by Lori Ryan
She took a slow breath and relaxed her arms, then tried again. Her shoulders burned from the tight pull on her arms, but the tape held. Again and again, she pulled and wrenched.
Shauna closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. She’d been trying to keep quiet in case Liz was in the house, but she didn’t know if she could any more. If she stayed like she was, she was too vulnerable. She needed to free herself and check the space around her for a weapon she could use or a way out of whatever hellhole she’d been put in.
Another slow deep breath, and this time, Shauna let out a raw, guttural grunt as she ripped her arms up and apart again. The tape came free and she fell to the side with a groan as her balance was thrown off once more.
She allowed herself no more than a second to catch her breath, then rolled and pulled her legs in front of her to work on the tape on her legs.
Chapter Thirty-seven
“I don’t think so, detectives.” Liz Gordon’s attorney blocked the way into the house, but the girl stood behind him, a smirk clear on her face.
“We haven’t even told you what we’re here for,” Ronan said in response to Liz’s attorney’s opening salvo.
Zach didn’t care to chat with the man. “You’re going to let us in that house to look for our detective.” If the man was smart, he’d let Zach by.
He wasn’t smart. “I don’t think so, detective. You’ve harassed Ms. Gordon long enough. The home has been searched. Extensively. You had your chance. You can come back with a warrant if you want to try again.”
Zach growled, but Ronan put a hand to his chest, stilling him. The “easy brother,” that came under Ronan’s breath was low and steady, intended only for Zach’s ears.
To the lawyer, Ronan said, “We have new information. We have reason to believe our detective is being held in hidden passages within the home.”
A single brow went up on the man’s face, but he seemed unimpressed with the statement. “And so, you may bring that information to a judge and return with a warrant.” He paused. “If you’re able to get one.”
Zach was desperate. He needed an excuse to get into that house. He tilted his head. “Did you hear that?” Zach asked, looking to Ronan. If he had to lie and say he heard something in the house, so be it.
The lawyer wasn’t having it. He put an arm on the edge of the door, barring their way. “I didn’t hear anything, detectives, and I suggest you don’t try to claim otherwise. I’ll have your badges.”
Zach was getting ready to tell the lawyer he’d gladly give him his badge. In fact, he’d shove it right down the asshole’s throat, but the entire group froze as a noise reached them. It was quiet, barely there. But it was human. A grunt or muffled shout.
Zach shoved his way into the house. “Don’t tell me you didn’t hear that.”
The lawyer looked torn, shaking his head, but it wasn’t in denial. The man was trying to clear his head. Questioning himself what he’d heard. When the lawyer’s eyes went to Liz, Zach knew he had him. The lawyer realized there was a damned good chance his oh-so-innocent client might not be so innocent.
The man opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zach raised his hand. “Quiet!”
They stood and listened for several minutes. As the quiet dragged on, Zach watched Liz Gordon. Her eyes were cold, angry. But as the silence dragged and they didn’t hear anything else, the girl’s eyes went to pleased, smug. She thought she was going to get away with this. She thought she could take Shauna from Zach and live.
Zach took a step toward her, towering over her, looking her in the eye. “You’d better pray she’s alive and unharmed.”
Then he tipped back his head and yelled. “Shauna!”
As he called, he moved toward the basement. He was starting there. He turned and called to Ronan to secure Liz Gordon. Then he called again, yelling for Shauna as he pulled open the door and took to the basement stairs.
Chapter Thirty-eight
Shauna heard him. Zach was calling for her.
She’d never been one of those women who waited for a man to come to her rescue. In her unit, all of the officers had each other’s backs and the women did as much saving as the men. Sure, they contributed in different ways, with different strengths and skills, but they all did their part.
But damn if she didn’t almost wilt with relief at the sound of his voice. He was coming for her and she would be safe now.
She tried to call to him. She needed to let him know it was Liz, in case he hadn’t figured it out on his own. Shauna had no sense of how much time had passed since Liz had drugged her. But if Zach didn’t suspect the girl, she might prove as dangerous to him as she had to Shauna.
Shauna had thought she could handle Liz. She hadn’t expected what had happened.
“Zach!” The sound came out choked and strangled. Shauna had gotten the tape off her mouth as soon as she had her hands free, needing to uncover her nose and breathe freely. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t suffering from the effects of the drugs and from not having water in however long it had been. “Zach!”
Her second attempt was as weak as the first and she gave up trying to call to him. Shauna put her hands out in front of her and stepped slowly forward, inching her way in the dark. She hit something and cursed, pain in her shin, but she ran her hands along the object. A chair.
Shauna skirted around it, feeling for the edges, then kept moving, hands outstretched until she reached the wall.
Then she laced her hands together, fisted them and begin to hit the wall. Steady even strokes of her arms that sent a repetitive thud through the space.
“I’m coming, Shauna! I hear you, hon, hold on!” Zach’s voice came from below her, so she stomped her foot on the ground to guide him. Stomped her foot and thought about the fact he’d just called her hon. She wasn’t one for pet names like that, but she was grinning like a fool. She’d take anything he wanted to call her right now. Anything at all.
And when they got out of here, when they’d finished with this case and had Liz Gordon in custody, she’d tell him everything she’d been thinking and feeling throughout the case. Everything she’d been too afraid to say.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Zach stood still and looked around the room. It was clear that the sound was coming from above him. It worried him that Shauna wasn’t talking to him, but then again, based on the noise she was making, she had some strength left in her body. He prayed that meant she wasn’t injured too seriously.
The walls in the basement were lined with stone and he groaned when he thought of old movies and how he might have to push or pull on just the right one to get a door to open. He crossed to the furnace and opened it, but there was nothing but old ash and char in the bottom.
Footsteps sounded behind him on the steps, but Ronan called down to let him know it was him coming.
“We’ve got backup upstairs with Liz and the lawyer. More cars on the way.” Ronan mimicked Zach’s actions from a minute ago, circling to take in the room.
“I heard Shauna. She was banging.” Zach pointed to the area above the fireplace where he’d heard her, then crossed to look at it.
The fireplace itself was enormous and stone, with markings on the floor to show where fires had been built long ago, but the space had been cleaned.
Zach stepped in and pushed on the wall, running his hands over it in various spots. Nothing seemed to give. He looked up and down, realizing there was no opening to the chimney. It was closed up with brick that didn’t match the fireplace and walls of the room. There was an old iron pulley hanging from the far right corner. It had a ball on the end as a grip and a long iron rod that disappeared into the old chimney.
Stepping to it, he tugged, but it didn’t give at all.
“Push it up,” said Ronan.
Zach did, and immediately felt a weighted system take over, pulling the iron rod from his hand as the brick over them began to lower toward them.
“Shit,” Ronan said as he and Zach jumped out
of the fireplace.
“Holy shit.” Zach said as they looked back. One side of the brick had lowered and steps led the way up into the old chimney. The inky black air around them was haunting. There was no light coming in.
Neither said a word as they drew their weapons and flashlights, entering the dark tunnel that led up toward Shauna. They seemed to be traveling up through the center of the large house.
The stairway they started on had been made of wooden steps, but those quickly changed. Soon, they were only able to step on old stones that jutted out from the stone walls of the tunnel, but they were jutting out far enough and in a pattern that made Zach think they’d been built into the passage for the purpose of climbing them like steps. Zach checked each stone before stepping onto it. Some were loose, but seemed to hold well enough when he pulled on them.
Still, putting his weight on them was nerve wracking. He didn’t want to think about the fact his hands were busy with his weapon and flashlight. Putting his gun away would help, but he wasn’t entirely sure there wasn’t someone helping Liz. Sure, her uncle was long dead, but maybe she had a current day partner she was working with.
He paused. If there was someone with her, would she be able to stomp her feet for him when he’d asked her to? He holstered his weapon, put his flashlight between his teeth, and gripped for purchase on the stones as they climbed.
“Shauna,” he called as they went, but not too loudly. He had a feeling the sound would bounce off these walls and echo if he yelled, but he wanted to know they were still headed the right way and hadn’t passed her in some hidden tunnel off of this one. “We’re coming Shauna. Stomp your foot again for me.”
He could think of nothing more than getting to her and pulling her into his arms. He wanted to draw her against him and hold her tight. And he didn’t plan to let go anytime soon.
The sound of her foot hitting the space above them echoed.
“Got it!” He called up.
“We have to be close to the third level of the house by now,” Ronan said.
Zach grunted his agreement and continued.
Another few steps and his flashlight beam bounced off another of the iron pull bars like the one they had pulled to open the trap door at the bottom of the fireplace. “Go back a few steps, Ronan,” he said, then backtracked himself and ducked his head to the side before pushing up on the iron handle. The sound of stone against stone reached them and he looked up to see another set of wooden steps had lowered out of the blackness above them.
“Zach.” Her voice was scratchy and so damned quiet. The sheer exhaustion in Shauna’s voice when it reached him cut at his heart, but just hearing from her made him want to shout his triumph. He’d gotten to her. Now, he would get her to safety.
“We’re coming, Shaun,” he said, shortening her name like he used to back when they were together.
Together. He wanted that. With all he was, he wanted this woman. But he wanted so much more than what they’d had in the past. He wanted all of her this time. More importantly, he wanted to give all of himself to her. He wanted to let her into his whole life, to build on that life with her and for her.
They climbed the ladder and bounced their flashlights off the small space they’d entered. It was a room of sorts, but a small one. It couldn’t be more than four feet by six feet.
Zach went straight to Shauna where she sat at the base of one wall, her head laying back on the stone, but her eyes were fierce and locked on him.
“It’s Liz,” she said.
“We know. She’s in custody.” He went to her and cupped her cheek as Ronan turned on a small oil lamp in one corner of the room.
Shauna grinned. “Damn. I was hoping I wouldn’t miss that part.”
Zach let out a huff of air, half laugh, half a thank you that she hadn’t been taken from him.
“Screw it,” he said under his breath, and leaned in to kiss her, his hand grazing her cheek.
For one split second, she stiffened, then she seemed to soften beneath his touch, to melt into the kiss and he felt his heart kick into action again.
Ronan cleared his throat.
Zach pulled back. There was very little light coming from the lamp, but it was enough to see the room was furnished with a chair, table, and stacks of books. The furniture was old, almost ancient looking. The books looked like some had been here for decades and others could have been brought up in the last week. A chest sat against one wall.
Zach didn’t care about any of it. He looked at Shauna. “Where are you hurt?”
She winced, almost as though his question had reminded her of pain she’d managed to forget. “My head. I feel like she hit me with a brick more than once.” She scrunched her nose. “She drugged me with something. No, wait. Two somethings. I drank a soda and started to feel woozy like something was in it. But I also remember her injecting me with something.”
Her hand went to her arms and Zach shone the light on the inside of her elbow to see two injection marks there. Damn what had Liz done to her?
Ronan spoke then, lifting a rope and several pulleys from where they’d been dropped near the stairs. “I suspect she did hit you with a brick.” He pointed to a large iron hook anchored in the stones above the staircase with another older looking pulley connected to it. “She probably hoisted you up the tunnel with this and hit your head on the stone steps on the way up a few times.”
Now Zach winced, but he put his arms around Shauna and helped her to her feet. “I’m going to carry you down a little more gently, I hope.” He didn’t mention the shaky stones to her.
“Ronan, can you head down and make sure they have an ambulance out there waiting for us?” Zach asked.
Ronan nodded and descended into the tunnel. Zach was relieved when Shauna didn’t fight him on the idea of carrying her out of there.
“Take my flashlight. We’re going to need it to get out of here,” he said, handing it over to her. He scooped her up and braced her as he stepped down into the narrow tunnel. From there, he fixed his back against the far wall of the tunnel, set Shauna in his lap, then proceeded to lower himself, one step at a time in a shimmying move that felt like it was bruising up his back pretty good, but would hopefully get them out in one piece.
Flashlight or no, he couldn’t see the stone steps along the side of the tunnel with Shauna in his lap. He had to feel for each step with his foot before testing it with a little of his weight, then shifting fully onto it if it held.
“Wow,” Shauna said as she looked around them. “Where are we?”
“Inside an old chimney in the center of the house. You weren’t conscious at all for the trip up, huh?” Zach asked.
She shook her head, then winced and raised a hand to her temple.
He couldn’t reach out to touch her the way he wanted to. He needed to keep their weight braced and his arms were pressed into the sides of the tunnel to do just that. “We’ll get you feeling better soon. You might need stitches in your temple.” He hoped like hell that was all she needed.
“You’re a little like a super hero,” Shauna whispered.
He grinned at her. “All yours, baby.”
“Don’t call me baby,” she said, her nose wrinkled again.
He laughed. “I’ll call you anything you want as long as you let me—”
“Stop,” she said. “You sound like you’re quoting some cheesy ass movie or a line in a song.”
Zach stilled when crumbling dust from the stones above fell over them. He covered Shauna’s head with his arms and ducked his head over her to protect them. When it passed, he looked up, while Shauna shined the light up through the tunnel.
The iron pulley system that Liz had used to drag Shauna to the top of the cavern swung in the space.
Zach swallowed a curse and moved his right foot down, looking for the next step. “What do you say we get out of here before that things pulls out of the stones and brings this whole ceiling down on us?”
“You should let me climb on
my own. I’m fine now and we can move faster separately.”
Zach found the next footstone and tested its weight. “I don’t think I could change our position right now if I tried.”
They were pretty well wedged into the space, but Shauna looked up. “I’ll grab onto the stepping stones and let you get down ahead of me. It’ll work.”
Zach shook his head and held her tighter. It might be stupid and a caveman thing to do, but he couldn’t let her go. He sure as hell couldn’t let her be up there above him where she’d take most of the hits if that hook and pulley came down on them. If that thing hit her on the head, it could kill her, especially since she already might have a concussion from the ride up.
“Liz had an uncle that died three decades ago,” Shauna said as Zach worked them further down.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re way behind. Herschel Kenworth was likely your cold case killer. The killings stopped when he was checked into a mental institution where he was given a lobotomy,” he said.
“Show off.”
“Kate is okay,” Zach said. “Liz never had her. It’s a long story, but I’ll fill you in later.”
Shauna looked up.
Zach returned his focus to the steps beneath them. “Can you see anything up there?”
“No,” she said, moving her eyes to the space above them again. “It’s too far away now.”
“Means we’re getting closer to the bottom.”
“Uh huh,” she said, but she kept her eyes focused on the black hole.
“I think we’re close,” he said.
Seconds later, they heard the stones groan, almost as though crying out their concession as they gave up holding the iron in place.
Zach swore and dropped down, cradling Shauna as best he could as he landed, hearing a crack in his ankle. He shifted, shoving part of Shauna away and covering the rest of her body with his own, bracing to take the hit as the stone and iron came screaming down the tunnel in a horrifying rush of noise and debris.