Deadly Bonds

by Anne Marie Becker

  “Some hero, using a defenseless woman as a shield,” Holt said. “Since you’re so powerful, come out and face me like a man.”

  Chad snorted. “She’s not defenseless. And she’s not the woman I thought she was.”

  Sara was looking toward a door only a few feet away. Good girl. Watch for a chance to escape. But the door was under the stairs. He doubted it led anywhere significant. Maybe a basement? Still, if she could lock herself inside until Max arrived, she’d have a better chance of survival.

  “This is between you and me, Chad.” Holt refused to put the killer at a glorified level by calling him Toxin. He was plain old, delusional Chad White. “You’ve wanted my life all along. You can’t take it because I’m still living it.”

  The spark in Chad’s eyes flared. “You were supposed to be dead by now. You don’t deserve your life. You don’t deserve them.”

  “And you do?” Holt edged to the side, hoping he could get the other man to switch positions with him if they circled. It might give Max a better angle with which to take down Chad. But Chad only held Sara tighter, causing her to wince. “You won’t be able to win over Theo,” Holt continued. “He’s a smart kid. He wouldn’t trust you.”

  “He already does. He was playing video games with me just a half hour ago, just like we’ve done online for weeks.”

  The thought of this man anywhere near his son filled Holt with rage, but he kept a lid on it. “He ran into my arms outside. He and the other two boys are with the police. Looks like they caught on to you pretty fast.”

  Sara smiled, her eyes filling with tears of relief.

  “Only because of her—” Chad yanked up on Sara, his arm threatening to choke off her air supply. Holt’s grip on the gun tightened, but he was still several feet away. Chad could snap Sara’s neck in a blink if he made one false move. With his free hand, Chad reached behind him for the door. “Does this go somewhere?”

  Sara tried to nod, and he loosened his grip slightly. He pulled open the door, still keeping her between Holt’s gun and his body, then pulled her inside.

  * * *

  Sara would have one shot at freeing herself. Holt would never risk shooting her, and Chad knew that. The closet was her salvation...or, rather, the hammer she remembered seeing hanging on a pegboard just inside was her salvation. As he dragged her inside, she used one of the moves Holt and Max had taught in the self-defense seminar, making herself dead weight as she thrust her elbows out and up to dislodge herself from his grip. Caught off guard, Chad scrambled to get a grip on her as she grabbed the hammer and came up swinging.

  “Sara, move!” Holt’s shout seemed as if it came from far away. “I can’t get a clear shot. Just get away from him.”

  She swung her hammer and hit soft tissue, but in the dark closet, she couldn’t see clearly. Chad yelped and a rush of air like the sudden creation of a vacuum indicated he’d dropped to the floor.

  She stumbled backward out of the closet. One of Holt’s arms came around her waist, pulling her beside him, and then tucking her behind his solid strength. Her muscles felt jittery, and she gladly moved behind him and the big black gun.

  “Come out with your hands up,” Holt shouted. There was a rustling of clothing in the shadows, and then...nothing. “Is there really another way out through there?” he asked her.

  “No. It’s a closet.” The front door opened, but Holt kept his attention on the closet door ten feet away.

  “Need any help?” Max Sawyer asked, his gun trained on the closet as his gaze swept the foyer, assessing the situation.

  “Chad’s in there. Sara says it’s a closet.”

  Max took a flashlight from his waistband and aimed it at the doorway, then stepped closer to inspect the space. “Shit.” The space was empty. Chad—Toxin—was gone. Holt stepped forward and pulled a string that brought a bare bulb to life.

  Sara gasped. “The crawl space. I forgot all about it.” A square opening near the floorboards was just large enough for a man to squeeze through. The board that had served as a barrier had been set to the side, leaving a gaping hole with more darkness beyond. “Chad knew about it because he upgraded our wiring. He knows this place from top to bottom.”

  “I’ll walk the perimeter again and see if I can find where he came out,” Max said. “Stay with her and keep watch in case he comes back this way.”

  Once Max was gone, Sara turned and folded herself into Holt’s side. His shirt was wet with melted snow, but she didn’t care. He was warm. Alive. His arm came around her, while the other kept his gun at the ready, in case Chad should pop his head out of the hole like a whack-a-mole.

  “Are the boys really with the police?” Sara asked.

  “Yes. They’re all okay,” Holt assured her. “I watched them leave for the station.”

  “Oh, thank God. Then they’re nowhere near here. What about Becca? She took off after Tox—” She shook her head. “She was chasing the guy we thought was Toxin.”

  “Noah’s found her by now, I’m sure. It looked like she and Brady ditched the cars in the storm and it turned into a foot chase. Chad set Brady up to take the fall again. He sent her that text.”

  “He said you were dead.” Moisture pricked at her eyes.

  With his free hand, he cupped her cheek. “I have too much left to do, so I refused to die.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Chad never did stick his head back out of the hole,” Sara told Becca as she sipped a hot cup of tea at Holt’s house hours later.

  It was nearly two in the morning, but she couldn’t sleep. The relief that her friend was okay, combined with the adrenaline rush from a roller coaster of a night, had left her both giddy and exhausted. Gripping the mug was possibly the only thing holding her together right now. Worry for Holt, who was still out with law enforcement looking for Chad, threatened to rip her apart.

  “Max found tracks in the snow that led away from a rear door to the Academy’s kitchen,” Sara said. There had been another square hole in the kitchen, where the crawl space let out.

  “I’m just glad nobody was hurt.” Becca absently touched the strap of the sling that encased her left arm. She’d tracked Brady for nearly an hour until she’d caught up to him trying to break into an empty lakefront home. Without her cell phone, which had gotten lost in the snow back at the site of the car wreck, she’d had to cuff Brady and march him back toward a populated area where she could finally make a phone call. Brady was in custody for attempted murder, among other charges. He claimed to have no idea who had hired him—that it had been a random job from a twisted referral source. He insisted he certainly wouldn’t have worked for Toxin.

  Sara said a silent prayer of gratitude. They’d all come through the night relatively intact. “Even Roscoe’s okay, thank God.” The head veterinarian of the CPD K-9 unit had been called in to check out Roscoe, who was spending the night in an animal hospital to ensure his safe recovery. Sara had been assured they would receive a call the moment he woke up. She could pick him up in the morning if he was well enough by then.

  Becca smiled. “I’m so glad. The kids at the school seem to love him.”

  “He’s become a sort of mascot.”

  “How are Theo’s friends?”

  “Neil and Jeremy are safe with their mother. Another thing to be thankful for.” Claire had burst into the police station like a mother lion soon after Sara had arrived. She’d hovered over her boys, and couldn’t seem to stop touching them. There was always a hand on their shoulders, their hands, their heads, as they answered Noah’s questions. Damian and Noah had agreed that, since they weren’t the primary targets, Claire, with a police escort, could take the boys to her sister’s home an hour away.

  Sara took another fortifying gulp of hot tea. “The only thing left is to make sure Max and Holt are safe.” They were still out t
here, along with the CPD, looking for Chad. The storm had let up, but the roads were still treacherous.

  The sound of a key in the lock and the front door opening had Sara running for the living room. She exhaled in relief as Holt walked in. Without taking his eyes off her, he closed and locked the door then bridged the gap and caught her up against him. His arms were like steel bands and she reveled in the feeling of security, until she felt the tremors shuddering through his body. Sensing he needed to be held, she gripped him tightly. After a moment, she pulled away to inspect him. She ran her hands over his arms, relieved to find he was in one piece, but exhaustion lined his face. “You’re okay. Did you catch him?”

  His gaze shifted to Becca, who came up behind her. “No, but we’ve set up shifts so we can get rest and hit the search hard in the morning.”

  Becca nodded. “I’ll do the same, and give you guys some space. Damian set up a guard for out front again, and one to roam the little alley out back too. Call them if you need anything. See you in a few hours.” With a salute from her good hand, she let herself out. Again, Holt locked and bolted the door.

  “How are you?” he asked Sara.

  She gave a short laugh. “Sore, but not anything a hot soak wouldn’t cure.”

  Holt’s gaze searched the hallway beyond Sara. “Where’s Theo?”

  “Sleeping, finally. That call from you really helped put his mind at ease.”

  “I didn’t want him to worry. Sorry it was so short.” His hand brushed her cheek. “I wanted to talk with you too.”

  “I understand.” He’d been busy at the time, and his son needed him more than she did...or just as much, anyway.

  “Still, I wanted to hear your voice. Hold you.” His hazel-gold eyes raked her face. “In fact, I don’t want to let you out of my sight. It seems all of my senses crave you.”

  “You need rest.”

  “Then I’ll have to settle for holding you all night...or at least for what’s left of it. But once I hold you, I won’t be able to let go.” He cupped her cheek. “I’m talking about more than tonight, Sara.”

  Her breath hiccupped in her chest. “What about Theo? And Elizabeth? The baggage...”

  “Are any of those things issues for you?”

  “No, I love Theo, and I love you. And I think Elizabeth would understand.” The last of her concerns faded. She was completely in love with Holt Patterson. Always had been and always would be. There was no point fighting it any longer.

  “I feel the same.” He touched his lips to hers and the weight of the world evaporated. The kiss only lasted a moment before he pulled his mouth away and took her hand. “Come with me.”

  Holt led her up the stairs, stopping to peek in on Theo, who was sleeping soundly in his bed. He pulled Sara to his bedroom, shut the door and pulled her into his arms. Burying his face in her neck, he shuddered and held on as if she were a lifeline.

  “Holt?”

  “I almost lost you and Theo forever.” His words were hot against her skin.

  Sara wrapped her arms tighter, absorbing his shaking. “You didn’t. We’re here.”

  He pulled back just far enough to look into her eyes. “Because you were smart enough not to trust Chad White.”

  Not until it was almost too late. “We’re okay. We’re safe.”

  “It’s not enough.” His gaze held hers. “I want you with me, always. I meant what I said. I love you. Theo loves you. You belong with us. Please stay.”

  Her tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips and his gaze hovered there. With a groan, he pulled her against him and kissed her. His hands ran down her back, then moved still lower to cup her buttocks. He molded her against him from chest to thighs.

  He tasted like coffee laced with sweetness. He took his coffee with two sugars. One morning, would making him coffee with two sugars be part of their routine together? No, not one morning...every morning. Starting this morning...but not for a few hours yet. She smiled against his lips.

  He pulled away to look at her. “What?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes?”

  “I’d love to be part of yours and Theo’s lives. Forever.”

  * * *

  Holt inhaled a deep breath through her hair. The familiar smell of her, the feel of her body pressed to his...it was so right. This was what he’d been denying himself for so long. He’d almost lost his second chance at happiness and he didn’t intend to let go anytime soon. Not ever, in fact.

  Elation filled him like helium in a balloon, lifting the heaviness from his heart. Careful of her sore leg, he backed her toward his bed. Soon, it would be their bed. The way she was looking at him, her face so close he could see the indentations by her eyes as she smiled up at him, brought other things to mind. The little details about her that he hadn’t been able to get out of his head since the last time he’d held her close stirred his longing. Details like her knowing smile and the way her body felt sliding over his in the dark, how her soft hair had brushed his nose and cheek as he inhaled her sweet scent. It was an ache that only Sara could ease. He forced himself to take it slow, treasuring her as he peeled her clothing off one item at a time.

  She did the same with him. “Tit for tat,” she said with a wicked smile.

  Skin-to-skin, they fell back onto the bed. He braced his weight so he wouldn’t land full force on top of her. She seemed just as hungry for him as he was for her. After months of denying himself a full connection with Sara, he was downright starved for every drop of her. He wanted to bury himself in her heat forever.

  Her lips were so hot they burned him from the inside—they traveled over his mouth, down his neck, across his chest. Exquisite torture. Her hands joined the fray. Teasing, touching, stroking, she heated his skin until he thought he might combust.

  Tit for tat. She arched against him as his hand stroked down her side, his thumb pausing to circle her nipple. As his mouth took over her breasts, his hand continued exploring along the arc of her hip, stopping at her uninjured knee to bend it. He positioned himself to enter her, delaying the sweet torment a few moments longer. As he sank into her, their gazes collided. She bit her lip. His hand moved lower, teasing her most sensitive parts until she was gasping and digging her nails into his shoulders, trying to pull him closer, urging him to join her. She breathed his name and he found their rhythm, riding the wave until it took him over the edge.

  He was falling, but not alone. They were falling, together. They’d land together.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Life had kicked him in the groin again. Toxin had been low before. He’d learned how to use the pain. He was adaptable. He’d survived this long, hadn’t he? He’d even outrun Holt and the police and returned safely to the house he rented under a fake identity.

  Survival of the fittest. Darwin knew his stuff.

  But this time, he wasn’t sure he wanted to survive. Pain ripped through his chest. He had failed in his quest. His hand came up to the cheek Sara had smashed with a hammer. Swollen and tender. He almost wished Sara had swung the weapon into his head.

  I should have had Sara and Theo half in love with me by now.

  Instead, Toxin lay in his bed. The rising sun cast shadows across his ceiling. The scent of Sara’s hair still permeated the pillowcase he’d snatched weeks ago from her apartment. The smell of her usually soothed him. Tonight, it stank of betrayal. She’d chosen Holt Patterson over him. What the hell had Holt done to deserve her love?

  Toxin had eliminated the threats to her.

  He’d been the one to deal with Rochard and the board. Just as he’d dealt with his boss, and Dr. Brown, and all the other threats to Josh.

  Only he hadn’t been able to deal with the one thing that truly threatened his son...the fucking cancer. Toxin’s throat squeezed until he thought it might shut off complet
ely. Good. Except it didn’t and he kept on swallowing. Kept on breathing.

  Despite his inability to stop the cancer, Josh had seen him as his hero. Toxin would have died for him, if he could have taken his place. The ceiling blurred. He’d made a promise by Josh’s grave a year ago, after he’d watched men he didn’t know shovel dirt onto his son’s coffin, but he wasn’t able to keep it.

  Oh, he’d righted the wrongs that had been done to Josh. Toxin’s CEO who refused to provide more time off or medical assistance for the riskier, unapproved treatments when the regular chemo hadn’t worked. The bitch doctor who’d failed to diagnose Josh for months, until it was too late for effective treatment. The politician who prided himself in balancing the budget by cutting funding for important medical programs that would have helped kids like Josh. And Buzz Redding, who’d thrived on self-righteous judgment and had never fully accepted Josh as his grandson because the kid was a “bastard” child of unmarried parents.

  Yet, despite all he’d done, somehow Sara hadn’t seen him as her hero. What more did a guy have to do to prove his heroism?

  He’d had Theo hooked. He’d seen the glimmer of love in the kid’s eyes as he’d appreciated what Toxin had created for him. But Sara and Holt had intervened.

  If only Brady had succeeded in what he’d been goddamn paid to do and killed Holt...

  And Henry had been arrested. The guy had probably flipped so fast, telling the police everything he knew about Chad White, that he’d have permanent whiplash. At least Toxin still had a few doses of the special drug Henry had created.

  He rose and stumbled over to his chest of drawers, then located his stash. Soon, he’d be drifting in oblivion, at least for a short while. In his dreamy haze, he’d visit his son. He’d forget the fuckers who’d betrayed him. For a brief time.

  But the hurt would return. It always did. There was no escape.

  * * *

  Warm lips pressed against hers, rousing her from sleep in the best way possible. But her eyelids were heavy and gritty. Sara moaned and wrapped her arms around Holt’s neck. Her nostrils filled with the fresh scents of musk and mint.