His arms whipped around her.
She stepped back, but he was too strong. His arm snaked around her and before she could move, the other hand smashed against her nose and mouth with a rag. Ether. Trying not to breath, she struggled. Couldn’t move...his...ha..n…
CHAPTER 2
Billy hit some keys on the keyboard and watched the monitor.
A noise above his head drew his attention.
Theresa must be back. That couldn’t be right. She’d only left...he looked down at his watch. Oh, it had been more than three hours. Only seemed like a few minutes.
But that’s how it was when he worked.
He stood and stretched his six foot four frame. He twisted to relieve the tension in his back. Old age was creeping in on him, inch by inch. The truth couldn’t be denied, even if he refused to admit it to anyone but himself. Each year his black hair grew more speckled.
But Theresa was a good wife and a good nurse. Thanks to her prodding, the two of them lived a healthy lifestyle—most of the time anyway. Except for when she wasn’t watching him.
Turning away from the bank of computers, he walked toward the sliding glass door that kept this area climate-controlled. It was overkill, no doubt, but it gave him peace of mind to know that his computers were in perfect humidity and temperature.
He walked past his home theater and up the basement steps.
From the outside his home looked like a simple log cabin, but inside it had more technology and gadgets than Fort Knox. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much.
He opened the basement door and walked into the ultramodern kitchen he’d designed for Theresa.
Two men in masks stood in front of him.
His mind went numb but only for a split second. He charged toward the closest one.
The man aimed a gun at him. “Don’t come any closer.”
Billy kept charging.
An explosive boom and then a flash whirred out of the gun barrel toward him. He turned away but not quick enough. The impact of the bullet threw him backwards to the floor.
“I said to stop. Don’t make me shoot you again.”
Billy took deep breaths. Focus on the man and the gun, not the pain in his arm. Through clenched teeth, he said, “What do you want?”
“I want you to listen to me. I know you’re a tough guy, but I also know you love your wife. And you wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt her.”
Theresa. The man was talking about his wife. He focused. “Where is she?”
The other masked man inched closer to him. “Let me stop that bleeding and we’ll talk.”
Billy’s gaze flew to him and then to his bleeding arm.
“Don’t try anything or you’ll regret it.” The shooter commanded. “I know you’re going to want to fight, but remember we’ve got Theresa. My advice is to let him help you and then we can talk? Agreed?”
Billy nodded.
“I couldn’t hear you. I want you to say the words.”
“Fine. Go ahead and stop the bleeding.”
The man closest to him leaned down and pressed a towel on the side of his arm. “Keep pressing. The bleeding should stop.”
With his uninjured arm, Billy took the towel and pressed. He looked at the shooter. “Where’s Theresa? What’s going—”
“I’ll ask the questions. I’m the one in control. Remember that.”
“Maybe so, but if I don’t call my friend in the next few minutes, the police will be here soon.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just what I said. I was on the phone with him when I heard the noise up here. Told him I’d call him right back. If I don’t, he’ll call the cops.”
“You’re lying.”
“You want to take that chance?”
CHAPTER 3
Glass shattered followed by a scream—his wife’s.
Dylan Monroe looked up from his computer screen. Modern farming included software, spreadsheets, and numerous apps guaranteeing better productivity, not to mention a great way to keep up with new research.
It wasn’t his grandfather’s way of farming any longer.
Smiling, he recognized her scream as one of frustration not pain. Sounded like it came from the kitchen and that could mean anything. Who knew what she was doing in there?
Reggie had decided to become the perfect wife.
Whatever that meant.
Her decision hadn’t been going well. First she planted an herb garden. It withered to nothing but weeds because she’d overwatered and over fertilized. Then came the quilting. The results were worse than the herb garden. Her fingers had looked like she’d wrestled with a porcupine for weeks. Now she was determined to do some canning.
He clicked the save button on the computer and stood. Better go see what happened.
He walked in the kitchen.
Broken jars littered the floor. Reggie knelt amid red liquid and clumps of tomatoes, picking up shards of glass. Long black hair hid her beautiful face. He reached down and caressed her thick black curls.
He couldn’t believe she’d actually married him. He’d never have thought it possible the day she crashed into him with her cute little red sports car. God had blessed him that day. “What happened, sweetie?”
She brushed the hair out of her face revealing tears. Using her hands, she moved from her knees to a standing position. “I’m worthless. That’s all there is to it. Worthless.”
He tousled her hair. “That’s a ridiculous thing to say, Reggie Meyers Monroe. You are not worthless. You’re the most precious thing in the—”
She swatted his hand away. “Don’t.” She glared at him. Her hands moved to her jean-clad hips, her eyes narrowed challenging him to disagree. “Do not patronize me. I can’t do anything right and you know it. ”
He stepped back as he dropped his arms to his sides. “What’s wrong? Really.”
“What do you mean?” Her hands moved in a circular motion encompassing their kitchen and the tomato covered floor. “I can’t even can a few measly tomatoes correctly.”
“It looks like you did to me.” He took an appreciative sniff. The tang and saltiness of freshly canned tomatoes made his mouth water. “It smells like you did an excellent job, too. Got any left? You know how I love tomatoes.”
“But I dropped them.”
“Accidents happen.” He hid the smile that threatened. “It’s no big deal, Reggie. So, you dropped a few jars. It happens to everyone.”
“Really? Have you ever seen your mom drop twelve jars of freshly canned tomatoes on the floor?”
Twelve of them—that was bad. No wonder she was more frustrated than a catfish in the desert. He shrugged. “Probably.”
“When?” She demanded as if he was the witness and she the prosecuting attorney.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember specifically, but what difference does it make anyway?” He moved in to hug her but she backed away. “You are not in competition with my mother, sweetheart.”
Her hand fluttered through the air as if hailing a cab. “That’s what I thought. Of course, she’s never done anything so ridiculous. She’s perfect.”
“She’s not perfect, and besides they’re just tomatoes. There’s no reason to be this upset. Accidents happen. There’s plenty more tomatoes to can if that’s what you want to do.”
She ran a hand through her hair, mixing tomatoes with it. “Never mind. I don’t understand why you love me? I can’t do anything right, not even can tomatoes.”
This conversation was getting more bizarre by the second. He needed to get her mind off the ruined tomatoes and on to something else. “Joni called. She wants you—”
“Joni would never do this.” She pointed a finger at the mess.
“Regardless of what you think, my sister and mom aren’t without their faults. I remember one Thanksgiving dinner when Joni—”
“Maybe not, but they’re a lot more perfect than me.” She threw her arms up in frustration. “You deserve a much be
tter wife than me.”
He sighed. “I don’t want a better wife. I want you” He winked at her.
She glared at him and marched toward the paper towel rack. He reached for her shoulder but she shook him off. “We’ve been through this before, I didn’t marry you because you could can tomatoes or plant’em or grow’em. I don’t even care if you help me pick’em. I married you because I love you. You are a sweet and loving and wonderful woman.”
She swiped at the tears on her cheeks and managed to smudge more juice on them. She looked adorable, but she wouldn’t welcome the compliment at the moment. “Let me clean up here and you go take a bath and relax. Then, we’ll do something fun. Time for a road trip. What do you say to an overnight trip?”
She stared down at her hands as if noticing the red goop for the first time. She grimaced. “My mess. My problem.”
“We’re married. That makes them my problem too. Remember for better or for worse.” He leaned down and scooped up a handful of squished tomatoes from the blue tiled floor, juice dripped through his fingers. “Oh, stop being so serious.” He moved his hand into a pitching position.
“Dylan Monroe, don’t even think about it.” A hint of a smile cracked her tomato-covered face.
He advanced toward her. “Too late. I’m already thinking about it. Now the question becomes will he or won’t he?” Another step. “You have a choice. Go take a bath or...” His hand moved up as if he were ready to toss the tomatoes at her.
She stepped back. “You wouldn’t dare.”
He chuckled an evil laugh. “Oh, wouldn’t I?” He lobbed it toward her.
She ducked and ran down the hall.
A moment later his arms encircled her waist. “Gottya.”
She turned toward him. His mouth found hers. When they separated, he smiled at her. “I have a better idea and it doesn’t have anything to do with a road trip.”
“Really? What a surprise.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
He scooped her up and carried her across the threshold.
CHAPTER 4
After her shower she stood in front of the mirror, using her fingers to untangle her long black curls. Dylan had taken a second shower and disappeared—as usual. The man couldn’t sit still for more than a minute at a time.
She opened her closet wondering what to wear for their surprise road trip. He wouldn’t tell her where they were going. Her eyes landed on her “lawyer clothes.” It had been a long time since she’d worn them.
A farmer’s wife didn’t need power suits.
Most days she wore jeans and sneakers. Sighing, she closed the closet.
Her lips quivered as she remembered the doctor’s words. It was time to find something useful to do since motherhood wasn’t going to be happening any time soon.
She walked out to the kitchen expecting to see her handsome husband. No Dylan. Her gaze dropped to the floor, all clean and shiny, reminding her of another messy kitchen floor he’d cleaned when they first met.
The phone rang. Must be Dylan, somewhere out on the farm using his cell phone to tell her he’d be right back. No doubt, some emergency to take care of first.
Her hand shot out and grabbed it. “Hello.”
“Hi, Regina.” Billy’s booming voice came through the phone. “I hung up on Dylan a minute ago. Didn’t want him to be worried about me. Everything’s fine. Tell him I’m sorry I hung up on him and I’ll talk to him later.”
“He’s—”
“Just give him the message.”
“Bill—” The line clicked off. She stood staring at the phone.
Dylan’s best friend wasn’t usually so abrupt. In fact, he loved to talk. Billy’s phone calls always lasted fifteen to twenty minutes and that was with her, then Dylan would be next on the phone.
The door opened and Dylan walked in with a smile. Standing over six feet tall with curly brown hair and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, he could still take her breath away after more than a year of marriage.
“Who was on the phone?”
Still holding the phone, she shook her head and put it back in the cradle. “Very weird. It was Billy. He said he was sorry he hung up on you.”
A look of confusion crossed his face. “What else did he say?”
He reached out and put his arms around her. She didn’t move away. Instead, she sank into those strong dependable arms. God had been so good to her when He’d brought Dylan into her life.
He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. “Sweetie, can you tell me Billy Clyde’s message again?”
As she repeated it word for word, Dylan nuzzled her neck and said nothing for a few moments. His body tensed. Then, he moved several inches away but still kept his arms around her.
“I’m going to need to cancel our road trip.”
She blinked at the sudden change in his voice and demeanor. “What do you mean?”
“Something came up. I’ve got a problem, but I want you to go have some fun for a few days. Go up to Cleveland with your friends, visit some museums, and go to some of those fancy restaurants that buy my ridiculously expensive morels.” He pushed her away and stepped back. “Have a good time.”
Her insides turned to gelatin. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They’d never spent a day apart since being married let alone a night. Maybe, Dylan wasn’t handling the news as well as she thought. Her lips trembled. “You want me to go without you?”
He nodded. “I do.”
“Are you upset with me?”
“Don’t be silly. Something came up and I’m going to be busy for the next few days. But there’s no reason you can’t go spend time with Alexis and Jeffrey.”
“What do you have to do? A few minutes ago you were free to go away for a few days and now you’re not.”
“It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of it and see you in a few days.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen.
She stared after him, wondering what he wasn’t telling her.
CHAPTER 5
This place would do. All she wanted was a room. Reggie pulled into the motel parking lot halfway between Fredericksburg and Cleveland off of I-71, not far from her old condo.
The condo she’d lived in when she met Dylan. Where she’d pretended to be happy until Dylan charged into her life like a knight in shining armor, rescuing her from all her sadness and loneliness. Not to mention a crazed killer.
Now she knew real happiness, thanks to Dylan as well as her new relationship with God. What a joy that was. She took a deep breath and opened the car door.
After registering, she took her key card and her small suitcase to the room. Then she went back out to the car for her the food she’d picked up on the drive. Taking care of her diabetes was second nature to her. Happy-sad-sick-healthy-however she felt, whatever was going on in her life, the diabetes always came first.
The one constant in her life.
It used to be the only constant, but her life changed so much since she met Dylan. Not only did she have Dylan but his wonderful family. What an amazing Christian family they were. Not to mention the teeny town of Fredericksburg.
Sure, she didn’t exactly fit in with them all the time, but they were good people.
The lights flashed green as she slipped the key card into the slot. Reggie opened the door and walked in the room. She sniffed—a slightly stale odor. Nothing fancy, but it was clean and it would be perfect for what she had in mind.
Dylan wanted her to go have fun with friends, but she had another idea in mind. She had a lot of questions and some time alone with God might give her the answers she needed.
She loved Dylan and loved being his wife, but it was a different sort of life than she’d ever envisioned for herself. It had never occurred to her that she’d be an unemployed farmer’s wife.
God must have a plan for her and she wanted to discover it. Her plan had been to be a lawyer and enjoy the amenities of big city living—fine dining, theater, and art openings.
Some days, she felt like a fish out of water in her new life in Fredericksburg.
****
A carp jumped up beside Dylan. His hands tingled and he wished for a fishing pole instead of the gun he carried in his waistband as he motored down the Potomac River toward Paw Paw, West Virginia—toward Billy Clyde and Theresa.
Billy Clyde’s message had been clear. Reggie hadn’t heard the hidden message in his friend’s words, but he had. Something was wrong—he just didn’t know what it was yet.
But he aimed to find out.
Trees hovered on both sides of the river forming a canopy to keep the brutal heat of the day away. They hid the towns and cities he knew were there. He took a deep breath, enjoying the rich earthy smells of the woods and the river. The scene would have been perfect except for the fact he was sneaking down the river to find out what was wrong at Billy Clyde’s.
Not to mention he’d just sent his wife away from their home, and she had no idea why. He’d seen the confusion in Reggie’s eyes when he’d told her to spend a few days in Cleveland, but it was better for her to be up there while he checked out the situation down here.
If he’d told her he hadn’t called Billy Clyde and hadn’t hung up on him, Reggie she would have insisted on coming, and then she’d be in danger. This way, she might have hurt feelings but she’d be safe and having fun with her friends in Cleveland.
Hurting her to keep her safe was the right thing to do.
He only hoped she’d forgive him. The vision of his wife’s sweet smile came to mind. Of course, she would. Reggie loved Billy Clyde and Theresa as much as he did. She would want him to help them.
Knowing that eased his guilt—a little.
The rented speedboat was the perfect way to sneak in. Driving up to the gate and ringing the buzzer to announce his arrival didn’t seem like the best idea under the circumstances.
No way was he busting in with guns drawn into the isolated log cabin without knowing what waited for him. It was hard to imagine someone was able to breach his friend’s security around the hidden cabin nestled against the edge of the state park. Billy Clyde had pulled out all the stops when he’d designed his safe haven.
Killer Reads: A Collection of the Best in Inspirational Suspense Page 86