Retribution (Otter Creek Book 8)

by Rebecca Deel

  “Why is it the right thing to do?”

  “Because he protects me.”

  Protects. Present tense. Was she talking about her brother, Ivan? A dark shadow moved behind her shoulder.

  “Shut up, Aurora. I told you to get out of town and leave them to me. You never listen to anything I tell you.”

  Ivan Bennett, Junior shoved past his sister, weapon pointed at Quinn. “My sister is right. You should have stayed away from Black River. Now I don’t have a choice but to take care of both of you.”

  “We can’t hurt Quinn, Ivan.” Aurora frowned at her brother.

  “No choice, Sis. He’ll tell on us. Do you want me to die in prison like Caleb?”

  Face crumpling, she shook her head.

  “What are you going to do, Bennett?” Heidi asked. “Shoot us in cold blood? That would spark a lot of questions.”

  “I won’t shoot you if I don’t have to. No, I’ll let you die in a tragic fire of your own making. Too bad you killed your boyfriend by accident.” He aimed his weapon at Quinn’s heart.

  Quinn shifted his weight subtly. He had to get Heidi out of this house before they burned alive. “The cops won’t believe this set up.”

  Ivan chuckled. “Of course they will. I’m their star detective and since your deaths will be linked to the Henderson case, I’ll be assigned this one, too. The evidence will support my story. I’ll make sure it does.”

  “Manufactured evidence.”

  A shrug. “No one will question me.”

  Quinn thought Junior overestimated his skill and reputation. “So you killed Moira.”

  The detective scowled. “Her death was an accident. I wanted a couple minutes of peace. She wouldn’t quit crying.”

  “What did Dad promise you?” Heidi asked. “Money?”

  “I helped for Aurora’s sake. Caleb promised he would keep her safe and happy.” He used his free hand to shove his sister out the door. “Get out now, Aurora. Start the fire as soon as I’m clear.”

  “Was your father part of the kidnapping?” Quinn asked.

  Ivan scoffed. “Are you kidding? Dear old Dad was horrified when he realized I was the second kidnapper. Somehow he put all the pieces together and figured out Aurora and I were both involved in what had been happening to Katie.”

  “So he admitted himself to the private mental hospital to protect you both instead of turning you in.”

  “Where’s the money?” Heidi pressed against Quinn’s back. Though he kept his face impassive, he wondered what she was doing.

  He grinned. “I keep it close. Can’t trust banks, you know.” Ivan stepped back. “I’ll be sure to give my condolences to your mother, Quinn.” With a laugh, he slammed the door shut and Quinn heard a bolt slide home. Seconds later, a loud whoosh told him that Aurora had dropped the lighter.

  He crossed the room and tried kicking open the door. While the house was a ramshackle affair, the bolt must be attached deep to a stud. Quinn could eventually break down the door, but he suspected they didn’t have much time. The door was already growing hot.

  “What do we do now?” Heidi gripped his arm.

  He glanced around the room again, yanked out his phone.

  “I already texted Anne Marie what was happening.”

  “Good. We don’t have time to wait for her to arrive. This place is going to be a pile of rubble in minutes.” He used his flashlight app to see what he had to work with.

  Bed, nightstand, old lamp, plywood covered window. Even as he scanned the room, smoke drifted under the door. “Shove that bedspread against the door.”

  Heidi nodded and hurried to do as he asked.

  Quinn rushed to the window and ran his fingers along the wood, searching for a gap to slide his fingers in and tug the sheet of plywood away from the wall. He found one, inched his fingers in as far as he could and yanked. A cracking sound filled the room. Not enough leverage. Whoever put up the plywood did a good job.

  He crossed to the bed in three strides and tossed the mattress and box springs. Quinn used the flashlight app again to examine the bed frame. Oh, yeah. This would work.

  Within a couple minutes, he had the frame separated and returned to the window. He slipped the metal under the edge of the wood and pulled. Half the wood tore away from the wall and window. Dropping the metal, Quinn grabbed the ragged edge with both hands and yanked off the rest of the covering.

  He threw the wood aside and tried unlocking the window. The mechanism was rusted shut. He used the metal bed frame to break out the glass. Quinn grabbed his weapon. “Sweetheart, stay near the window on the floor. I don’t know if Junior and his sister stayed to watch the show or if they took off. If he’s still here, Junior will try to shoot us.”

  “What about you?” After a sustained bout of coughing, she said, “He’ll kill you.”

  “He’ll try. He won’t succeed. I have a great incentive for staying alive. I plan to marry you soon, baby.”

  Another round of coughing. “I’m holding you to it. Be careful.”

  Without waiting any further, Quinn dived through the gaping hole where the window used to be, and rolled to a crouch, gun tracking. He quartered the area. No gunfire, no sounds of anything except sirens approaching in the distance. He heard Heidi’s racking cough and knew he had to take a chance. He must get her out of that house.

  Backing up to the wall beside the opening, he said, “Heidi, come through the window as fast as you can.”

  A rustling sound warned him she was on the move. Seconds later, she climbed through the opening.

  Quinn hurried her to the stand of trees off to the right. They couldn’t stay near the house where they were backlit by the flames eating the old structure.

  Gunshots echoed in the night. A bullet slammed into Quinn’s side, spinning him away from Heidi.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  “Get down, baby!”

  Quinn scrambled to where Heidi had dropped and dove on top of her. The shots had come from behind the car parked in the drive. Had to belong to Junior. From his current position, Quinn couldn’t get a bead on the shooter.

  “How bad are you hurt, Quinn?” Heidi’s voice shook.

  “I’m fine, I promise. Bullet grazed my side.” At least, he hoped that was the extent of the damage. Burned something fierce. “Cops should be here in minutes.” Quinn longed to go after this guy, but his priority was protecting Heidi. If he left her alone, Junior or his sister could slip past Quinn and hurt Heidi. He couldn’t take that chance.

  More shots were fired. Dirt flew up. Leaves jerked. Nowhere close to their position. Quinn frowned. For a cop, Junior’s aim was lousy.

  The hairs at the back of his neck prickled. The lousy shot was probably Aurora which meant Junior was on the move, zeroing in on their position.

  “Get up nice and slow, Gallagher.”

  Quinn considered refusing, discarded the plan. A bullet might pass through him and strike Heidi. “Stay down no matter what happens,” he whispered in Heidi’s ear, then slowly climbed to his feet. Blood ran down his side. He could use Rio’s medical skills about now. Quinn faced Ivan Bennett, pistol still in his hand.

  “Drop the weapon.”

  “Planning to shoot an unarmed man?” he asked, doing as he was told. He shifted slightly, nudging the pistol into the shadows close to Heidi’s hand. Quinn had a backup piece, but he couldn’t reach it before Bennett took him down. Even if he were a terrible shot, Bennett couldn’t miss at this range. With Quinn dead, Heidi didn’t have a chance. “Won’t work. Your cop buddies will be here any minute. You and Aurora won’t get away with this.”

  “Want to bet? This is perfect, much better than my crazy sister’s plan. I caught you both leaving the scene of an arson. You drew your weapon and fired at me to protect your woman. I had no choice but to return fire.” Bennett grinned. “I’m a better shot than you.”

  Not on Quinn’s worst day would that be the case. Law enforcement training didn’t hold a candle to his training in Delta. �
�Last chance, Junior. You can walk away alive.”

  Bennett aimed his weapon. “After all the trouble you caused, I’m looking forward to this.”

  A gunshot rang out.

  The detective looked down at his chest where a blood stain spread rapidly. His eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the ground.

  “No!” Aurora screamed as she rushed toward them, firing the gun repeatedly in their direction.

  Quinn dived to the side, grabbing his backup weapon as he fell. One shot and Aurora Bennett crumpled beside her brother. He kept his weapon trained on the two as he approached them. “Are you hurt, baby?”

  “I’m okay.”

  Excellent. “Stay still while I secure their weapons.” And see if they were still alive. With the placement of the shots, he doubted it. Quinn approached Junior first, as he was the bigger threat if he was still alive. He kicked aside the Glock and checked for a pulse. Nothing. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about Bennett coming after them.

  “Is he…?” Heidi’s voice choked off.

  “Yeah, he is. Nice shot.”

  “I didn’t mean to kill him,” she said.

  “If you hadn’t, he would have killed us. You did what was necessary.” He knelt beside Aurora, nudged aside the weapon and checked for a pulse. Zip.

  Anne Marie Salinger shouted their names.

  “Over here,” he called back. Now came the long explanations.

  He sat down beside Heidi. Quinn held out his hand. “Give me the weapon, babe.” When she placed the pistol in his hand, he placed it along with his backup weapon on the ground for Anne Marie, then tugged her into his arms. “You were amazing. You saved both our lives, Heidi.”

  She pressed her face into his neck and cried in silence. Not knowing what else to do, he simply held her while the cops swarmed the area.

  After checking both bodies for a pulse, Anne Marie turned. “What happened?”

  Quinn explained the sequence of events. “So what now, Detective Salinger?”

  “Looks like we need to transport you and Heidi to the hospital. Once you’re patched up, we’ll talk again.” With that, she waved the EMTs closer. “Those two are dead. Take these two to the hospital for treatment. Jordan.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You go with them. Don’t let them out of your sight.”

  Quinn huffed out a laugh. “You afraid we’re going to bolt, Detective?”

  “I’m making sure you don’t leave before I have every question answered.”

  He gave her a snappy salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

  The night seemed to pass in slow motion. The physician at the hospital stitched his side and gave Heidi a clean bill of health. Officer Jordan then transported them to the police station where Quinn and Heidi were separated and questioned for hours.

  When they left the building, the sun was peeking over the horizon. The dawn of a brand new day, the first day of true freedom for Heidi. Quinn wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “I love you, Heidi.”

  “I love you, too, Quinn. What do we do now?”

  “We go home, baby. We have a wedding to attend.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Heidi slipped away from Rio and Darcy’s wedding reception to stand in the vestibule doorway. The rain continued to fall, the gray and gloomy evening matching her own mood.

  A gust of cool wind ruffled her hair as she listened to the soft rhythm and thought about her family and the Bennetts. Two days since she’d been forced to kill a man to save herself and Quinn from certain death and the sky wept at the senselessness of the deaths of so many people in a doomed bid for retribution. No wonder Bennett Senior never expended much effort to solve Moira’s murder. When Al Graham understood the truth, he’d been equal parts furious with his partner and guilt ridden for not having pushed harder himself.

  Because Bennett had been determined to save his own family, he’d chosen to sacrifice Heidi’s. So much loss and heartbreak as a result.

  “Heidi?”

  She turned. “You should be with your friends.”

  Quinn slid his arms around her waist. “Are you all right?”

  “I will be.” Heidi laid her head on his shoulder, taking comfort in his nearness and warmth. “When will the dreams stop?” Each night since they had returned to Otter Creek, her dreams had been filled with replays of the night the Bennetts died.

  He shifted closer. “It takes time. Longer for some than others.”

  “Do you have them? The nightmares?”

  “Not of the Bennetts. Missions with Delta and Fortress. The more time passes, the greater the gap in recurrence.”

  “I keep dreaming of other ways to handle the situation.”

  “It’s normal, Heidi. No matter what your mind tells you, we didn’t have another option. If there had been, I would have chosen a different alternative.” Quinn cupped the nape of Heidi’s neck and kissed her, his touch gentle. When he lifted his head, he said, “Come with me.” Lacing their fingers, he led her into the sanctuary where candles still burned in the dimly lit auditorium of Cornerstone Church. They stopped under the flowered arch on the stage.

  Quinn gathered her hands in his. “Heidi, you closed a chapter of your life this week. A chapter filled with pain and loss. I can’t wipe away the hurt or bring your family back. I can promise to fill your future with love and laughter. I adore you, Heidi Thompson. You’ve brought light and joy into my life.” His lips curved. “You also brought an awesome dog.”

  Heidi laughed. Quinn was right. Charlie was a great dog.

  Quinn reached into his pocket and dropped to one knee. “I love you, baby. Will you marry me and make my life complete?”

  “I’m so blessed to have you in my life, Quinn. I never dreamed something good could come of my broken past. You are a dream come true. I love you, Quinn Gallagher, and I would be honored to be your wife.”

  Quinn slipped a ring on her finger, then jumped to his feet and dragged her into his arms for a long, hot kiss. By the time he let her come up for air, Heidi realized the back of the auditorium was filled with Quinn’s cheering and clapping friends and co-workers, and Levi. Her cousin grinned.

  Time to write a new chapter in her life. One filled with fun, family, and friends. And the best thing? She got to share it all with the man of her dreams.

  About the Author

  Rebecca Deel is a preacher’s kid with a black belt in karate. She teaches business classes at a private four-year college in Nashville, Tennessee. She plays the piano at church, writes freelance articles, and runs interference for the family dogs. She’s been married to her amazing husband for more than 20 years and is the proud mom of two grown sons. She delivers monthly devotions to the women’s group at her church and conducts seminars in personal safety, money management, and writing. Her articles have been published in ONE Magazine, Contact, and Co-Laborer, and she was profiled in the June 2010 Williamson edition of Nashville Christian Family magazine. Rebecca completed her Doctor of Arts degree in Economics and wears her favorite Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt when life turns ugly.

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