by Morgan James
Rutland glanced my way and did a double take when he recognized me. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I know you’re looking for her phone,” I confessed. “I just... I have to know.”
His gaze was hard as he stared at me, and I could see the sympathy and understanding in the dark deaths. “You know I can't tell you anything,” he said.
“I know, I know.” I raked my hands through my hair, hissing in a breath as my fingers tugged at my forgotten wound. “I just.... I don't know what to do.”
He took a step closer. “We’re working on getting a search party organized right now. Maybe you can head down to the station and help them out. We’ll need any information you can provide. Photographs, the clothing she was last seen wearing, anything that might help us find her.”
I knew he was just doing this job, but I’d already told him everything I knew. “Is there anything I can do?”
Rutland threw a quick look at his patrolmen, then propped his hands on his hips and regarded me for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but a fire engine, lights flashing and sirens blaring, raced past us. A chill crept down my spine as the huge truck slowed about half a mile up and turned right, heading toward the beach. I met Rutland’s gaze. “What’s going on?”
He opened his mouth to speak, probably to try to dissuade me again, but I cut him off. “Please, Chief.”
He blew a harsh breath through his nose. “We got a call from a neighbor a couple minutes ago saying she thought she heard a woman call for help.” He took one look at my face, and his brows lowered. “But I can't be sure, because the caller also said she thought the woman yelled about a fire.”
“That's her!” I practically yelled. That was exactly what I had told Jana to do in case of an emergency.
“Listen—”
“Trust me on this,” I insisted. “It’s her. We’ve got to find her.”
Rutland looked torn, but he finally nodded reluctantly. “I’ll see if I can get a few more officers over there to question the residents.” He threw me a dark look. “Don’t make me regret telling you—and don’t do anything stupid.”
I shook my head. “I would never do anything to jeopardize her safety. I just want her back.”
Didn’t mean I was just going to sit around and wait, though. I turned and headed back in the direction of the bungalow Jana and I had been staying in. Once I was far enough away and Rutland’s attention had been diverted, I bled into the shadows and looped around, heading toward the beach. I followed the flashing red and blue lights and watched as several patrolmen moved from house to house, knocking on doors.
I crossed a side street and crossed in front of what appeared to be a small condo complex. Two sets of windows were dark; the third unit glowed brightly, as if someone had left every light on inside. Suddenly, the door swung open and two patrolmen stepped out.
I started to walk past, but the Texas license plate caught my eye. It wasn't out of the ordinary for rental cars to have plates from out of state, but still... My gaze lifted to the make and model of the car, then darted toward the complex. In the open doorway of the condo, a woman stood backlit from the lamp in the living room behind her. Prickles ran over my skin, and I took several steps closer.
“Thank you for your time, ma’am,” the officer said.
“Oh, it's no problem at all. Wish I could help.” The Southern drawl was soft and familiar—very familiar.
My eyes snapped to the woman's face. “Maggie?”
Her eyes grew wide as they met mine, and she quickly closed the door behind her as she disappeared inside. The two officers lunged at me as I raced forward. “Stop right there!”
I lifted my hands in a defenseless gesture. “That’s her! That's my wife’s assistant!”
“Sir, I'm going to need you to come with us.”
“Call Rutland,” I demanded. “I’m Jana Malone’s husband. That woman in the room”—I tipped my chin toward the condo they had just exited—“that's Maggie Clelland. She works for my wife. The police back in Texas said she's missing, but she's here. She knows something! I know she does.”
The two officers exchanged a quick look, and one finally lowered his hand to his radio. “Chief, we’ve got something you’ll want to hear.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Jana
The condo was located on the corner one street from the beach, and my mind raced as Carl carried me across the pavement. As we moved, I pushed my tongue against the tape, trying to push it off. It had begun to loosen from when Maggie had yanked it off earlier, and tears of frustration welled when it refused to come free.
The long leaves of palm fronds whipped against my face as we cut through the trees, and I felt the change in tempo as he sank into the soft sand. I refused to go down like this. I had too much to live for—especially now. If I could just get this tape off and get someone’s attention... Summoning every bit of energy I had, I bucked wildly in his arms, squirming to get free.
Carl fumbled me for a moment before losing his grip. “Shit!”
We tumbled to the ground, and I landed face-first in the sand. The duct tape covering my mouth muffled my cry when something sharp cut into my forehead. Forcing myself to move, I rolled to my back and kicked upward at Carl, aiming for his groin. My feet connected, and he let out a grunt as he bent over and covered himself.
I kicked upward again, this time aiming for his face, but he jerked out of the way just in time. He threw himself backward, landing on his ass in the sand, a mixture of anger and astonishment on his face. “Stupid bitch!”
I rolled my shoulder against my face, trying to lift the edge of the duct tape but he was on his feet again before I could pull it free. He lunged forward, batting my feet away and pressing them to the ground, then settled on my thighs so I couldn’t move. I winced as he delivered a stinging slap to my cheek. “I fucking swear to God. You’re making it easier to kill you, you know that?”
He hauled me to my feet. Still bound with duct tape, I stumbled and fell to my knees again before he grabbed me around the waist and yanked me against his side. “I felt bad at first when Maggie suggested it, but damn...” He stooped down and threw me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. “I’m kind of looking forward to it now.”
It took a second for the words to sink in. This was Maggie’s idea? After the way she’d spoken earlier, the bitter resentment she harbored toward me, it shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. It hurt to know that the woman I’d considered my closest friend for the past few years had orchestrated this.
A trickle of blood dripped into my eye as Carl shifted me. Blinking away the sweat and blood obscuring my vision, I tried to place our surroundings, but everything was almost impossibly dark. The moon peeked out from behind a cloud, and the pier rose up in front of us as he cut across the sand. His shoulder dug into my stomach, and I felt bile rise up in my throat with every jolting step. I closed my eyes and forced it down.
Carl’s heavy tread clomped against the wooden planks of the pier, and my eyes flew open. Panic seized my chest. Oh, my God. He was going to throw me in the ocean. I struggled in earnest, kicking my feet and throwing my body side to side. Suspended over his shoulder, he had better leverage this time. He clamped one arm tightly around the back of my legs and grabbed my hair with the other hand, effectively curling me around his torso and subduing my movement.
My heart raced and I pleaded incoherently from behind the duct tape for him to let me go. Before I’d worked out a plan in my head, we’d reached the end of the pier. Carl dropped me unceremoniously to my feet, and I stared up at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. I prayed he would take the tape off my mouth to at least let me speak. Instead, he slipped his hands under my armpits and lifted me until I was sitting on the railing.
“You’re something else, you know that? So talented. Must’ve got that from my side.” He chuckled a little. “God knows your mama was never good for much.”
I glared at him, and he let out a
soft exhalation as he stepped backwards. For a glorious moment, hope bloomed in my chest. Maybe he would leave me here, give him a chance to get away before the authorities found him.
“Sorry, Jana girl.” He almost looked remorseful as he shook his head. “But we really need that money.”
My optimism was extinguished as he grasped my bound ankles and lifted, toppling me backward over the railing. My scream came out muted, barely more than a squeak as I hurtled through the air. It felt like I was falling forever before my body hit the water and cold sliced through me.
All of a sudden, it was all around me, pulling me under, wrapping me in cold, inky darkness. I became acutely aware of a stinging sensation as the salty water flooded the wound on my face. Unable to use my arms, I bucked wildly, trying to propel myself toward the surface. I couldn’t see a thing, and I hadn’t had a chance to drag in a breath before I’d gone under. My chest felt tight, and my throat began to burn with the desperate need for oxygen. Then the fear set in.
I thrashed and kicked, trying to get my feet under me, but the water curled around me, distorting my surroundings as it dragged me toward the bottom. I knew I was supposed to allow my body to go limp so my mind could get its bearings, and it took every ounce of willpower to relax my muscles and stop fighting the pull of gravity.
I drifted slowly downward before landing shoulder-first with a gentle thump, sending up a hazy swirl of sand as my body displaced the silt layering the bottom of the ocean. My eyes burned, clouded by salt water and fatigue, and I fought to shift my weight so I could get my knees under me. The sand shifted, throwing me off-balance, and I collapsed to my back, completely devoid of energy.
The last of my oxygen escaped my nostrils, rising in tiny bubbles to the surface, and my eyes followed their path. A shaft of silvery light danced above me, and I imagined the moon reflecting off the dark surface. Then, suddenly, it was gone. A sharp barb pierced my heart as I thought of Vince—of everything we’d been through, of everything we’d never have the chance to experience. Sending up one last prayer to keep him safe, my eyes drifted closed, and water rushed into my lungs, ending my fight.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Vince
Anger boiled up in my veins as I regarded Chief Rutland. We stood on the sidewalk at the corner of the condo unit where Maggie was ensconced inside. “Please,” I practically begged. “There’s no reason for her to be here.”
Rutland shook his head. “She invited my men in, allowed them to search the property. Why would she do that if she had something to hide?”
“I don’t know!” Nothing about this made sense.
“Let my guys do their job,” he said firmly. “We found Miss Malone’s phone in the Dumpster next to the ice cream parlor, and we’ve got feet on the ground questioning everyone in the neighborhood. We’re doing what we can.”
Turning on a heel, I stormed away from the small rental house, raking my hands through my hair. The bitch knew something—she had to. Fury engulfed me, threatening to take over, and I forced myself to think clearly. Maggie was here—but why? What would prompt her to come all the way to the beach unless she somehow meant Jana harm?
I stopped in the middle of the road and glanced back at the condo complex, my mind spinning with possibilities. I didn’t know what had been used to knock me out—I hadn’t wasted the time to go searching for the weapon. Regardless, any woman was capable of a well-placed hit to the back of the head. But could she overpower Jana? I seriously doubted it, especially with the recent self-defense moves we’d been working on. Maggie was a small woman, just slightly taller than Jana. There had been obvious signs of struggle, but I couldn’t imagine Jana willingly getting into a vehicle with her. There had to be someone else involved.
I laced my hands together on the top of my head and tipped my face up to the moon, then closed my eyes. The island was closed. Maggie was here, which was a good indication that Jana was still here somewhere. But where?
My ears perked up at a soft sound that carried on the light breeze. Little more than a squeak, it jolted me into action. A splash followed, sending chills down my spine. It was louder than the waves crashing gently against the shore and seemed to come from farther out. It also sounded large.
I started walking, unsure exactly of where I was going until I broke through the palm trees and stepped onto the soft sand. There was no light to speak of whatsoever, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. My gaze swept the vista in front of me and it finally sank in. The pier.
In the moonlight, my eyes picked up a lone figure striding quickly back down the dock in my direction. The memory of the broken light bulbs flashed before my eyes, and I was running before I even thought about what I was doing.
“Rutland!” I screamed over my shoulder. “Get down here!”
The man on the pier snapped his head toward me. In the moonlight, I could only make out the pale white of his face as I charged toward him. He broke into a run, and I tackled him as soon as he reached the end of the pier. Pinning him to the ground, I stared down at him. A cold, calculating look filled his eyes—and I knew.
“You motherfucker!” Slamming my fist into his face, I growled at him. “What’d you do to her?”
The man’s face twisted into a sneer as his eyebrow split open and thick, dark blood oozed out. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit.” I landed another hard punch to his nose, and blood spurted over his lips and chin. “Where the fuck is she?”
He turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. “Fuck you.”
I shook him hard, and the back of his head hit the worn wood of the pier with a solid thunk. “I swear to God, if you don’t tell me where she is—”
A slow smile spread over his mouth, exposing his blood-stained teeth, looking nearly black in the darkness. “Bitch is gone.”
The splash I’d heard suddenly registered, and ice settled in my veins. Smashing my fist into his face one more time, I rolled off him and sprinted to the end of the pier. My lungs heaved from exertion, and I threw myself against the railing, scanning frantically for her.
“Jana!”
A few feet from the post of the pier, a few bubbles surfaced and rippled across the water. Without thinking, I launched myself up onto the railing and dove into the water. Salt burned my eyes as I twisted my head left and right, looking for her in the dark, murky depths. Suddenly, a flash of white below me drew my attention.
I dove downward, stretching for the tangle of fabric far below me. My lungs began to ache as I cut through the water. Finally, my fingers touched the billowing white fabric that rose like a cloud toward the surface. I grabbed up Jana’s body in my arms and pushed against the sea floor, shooting us toward the surface.
I gasped in a breath as soon as we broke free of the water, but Jana remained limp in my arms. Her head lolled backward, and I noticed the duct tape hanging loosely from a corner of her mouth.
“Fuck!” Using my legs to tread water, I pounded her roughly on the back, hoping it would jolt her lungs into action. “Come on, trouble. Don’t give up on me now.”
Positioning us so her head was above water, I kicked forcefully toward the shore. “Help!”
Several policemen waded into the water near the shore and pulled Jana’s lifeless body from my arms. Just a few feet away, I rested on my hands and knees, eyes burning as I watched them perform chest compressions. The sound of running feet approached, and a medic slid into place next to her, taking over. What felt like hours passed as I watched them pump air into her lungs with no reward.
“Come on, baby. Fight for me!” Tears mingled with the water running down my cheeks, and my heart twisted in my chest. The searing pain of the wound on the back of my head was nothing compared to the sight of Jana lying there, pale and still, as if the life had leached from her body.
Suddenly, with a horrific gagging sound, Jana spit up a mouthful of water. The medic turned her on her side as she coughed and sputtered, ridding he
r lungs of the vile fluid.
Spurred by hope, I scrambled closer and placed a hand on the medic’s shoulder, my gaze fixed on Jana. The woman studied me for a long moment. She must have read the urgency in my eyes, because she settled Jana on her back, then, apparently satisfied that she was well enough for the moment, scooted out of my way. I practically threw myself over Jana and pulled her against me. She was so weak she couldn’t move or speak, but I didn’t care. I ran my hands over every inch I could touch, from her perfect, gorgeous face, down her back and hips. “Thank God...”
I buried my head against her chest, my lips moving over her cold, wet skin. “Christ, baby, you scared the life out of me. I was so fucking worried about you.”
A shiver racked her body, and she coughed several more times. I tipped my head up to look at her, and a pair of bright blue eyes met mine. Her hand lifted, curling into the sodden fabric of my shirt and held on for dear life.
“I don’t know what I’d have done if...” My voice broke as I trailed off. “Thank fuck you’re okay.”
“Sir...” Off to the side, the medic’s voice slowly penetrated the blood rushing through my ears. “I need to check you both over.”
I wrapped my fingers around Jana’s where they still fisted my shirt and nodded, my eyes still locked on hers. “Her first. Make sure she’s okay.”
I gave her hand a little squeeze to let her know I wasn’t going anywhere, then released her so the woman could finish her work. Everything had happened so quickly, and I finally took a moment to look around. My eyes were drawn to the pier, looking for the man I’d knocked out on the way to find Jana, but he was gone. I swept my gaze over the dim beach before it fell on Chief Rutland. He stood off to the side, watching as two patrolmen slapped a pair of handcuffs on a man. I couldn’t make out his features in the moonlight, but I was positive it was the same guy from the pier. They hauled him to his feet, then escorted him up the beach, presumably to take him into custody.