The woman burst into noisy tears. “I didn’t want to do it! He said he’d kill me!”
Unmitigated fear raced down his spine. “Who said he’d kill you?”
She shook her head frantically. “I don’t know. I didn’t know him.”
Noah grabbed his phone and scrolled to the picture of Mark Hixon. “Is this him?”
The woman blinked at the screen. “No.”
He scrolled to the next one of Curtis Milburn, Peyton’s former stalker. “What about him?”
She squinted and then shook her head. “No, that’s not him either. He was very young, maybe seventeen or eighteen.”
Noah didn’t have time for this. “Take me to her now.” He grabbed the woman’s arm and urged her to lead the way. The others came running, having overheard through the comms. Noah had a veritable army at his back. He had a feeling he’d need it.
They filed into the office Peyton entered earlier and out the back door and down steps. Noah made sure to keep his grip on the woman, not so tight to leave bruises, but enough that she couldn’t escape.
“There.” The woman pointed to a closed door. “It’s locked and I don’t have a key.”
He turned her towards the steps they’d just descended. “Go. Now.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. She hustled up the stairs to safety as if the hounds of hell were on her tail. If anything happened to Peyton, they would be.
#
A searing pain tore into Peyton’s upper arm. She was wearing a Kevlar vest, but he’d aimed for her deltoid. She pressed a hand to the wound and felt blood coat her fingers. The pain was intense, but she couldn’t let him shoot Catherine.
“You don’t want to do this, Cla…Aaron. I know you’re a good person. You saved Aurora’s life.”
He chortled and it was a demented sound. “Saved her, my ass. Richie was driving the car. It was a set-up to gain her trust again.”
“I don’t understand.”
He rolled his eyes like she was the dumbest blond on the planet. “I needed to be able to get close to you and she was my ticket. It worked at the hospital when I slipped that envelope in your purse without you even knowing.”
Her ploy was working, too. He hadn’t shot Catherine.
“How did you get past the alarms at the house where I was staying?”
“Richie. He is—was—a notorious computer hacker. Security systems were his specialty.”
“You killed him?”
“He knew too much. I watch all those cop shows, and they drum it into you. No loose ends. After I take care of you three, I’m going to get rid of Aurora Benton.”
Peyton’s heart stuttered a beat. “She has no part in this, Aaron.”
“She was trying to get me to sleep with her. Wanted me to be her first.” He rolled his eyes. “Damn girl was jailbait. Like I’d go to prison for her.”
But he would for Kurt’s murder and Lotus and the others. Peyton would make sure of it. “Where did you learn how to make a bomb?”
“That was Richie, too. Well, a pyro friend of his. He put it together. All I had to do was wait for the perfect time, dial a number and boom.” He made an explosion noise. “In case you’re wondering, he won’t be around to blow anyone else up.”
“Another loose end?” She guessed.
He tapped his noggin. “Sexy and smart.”
“How did you know about the banquet at the community center and the wedding?”
He flashed a demented smile. “Bugged your apartment.” He ran his gaze over her body and licked his lips. She fought the urge to throw up. He’d watched her undress. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to keep you for last so we can have some fun.” He wiggled his brows.
No way in hell. She’d die first. She indicated the weapon in his hand. “How did you get that through security?”
He grinned. “I had this all planned out. I hid the gun a week ago.” He chortled. “The metal detectors were a nice but ineffective touch.”
“You were so sure I’d be here?”
“Eh, if not, I’d have gotten rid of you earlier. This is all about her.” The gun aimed at Sarah again.
“Why don’t you let Catherine go, Aaron,” Peyton cajoled. “She’s innocent.”
“No, she’s not. And it’s time to end this. I have places to go. Who’s first? You stepsister?” He swung the gun to her.
Not if Peyton could help it. She surged off the floor and plowed into Aaron with her undamaged shoulder, sending him crashing to the floor. Unfortunately, he didn’t let go of the gun. She reached for it, struggling to tear it away from him one-handed.
“Come-on, Catherine, run!” Sarah yelled. She was fleeing instead of helping Peyton as she struggled with Aaron.
“We can’t leave her alone,” Catherine cried.
“Go,” Peyton said as Aaron slammed his forehead into hers, snapping her head back. Stars exploded in her eyes as she was momentarily stunned. He used the opportunity to rip the gun away and jump to his feet.
Catherine let out a yell and charged him. Peyton whipped her leg out and tripped him when he aimed the gun at the girl, sending the shot wide. Then Catherine was plowing into him like a ninety-pound linebacker. He stumbled backwards but again, didn’t lose his grip on the gun. Damn, was the thing surgically attached to his hand?
“Help me,” Sarah wailed as she frantically jerked at the door handle in her effort to escape.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” Aaron yelled, aiming the gun at Sarah’s back and pulling the trigger. Her body jerked and she slammed against the door before sliding to the floor in a heap.
“Bitches,” he screamed, bashing the gun into Catherine’s cheek. She crumpled to the floor. Then he pointed it at Peyton with a feral smile. At point blank range, there was no way she’d survive the impact. Images flashed in her mind. Owen. Her brother would be devastated. He’d be all alone in the world. Noah. She loved him with all her heart. They wouldn’t get the opportunity to grow old together.
Then a gunshot exploded.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I’ve got a camera.” Dorian removed the device from a pocket and slid the small wire beneath the door. They all crowded around his phone to check out the scene inside. Peyton was sitting against the wall with two other women while a man held a gun on them. Noah recognized him instantly as the teen who’d first tried to kill Aurora with alcohol poisoning and then saved her from a hit and run.
“The gunman’s name is Clark Madden,” Noah told them, turning at the sound of approaching footsteps. Detective Caldwell and three cops in uniform. Alex stepped away to talk to them as the rest of them returned their attention to the phone.
“We can’t burst in or he might spray them with bullets,” Maggie said.
“Look behind him.” Carter tapped a spot on the screen. “There’s a door.”
Ethan bolted for the adjoining room and flipped on a light. He stuck his head back out and gave a thumbs up. There was a matching door.
“Ethan and I will enter through there,” Noah said. “Wait until I give the signal and the rest of you get ready to bust inside.”
He raced to meet Ethan in the adjoining room. Ethan turned off the light and using a flashlight, moved to Noah’s side as he gently tested the knob, moving slowly when it turned in his hand and opened outward. As the crack widened, he took in the scene. His heart stopped when he spotted a body sprawled by the front entry, but it kicked back into rhythm. Not Peyton.
“One down blocking the door,” Ethan warned the others in a low voice.
His attention was immediately drawn to the struggle. Blood coated Peyton’s arm and it hung limply to her side as she fought with the gunman. A young girl was fighting him, too.
Stealth was out so he slammed the door open, sending it crashing against the wall. Then he aimed his Sig Sauer and squeezed the trigger.
#
Peyton closed her eyes, wondering if she’d feel the shot that killed her. But it never came. She snapped th
em open to see Aaron crumpled on the floor, half his head missing. Catherine was screaming, or she assumed she was since her mouth was open. Peyton’s head was ringing, whether from the head-butt or blood loss she wasn’t sure.
Then Noah was there, gathering her close. He was careful to avoid her damaged shoulder.
“It’s okay, baby, you’re going to be fine. I’ve got you.”
“Noah,” she sighed, collapsing against him. She’d never been so happy to see anyone in her life. She’d known he’d come for her. Suddenly the room was overflowing with people. Men and women in uniforms. Ethan and Carter and the others were there. Someone was comforting Catherine. Maggie, she thought.
“Sarah?” she asked.
Noah shook his head.
Sadness washed over her. Though they’d never been friends, she didn’t wish Sarah any harm. Any loss of life was a tragedy, even more so knowing her own son killed her. The son she’d given away so she could train harder.
“Peyton!”
She blinked her eyes open at the sharp tone, but they drifted closed again.
“Peyton, stay with me.”
She tried, she really did. But she was tired. So tired. And cold. Why was she so cold?
#
“Peyton, stay with me.” Noah shook her gently, not wanting to aggravate her injuries, but he didn’t want her lapsing into a coma. An angry red knot marred her forehead, matching the ones he and Ethan sported. He wanted to kill Clark all over again for hurting her.
The young girl was screaming loudly enough to wake the dead. It frightened him that Peyton didn’t even stir. “Peyton, baby, wake up. Please. Stay with me.”
He let out a huge sigh when her baby blues blinked open, but her gaze was unfocused. “Noah?” They fluttered closed. “Love you.” Then her head lolled to the side.
Fear like he’d never known washed over him. A strong hand clamped onto his shoulder. “Paramedics are here,” Carter said.
“She needs to wake up,” he said desperately to anyone who would listen. “She’s got a massive knot on her forehead. She might have an epidural hematoma.”
“We’ve got her, sir,” one of the paramedics said gently. “We’ll take good care of her.”
Letting her go was against his instincts, but he acquiesced, allowing the medics to load her on the gurney and stabilize her arm.
He was covered in her blood, but he didn’t care. “I’m going with her,” he told Ethan.
His brother gripped his shoulder and squeezed in support. “Go. We’ve got this. We’ll be there as soon as possible.”
Sarah’s body hadn’t been moved so they left through the door Noah and Ethan used to enter the room. A uniformed officer was holding the elevator. The medics wheeled Peyton inside and he slid in just before the doors closed. Instead of heading down, they started up.
Before he could ask, one of the medics said, “We’ve got a chopper waiting.”
Noah’s eyes closed in relief. They’d be at the hospital within minutes. Once the doors opened, the medics rushed the stretcher to the waiting helicopter. No one tried to stop him as he jumped on board. Good thing. He’d have hung from the landing skids if necessary. He’d done it before as a SEAL. Many times.
The flight took just under five minutes and he prayed the entire time her eyes would open but they remained scarily closed and she was so pale. As soon as the copter touched down on the helipad on the roof of the hospital, Peyton was whisked away. He jogged after them, stopping only when one very determined nurse blocked him from the treatment room.
She ran her gaze over him. “Is any of that yours?”
He glanced down to see he was covered in Peyton’s blood. He shook his head.
“Come with me. I’ll find something for you to change into and then show you where to wait.”
Five minutes later, he was dressed in green hospital scrubs as he paced the waiting room. They’d given him a bag for his soiled clothes and his Kevlar vest took up most of the space. He’d kept his weapon, leaving the shirt untucked to hide the bulge.
“Noah!”
He spun around to see Kendall and Olivia rushing towards him. They both threw their arms around him.
“How is she?”
“Is she hurt?”
They both spoke at the same time. He led them to a cluster of seats, and they sat down. “She took a bullet to the arm and knock on her head. She was awake initially but lost consciousness on the way here.”
“You got the man who did this?”
Oh yeah, he’d gotten him. Right in the cerebrum. “He’s dead,” he confirmed.
“Good,” they cheered in unison.
Ethan, Maggie and his coworkers arrived, along with Detective Caldwell. He told the others what he knew, which was basically nothing.
“The man’s name wasn’t Clark Madden…well, it was now but before he was Aaron Sanderson,” Maggie informed them.
Noah’s brows slammed together. “Sanderson? As in Sarah?”
She nodded. “I got the story from Catherine, her stepdaughter. This whole ordeal happened because Sarah gave Aaron up for adoption when he was three so she could train to beat Peyton. He was shipped from foster home to foster home and was routinely abused growing up.”
“So, he blamed Peyton for Sarah giving him up?”
“Yes, but he blamed Sarah, too. I’m sure there’s more to the story, but Catherine was in shock at having seen Sarah killed. That’s all I could get out of her.”
Caldwell needed to get back to the crime scene, so he took Noah’s statement and asked him to call and let him know as soon as Peyton was awake. He shook Noah’s hand and Noah was surprised to feel something pass between them. He glanced down to see two flash drives labeled: Peyton’s Apartment #1 and Peyton’s Apartment #2. His eyes flew to Caldwell, who gave him a nod and departed. The tapes from the hidden cameras. Caldwell was risking his career to hide evidence and Noah couldn’t thank him enough. No one would be able to watch Peyton dress or undress, not even crime scene techs, thanks to Blake.
He slipped the drives into his pocket, intending to destroy them at the first opportunity. Peyton had been terrified that the footage would be leaked to the internet, but she didn’t have to worry about that anymore.
Carter handed him a cup of coffee and he took a sip of the steaming brew. He was having trouble sitting still. He needed to see Peyton, reassure himself that she was alive. He’d have nightmares seeing her covered in blood and struggling in hand-to-hand combat with a murderer.
He was mildly surprised when Aurora and her parents arrived. She’d obviously come directly from the pool. Her hair was still wet, and she wore a track suit with her high school logo. She made a beeline for him. “How’s Peyton? Can I see her?”
“They’re working on her now. I don’t have any news yet.”
“What happened?” Mrs. Benton asked. “All we know is that she’d been hurt and taken to the hospital.”
He wouldn’t be spilling any police secrets if he filled them in on the ordeal. It’d be all over the news soon anyway. “Clark Madden tried to kill her.”
Aurora gasped and her legs buckled before her father caught her. “What?”
“I don’t have all the details yet, but it’s a long story involving a woman Peyton competed against years ago. Clark was her son and she gave him up for adoption. He wanted revenge.”
“Oh my God,” Aurora said as realization dawned. “I thought he liked me, but he just used me to get to Peyton. That jerk.”
“You don’t have to worry about him,” Noah told her. “He’s dead.”
“Mr. Addison?”
He jumped up when the doctor called his name.
“You’re Ms. Durant’s fiancé?”
Not yet, but he would be. “Yes.”
“We’ve removed the bullet from her arm. There is muscle damage, but nothing permanent. With physical therapy, she’ll have full use of the arm. We also ran a CT scan and there’s no fracture or bleeding on her brain. She does hav
e a concussion. She’s been awake and asking for you, but she’s groggy. You can come back, but she might be asleep already.”
Relief that she’d recover put a spring in his step as Noah followed the doctor through the doors and then down a maze of twists and turns until they came to a small room. Peyton was lying in bed with her eyes closed. Her damaged shoulder was bandaged, and her arm rested against her stomach. Tubes were hooked up to her other arm and a white bandage circled her head, much like the ones he and Ethan wore a few days ago.
He clasped her hand, making sure not to jiggle any of the tubes. He would give anything if he could take her place in the bed. He couldn’t stand seeing her hurt. He’d promised he wouldn’t let anything happen to her and now here she was, lying in the hospital. He’d broken his promise. He’d never forgive himself. He only hoped she’d forgive him.
#
Peyton woke slowly to the sound of beeping machines and the feeling of having been run over by a cement truck. Without opening her eyes, she took stock. Her entire body hurt, her head and left arm worse than the rest.
She slowly blinked her eyes open. She had no idea where she was until she spotted a man in green scrubs. She must be in the hospital. What happened?
Images came rushing back. The state finals. Clark holding her hostage. Clark turning out to be Sarah Sanderson’s long-abandoned son Aaron. Gunshots. Then Noah was there to save her, shooting Clark before he could shoot her. Was Noah okay?
The man in green scrubs spun around. “Noah,” she breathed.
He was at her side instantly. “Peyton open those beautiful blue eyes. Don’t leave me again.”
She smiled and did as commanded. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “I’m so sorry.”
“What for? Ending the kiss before I was ready?”
He smiled and happiness spread through her. But it was fleeting because his smile quickly faded.
“I’m sorry you were hurt.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. It was Clark…no, not Clark. Aaron. It was his fault.”
“I should’ve protected you. That he even got close to you is unforgiveable.”
Golden Girl Page 24