by Amber Malloy
“What the hell is that?”
“Peanut oil. He’s allergic.”
“Will he die?” Britney asked. The chair she knocked over caught on fire.
“We have to go.”
Britney bent over his body to study him. “What about him?” Dale hadn’t stirred. Still unconscious, he fell forward. His face kissed the dirt-covered floor.
When they opened the door, the frigid temperature slapped her in the face. Cayden welcomed the cold air to shock some of the drugs out of her system. “We’ll leave the door open.” If Dale didn’t have a hand in this mess, then none of this would have happened. She didn’t feel that bad for him.
“We’re going to have to hurry,” Cayden said. With too much at stake, she feared what awaited them.
****
Nothing but white covered the rough terrain. Leafless trees made the stark landscape downright dreary. As flames engulfed one side of the house, Levi picked up his speed. Belle kept a good pace next to him.
Smoke billowed out of the broken-down cabin. A dry lump formed in his throat. So far, he had been able to control the increase of fear and panic that wanted out.
“Levi!” Next to a young girl, Cayden ran from the house.
He sprinted the rest of the way and scooped her up.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” the girl who resembled Shana chanted.
Holding Cayden tight, he kissed her all over her face. He had never been this happy in his entire life.
“We can’t use his truck, it’ll never make it down the hill,” Levi told them. The poorest out of his group, Greg always wanted the appearance of wealth but not the work. He had a SUV unsuited for the harsh Midwest weather, or even for his attempts at murder. “Come on, it’s a bit of a walk, but…” Once he felt at ease, he let her go. Cayden wore a thermal top that wouldn’t protect her against the frigid weather. Levi took off his jacket to cover her.
“You have to get Dale out of the cabin, he’s unconscious.”
“What? No,” he whined. Caressing her face, he considered snatching her up to run. “I don’t even like Dale, nobody likes Dale.”
“They’re trying to make him take the fall.”
Failing to see why he should care, Levi shrugged.
“Sheriff Cooper did it,” Cayden said.
As the pieces of this mystery finally fell into place, he pulled the sniper rifle off of his shoulder and handed it to her.
“The Feds are coming, but they’re not going to make it before Shawn and his deputies.” After he learned Cayden wanted to write about cold cases, he took a couple of military leaves and showed her how to shoot. It didn’t matter if the cases were old and most of her suspects were no longer alive, he just felt better knowing she could protect herself. Once they were done training, she became better than an excellent shot. “Got my six?”
“Always,” she confirmed that she had his back.
More than anything, he wanted to take her and run. “Go find a good spot while I save your idiot prom date.” He pulled her to his lips.
Cayden chuckled once she pulled away and took a couple of steps toward the trees.
“What about me?” the girl asked.
“You got that hunting knife, Levi?”
“Are you kidding me? She’s like what, fifteen?”
“Come on, it’s only fair. Britney needs a weapon.”
A bad idea if he had ever heard one, he rolled his eyes and reached into his vest. “Be careful.” Pulling out the bowie, he flipped the handle around.
The kid gave him a toothy smile and accepted the sharp blade. “This is so cool,” she squealed.
As Cayden grabbed her arm and pulled the girl into the forest, he whistled for Belle to follow them.
Chapter Forty-One
Expecting smoke, he covered his mouth and walked into the house. The fire blazed on one side of the cabin, and he could barely make out Dale’s body. He swung his shotgun over his shoulder and grabbed him under his arms. Too big to carry over his shoulders, Levi would have to dump him outside. The FBI could take over from there.
A guttural groan from the opposite side of the room made him drop the big doofus. Movement in the house forced him to touch his gun. He squinted his eyes to see past the smoke. Nearly unrecognizable, Greg swayed in the corner of the house.
“Kill … me.”
Swollen from head-to-toe with bumps, Levi searched his brain at what could have done this.
“No,” he told him. “I went to war, so I got enough shit on my conscience. How about I just give you a gun and let you go to town?” A snake bite may have had that reaction to his system, but the Midwest only had Gardners—nothing lethal.
“Can’t. I-I-I’m … Ca-th-olic.”
Levi inched a bit closer to get a better look. He honestly didn’t think Greg had much time left without medical intervention.
“Trust me, purgatory is the least of your worries.” A crunch under foot drew his attention. A hyperemic needle lay shattered on the floor. It suddenly occurred to him why Cayden stocked up on peanut products.
“I didn’t do it.”
“Yeah, but your inability to stop Bud made every girl who came after Shana your fault. The best I can do for is drag you outside, man.”
Friends before he could even remember, Levi wanted to feel something. Out of his old group of friends, he didn’t think Greg would betray him. Nevertheless, the asshole had every intention of killing Cayden to save his own skin.
“Leave … me …”
Without another thought, Levi turned away. He honestly didn’t give a damn about the lot of them.
Slipping his hands under Dale’s body, Levi realized the big lug was heavy. As he dragged Dale out, he left everything else in the cabin behind.
****
Without leaves, the woods offered little coverage. They had to hike up the hill.
“Is the hot guy your boyfriend?” Britney asked.
As they got on the ground to hide, Cayden dropped the arms of the gun and checked the sight. “It’s complicated.” She signaled Belle to get down. The dog took a spot next to her.
“Yeah, I have one of those.”
Cayden snorted. A teenage girl could relate to her relationship with Levi—a definite sign they were in trouble.
“Check the handle of that knife.”
Britney glanced down. “It’s a compass.”
“Right. If this gets out of hand, go north. I believe we’re at Gleason’s Pond, which means there’s a town a mile from here. Don’t look back, just go and take the dog with you.”
Britney nodded her head and slid a fearful glance at Belle.
“She’s cool.” Cayden chuckled. “She’ll probably save your ass faster than that knife will.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah, Complicated brought me here ten years ago to teach me how to shoot.”
“Wow, that’s a long time.”
Cayden heard tires on the snow. Ready to go, she looked through the scope. “Tell me about it,” she muttered.
An SUV pulled up to the end of the driveway and stopped. “Is that him?”
“Yep,” she whispered. Shawn and two other men got out of the truck. One of them she recognized as his brother-in-law from Park It Storage.
“They don’t look like deputies,” Britney whispered.
They weren’t, but Cayden didn’t want to scare the girl. It made no sense for the sheriff to get an outside party involved, so why would he bring them?
Not even the sound of birds penetrated the forest. The silence made everything worse.
“Here comes the hot guy.”
Levi dragged Dale out of the house.
“Thanks for doing the hard stuff.” Shawn nodded at Dale’s limp body. “Now, if you don’t mind.” He took out his gun and gestured for Levi to step away from Dale.
Always the most unreadable in Levi’s group of friends, Cayden never trusted the sheriff.
“You brought your brother and a cr
iminal, that’s sweet. Murder is a family affair in your household, I take it,” Levi stated. The other man who resembled Shawn seemed older and weathered.
“They know what Dad was about, and right now you’re carrying my ticket into getting Bud out of jail. Thanks for that by the way.”
“You can’t possibly think that freak will stop killing when he’s free.”
Shawn gave a deep belly laugh empty of humor. “Bud is the fire chief. It would be catastrophic for the community if he died in a fire, but I’ll help everyone get back on their feet when he does.”
“Like father like son, huh?”
“I’m just cleaning up his mess.” Shawn gestured toward Dale, who groaned.
“That would be true if you turned him in thirteen years ago, but we’re clocking four murdered girls later. At this point you’re worse than he was.”
“Dad always thought you were a self-righteous shit.”
“Coming from a murdering fool, I’ll take it.”
“Screw this, let’s just kill him!” his brother shouted. Shawn shoved down the gun his brother pointed at Levi.
“Cool out,” the sheriff hollered. “Where’s the black bitch? There’s no way you left her in the cabin.” Smoke rose from the house in big billows. Soon, it would be nothing but rubble. “Matter of fact, there’s no way she’s not around here.” Shawn glanced around the area.
Too low for him to see, she didn’t worry that he would catch sight of her.
“Shoot him,” Britney whispered near her ear. “Shoot him.”
“Go check out the forest. He’s got her hidden.”
His brother-in-law hesitated, which earned him a slap to the back of the head. “I said go check it out.”
The man mumbled under his breath before he headed toward them.
“Get on your knees,” Shawn said.
“You should go.” Cayden pushed Britney to run.
“No.” She slowly rose to take a look around. “That guy is just bumbling around … take the shot.”
“He’ll come over here when I do,” Cayden admitted, pissed that her targets split up. “Tell me when he comes running.”
“Shoot them all,” the girl hissed.
“I hate to do this to you,” Shawn said, “but I’m not living with this mess over my—”
Cayden squeezed off a series of succinct shots before he could finish. The first bullet knocked the gun from his hand. The sheriff fell to his knees while she hit him in the shoulder with another round.
“Belle, attacke!” she commanded the dog. The pit bull sprung from the ground and went after his brother next to him. Confused where to shoot, the man pointed the gun at the dog. Levi managed to grab the weapon at his ankle and fire off a shot before Belle took a chunk out of Shawn’s brother.
“Argh!” he screamed. Belle tried to rip off his arm.
“He’s coming!” Britney screeched. Cayden rolled to her side with the rifle and ripped off two more rounds into his brother-in-law. He fell face first onto the snow-covered ground.
“Let’s go.” She hopped to her knee and packed up the rifle before she took off down the hill.
“Belle, halt bewachen… No kill shot?” Levi asked once she joined him on the driveway. Cayden trotted up to the carnage with the rifle in hand. Belle stopped mauling the man to join them.
“We need him alive,” she told him.
As Shawn writhed in pain, Levi walked toward him. “Isn’t Cayden the best? She made sure you and your dirt bag brothers go to jail! Thank her.” Levi stepped on his injured shoulder. “I said, thank her.”
“Ow, you freakin’ bitch!” his brother hollered across the driveway. Britney kneeled next to his body, clutching the handle of the hunting knife that stuck out of the man’s hand.
“He reached for his leg,” Brittany confessed before she yanked the knife out, which elicited even more screams.
Seething anger poured off Levi. Cayden patted his arm. “We’re done, it’s over.”
Removing his foot off Shawn’s shoulder, he reached into his pocket. Levi read from his cell phone screen. “Okay, ladies, put the weapons on the ground and get down, the FBI is coming up the hill.”
Reluctantly putting the hunting knife in front of her, Britney got on her knees. Cayden passed the rifle to Levi after he searched Shawn and his brothers, then joined them on the ground.
Seven agents with weapons at the ready walked up the hill. “Levi Scott!”
“Present,” he yelled.
“Is Cayden Young and the girl with you?”
“Here,” Cayden said.
“I’m here,” Britney called out.
“We have men down, and the girl, sir,” the younger agent spoke into his walkie-talkie.
“Can I keep the knife?” Britney whispered from the side of her mouth.
“Of course not,” Levi hissed.
“Sure, sweetie.” Cayden ignored Levi’s quelling glance. “You’ve totally earned it.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Released until further questioning, they drove to Goosebay Lake in relative silence. Levi’s contact at the agency agreed to meet them at the resort later.
“Best-Selling crime writer E.G. Leighton’s identity has come to surface. Stay tuned for the unexpected famous person’s name, eight minutes after the hour.”
News and emergency vehicles were camped in front of his house. As Levi pulled into the circular driveway of the main resort, he turned off the radio.
“Something’s got to give.” In front of the employee entrance, he put the car in “park” and turned toward her.
“Yeah, I should probably stick to those fifty years or colder cases.” Cayden chuckled before she pushed a long curl away from her face. “These fresh ones will kill you.”
“No.” He reached over and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Us.”
“Oh…”
“We’re getting married,” Levi rushed to say. She opened her mouth to reply, but he covered her lips with his finger to shut her down. “I’m not asking. Maybe in a week, when we’re not freaked out about everything, but right now I’m telling you … that I’ve loved you forever.” Cayden’s lips curved up, nearly into a smile but not quite. He hoped the next thing he said would change that. “And I know why you’re mad at Deny and you shouldn’t be.”
He yanked her close to kiss her silly, or at least momentarily speechless, before he admitted how stupid he’d been. Moving his lips against her soft mouth with desperation, he promised himself he would never lose her.
“After my tour, I was fucked up and … I didn’t want you to see me that way. You deserved better.” He leaned his head onto hers, swallowing hard once he left the warmth of her lips. “If I didn’t push you away, you would have seen how pathetic I had become … so I just sped things along. And for that”—he pulled away to look into her eyes—“I was a coward.” Clearing the lump out of his throat, Levi continued. “You, more than anyone, didn’t deserve what I did, and I’m sorry.”
As she bit her lip, tears filled her eyes. “I heard you the first time.”
“When I visited you in the hospital?” he asked, surprised. “I thought you were asleep.”
She shook her head. “Trust me, I wouldn’t have come back if you didn’t.”
“Here I thought you just liked me for the dick.” He reached over to open the glove compartment and crowded her space.
“It is good dick,” she said, inches away from his lips.
“Great, because you’re stuck with it.” He pulled out the ridiculous ring he won fourteen years ago.
“The ring from the fair,” she whispered. “You got it back from cheer monster Meghan?”
Caressing the tips of her delicate hand, he slipped the plastic piece of crap on her finger.
“It was never hers,” Levi said before he pulled the love of his life back to his lips.
Chapter Forty-Three
Five months later
The publisher for Deep Waters intricately placed
banners and posters around the resort hall. Cayden stood in the doorway of the ballroom, positive they were in some sort of violation. She sighed. The place spilled over with people. On the last chapter of her manuscript, writer’s block hit her like never before.
“You seem annoyed and freaking stunning all at the same time.” Smelling faintly of Marc Jacobs’s cologne and hay, Levi kissed her cheek before slipping his arm around her waist.
They needed to get the resort ready for summer. More popular than ever, several news magazines clamored at their door.
“Last night we discovered Chesterfield’s teacher Ray Donahue’s remains.” The new sheriff took the podium. “He was found on St. Geneva’s former Sheriff Dwight Cooper’s land. His son, Shawn, and Fire Chief Buddy Longwood have been indicted on five counts of murder, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice…”
After the Sheriff of St. Geneva gave his updates on the case, the publishers scheduled a brief press conference to follow. Designed to be an intimate chat with her readers, it would run as a news piece for either 20/20 or 60 Minutes, she couldn’t remember which one.
“I’ve canceled the Q&A.”
“What are you so nervous about?” he whispered in her ear. “I saw your Ted Talk video and that was in front of thousands of people.”
“Not the same,” Cayden mumbled, afraid that she would throw up in front of everyone. The press bombarded the sheriff with questions before she left the hall. “Writer’s block.”
Levi’s former friends had planned to kill her then pin it on Dale. Once the FBI figured out the plan, they went over Bud’s life with a fine-tooth comb. Sheriff Cooper killed Shana, but the other girls were found on Shawn’s family farm.
A year ago, Sheriff Cooper passed away. Everyone speculated whether he helped Bud kill the other girls, but no one knew for sure. Neither Shawn nor Bud confessed to anything, let alone murder. Dale, on the other hand, gave up the intricate details from his father’s sex ring thirteen years ago without a bit of prompting.
While everyone else went to jail and charges were pending against Dale, Taylor ducked out of town under the cloak of the snow storm. In other words, she got hip to the warrants and didn’t want to be involved in the men’s fourteen-year-old crime. No more mayor’s council.