So what if it’s overkill? I’m the boss and I make the rules.
“I’m a little worried. He’s too quiet in there.” Randy took the binoculars off the car’s roof. He focused them and then checked each window. Nothing stirred indoors or out, not even the leaves on the trees.
The calm before the storm.
A guy from the special task force ran over and squat between them.
“He’s blocked a window with a mattress on the second floor. Maybe that’s where he moved Becca and Jacob.”
The chief’s radio crackled. “Chief, he’s closed off the doors leading into the front room. We believe he’s in the dining area now. Even if we get inside, we have to get through those doors. The guy has been hammering away for the past twenty minutes.”
“Thanks, Tim. Keep an eye on him.”
“Copy that.”
“The fucker’s nesting—getting everything set up for the long haul.” Randy flicked the toothpick away that he’d been chewing on for the past hour.
“If he’s busy doing that, he’s not bothering Jacob or Becca.” Chief rolled his neck.
Randy stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. They were biding time for daylight. The EMT had left with six of their men in body bags. They couldn’t chance another attempt and set off another of Danny’s traps.
The Florist was far from stupid. He knew if Jacob and Becca were with him, they wouldn’t be planning an ambush.
Chief put a hand to the small of his back as he stood hunched over, out of sight. “It will be dawn soon, and then the real show can get started. I need to take a leak.” He wobbled off down the side of the barn.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A stream of sunlight from the top of the window nudged her eyes open only for her to shut them again. A streak of white lightning ripped through her skull. Becca quickly remembered her circumstances where she laid on the floor still taped to the chair, the iron leg of the bed only inches from her head.
She lay listening for any clue to what was going on outside or, for that matter, inside. The door rattled and remained closed. She tried to turn her head, but couldn’t. A few short seconds passed before it rattled again.
“Danny? Is that you? What are you doing out there?”
Becca strained to hear. No, it couldn’t be...could it?
“Jacob?” She held her breath. “Is that you out there?”
“Sssss....”
She gasped.
The door rattled again, the lock clicking and the door banging open. Jacob half-crawled into the room, leaving a trail of water in his wake. He kicked the door shut and collapsed on the floor. He took long, shaky breaths through his nose, his body visibly trembling.
“Jacob, I know you’re hurt, but Danny could come back any moment. You need to help me free my hands. Can you do that for me?”
He grimaced with every movement as he dragged himself over to her and started working at the tape.
“If you can get one of those springs off of the bed frame, the pointed end should cut through it.”
In spite of his many injuries, Jacob unhooked a spring and sliced into the bindings. It took a little doing, but he finally managed to find the end and began unravelling it from her body.
“Once my hands are free, I can take over.”
Her heart ached at the pain she saw in his eyes.
It seemed to take an awfully long time before the tape loosened enough for her to dig the phone from her pocket and press redial.
“We need a distraction.”
“Becca?” His voice cracked.
The sound of Randy’s voice made her heart ache. “We need your help. In five minutes you need to create a diversion so we can get the hell out of here.” She hit END, not wanting to risk Danny finding it. She was already worried he’d see the water puddles Jacob had left.
He lay on his side now, breathing hard, eyes closed. Beads of perspiration covered his face. She quickly peeled the tape from her legs and righted the chair to finish taking the remaining adhesive strips from around her waist.
“Jacob, the cops are going to create a diversion.” Becca hurried to the window and pushed the mattress aside. She blinked rapidly into the morning sun’s rays. They were on the second floor, and below them a small roof hung over the mudroom.
“If I can get this open, I think we can throw the mattress on the roof below and jump to it easily enough.”
Jacob moaned and briefly closed his eyes; exhaustion played on every feature of his tortured face. He’d been through hell and back, and now she wanted him to jump out a window.
“Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out. The minute we hear anything, it’s time to make a move. Okay?”
The door suddenly burst open, and Danny appeared before them.
“How the hell did you get up here?” Spittle sprayed from his mouth, and he firmed his hold on a gun, aiming at Jacob’s head.
“Don’t do it, Danny. He was only trying to protect me.” She stood slowly. “You know there’s no escape, but it’s up to you how far this will all go.”
Danny turned the pistol on her. “You’re right. He was only trying to help you. It’s always all about you, Detective.” He looked down his nose at her. “I should have done this long ago.”
He pulled the trigger.
Gunshot deafened the small room. In the same instant Danny took his shot, Jacob grabbed her ankles and pulled her to the ground. He quickly rolled on top of her just as another shot resounded in the small space. An explosion rocked the house, and Danny bolted from the room. Becca gasped for breath, the weight of Jacob having knocked the wind from her.
“Jacob?” A sickening feeling churned in the pit of her stomach. She pushed Jacob off of her, laying him on his back. The rise and fall of his chest she’d come to rely on rose and fell no more. Blood seeped out from beneath him. Becca inched her way back until she hit the wall and buried her face in her hands.
A burst of gunfire forced her to set aside her grief and prompted her to act.
Danny will not take my life today. Jacob’s sacrifice will not be in vain.
Becca worked at opening the window. Below, a number of officers in tactical gear ran single file to the back of the house.
“Argh!” She used her pent-up anger and frustration to force it open, rewarding her with layers of paint cracking until it finally gave way. She pushed out the screen and watched it tumble to the ground.
Becca wrestled with the mattress until she finally had it lain over the windowsill and slid it out, landing on the roof below like she’d hoped. She took one last look back at Jacob’s still form.
“Thank you.” The words stuck in her throat on her way through the opening. She jumped.
Pandemonium surrounded the farmhouse. Smoke and clouds of dirt and debris made it almost impossible for Randy to see what impact the onslaught of bullets had ensued.
Chief gave the order to cease fire. An eerie silence fell upon the acreage as the dust settled, giving them a better look at the back of the house where the clapboard had been shredded and the glass shattered. However, there was no sign of Danny.
“Do you think we got him?” Randy’s pulse raced as he scanned the ruins for signs of life.
“Let’s find out.” Chief spoke into his radio. “Send a couple of men in full gear to investigate.”
Almost immediately two men ran forward in sync. Out from the rubble staggered Danny with gun in hand, a huge smile plastered on his blackened face.
“Freeze! Drop your gun!” The bigger man shouted out. Both men went down on one knee and took aim. “Drop the gun and put your hands up.”
“It’s been fun, gentlemen.” Danny spun on his heel and shot into the house. An explosion rocked the ground, and everyone ran for cover.
Randy looked over the hood of Danny’s car to find the entire back engulfed in flames and Danny nowhere in sight. Surely he didn’t survive that one.
“Becca.” Randy jumped to his feet and set off running only t
o be manhandled to his knees.
“I can’t let you go in there. We did the best we could, my friend.”
Chief’s words did little to console him. After everything they’d been through, to lose her like this.... Randy buried his face in his hands and choked on a sob, a gaping hole in his heart.
Chief’s radio sounded. “We’ve got her. We need the EMT stat to the east side of the property.”Alan spoke hastily.
Randy ran with the EMT to a cluster of men by the tree line. A smoking mattress lay off to one side. He pushed his way through the growing crowd and stopped suddenly. A plethora of emotions battled within him to find Becca lying on the ground. A few wisps of her once luxurious red hair clung to a badly blistered scalp. The rain suit she wore was literally melted to her side. Men in white uniforms worked quickly, bandaging her wounds and monitoring vitals.
An ambulance with its lights flashing crossed the property and stopped a few feet shy of them. The emergency personnel carefully moved her to a stretcher and covered her with a silver, quilted blanket. Randy forced his way through to where they lifted her into the back. He tried to climb up inside only to be dragged back by fellow officers.
“Get off of me!” He struggled to break free. “Becca!”
“You got to give them room to do their job.”
The chief’s voice of reason ended his fight. He watched in horror as one of the attendants inside pressed his hands to Becca’s chest and started pumping. In the next instant, the doors closed and the truck sped away with lights flashing.
If there was any doubt in Randy’s mind that he loved her, there wasn’t now. Never in his life had he felt so helpless. Tears slid down his face unchecked as he turned to face the chief. “I can’t lose her.”
His friend put an arm across his back and ushered him back through the crowd. “Well then we best get to the hospital and make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Randy’s time in the burn unit had to be the most heart-wrenching experience of his life. He’d seen more than his fair share of trauma, but nothing remotely akin to what he’d witnessed over the past twenty-four hours.
The double doors to his right burst open. The scent of burnt flesh assaulted him. A child being whisked in cried out for his mother to make the pain stop. A shiny, insulated pad like they’d covered Becca with cocooned the small body. Within seconds they disappeared through the same set of doors they’d wheeled Becca through what seemed a lifetime ago.
The thought of her in that kind of pain was enough to bring him to his knees. Thankfully they were keeping her in an induced coma. The fabric of the rain suit had fused with her skin compounding the severity of her condition.
Dr. Swanson walked down the corridor toward him. The physician removed his surgical garments and passed them to a nurse keeping pace beside him. He sat heavily in the chair next to Randy and rubbed his eyes. His silver hair looked like he’d just gone for a ride on a motorcycle without a helmet.
“How is she, Doc?” Randy had fully intended on letting him speak first.
“We’re going to keep her induced for now. The dead tissue and fabric has been removed, and I’m pretty sure she’ll need skin grafts to her upper arm and thigh. Right now our biggest concerns are infection and dehydration, which is why we’ve put her in an isolation tent and are pumping fluids in her intravenously. She fractured her tibia, but luckily the bone structure isn’t displaced. We’ve got her leg in traction so there’s no chance of anything shifting.” The doctor put a hand to the back of his neck and rolled his head around. “She’s got a long and painful road ahead of her, if she makes it.”
Randy went rigid. “What do you mean, if she makes it?”
He sighed wearily. “Her body has been through severe trauma. We’ll keep a close eye on her tonight and, if all goes well, we can eliminate the threat of her going into shock.”
Randy blew out a long breath, blinking his burning eyes. “I want to see her.”
“You won’t be able to go inside the tent. She won’t know you’re there.”
“I don’t care. The last time I saw her someone was pumping on her chest, and now you’re telling me she might not make it through the night.” His voice cracked. “I just need to see her, to know she’s really here.”
Dr. Swanson nodded, and his nurse led Randy to wash up. Nobody could pass through the doors without doing so, despite the fact he wasn’t going in the tent. Once scrubbed, he put on a gown and followed the woman to a small, glass-encased room.
“Push that button if you need me or when you’re ready to leave.” The nurse left him alone, closing the door firmly behind her.
Becca lay in a tent-like structure hooked up to several machines. Her entire body seemed wrapped in stark white gauze, only her red face visible.
“What I wouldn’t give to see those beautiful green eyes of yours.” Randy splayed his hands on the glass, praying she’d somehow feel his energy.
“You’re not alone, Red. We’ll get through this together, baby, if you’ll let me.”
He hung his head. None of it mattered if she didn’t survive the night.
If you harm one hair on her head... “Oh, my God.” Did I say that one time too many and somehow aided in it coming true? An overwhelming sense of powerlessness consumed him and he fell back in a chair. For the first time since he was a child, he closed his eyes and prayed.
Becca’s nurse convinced him to go home to shower and get some sleep, with the promise she’d call him if her condition changed no matter how little. At five in the morning, he rode into his garage. After a long, hot shower, he stretched out on his bed, but sleep eluded him. Every time his eyes closed, he’d see Becca lying in the hospital fighting for her life.
The clock on his bedside table read seven a.m. when he finally gave in to the call of the open road. He could think of no better remedy for his state of mind. On more than a few occasions, the magic of the wind had been his saving grace.
Half an hour later, he rode through the sleepy streets. All the tension in his body ebbed as it dissipated in the breeze that rushed around him. The phone in his shirt pocket vibrated, and he pulled over to the curb to answer it.
“Hey, Randy, I thought you’d be up. How about meeting me for a coffee at the hospital?”
He heard the exhaustion in the chief’s voice. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Everything’s alright isn’t it?”
“No worries. Becca is holding her own.”
Randy pulled out into the street and realized the chief didn’t really answer his question. If it wasn’t Becca, what could possibly be wrong? He reached the hospital and parked around back in the reserved parking for police and other government officials.
The sounds of the waking hospital greeted him. Nurses with carts delivering morning medication rolled down the otherwise barren hallways. Only a handful of people were scattered throughout the cafeteria. Staring off into space, seemingly deep in thought, Chief sat up against the wall at the far end of the room.
The heavenly scent of coffee lured Randy to the counter where he filled an extra large cup, black, desperate for the full caffeine effect. It wasn’t until his chair scraped against the tile that the chief looked his way with a start, slopping his drink down the front of his t-shirt.
“You know, it’s not nice to sneak up on people like that.”
Randy chuckled. “Who said I was nice?”
Chief scowled and made a futile attempt to rub the stain out with a napkin. “Becca’s nurse sounded hopeful she’s out of danger. Our Becca’s a tough one. I just hope she’s strong enough for the long road ahead of her.”
“With a little help from her friends, she just might be okay.”
Chief pressed his lips firmly together. He looked like he was going to say something but thought better of it. His expression grew serious.
“I have something to tell you....”
Chapter Thirty
After three weeks in isolation and a skin graft
to her arm and thigh, Becca was finally moving to a room of her own, which meant he’d be allowed to visit. The doctor was very adamant only one visitor at a time for no longer than fifteen minutes. He couldn’t stress enough how important her psychological well-being played in her recovery.
In just a few minutes Randy would actually see her face to face for the first time in weeks. He was prepared to keep positive and not bring up any topic that might upset her. He prayed she didn’t ask any questions he wasn’t prepared to answer, at least not right now.
Becca’s door opened, and her nurse stepped out. “You have fifteen minutes. She’s a little groggy from the pain medication. Remember, don’t upset her.” She waggled her finger at him like a protective mother.
Randy flashed a smile and inched his way past her into the room. Becca lay with her eyes closed, an angel swathed in white. The bandages hid the extent of her burns. He slowly made his way up to her bedside and gazed down on her.
Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked at him with such tenderness it brought tears to his eyes. He lightly pressed his lips to her cool forehead before stepping back to pull up a chair.
“It’s good to see you,” she rasped. Her gaze travelled to a bowl of ice on the table by her bed.
“Do you want some?”
She nodded slightly and parted her lips. The medication was obviously doing its job. In fact, she looked a little spaced out like she’d just smoked a joint. He tipped an ice chip off the end of a spoon and into her mouth.
“You don’t know what a relief it is to see your beautiful eyes.” Randy squelched the rush of emotion rising up in him. “Are you in much pain?”
She smiled. “Not at the moment.” Becca frowned as she eyed him up and down. “You look like shit.”
He laughed. “Now there’s my Becca. Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Killer Scents Page 13