by Melody Anne
Somehow she found herself driving toward the airport where she’d met Sherman what felt like forever ago. She was trying to remember when she’d taken her flight with him, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint it. Maybe a week ago. Heck, maybe a day ago. She was so fried she had no idea. But that had been a great day.
She liked the privacy of the airport, and maybe Sherman would be there. He was easy to talk to. And though she wanted to be alone, he was someone who seemed safe to her.
There were no cars parked there when she arrived. She was relieved. She should have headed back to Roxie’s, but she didn’t want to try to keep her composure anymore. She wanted to have a good cry without having to explain why.
She moved to the back of the hangar and looked out at the hills beyond. The fire was moving closer to this place. She hoped it didn’t consume the hangar, this haven. She hoped it didn’t consume the entire town.
She heard the crunch of boots rounding the back of the hangar, and her heart started pounding before she forced herself to calm down. This was a private hangar, a private runway. Only those who had planes came here. It was most likely Sherman looking for her, since he’d seen her car parked out front.
She turned, forcing a smile she didn’t feel. The person turned the corner, but it wasn’t Sherman. She hoped she was hiding her disappointment as he drew closer.
“Hi, Chaz,” she said as he sidled up beside her.
“Hey, Eden. What are you doing here?” he asked before looking her over in a way that made her just the slightest bit uncomfortable. “And why are you all wet?”
She’d completely forgotten that her clothes were still wet. They weren’t dripping, since she’d had a couple of hours in the heat of Owen’s truck, but they definitely had seen better days, and she’d be throwing them out as soon as she could peel them from her body. She was just glad she’d changed before the fire had started, or she’d have been having a wet-T-shirt contest in front of the entire Edmonds Fire Department—and Chaz.
“It’s a long story,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I came out here to get away from the noise of the city,” she added.
Chaz smiled, an expression that didn’t quite reach his eyes. And in that moment, everything seemed to click into place. Eden’s stomach sank as she looked at the man who seemed to be enjoying the dawning horror of her look.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked, moving a little closer.
“No, nothing,” she said, instinctively moving away from him. “It’s just that Owen will be here any minute, so I should wait at my car.” She really hoped her bluff would work.
“I don’t think so, Eden. He’s fighting a fire right now,” Chaz said. He wasn’t even going to try to pretend to be the good guy any longer.
Eden was in trouble. She was in big trouble, and she knew it. Chaz’s smile widened.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Eden knew she had two choices. She could run screaming—not getting very far. Or she could play dumb and hope Chaz didn’t realize she now knew at least one of the players in this deadly game.
What she didn’t understand was why. She had a slight history with Chaz, but nothing that made any sense of why he’d want to kill her. She vaguely remembered he’d asked her out on a date once. She hadn’t wanted to date, hadn’t been interested in anyone. It was hard to be interested when Owen came in and out of her life.
But she’d accepted Chaz’s friendship, had gone to lunch with him several times, had even taken some walks with him on her breaks at work. This made no sense at all. He was successful, charming, and wealthy. Why would he throw all of that away?
“I’m glad you’re here, Chaz,” she said with what she hoped passed as a friendly smile. “It’s kind of eerie out here all by myself.”
She saw that her words confused him, that he was trying to decide what to do next. That was a positive in her favor. She found her hand in her pocket as she searched for anything to defend herself with. There was nothing.
“Yeah, this place is private. I like it,” he said as he moved a step closer. She desperately wanted to retreat.
“Have you seen Sherman? I went flying with him a few days ago. It was a lot more fun than I imagined it would be. I can see why you became a pilot,” she said, hoping the stroke to his ego would afford her some mercy. She shouldn’t have come out here when she’d known someone was after her.
“Sherman isn’t really out here much. No one is,” he said, his smile becoming even broader. He took another step closer. Eden turned as she looked out at the mountain, stepping away from him as if she was enamored with the view. She was really looking around for anything that could be a weapon. Pebbles just weren’t going to do it.
“That’s too bad. Once a person retires, they should be able to do whatever they want.” This small talk was killing her.
“How are things going with you and Owen?” he asked, his smile fading.
“They are the same as always,” she told him. There was no way she was getting into a discussion of her and Owen with this man.
“Yeah, you guys are together a heck of a lot. It’s difficult to find you alone,” Chaz said, not even trying to hide his pleasure at finding her so defenseless now. He moved closer. She was on the verge of panic.
“He’s been a friend for a long time, and there’s a lot going on right now,” she said, knowing she was running out of time.
“I had a crush on you once, you know,” Chaz said, a look of humor in his eyes.
“I didn’t know that,” she told him with a laugh she didn’t feel.
“Business gets in the way of me pursuing relationships, though.”
“Yes, you’re gone a lot with your real estate deals,” she said. She had nowhere to run.
“That’s just a side business. It’s not where I make all my money,” he told her.
“Oh, that’s nice,” she said. She wasn’t going to ask him for information. He just might let her go if he figured she didn’t know anything, if he didn’t deem her a threat. She somehow knew it was far too late for that, though.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what my business is?” he asked, sidling a bit closer. She was stepping away from him, not wanting him to grab her. There was no way for her to fight him off. Her only chance was if someone else showed up. Silence greeted that thought.
“It’s none of my business what you do,” she told him.
He smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong, Eden. It’s very much your business, since you and your friends have been messing with it, have cost me far too much money.”
Utter silence greeted these words. She stared at him, not knowing what she should say to that.
“Please don’t do this, Chaz,” she said. She couldn’t keep pretending he wasn’t being hostile when he was saying these sorts of things to her, advancing on her, cornering her.
“Do what, Eden? What do you think’s happening here?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said.
He moved closer and Eden tried to pull out her cell phone, but his eyes latched onto it. He grabbed it before she could stop him, throwing it against the wall of the hangar, the screen shattering. She was in worse trouble than she’d imagined.
“Taking you out wasn’t part of the plan, but then you started investigating this case, and my boss has no tolerance for anyone who messes with us,” Chaz told her.
“Chaz, you don’t want to do this. It will ruin your life,” she warned him.
He laughed for a long moment, the sound containing zero humor. “My life is already ruined. You and your buddies have seen to that. Our entire operation has been destroyed. We had to burn it all down—the factory, the buildings, all of it. But it’s been a pretty burn, hasn’t it?” he asked as he looked out at the smoke-filled landscape.
“Why?” she asked. She was going to die. He’d just admitted to being part of this disaster. He wouldn’t leave her as a witness.
“We’ve been making money hand over fist for years, no one the wise
r. Then that fool of a vice principal got caught with a hell of a lot of our merchandise, and the damn Forbes family got involved. Declan’s been hot on our case ever since. They nearly discovered our factory, so it had to go. We lit it up. We’ve almost covered all our tracks, but you’ve gotten too close, so you have to go, too,” he said, a laugh escaping him. “And I’ve never liked Owen, so I wanted to take him out just for the fun of it. He was supposed to die up on that hill, but he sacrificed his buddy instead.”
She glared at him.
“He tried to save him,” she said.
Chaz’s smile fell away as he glared back at her. “You’re going to defend him to the end, aren’t you? Disgusting, considering he left you as if you meant no more to him than stale bread.”
“You know nothing,” she said, hating how scared she was, hating the tears that wanted to fall.
“I know enough to kill you,” he told her.
He advanced on her, his intent clear.
Eden wouldn’t just stand there. She turned to flee, her heart racing. She only made it a few steps before his fingers fisted in her hair, stopping her dead in her tracks as he bruised her scalp and threw her to the ground. The air rushed from her as she scraped her back and elbow. She felt dizzy as he loomed over her.
Chaz pulled out a revolver and pointed it at her. Eden’s heart thumped. She wasn’t ready to die, wasn’t ready to let go of her life.
“Please don’t do this, Chaz. I’m sorry. I won’t tell anyone,” she said, hating it when a tear fell down her cheek. She didn’t want to be this weak, didn’t want to plead for her life.
There was a boom behind them, and Eden turned her head. Something in the woods had exploded. She looked back at Chaz, who was gazing in the same direction, his eyes fascinated. Eden knew this was her last chance.
She jumped to her feet and ran as if her life depended on it. Of course, her life did depend on escaping. It was foolish to run toward the fire, but maybe she could hide in the trees, maybe lose him in the smoke. She was amazed when she entered the thick grove of trees. Her throat was burning as her mouth filled with the hot taste of ash.
She almost smiled as she turned and ran through the bushes, looking for a place to hide. Maybe she’d done it. Maybe he’d been so enamored with the disaster his actions had created, he hadn’t noticed her sprint to safety. She was feeling hope. That was until her arm was practically ripped from its socket, and she was thrown to the ground again. Her head spun as it slammed down against a rock.
The world went black.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Owen stood back as the rest of his house collapsed. He should feel more anger, feel something other than relief. He certainly wasn’t relieved his house and everything he owned were gone. He was relieved the woman he loved was safe.
But just as he had that thought, a chill ran through him. He didn’t know what it was, but he was suddenly uncomfortable, as if something was wrong. He stepped away from the noise as firefighters continued checking the perimeter of his house, making sure the fire didn’t spread. The last thing they needed was another point of origin for the wildfire to grow.
He picked up his cell phone and dialed her number. It went straight to voice mail. He tried again and it was the same thing. He tried to tamp down the panic that wanted to stir in his gut. But something was wrong. He could feel it. He dialed Kian’s house. Roxie picked up on the second ring.
“Has Eden made it back yet?” he asked without a greeting.
“I haven’t seen her,” she said, her voice concerned as she recognized the tenseness in his words. “Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know. I have this feeling,” he said, restless. He needed to find her. “Some asshole burned down my house, and she said she needed time alone.” Why had he let her go?
“Let me make some calls,” Roxie said, her voice now as tense as his.
They hung up and Owen made a few of his own calls, all without getting anything satisfactory. No one had seen her. Then his phone rang. It was Roxie.
“Owen, someone said they passed her car on the road leading to the private airstrip. You know, where Sherman keeps his plane. Would there be a reason she’d be out there?” Roxie asked, her voice puzzled.
“She wanted to be alone,” he said, trying to feel relief. At least he had an idea of where she was. The knowledge that something was wrong wouldn’t leave him, though.
“I’ll head out there,” she told him.
“Not alone. Bring Kian, and call Declan and Arden. I’m on my way there,” he said.
“Get there fast,” Roxie told him. She trusted him, trusted that he knew something was wrong. They hung up and Owen rushed to his truck.
He didn’t say a word to anyone, didn’t explain his urgency. He didn’t notice the puzzled looks from his men as he peeled off down the driveway. His property was being taken care of. All he cared about right now was getting to Eden. Something was wrong and he feared he was going to get to her too late.
He pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and picked up speed. If a cop spotted him, good. He could lead him to the airport and have more backup. Owen feared he was going to need it.
He was a fool. If he hadn’t been in such shock over finding her on the roof of his burning house, he wouldn’t have let her drive off by herself. It wasn’t a matter of trying to control her; it was a matter of knowing the enemy was stepping up their game.
He drove a little faster. Time was running out. He didn’t know how he knew that. He just knew.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Eden woke with a splitting headache. She tried to lift a hand to assess the damage done to her head, and that’s when she realized her hands were bound. Panic seized her as she realized she was tied up.
Opening her eyes, it took a moment for her vision to clear. The smoke seemed heavier, and she wondered how close she was to the flames. She wondered if Chaz had left her there to die a slow, tortured death. If so, she could only hope the smoke would take her before the flames did. Tears tracked down her cheeks.
“It took you long enough to wake up. I was worried for a while that you might have killed yourself,” Chaz said, almost conversationally.
She turned her head and found him sitting close by, a large knife in his hands, his fingers tracing the shiny silver blade as if mesmerized. Another dark shiver raced down her spine.
“What comes next?” she asked. She’d rather know. This fear was more than she could take.
“I’m going to kill you,” he said simply. “You know too much, and you have to die.” He paused as his horrible eyes traced her entire body, filling her with disgust. “But I figure we have a little time. I might as well get a taste of you first. Let’s call it payment for the trouble you’ve caused.”
“Don’t you dare touch me, you disgusting pig!” she shouted. She’d rather die than have this man’s hands on her, to have her last moments tainted by him.
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move. She had a decision to make. She knew she wasn’t getting out of this alive. He’d bound her. She’d tried to make her escape and had failed. The only thing she could hope for was that her body was found so Owen and Roxie could have closure.
“Owen’s next, you know. I want that to be your dying thought. I want you to know he won’t make it another few days. I might not have been able to get him yet, but he will die.” The eerie way he spoke so calmly was almost worse than if he were yelling. At least then she’d feel that she could enrage him, do anything that would make her death swift instead of drawn out. She wasn’t sure she could shake this zombie of a man, though.
“I’m not surprised you’ve lost everything, Chaz. You’re disgusting and stupid. You have no sense at all. You’ll continue to lose everything in your life, including any so-called friendships you have. And that boss you speak of will dispose of you because you’re a loose end for him, just as I am for you.”
His eyes narrowed, but he shook his head, and an evil smile appeared on his lips
. He stood up and moved toward her, slow and deliberate, as he held out the knife. Worst of all, his other hand shifted, rubbing over the front of his jeans, and she was horrified to see the bulge in his pants. Her stomach rolled.
“I know you’re trying to piss me off. It might have worked on someone else, but not on me. I finally have you right where I want you, and I’m going to savor every moment of it. No one’s coming to your rescue. I can play with you for hours if I like,” he said.
He loomed over her as he clasped the knife in one hand and undid the top button of his jeans with the other. Eden twisted and pulled against the ties that bound her arms behind her back.
Chaz kneeled in front of her, grabbing her hair and lifting her painfully off the ground so she was forced to her knees. She twisted her head and spit at him. Her mouth was so dry there was barely any moisture. Chaz laughed as he leaned in toward her, licking her lips.
She tried to hold it back, but a sob ripped from her, and this made him laugh. He still held the knife in his other hand, and he lifted it, the tip resting against her neck as he ran his tongue along her jaw. She was trembling.
The blade nicked her throat, and Eden prayed he’d screw up, that he’d gouge her before he could rape her. Death was so much better than what he had planned for her. She was going to die, anyway. She’d rather it happen before this man took from her everything that was good.
“You’re a very pretty woman. It’ll be a shame to kill you,” he said, a husky murmur in his voice that made her stomach roll again. She wished she could puke all over him. Maybe that would disgust him too much to continue. But there was nothing in her stomach.
“I hate you,” she said, her voice filled with revulsion.
“That’s okay. I don’t care. Fight me. It’ll make this so much more fun,” he said. He set the knife down, and much to her horror, he gripped her head, then bent and lapped up the blood on her neck. Her stomach turned again, but nothing came out.