“You’re not shooting me with that,” Wynn said.
“Don’t fight, my dear. Struggling only makes it harder. You should be thanking me anyway. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be half way across the state with that ex of yours.”
“You were a sick man before your wife and you’re using her death as an excuse to kill innocent people. But whether you admit it or not, none of their deaths, or even mine, will satisfy the urges you have buried inside of you. If you truly loved your wife, in her memory, you’ll stop this madness.”
He seemed to wrap his head around her words and then he shook his head. “Too late to turn back now.” He got up and left the room.
She heard his footsteps in the hall. Her eyes automatically found the inhaler. Was this a joke?
Looking at the closed door, she reached for the nebulizer, shook it, and looked at the meter. It was empty. With a groan, she threw the container against the wall. The man had lost his sanity.
Without making any noise, she got up from the bed. Wynn wouldn’t just lie down and die or make this easy for the deputy. She looked around the room. Searching each drawer of the dresser and nightstand, she found nothing she could use as a weapon. Hurrying to the window, she groaned in frustration. There were bars on it, of course. He’d thought of everything, but she wasn’t his first victim.
It was dark outside and she couldn’t see anything in the distance.
Her only hope was that Zander would find her soon.
Going back to the bed, she sat down on the end. She wondered what Zander was thinking? Was he frantic? She hoped he didn’t believe she had left on her own free will, but if Lansing hadn’t grabbed her purse, then Zander would know she wouldn’t leave without her nebulizer.
~~~**~~~
“You think this is where he’s keeping her?”
Zander lowered his monocular and looked across the seat at his brother, Nixon. “I think so. This is where my instincts are telling me to look. The owner, Lansing’s mother-in-law, is gone and there are lights on.”
Nixon nodded. “If she’s—”
“Don’t go there,” Zander bit off.
“Okay.” Nixon held up his hand. “You love her, don’t you?”
“Yes.” It was obvious. He was falling apart at the seams.
“This asshole has messed with the wrong bunch. No one messes with our family and gets away with it. But you need to keep a level head.”
“I’m pissed off. If I get my hands on that bastard, I’m going to rip him apart, limb by limb.”
“Yeah, that’s thinking clearly.” Nixon rolled his eyes.
He didn’t calm down. “He came into her home and took her. He deserves to face his death in a handbag.”
“I get that.” Nixon shrugged. “But keep the goal in focus, bro. We want to get Wynn back safely. That’s all. With Cullen and Graham stationed at the back of the house, Lansing, if he’s in there, won’t get away. If Wynn isn’t with him, then our best chance of finding her is to get the man to divulge where she is. I know I don’t have to tell you that. Don’t throw your career away by killing him if you don’t have to. Our mission is to get in and get out with no blood shed.”
With those words, Zander turned to face his levelheaded brother. “’As much as I want to see him dead, I do hear you and I won’t risk anyone’s life, especially not Wynn’s.”
“Listen, you should let Cullen and me go in first and take care of Lansing. You grab Wynn. We have your back, and hers. She’s family now. Got it?”
“Loud and clear,” Zander said the words, but he didn’t feel them all the way into his soul. The brothers exchanged a silent look that didn’t need explanation to back it up. “We know he has his firearm.”
“There’s always the chance we won’t be able to sneak up on him before he can pull the trigger. Not only is he trained in this shit, but he’s a lunatic at best.”
Zander tried to relax his muscles some. Although he wouldn’t completely relax until Wynn was safe, he also had trust in his brothers.
“Let’s go get your wife.” Nixon placed his hand on the door.
“Isn’t that a little presumptuous?”
“Yes, but I know you. When you have something in your sights you won’t stop until it’s yours.”
He turned all his attention on what they were about to do. Nixon was right. After this fucked-up situation ended, he planned on asking Wynn to marry him.
CHAPTER 25
WYNN SCOOTED BACK on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest, which felt heavy and her skin was clammy. Time was ticking. She knew Lansing would come back in soon and if he saw that she wasn’t close to death, she had a feeling he’d help by putting her there.
Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. She wouldn’t give the bastard any of her weakness.
There was a certain irony to her situation. She’d spent so much time being miserable, and now that happiness lay before her, she wouldn’t have the chance to grasp it. Zander had been right when he said no one knew what tomorrow would bring. So, live for the moment. If she got out of this situation alive, she would be sure to grip each moment from this day forward. To promise to never allow words to go unspoken.
“Find me, Zander. Please find me so I can at least see you one more time.”
~~~**~~~
Zander stalked through the night, aware of every sound, even the beating of his heart. He’d learned how to stay calm, even in the most horrible of circumstances. Even when his love’s life was on the line. Nixon was a few feet away, although Zander couldn’t see him. He’d feel a lot more confident if the love of his life wasn’t in the house. Knowing how dangerous Lansing could be left Zander cold.
The moon was full, thankfully, and it lit his way as they crossed over the field toward the farmhouse. He reminded himself that although Lansing was trained, he was one man against three Cades and that was like comparing a kitten to a tiger.
Making their way silently toward the house, he used the tactics he’d learned as a sniper in the SEALs. He moved so slowly he was certain no one would see him even if they were looking through the window. He stayed crouched close to the ground, feeling the wetness from the snow seeping through his camouflage pants. His bullet proof vest kept his chest dry, but the T-shirt was soaked. He inched a few more feet and stopped, watching and listening. Instinct warned him that Lansing was watching too, probably with night goggles. That would show his lack of real skill. A man who was worth his weight would be trained in using his senses and not just his eyesight—and wouldn’t have brought a victim to a place easily found. However, Zander guessed that was the whole idea.
Crawling his way to the corner of the house, he slowly stood, pressing his back against the side, water dripping from his skin. It was around thirty degrees outside, but he didn’t feel anything. He spotted Nixon a few feet away as his brother slinked up to the porch. They were close.
CHAPTER 26
WYNN GASPED WHEN the door opened and, because it was dark, she could barely see Lansing’s frame as he stepped across the room toward her. A flashlight came on, blinding her, and she held up a hand to block it, but a second later she felt a harsh grip as he dragged her to her feet. She tried to pull away, but his grip was unrelenting, burrowing into her flesh like a vice.
“Listen, bitch, change of plans.”
“What?” Would he kill her now?
“Looks like we have company. I knew this might happen, just had hoped not so soon,” he spat out the words.
Hope blossomed in Wynn. Zander had come. She knew he would. Lansing dragged her roughly across the room. “Give this up. You won’t get away.”
“Yeah, true, but neither will you,” he said.
“Zander will kill you with his bare hands,” she hissed.
He dragged her into the shadowed hallway and stopped. She lifted her chin to look at the disgruntled man, trying to get a grip of why he was truly doing this. “Nothing will bring her back. Not killing the other women. Not killing me. Go a
head though, do what you must, but I savor the fact that you’ll get what’s coming to you. Maybe they’ll spare your life so you can spend the rest of it in prison, being used by cell mates just as you’ve tortured women.”
The smack came like a flash of lightening. Quick and without warning. She wobbled slightly, but his tight grip on her elbow kept her from dropping to her knees.
“Listen, bitch! Stop talking or I’ll fling you out the window. I’m sure there’s a lot you can do, but flying isn’t one.”
His tight jaw, his charged eyes, all warned her that he wasn’t sane, so she couldn’t talk to him, attempt to try and get him frazzled enough that Zander could sneak in. She was beginning to lose hope that she’d get out of this alive.
“Come on, bitch!” He tugged her toward the stairs.
“Downstairs?”
“No, up the stairs,” he mocked her. “Where the fuck else do you think but down?”
Wynn found herself being shoved just as Lansing withdrew a gun from the back of his waistband. Her chances of survival plummeted. She began descending the stairs slowly. He was right behind her, his tight hold on the back of her neck, a silent threat that if she made one wrong move, she’d find herself tossed like a bag of potatoes down the stairs. And if his fingers biting into her skin wasn’t enough, he leaned forward and whispered, “Don’t think I won’t push you. I’d get a lot of enjoyment hearing the bones of your neck break.”
The image made her cringe. Thinking of falling and lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs on the floor made tears fill her eyes, but there was no way in hell she’d allow him to see defeat in her. She’d fight until her last breath.
Once they were downstairs, he used the gun to point to the chair where he wanted her to sit. She did without argument. The man had a seat on the crazy train and she didn’t want to push his buttons.
The shattering of glass made her recoil. “I know you’re out there, Cade. I have your bitch so if you want to see her still breathing, you’ll not piss me off more than you already have.”
Silence ensued, but if Wynn knew Zander, and she felt she did, he wasn’t alone. He was smart enough to have back up and she’d bargain his brothers were along. No doubt he and his team heard the gruff words by her captor. She trusted they had a plan.
Lansing took a step away from the window, turning his mangled gaze upon her. “Your boyfriend thinks he’s so much smarter and tougher than I am. Hell, he thinks he’s smarter than anyone. Just look how he swept in and took over the case. He didn’t even have a clue who the killer was.” His laugh was raw. “I outsmarted him.” He paused dramatically. “And I’ll do it again.”
“If you’re so smart than why did you bring me to the very spot where you knew he’d find us?” she challenged.
“Don’t you believe that’s all part of the plan? I really wanted the fucker to arrive to hold you as you sipped your final breath. Maybe that can still happen.”
Wynn believed his plan was tainted with his screwed-up ideas.
“This is all for you, my dear,” he said as if he was speaking to someone else in the room.
Looking around, Wynn verified they were alone.
“Soon we’ll be together again,” he continued.
“Is that what you really think? Evil belongs in a place all of its own and you fit the bill for bat-shit evil,” she sneered.
“Shut up, cunt!” he growled, pointing the gun at her, his finger positioned on the trigger. “What do you know? Maybe they have a special place for cunts who spread their legs for every man she comes across. Yeah, it didn’t take Cade long to tap that shit, did it? I can’t wait for the fireworks.”
“Fireworks. We’re a little early for the fourth of July.”
“I almost feel sorry for Cade when I blow your head off in front of him, but I’ll feel vindicated.”
“What has Zander ever done to you?”
He shrugged. “Nothing, but his type boils my blood. Everything comes so easily. Heroes in the military who come home and have all the help from the government. What does a man like me get?” He tapped his chest with the nozzle of the gun before turning it back on her. “Not a damn thing.”
“He fought in the war. He deserves to be valued.”
A noise from outside made Lansing spin.
“I’m out here, motherfucker,” Zander’s voice rang out.
Wynn gasped and started to stand, then Lansing grabbed her, pulling her in front of him as a human shield. She tried to push away, but the cold nozzle of the gun pressed into her temple and paused her.
“I’ve got the bitch right here,” he snarled.
Flinching as the gun pressed deeper into her skin, she stayed frozen, worried that he’d pull the trigger, even if by accident because she could feel him shaking. The man wanted revenge against everyone and there wasn’t just one person who’d satisfy his need. She and Zander were soft targets for a deep-rooted rage.
Looking through the thin curtain into the darkness, she couldn’t see anything. Where was Zander?
Lansing had the upper hand and it scared her for Zander. She didn’t want him to be in danger. She loved him. The realization exploded in her chest. Yes! She truly loved him.
“What are you doing, Lansing? Whatever has you upset is keeping you from thinking clearly,” Zander said from outside, this time a tad closer sounding.
“I’m thinking clearer than I have in a long time. I had more confidence in you, Cade. I expected you to connect me to the murders long ago, but the problem was, you were allowing your dick to sidetrack you. How does it feel to fail?”
“Not sure where this is all headed,” Zander stated, “but I have a feeling you’re blaming the wrong people for whatever fucked up situation you’re in.”
“Fuck you, Cade!” Lansing yelled. “You have no clue what fucked up situations I’ve endured.” Wynn shifted, but her assailant’s grip grew tighter. “Don’t fucking move!” he whispered in her ear. “I swear I’ll put a bullet through that pretty head.”
He didn’t realize that she hadn’t been trying to get away, but she was growing weak. Her breaths were hard to draw in.
“I’m tired of the thugs who believe they have the right to pick who lives and dies. I want the world to open their eyes to the space we live in, the air we breathe in is all powered by bureaucracy.”
“Your wife, she died, right?”
Through the fog in her brain, she felt him stiffen. The gun pressed harder. Her knees grew heavier. She’d been so caught up in the gun as the weapon that she’d almost forgotten that the bigger threat could very possibly be her asthma.
Voices came through a tunnel and she wanted to reach into his pocket and find the relief of her inhaler, and if she was lucky enough, it had medicine in it.
“This is a coward’s way, man. This proves nothing to no one except that you’re a chicken who preys upon women,” Zander taunted.
Lansing’s shakes became tremors. She believed what Zander was doing was a tactic trained officers used, but she wasn’t sure if taunting the man would help.
She felt the room spin. Felt her chest concave.
Then Zander spoke again…but it didn’t sound like him. Maybe it was just her ears.
“I’ll show you who’s a coward, Cade! Why don’t you come in here?”
She shifted, trying to ease his arm away from around her throat, gasping for air. Tilting her chin, she saw something at her feet…the syringe.
“The bitch is running out of air, Cade. She might make this easy on me after all.” Lansing cackled.
If it was the last thing Wynn did, it wouldn’t be to make anything easy on the jerk. Twisting her body, she was surprised that he removed his arm from her and let her to fall to the floor. A noise sounded from somewhere in the room and Lansing spun around, pointing his pistol and let off a shot. The bright flash of light lit the room.
At the same time, Wynn popped the top off the syringe and stabbed the needle into his thigh, emptying the drug into his bod
y. He didn’t seem to notice at first, but then he wobbled, lowering the gun only slightly as another shot rang out, but it wasn’t from his gun, not this time. She heard a loud thud as Lansing fell.
“Just like you fuckers to shoot me with beanbags. This fucked up nonlethal shit is what cowards do!” Lansing said through the darkness. “You screwed-up cowards!” He sounded weaker.
Wynn leaned against the wall, everything turned fuzzy as she sipped at the air. She closed her eyes, barely hearing anything around her. She didn’t want to die, not like this, not until her dreams come true. Zander would never know that she loved him. She’d never have his children.
Time seemed to slow down. She felt arms around her but didn’t have the energy to shake them off. Lansing was back to end her life. She moaned in resistance, feeling everything fading into black.
“Sweetheart, you okay? I’m here.” It was Zander’s voice. He was here! With her!
“I-In…hale.” She forced with a weak voice.
“I have it here in my pocket.”
She felt the plastic on her lips and took two puffs. It wasn’t quite enough to bring her back fully, but enough to help her take in less labored breaths.
“Breathe, darling. Breathe in,” Zander encouraged.
She looked up into the face of her hero. “Zander.” She cupped his cheek. “You’re really here. I was starting to think I was dead.”
“No, baby, You’re alive.” He scooped her into his lap, holding her close against his chest.
“Where’s Lansing?” She didn’t even care to move her cheek from his shoulder. It was too nice.
“You’re safe. He’s out. We’ve called an ambulance. The EMTs will take care of him.”
Lansing had killed innocent women. He killed Rory and would have killed Zander if given the chance. He chose his own path and unfortunately today could have ended differently.
Engulfed in Zander’s arms, her worries melted away. She inhaled deeply, enjoying his scent that never failed to soothe her. Everything around them didn’t matter, only that they were both alive.
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