Secrets Never Die

by Leigh, Melinda

  A little regular cardio wouldn’t kill you, Morgan.

  She raced across the first deck and took the next set of steps to the second. Panting, lungs burning, she reached the upper parking lot. Her thigh muscles were on fire as she ran for the Jeep.

  She hoped this would work. The mud was deep. The Jeep could easily get stuck. But what were her options? There was no way she and Tina could pull Lance and Evan to safety, and Lance wouldn’t be able to hang on long.

  Morgan slid to a stop behind the vehicle. She’d forgotten Rylee was in the back.

  Rylee lay in the cargo area with her leg elevated and the hatch raised. A silver emergency blanket covered her torso. Blood dripped from the bandage Tina had wrapped around the girl’s thigh. The tight gauze had slowed but not completely stopped the flow of blood. A wide-mouthed duffel bag filled with medical supplies was open next to her.

  “I have to close this door,” Morgan said. “Hold on and try to stay still.”

  Rylee nodded. Pain and shock glazed her eyes. She needed a hospital. How long would it take for the police to get here?

  In the vehicle, Morgan started the engine, her hands shaking from the cold and the rush of adrenaline through her blood. She drove across the muddy ground to the riverbank and turned the Jeep around so that its bumper faced the river. She backed the vehicle until it was as close as possible to Tina and the tree that tethered Lance and Evan to the shore.

  Setting the brake, she jumped out.

  Before Morgan untied the rope, Tina anchored it as best she could, wrapping it under her butt and sitting low.

  “Ready?” Morgan yelled.

  Tina nodded.

  Morgan unwound the rope from the tree. Instantly, Tina’s feet began to slide forward in the mud as Lance and Evan’s combined weight pulled at the rope. They drifted a foot farther out into the water. Morgan tied the end of the rope to the hitch on the rear of the Jeep. Once it was secured, Tina fell back, gasping.

  Morgan jumped back into the vehicle and inched it forward. The wheels spun. Mud flew from under the tires as they dug into the slippery ground. Morgan braked, then tapped the gas, rocking the vehicle out of the ruts they’d created. The tires rolled over the top edge of the furrow, gained traction, and began to move forward.

  Morgan eased the gas pedal down with steady pressure, not letting the tires stop rolling for fear that they would become bogged down again. She kept the tension steady. She didn’t want to break the rope. She checked the rearview mirror. Lance and Evan still dangled in the current. A wave crashed over Lance’s head.

  Hold on. Another minute.

  Foot by foot, she pulled Lance and Evan to the side of the river. Once they reached the bank, she set the brake again, tumbled out of the driver’s seat, and ran toward Lance.

  Tina waded into the water to help them ashore. She wound her arms around her son as if she hadn’t really expected to see him alive again. Lance collapsed on the bank. Morgan dropped to her knees beside him. She touched his face, but she couldn’t form words. His blue eyes fixed on hers, and she realized she didn’t need to.

  The wind eased, and the rain decreased to a steady drizzle.

  Lying on his back, Lance unclipped his belt from Evan’s rope harness. Tina tried to untie the knots of the harness, but the rope was twisted. When she released the rope, it was smeared with blood. Her hands were raw from the tug-of-war with the river.

  Morgan looked down at her own hands. They too were raw and bloody, with rope burns and pieces of missing skin. She wiped them on her thighs. They were the least of her problems.

  Kneeling in the wet weeds, she fished in Lance’s bag for a utility tool. She used it to cut the harness off Evan and to cut the rope attaching the men to the Jeep. She tossed the rope aside. Then she found a Mylar emergency blanket and wrapped it around Evan.

  The boy was white and limp, his eyes closed.

  Tina placed two shaking fingers against her son’s neck. Her body sagged with relief. “He’s just unconscious.”

  Lance staggered to his feet. “How long did the dispatcher tell you it would take for the emergency response?”

  Tina didn’t answer. Instead she opened the back of the Jeep and dug through her duffel bag for a fleece blanket. She checked on Rylee’s bandage and gave the girl a pat on the arm. Rylee shivered. Morgan had left the Jeep running and the heat on, but the girl’s teeth were chattering.

  “I’ll close this door in a minute, and it’ll get warmer in here,” Tina said to Rylee.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Rylee nodded. Her wound was nasty, but she was awake and alert.

  Tina removed her bag from the Jeep, closed the rear hatch, and brought the medical supplies to Evan. “Are there any more blankets?”

  Morgan looked through Lance’s kit. “No.”

  “Would you bring my car down here?” Tina brushed raindrops from her forehead. “We can put him in the back seat and run the heater. I have blankets and some additional medical supplies in the trunk.”

  Morgan ran up to the parking lot and drove Tina’s car down. She parked it next to the Jeep. When she climbed out of the car, Tina was preparing to start an IV.

  Morgan took in the volume of supplies: gauze, antiseptic and other wound-cleaning and dressing materials, bags of saline, vials of drugs. Tina’s bag was no normal first aid kit. She’d stocked it with her son’s injury in mind.

  “Where did you get all this?” Morgan asked.

  “Rylee described Evan’s wounds when she called, so I stopped at the urgent care on the way here.” Tina leaned over Evan. She straightened one arm and tied a rubber tourniquet above his elbow. She tapped on the skin, clearly looking for a suitable vein. “He’s dehydrated. I need some light.”

  Lance retrieved an umbrella and flashlight from the Jeep’s glove compartment. He held the umbrella over Evan and shone the flashlight on his arm.

  Tina cleaned her bloody hands with sanitizer, donned a pair of gloves, then began opening packages. She used an alcohol prep pad on Evan’s arm, then inserted a needle. Swearing, she tried again. On her third attempt, she had successfully placed the IV. She taped it down, attached a bag of saline, and held it high. “Let’s get him in the back seat of my car. I can hang the saline drip from the headrest.”

  Lance hesitated. His clothes and hair were plastered down. He was bleeding from several shallow lacerations and abrasions, and he looked not quite steady on his feet. His muscles were likely weak from the massive exertion of getting Evan to shore. Yet the eye contact with Morgan made his face go even grimmer, which shouldn’t have been possible. His gaze locked on Tina’s medical bag, then met Morgan’s eyes. She followed his line of sight and knew exactly what he was thinking.

  That was no first aid kit that Tina had brought in her trunk. Her bag was stuffed with a week’s worth of medical supplies. She’d planned to do more than save Evan.

  She’d planned to run.

  “Tina, you didn’t call 911, did you.” The words came out of Morgan’s mouth as a statement, not a question.

  “No.” Tina looked up at Morgan. “I can’t trust the police. They have a warrant out for Evan’s arrest. I’m taking my son and leaving here. You can’t stop me.”

  “Evan needs to go to the hospital.” Morgan glanced at the boy. His pallor was alarming. If Tina took him away, Morgan feared Evan might not survive.

  But Tina was riding on her own wave of fear.

  “All Evan needs is me. We’re better off on our own.” Without any more explanation, Tina reached into her waistband at her back and produced Lance’s gun. She pointed it at Lance and spoke, her voice cool. “Please put Evan into the back seat of my car.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “No.” Lance met Tina’s gaze without flinching. He could not believe that she would shoot him.

  “Do it!” Tina gestured with the gun.

  At the increase in danger, Lance looked instinctively for Morgan. She had her phone out and was inching behind the tree. Calling 911, no doubt.r />
  He had to stall for time.

  Every inch of Lance’s body ached. He’d almost drowned and had been beaten, kicked, and slammed into rocks. He’d risked his life to save Evan multiple times. From the looks of the boy, the job wasn’t done yet. Lance would be damned if he’d let Tina’s refusal to trust anyone kill her son.

  “I’m taking both kids to the hospital,” he said simply. “We both know Evan needs more than a few bags of saline.”

  “I have antibiotic injections,” Tina said.

  Lance’s gaze cut pointedly to the teen, lying far too still on the ground, his face a mask of sickness. “That wound has been festering for days. It’s been submerged in bacteria-laden floodwater. He needs an ICU and probably surgery.”

  Frustrated, Tina raised her voice. “I know what he needs.”

  “Do you?” Lance accused. “What about Rylee? Are you going to shoot her too?”

  “Of course not!” Tina shot back. “I can’t hurt a child, and Rylee is no threat to Evan.”

  “And you think I’m a threat to you or Evan?” Anger gave Lance’s freezing body a shot of heat. “I almost died at least six times today for your son.”

  “And I thank you for that.” Tina’s expression softened for a few seconds. Her eyes pleaded with him.

  “You can’t get him into the car without me.” Lance crossed his arms over his chest. “He’s not even conscious now.”

  Panic lit Tina’s eyes.

  “I don’t want to hurt you or Morgan,” she said. “All you have to do is cooperate. Put Evan in my car, and we’ll be on our way. You can take Rylee to the hospital. She needs surgery or she is going to bleed out. The tourniquet on her leg should only be used temporarily.”

  “No.” Lance shook his head. “I will not be a party to you killing your kid.”

  Tina stared back at him in disbelief.

  Morgan slid out from behind the tree. A small nod confirmed that she’d called for help.

  Tina swung her arm around so that the weapon pointed at Morgan. “I said, put Evan in my car.”

  Morgan shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”

  Shit!

  Lance was OK with risking his own neck, but he didn’t like Morgan doing the same. But he didn’t interfere. She was damned good at reading people, and she didn’t think Tina was going to shoot either. But his heart still skipped a few beats as Tina’s gun hand trembled.

  “I’ll handle the sheriff and the prosecutor,” Morgan said. “We know who killed Paul. It might take some time to prove it, but once Aaron’s body is dragged from the river, the case against Evan will be dropped. You don’t have to fear the police now.”

  “You can trust Morgan to handle Evan’s legal needs, and while those legal issues are sorted out, Evan will be getting the medical assistance he desperately needs.” Lance scanned the teen. “You can’t run from the law, and there’s no reason for you to try. Especially when you know he needs major medical intervention.”

  “It’s not the law I’m afraid of,” Tina said. “It’s Joe. You cannot keep us safe from him. He found us once. He will do so again.”

  “You might be right, but you need to prioritize the threats.” Lance was done with the conversation. “You need to put the gun down and let us finish saving your son’s life. Then you can worry about Joe.”

  Tina’s brows lowered. She was trying to think of a way to force him to comply without shooting him. She should have been crying. She should have been emotional. Instead, she was thinking. But behind the mental exercise, he saw fear.

  Pure fear.

  She’d been planning to run for some time, as soon as she’d realized that Joe might have found her. She was desperate. She’d do anything to save her son, no matter how crazy. Lance’s experience in the ER with Sophie had given him fresh insight into the parent-child bond and the primal instinct to protect one’s young. She was fixated on her father and the terrible things he’d done in the past, the ways she and others had suffered at his hands. She saw him now as he’d been in her childhood. And the vision terrified her.

  Lance couldn’t threaten or bully her. He needed to appeal to the one thing that would break through the fear.

  Her son.

  “We can’t wait. Have you checked his vitals? He looks worse.” Lance moved toward Evan.

  “Don’t touch him!” Tina turned her body so the gun aimed squarely at Lance’s chest. “I will shoot you.”

  Unfortunately, he’d given Evan his body armor. “You’re going to have to.”

  He moved smoothly and slowly, faking confidence. Despite the cold, despite being soaking wet, despite being almost sure that Tina wouldn’t shoot him, Lance poured sweat and held his breath.

  He dropped to one knee next to Evan. “Morgan, would you open the back seat of the Jeep?”

  She rushed to the vehicle and opened the rear doors on both sides.

  Evan was no lightweight, and Lance’s muscles were already taxed from the water rescue. He wasn’t sure he could pick the boy up.

  “I can’t do this alone. I need help.” Lance looked straight down the barrel of the gun at Tina. “You can keep pointing that gun at me, or you and Morgan can lift Evan’s legs so we can get your son to the hospital.”

  Tina lowered the weapon. Morgan rushed in and disarmed her, quickly sweeping her hands along Tina’s sides. Morgan pulled her own gun from the pocket of Tina’s rain jacket. Tina had been smart enough to collect both guns from the observation deck.

  Before Lance could attempt to transfer Evan to the car, the sound of sirens approached.

  Tears poured from Tina’s eyes. Morgan holstered her own weapon and handed Lance’s to him.

  Lance squinted. The rain had stopped, but he was so wet, he hadn’t noticed.

  He put a hand on Tina’s arm. “No one will know what just happened.”

  She nodded once, then returned to her son to check the bag of saline to his IV line.

  The sirens grew louder, and Lance saw the swirl of red and blue lights in the distance.

  Tina adjusted the flow of fluids.

  “I’ll handle the sheriff,” Morgan said. “Don’t answer any questions at all unless I’m there. I will let the sheriff know not to question Evan either, unless I am present.”

  Tina nodded. “As I said before, it isn’t the sheriff that I fear.”

  Lance turned toward Morgan, who had opened the cargo hatch of the Jeep and was sitting on the tailgate, holding Rylee’s hand. He heard a banging sound. He tilted his head and shook some water out of his ear. The banging repeated, three quick taps, three with longer pauses between them, then another three fast taps.

  SOS?

  “Did you hear that?” he asked Morgan.

  She nodded and started to rise.

  “Stay with Rylee.” Lance followed the noise. It was coming from above them. The parking lot? He took the steps two at a time, crossed the higher elevation deck, and emerged in the parking lot. The banging led him to the back of a dark-blue four-door sedan.

  Someone was in the trunk.

  Lance walked around the vehicle. The driver’s door was unlocked. He used the hem of his shirt to open it, reached in, and pressed the trunk release button.

  The trunk popped up a few inches. Lance opened it all the way. A bound and gagged Brian Springer blinked up at him. Lance untied the gag from around his mouth.

  “You’re alive.” Lance was surprised. He’d assumed Brian was fish food.

  “Thanks,” Brian croaked. Bruises and swelling mottled his face. His lips were cracked, and a bloody bandage encircled his left hand. A zip tie bound his wrists.

  “I have to get something to cut that plastic.” Lance pointed toward the lower level. “The police are here. I’ll be right back.”

  Brian nodded and closed his eyes in relief.

  The sirens were loud enough that Lance knew the first responders had arrived. Discovering Brian had energized him. He jogged back down to the lower level. A paramedic unit and two a
mbulances were parked next to his Jeep. Sheriff’s department and Scarlet Falls PD vehicles were approaching.

  Lance was not surprised to see Sheriff Colgate park his vehicle. Lance rushed over as the sheriff hauled himself out of the driver’s seat.

  “What’s going on here?”

  “Long story. We’ll jump to the end for now. One, down here we have two seriously injured teenagers, including Evan.” Lance pointed toward the upper parking lot. “Two, I just found Brian Springer in the trunk of a car up there. He looks beaten up, but he’s alert. Lastly, the body of Paul’s killer, Aaron Martin, washed downriver. Someone will need to retrieve it.”

  The sheriff’s mouth snapped shut. He spun and began barking orders. Uniforms scattered. Two men jumped back in their patrol vehicles and drove toward the upper lot.

  Lance walked over to Morgan. She had backed away from Rylee, giving the paramedic room to work. The second paramedic leaned over Evan. Tina rocked back on her heels, pressed her hands together prayer-style, and rested the tips of her fingers on her lips. Her eyes never left her son as the paramedic assessed him.

  Rylee and Evan were loaded into ambulances. The ambulances drove off. Tina followed the ambulances in her car.

  The sheriff returned. “Aaron Martin beat the hell out of Brian, but he’s grateful to be alive. A deputy is transporting him to the hospital.”

  “Could have been worse,” Lance said. Not that being badly beaten and having his fingers snipped off were trivial injuries. But Brian could have been tethered to a few cinder blocks under a hundred feet of lake water.

  The sheriff braced both hands on his belt and nodded.

  A dark-blue sedan pulled in. Stella and her partner, Brody, jumped out. Stella checked her sister for injuries, then hugged her.

  Morgan hugged her back. “I’m fine. Just wet.”

  Stella turned to Lance. “You look like you went ten rounds with a prizefighter, underwater.”

  “That’s how I feel too,” Lance admitted. Now that his adrenaline high was fading, every inch of his body hurt.

  “We should go with the kids,” Morgan said.

  “Not just yet,” the sheriff said.

  Morgan turned to him. “I’m taking Lance to the ER. He’s covered in cuts and bruises, and he’s been swimming in floodwater. You can talk to him after he’s been treated.”