It was times like these she missed her brother most. Quiet moments of desperation still crept up to invade her normally calm demeanor and forced her to seek a substitute. A poor replacement for meaningful conversation with Reese, the television mocked her isolation.
Apparently the kidnappers had disposed of her phone to avoid being tracked. Caden had said they couldn’t ping it. Otherwise, she’d worry they might call her folks in a ruse to gain information. Since the rental didn’t have a landline and she didn’t want to burn up Caden’s minutes, the call to her parents could wait until morning. Not to mention the fact that waking them would create instant panic.
Since Caden’s number was programmed as the first contact and he’d sworn to be a light sleeper, she decided to take him up on his offer of late-night conversation.
He answered before the first dialing tone ended. “Kaylee? You all right?”
“Um, yeah, I’m fine.” Getting right to the point might spare his patience. “I just keep thinking I’m missing something.” Odd, instead of TV sitcoms in the background, she heard soulful crooning arias amid the backdrop of droning crickets.
Reese would have identified each anthem in the dusk-to-dawn soundtrack while identifying respective outdoor critters.
“We got his face. We have his DNA. If he’s in the system, Matt will let us know. Either way, we’ll find him.”
“I appreciate all you’ve done.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” I hear the hesitation.” Concern twinned with frustration before the silence stretched out. He could wait her out.
“Investigator’s instincts?”
“Kaylee...”
“I keep getting the feeling that I’m being watched. Did you feel like that after your ordeal?”
“Still do, sometimes. I try to face a little of it each day.”
She imagined him sitting on his patio drinking a beer with his feet propped up.
A slight hesitation suggested he held something back. “If not for your eye for detail and experience in photography, we wouldn’t have as much as we do. We will find them.”
Their conversation wended through old times despite few shared experiences. No amount of chocolate or wine could calm a restless soul, yet an hour talking with Caden settled her fidgeting demons. Similar experiences in white-water rafting and sketching phenomenal views on long hikes colored their conversation. Melding into that, brotherly high jinks described the McAllisters’ close relationships in a way that made her long for a large family. When her clock chimed in the background, she realized how long they’d been talking.
“You sure you don’t want me to come over?”
“No, and I think I’ll let you get to bed. Maybe whatever is bothering me will come to me in my sleep.”
“All right. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The soft disconnect sucked out all the warmth she’d begun to feel, replaced with a cold and calculating foreboding. Maybe she should take his suggestion and get a dog. It wasn’t like she had to report to an office. The companionship would be great as well as lend a certain amount of security. A big German shepherd would be great.
Her sight line to the kitchen and both bedroom doors verified no one lurked in the near shadows, which left the depths of the bedrooms Caden had already inspected—so why did she feel so edgy?
After rinsing her cup in the sink, she trudged to the bedroom and debated on how many lights to leave burning during the night. Before slipping under the covers, she checked her Ruger with its seven-round, single stack magazine, full and properly seated. As much as she wanted to put it under her pillow, her father would have a cow at the thought. ‘Either sleep and leave it in the nightstand or stay awake and search out your threat. You’re never helpless.’ But that was how she felt.
Ten years in Pennsylvania law enforcement failed to chip away at his black and white approach to life despite losing his son. What the tragedy had cost him in pain, reformed into controlling concern in each aspect of her life. The circumstances of Reese’s death had taken a toll no parent should face.
She expected to toss and turn until dawn, but exhaustion claimed its due while the full moon sank toward the horizon through the narrow gap in her curtains. The small swath of light cut across the floorboards and reminded her of the bars she’d seen that last time she woke.
Chapter Seven
Minutes or hours could have spanned the distance between closing her eyes and fear filling her soul. Wispy webs of a nightmare cleared quickly when a low squeak jarred her awake. Either the back door opened or her subconscious was being a bitch.
Either way, the cold comfort of her handgun would lend strength.
She’d followed her normal routine of leaving the bedroom door open to hear any unusual noises around the house. Whether her imagination was making a sick joke or her kidnappers had found her, she’d face either demon.
Her heart pounded. Goose bumps prickled her nape. She’d have the upper hand since she was a good shot.
The bilious acid scalding her throat reminded her of waking up in the cage, not a memory or place she wanted to revisit. Lifting the covers and quickly scooting to the bedside, she reached for the nightstand drawer and her pistol.
The stillness in the air didn’t preclude her from picking up the unseen malevolence which quickened her breath. Instincts had always served her well. Now they screamed a warning to run.
Sudden movement in the doorway.
Large.
The living room backlit the thug lunging for her hand. Her fingers closed around the pistol as the bastard slammed the drawer shut on her wrist. Pain spearing up her forearm forced a reflexive yank that freed her hand, but the gun wouldn’t fit through the narrowed opening.
Breath seized in her lungs with the agony shooting up her arm. Did she imagine the crunching sound before the prick’s satisfied grin filled her mind?
“Oh, no, bitch. We’re gonna finish what we started. Love your case of shocked shitless, by the way. I’ve been anticipating it all day.” He slammed the drawer shut.
Breath reminiscent of pigs and tobacco assaulted her senses at the same time it whispered terror in her ear.
Face to face, he sneered his superiority. “Can’t say I mind the wait. Now we’ll have a comfy bed instead of a dirt floor. Hope it’s a pillow top.” His moment of gloating coincided with his other hand’s vicelike grip on her breast.
He squeezed.
She screamed.
His gloating equaled her window of opportunity. The advantage came in the form of a self-defense move a police officer taught his kids as youngsters in defense of bully tactics. With all her strength, she aimed her kick at his nuts.
An enraged howl filled the small bedroom as one hand cradled his groin, and the other supported his weight on the mattress. A slow-motion roll ended with him lying on his side.
“Fuck the big plan.” Hissed through clenched teeth. “I’m changing the program just for you.” His swipe to grab her ended in a near miss that sent the lamp on her end table crashing to the hardwood. Terror bred speed as she scooted to the other side and dodged another lunge.
Outside, she heard a door slam. “Huh, you brought one of your partners? Man or a woman?”
The prick kneeled up between her and the nightstand. She was no physical match for the crazed brute, which left running as her only option. Ambient light glinted off ceramic shards on the floor while a hobble-step facilitated a sliver’s removal embedded in her foot. Most likely, the second thug approached from the back, which would leave her running down the street and praying for some late-night traffic.
Weakness and a bloody foot caused her to slip on the hardwood floor, necessitating athletic contortions to stay upright. Grabbing the bedroom’s doorframe steadied her flight. In the living room, a quick glance around revealed no other presence. Yet. The back door hung open.
If she made it to the street, she could lose him in the shadows then weave a twisted path toward the city. Dressed in skimp
y clothes, it wasn’t an ideal plan, but the best she could devise. She searched her memory for the closest sanctuary.
Booted steps thundered behind her as she thumbed the deadbolt to the front door. Just as she pulled on the handle, a meaty fist thrust over her shoulder and slammed it shut. A bulging forearm slammed her head against the adjoining drywall. With her right hand useless, she had no leverage but flipped the light switch in scrabbling for purchase.
Her garbled scream echoed in the room.
“Kaylee?” Caden yelled.
The bastard caging her stumbled off balance as the door opened slightly under a greater force. Unmitigated rage radiated from the air surrounding them.
“Fucker. I’ll have her yet, and in a way you’ll never see coming.” The intruder used his weight to close the door while crushing her against the wall.
She didn’t have time to gather her wits before the assailant fisted her hair and stepped to the side. Using his other hand in the small of her back, he shoved her into the oncoming freight train of Caden McAllister.
“Ahh.” Air left her lungs in a painful explosion.
“Later, bitch. I know everything about you.” His sneered threat promised pain.
The thug’s words trailed her slow-motion free fall in space.
“Oh God.” The tangle of limbs saw Kaylee thrown back with flailing arms in a worthless effort to regain her balance. Her left hand snagged something soft over a hard frame, the intruder’s mask. Tightening her fingers pulled the knit cover off. A flash of stained teeth and white sclera materialized into her kidnapper’s face, filled with rage.
Caden growled a curse but couldn’t stop his forward momentum.
Tunnel vision narrowed her focus to Caden’s face, then his eyes, the depths of which she’d never fathom. The altered time perception allowed her to glimpse the violet striations around storm-darkened pupils. Sounds became white noise, elongated syllables without meaning. Each slight nuance of her body’s position change registered as if recorded in a daily journal.
The detonation of pain in the back of her head chronicled the last page.
Vaguely, she accredited the elephant-worthy burden landing on top of her as Caden. The weight squeezed her lungs, and the last things she heard included Caden’s curses while the intruder’s boots drummed toward the back door.
Confusion. Darkness.
Distant voices grew in volume yet made no sense. Her eyes refused to open. Taking mental stock of her body, she realized everything hurt and couldn’t stop the groan rumbling from her chest. Something pricked the inside of her right elbow before a streak of cold slithered up her arm.
“Kaylee? Can you hear me?” Caden’s voice. Worried.
Not now, I hurt.
Cool air brushed her arms and legs, the resultant shiver a reminder she wore a tank top and skimpy boy shorts. In Caden’s presence.
“Cold.” As if conjured by wishful thinking, a scratchy blanket stretched from her feet to cover her waist.
Someone lifted her eyelid and flashed a bright light in her eye.
Prick.
“She’s starting to come around.” A vaguely familiar voice.
“Hmmm, Caden?” This time her eyes opened on command. Shapes blurred into indistinct outlines of bodies. “Fuzzy.” She lay on something soft, a type of foam, but not her mattress.
“Yeah, we’ve always thought so. Damn, bro, you’re right. She is a good judge of character.” The cajoling tone, smooth and kind, sounded more distant. Lucas, one of the older brothers, slapped Caden on the back.
Cutting her gaze to the other side, Matt stood behind the paramedic taking her blood pressure. Someone examined her front door, another officer headed toward her bedroom.
“What happened?” The last thing she remembered was talking to Caden on the phone before going to bed. Now there was a small army in her living room.
“You sounded so—wary on the phone, I figured I’d hang around down the street.”
“At restraining order distance.” Matt snorted.
Caden ground his teeth. “She’s proven to have good instincts. I trust them. Turns out they were right.”
“You were outside in your car?” The thought brought a warm rush of comfort, but confusion hindered her ability to smile.
“Yeah, no biggy. In my line of work, well, I do a lot of stakeouts.”
“You have the ultimate stalker, Kaylee, but he’s harmless. Kinda like a cat.” Lucas grinned at his younger sibling.
“Hmm, a two-hundred-pound blind cheetah,” Matt grimaced as he looked around.
“More like an ocelot, sought after for its appearance,” Lucas added under Caden’s narrowed gaze. “We loosen his leash occasionally to humor his human delusion.”
“I remember waking up and hearing a noise. I knew someone was in the house.”
“No sign of forced entry. Either he picked the lock or had your keys. He probably trailed you before the kidnapping.” Lucas glanced at his younger brother. “Then, Caden knocked you down and unconscious.” The quip earned him a shoulder punch. “After which—he invited your intruder to leave—without bothering to look at his face after you were kind enough to remove the mask.”
Caden glared at his older brother. “Asswipe, what do you want to come back as—in your next life? At least we have something to use in tracking.”
“No. That’s not...” Pain in her right wrist fogged her mind. “I—I don’t remember.”
“Rest now, Kaylee. You’re safe.” Caden took her left hand in his, linking their fingers. Glancing over his shoulder, he asked, “I’d just called it in. How’d you guys get here so quick?”
“Matt asked the uniforms to do a frequent drive by. One called in the fact a car door was hanging open down the street, the vehicle abandoned. We ran the plates and figured you were in trouble—again. Lucas returned his attention to her. “How’re you feeling, Kaylee?” His brows knitted in concern, scrutinizing her face.
“My wrist hurts. I was trying to get away. I opened the door and—’
“Caden happened. In all his glory and suaveness,” Matt murmured.
“Yeah, Caden. Looks like the only way you can get a woman under you is to bowl her over. Good move.” Lucas’ quip was answered with Caden’s snarl.
“Leave it, Luc. She’s had a hard go of it.” Caden smoothed the back of her hand with his thumb. “We’re going to take you to the hospital. Two head traumas in quick succession means you’re gonna stay for observation this time. I’ll stay with you.”
“At least her warranty is still good, despite the perp’s transfer of ownership.” Lucas winked at Kaylee.
“Caden—a perp? Never thought of him like that. Maybe you should maintain a small barrier, bro, for her safety. Say like...legal stalking distance?” Another voice, unknown, joined in the brotherly banter. “Considering that you, you know, are the cause of her injury this time.”
“Billy, knock it off.” Caden hissed as a paramedic briefly urged him aside.
“Hmm, wish I had a big family of pain-in-the-ass brothers.” She smiled to take the sting out of her words, squeezing Caden’s hand to convey her gratitude for his presence. Raising her right arm, the movement revealed a splint on her wrist.
A strap tightening across her waist and restricting her movements caused a momentary struggle.
“Easy, sweetheart. It’s just the paramedic securing you so you don’t roll off the gurney. I’m really sorry.” Caden shook his head. Self-disgust etched lines in the shadows under his eyes.
“Caden, did you at least pick up anything about the bastard?” Matt opened the door so emergency personnel could wheel the stretcher outside.
Once over the threshold, red strobe lights flashed on the vehicle. She shivered in the cool night air with only the thin blanket covering her.
“He fit the description and sketch of her kidnapper.” Caden scrubbed a hand across his jaw’s bristle as he kept pace beside her.
“I think I saw his face, just for a sec
ond.” Kaylee closed her eyes in trying to recreate the memory. The outline of a head shimmered in her mind, the edges vibrating with each jolt of the stretcher’s journey across the yard. She couldn’t grasp the boundaries long enough to force them into a distinct shape.
Predawn light spilled over the treetops to lighten the atmosphere as the ambulance doors closed. It was going to be a long day.
Chapter Eight
“Well?” Listening to his subordinate’s excuses over the phone raised Hale’s blood pressure with each uttered syllable. Reminding himself of how difficult it was to find good help didn’t settle the seething frustration in his chest. Not only was the girl worth serious money with her long hair and fresh face, but she was also a witness they needed to take out of circulation.
“I had her. Then her boy toy showed up. Didn’t know he was around.”
“Yeah, let me get this straight. You failed to acquire the photographer, and you were identified by another?” In his mind, Hale pictured the dirtball’s surprise when confronted with Caden’s fury. Even two to one odds might not have overpowered the shutterbug’s rescuer. Besides, getting involved on this level wasn’t his responsibility.
“I don’t think he saw my face.” Hesitation communicated unspoken words. “How’d you know they swiped my mask?”
“Doesn’t matter. Now they’ll have your DNA, your identity. We have to move a little faster unless you fancy a lethal injection.” Hale wondered if the bastard had used a condom when raping Ciera. He hadn’t paid attention to that detail in the video. Chances were strong it’d been a bareback ride.
“They’ll have no body. We moved the rich snatch.”
“True, but don’t you think a photographer who’s had a look at your face, twice now, could draw a decent likeness? That plus any forensic evidence found will nail you.” From the safety of his car, Hale watched as red lights flashed in front of the small bungalow one street over. Maybe the snafu would prove advantageous.
Bound By Shadows (The McAllister Justice Series Book 2) Page 7