Looking Behind the Mask: Second Chance Series - Book 2

by Joan Davis

  “Oh, my dear, I am not going to kill you, but you may wish for death by the time I’m done with you,” Dunn said. He motioned to his men, but before they could move Detective Lane pulled his gun and put a bullet in the man trying to grab Honor. Before he even hit the ground, Lane turned the gun on Dunn as he stepped in front of Honor.

  “No more, Dunn. It’s over. Enough! You aren’t going to get the kid, so just end this shit and leave,” Lane said shakily. He knew what he was up against. Every gun in the room was pointed at him.

  “Oh Joseph, you’ve made a serious error in judgment,” Dunn said.

  “Maybe so, but I can’t let you hurt her. God forgive me, I done some truly awful things in my life, but I can’t let you do this. If you need revenge, kill Ryan, but not her,” the detective said, knowing these would probably be his last few minutes alive.

  “No!” Honor screamed and tried to push past the detective. He took his eyes off Dunn for a split second.

  Another shot rang out.

  “Well, let’s hope that God does forgive you, Joseph, because I never will,” Dunn hissed.

  Honor looked on in horror as blood and brain matter spray out behind Detective Lane’s head to splash against the wall in a grotesque pattern. Half his face had been blown away. He dropped to his knees before falling back to lay in a grotesque sprawl. More blood quickly began to pool under his dead body.

  Honor whimpered and clutched her stomach before she forced herself to face Dunn once again.

  “I’ll handle this, men. You take care of Ryan. He’s almost dead anyway, so even you shouldn’t have a problem,” Dunn stated as he stared at Honor intently.

  “No!” Honor screamed again and started forward until Dunn spoke again.

  “I must apologize, my dear. I had planned a little fun before I left, but now I’m afraid things have changed,” he said as he pulled out a wicked looking blade from under his jacket and started advancing towards her. “I’m afraid our relationship has to come to an early end, Ms. Weston. I need to leave before someone calls the authorities about that unfortunate gun fire. You must understand that I’m forced to tie up loose ends, don’t you?” His expression would have been almost angelic if it hadn’t been for the voracious glee behind it.

  Honor stepped back but Dunn had the final man in the room grab her and hold her in his deadly grip. As she was thinking she was about to die, the world seem to explode.

  *****

  Gabriel heard a vehicle drive up and park, then the front door opened. The bedroom door had remained closed, so he couldn’t hear what anyone said in the outer room, but his heart leaped into his throat when he recognized the tenor in Honor’s voice. Frantic, he tried to think. He knew why she came- to save him, but didn’t she realize how futile that was? Dunn had no intention of letting him live. He knew he had to act, before it was too late.

  He was just going to make his move on the guard, when he heard Lela’s name mentioned. For a split second, his heart felt like it was going to explode. Honor couldn’t, wouldn’t bring Lela anywhere near that monster! But how could she possibly trick Dunn? Gabriel tensed as the voices grew louder. The guard shifted and looked over his shoulder restlessly.

  Again he was about to jump when the bedroom door opened and someone walked in and shut the door. “Dunn wants you outside to check the perimeter. He said to go out those French doors to avoid being seen.”

  “Fuck, why do I have to do it?” Smith bitched.

  “You just don’t get it, you fucking moron. You don’t get to ask questions. Do you need a lesson in what happens when you do, asshole?”

  “No. Damn, why you people always gotta be sticking guns in my face?” was the sulky response.

  “Shut the fuck up and just move.”

  Gabriel heard the men move towards the French doors, then a sick thud and then it was quiet. He sat up and looked at the giant red-head. “It’s about fucking time. And did you have to wrench my shoulder when you took me out of that damn SUV?”

  “You’ve no time to complain, boy. That lass is about to be in more trouble than she can handle,” Duncan McGregor, aka Fergus Sinclair said, his Scottish brogue now clearly evident. He quickly bound, gagged and dragged Dunn’s man to the side so he could open the French doors. Conner and Mik hauled themselves up and into the room. Conner tossed Gabriel a Kevlar vest, which Gabriel put on with help from Mik. Someone also handed in semi-automatic rifles and a couple of Glocks.

  “Before you say anything, I don’t have a clue how Honor ended up out there. We left her with Sam. We need to move because this is going south fast,” Conner said, He was all business now, the joker firmly hidden behind the warrior.

  They were heading for the bedroom door when they heard screams and gun-fire. Gabriel rushed the door, but Mik quickly grabbed him. Conner spoke into an almost invisible mike that rested against his jaw. “Talk to me,” he demanded when another shot rang out.

  “Three coming your way, Dunn and one final man have Honor. She is severely compromised. Go! Go! Go!” a voice yelled loud enough the other men could hear.

  The bedroom door burst opened. No one hesitated, they opened fire and in the next second Gabriel and the other 3 men were jumping over the bodies of the men they just took out.

  Gabriel found Honor being held by one of Dunn’s men and he put a bullet in his head even as he moved to lunge for Dunn.

  Once she was freed, Honor tried to avoid Dunn’s blade, but it was too late. Piercing pain burned through her abdomen as she stared at the fanatical satisfaction in Maximus Dunn’s eyes. She cried out as he ripped the knife out and went to plunge it in again, but the second blow never came. He was jerked away from her and she slid to the floor. She heard a sickening crack before Gabriel was leaning over her and cradling her head in his hands.

  Gabriel gazed down at her and Conner used a towel to put pressure on the wound. “I’ve got you, baby. Just hold on for me,” Gabriel coaxed.

  “I had to come. He was going to kill you. I couldn’t let him kill you!” Honor said, and another small whimper escaped.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you,” he said again. He glanced back at Conner and confirmed that Dunn was dead. Honor’s body began to shake, and he knew she was going into shock. Mik grabbed a throw off the couch and handed it to Gabriel to wrap around her.

  She stared up at him and raised a shaky hand to his cheek. “You’re hurt.”

  “I’m okay, baby. Just lay still, helps coming,” he pleaded. He glanced at Conner again.

  “They’re close, brother,” Conner assured him quietly. Sirens and flashing lights were already outside.

  Gabriel wanted to move her, but he was terrified to do so. He wasn’t sure how badly she was hurt. He brushed the hair back from her face, and watched her eyes began to flutter.

  “I’m cold, Gabriel,” Honor said through chattering lips.

  Oh God, not again, he thought. “Don’t close your eyes, Honor. Look at me! You hang on, okay? Do you hear me?”

  “Stop yelling at me, jackass. I just had someone try to kill me. Forgive me for wanting to shut my eyes for two fucking seconds,” Honor weakly snapped. “I’m cold, not dead. Maybe one of your girlfriends could get me another blanket or a freaking sweatshirt from my dresser. Think they could handle that?”

  Within seconds, Mik was adding a fleece blanket to the one Gabriel had already put over her. “Your wish is my command,” he said with a cheeky grin.

  “Thanks,” Honor said, mollified. She turned her gaze back to Gabriel. “Sorry.”

  Laughing, Gabriel leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. “You go ahead and yell at me all you want, baby. Just don’t leave me,” he whispered.

  Honor smiled, but Gabriel noticed her breathing was erratic. “Honor . . ?”

  Her expression grew panicked, and she paled. She whispered, “Gabriel? I . . .,” before she convulsed and vomited bright red blood from her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she became deathly still.

  “Honor
! No!” Gabriel yelled, and rolled her on her side to keep her from choking on her own blood. The sound of sirens and bright rotating red and blue lights filled the room as Duncan opened the front door. Soon a mass of police, EMT and other first-responders rushed inside.

  Crazed, Conner and Mik had to pull Gabriel away and hold him down so the EMT workers could work on Honor. Gabriel’s nightmare was replaying itself, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  *****

  CHAPTER 12

  The hot, humid rain of July matched Gabriel’s mood. He felt suffocated. Each breath seemed to be a struggle. Just moving or trying to decide anything beyond the next minute was overwhelming. The silence in the hospital room had become oppressive. It was almost as bad as the incessant beeping that had been caused by the heart monitor. When he hadn’t been able to stand it one minute more, they had finally relented and turned the sound off, but ironically, the quiet had become just as unnerving.

  Turning away from the window, Gabriel returned to the chair beside Honor’s hospital bed. For the millionth time, he gently brushed back the hair from her face. It had been twenty-eight unending days. Days of seeing the tubes, needles, hanging bag and machines invading her body, helping to keep her alive. He sat next to her bed day after day, waiting for her to awaken. His voice was hoarse from continuously talking and reading to her. He would say anything he could think of to coax her out of her long sleep. He told her that Lela couldn’t wait to see her again. He passed on well wishes from their friends and family. God only knew, he had not been above pleading for her to wake, but still she slept. Flowers that had once been bright and cheerful had begun to wilt, until Risa and Ellie Lassiter had come in and cleared most of them out, then replaced them with new bouquets. Gabriel had barely noticed. He just wanted Honor to open her eyes so he would know his world was right again.

  The wound in his shoulder was still tender, but otherwise he had fully recovered. He still couldn’t understand how he could walk away from a horrific crash with barely a scratch, while Honor nearly died from her injuries. At times, he wondered why God had let Honor live, only to keep her trapped in an unending slumber. It was torture. He could touch her, but he couldn’t reach her. The knife wound had lacerated her liver and the internal bleeding had been severe. They barely made it to the hospital in time. Her heart had stopped twice on the operating table as the surgeons dealt with her liver and with replacing lost blood. After a successful surgery, the doctors had put her in a medically induced coma due to swelling, but they had still been optimistic. When they had addressed him in the waiting room after the operation, the doctor said she was strong and should make a full recovery. They were wrong. She never came around when they tried to wake her, and they still had no explanation as to why. As each day passed, their optimism waned. Gabriel could see it in their eyes and hear it in their cautiously worded answers.

  As always, when trouble came knocking the wagons were circled. Risa’s dad had opened his home so Gabriel’s parents and Lela’s paternal grandparents could be near to help out. Then Gabriel and Lela had practically moved in with Sam and Risa. He thanked God for them every day, as they made sure Lela had everything she needed. But through all his pain, Lela was the only reason he had not gone insane. She was also the only reason he left the hospital at night. He knew that she needed him with her.

  Despite the presence of her grandparents, Lela had been inconsolable unless Gabriel was near. She desperately missed Honor, and was constantly restless until the arrival of Mama Leone, which ironically brought calm to her life. She had quietly taken Lela under her wing, and through her nurturing and caring, she had made it possible for Gabriel to spread his time between home and the hospital. Lela’s grandparents were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Lela had settled down and was eating and sleeping normally again. She had become a shadow for Mama Leone, and it seemed as long as they were together, the little girl was calm. But at the end of the day, Lela still needed Gabriel. So each night, he would return to Sam and Risa’s house and he’d hold Lela in his arms and rock her to sleep in one of the porch rockers.

  Gabriel was painfully aware that there was an air of guilt amongst his friends. He realized they were blaming themselves for allowing Honor to put herself at risk. He wanted to be able to relieve their guilt, because he understood deep inside that nothing would have stopped Honor from trying to save him. But at this point, the pain was too jagged, and the fear too great, to extend himself to others. That would have to come later.

  The frenzy over the final end to Maximus Dunn’s life had finally died down. The F.B.I. and other authorities had pulled up stakes, along with the press and nosy on-lookers. Gabriel had been the first to give his statement. The agents were familiar with him because of his long time connection to the case, yet he still went over everything about his history with Dunn, right up to the moment of his death.

  Next Sam, Conner, Mik and Duncan McGregor had filled in the blanks.

  Conner admitted that when he had contacted his friend in the F.B.I. he found out that they had already been looking at Detective Lane and his connection to Dunn. It had taken almost two years to get a man in place, but Detective Lane had finally trusted the undercover agent enough to ask him to watch Honor Weston and keep track of her movements.

  The agent had come to Dalton and gotten a job with Knight Construction. Sam was not happy to learn he had been kept in the dark, but Conner explained that he agreed to keep the agent’s identity secret as long as he was brought into loop. He insisted that he had to be allowed to work with the F.B.I. in order to protect Honor, as well as Gabriel and Lela. So he and Gabriel had been introduced to Duncan McGregor, a.k.a. Fergus Sinclair. He was Scottish born, but was working for the F.B.I. in a joint effort between them and Interpol to apprehend Maximus Dunn.

  Even though he hired Duncan, Detective Lane had been cautious about what he said in front of him. He never mentioned Dunn until Dunn unexpectedly showed up in Dalton. He had Duncan brought to him and grilled him for detailed information about Sam Knights Construction site and offices, as well as the layout of Honor’s home. He also wanted information on Lela and Gabriel.

  Duncan survived the meeting with his cover intact, but he was forced to lay low for a couple of days before contacting either his F.B.I. handler or Conner again. He knew he was being tailed by Dunn’s people and he wasn’t stupid enough to use his personal cell. He found listening devices in his truck and his sublet, so he was forced to be creative. He eventually made contact with his team, letting them know Dunn was about to make his move.

  The strike came sooner than anyone expected, however. The day after Duncan made his calls, he found himself sitting in his truck with one of Dunn’s men. Another group was in an SUV and they waited in front of Lela Timmons’s school. He had no chance to contact anyone, since Dunn had them tailing Honor at a distance while avoiding contact. After Honor arrived home with the child, he and Dunn’s man headed to the warehouse where Duncan had first met Dunn.

  Conner had arrived at the crash site of Gabriel’s truck only minutes after he had lost contact with his friend and found the truck empty, with no other vehicle around. He had already sent Mik to take Honor and Lela out of the house to safety. He had thought it unlikely, but as a precaution he also had one of his men stay behind and place remote cameras and listening devices throughout Honor’s house in case Dunn came there.

  The F.B.I. and Conner’s team watched Dunn’s warehouse location, Honor’s house, and the roads leading out of Dalton. They knew when Dunn, Lane, Duncan and 2 other men left the warehouse and when they broke into Honor’s house. They were ready to move in, but Duncan had used hand gestures to indicate for them to hold their positions. When Dunn found Honor and Lela weren’t in the house he made a call and ordered his men to bring Gabriel to Honor’s house as bait.

  They were about to storm the house when Honor drove up with who they thought was Lela. She had parked too close to the house for them to stop her from going inside
. No one knew why she was there, but a frantic call from Sam confirmed that though Lela was safe with them, Honor was gone.

  Mik added that luck had been with them when Duncan was sent in to Honor’s bedroom where they held Gabriel. They were able to move in and Dunn was taken out.

  Remembering that day now seemed so surreal to Gabriel. The authorities wanting answers, not knowing if Honor was alive or dead, he knew it was the closest he’d ever come to knowing what ‘losing your mind’ really meant. His world had narrowed down to a fine point. He kept praying that the woman he loved would come back to him. Other than Lela, nothing else mattered. He couldn’t allow himself to consider any alternative outcome. If he did, he might not recover.

  Shaking himself out of his malaise, he continued to focus his attention on Honor. The bruising she had suffered had faded. The incision from her surgery had healed nicely. Gabriel had even taken over her personal care. He bathed her daily, brushed and braided her hair, and with the help of the nurses, dressed her in a new nightgown every morning. It made him feel closer to her.

  “Hey, baby. So what do we talk about today? Lela drew you another picture. If you open your eyes, you can see it. It’s a beautiful rainbow.” Gabriel continued with a litany of anything he could think of to tell her. He told her how much he loved her and wanted her to come back to him. He described the new garden that Risa had planted. He turned on the news and talked about the events of the day. Considering that his job required that he remain quiet and listen for information, it amazed Gabriel that he could now go for hours talking or reading to Honor without a break.

  The door of the hospital room opened and a stunned Gabriel watched as Mama Leone and Lela walked into the room. He hadn’t felt it was a good idea for Lela to see Honor in the beginning, because he didn’t want her to see all the bruising, swelling and the equipment she was hooked up to. When Lela had stopped asking, Gabriel had been secretly relieved. It was hard enough seeing Honor every day and not knowing if she would ever awaken. Seeing the confusion and pain in Lela’s eyes would just make it worse.