by Lori Foster
At the moment all Sterling felt was stark anger and firm resolve. Cade was near, but she’d handle this without distracting him. He already had his hands full.
“Move!”
Smirking, Sterling asked, “And if I don’t?”
Adela limped closer. “Mattox will shoot your boyfriend right in the face.” Glee twisted her abused features. “He has him, you know.”
Cade told her to trust him, so that’s what she’d do. Keeping her expression impassive wasn’t easy, but Sterling gave it her best shot. “You’ve already proven yourself to be a liar, so why should I believe you? If anything, Mattox is already dead.”
“No!” Closer still, Adela’s breath rasped harshly. “Mattox has him, and if you don’t come along, I’ll shoot you in the leg and drag you there.”
If Adela got near enough, Sterling felt certain she could disarm her. But no, she stopped with too much distance still between them.
To goad her, Sterling snorted. “You can barely keep yourself upright.”
“Fine. I’ll shoot you in both legs and tell Mattox where to find you.”
On the off chance Cade had been outmaneuvered, Sterling wanted to be near him to help, so going along suited her. “Fine. To the barn, then.”
“No, not the barn.” Adela stayed behind her. “The house.”
The house? “You’re kidding, right? There is no house.”
“Two inner rooms are intact.” Breathing heavily, probably in pain, Adela snapped, “Hurry up. It’s going to rain again.”
Sure enough, lightning flickered in the distance, and the sky grew dark and menacing.
Outlined by the coming storm, the house looked like a specter of bad things to come.
It seemed a good idea to keep Adela talking. “Was taking a beating part of your grand plan? You look like you’ve been through hell and back.”
“That’s your fault! He can be more tempered, except when you’ve enraged him. You forced us into hiding, forced him to lose business.” Adela laughed brokenly. “Now he’s going to make you pay.”
“Looks like you already did.”
“Mattox can be very gentle. Once he’s finished with you, he’ll be gentle again.”
It twisted Sterling’s stomach to witness such madness. “You forgive his abuse that easily?”
With a shrug in her tone, Adela said, “It was necessary to reel you in. No, I didn’t like it, but there’s a lot of necessary things I don’t like—especially the way Mattox obsesses about you.” She made a giggling sound. “He’ll be so thrilled to see you again.”
“Somehow I don’t think thrilled is the right word.”
“Oh, but it is. He doesn’t like hurting me, but you? He’s going to take great pleasure in hearing you cry.”
Sterling steeled her resolve. If she let it, fear would weaken her. She couldn’t think about Mattox, about what he might do to her if things went wrong. She’d never again be a victim.
She wouldn’t.
Adela prodded her hard in the spine, probably leaving bruises behind, before scuttling out of reach again. Perverse bitch. But even as Sterling thought it, she felt pity. It seemed pretty clear that Adela wasn’t well. Whatever she’d gone through in her life had left her damaged enough to see Mattox as a hero.
She glanced back, but already Adela had put enough space between them to be out of reach. She might be insane, but she wasn’t taking any chances on Sterling getting her hands on her.
“See the light in the house?” Adela gloated. “They’re in there. Who knows? Your man might already be dead...or dying. So hurry it up if you want a chance to say goodbye.”
Yes, she did hurry, going so fast that Adela had difficulty keeping up with her. Whatever motivation Mattox had for beating Adela, he’d overdone it, leaving her weakened and hurt.
Sterling went up the broken front steps, alert to any opportunity to turn the tables. So far there’d been none.
Missing boards in the porch forced her to pick her way cautiously before she stepped over the threshold. Rainwater puddled on the floor beneath an entirely collapsed section of roof.
Up ahead, in one contained room, Mattox stood, gun in hand, massive shoulder propped on a mold-covered wall, face twisted with cruel satisfaction. “Well, well, well. You actually did it, Adela.”
“I told you I would.” She shoved Sterling forward, almost making her fall.
Senses keenly attuned to the danger, Sterling noticed the eerie silence.
Mattox didn’t have Cade.
Relieved, she breathed easy again. Cade was still out there with Reyes, and that meant she had a chance. They all did.
“Ah, I see the hope in your eyes,” Mattox crooned. “It’s lovely, truly it is.”
“I told her there were women in the truck,” Adela said with a sneer. “She doesn’t yet know that you actually brought more men.”
“Four more,” Mattox explained. “They’re already out there scouring the farm for your hulking friend.”
Sterling leveled an unimpressed stare on Mattox. “You sent more sacrifices to be slaughtered?”
“I sent them fully armed.”
“And you think that’ll help them?” She scoffed. “So far no one you sent has even been a challenge.”
Mattox didn’t seem bothered by that. “It’s true, I’ve been forced to use the dregs of society. They’re not exactly reliable backup, but there’s strength in numbers, so I’m confident they’ll be dragging in his body any minute.”
Sterling allowed a slow, smug smile. “Amazing. You really don’t realize that you’ve sent them all to their deaths, do you?”
The relaxed posture left Mattox and he shoved upright. “Bullshit.”
“They were in the barn, right? Well, they’re useless now. Hear that silence? Think hard and you’ll know what that means. Better still, you’ll know that you’re next.” The words no sooner left her mouth than blinding pain exploded in her skull and she dropped to her knees. Jesus. Fighting off a rush of nausea, Sterling watched stars dance before her eyes.
Tsking, Mattox said, “Don’t say things that set her off. Adela is unpredictable in her dedication to me.” He smiled at the other woman, his expression bordering on tender. “What if you’d accidentally killed her?”
Heaving, Adela snarled, “She had it coming.”
“Sick fucks.” Sterling had the forethought to withdraw the knife from her boot before struggling awkwardly to her feet. Keeping it hidden was a challenge, but she pretended to stumble into the wall so she could slip it into the back of her waistband. To distract them both, she said to Adela, “You’ll pay for that.”
Enraged, Adela started to lunge forward.
Sterling braced for impact. At the moment, with her temples pounding, she wouldn’t mind breaking Adela’s neck.
Unfortunately, Mattox interfered, snatching Adela away none too gently, then cupping her bruised cheek in his meaty mitt. “I don’t have a quick death in mind for her. You don’t want to rob me of my pleasure, do you?”
Faced with so much hatred, it wasn’t easy to keep a cool facade, but Sterling gave it her best shot.
It didn’t help that Adela snuggled against his wide frame with complete adoration. “I’ll behave.”
Worse, Mattox coasted fat fingers over her swollen cheek and bloodied mouth, frowning a little, then pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. “I know you will.”
“Gawd,” Sterling groused. “If you two don’t knock it off, I’m going to puke up my guts.”
He glared at her for that remark but said to Adela, “Give me your gun so you aren’t tempted to shoot her too soon.”
Uncertain, Adela offered it up, then flinched when he roughly snatched it away. He shoved it into his pocket, meaning he now had two guns.
Wincing inside, Sterling again took in Adela’s battered face
. Mattox definitely had to die—but could Adela be saved? Didn’t seem likely.
To be sure, Sterling asked, “So you don’t have new women held captive?”
“Oh, he does,” Adela bragged, regaining her attitude. “They’ll replenish some of the profits you cost him.”
Nope. Not a chance in hell of saving her. At that point, knowing other women were terrorized because of her, Sterling no longer cared.
Instead of speaking to Adela, she asked Mattox, “If they’re not here, then where?”
“You think I’d tell you?” He evaluated her new posture against the wall but didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. “No, I’ll keep that information to myself, but I will tell you that they’ll be transported soon.” He eyed her distress with interest. “That bothers you? Well, it’s partially your fault. I need cash, and they’ll each earn a fair price. No daily rentals, as I had planned for you way back then. These women will be pets... Perhaps you’d like to be one, as well? Maybe even my own personal pet.”
“Seriously, dude, I’m going to puke.”
Mattox grinned. “When I’m done with you, you won’t have such a smart mouth.”
Adela scowled. “I thought we were going to kill her?”
Licking his thick lips, Mattox murmured, “Yes—after I’ve gotten my fill.”
Trepidation kept her guts churning, but Sterling eyed him up and down with disdain. “You won’t live long enough to make those threats a reality.”
Fury brought Mattox forward. Stopping a few feet from her, he demanded, “Call out to him.”
“Him?” Sterling asked, pretending confusion.
“If she plays dumb again,” Adela shouted, “shoot her in the leg!”
Mattox raised his brows at her ruthless suggestion.
Stalling for time, Sterling asked, “What do you want me to say?”
“Yell his name.” Mattox grinned with satisfaction. “That should do it.”
Drawing a slow, deep breath, Sterling called out, “Cade?”
No answer—not that she’d expected one. Cade wasn’t stupid. She had no doubt that he already had a grasp of the situation and all the players. He had a plan, and he would come for her. She only prayed he didn’t get hurt in the process.
“I think I need to make you scream.” Adela started to move forward.
Again, Mattox pulled her back, this time with keen impatience. “Call him again, and you better make it good.”
Trying to determine which way Cade would enter, Sterling quickly scanned the open areas of the half-demolished house. Mattox had his back protected by a wall, so Cade couldn’t come in behind him. That probably meant he’d enter through the side of the house where much of the structure was missing, or the front doorway that Sterling had used.
Either way, they’d see him coming, and that would make him an easy target for Mattox.
Just then, three rapid shots rang out. They echoed over the barren fields, making it impossible to pinpoint a direction.
In her heart, Sterling knew it was Cade, doing what he did best—kicking ass.
Adela blanched. Equally rattled, Mattox swung his heavy Glock around and took aim at her chest. “Call him! Make sure he knows I have you.”
If Mattox thought that would save him, he’d find out otherwise.
“Call him, call him,” Adela sang, her eyes going vague with excitement. “Call him.”
By the second, she became more unhinged.
Sterling filled her lungs. “Cade!” To appease Mattox, she added, “I’m in here, Cade.”
Eyes glittering, Adela held her breath.
The silence dragged out while Mattox’s flinty gaze bounced back and forth between the two entrances—and suddenly Cade dropped through the hole in the ceiling, landing on his feet right before them.
A sort of blindsided panic held them both enthralled, but not Cade. Incandescent rage seemed to emanate from him. He appeared bigger, as invincible as he claimed. Turning fast, he violently kicked the gun away from Mattox, likely breaking his forearm in the process. While Mattox flailed, Cade grabbed him by the throat, lifted him from the floor and slammed him into a crumbling wall. His boulder-sized fist connected with Mattox’s crotch. Then a forearm to his face cut off the scream of pain. Last, a punch to his throat.
Mattox was done for, a heavy deadweight hanging limp from Cade’s grip.
It all happened so fast that Sterling stood there staring, riveted by the fluid ease of his attack.
Adela’s shrill, earsplitting scream of rage jolted her back into action. She watched Adela scrabble for the gun.
She’s going to shoot Cade?
Like hell! Throwing everything she had into a tackle, Sterling took them both down hard. She was bigger than Adela, surely stronger...and yet she wasn’t fast enough.
The gun discharged with a deafening explosion.
Fighting a rush of suffocating fear, Sterling managed to glance up. But no, Cade hadn’t slowed at all. His heavy fist repeatedly hammered Mattox’s face.
“No!” Insanity made Adela stronger. Despite Sterling’s efforts, she forced the gun around again, snarling like an animal, consumed with hatred.
Sterling tried, but she couldn’t wrest the gun from her. No, no, no.
She would not let Cade be shot.
Savage protective instincts surged up...and her lessons kicked in. She reacted, fast, harsh. Brutal.
Just as Cade had taught her.
Her elbow slammed into Adela’s already injured nose, crunching it and sending out a thick spray of blood. It dazed her long enough for Sterling to grab her knife and, without pause, drive the blade deep, once, twice, a third time.
Just as quickly, Sterling withdrew, moving back in horror.
Mouth going slack, eyes wide and sightless with shock, the gun slipped from Adela’s hand. Blood pulsed and oozed from the wounds in her midriff.
Trembling with the aftereffects, Sterling saw her try to speak, then slump flat to the floor. Lifeless.
They weren’t yet safe. Tamping down the horror of what she’d just done, she snatched up the gun and got back to her feet in time to see Cade release Mattox.
The floor shook as his body landed.
A big blackened hole gaped in his side. Adela had killed him.
Somehow that seemed fitting.
The queasiness returned in a rush, but before Sterling could assimilate all the sights and scents of death, Cade had her, crushing her close, his face in her hair.
God, he felt good. Warm, safe...alive.
“Are you hurt?” He thrust her back, his gaze searching over her, his hands examining her arms, her waist, down to her hips.
Sterling rested a trembling hand against his steeled shoulder. “I’m okay.”
“You don’t look it.”
Maybe because her head was splitting now that the adrenaline waned. She made a lame gesture toward Adela’s body. “She cracked me in the back of the head with the gun.”
Immediately, Cade turned her. “Aw, babe, let me see.”
“It’s all right.” It annoyed her that she’d gotten caught like that while he stood there without a scratch other than his knuckles.
Tenderly, Cade sifted his fingers through her hair, lightly prodding her skull. “Damn. You have a massive goose egg.” He turned her again to look into her eyes.
“I’m fine, Cade. I promise.” Shock settled in, making her shiver and shake. “You?”
For an answer, he pressed his mouth to hers. The kiss wasn’t sexual but reassuring. Soft, lingering, comforting.
From behind them, Reyes asked, “Some new form of resuscitation? Because I know you’re not making out when we have shit to do.”
Cade ended the kiss but didn’t step away. He gathered her to his chest and said to his brother, “Madison called it in?”
; “Ambulance and cops will be here any minute.” Looking past Sterling to the bodies, he asked, “Dead?”
Sterling didn’t have an answer to that.
Stepping around them, bypassing Mattox, Reyes went to one knee and pressed his fingers to Adela’s throat. “Light pulse. She might make it.”
In a truly gallant move, Cade lifted Sterling into his arms and turned to leave the destruction behind. Once outside, he moved a good distance from the house—and didn’t put her down.
“Do you think Adela will—”
“Either way,” he said, “that’s not on you.”
Understanding that and accepting it were two different things. “I couldn’t let her shoot you.”
Jaw flexing, arms tightening, Cade struggled with himself, all while his vivid blue eyes held hers captive. “Just so you know,” he rasped in a growl, “I’m never letting you out of my sight.”
Liking the sound of that, Sterling rested her head against his shoulder and whispered, “Good.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
AS SOON AS they’d gotten home, his dad checked Star, going over all the signs of a concussion. She did have a slight headache but otherwise seemed fine. Introspective, but not lethargic. Quiet, but responsive to questions asked. No blurry vision, and hungry enough to eat a few cookies.
Though she grumbled about it, Cade stayed with her while she showered and changed clothes. There were many things he wanted to say, but he could wait. He had her with him, she was safe and that’s what mattered.
When she’d finished dressing warmly, they moved outside to the deck, where the cool mountain air revived her. She hadn’t complained when he’d sat down and pulled her onto his lap. In fact, she’d been so silent it worried him.
With her attention on the mountain view, Star said, “It’s a good thing that Mattox is gone.”
“A very good thing.”
“Even though she didn’t mean to, I’m glad that it was Adela who killed him.”
They knew that an ambulance had taken Adela away, but no one really thought she’d make it. Previous injuries from the sick games she’d played with Mattox had already worn her down.