Mistletoe Justice

by Carol J. Post

  Stealth forgotten, he grabbed Darci’s hand and bounded through the woods, pulling her along. A minute later, the trees disappeared, and they skidded to a stop at the edge of the road.

  Conner looked both directions.

  His heart fell.

  They had missed his bike by a good quarter mile.

  * * *

  Darci’s heart pounded and her breath came in gasps. Her ribs still hurt from the beating Wiggins’s men had given her last night.

  But she’d pushed her body to the maximum of what it could endure. All for nothing. They’d reached the road, the bike was nowhere to be seen and the dog would be on them within moments.

  Headlights moved toward them, and hope sparked inside her. Maybe they could flag down the driver and be gone before Wiggins and the dog emerged from the woods.

  But Wiggins had called Fuller. And he’d told him to get out there. What if it was Fuller behind the wheel?

  The vehicle sped toward them, then screeched to a stop. It was a silver SUV. The driver’s window lowered. Doug sat at the wheel.

  Relief washed through her, so intense her knees almost buckled. “We need your help. I don’t have time to explain, but—”

  Her own gasp cut off her words as realization slammed into her. “No.”

  She shook her head and took a step backward, pulling Conner with her.

  The man with the raspy voice. It wasn’t Fuller. It was Doug. The call Wiggins had made was to Doug.

  She spun around in time to see a huge pit bull emerge from the woods, straining at its leash. Fangs glistened in the moonlight.

  Wiggins appeared a moment later. “Heel.”

  The dog lunged toward them, almost pulling Wiggins with it. Low growls rumbled in its throat, punctuated by vicious barks. The dog’s chest was massive, its jaws powerful. If Wiggins let go of that leash, she and Conner would be torn to shreds.

  Wiggins gave the command again and the dog stood down. With the beast now under control, Wiggins put the leash around one wrist and pulled out his phone. The run had left him gasping for air, but he managed two short sentences. “Come back in. I’ve got ’em.”

  When she cast a glance over her shoulder, Doug was still inside the vehicle, his mouth set in a grim line. Was it coldness she saw on his face? Determination?

  Or was there a battle going on behind those dark eyes, a decision to make, whether to side with her or with Wiggins?

  No, she was grasping at straws. When offered a choice between doing for someone else and taking care of number one, Doug’s course of action was always the same. He would never give up his wealth or his freedom, even in exchange for her life.

  “Get in, both of you.” Wiggins’s words cut across her thoughts. He had pocketed the phone and stood ten feet away, with a pistol aimed at them.

  Darci complied and started to slide across the seat to make room for Conner. Pain pierced her right side, and she gasped.

  Doug studied her in the soft glow of the dome light. His eyes narrowed. “What happened to you?”

  “Ask Wiggins.” She pressed her hands into the seat to move toward the center and winced.

  Anger flared in Doug’s eyes, and he charged from the truck. “What did you do?”

  Wiggins snorted. “What you wouldn’t.”

  Darci’s gaze bounced between her ex and her boss. Doug was self-centered and egotistical, but she’d never known him to be a crook. So how did he get mixed up with someone like Wiggins?

  Conner’s hand slid behind him and reemerged with his phone. Hope surged through her. If he could call 911 while Wiggins and Doug were outside the vehicle, they might have a chance. He’d already texted someone. But she’d been too busy running for her life to ask him about it.

  Keeping the phone between them, he swiped the screen to unlock it. But that was as far as he got.

  “Come on.” Wiggins angled his head toward the vehicle. “Let’s get these two back to the mine.”

  Conner slipped the phone under his leg. Her own was of no use to them. When they fled, she’d left her purse lying on the blanket, both phones inside.

  Doug sighed and stepped into the driver’s door opening. “All right. Get in.”

  Wiggins headed toward the back of the vehicle, and Doug turned in the seat. His gaze locked with Conner’s and narrowed. Darci tensed. The chances of Doug helping her, however slim, would probably be better if Conner wasn’t with her.

  The door behind them opened, and the dog heaved itself in. Within seconds, hot breath brushed the back of her head and panting filled her ears. The dog was no threat now. It had been commanded to stand down. But having those razor-sharp teeth so close to her neck kept her on edge.

  The door slammed shut, and Wiggins made his way along the passenger’s side. Conner would have no opportunity to call 911 now. And they wouldn’t get help from anyone else. Not a single car had passed.

  Wiggins heaved his bulk into the seat and turned, training his weapon on them. “Don’t even think of trying anything.”

  When they pulled into the drive leading to the mine, headlights were moving toward them. Someone was leaving. She watched the vehicle draw closer. Its headlights were too high and widely spaced to belong to the pickup. It was the dump truck. Apparently the driver didn’t have the stomach for whatever was going to happen next. Or didn’t want to be a witness.

  She stared at the back of Doug’s head. He was the father of her child. There had been strong feelings between them at one point. Maybe he still felt something for her. But in the end, it wouldn’t matter.

  Doug drew to a stop near the backhoe, and Wiggins stepped from the vehicle.

  “Get out.”

  Conner slipped his phone into his front pocket and slid from the Escalade. After helping her to the ground, his eyes locked with hers. This gentle, caring man had done everything in his power to keep her safe, and she loved him for it.

  He leaned forward to brush a kiss on her cheek, letting his mouth linger close to her ear.

  “I texted Hunter.” His words came out in the softest whisper.

  And they endeared him to her even more. Their situation was as bleak as it could be. But he wanted to give her hope.

  “Stand over there.” Wiggins made a sideways swipe with the gun. Doug had gotten out of the truck, too, but Genghis was still inside.

  Conner took her hand, and they moved away from the hole. The backhoe operator had just about finished filling it in. In a few more minutes, he would be ready to level it out, leaving behind no evidence of what had gone on over the past hour.

  Wiggins pointed the gun at her head. “Hand over the camera.”

  “I don’t have it.”

  He released a sigh and shook his head, as if he was dealing with a troublesome child. “It looks like we’re going to have to do this my way.”

  Still holding the gun, he once again pulled out his phone. After a swipe and a couple of touches, he put it to his ear.

  “Darci here needs a little motivation.” A devious smile curled his lips. “Oh, yeah. That’s good.”

  He touched the screen again and turned the phone toward her. At first she didn’t hear anything. Then there was soft whimpering.

  Dear God, no. Please don’t let it be Jayden.

  The whimpering faded, and a female voice came through the phone, weak and quivery. “Hello? Sweetheart?”

  Recognition slammed into her, dropping her to her knees. Her chest constricted, and the steel bands worked their way higher, her throat tightening until she could no longer breathe.

  She knew that voice. And she knew those whimpers.

  Wiggins’s men had found her parents and Jayden in North Carolina.

  TWELVE

  Darci squeezed her eyes shut against the tears welling up and pre
ssed her hands over her face. The next moment, Conner was on his knees beside her, gathering her into his arms.

  “Leave her parents and that little boy alone. They have nothing to do with any of this.” Anger emanated from him. His voice shook with it.

  Darci lowered her hands and looked up at Doug. He stood to the side, jaw tight, dark eyes unreadable. He might not care what happened to her parents, but Jayden was his own flesh and blood. He had to at least feel something for him.

  Wiggins crossed his arms. “Everything depends on you two. I’m willing to make a trade. The camera for the lives of your parents and son.”

  Conner stood, pulling her to her feet with him. Wiggins had said nothing about their lives. Those were already forfeit.

  “The camera’s mine.” The strength in Conner’s tone was reassuring. “I hid it in the woods. But I can take you there.”

  Wiggins paused for a moment, raking them both with that cool gaze. “Never mind. We’ll find it ourselves. And if we don’t, after a few good rains, it won’t matter anyway.”

  He signaled the backhoe operator. “We’ll put them next to the girl.”

  The girl. Claire. The words were like a kick to the gut. Deep down, she’d known Claire hadn’t just taken off. But hearing Wiggins’s words had slammed the door shut on that slim chance that she was still out there somewhere, in hiding, but alive.

  The words had affected Conner the same way they had her. Grief had settled into the lines of his face, now pasty white in the moonlight.

  The backhoe operator moved his equipment farther back and closer to the woods. Then he raised the bucket and began to dig. Darci’s eyes returned to Doug. His jaw was still tight, but he was no longer standing still. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and clenched and unclenched his fists. He was a pressure cooker, slowly building to an explosion.

  “I’m not going to stand by and watch you kill them.” His words were surprisingly controlled.

  Hope surged through her. Maybe Doug did care for her enough to defy Wiggins.

  Wiggins raised his brows and nailed him with that condescending gaze that he’d perfected so well. “You don’t have to watch. Cover your eyes if you can’t handle it. If you’d kept her close like you were told, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  Conner squeezed her hand and took a small step backward. Within seconds she followed his move, realizing his intent. The backhoe operator was occupied. And Doug had distracted Wiggins. The woods were just thirty feet behind them. The move was bold and reeked of desperation, but it might be the only chance they had of saving themselves.

  “Hey, I tried.” Doug’s tone was defensive. “She wouldn’t have anything to do with me.”

  Darci’s eyes widened, that hope disappearing as suddenly as it had come. Doug didn’t care for her. It was all a farce. He’d renewed contact with her only because Wiggins had told him to.

  “Apparently you didn’t try hard enough.”

  “I did. I threatened to fight for custody of the kid. I even tried to scare her into my arms.”

  Scare her? What was he talking about?

  The intruder outside her window. The pipe bomb. Both incidents had happened when Doug was there to play the hero. It wasn’t coincidence. He’d set them up. But what about the car that ran her off the road?

  She took another small step back, her hand still in Conner’s. They had covered about five of the thirty feet, and Wiggins and Doug were still embroiled in their argument.

  Wiggins continued, “When you set out to scare someone, you’ve got to do it right, not mess with stupid kid stuff.”

  Doug’s fists tightened again. “Like slamming into them? You could have seriously hurt her or the boy.”

  The boy. He had yet to call Jayden by his name. Because there was no bond. Regardless of how things turned out tonight, Doug wouldn’t be the one raising her son. The realization brought a level of comfort.

  The backhoe operator stopped digging and turned off the machine. “Let’s get it done. I don’t want to be here all night.”

  A high-pitched whine sounded in the distance, so faint at first she was afraid she’d imagined it. But the panic that flashed across Doug’s face told her she hadn’t. The backhoe operator heard the sirens, too. He jumped down from his perch and ran full speed toward his pickup.

  Conner’s text to Hunter. It had gotten through. Conner had never been able to call 911, but Hunter had.

  The sirens grew louder, and Wiggins raised the gun.

  No. Help was so close. They only needed to hold out for a few more minutes.

  “Wiggins, don’t do this. It’s over. The police are on the way. Don’t add murder to your crimes.”

  “I already have. And I’m not leaving witnesses.”

  She shifted her gaze to Doug, who stood just six feet from Wiggins. But he didn’t meet her eyes. He stood ramrod straight, his hands curled into tight fists, tension radiating from him. If she could get him to look at her, to recall what he’d felt for her during their college days...

  “Doug, please—”

  Wiggins cocked the gun and aimed it at her. She cast a desperate glance at Conner. They were still a good twenty feet from the woods, too far to make a run for it.

  A shot rang out. At the same moment, Conner slammed into her, knocking her sideways. She managed to regain her footing. Conner didn’t. He dropped to his knees, hands clutching his right side.

  “No!” She knelt beside him and wrapped him in her arms. He’d bought her a few extra seconds but sacrificed himself.

  Wiggins raised the gun again, and she braced herself for the searing pain. But it didn’t come. Before Wiggins could pull the trigger, Doug took a flying leap and tackled him, bringing him to the ground. The weapon discharged, and for several tense moments, they fought over it, until Doug was able to wrest it free.

  “Are you crazy?” Wiggins let out an angry bellow, then threw a punch, connecting with the younger man’s jaw.

  “No, I’m saner than I’ve ever been in my life. And I won’t be a partner to your crimes any longer.”

  The sirens were closer now, loud and shrill as the vehicles moved up the drive. Conner slumped against her, and she gently lowered him to the ground until he was resting on his back. The side of his jacket fell away, revealing a huge dark stain spreading across his shirt. His chest rose and fell in shallow pants, and his eyes drifted closed.

  She pressed her hands against his side, trying to stem the flow of blood. “Hang on, Conner. Don’t you dare leave me. I love you.”

  His eyes fluttered open, and he tried to lift a hand to her face. Halfway there, he dropped it, and his eyes closed again. She struggled to stifle a sob, but it escaped anyway.

  The sirens grew to ear-piercing levels, setting her teeth on edge and shredding her nerves. Red and blue flashed all around her. Then there was silence, broken only by Wiggins’s angry voice. He was still castigating Doug.

  Strong hands gripped her shoulders and she jerked her head around. A Levy County deputy leaned over her.

  “Let us tend to him.”

  She allowed him to help her to her feet and wiped her hands on her pants. Two paramedics were hurrying toward them carrying a stretcher and their tactical responder cases. Yes. Hunter hadn’t just called for law enforcement. He’d requested an ambulance, just in case. It could very well save Conner’s life.

  “My parents and son.” She grasped the deputy’s arm, panic in her tone.

  “Where are they?”

  “At their place in North Carolina.” She gave him the address. “They’re being held hostage.”

  The deputy spoke into his radio, and Wiggins’s voice erupted again, pulling her gaze that direction.

  “You think you’re going to have it any easier in jail?” He jabbed an index finger at
Doug. “Because that’s where you’re gonna be, boy. All those burly tough guys are going to have fun with you.”

  A Levy County Sheriff’s deputy clicked cuffs around Wiggins’s wrists. But it didn’t stop the flow of hateful words spilling from his mouth.

  “You’ll never make it. You’re weak. I’ve been telling you that since you were seven years old.”

  What? Wiggins had known Doug as a child? How?

  The deputy gripped Wiggins’s arm and led him toward the patrol car. He was trying to give him his rights, but Wiggins wasn’t shutting up for anyone.

  “In almost twenty-five years, I should have been able to make a man out of you. But that wimp of a father of yours didn’t leave me anything to work with.”

  Darci’s jaw dropped as it suddenly clicked. The link between Wiggins and Doug. Wiggins was the stepfather that Doug had hated for most of his life.

  The two paramedics jogged past her carrying Conner on the stretcher. As they loaded him into the ambulance, she pressed a fist to her mouth and fought back tears. Lord, please let him be okay.

  The doors slammed shut, and a deputy approached her. She had plenty to tell him, starting with the overheard conversation in her office. Maybe the activity would help keep her sane while Conner was rushed to the hospital.

  She began her story, glancing to her right as Wiggins was put into one of the police cars. His face was still contorted in anger.

  Doug’s wasn’t. As a deputy led him past her toward a second vehicle, his eyes locked with hers. She mouthed the words thank you, and one side of his mouth lifted, the hint of a smile. An odd sort of contentment seemed to have settled over him. He’d sacrificed his own freedom to save her life. Maybe he did still care for her. Or maybe he’d just jumped on the only chance he saw to be free of his stepfather’s control.

  Maybe he could get a lighter sentence for cooperating and testifying against his stepdad. She hoped so. Before she finished her statement, she would tell the deputy about Doug tackling Wiggins. If he hadn’t acted when he had, things would have turned out quite differently.