He took off his baseball cap and scratched the back of his head. “The bad news is that Dellon and two of his buddies got away. Dellon shot one of his own men to get the motorcycle. The police got the other one.”
“And the people on the bridge?” She almost didn’t want to know. She’d never forgive herself if anyone had been hurt, even though she hadn’t been at fault.
“All fine. As soon as the police arrived, our brave criminals tried to run for it. There would have been no benefit in fighting the police, not when their target was nowhere in sight.”
She winced.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to sound so blasé about it.” He moved close enough for his arm to brush hers.
Her eyes lifted to his face. How did one keep their distance when just standing this close made her forget how to breathe? “I know you didn’t mean anything. It just hurts knowing I am the reason for people getting attacked, even if no one was hurt.” Bending her head, she closed her eyes, blocking out the world for a moment. “When he attacked me, Hudson said that it was my fault my sister had died. I can’t help wondering if he’s right. I tried to get her to go to the police. What if she threatened Hudson with it?”
“Elise.” This time, Ryan placed his warm hands on her shoulders. “You can’t do that to yourself. Trust me, I know from experience. It will destroy you if you let yourself dwell on that.”
She searched his face. He was holding something back. She could read the struggle clearly on his face. She waited. If he wanted to tell her, he would. It wasn’t in her nature to force a confidence, but she could offer.
Like a friend would. They could be friends, right?
“If you want to tell me, I’ll listen.”
He hesitated, then took her hand and started walking again. She didn’t break the silence because she could see his indecision. His head was down, and he continued frowning.
She had thought he’d decided against revealing anything further, but after five minutes of silence, he began to speak.
“I didn’t grow up around here. I grew up in the southern part of the state. I would spend all day long with my best friend, Ricky. Man, from the time we met in third grade, we were inseparable. I was closer to Ricky than to my own brother. We would go everywhere together. Do anything we could to get a laugh. Or to get an adrenaline high. We were crazy stupid back then. Drove our folks batty with the stunts we’d pull. Never thought about what could happen, you know? We were invincible, nothing could hurt us.”
A sad smile crossed his face as the memories took hold. She held her breath, silently willing him to continue. “Ricky and I even did some motorcycle races. I wiped out and broke my leg our junior year. My parents were not happy with me. Did I ever tell you that my father was doctor?”
“I don’t remember if you told me that, but I do recall hearing that somewhere.”
He nodded and sighed. “Yeah, he is from a long line of medical people. Mom, too. Even my brother became a doctor. I was supposed to be one, too. Only I had no interest in medicine. Zero. My dad, though, wouldn’t even hear that. It never mattered what I said. I was going to be a doctor. And Ricky was just a bad influence.
“Don’t get me wrong. My dad, he’s a good guy. He chose medicine because he really wanted to help people. He’s just stubborn. He was always after me to apply myself more.” He deepened his voi
ce and exaggerated his words, mimicking an older voice. “‘You don’t get into medical school with a D in geometry!’”
He shook his head. “I can hear him now. Always carrying on. As if med school was the only thing I could do. It wasn’t my idea of where I belonged. Oh, no. I hated the idea. Hated the thought of patching up bones. And surgery? Made me nauseous just thinking about cutting people open.”
She hesitated to break in. “What about your mother?”
“My mother is the sweetest woman on earth.” She smiled. “It’s true! Now, she never insisted on med school, but she always thought I should do something grand and important with my life. Instead of complaining about my grades, she would tell people about how well her son played the piano. ‘Ryan could be a concert pianist,’ she’d say. Gah! Didn’t care for that idea, either. Let me tell you, I was not making my folks happy with my choices.
“I was always amazed that my dad allowed me to play the piano. I think she must have told him that it would give me steady hands.”
She laughed quietly until his face darkened. “Anyway, when I was a senior, I was going through a rebellious stage, and my parents thought they needed to teach me a lesson, so they grounded me. Which meant I wasn’t allowed to go the movies with my friends. I was so mad I snuck out of the house and walked over to Ricky’s. He lived on our block. As I got closer, I heard a gunshot. I knew that the family didn’t own a gun. I ran to the house just as a man wearing a ski mask ran out carrying a bag. I don’t know what I was thinking. I shouted at him. He turned around and shot me in the leg, but it didn’t slow me down. I tackled him—knocked him over. Other neighbors ran over to help. The police came. He was taken away.”
This story wasn’t going to end well, she knew. She could tell by the bleak tone of voice. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. But she had to keep listening. For him.
“I was taken to the hospital. My parents visited me. I expected to get yelled at for leaving the house. But they didn’t yell at me. Instead, they informed me that my best friend was dead. He’d been shot when he’d interrupted the burglar robbing his family’s house. And all I could think was that if I hadn’t gotten grounded, we’d have been at the movies together, talking about girls and football.”
