Kerri was jolted from her thoughts when a loud, wailing noise interrupted the silence. Chase was already on his feet and hauling her off the couch. She looked over to see Cane’s husbands doing the same.
“Perimeter alarm,” Chase shouted.
Kerri knew what that meant. Chase had explained to her the day he showed her around that he had a state-of-the-art security system. The alarm wouldn’t go off unless there was an intruder. He had the system calibrated so that the animals wouldn’t set it off. “Too many false alarms would make me drop my guard, and that wouldn’t be a good thing,” he had told her.
“Kerri,” Chase said, grabbing her by the shoulders, “I need you to take Cane and get into the safe room. Angel and Gavin are still at the diner with Ali and are too far away to help, so I’m going to have to take Logan and Duncan with me. I want you to seal yourselves in, and don’t open the door for anyone but me. I will give you the “all clear” signal when it is safe to come out.”
Kerri nodded, moving fast to grab Cane’s hand. She knew hesitation could mean the difference between life and death, but she stopped to look back at Chase. She wanted to tell him how she couldn’t live without him but knew now wasn’t the right time. He needed his mind on whatever was happening outside. She smiled at him when he mouthed the word “go,” winking at her, and helped Cane down the hall toward the safe room.
Kerri led Cane to Chase’s room and into his closet. At the back was a small electronic keypad. Kerri put in the six-digit code that Chase had given her and watched as the entire back wall of the closet quietly slid open. There was a set of steps leading down into darkness. Kerri looked around and rubbed her hands along the inside walls but couldn’t find a light switch.
“Maybe it’s at the bottom,” she murmured.
When Chase had showed her the room earlier, he never actually opened the door. He just pointed out the keypad in the back of the closet and gave her the code. At the time, she was so shocked that he actually had a panic room that she never thought to ask him about the layout. Now, at the prospect of going into what looked like a dark hole, she wished she had asked more questions or at least taken a tour.
“Can you make it down the steps in the dark?” she asked Cane.
“Yeah, I can make it,” Cane answered, sounding a little too breathless.
Kerri nodded. “I will go first, and if you fall, at least I can cushion it a little bit.”
She got a laugh out of Cane, and that’s what she wanted. She was trying to lighten the situation because Cane didn’t look so good. She was pale and sweating. She was panting so hard that Kerri thought she was going to hyperventilate. Chase had told her the details of Cane’s kidnapping by her ex-boyfriend, and Kerri hoped that she wasn’t having flashbacks. Kerri felt a sigh of relief when she stepped down onto the first step and the lights flickered on. Quickly closing the door behind them, she helped Cane down to the bottom and gasped when she saw the room. Some safe room. The room spanned the entire length and width of the house above. There was a living area, full working bathroom, a sleeping area with two full-size beds, a fully stocked kitchen, and what looked like a command center over in the far corner. She bet someone could stay comfortably down here for a long time.
She led Cane to one of the sofas and helped her get settled.
“Are you okay? Do you need anything?” Kerri asked her.
“I’m okay. Just tired from all the excitement I guess. I just need to sit here for a minute and get my breath back.”
Kerri nodded and began to pace the room. She knew Chase knew how to take care of himself, but she was worried, and sitting around waiting wasn’t her style. She went over to the command center and booted up the eight monitors. If she couldn’t be out there with him, then she could help him by at least trying to track the intruder on the monitors. Kerri had no doubt that the intruder was her kidnapper. Her gut had been telling her all day that something big was about to happen. This would end tonight, and they could all get on with their lives. She could start hers with Chase. She looked at all the screens until she found Chase crouched down behind a tree. What is he doing? She didn’t see Logan or Duncan with him, so she searched for them on the other screens. She found each one on a different screen doing the same as Chase. She recognized what they were doing. They were setting a trap. It was a move she’d watched her dad teach many times. She searched the other monitors to see if her kidnapper was falling for the trap, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. There was no way she thought this was a false alarm. It was him, and he had to be somewhere. Kerri didn’t get a chance to search again because she heard Cane moan. Ignoring the twinge of pain in her leg, she ran back over to the couch to see Cane doubled over, holding her stomach.
“Cane, what’s wrong?”
“I think I’m having contractions,” Cane groaned through clenched teeth.
“Oh no, this isn’t happening. You can’t be having the babies now. It’s too soon, and now is definitely not a good time.”
“I hate to break it to you, Kerri, but the babies are coming, and they are coming soon. I have been having pains all day, but I thought they were false alarms. My due date is not for another four weeks.” Cane pointed down and Kerri followed her finger to a huge wet spot on the floor. “My water broke right before you walked back over here, so they are coming now. Maybe they want to see what all the action is about.”
Kerri laughed but could feel panic setting in. It was just her luck that the one time she got locked in a room with a pregnant woman, she would decide to go into labor.
Think, think, think. Kerri paced while she tried to come up with a way out of the situation they were in. She could hear Cane huffing and puffing in the background and tuned it out. She needed a plan. Logan and Duncan needed to be here with Cane, but that would leave Chase alone out there. She could help him. She may not have seen combat like him, but she had the same training. She just had to figure out the best way to help. Bait! That’s it! It was her original plan that she had the day she went to the barn to tell Chase. She never got around to telling him the plan because they ended up making love in the barn twice. She would use herself as bait. The kidnapper wanted her, so she would let him have her. It would draw him out of hiding and out into the open where they could take him down and end this nightmare. Kerri took a deep breath, feeling more confident now that she had a plan. She helped Cane over to one of the beds and got her settled. Luckily, Cane was wearing a loose dress, so she didn’t have to change her clothes. Once that was done, she ran back over to the command center and found Logan and Duncan on the monitors. They were still in the same position. She zoomed the monitors in and smiled when she saw what she was looking for. They were wearing communication devices around their necks and ears just as she hoped. Chase didn’t do anything half-assed. Kerri searched the desk for a way to communicate with them.
When she found what she was looking for, she pushed the button and leaned into the microphone. “Logan, Duncan, I need you in here now. Cane is in labor, and her water just broke. The babies are coming fast.”
Releasing the button, Kerri looked back up at the monitors. All three were in the same spots, but Chase had his hand at his throat, which meant he was talking. Kerri released the breath that she had been holding when Logan and Duncan both moved from their positions and began making their way back toward the house. Okay, phase one taken care of. Help is on the way for Cane. Now time for the next step.
Kerri knew there was no way Chase would build this room and not stock it with weapons. She just had to find them. Standing in the center of the room, Kerri slowly turned in a circle, scanning the room.
“If I was Chase, where would I hide the weapons?” she murmured to herself.
She eyed the living area and notice that one of the sofas was different from the other sofa and two matching chairs. She ran over to it and lifted the cushion. Sure enough, there was a handle in the center. She pulled, and the base of the sofa popped open like a lid. Inside was every weapo
n that you could think of, including a rocket launcher. Damn! Chase must be planning for World War III. Kerri grabbed a knife and tucked it in her boot. She grabbed another small knife and sheath and strapped it to her wrist under her shirtsleeve. For her plan to work, these weapons couldn’t be found. She picked out a pistol, checked to make sure it was loaded, and tucked it into the waistband of her jeans. Finally, she took a fully automatic assault rifle with a full clip and slung it over her shoulder. Once she closed the lid and set the cushions back on the sofa, she looked up and found Cane watching her. She walked over to the bed and sat down. She picked up Cane’s hand and tried not to wince when she squeezed hers a little too hard during a contraction.
“Your husbands are on their way. They will take good care of you.” Cane nodded as she panted through another contraction. “I can’t leave Chase out there by himself when they get here. I have to help him.”
“I understand.” Cane smiled. “You love him. I would do the same if it were my men out there.”
Before Kerri could respond, the door at the top of the stairs slid open and both Logan and Duncan came running down. They both rushed to Cane’s side, asking questions and running their hands over her. Kerri used that as her cue to slip out while they were distracted.
At the top of the stairs, she sealed the door to the safe room and made her way outside. She wished she had time to let Chase know of her plan, but she had a feeling he would strongly disapprove. He would probably try to stop her, and that could cause both of them to get hurt. She had to do this on her own. She had all intentions of ending this tonight. Once outside, Kerri slowly crept toward the barn. She wanted to make her presence known, so she didn’t try to hide her footsteps. She stayed out in the open so she could easily be seen. This guy wanted to use her to hurt her dad, so she hoped he needed her alive in order to do that. Hopefully that would give Chase enough time to get in position and take him out. Duncan and Logan should have realized she was gone by now and contacted Chase. She had no doubt that he was on his way to her right now. The kidnapper just had to get to her before he did, or her plan wouldn’t work.
Movement to her right made her pause. She scanned the trees and the barn but didn’t see anything. She didn’t know if it was Chase or her kidnapper. Keep calm. Don’t deviate from the plan, and be ready for anything. She could hear her dad’s voice in her head giving her the courage to go on. She walked toward the entrance to the barn and stepped in. Kerri froze when she felt the barrel of a gun press against her temple.
* * * *
I’m going to kill her! Chase saw red as he ran back toward the house to stop Kerri. What the hell was she thinking? He knew what she was trying to do. He knew that all the waiting around was getting to her, but using herself as bait was just crazy. When he caught up with her, she would be lucky if she could sit for at least a week once he was done with her. He ran until he got to the tree line just behind the barn and crouched down. He couldn’t see Kerri anywhere, but he knew she was out there. His gut was also telling him that she wasn’t alone. Whoever set off the perimeter alarms was still out there, and they weren’t friendly. Chase leaned silently against the tree, trying to control his breathing. He couldn’t let Kerri distract him. He had to put her out of his mind so he could get the job done. He had no choice but to follow along with whatever Kerri’s plan was now.
Twigs snapping in the distance alerted Chase that someone was close-by. He crouched lower in the trees when he saw movement in front of the barn. It was Kerri, and she was completely out in the open. Chase’s pulse began to race. Never had he panicked before on a mission, but there was always a first time for everything, and today was his. She is going to get herself killed! Just as Chase was about to move from his hiding spot, someone came from around the opposite side of the barn and walked up behind Kerri. Chase could see the flash of metal when the light from the barn reflected on the gun the man was carrying. He had no doubt that this was Kerri’s kidnapper, but he wondered how the man found her. He couldn’t see the man’s face, so he couldn’t say for sure that it was Justin Rawson, but the way he moved showed that this man had some type of military training. Chase had to be careful how he handled the situation. When he saw the man press the barrel of the gun to Kerri’s temple as they entered the barn, he could only hope that whoever this man was, he needed Kerri alive. Sitting there and not putting a bullet in the guy’s head was the hardest thing Chase ever had to do. Even though he was only about thirty yards away, there was no way he would risk hitting Kerri. He turned away when they were no longer in sight and moved to get in position. Kerri had been trained by one of the best men he knew, so he trusted her not to get herself killed until he could get there.
As Chase turned to circle to the backside of the barn, he heard a low whistle. He could recognize that signal anywhere. His CO was there. A very wicked grin crossed Chase’s face. Things were about to get interesting. He followed the signal and found Daniel crouched behind a tree a few feet away.
“Damn, old man, you still got it. I never knew you were out here until I heard your call.”
Daniel grunted, never turning his attention from the barn. “I’ve been here long enough to know that your security is lacking in certain spots.”
It was Chase’s turn to grunt. Damn, the man is good if he has been here that long and I had no idea. He was definitely going to have to take a long look at his security when this was all over. Turning his mind back to the situation at hand, Chase looked at his CO. He raised an eyebrow. “Same routine?” Years of training and working together proved that he didn’t need to say more than that.
Daniel nodded. “I’ll go low, you go high.” Without another word, they moved out of hiding and went to get into position.
Chase eased through the back door of the barn, his steps quiet and soft. He knew the barn like the back of his hand and avoided all the creaky floorboards. He climbed the ladder to the loft and belly-crawled to the edge. Whoever this idiot was, he made it too easy. He’d left the lights on so Chase was able to easily spot him tucked into the corner with Kerri. The guy had his back to Chase, watching the front door. Dumb ass! The guy never once turned to protect his back. Chase set up his rifle and positioned it. He looked through the scope and sighted the back of the enemy’s head. Training kicked in, and he took slow, deep breaths, feeling adrenaline pump into his system. The adrenaline boosted his senses. His hearing and smell increased, and his vision became tunneled, all zeroed in on the back of idiot’s head. It was a waiting game now. This was Daniel’s show, and Chase knew he was out for retribution. He wouldn’t take it from Daniel. Kerri’s kidnapper was a dead man, and judging by the way his shoulders just tensed, he, too, knew his time on earth was quickly coming to an end.
Chapter 10
Finally, after a month of searching for her, he had her back. Now, not only was he going to use her to make her father pay, but he was going to make her pay for running from him as well. She made him look stupid when she escaped. There was no reason why this tiny woman should have gotten the best of him, but she had. He never made the same mistake twice, so there was no way she was getting away from him this time. He dragged Kerri into the barn so that they were not out in the open. He knew Chase Matthews was out there somewhere, searching for him, so he needed to buy some time to come up with an escape plan. Justin had never worked directly with Chase before, but they had been on the same mission once. The files he took before he left McGregor Inc. told him that Chase was not a man to be taken for granted.
Justin never expected Kerri to just walk right out to him, so now he had to deviate from his original plan. He hated that. He had everything mapped out. He was going to detonate explosives all around the house, and in the chaos, grab Kerri and run, but she showed up too soon, and he hadn’t had time. Who knew this backwoods farm had state-of-the-art security? He should have known any team member of Daniel MacGregor wouldn’t do anything half-assed, but he let his mission cloud his mind. Not anymore. All he had to do was get
Kerri away from here and wait for her father to come running. And he would come, too. Daniel MacGregor would do anything for his daughter. She was his one weakness, and Justin planned to exploit that weakness to the fullest.
He wrapped his arm around Kerri’s neck and pulled her back into a corner. He thought over all of the terrain maps he had pulled for the areas and studied before coming here. He closed his eyes so he could picture the safest and fastest route out of here. He needed something easy because he had no doubt that he was going to have to drag Kerri out of there one way or another. Either it was going to be with her fighting him the whole way or him knocking her unconscious.
The hair on the back of Justin’s neck alerted him that he wasn’t alone anymore. He couldn’t see or hear anyone but he knew they were there and they could see him. His time had run out, and he had to make a decision. Hopefully whoever it was wouldn’t shoot with Kerri in front of him.
* * * *
Kerri sighed in relief when he relieved her of both guns but didn’t check her for more weapons. This guy was a jackass who had already made one mistake.
Never assume anything, and always check for yourself, her father’s voice echoed in her head.
She still had the small blade strapped to her wrist and a knife tucked in her boot. That was exactly what she wanted. The guy pulled her over in the corner and held her in front of him in an attempt to use her as a shield.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Kerri, or I won’t hesitate to kill you right here,” the guy whispered into her ear.
Kerri didn’t know if it was the adrenaline or nerves, but suddenly something clicked in her mind. She recognized his voice. The man behind her was Justin Rawson. She remembered him. How could she ever forget those lifeless eyes? She wondered what her dad ever saw in the man because all she ever saw was a slimy creep. The day that he walked away from the company was the day that she breathed a sigh of relief that he was gone.
Davis, Keyonna - Faceless Enemy [Pine Valley 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 10