Chance Encounter

by Christy Reece

  “Molly will likely have a weapon.”

  “Yeah, that had occurred to me,” Brennan said dryly.

  Justin was silent for a half second more and then huffed out a breath. “Ah hell, let’s do this then.”

  Taking his gun from his ankle holster, Brennan debated, then stuck it in his waistband at the small of his back. He gave a nod to Justin and then climbed out the window.

  Kacie hadn’t been able to stay seated. Fortunately, Molly didn’t seem to have a problem with her hostage moving around, so Kacie took advantage of that and roamed the office, looking for anything she could use to defend herself.

  The office wasn’t large, holding only a desk, a credenza behind the desk, and a bookshelf. Since Molly sat at the desk, Kacie’s only option for searching for a weapon was the bookshelf, which held an odd assortment of tiny stuffed kittens and a few graphic novels. Not exactly weapon material.

  Kacie turned and considered her opponent. Molly was shorter but outweighed Kacie by at least fifty pounds. Still, Kacie had taken several self-defense courses and felt sure she could take Molly in a scuffle. Problem was, how to get to her without getting shot?

  The gun was pointed directly at her. If Kacie rushed her, she had little to no chance of surviving. So the only thing she knew to do was talk until either Molly got up and Kacie could take her down, or Brennan figured out a way to muscle his way inside.

  “Did you set Tara up, make her look guilty?”

  “But of course I did. Worked like a dream.”

  “Not exactly, since we now know it was you all along.”

  “All in my plan. You and your friends think you’re so smart.”

  “And the photographs of me in Stewart’s drawer?”

  She grinned. “I admit that was a bit of a gamble. Bet you didn’t know that Marta has a tendency to go through other people’s desk drawers. I knew she would find them eventually.”

  “How did you get into my apartment to post those…photos?”

  The gleam in her eyes showed both triumph and insanity. “You shouldn’t leave your purse just anywhere, Kacie. Last time you were here, I stole your password from your password book and made a putty mold of your apartment key.”

  “Where did you get the recording?”

  She blinked innocent eyes at Kacie. “You mean the one of you seducing my father?”

  Kacie was well past arguing about what this woman thought of her. But she did want to keep her talking. The longer she delayed her, the better the chances of rescue.

  Molly’s voice changed from sweet to hard in a second. “I asked you a question, bitch.”

  Blowing out a silent, weary sigh, Kacie said, “Yes, the one of me seducing your father.”

  As though she’d just won the lottery, Molly pounded a hand on her desk with obvious glee. “That’s what I’m talking about. Finally, the slut speaks the truth. But to answer your question, it was as if my daddy was speaking to me from heaven. That night, when those evil bastards killed him, I went to his office, like I did sometimes when he wasn’t there. He didn’t like us going in there without him, which made me all the more curious. When I was going through his desk drawer, I found a DVD.”

  She shrugged. “I couldn’t resist. I took them.”

  No wonder this girl was so screwed up if, as a child, she watched a recording of her father raping a woman.

  “I didn’t even look at the DVD for a few years. We found out that same night that he had been murdered. I forgot all about it until I was about sixteen and found it when I was going through some of my old stuff.” Her eyes went bright again. “Imagine my surprise to see up-and-coming model Kacie Dane doing the deed with my daddy. I knew then that I had been meant to find that recording, to redeem my father’s legacy and to show the world who you really are.”

  “So all this time, you’ve been—”

  Kacie swallowed a gasp, disguised it as a cough. Were those legs hanging outside the window? Yes, and they were Brennan’s. She’d recognized those long legs anywhere.

  “Been what?”

  Act natural, don’t change your expression. If she sees what’s happening behind her, she’ll turn and shoot.

  “Been planning to ruin me?”

  “It’s been my only focus for years. In a way, I guess I should thank you. I had no real goals or ambitions until I saw the recording. It was like an epiphany. I knew what I had to do.”

  Brennan dropped down onto the small balcony at the window. Kacie knew it couldn’t hold him—that railing was for decoration only. She had to do something.

  Molly was frowning, her focus on a framed photograph on her desk. The reflection showed Brennan behind her!

  With the gun in her hand, Molly swung around in her chair. Kacie flew across the desk and landed on top of her. The chair tipped over, crashing them both to the floor. Molly’s shrieks and curses drowned out most of the other noises, but Kacie heard the sound of shattering glass. Had Brennan managed to get inside?

  A fist to her temple refocused Kacie’s thoughts. Grappling on the floor with Molly, she tried to avoid another fist as she pinned the woman down, but wasn’t successful. Her head ringing, she tried to flip Molly over and work her knee into her back. But the crazed woman wasn’t going down without a fight. Kacie dodged another blow to her face. Where on earth was Brennan?

  Kicking with all his might, Brennan finally created a big enough hole in the window to swing through. He ignored the thousands of cuts and nicks his body took as he went through the jagged-edged window frame. He landed on his feet and twisted around. Kacie and Molly were rolling around on the floor, grappling for the gun that was inches from Molly’s hand. Brennan went for the gun, kicking it into the corner.

  Trying to get around Kacie’s body to get hold of Molly was another matter. He shouted at Kacie to ease up, but she either didn’t hear him or wasn’t going to let Molly up until she’d subdued her totally. Even though Kacie deserved her pound of flesh, and a whole lot more, if they continued to fight, there was a chance she could get hurt worse than she already was. Molly was not only much heavier than Kacie, she was also a lunatic bent on destruction.

  Seeing no other choice, Brennan picked Kacie up off Molly’s struggling body. The instant he had her in his arms, he placed his foot on Molly’s back. With his size thirteens pressing into her spine, all the woman could do was beat her feet and hands against the floor like a toddler having a temper tantrum.

  Kacie fought him like a wildcat, but he held on and spoke calm, precise words. “Kacie, it’s me. Stop struggling.”

  At last, she grasped the concept that she was no longer fighting the enemy. Her breath coming in panting gusts, she found her footing and gasped out, “My God, Brennan, you’re bleeding.”

  For a man who’d just crashed through a glass window, Brennan figured he’d gotten off pretty easy. He might have a few places that needed stitches, but the bitch was on the floor, and he was standing upright. And, most important, Kacie was alive.

  Keeping his foot on the woman whose squeals of outrage had turned to sobs, he said, “You know how to get that door open?”

  “I think so.” Going to Molly’s desk, she pulled out a drawer and pressed something. Like magic, the steel wall slid back into place, and the door was open.

  Justin ran inside, Riley right behind him.

  “You guys okay?” Justin asked.

  Before Brennan could answer, Kacie said, “Call 911. Brennan needs help. He’s bleeding everywhere.”

  Looking down, he was surprised to find that she was right. Though one foot was still pressed into Molly’s struggling body, the floor around him appeared to be a sea of red.

  “Here, buddy.” Justin moved Brennan slightly and, with quick efficiency, zip-tied Molly’s hands behind her back.

  A chair appeared beside him. “Sit before you fall.”

  That was Kacie’s voice, and she sounded close to tears. Since he was feeling surprisingly lightheaded, he decided to take her advice, though he didn�
��t so much as sit as fall into it. Damn, what was his problem?

  He looked down to see both Kacie and Riley kneeling in front of him, pressing something against his legs, his arms, and his side. Shit, that hurt.

  Kacie gratefully accepted all the towels that were being handed to her and Riley as they tried to slow the bleeding. Everywhere she looked on his body, blood seemed to be flowing.

  “Ambulance is on the way,” Tara called out.

  Wrapping a towel around a bloody gash in Brennan’s thigh, Kacie looked up at his face. He was pale, his eyes slightly glazed, but the most amazing smile was on his mouth.

  “What on earth are you smiling about, Brennan Sinclair?”

  “I’m thinking that you are the loveliest, gutsiest woman I have ever known.”

  The tears came then, but Kacie managed to stop their flow. “And I think you are the most foolhardy and heroic man I’ve ever known.”

  He grinned. “Match made in heaven.”

  She heard the roll and clank of a gurney, and then, in an amused voice, Justin said, “Okay, you lovebirds, let’s get you fixed up.”

  Kacie stepped out of the way, letting paramedics take over Brennan’s care. From what she could tell, the bleeding had slowed, but oh heavens, he had what seemed to be a thousand cuts all over him.

  “You bitch, you think this is over?” Molly gave a maniacal, coarse laugh, the sound scraping across Kacie’s skin like a cheese grater. “I’m just getting started.”

  Molly was now sitting in a chair, her hands still locked behind her back. She was helpless, powerless. Though a policewoman stood at her side, reading her her Miranda rights, Molly had eyes only for Kacie. Hatred, spite, malice, and everything evil were revealed on her face. A woman who had once looked innocent and sweet had transformed into something almost demonic.

  Kacie turned back to Brennan. She would deal with the fallout of whatever news might leak later. For now, this man was her only concern.

  “Hey, stop!” a man shouted. “Somebody grab her!”

  Kacie turned to see Molly running at full speed, straight toward her. Though her hands were still secure, the expression on her face told Kacie that she would do whatever she had to do to hurt her enemy. And with Kacie standing right in front of Brennan, Molly could hurt them both.

  Brennan apparently surmised the same thing. Grabbing Kacie by the waist, he jerked her aside. Instead of landing on Kacie, Molly rammed into the open window. Both of them shouted at her to stop, tried to catch her.

  Revealing what Kacie had known all along, the ornamental railing gave way. Molly’s screams echoed as she plummeted to the ground and then stopped abruptly.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Brennan opened his eyes to a sight he’d remember forever. Kacie sat in a chair beside his bed, sleeping. Her delicate hand held tight to his, as if even in sleep she feared letting him go.

  He’d never been in more awe of anyone in his entire life. No doubt in his mind that she’d saved him from death. In that instant when he’d seen what Molly was going to do, he’d worked like hell to break through the glass before she could get her gun on him. And Kacie, realizing what was about to happen, had thrown herself onto Molly, taking her down.

  She might look like a fragile, delicate flower, but Kacie Dane was made of guts, courage, and so damned much heart. His throat clogged when he thought of her—what she had gone through, what she had overcome. How in the hell she could still have goodness in her after all that?

  “You’re awake,” she said softly.

  “Yeah, but you should have gone home. You must be exhausted.”

  “I didn’t want to leave, at least not until I was sure…”

  Her voice had gone thick, and he knew she was fighting back tears.

  “I’m fine. Just a few nicks.”

  Her inelegant snort was completely incongruent with her beauty, but she was pulling no punches. “Seventy-seven stitches to close up those little nicks. One so close to an artery they thought they were going to have to do surgery to repair it.” She went to her feet and leaned over him. “You scared me so much, Brennan Sinclair. But thank you for saving me.”

  He appreciated the words, but she needed to understand exactly what had gone down. “You’re the one who saved me, Kacie. If you hadn’t tackled her, she would have shot me point-blank in the gut.”

  She shook her head. “What were you thinking? That balcony wasn’t sturdy enough to hold two pigeons.”

  “Which Molly found out all too painfully.”

  “When I saw your legs dangling, I almost passed out from shock.”

  “But instead, you kept your head and saved both of our lives. Well done, Kacie Dane. You’re my hero.”

  She snorted again, this time a little softer. “Hero, shmero. I was terrified.”

  “And yet you stepped up and took down a monster.”

  “She was an emotionally damaged and mentally ill young woman. I can’t imagine what it was like for her, having her entire world ripped apart like that when she was so young, her father accused of something so hideous.

  “I never gave any thought to what his family endured, the innocents who were hurt.”

  Now it was Brennan’s turn to snort, and it wasn’t nearly as polite. “It wasn’t your place to care about that bastard’s family. He’s the one who destroyed their lives, just like he tried to destroy yours.”

  “I feel empty…and so incredibly sad for her. She was a sick, twisted little girl.”

  “Who would’ve done everything within her power to kill you.” Maybe it was his hardened heart, but he couldn’t find it anywhere inside him to feel the least bit sorry that the woman was dead.

  “How the hell did she get away with it?” Brennan asked.

  “Apparently, she had plenty of money to do what she wanted.”

  “We dug deep into the family. How—”

  Kacie squeezed his hand. “Her family hid what was going on with her. She’d been in and out of mental hospitals since she was an early teen. Tried to kill herself twice before.” A sad smile stretched across her mouth. “I think when she realized who I was, that gave her something to live for.”

  “Torturing and killing you.”

  “Looks like. I can’t believe it’s really over.”

  “Fill me in on everything she told you.”

  So relieved to hear him so coherent, with that commanding tone back in his voice, Kacie had to clear her throat before she could continue. She had been so very scared.

  “She admitted everything. The break-ins, sending the emails, planting the photographs, uploading the video. She cloned my computer, so it was easy to make it seem that it had come from my laptop. She told me she was set to send the video to every news outlet in the world. And she spoke the truth. Riley went through her laptop and found the link. With one click, my dirty little secret would have been known by everyone.”

  Brennan had to stop her there. “First, it’s not your dirty little secret. It was a disgusting crime perpetrated by a perverted piece of scum upon an innocent young woman. Even if the entire world knew about it, there’s not a sane person alive who wouldn’t see it for what it was. Got that?”

  She smiled, appreciating his defense. But she had been giving a lot of thought to what would have happened if the whole world had discovered her identity and knew what had happened. It was something she planned to think about much more when she wasn’t so tired and her head was clearer.

  “What about Dr. Curtis?” Brennan asked. “Molly was a physically strong woman, but I don’t see how she could have choked another person to death.”

  “She told me she hired someone to break into the doctor’s records room. She hadn’t intended for Dr. Curtis to be killed, but apparently, the guy got caught and felt he had no choice.”

  It saddened and hurt Kacie that the doctor who’d been so kind to her had died because of her. And unless Molly left some kind of clue somewhere about the person she’d hired, that man would go unpunished. Somet
ime soon, Kacie planned to reach out to the doctor’s family and offer them what she could.

  “What about those street thugs? Did she admit to that, too?”

  “We never got around to talking about that, but I’m sure it was.”

  “And the press? What’s being reported?”

  Kacie shrugged. “I see no reason to drag the family of Molly, whose real name is Sally, by the way, back into the mud and spotlight. They’ve endured enough. The press is reporting it as a suicide, nothing more. Tragic but nothing more dramatic than that. Hopefully, that’ll satisfy the vultures.”

  “I need to apologize to Tara.”

  “I’ve apologized for both of us, several times. However, Tara, being Tara, said there was no need. She’s just glad we’re okay.”

  “Did you know about her mother having dementia?”

  “I had no idea. When I hired her, all Tara would tell me was she had been homesick and decided to leave school. Now that I know what she’s been dealing with, I’m going to see what I can do to ease her burdens.”

  “I’m glad.” He frowned. “How’d Molly get into your apartment to plant those photos? The security cameras in the lobby should have—”

  Kacie shook her head. “Remember Billy Barton?”

  “The kid at the security desk in your apartment building?”

  “Yes. He’s admitted to looking the other way when she came by, showed her where the blind spots on the camera were so she wouldn’t get filmed. Apparently, she slipped him a few extra bucks. The police are questioning him and will probably charge him.”

  “How’d Molly know your security code? Get a key to your apartment?”

  She blushed guiltily. Even though she’d told herself she had no reason to have suspected any of her employees, she still couldn’t believe she’d been so careless.

  “I made the mistake of leaving my purse out where, apparently, Molly helped herself to my password book and made a putty mold of my key.”

  “Guess it’s too late for me to lecture you about keeping your password book at home, not in your purse?”