Vegas Series: Six-book Boxed Set (Hot Romance & Powerful Suspense)

by Mimi Barbour

  ***

  Aurora fell into step with Ham. “Anything on the address? Mike said east of the city. Can’t be too many vacant farms out that way.”

  “They’re working on it. Ray’s putting in overtime, and he’ll call as soon as something pops. You know, it seems to me as if Rhondo planned this shindig once he knew Debbie had the baby.”

  “You’re right, Ham. Hey, I bet he bought a bunch of stuff not only for the shower, but also for the kid. Get a couple of guys on the infant sales at various department stores; say in the last few days. Look up large purchases. We’ll try any lead we can get.”

  “Good idea.” Ham wrote a note as they walked along.

  “Any news yet on which cop car he’s joy riding in?”

  Ham shook his head. “Evening shift’s over now. Someone will turn up missing.”

  “Sneaky bugger had to have read the manual to know what to answer when dispatch called for them to sign in.”

  “Either that or he beat the hell out of the cop to get him to talk.”

  “And probably enjoyed it. The sicko has to be stopped.”

  “We’ll get him, Rory. He’s in our sights.”

  Before Aurora could snap at Ham for using her nickname, Ham’s phone rang, and he slid it out of his pocket and pushed talk.

  “What’s up?” Aurora watched his face harden and knew the news was bad.

  Chapter Forty

  The three went to Cory’s office, where Kai informed them all in a clipped voice loaded with steel blades. “Officer Alison Jones. Beaten and raped. Her partner, Jim Lynch was shot, but not fatally. Call just came in. They were found in an abandoned warehouse, south side of town. His uniform was stolen along with their car, guns and ammunition.”

  “Crap! This guy is pissing me off,” Cory said, voice thick and edgy. He looked exhausted. “Anything on that address yet?

  Afraid to speak, Aurora only shook her head. Profanity had gathered and there was a devil pounding in her head to let the words loose.

  “We’ll ride together on this one.” Cory stared Aurora down, and then Kai. “You don’t leave without me, hear?”

  They both nodded. Only Aurora felt a chill creeping up her back. Vigilante stuff didn’t sit well with her. She’d become a police officer because she believed in the law. The chills hit again, and the ring tone in her ear started to hum low, but strong. Satan hovered and wanted his fun.

  An excited Ray barged into the room; his nerdy frizzled hair sticking out all over his head like he’d been hit by a streak of lightening didn’t detract from his genius with a computer. IT was lucky Aurora had talked him into playing on their side. “It’s about an hour’s drive—an old place in the middle of nowhere. Pretty much abandoned, according to all the information. No running water, guess there’s a well, electricity’s just been turned on, and there’s a big default on the taxes. Took us some time, but we got him!”

  Cory had grabbed his gun and vest and was already out the door by the time the others had collected themselves. Both headed in the direction of their office to retrieve their firearms.

  Kai caught Ham’s eye and nodded. “We’re on. Get the team assembled. Ray has the address, and he’ll feed us directions online. Cory’s riding with us. We’ll need backup, so take care of organizing the rest.”

  Kai started to head for the driver’s seat, hesitated, and then nodded for Aurora to take over. She drove like a maniac, but a skilful one. Within a short time of weaving through the city streets, sirens screaming a frenzied warning, they were flying down the highway.

  Sunrise promised to peek over the horizon and beautify the lightening of the sky. The damp cool would be gone once the sun took its place, and the hot glare would batter viciously at anyone foolish enough to be out in the open.

  Cory turned to Kai in the back seat. “Look and see if the medication the hospital sent over for Debbie is in the pack I grabbed. It should be there beside you.” Tension filled the vehicle, until Kai confirmed the pills were indeed there.

  “Good. They warned that she shouldn’t be without them any longer than necessary. They’d just gotten things under control, but a day without the drugs, and she could have a dangerous setback.”

  “No matter what it takes, we’ll get them to her.” Kai’s words evoked images in all their minds, but none were spoken.

  Finally, Aurora broke the dead silence. As if an elephant rode in the car with them, she couldn’t ignore how badly the two men wanted Rhondo—or better still, wanted justice.

  “So when we get there, we inspect the situation and wait for back up. Maybe line up a hostage team to talk him down. There’ll be no vigilante shit.”

  “Right.” Kai answered first.

  “Absolutely.” Cory’s croak came next.

  Chapter Forty-One

  At the first sight of the shack, Debbie’s stomach plunged, and fear rode her back like a diseased monkey needing a fix. Dread seeped in, forming goosebumps, and her skin crawled. She had no idea what would happen next. Knowing the revolting male next to her was a psycho didn’t help her misgivings. Sick to her stomach, sweat had gathered all over her body, most likely a warning about the reoccurring infection still raging inside.

  Thoughts jangled, zinging back and forth as she looked for a way out. Not that she’d give the sicko next to her the satisfaction of seeing her beg. She had done that once, and the disgust and self-hatred still hadn’t left her.

  Cradled in her arms, Alec slept. He was such a little angel. With his tiny face scrunched up like a prune, tufts of hair sticking out, he snuffled and wriggled. Then he started to waken, and comprehension hit her like a sledgehammer. She’d do anything to keep her baby safe—anything! Beg, scream, she’d even keep her sarcastic mouth shut. Whatever it took!

  Maybe if she played Rhondo, stopped the silent treatment and got him talking again, he’d be cool. She’d seen his constant glances at Alec and knew he thought the baby was his. Good thing she’d left the report back in the room that she’d received earlier this morning. The one where they’d tested Alec’s DNA with Cory’s, and the results were 99.8 percent positive.

  Probably not a good idea to let that little bit of information out just yet! Alec seemed to be this man’s one link to humanity. So as long as the baby didn’t get hurt, she’d use that weakness to keep them alive until the troops arrived. If there was one thing she’d roll the dice on, it was that Aurora and Cory would turn up.

  Once he stopped the car, she broke her silence and asked, “Whose place is this? Looks abandoned.”

  Rhondo searched her expression and seemed to relax. “Has been for years, since my grandpa died in the nineties. The old man left it to rot. I wanted it, but he said he had to die first. Then, if the government hadn’t confiscated it for back taxes, I could have it—but not until then. Bastard! In its day, the place looked good. My grandpa worked hard to keep it nice.”

  His expression had hardened by the time he’d finished the explanation, and she’d figured out a couple of things. He hated his dad and had loved his grandpa.

  On the up side, if there were a family home recorded anywhere, her friends would find it and be here by morning. “Your dad doesn’t like the farm?”

  “Nah. Fred Main never liked to get his hands dirty. Left as soon as he was old enough to join the Army.”

  “Fred Main? He’s your dad? Why the different name?” Her heart stopped beating for a few seconds as a ping of painful anxiety flipped around her insides. Oh no!

  “He refused to adopt me. Said only a real man could use his name.” As he sneered the last words, Rhondo’s tone hardened. Then, as if he’d decided that he’d said too much, he gathered up his gun and pointed it toward her. “Pass the baby here.”

  She squeezed Alec closer to her body. “He’ll cry if I do. He doesn’t know you, and he’ll make strange.” The baby had already begun to whine, and Debbie knew it wouldn’t be long before his hungry cry blasted their eardrums. The baby had the same voice level as his father—lou
d and demanding. “I promise not to do anything stupid.”

  “Give him here.” Whether it was the freezing quality in his words that made her shiver, or the inhumanity she sensed, arguing with the man wouldn’t help the situation.

  She passed Alec over, carefully holding his head until Rhondo had him firmly. The light from the now opened door showed a soulless man apparently swooning with love for the tiny child in his arms. How one person could wear so many masks, Debbie would never know. But the instincts of a mother kicked in, and she knew without a doubt, that this disgusting piece of trash loved her son.

  Once inside the house, Rhondo flipped on the lights and Debbie had a chance to survey her surroundings. There was one main room with the kitchen on the left, a large country table in the middle, and the living area on the right. Wallpaper from the sixties adorned the walls. Faded grey linoleum, with the pattern worn off in many spots, gave the space a cold feel. Or maybe it was the dust everywhere and dirty appliances that had revulsion curling her lip.

  “I know it isn’t much now, but when Grandpa was alive, the place looked good. I bought a bunch of stuff for the baby and brought it out yesterday. The fridge is turned on and should be ready. Go out to the car and bring in the stuff from the trunk.”

  Debbie glanced around once more. Sure enough, piled on the sagging sofa, were articles she would need. A baby seat for Alec to sleep in sat on floor while boxes of diapers, and mounds of bags were visible—even a playpen and a walker, which he wouldn’t be able to use for months. The man must have spent a fortune.

  Finally, the little guy’s patience had worn out. When Rhondo had first cuddled him, it seemed as if the baby sensed that he was in the arms of someone he could trust—as if he felt safe. But now all he felt was hunger, and they heard about it.

  Rhondo walked to the still-open door and beeped the trunk from the remote on the key. “Get the stuff and then come back and feed my son. He’s hungry,” Rhondo ordered.

  The knowledge shared by both, that she’d never leave without Alec, made him smile. Not a nice smile, just a sideways smirk that, without words, let her know what he already knew. She’d be back.

  Pretty soon, she’d carried in the multitude of bags. By this time, Alec had stopped being mollified by swaying and bouncing. Reluctantly, Rhondo handed the baby gently to her and ordered, “Feed him. Sit on the couch where I can see you. And don’t try anything funny. As long as he’s here, you’re safe. You understand?”

  She nodded, and then took Alec and held him up to her shoulder. The change of position soothed him for a few seconds, and the heartrending wails stopped. The look in the man’s eye conveyed a message. And instantly she knew. He wouldn’t mess with her. Relief flooded over her and blanketed some of the fear.

  “You’re the mother of my son. I won’t hurt you unless you make me. I’m not an animal like… Never mind, just take care of the baby.”

  After a quick change of diaper, Debbie sat on the soiled sofa and fed her greedy boy, whose slurps and sighs made her grin. His mouth pulled at her tender nipple, and her milk bubbled up and ran over his chin. Earlier, in the car, she’d felt the milk come in, and the sensation of filled breasts still overwhelmed her with pride. Feeding Alec had become a joyous time in the hospital. But now, with Rhondo hovering in the background, that joy had disappeared.

  Dare she? By the look of wonderment on his face, he’d probably never seen a baby feed from his mama’s body. “The little guy’s hungry,” she said softly, and began to nurse.

  Creeping closer, as if waiting to be cursed and sent away, Rhondo’s eyes never left the feeding baby. And his expression of pure wonderment caught at her hatred and loosened a couple of the knots.

  “My grampa told me that my mom, Sunny, breastfed me. He said she loved me a lot, but I know better.”

  Like a digital picture frame with changing images, his look hardened, and the cruelty returned. “She left, took off, never cared about me or the ol’ man. One day, she got up and made me breakfast, and the next thing I knew she was gone.”

  Earlier, when Rhondo had mentioned his stepfather’s name of Fred Main, Debbie had felt a tiny prick of familiarity. Now that she knew his mother’s name was Sunny, she’d put the two together. “Your mom’s name was Sunny Main?”

  “Yeah. Why?” He’d pulled out a package of cigarettes, and then after glancing at the now sleeping baby being burped on his mama’s shoulder, he put them back in his pocket. Instead, he pulled out a pack of chewing gum. After a slight hesitation, he angled it toward her, and then passed her a piece when she’d nodded.

  “She was killed by a hit and run driver about, let’s see… twenty-three or four years ago. Right?”

  “Wrong.” The grating in his voice warned that Debbie wasn’t moving on solid ground. “Fred ranted and raved for years that she’d taken off, left the two of us without caring one bit that we needed…” His rising voice had wakened Alec, and the whimper warned that next he’d be crying.

  Rhondo’s voice stopped as Debbie soothed the baby back to sleep. Should she say anything more? Share what she knew to be true? Deciding he’d been pretty decent so far, for a rapist and a killer, she revealed the truth.

  “Your mother never ran away, Earl. We have the records at the precinct. She’d gone shopping. Had a bag of groceries and a small toy truck in her bag. A drunk took the corner too fast, and his car hit her. She died instantly. I know, because I was there and saw it. All I remember was a longhaired blonde lady striding happily along one moment, and the next, she lay in heap on the side of the road. I was about seven years old, and woke my parents with nightmares for months.”

  It had been the toy truck that had haunted her. Knowing there was a little boy somewhere whose mommy wouldn’t be coming home, she’d prayed for him so many nights.

  His face devoid of colour, Rhondo stumbled to his feet. Haltingly, he went into the kitchen to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer. One twist and the cap went flying. Then he upended it and drank like a man possessed. He emptied the first one within a few seconds, and he reached for the second.

  Worried, Debbie laid the baby in his cuddle seat and hesitantly approached the table. Careful not to startle the man who seemed lost in a world of pain, she whispered, “If you have some food, I can make us some breakfast. The sun’s almost up and you’ll be hungry.”

  He turned to look at her, a face carved in steel, eyes flashing hate, and his bottom lip quivering. Without a word, he grabbed a chair and carried it over to where the baby snoozed in his seat. Then he gently set it down and slumped into it, his eyes glued to the tiny human who he loved.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Aurora finally saw the house in the distance, and noted the gravel road and dried vegetation in the surrounding area. Closer to the place grew a few taller, half dead trees, probably their best chance on having some cover from the front door and windows.

  They turned from the highway and drove to the back of the vegetation slowly, making sure all lights on the vehicle were off. Daylight had broken through the gloom, and they were able to reconnaissance the yard fairly accurately.

  Some hundred and fifty yards away sat the old farmhouse. It had seen sixty years at the very least, and needed a coat of paint, as the white had peeled in many places and was non-existent in others. Behind sat a small outbuilding, a fenced in area—most likely had housed chickens in its day, and dead rose bushes adorned the front of the wrap-around veranda. Must have been a beautiful home at one time, Aurora mused… but now it just looked rundown and sad.

  The police car parked out front was what perked them up and started the adrenalin pumping.

  “She’s here.” Cory’s voice registered certainty, and neither Aurora nor Kai could argue.

  Aurora pulled out the keys and hit the trunk lever. “Ham’s following and should be here soon. He called the locals for backup, but I told him to keep everyone out at the main road and off the property. Don’t want to spook Rhondo at this point.”

 
“Seeing as how he left the vehicle out in the open, he obviously thinks he’s safe, that we have no idea where he is.” Satisfaction filled Kai’s voice.

  “Hope so. It’ll give us some time to decide how this will play out.” Cory’s tone had hardened.

  “I’m going to get closer to the place and check around the vicinity, see what our options are for entering through the back.” Kai’s expression brooked no interference. His mind was made up.

  “Be careful, don’t spook him.” Cory had his phone out and began giving orders to the team on their way. “No one pulls into this yard until I give the order. And keep your headlights off and those sirens quiet.”

  Aurora headed to the trunk to get out their vests and rifles and pass them around. Kai put on his, and then helped her. Standing behind her, his hands held her arms, and he nuzzled his face into the back of her neck. “Be careful today, precious. Now that I’ve found you, I’m damned if it ends here.”

  She leaned back into him, and lifted her hand to cover his on her shoulder. “You, too.” Then she turned, in order to stare into his eyes. What she saw made her blood freeze. Determination, hard and ugly, burned deep in his baby blues. She’d worked with men long enough to know what that look meant. He was on a murder mission.

  For the sake of their future, she had to try. “Kai, I’m begging here. Please think before you act. Whatever you do today doesn’t stay here when it’s over. You’ll wear this choice for the rest of your life. Make sure it’s one you can live with.”

  “Baby, trust me. I’ll do whatever I have to do. No more. And whatever happens, take care of yourself. Rhondo’s a maniac with a loaded gun and intentions of using it.”

  Normally, Aurora wouldn’t put up with anyone talking down to her in this way; she was a professional and demanded to be treated as such. But she knew the man whose hand stroked her arm possessively wasn’t seeing her as a cop at the moment, but as a woman. And that was nice.

  In seconds, Kai had slunk down and headed around the perimeter, toward the back of the property. He moved swiftly, like an experienced soldier, and she wondered if he’d taken training.