by Harley Tate
The woman snorted. “You could say that. The ungrateful little brat had the nerve to be born.”
Melody’s eyes went wide and her tongue turned to bricks in her mouth. “She was your daughter?”
“Yeah. Guess I finally don’t have to worry about whether she’ll turn me in to the cops.” The woman snorted. “Not that the cops ever listened to Danielle anyway.”
The door to the room beside them opened and Melody jumped. Her army escort appeared and waved her inside. Danielle’s mother watched from the hall, the faintest hint of relief on her face.
Melody couldn’t believe it. She knew Dani had a rough upbringing, but if that witch of a woman was her mother, Melody felt for the girl something fierce. Colt rescuing her had been the best thing to happen to Dani in a long time. Melody hoped like hell her emergency wound dressing staunched the worst of the bleeding and that what she told Dani’s mother wasn’t true.
Dani needed to live. Not just for Colt’s sake, but so she could show that worthless mother of hers what survival looked like.
Melody sucked in a lungful of air and stepped into the room where the escort waited. A waiting area opened up before her with two chairs and an end table in between. At one time, it must have been a reception room for a student dean or a professor.
Through another open door, Melody caught a glimpse of a desk, chair, and a large man barking orders. His gray hair glinted in the overhead light and Melody clenched her fists. Jarvis. It had to be.
After a moment, another soldier scurried out and the man inside waved her in. She stopped a foot away from a massive wood desk.
“Thank you, Sergeant. You may go.” The soldier scurried out the door as fast as a human could go.
The man behind the desk stood, his broad shoulders eclipsing the rows of books behind him. A professor’s office for sure. He skirted the desk and stuck out a meaty hand. “Colonel Malcolm Jarvis. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Melody mustered up a smile. “Melody Harper.” Sweat coated his palm and Melody resisted the urge to wipe hers on her jeans as she pulled away. “I wanted to thank you for rescuing us this morning, sir. I don’t know how you knew we were in trouble, but words can’t begin to express my gratitude.”
Jarvis swelled under the praise and lowered himself onto the edge of his desk. He perched like a cat who just swallowed a canary whole. “No thanks necessary, my dear. My men were doing their jobs.”
“Well, they earned my support.” As soon as the words came out, she knew she’d made a mistake. She tried to smile.
“Was there ever a time we didn’t have it?”
“Oh, no. I just meant that you’re definitely doing a great job here.” She glanced around the room and tried to swallow the massive lump in her throat. It didn’t budge. “I’m still in a bit of shock to be honest.” Melody leaned closer and dropped her voice. “It all happened so fast. Nothing like the movies.”
Jarvis’s big, booming laugh broke the tension in the room. “No, the gritty reality of army life is nothing like they show on TV, is it? Not that we’ll have to worry about that much anymore.” He motioned toward a chair. “Sit, get comfortable.”
Melody eased into one of two upholstered chairs and dug her fingers into the soft chenille. “Any sign of the man who held us hostage?”
Jarvis stared at her for a moment before answering. “How much do you know about him?”
She shook her head as if she didn’t know. “Not much. The girl called him Cole or Colt or something like that. He seemed to know his way around weapons. Always had one on him at all times. Threatened me with a handgun.” She swallowed like it took effort to tell the story. “He even put it up to the side of my head.” Melody touched her temple. “Right here.”
Jarvis nodded. “Colt Potter is a very dangerous man. I’m surprised he didn’t threaten anyone else.”
Melody offered another rehearsed story. “We think he might have killed Gloria’s husband. Mr. Wilkins. He ran the bookshop in town. One day he just didn’t come home.” She glanced up, fear in her eyes. “Do you think he could have done such a thing? Is that how he knew where to find Gloria’s house?”
“It very well could be.”
Jarvis leaned forward and Melody caught the faint smell of men’s cologne, all cedar and musk. She forced her spine to stay rigid as the colonel took her by the hand. His eyes rose up to meet hers, so close she could make out a ring of brown in his blue eyes.
“Tell me, Melody, what were you doing at your neighbor’s house to begin with? You have to know visiting is against the rules.”
She swallowed and let the tremor in her hand echo across Jarvis’s palm. “Gloria isn’t well. Early Alzheimer’s. I was afraid if someone didn’t watch her, she would wander off and not know how to get back home.”
He smiled and her skin crawled. “How noble of you.”
“What you’re doing is the noble thing. Helping our town and keeping people like me and Gloria safe. That’s the real heroic work.”
Jarvis ran his thumb across the back of Melody’s hand in a caress. “How about I ask my chief of staff to bring us dinner in my private quarters? We could get to know each other better.”
Bile hit the back of Melody’s throat and she struggled not to grimace. “I don’t want to waste your time. I’m sure you’re super busy.”
“Not so busy that I’d ignore a beautiful woman like yourself. I’m sure it’s been a while since you’ve had a hot-cooked meal, right?”
“It has, but…” Melody used her free hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. She had to get out of there. The way Jarvis leered at her and stroked her hand only meant one thing, and Melody had no desire to take part.
He leaned even closer. “Or we could skip dinner and go straight to something a little more… satisfying.”
A sharp double knock sounded on the exterior door and Jarvis dropped Melody’s hand. He stood up and she let out the breath trapped in her lungs.
“What is it?”
“Sir?” The same escort from before poked his head around the door. “We’ve got a problem.”
Chapter Twenty
MELODY
University of Oregon Campus
Eugene, Oregon
6:00 p.m.
The second Lucas Shaw’s sandy hair appeared in the doorway, Melody knew her life was about to go to complete and utter crap. She stood up, backing away from Colonel Jarvis and the desk and toward a credenza full of some former professor’s files. He was probably dead, just like Melody would be if Lucas’s self-righteous grin was deserved.
Captain Ferguson, the soldier in charge of the ambush at the Wilkinses’ home, led Lucas into the room. Lucas was so smug and sure of himself, practically beaming at Melody. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out.
Instead, she held herself still, arms clasped in front of her as she waited. Running wasn’t possible. Neither was screaming for help. The only people around were loyal to Jarvis. She had to hang her hopes on a man without a backbone whom she never trusted.
Colonel Jarvis focused his attention on Captain Ferguson. “This better be good. I said no interruptions.”
“This man has information about Colt Potter and your guest, sir.”
Jarvis waved him off. “I’ve already heard it. You’re wasting my time.”
Lucas’s mouth fell open. “You know she’s a traitor?”
Jarvis raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t give you permission to speak.”
Lucas paled and Melody ground her teeth together.
The captain continued. “He claims that Colt, this woman’s brother, and the other woman’s husband are all alive and working together. They were never hostages.”
“Is that so?”
Lucas hesitated, eyes darting back and forth.
“Has someone cut out your tongue? Speak!”
“Y-Yes, sir. That’s right, sir.” Lucas pointed at Melody. “Whatever she’s told you, it’s a lie!”
“How do you know this?�
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“Because I saw Colt this morning! He was at Melody’s house with her brother. When—” Lucas paused and glanced at the soldier beside him. “When Captain Ferguson led the raid on the Cliftons, I went to Doug’s house. I wanted to know what he knew, what he had planned.”
“So far, all I’m hearing is that you broke the rules.”
Lucas swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I didn’t trust Colt. Harvey rescued him and that girl a few days ago. They’d been hurt really bad in some run-in with your men. Melody’s the one who patched Colt up!”
Jarvis turned his attention to her. He stared, a new appraisal in his eyes. “Is that right?”
Melody didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t dare even breathe.
After a moment, Jarvis resumed his interrogation. “What happened next?”
“They all worked together, the Wilkinses, Melody and her brother, Colt and the girl. Planning.” Lucas became more and more animated the more he spoke, outlining all the events that led up to that morning, highlighting all the times Melody agreed with Colt. “She wanted to go across the street and stop your men. She wanted to bust the door down and save Angela and John.”
Jarvis’s lips curved in near-amusement. “Why didn’t she?”
“Colt wouldn’t let her. Said it was a suicide mission. That if they were going to take you down then they needed to pick their battles.”
Now Jarvis laughed, not as throaty and raucous as before, but almost as loud. “Take me down? Potter actually said that? I’d like to see him try.”
Jarvis asked a few more questions, drilling down into the details of the past twelve hours. At last, he seemed satisfied. He stepped away from Lucas, navigating around the chairs to stop in front of Melody. “It seems you’ve taken a few liberties with your facts, Ms. Harper.”
She swallowed, her throat so scratchy and dry spit stuck to the sides. She coughed. “Lucas only wants to save himself. He’s a selfish bastard.”
Jarvis tilted his head. “Are you saying he’s a liar?” Jarvis smiled. “Should be easy enough to prove. My men could head back to the house right now. If that girl’s body is right where you left it, then we’ll know you’re telling the truth. We can bring it back here for safekeeping. Her mother might want a funeral, after all.”
Melody swallowed. There was no way out. If she insisted Lucas was lying, Jarvis’s men would go back to the house. If Dani was still there, they would kill her for real. If she wasn’t, then Colt and Doug would be in danger. She didn’t know what to do.
At last, she exhaled. “Lucas is a bastard, but he’s not a liar. This time.”
Jarvis nodded and turned back to Lucas, who practically preened. “Is there anything you’ve left out? Any detail you haven’t mentioned?”
“No. I’ve told you everything I know.”
“Good.” In one fluid motion, Jarvis unholstered his sidearm and brought it up to arm-level. He fired a single shot. The bullet hit Lucas Shaw directly in the left eye and exploded out the back of his skull. Blood and brain matter flew in all directions, splattering everything from the walls to Captain Ferguson to Melody’s shirt.
Lucas stood, suspended for a moment like a marionette on strings, before crumpling to the floor in death. Screaming filled the air and it took Melody a moment to realize it came from her. She clamped her hands over her mouth, smearing Lucas’s blood all over her cheeks and lips.
Ferguson wiped a sleeve across his face. “What should I do with her, sir?”
Jarvis holstered his gun and turned to Melody like he’d just dispatched a pesky fly, not a human being. “Put her in the hole. A few days in the dark ought to soften her up.”
The captain ran his tongue over his lip, licking off flecks of blood. “Can we have some fun with her first? I’ve got a few men who are eager for a little action.”
Colonel Jarvis sneered. “Of course. Use one of the rooms in building C. They’re all set up, right?”
Ferguson nodded and turned to Melody.
She scrambled back, bumping into the credenza and toppling over a chair as she tried to get away. Ferguson reached for her, but she dodged, sending the other chair crashing to the ground. She couldn’t let him catch her. She couldn’t let—
Boom!
A gunshot rang out and Melody froze.
Jarvis pointed the barrel straight at Melody. “I’d hate to ruin a pretty face, but next time, I won’t miss.”
She stood still as the captain took her by the arm.
Jarvis eased around the desk and sat down as if his office wasn’t trashed and there wasn’t a dead body oozing blood into the carpet. “On your way out, tell the sergeant to get in here with a cleaning crew and fix this mess.”
“Yes, sir.” The captain dragged Melody to the door, side-stepping the darkening floor.
“Oh, and Ferguson?” Jarvis waited for a moment. “As soon as you’ve had your fun, take another team out to the house. Burn it down.”
“Yes, sir.”
Melody paled. They were going to burn Gloria’s home? She thought about all the years Harvey and Gloria lived in that house. The massive oak tree in the backyard.
Oh, no. What about Lottie and Will?
This is all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on doing something about Angela and John…
Colt and Doug would have been home to help in the ambush. Maybe they wouldn’t have been attacked at all. It would have been a fair fight. Dani wouldn’t have been shot. Lucas wouldn’t be dead. She frowned and let the soldier steer her back the way she came.
Everything that happened that day was because she wouldn’t let it go. She’d been too busy worrying about her neighbors to think about her own family. To think about the Wilkinses or Colt and Dani. Now poor Lottie would be on her own.
Will would never see his grandmother again.
Dani might die.
Melody wallowed in a flood of pity and despair, dragging her feet along the corridor a step or two behind the captain. He jerked her toward a set of double doors and she stumbled.
“Perk up, buttercup. You’re about to catch the last glimpse of sunshine you’ll see for a long, long time.” He shoved the door open and hauled her down a short flight of stairs. Instead of sun, they were met with clouds and mist. “Aw, guess it’s not your lucky day, is it?”
He laughed to himself and dragged Melody across a parking lot to a squat building on the edge of a grassy quad. “The spoiled little brats who went to this school used this as a dorm. But we’ve done some repurposing since we’ve taken it over.” He leaned in toward Melody’s cheek and she shied away. “You get to be the first.”
She risked a glance in his direction. “The first for what?”
Ferguson’s eyes gleamed with lust and menace. “You’ll see.” He hauled her up another three steps and slammed his fist on the solid metal door.
It opened after a few seconds. “What is it?”
“First recruit. The colonel wants her to have the works. No holdbacks.”
The soldier manning the door stared at Melody and her stomach rose into her throat. “I’ll put her in room five. The double on the first floor.”
Ferguson smiled. “Perfect.” He shoved Melody forward and as she passed, he smacked her on the ass hard enough to hurt. “See you soon, sweet cheeks.”
As he eased down the steps, he raised his voice. “Remember, officers get first dibs!”
The soldier at the door dragged Melody inside and let the metal slam an inch from her face. His pupils dilated in the dark. “You’re a lot prettier than I expected.” His tongue darted out between chipped front teeth. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun with you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
DANI
Harper Residence
Eugene, Oregon
8:00 p.m.
Hushed voices filtered into Dani’s consciousness and she struggled to make sense of the words.
“And you really think that will work?” She would recognize Colt anywhere.
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bsp; “I know it will.” A young voice. Maybe Will? “They never patrol the area by the transportation department. Once they siphoned the gas from all the busses, it became a ghost town. You can get in and out no problem. Before Granddad made me stay home, I checked it out.”
Dani moaned and a hand pressed against her forehead.
“How’s her temperature?” Another man. Doug?
“No fever. The antibiotics seem to be working.”
“If we ever see my sister again, thank her. If it weren’t for her knowledge about animal medicine, I’d never have given someone fish antibiotics.”
Dani groaned and peeled one eye open. “I won’t sprout gills, will I?”
Colt chuckled beside her. “No. But you will heal from a nasty wound. It’s good to have you back.”
She opened her other eye and blinked away the crust. They weren’t in the Wilkinses’ house anymore. “What happened?”
“After the ambush?”
She nodded.
“We checked to make sure the coast was clear and retreated here to Doug and Melody’s place.”
“Where’s Melody?”
“You don’t remember?”
Dani leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. “It all happened so fast. Soldiers flooded into the house from the backyard. We only had the one rifle. I told Mrs. Wilkins to go pick vegetables from the garden and pretend not to know anything.”
“Then what?”
Dani took a few shallow breaths before continuing. “Then they busted the door down and shot up the place. At some point, it all went blurry. Men swarming, Melody leaning over me. Massive pressure on my shoulder.” She reached up to feel, but dropped her arm with a wince. “That’s all I remember.”
Colt leaned over and Dani watched him peel back a bandage on her shoulder. “Round is still in there. It’s not a through-and-through. I haven’t stitched you up because I have to fish out the bullet. If I don’t, you might die.”
“Why couldn’t you do it while I was unconscious?”