Mountain Pursuit: Smoky Mountain Investigation ; Mountain Rescue

by Annslee Urban

  Kylie felt her body stiffen. And fall into Dave’s arms? He was crazy.

  Dave shook his head. “I would have been there for you, Kylie. I’ve been waiting patiently all this time.”

  The puzzle pieces started to match up. Fear bubbled up in Kylie’s chest, and to stave off the panic, she kept reminding herself Nick should be arriving any moment.

  “I had no idea you cared so much,” Kylie finally said.

  “Because you only wanted Nick!” he shrieked before his voice softened. “Now that he’s back, he’s all you think about.”

  “That’s not true.” Kylie swallowed. “Nick was just trying to help me. We’re friends.”

  “No!” Dave’s distorted expression made her jump. He strode even closer, jabbing a stubby finger at her face. “You couldn’t stay away from him. How could I trust you again?”

  Kylie threw up her palm. “You can trust me.” Her body tensed; her gaze flicked between Dave and the window, praying to see Nick rushing up.

  As if Dave could read her mind, he broke into a cynical laugh. “If you’re looking for Bentley, you can forget it. He won’t be coming.”

  That brought her gaze back to him in a hurry. “Why would you say that?”

  “About now—” Dave twisted his thick wrist and checked his watch “—Nick should be at the station, getting booked and fingerprinted.”

  Kylie swallowed again, fear clenching her gut. Her brain scrambled for words to defuse him, to gain his trust. Thoughts raced wildly; she snatched one. “It doesn’t matter if Nick doesn’t come. It’s actually better that way.”

  His brow furrowed, he looked amused. “Why is that, Kylie?”

  “Well,” she said, stepping back and bumping against the doorjamb, “I wouldn’t want him to get hurt on my account.”

  “He will be hurt,” Dave rasped, smiling at her. “Mark my words.”

  It took a moment for Dave’s words to sink in. He had plans for Nick. Like he had plans for her. Clenching her fists, she stared at him, stared into the eyes of her stalker. Psychopathic eyes. A serial murderer. Her heart lurched. God, help me!

  He was going to kill her.

  “Kylie, I had so hoped for a future for us. But now it seems all you want is Nick. I hate it has to end like this.” He continued toward her. She noticed a latex glove jutting from his pocket. “After today, there will be another unsolved murder in Asheville. Too bad you won’t be around to report on it.”

  Fear washed away any thread of composure she had left. She had to get away from him. Even if she couldn’t make it out of the house, she needed something to protect herself.

  Without a second thought, she broke into a run, daring only one glance back as she rushed for the kitchen. Dave lunged after her, the thud of his boots beating against the polished hardwood.

  Yanking a chair from the table, she sent it skidding across the floor, slamming into him.

  Cursing and screaming, Dave kicked the chair aside. “Kylie, you’re making this difficult!”

  Good. She reached for the cast-iron skillet on the stove, her fingers tightening around the handle.

  Dave’s hard hand grabbed her by the arm, yanking her away and sending her stumbling back against his chest. The force of the impact knocked air from her lungs.

  His brawny arms tightened around her. “They always run first,” he grunted, pressing his lips against her ear. “But they never win.”

  That knowledge only made her fight harder. She didn’t want to end up like one of them. Struggling to breathe, she wrenched wildly, trying to break his hold. “Dave, don’t do this.” She gave a hoarse shriek.

  “Stop fighting!” he demanded, his tone gritty. As his grip eased up a fraction, she lobbed an elbow into his ribs.

  He growled and she screamed, “Let me go!” Her cry was quickly abated by his crushing hold.

  “That’s enough.” He jerked her up, hugging her small frame against his body, her feet suspended off the floor. Adrenaline kicked up her heart rate and spurred her on. Gulping for air, she kicked frantically and dug her heel into his shin.

  “Ouch!” he groaned, releasing his grip. She tumbled to the floor. She fell against the kitchen cabinet, her legs like rubber as she started to stand.

  He hauled her up to a full upright position, then whirled her back to him. “Don’t play like this, Kylie. You’ll only make things worse.” Hot breath poured down her neck, sending chills rippling along her skin. Worse didn’t seem possible.

  “Please stop, Dave.” She bucked and squirmed against him as he dragged her across the kitchen, the heels of her shoes dancing along the wood floor.

  Halfway across the room, he halted, propped his hip against the table edge, and with her still locked in his embrace, he managed to extract the gloves from his pocket.

  “I never wanted it to come to this. I had such nice plans for us.”

  “Plans? Tell me about them.” She struggled to speak around the lump of fear in her windpipe.

  “None of that matters anymore,” Dave snarled, wrestling his hand into one of the surgical gloves. “Ten years ago, Nick Bentley was supposed to die. Instead he let Conrad die instead, while he went tromping through the forest with you. If only he’d been where he was supposed to be, none of this would have happened.”

  So it was Nick he’d wanted all along. Dread gnawed at Kylie’s stomach. If Nick had been with Conrad that night, Dave would have killed him, too.

  Dave’s grip tightened, hugging her closer, making it difficult to breathe. Kylie stilled for a moment, hoping he’d let up some. “Tell me the plans you had for us,” she gasped, trying to change his focus to something other than killing her.

  “I told you, it’s too late for that. You’ve already crossed the line with Nick. Again!” His tone edged sharper with each spoken word.

  As Dave battled with the second glove, his grip relaxed enough for Kylie to take a breath. This was her chance. Gritting her teeth, she slammed her head back into Dave’s chin. Before his ragged groan hit her eardrums, she broke away from him and took off for the front door.

  To her horror, Dave beat her there, blocking her way. “Kylie, my sweet Kylie.” He shook his head, his breathing rapid. “You need to stop this.”

  Not on your life. She grabbed a lamp off a table, her breathing coming in short spurts. Shuffling back, she created more distance between them. She needed to wear him out or somehow convince him to come to his senses.

  “Dave, you don’t have to do this.” She held the lamp above her head as endless prayers raced through her mind.

  Slow and calculated, Dave snapped his gloves into place. Giving her a cynical look, he moved across the floor, his cold green eyes fixed on her. “Drop the lamp, Kylie.”

  Fear coiled more tightly inside her with each step he took, followed by a shudder that shook her whole body. Clutching the lamp in a death grip, she continued to hold her ground, continued to pray, worked to breathe.

  “I wanted to make this simple, Kylie.” Dave’s voice broke. But his flat tone bore an edge of impatience, sending dread coursing through her veins. “Unfortunately, you’ve given me no choice.”

  Kylie’s breath snagged as Dave hunched his shoulders and broke into a sprint, rushing at her like a defensive linebacker.

  She let go of the lamp, sending it crashing onto the floor, glass shards scattering. Spinning on her heel, she tore across the room, but Dave gained on her quickly, and in one clumsy tackle he took her to the floor.

  “It’s time for you to give up, Kylie,” he grunted, his husky frame pinning her to the ground.

  Fortunately, willpower trumped exhaustion. Kylie relentlessly twisted and writhed beneath him, and somewhere between a sob and a prayer, she managed to wrestle one arm free to scratch his face.

  With a snarl, Dave knocked her hand away, then grabbed her throat and started squeezing.r />
  “Dave, please don—” she gasped. A loud thud drowned out the rest of her words. Then a crash as the front door burst open.

  Nick’s shout rumbled like an avalanche. “Kylie!”

  Unable to answer, Kylie thrashed about, struggling to breathe and working to dislodge Dave’s fingers from her neck, but he grasped harder.

  As Nick bolted into the room, Dave sprang up and in one jerky movement he was on his feet, dragging Kylie with him. He wrenched her in front of him, clutching his arm around her waist. He fumbled in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a knife. He thrust the steel blade against her throat.

  Kylie’s heart thrummed against her sternum.

  * * *

  Nick’s steps ground to a halt. Out of habit, he surveyed the scene, but his eyes kept going back to the knife at Kylie’s throat. “Let her go, Dave.” He started to raise his arms, a gesture of surrender and to show he had no weapon.

  Dave didn’t budge, but the blade of his knife pressed more firmly to Kylie’s jugular. “One step, Nick,” he growled, “and she’s dead. Remember, I’m good at this.”

  As if he could forget. Nick nodded, lowered his hands. His gaze moved from the knife to Kylie’s eyes.

  She stared back at him; a fat tear spilled onto her cheek.

  A desperate plan started to form in Nick’s head. “It’s your game, Dave. What do you want from us?” Nick lowered his hands and took a tentative step.

  “I’m not kidding, Bentley!” Dave shuffled back a bit, dragging Kylie with him.

  Cringing, Kylie’s gaze went wide.

  “Dave, I believe you,” Nick said, shooting one hand up again. “Just tell me what you want from me.”

  “I want you dead, Bentley!” Dave spat. He pulled Kylie tighter, terror etched her fine features.

  Nick’s jaw tightened. “Okay, Dave. Let Kylie go and you can go at it with me. You have a knife. I’m unarmed. It’s more than fair.”

  A cynical laugh escaped him. “I don’t need to prove anything to you, Bentley. I have everything I need to hurt you right here.”

  That fact scared Nick to death. “This isn’t about Kylie, is it? It’s about us.”

  Dave bobbed his head as madness gleamed in his eyes and a hint of a grimace curled his thin lips. “You’ve taken everything from me. You are the reason I have to kill. The reason I can’t have Kylie.”

  As Nick glared at Dave, he watched his every move. The way his teeth clenched, the way his hand trembled, the knife quavering at Kylie’s neck. Dave’s composure was starting to shred. One wrong move and Nick would be ready.

  “Dave, you misunderstood my intentions with Kylie. So let go of her and we’ll talk.”

  “Do you think I’m crazy?” Dave roared and Nick held his tongue. He wasn’t about to answer that. “We have nothing to talk about. You’ve already ruined my life!”

  “I’ve ruined your life?” Nick kept his voice calm and his eyes locked on Dave’s.

  “You absolutely have!” Dave pointed his knife at Nick.

  Those were the few seconds of opportunity that Nick needed. He broke eye contact with Dave and quickly gestured with a flick of his head for Kylie to get out of there.

  As Kylie shot out of Dave’s grip, Nick lunged forward and threw a straight left kick, knocking the knife from Dave’s hand.

  Dave’s growl lit the air as he whirled around and charged at him. Jumping back, Nick swung his leg over Dave’s head, sending him into the back of a chair. Dave nearly tumbled to his knees, but regaining his footing, he turned, a bloody gash over his eye, and came at Nick with a right hook. “Are you going to kill me, Nick? Do it! You’ll be no better than me!”

  There had been enough killing. With a groan, Nick shielded himself and grabbed Dave’s arm, flipping him over his shoulder. Dave landed with a thud. “Give it up, Dave. We’ve both had enough.”

  Back on his feet, Dave huffed, “I’m not finished with you, Bentley.” He clumsily danced around as if he was trying to gain momentum, then lunged at Nick, grabbing for his neck.

  Nick’s heart rate spiked as he thrust a palm into Dave’s chest. Latching on to Nick’s shirt, Dave stumbled back, ripping the fabric and sending buttons flying.

  Nick readied himself. Although Dave was no match for him, he’d let him exhaust himself.

  Regaining his balance, Dave came at him again, but Nick jumped in the air, spun around and pummeled him in the abdomen with a flying left kick, sending him slamming into the wall.

  “I’m...going to...kill...you... Nick.” Hyperventilating, Dave went to his knees.

  Okay. Done. Hunkering down, Nick secured Dave’s wrists behind his back. Then, giving a cursory glance around, he spotted Kylie standing in the kitchen doorway. She was gaping slightly, eyebrows tentatively raised, and gripping an iron skillet in her hand.

  Resourceful. He liked that.

  “Ky, are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I am now.”

  “Could you grab some duct tape? And if you haven’t called the cops yet, that would nice.” He winked and was pleased when she smiled.

  She lowered the pan. “They’re already on the way.”

  Got to love that girl. And he did.

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, Kylie clung to Nick, feeling safe in his embrace as they stood on her front porch and watched two officers wrestle Detective Dave Michelson into the backseat of a police cruiser.

  The nightmare was over. The mystery of Conrad Miller’s death was finally solved. Tears of relief stung Kylie’s eyes. Thank You, Lord, for getting us through this.

  “I think I’ve got everything I need.” The older police sergeant pocketed his notepad.

  “You have my number if you think of any other questions,” Nick said, tightening his grip on Kylie. “We’d like to see Dave tried and convicted in short order.”

  “I understand.” The officer nodded. “The whole town will be glad to put this ordeal behind them. With the charges facing Michelson—four counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and a stalking charge—he’ll be locked up for a long, long time.”

  “Good to hear,” Kylie and Nick said in unison.

  As the sergeant walked away, Kylie twisted out of Nick’s arms. She looked up at him. “So what now, Captain Bentley?”

  A smile curved his generous lips. “Well, I’ve recently had a bit of a revelation.”

  “Really?” Kylie looked at him more intently. “What kind of a revelation?”

  “I realized how much I lost when I left ten years ago. My home, my faith and my heart. And the hurt I caused you because of those choices is my greatest regret.”

  She fluttered her lashes. “What does all that mean?”

  “It means I no longer want to live a life of regrets.”

  A trickle of hope snaked into her heart, but she held it at bay. She swallowed. “Then don’t leave Asheville again.”

  “And if I stay?” He gave her a questioning look.

  Kylie shook her head, convinced that he wasn’t serious. “Don’t play with my emotions, please.”

  “All right.” Nick extended his hand. “Let’s do this right.”

  For a moment she couldn’t breathe. “What?”

  “Come on.” He canted his head and captured her hand. In one steady movement she was in his arms.

  She gulped a breath and her heart melted at the hope in his eyes. She almost requested that he pinch her, to make sure this wasn’t a dream. Because if this wasn’t real, her heart was history.

  His arms tightened around her. Not a pinch, but good enough. She sighed.

  “Are you okay?”

  Kylie nodded. Very much okay, she wanted to say, but she couldn’t speak for the lump in her throat.

  She glimpsed the thoughtful expression crossing his features, and she could almost feel his hesi
tation. Then he smiled, a slow, crooked smile that warmed her deeply.

  “Kylie Harper, I’ll ask you again. What happens if I stay?”

  She closed her eyes, scarcely believing. “A new life between us, I suppose.”

  “You suppose?”

  She flinched and opened her eyes. “I hope.”

  He arched a dark brow. “Only hope?”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  He leaned closer to kiss the tip of her nose. “Sold.”

  Nearly blinded by the tears in her eyes, she curled a hand over the nape of his neck. “I’m going to hold you to this.”

  “Promise?” That crooked smile again.

  “Promise.”

  Pressing his forehead against hers, he stared intently into her eyes. “Forever?”

  “Forever,” she whispered before he kissed her, his lips gentle against hers. And their love, kept at bay for so long, blossomed, deepening their kiss and flooding passion into their souls.

  TWENTY

  Six months later

  There was a good-size turnout. Nick counted about two hundred people gathered by the front steps of the Asheville Municipal Building.

  Mayor Delbert Carlisle stepped up to the microphone. “It is my pleasure to extend congratulations to Captain Nicholas Bentley following his election as police and crime commissioner for the city of Asheville and Buncombe County.”

  The crowd burst into applause.

  Mayor Carlisle held up a hand. “Let me just share some of our incoming commissioner’s accomplishments. As a veteran of the United States Army, Captain Bentley was part of a Delta Force special-operations unit. As an elite Special Forces soldier, he was involved in covert missions...”