Tempting His Heart

by Dawn Sullivan

  Laughing, Sloane leaned back and said, “I love you, too.”

  With one last kiss, Sloane put the truck in gear and waved goodbye. As Creed walked toward the police station, Sloane drove to the elementary school. Several minutes later, she carried the first box into the school and to the front office. Explaining who she was, she left the first box on the counter and started out to get another one. That was when she heard the first shot.

  Chapter 22

  Creed waited for forty-five minutes before he started to worry. He tried Sloane’s cell phone with no answer three times before he decided he was going to the store to check on her. Yelling for Jace, he left the station, his deputy right behind him. After explaining to him where Sloane had gone and why, they hurried the two blocks to her store. Opening the front door, Creed called for Sloane, but already knew she wasn’t in the room.

  “Let’s check the apartment,” Creed said as he moved to the back of the store. Unlocking the door in the back, Creed made sure to lock it behind them before they made their way up to Sloane’s apartment. When they reached the top of the stairs, he was surprised to see Cami’s door wide open. Cami had only lived in Serenity Springs for just under a year, but it was long enough for Creed to know that she was hiding from something or someone. He knew the signs, and she had them all.

  Removing his gun from its holster, Creed motioned for Jace to wait by the door before he went into Cami’s apartment. Creed was gone for several minutes before he came back out. “What did you find?” Jace asked quietly as he kept his eyes trained on the top of the stairs.

  Shaking his head, Creed said, “Nothing. Everything seems to be in order. No surprises or anything that I can tell. But something’s off. There’s no way Cami would leave her place wide open like that.”

  “I agree,” Jace responded, his voice hard. “I think we need to check Sloane’s apartment.”

  Nodding in agreement, Creed moved swiftly down the hall to Sloane’s door. Turning the doorknob slightly, he was surprised when it immediately opened. “Shit,” he growled.

  Walking into mass destruction, Creed swore under his breath. Motioning silently to Jace, they quickly cleared the apartment. A few minutes later, Creed turned to Jace, his face a blank mask. “Have Cody go to the diner and get Cami. Tell him to bring her back here so we can make sure nothing in her apartment is out of place. Also, if something is going on with her, I need to know what it is.”

  While Jace made the call, Creed stalked down the hall to Betty William’s door. He knocked loudly, but got no response. After waiting several moments, he knocked again. Nothing. She was obviously not home.

  “Shit,” he swore as he made his way back to Jace. “That son of a bitch was here again. What the hell is going on?”

  Walking back into the apartment, he slowly toured the place. Someone had gone on a rampage and sliced the loveseat, chair, and curtains in the living room. The pictures Sloane had hung on the walls were now on the ground, the glass broken and frames busted. Making his way to the kitchen, Creed saw dishes smashed on the floor, and the coffee pot lay broken on the counter. Pushing his anger down, he went down the hall to Sloane’s bedroom. Her comforter was shredded, as were her clothes that were strung all over the place. Her dressers were upended, the glass on the long dresser broken.

  Slowly Creed walked back to the front of Sloane’s apartment, standing in the living room and looking at the destruction. On one wall in black spray paint it read ‘You black souled bitch.’ On the other it said, ‘I warned you.’ As he was staring at the words, anger filling him at the thought of someone doing this to his woman, Creed heard a loud gasp from behind him.

  Swinging around, he saw Cami staring at the words on the walls in horror. “No,” Cami moaned as she took a step back. “Noooo,” she moaned louder, her whole body shaking.

  “Cami?” Creed said, eyebrows raised. “I’m sorry you had to see this. We should leave. Let’s go to your apartment.”

  Cami’s eyes didn’t leave the walls behind Creed as she stood there shaking her head. “How did he find us?” she sobbed raggedly. “How the hell did he find us?”

  “Who, Cami?” Creed questioned, watching Cami closely. “Who found you?”

  Wrapping her arms tightly around her body, Cami cried, “It’s been five years! Why can’t he just leave us alone?”

  “Cami,” Creed pressed roughly, “we need to go to your apartment. When we got here, your door was wide open. I know you would never leave it open.”

  Slowly shaking her head, Cami backed out of Sloane’s apartment and ran to her own. Flinging open the door, she entered it, Creed and Jace right behind her. Running frantically through all of the rooms, Cami suddenly stopped in front of a nightstand in her room. “He’s been in here,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion. Picking up a picture frame that lay face down on the stand, she turned to look at Creed and Jace, holding the picture up for them to see.

  Looking at her in bewilderment, Jace asked, “How do you know?”

  “When I left this morning, this picture of my son’s father was sitting up. The past few weeks have been very rough. When I went to walk out of the bedroom, I looked back and asked Tom to help me decide if it was time for Carson and I to move on. The frame was standing up.”

  “I think it’s time you tell us what the hell is going on,” Creed demanded. “Are you telling me that the man who has been terrorizing Sloane for the past couple of weeks is really after you?”

  Squeezing her eyes tightly closed, Cami whispered, “Yes, I think so.”

  Cami flinched as Creed swore violently. Getting control of his emotions, Creed guided Cami to the couch and had her sit down. “I need to know what’s going on, Cami,” he ordered softly. “You need to start from the beginning.” Cami nodded, clasping her hands tightly together.

  “Seven years ago, I met and fell in love with Tom Hanson. It was fast and we fell hard.” Tears filled her eyes as she remembered. “Tom was best friends with a man named Bryan Cambridge. They were both art majors and had several classes together.” Taking a deep breath, Cami looked down at her tightly clasped hands. “After a couple of months, Bryan started acting strange. It was like he would find reasons to touch me, and flirt when Tom wasn’t paying attention. Then I found out he was following me around campus.” Looking up at them she said, “I tried to tell Tom, but he wouldn’t listen. I told campus security, but there wasn’t anything they could do because he didn’t actually threaten me or anything. I didn’t have any proof.”

  Standing, Cami walked over to the window and stood looking out. “Then I found out I was pregnant with Carson,” she finally continued. “Tom was ecstatic. He wanted to get married. Bryan came over that night for dinner at Tom’s insistence. I didn’t want him there, but Tom wouldn’t listen. He wanted to share the news with his friend and celebrate.” Her voice hitching, she whispered, “Bryan acted happy for us, but I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn’t. He was livid. The man is psychotic.” Turning to them, Cami said, “Tom was killed in an accident a week later. The police said his brake lines were cut, but they never found out who did it. I tried to tell them about Bryan, but no one would listen.” Clasping her hands tight in front of her again, she said, “That’s when the notes started, and the black roses.”

  Watching her closely, Creed asked, “What did the notes say?”

  “They talked about my soul and how black it was,” Cami told them. “Crazy things. I couldn’t prove they came from Bryan, but I knew they were.” Shaking her head, she said, “There were no fingerprints to go off or anything and the police once again could do nothing. Finally, I was so scared, I just ran. I had to protect my unborn baby.” Looking up at them she whispered, “And I have been running ever since. This is the longest I have stayed in one place. I was afraid he would find us. And he has.”

  Creed gazed at the woman in front of him, at the utter despair on her face. Sloane had been running from this man for just a couple of weeks, Cami had been runn
ing for five years. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the amount of fear this woman must feel on a daily basis. Especially while trying to care for a young son.

  “You were living in the apartment Sloane’s in now before moving to this one,” Creed said as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. “Until he found the photo of Tom, he probably thought you were still in that apartment. I wonder what would have triggered him to come into your apartment though?”

  “What about Carson?” Cody asked suddenly from where he stood by the front door. “Is he safe? Do we need to take him out of school?”

  Cami’s eyes widened in fear just as Creed’s phone rang. He answered it with a sense of foreboding. Lacey’s voice on the other line was frantic. “The elementary school is on lockdown, Creed!” she cried. “The ones that managed to escape say there’s a man with a gun threatening the teachers and students.”

  His hand tightening on his phone, Creed ordered in a low voice, “Calm down, Lacey. I’m headed that way now. Tell me everything you know.” Motioning for his deputies to follow, Creed quickly ran down the stairs and out the front door. The school was a few blocks away so he headed to the station first to get a vehicle.

  “From what we can figure out, a man somehow slipped through the doors and passed the front office without anyone seeing him. He started opening classroom doors demanding someone bring him his son.” Reaching the station, Creed went straight for Jace’s SUV. Opening the passenger door, he slid in, slamming the door behind him. Jace got into the driver’s seat while Cody and a terrified Cami got in the back.

  “I want a head count,” he told Lacey through the phone. “I want to know how many faculty and children are still in that building.”

  “Creed,” Lacey whispered, tears evident in her voice. “Sloane’s in there. One of the secretaries said she brought in a box of books and when she was on her way out the door to get another box, the man fired a gun. While everyone was running for the door, Sloane went back in looking for Cassie. From what I was told, Cassie’s room is down the hall where the man was. Neither Sloane nor Cassie made it out of the building.”

  Pain ripped through Creed’s chest at the thought of both Sloane and his daughter at the mercy of a mad man with a gun. “Was anyone hurt?” he growled, praying no one was hit. Closing his eyes tightly, Creed fought to concentrate on the matter at hand, but all he could think about was Sloane and Cassie. Sloane could have run out of that building the minute the gun was fired, but she hadn’t. She had gone to find Cassie. She had gone to save his little girl.

  Creed exited the vehicle the minute it stopped in front of the school and ran to where Lacey stood with the principal. Seeing him coming, she hung up her phone and put it away. When he reached her, Lacey responded to his question. “One of the children just told Principal Richards that Clinton Brody was shot.”

  Creed stiffened, swallowing hard. The pain in his chest crushing him now. “That’s Cassie’s teacher,” he rasped.

  “I know,” Lacey said, placing a hand on his arm. “It sounds like he refused to answer the man when he demanded his son be brought to him.”

  “But Carson isn’t even in Cassie’s grade,” Cody said in confusion from behind them. “Hell, his classroom is down a different hall.”

  “You have to remember that when he came in, the guy had no idea where he was going,” the principal said hoarsely. “He just started opening doors, yelling for someone named Tommy. We don’t have any Tommy’s in our school.”

  “That’s what Tom and I were calling Carson before he was born,” Cami told them, tears streaming down her face. “Tom wanted a Thomas Jr., but after he died and I went on the run, I decided to change the name to Carson to make it harder for us to be found. I also changed my last name to my mother’s maiden name.” As she talked, Cami’s eyes frantically searched the area for her son.

  Suddenly a small body rushed past Creed and hurdled himself into Cami’s arms. Carson Smith had made it out of the school safely. Clasping her son tightly to her, Cami raised her eyes to meet Creed’s pain filled gaze. “I am so sorry I brought this to your doorstep, Creed,” she told him. Looking at the school, she shook her head. “I should have left months ago. This never should have happened.”

  Hearing a car door slam amid all of the chaos, Creed looked up to see his brothers making their way toward him. Each of them had handguns tucked in holsters at their sides and a look of purpose on their faces. They looked exactly like the ex-special forces they were. “Stay with Cami and Carson,” he ordered Cody. “Get them in the truck and out of sight.” As Cody left, Creed and Jace met up with Ryder and Caiden.

  “I hear some dumb son of a bitch has my niece,” Ryder snarled as he rested a hand on the butt of his gun. “He doesn’t have a clue who the fuck he’s messing with, does he?”

  “No,” Caiden said in an icy voice, “he doesn’t. Or he would have thought twice before threatening the children in this school.”

  “He has both Cassie and Sloane,” Creed told them trying to control his anger. At Ryder’s curse, Creed went on, “Sloane came to the school to give them some books that were delivered to her store on accident. I was told she could have made it out, but refused to leave Cassie. She willingly went back into that school to find my daughter.”

  Ryder and Caiden exchanged glances before Ryder asked, “What’s the plan?”

  “From what I understand, the people remaining inside are on Cassie’s side of the building which is the north side. Jace, I need more information than that. I want you to take your sniper rifle and get in position on the auto shop across the street. I need to know what you can see.” Without a word, Jace ran to his truck, grabbing his gun case and slipping unseen into the crowd of onlookers. “We are going in through the basement like we used to when we were kids,” he told his brothers. We’ll go through the window in the boiler room. I need to know where Cambridge is before we make our move. We can’t let him see us.”

  Creed glanced around the school taking in the parents on the sidelines waiting for their children who were still in the building. Most of the children that made it out had been checked in on a list and sent home with their parents. Everyone cowered a good distance from the school, in fear of being hit by a bullet from Cambridge’s gun.

  “Who is this idiot?” Caiden asked as he scanned the area before him.

  Creed quickly told them what he knew about Bryan Cambridge while they waited for Jace to report in. When his phone rang, Creed answered it immediately. “Talk to me,” he ordered.

  “Cambridge is still on the north side of the building. He’s five windows in from the end. There are several children on the floor sitting against the wall, their heads on their knees.” Pausing for a moment, Jace cursed softly. “Cassie’s in there, boss. So is Sloane. Sloane is kneeling on the floor; her hands are on Clint’s chest. It looks like she’s trying to stop him from bleeding out. Cassie is hiding behind her, up against the wall.”

  “What’s the position on the target?” Creed asked in a low, deadly voice. That’s what Cambridge had become now, a target.

  “He’s standing by the teacher’s desk, ranting about something, waving a gun around.” Jace was silent for a moment. “Boss, there’s a child laying on the floor behind the teacher’s desk. She isn’t moving.”

  The blood in Creed’s veins went ice cold. The idea that Cambridge may have already taken the life of his first victim, the life of a child, was almost too much to comprehend. This was his town. These were his people. They depended on him to protect them.

  Hanging up the phone, Creed looked at his brothers. Seeing the determination in their gazes, he nodded once and quickly told them the situation. “We are going to go around to the back of the school and slip in. We can’t go through the doors because it could set off the alarms, but we should be able to fit through that window.”

  Caiden took a step forward, “Let’s do this,” he growled. “We need to get those children out of there before he hurts another one.”
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  “Creed,” Lacey said from behind them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but the town wants an update on the situation. What should I tell them?”

  Taking a deep breath, Creed told her, “You tell them to go home. If they don’t have a child in that building, they need to get the hell out of here. I have work to do.”

  Creed and his brothers stalked off leaving Lacey staring after them in shock. Losing themselves in the crowd, the brothers slowly made their way around to the back of the school. Finding the window to the boiler room, Creed saw that it was indeed unlocked. He had it opened and all three men were standing in the middle of the room within minutes.

  Before leaving the room, Creed quickly placed another call to Jace where he waited on the roof across the street. “Is he still in the same position as before,” he asked softly.

  “Yes,” Jace replied. “No movement from the child on the floor. Sloane is still trying to stop the bleeding, but keeps checking Clint’s pulse too. Oh shit,” Jace whispered roughly. “Cambridge is gesturing at Sloane now. Looks like he wants her to come to him, but she’s refusing to leave Clint. You guys better get in there now!”