by Sarah Barrie
‘Mack? Mack!’ At Reid’s voice, Mack dropped, whining nervously. ‘Where the hell did you come from?’
‘I heard him before. I forgot,’ Kelly said.
‘Jordan took off with him when she got away from us,’ Tony explained.
‘Yes, and we’ll talk about that later, my friend,’ Reid warned Tony. Deciding to take the chance, Reid moved forward and untied his lead.
‘You’re letting that thing off?’ Rita asked dubiously.
‘Yeah, he likes me now. I think…’
‘Did it occur to you that he might not like us?’ Tony muttered distrustfully.
‘Good point…keep your distance.’ Reid held on to the dog, trying to get his bearings. ‘I have no idea where we are…but no one could have come past here or Mack would have gone off.’
Cautious of the dog’s low growl, Tony moved up beside Reid. ‘So where to now?’
Reid took a few steps forward and Mack fought against the lead, clearly intent on heading in another direction. Reid decided to trust the dog’s instincts. ‘We’ll go this way.’
‘Come on!’ Brian urged impatiently. ‘You only got a little bit — wake up!’
Damn it, this was not going to be half as much fun if she wasn’t awake. When she’d passed out he’d half carried, half dragged her to the van. All in all, for the better part of an hour, he’d waited for her to come around. Waiting, watching, dreaming. He’d topped up his meth and he was eager, anxious. He wasn’t worried about being found, no, they’d never find this place, not in the dark, but he wanted to get started. Chewing his fingernails, he again checked out the van. He’d done such a great job — made it nice for his angel, with blankets, flowers, lighting — and he’d arranged her so beautifully on the soft, faded blue doona on the floor, her hair fanned out like silk around her sleeping face.
When she stirred, he dropped down beside her, and giggled excitedly as her eyes opened.
It took Jordan some time to get her bearings, her thoughts confused and thick with drug-induced drowsiness. A bright light penetrated her consciousness first, her eyes slowly focusing in on the camping lamp attached to the corner of the van’s roof.
She winced as she turned her head from its glare, fought the urge to close her eyes and attempted half-heartedly to shift herself while a dull headache throbbed at temples. Where was she? What had happened?
Brian’s face moved across her line of sight.
A sharp, acute shaft of panic shot through her, adrenalising her sluggish system. Jerking upward, something tore painfully into her hands and wrenched her shoulders. She fell heavily back onto the mattress, turned her head and saw the cable ties around her wrists. She kicked her legs, only to find them similarly restrained.
‘It’ll only hurt if you fight,’ Brian’s gentle voice reassured her. ‘There’s no need to worry. We’re together now.’ He reached out and stroked her cheek with gentle wonder and she cringed away.
Jordan could smell him. The strong body odour assaulted her nostrils and made her already nauseous stomach tighten. Bile rose in her throat. As he sat back on his knees, she got her first good look at him and the sight was just as repellent. Sores and acne covered pale skin that was tight over hollow bones. Crazed eyes were spotted with ulcerations and heavily shadowed. But worse, even worse, was that smile. The smile with the rotten teeth in a putrid mouth.
Oh God, Oh God. ‘Brian…Brian, please…let me go,’ she pleaded weakly.
He laughed, and it was the same, insane sound he’d made when he’d shot Reid. Reid…he’d been lying so still, bleeding. As her eyes welled, Brian picked up a tendril of her hair and played with it.
‘Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?’
‘Brian, please…’
‘No one has ever loved you the way I do. We belong together.’
‘This is not how you love someone, Brian. Please let me go.’
She watched as his eyes closed and his head began to move slowly from side to side. A scowl formed on his hideous face and a growl erupted from deep in his throat.
‘There was no other way!’
He sucked in a noisy breath from between clenched teeth, lifted his hand in a fast spasmodic movement. Even as Jordan turned her head and prepared for the strike, he ran his hand through his hair, rolled his shoulders and smiled delightedly.
‘I was so pleased when you called for me, Angel. I’m so pleased we can be together now.’
Jordan fought to slow her rapid breathing, her pounding heart. To think. She could feel the hysteria threatening to overtake her. Because she knew: there was no sanity here, no reason. Uselessly, she fought again, the restraints cutting viciously into her wrists and ankles as she struggled to find any weakness in her bonds.
Brian stroked her brow, and she thrashed her head from side to side. ‘Now, now, Angel, slow down…we’ve got all night.’
Panic surged through her as she fought to drag air into her paralysed lungs. ‘Like hell! Get away from me you sick son-of-a-bitch!’
When Mack stopped and sniffed at the air, Reid leaned against a tree, took some slow, deep breaths and closed his eyes. The dog had been straining on the lead for what seemed like hours as they struggled through the dark forest, and the act of holding him back was taxing Reid’s damaged body.
‘Hey Easton, you should sit down for a couple of minutes,’ Rita suggested, putting a hand on his arm.
Reid just shook his head. ‘As long as this dog thinks he’s on the right track, we keep going.’
‘Are you sure you trust this thing?’ Tony asked sceptically. ‘He could be after a roo or something.’
Rita shone the torch over a dirt road, heavily overgrown with small trees and shrubs. ‘Whatever that something is, it looks like we’ve just hit a fire trail…or what’s left of one.’
‘And this dog would turn Godzilla into mincemeat if it threatened Jordan. He’s going to find her.’
Mack growled. Ears pricked and head slightly tilted, he stood listening, quivering, fully alert. Reid pushed off the tree. ‘What is it, mate?
Dog and people alike jolted when they heard Jordan’s scream.
‘Go!’ Reid ordered.
Brian trailed a finger in a line from Jordan’s cheek, down her neck and along her collarbone. ‘Where will we start, Angel?’
Revulsion and fear sent a shockwave of convulsions through her body. ‘Get away from me!’
‘Get away from you? Oh, Angel, I’m not going to get away from you for a very, very long time.’
‘I’ll hurt you!’ she threatened desperately. ‘I may not be able to stop you, but if you touch me, I’ll hurt you!’
Brian stood, clutched his head in his hands and spun away, spun back holding a large knife. Once again insanely calm, he held it up to the light and examined it, touching it lightly as though to test the blade.
‘I set this up for you — for us,’ he said, matter-of-factly. ‘I went to so much trouble, and you’re not even grateful. Are you?’
Eyes wide, body frozen, a quiet sob hitched her breathing. ‘Brian…’
Turning the blade, he sliced down in a fast, sweeping arc and Jordan screamed, shut her eyes, bracing herself against the expected pain. But the blade stopped a bare millimetre short of her heart.
He caught her shirt with it, ran the blade downwards, ripping the fabric in half. She sawed at the restraints again, twisting her body helplessly, flinching when the blade caught her skin.
‘Oops.’ Brian ran it back up her abdomen, playfully parting her shirt to reveal the vulnerable skin beneath. ‘Now look what you’ve done. I told you to take it easy,’ he crooned. ‘You’re hurting yourself.’ His gaze moved to the small cut and he ran a finger idly over it, then brought the finger to his mouth, tasting the blood.
A new level of horror almost took her under and she pressed her eyes closed against the violent wave of it. He’ll act out every little fantasy he’s ever had about you, put you through hell…and then he’ll kill you and enjoy every
minute of it.
As Kelly’s words reverberated in her head, he dropped his head to kiss her. She growled viciously and threw her face sideways.
‘Just try it!’ she threatened, baring her teeth. ‘I’ll rip your filthy tongue out of your mouth!’
Brian grabbed her mouth and forced it open, took a pill and tried to shove it in. As she struggled, the back door of the van flew open and, before Brian had a chance to react, Reid had fired a decent hole into the man’s thigh.
A pained scream ripped from Brian at the same time as Reid fell on him and pinned him down next to Jordan, fists flying hard and fast. Reid felt his wound open up again, felt the blood oozing down his back, but he couldn’t have cared less. Every ounce of pain he caused himself by his actions was welcomed for the chance to inflict some on Brian Dunmore.
Jordan watched helplessly as Reid had him unconscious in seconds and yet Tony, who had come in behind him, appeared to be having considerable trouble pulling him off. The look on Reid’s face was almost as crazed as Brian’s had been.
A touch to her shoulder had Jordan turning to see Kelly smiling down at her reassuringly. She said something, but Jordan’s attention was pulled back to Reid as he leaned over her, checking her over.
His eyes went to the cut on her belly. ‘He hurt you.’
‘You’re alive,’ she croaked. Shock, she realised, mixed with relief was making her feel numb, light headed.
‘He hurt you.’
‘Reid, I’m okay.’ She glanced at Brian and grimaced.
Reid scowled. ‘I should kill him. I should just put another hole or two into him right now.’
‘Let me get these ties off.’ As gently as he could, Reid worked on cutting the cable ties that had cut into her wrists.
‘Hey, Jordan,’ Rita smiled gently, ‘I’m just going to get the ties off your feet, okay?’ Jordan nodded, then drew in a sharp breath as Reid released one of her hands.
‘That’s one good dog you’ve got,’ Rita began, drawing Jordan’s attention away from her hands and feet. ‘He led us straight to you.’
Tony turned around with Brian’s knife and Jordan flinched. Reid saw it, set his jaw, and glared menacingly at Brian as he stirred.
‘He’ll pay for it,’ Tony said quietly to Reid. ‘Take care of Jordan. Rita, call it in.’
‘Love to,’ Rita agreed, ‘except…where the hell are we?’
‘No idea, but he got the van here, so must not be too far from Carter’s property. We’ll open it up, shine some lights around, let the chopper find us.’
‘Right.’
Freed, Jordan sat up, rolled her sore shoulders and eased away from Brian as Tony dragged him out of the van.
Kelly touched her arm. ‘Hey. Thanks for saving me.’
‘I didn’t.’
‘You did. You kept getting in his way.’
‘But Reid was the one who got shot.’
‘Couldn’t have Brett outdoing me.’ Reid sat down on the other side of Jordan and kissed her gently. ‘You’ve got to stop scaring the hell out of me.’
‘I scared you? I thought you were dead.’
Kelly smiled at the pair. ‘Anyone know how my husband is going?’
Rita poked her head in the van. ‘All good, Kel.’
‘You’re shaking, come here.’ As Reid pulled her into his arms they heard the chopper fly over.
It took almost thirty minutes for the vehicles to come in from Carter’s property and reach them. Jordan spent most of it curled into Reid as they sat, waiting. Brian was cuffed to the van, quiet and still, in no apparent state to cause any threat.
As the first headlights finally broke through the darkness, Reid walked forward to flag them down and Tony pulled Brian to his feet. Jordan watched Brian stand as Tony unlocked the cuff attached to the van, as he turned Brian around to attach it to his other hand to take him away.
The second Brian’s gaze focused in on her, she saw something wasn’t right. A chilling grin spread over his features that was much too focused, too sharp. She stood, recoiled from it, as ripping his hands away from Tony, Brian reached into his boot and pulled a pocket knife. Before she could so much as scream, he flew at her.
‘Reid!’
Seeing it, Tony lunged as Jordan scrambled backwards. Reid spun, lifted his gun. There was a strangled sound from Mack as he lunged against his lead — snapped his collar. Freed, he was a dark flash of movement.
Brian gave an agonised scream and fell, writhing and kicking at Jordan’s feet as Mack shook his head from side to side, his teeth well and truly locked into Brian’s already injured leg.
‘Reckon you’ve got any chance of calling that dog off?’ Tony asked casually, kicking away the knife Brian had dropped.
‘Me? I doubt he’ll listen to me,’ Reid replied conversationally, noting the look of deadly pleasure in the dog’s expression as he holstered his weapon. ‘Jordan? Call your dog off, honey.’
‘Mack…’ she gasped.
‘You’re going to have to do better than that,’ Reid replied.
‘Mack!’ Jordan snapped. Mack paused, considered, then reluctantly dropped his prey. A moment later, he knocked Jordan’s shaky legs out from under her.
She sat where she fell and threw her arms around him, and as he licked wildly, she started to laugh, then let herself cry.
CHAPTER
21
Two days later, Jordan sat on her veranda with Reid, watching the irrigator pumping out fountains of water as small birds flew through, ducking in and out of the spray. Mack laid at their feet, chewing happily on a massive rawhide bone — just one of the treats from the pile of toys and gifts he’d been given personally or had been sent to him from everyone involved in Brian Dunmore’s capture. Jordan smiled as she watched him. Who’d have thought the ferocious fleabag would turn into a hero? Reid shifted and gave her shoulders a squeeze with his good arm.
‘Good to be back.’
‘Yeah…but I’m still not convinced you should be. Doctors made a bit more out of those injuries than you did.’
‘Had worse,’ he grinned lopsidedly.
‘I know. But that doesn’t make it better. At least we can assume that chapter’s finally behind us now, can’t we?’
‘Brian will be lucky to walk free again, and Hal won’t be out for a very long time — even if he gets off with the minimum. Which he won’t. Stop worrying about it. They’re done.’
Jordan sighed, stretched, and reluctantly got to her feet. ‘You’re right. And we’re about to host a celebration, so I don’t know why I’m sitting. Madi will be here any minute. Hey, did you know Madi and Matt are engaged?’
‘Yeah. That’s great.’
‘I’m so happy for them.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘I have to get the meat out. Everyone will be here soon.’
‘Do you need help?’
‘No — stay put. Madi and Carol have made enough salads to feed an army and Kelly said she’s bringing what she claims is her famous potato bake.’
‘It really is.’
‘I’m glad Brett’s going to make it here with her.’
‘He’s fine. And everyone’s giving Garland heaps over his scratch.’
‘What about Tony?’
‘He’s on his way. Just had to finish up with Brian.’
Jordan pushed thoughts of Brian out of the way and smiled brightly. ‘You sure your parents are going to find the place alright?’
‘The magic of GPS.’ He grinned.
He knew she was nervous about them coming, but there was a reason he thought she should meet them today. His family was important to him and he wanted them to be a part of this.
‘They’re really looking forward to meeting you. Mum can’t wait to get here.’
‘It’s nice of them to come all this way. I’d thought that maybe if I visited you in the city we’d run into each other at some point…but this is nice.’ She heard the touch of sadness in her voice and cursed herself. She h
adn’t meant to bring up his leaving today.
A soft smile touched his face and he reached for her. ‘Jordan.’
She paused, alerted by his quiet, serious tone. ‘Yes?’
He tugged on her arm. ‘Sit back down for a minute. We should talk about this before everyone gets here.’
Suddenly worried, she shook her head. ‘After. I really should —’
‘I’m not interested in a long-distance relationship,’ he said over her.
‘What do you mean?’ she asked as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a letter and handed it to her. ‘What’s this?’
‘Read it.’
She scanned it, looked up, and frowned in confusion. ‘You…this is…you’re taking Harry’s job?’
‘Harry’s retiring.’ He kissed her fingers one by one. ‘I need a change. I’d already decided to quit the squad before I got here. Tony’s not far from retirement himself and I’m not interested in filling his shoes or working for anyone else…and I think I’ve taken enough bullets to last me a lifetime. I like it here, the pace of life and the whole community thing — even the animals. And then there’s you.’
Jordan stared, processing. ‘You’re staying? You want to be a country cop?’
‘Yes. And I think I really do. I have a few requirements, though.’
The frown returned. ‘Requirements?’
‘Mm,’ he began seriously. ‘And they’re pretty specific.’ He cradled her head in his hands, looking at her with eyes full of love and promise. ‘I need a beautiful wife, somewhere nice to live, and I’d like to discuss the possibility of a few kick-arse, hot-headed kids. Know anyone who might be interested?’
Happiness washed over her as she pretended to consider the question. ‘Not sure…’ she finally replied slowly. ‘I guess you’d have to ask…’
He pulled a velvet box from his pocket. Her heart all but stopped as he revealed an enormous diamond. ‘Marry me, Jordan.’
She gaped at it, then smiled back at him. ‘That wasn’t a question. It was a statement.’
‘Okay,’ he sighed, ‘I remember how this goes.’ He pulled her hard against him, kissing her, with no regard for his injury. ‘There’s your statement, now, to the question…’ When he knelt at her feet, Jordan’s amusement turned to concern. ‘Reid you’re going to hurt —’