She smiled, a fake rictus, sarcastic, mocking. He was going to kill her anyway, what did it matter? Dan narrowed his eyes, leaned in to grind his mouth on hers. She clamped her teeth on his bottom lip. Dan yelped as she let go, wiping his mouth. Sarah smiled in satisfaction to see the blood on his mouth. His face twisted with rage.
‘Fucking bitch!’ And he slammed the butt of the gun into her temple, knocking her cold.
Isaac went over everything Jay and Flynn had told him over and over as he sped the car to the ferry terminal. No, they hadn’t seen Sarah leave the hospital, no, they hadn’t taken their eyes off of the entrance. Shit, Isaac cursed to himself, I should have been more vigilant. Gotten more bodies at every entrance. Seen this coming.
Molly sat beside him in the car, having insisted on coming with him. She stared out of the window looking out over the snow-covered city, sidewalks and roads starting to show through now the rain had started to fall. She felt Isaac take her hand. She gazed up at him, in her eyes a world of pain.
‘Do you think she’s already dead?’
Isaac looked over at her, took a hand off the wheel and took hers.
‘No. Absolutely not. Dan planned this meticulously. He’ll want to enjoy the moment.’
Molly swallowed. ‘So she’s not dead, she’s just going to wish she was.’
Isaac hoped that wasn’t true.
It was the singing that woke her. Angelic. Plaintive. Sarah slid back into consciousness. She lay there, unmoving as her eyes brought the room into focus. A room, not a car. She squinted, dust, water, something misting her vision. The room was hexagonal, dirty, obviously abandoned. The top of the lighthouse. Moonlight gleamed off the darkened lantern. She heard the insistent rattle of rain on the windows. The singing. It was the wind across the wires. Haunting. Lonely.
Lonely.
A cough, a moan. She started, turned her head toward the noise and gave a gasp. Caroline Jewell was tied to a chair across the room, blood streaking from her nose, down her chin. Sarah tried to say her name but found her throat too dry, too scratchy. She rolled over onto her stomach, pulled herself onto her knees. Her body ached, her clothes torn and bloody but flexing, she found nothing broken. She crawled over to Caroline and fumbled at the ropes binding her hands, wondering why she herself was not bound. She pulled Caroline free and helped her stand. She coughed, casting desperate glances around the room. There were two entrances to the lantern room, one from below – Sarah quickly realized Caroline would never make it down the steep ladders that led up from the ground – or the door to the lighthouse’s balcony. Sarah knew the staircase outside was shaky and decaying, prayed it would hold both their weights. She moved towards it, but Caroline held her back, gazing at her, her eyes watery and red.
‘Why are you being so nice to me?’ Her voice was a whisper. Sarah, surprised by the question, felt her face go red.
‘We don’t have time for this, Caroline…’
‘No. I won’t go anywhere unless you tell me why. You could have left me to die. Why didn’t you?’
Sarah sighed, edgy, frustrated. She tried to pull Caroline’s arm towards the door but Caroline held back stubbornly. Sarah shook her head.
‘Honestly? Because I want to believe that you’re not all bad. I don’t pretend to understand you, Caroline, or understand why you hate me so much. But I won’t let him ruin anyone else’s life. Caroline, look at me. We need to go now.’
She turned towards the door but stopped when she heard it. Caroline giggled. It was not the hysterical giggle of the terrorized, the shocked. No, it was something else. Victory. Sarah turned as Caroline started to laugh. The redhead’s face was exultant. She leaned forward, a nasty smirk on her face.
‘I got the joy, joy, joy, joy’ she started to sing and cackled at the confusion on Sarah’s face. Sarah stepped towards her.
‘Stop fucking around, Caroline, we – ‘
Another voice started singing now, male, but high-pitched, mocking, demented. Sarah’s breath stopped.
Caroline turned her head towards the darkest corner of the lantern room.
‘You can come out now…’
Sarah’s stomach disappeared as, smirking, Dan stepped out of the shadows.
‘Hello again, baby girl.’ Dan’s smile was friendly but his eyes bored into hers, flat and dead. Caroline was skittish, pulling at his jacket. He glanced at her, irritated, but she kissed him, oblivious.
‘Dan, Dan, Dan, I did good, huh?’
Dan turned back to Sarah, who was staring at Caroline with a mixture of horror and disgust. She shook her head at her long-time enemy, who grinned back nastily. Sarah narrowed her eyes.
‘I should have known…you really are a skank.’
Caroline was smug. ‘A skank that’s going to live to see the morning, bitch.’
‘Shut up, Caroline.’
She looked at Dan in shock. ‘What does it matter? She’ll be dead soon anyway.’
Dan didn’t speak but his expression made her quell. She stepped back from him and moved around the lantern into the darkness. Sarah heard her give a little whimper, a sob. Dan smiled at Sarah.
‘She’s right about that. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day?’
‘You killed Finn’ She hissed the words at him and he grinned and nodded.
She choked back a sob and Dan laughed. Gathering herself, she met his eyes.
‘Why?’
Dan laughed, sat down on the chair that Caroline had left. Sarah vaguely wondered what the other woman was doing, but her focus was on Dan.
‘Those last moments, when he realized what was happening, when I told him exactly what I was going to do with you, to you…were exquisite. His terror was never for himself, even when he was dying?’
Sarah was shaking, trying not to throw up. ‘Why not just kill me then?’ Her voice shook but she raised her chin, staring him down, ‘Why kill George? Finn? Why all of this? Why not just kill me?’
He smirked and she balled her fists up, tears threatening.
‘Answer me,’ she said. ‘Why? Why kill Finn? George? Even Buddy?’ Her voice broke and she could feel her mask slipping away. She heard Caroline laugh softly, and Dan grinned. He stood and walked to tower over her. He cupped her face in his hand, tightening his grip as she tried to pull away. He brushed his lips over hers, across the soft down of her cheek, until his mouth was at her ear. His voice was a whisper, a seduction.
‘Because it was fun.’
Her temper exploded and she threw herself at him, screaming all her anger, her grief, everything, pounding him with her fists, with every piece of strength she had left. Dan caught her and threw her back against the wall. The wall, iron, and wood, shuddered, the window smashed with the impact of her head hitting it. She clambered to her feet, ready to rush him again when Caroline stepped around the lantern, calmly raised the gun and shot her.
***
They’d abandoned the car in Seattle and Isaac had paid the first person he found with a speedboat to take them to the island. Above them he could see police helicopters racing to the island, all searching for Sarah. Steve, the new police chief, met them at the island’s small port, told them that the island was being searched with a fine toothcomb.
‘If he has her here, we’ll find them,’ Steve promised them but Isaac and Molly shared a look.
‘We need a car.’
Steve wasn’t keen on them going to search but one look at Isaac’s face told him he wouldn’t be able to stop this desperate man searching for his wife. With a quick glance at Molly’s face, he gave Isaac the keys to Finn’s police cruiser.
***
The bullet struck her shoulder, spun her around and Sarah slammed into the hard metal floor. The shockwave of the gunfire in the confined space made every sound, even her own groans echo dully in her ears. She clutched at the wound, blood gushing from the torn skin. She felt the collarbone shift under her touch, smashed in two by the bullet. The pain was nauseating. She kept her eyes pinned t
o Dan, though, despite her agony, watched him as in the ringing silence, he roared his disapproval and snatched the gun from Caroline’s hand, cuffing her hard across the face. Caroline’s laughter broke off and she gasped in pain, in shock.
‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’ Dan’s voice was ice. Caroline caught her breath and tried to smile.
‘I’m sorry, baby, I just thought…she was playing for time, I thought she was going to hurt you.’ She slid her hand up his chest. ‘The sooner she’s dead, the sooner we can get out of here, start our life together. All three of us.’ She ran her hand down her belly and smiled up at him, her gaze adoring, and so, so sure.
Dan smiled humorlessly. ‘Oh yes, Caroline, of course. Of course, that’s what’s going to happen now.’
Caroline frowned at the sarcasm in his voice and she hissed in frustration. ‘Just fucking kill her then. Get this over with.’
Sarah dragged herself up into a sitting position. Dan’s eyes met hers and she saw, with a sickening lurch, the depth of his evil as she realized what he was about to do. She shook her head at him, desperately. Dan’s hand moved and she shook her head, terrified now.
‘Dan, no….no…don’t.’ Her voice seemed like a whisper.
Dan smiled, triumphant, and pulled the trigger.
Caroline gasped, staggered away from him, looking down at her swollen abdomen. Blood bloomed out from the bullet hole in the center of it. She gaped at Dan, confusion, betrayal, in her eyes. Sarah couldn’t move, couldn’t make a sound, the horror of it both so real and yet unbelievable. Her ears ringing from the gunshot, she felt her body go numb as she watched Dan raise the gun again. Caroline held both hands up in front of her, pleading, begging.
‘Please…baby…no…’
Dan shot her in the face and Caroline dropped. Sarah cried out, horrified. Dan gazed down at Caroline’s body dispassionately. Sarah whimpered involuntarily. Dan’s head turned and she saw that whatever humanity had been in him was forever gone. He calmly reloaded the gun.
Sarah managed to get herself to her feet, bracing herself against the wall. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the corpse of the woman she’d been enemies with since childhood. The baby. The baby. Finn. George. Blood, so much blood.
Dan walked slowly around to face her. He was grinning but his smile was tender, this time, almost reverent.
‘Just you and me now, baby girl.’
And then he was on her.
Isaac tore through Sarah’s old house, screaming her name, even going deep into the crawlspace from where Dan had watched her all those months. Nothing.
He scrambled up to the hallway. Steven and Molly met him there, the cop talking on his cell phone. ‘They’re not at the Varsity or Caroline’s house. Caroline is gone too – I assume she’s helping him.’
‘Fucking bitch,’ Molly growled then when she saw the desolation in Isaac’s eyes, the hopelessness, she grabbed his hand. ‘Come on. They don’t get to win this.’
She dragged him outdoors into the night.
Dan shoved his hand against her throat, choking her but Sarah, furious as well as terrified, dug her fingers into his eyes, and Dan rocked back, yelling in pain. Sarah rolled away from him, scrambling to her feet
She scooted to the switch box and flipped every switch she could find. The vast lantern flickered into life. In its weak beam, she saw Dan slowly getting to his feet, his face a mask of pure rage. She tried to make it to the door but he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back to him. Her body fell hard against the iron floor, the back of her head cracking against a fire bucket, the rusted metal slicing into her scalp. She didn’t look at him, tears coursing silently down her face. Dan caught his breath and smiled down at her.
‘Time to die now, Sarah. It’s all over.’
He bent to kiss her – and she threw the sand she’d grabbed from the fire bucket into his eyes. It wasn’t much, less than a palm full but it worked. He roared, blinded, and she kicked with all her might, connecting with his groin. He folded in half and she was up, her legs shaking but the will to live sending adrenaline through her body. She grabbed the bucket and smashed it down on his head, then when he groaned and reached for his head, she kicked him again and again in the genitals. Dan grunted in agony and she couldn’t help smiling. She flung the bucket down at him and, darting around Caroline’s body, she dove for the door, yanking it open.
As she clambered down the outside stairs, it took her a while to register how cold it was, the rain sticking her clothes to her skin. Above her, Dan appeared in the doorway, the lantern casting him in shadow. She pushed every other consideration aside, one thought pounding her brain.
Run.
‘The lighthouse!’ Molly screeched at the two men, pointed towards the east.
They spun around to see the old lantern cranked into life, flickering weakly in the pitch darkness. Without hesitation the three of them ran, cutting through the woods to the lighthouse. Steve helped Molly up the hill, while Isaac went ahead, desperate to reach Sarah. He got to the door. Locked. He scooted around the lighthouse and started up the stairs. At the foot of the stairs, Molly stopped a confused Steve.
‘If he finds her and she’s…’ she couldn’t finish. Steve hugged her swiftly, understanding.
‘Come on. Best thing is to face whatever we’ll find together.’
They followed Isaac up the staircase, seeing him reach the top and disappearing into the lantern room. Steve was helping Molly onto the balcony when Isaac, his expression one of utter despair, came out of the room and threw up. Molly covered her mouth, trying not to scream.
‘Oh no…no…please, not Sarah.’
Acting quickly, Steve turned to her. ‘Stay out here.’ He ordered, making her look at him. She nodded, going to Isaac and rubbing his back as he choked and gasped for air. Steve was back in seconds, his face an echo of Isaac’s. He shook his head at Molly.
‘Not Sarah.’ He seemed to have trouble swallowing. ‘She’s gone. There're signs of a struggle, there’s blood, a lot of blood but I don’t know if any of it is hers.’ He sucked in a breath, and he and Isaac exchanged a look.
‘Let’s head towards town, if he’s taken her somewhere or she’s running, it’ll be that way.’ Isaac’s voice was steady now. He started down the stairs. Steve shepherded Molly down behind Isaac. At the bottom, Isaac took off, they heard him shouting Sarah’s name. Steve took Molly’s hand and they ran after Isaac. Molly glanced at Steve’s still stricken face.
‘Steve? What is it? What did you see in there?’
Steve didn’t answer. Molly touched his arm, seeing the horror in his eyes.
‘Steve? Steve…who was it?’
Steve swallowed, not meeting her eyes. ‘Caroline.’
Molly recoiled. ‘The baby?’
‘Yes.’
Molly turned and threw up as Steve looked out into the darkened woods and wondered how the hell much worse this night could get.
Sarah ran around the lighthouse, heading straight for the woods below. Blood from her arm dropped onto the snow, a trail straight to her. She could hear his shouts, his rage - ‘You fucking bitch!’ – as she stumbled her way into the wood. She saw light coming from the other end of wood – just a faint glimmer but it gave her hope. She was almost free.
Isaac plunged into the wood and sped, his eyes searching, searching, searching. The sound of a man’s voice, an angry man, a raging man, screaming her name. Dan. I’ll find you, you fucking bitch! A sudden lightness lifted Isaac’s heart. She was escaping him, she was running. She hadn’t given up.
‘SARAH!’ Isaac screamed her name, praying that she heard him, that she knew he was coming for her, that he would save her. ‘Sarah, I love you, run!’
He pelted off in the direction of Dan’s voice that was still cursing her still threatening her. Isaac hoped beyond hope that she heard his, Isaac’s voice, a voice of love as well as the vitriol Dan was spewing. Sarah, I love you, I love you.
Then he heard it, her voice,
her wonderful beautiful voice. ‘Isaac!’ His heart felt about to burst.
Then a gunshot split the night air.
She wasn’t sure she had heard right, the sound was still so far away. Her name, her name being shouted on the wind. ‘Sarah! Sarah, I love you, run!’
Isaac…Isaac was coming for her. Her body flooded with warmth, she turned in the direction of his voice and began to run. Mistake.
Dan tackled her from the side and they rolled together, Sarah desperately fighting him, his hands everywhere, grasping, hurting. She fought, fought like hell but Dan was too strong, grabbing her wounded arm and twisting it until she cried out in pain.
Dan straddled her, grinning
‘It’s all over now, Sarah.’
He took her t-shirt between his hands and ripped it open. She could feel the icy cold of the snow against her bare skin. Dan pulled the gun from his waistband and aimed it at her, running the muzzle of the gun from her throat down to her navel.
‘Shame we’re going to have to rush this. I was going to use my knife but we don’t have time so a bullet or two or three will have to suffice.’ His voice was sing-song, the look in his eyes pure bloodlust. She curled her left hand into a fist and smashed it as hard as she could into his face. He laughed and grabbing her arm, stood and smashed it down over his knee. She heard the bone snap. The pain was excruciating and she whimpered, unable to keep it in. Nausea roiled through her, dark spots started to swim at the corners of her eyes.
He rammed his face against hers. ‘Does it hurt? If you think you’re broken now, Sarah, you have no idea. You’ll beg me to kill you before the end.’
All at once, Sarah was furious, beyond furious.
‘How fucking dare you?’ she whispered. ‘How dare you play God with other people’s lives? Deciding who lives and who dies. Destroying other people’s lives on the whim of your fucking ego. You’re pathetic.’
The Billionaire’s Lighthouse Series: A Billionaire, Bad Boy, Romance Page 97