Against All Odds

by Stacy Claflin

  Fingers wrapped around her throbbing ankle. “Thought you could get away, did you?”

  Dave.

  Zoey yanked her leg, but Dave clung to it.

  The dog growled and snapped.

  “Help me!” Zoey cried.

  “Shut up!” He pulled on her leg, making her lose her balance. Her chest crashed to the ground, and her head barely missed a rock sticking out from the dirt. She flipped herself over and kicked her legs to get away from him.

  The dog lunged at Dave. He shoved it, and the dog yelped as it crashed into a tree. It regained its footing and raced at Dave, digging its teeth into his arm.

  He grabbed the dog by its leg and threw it against the same tree. The poor thing howled and struggled to get up.

  Zoey punched Dave in the face. “How dare you hurt an innocent dog?”

  He shoved her and glowered at her. “Innocent? That thing bit me! And then you punched me. You’re going to pay.”

  She kicked him in the groin.

  His eyes widened and he let go.

  Zoey scrambled to her feet. She’d gotten away before, she could do it again.

  Dave shouted. It was a wordless sound, and primal.

  It struck fear into her core.

  Her head yanked back as he pulled on her hair. Before she realized what was happening, Dave had pinned her against him.

  She squirmed to get out of his hold, and as soon as she realized that was futile, she kicked and elbowed him as hard as she could.

  “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”

  A cold terror ran through her.

  He dragged her behind a bush and shoved her against a tree. Her head struck with a painful thump. He held her into place, digging her flesh into the bumpy bark, and glowered at her. He was so close she could feel his hot breath on her face. “I’m really going to enjoy this.”

  Zoey screamed as loud as she could.

  He covered her mouth.

  She bit into his flesh, drawing blood.

  Dave swore and shook out his hand, then he hit her across the face and called her several vulgar names.

  She spit in his eye and darted out of his grasp.

  His hands grasped her arms, his fingers squeezing hard enough to bruise. He threw her to the ground and straddled her. “I’m going to treat you like the piece of trash you are, then leave you here to rot in your regret.”

  Pursue

  Genevieve’s headache wouldn’t give up. The pain started in her temples and radiated out, making it nearly impossible to think. She was about to tell Garcia she needed to go home, when Anderson whistled and called everyone to the meeting room.

  So much for going home. Everyone would probably be staying late. She grabbed two ibuprofen and downed them with room temperature coffee before heading to the meeting room.

  Detectives Anderson and Garcia were looking at a tablet in the front of the room. Behind them, all the whiteboards were filled with information on the case.

  All the seats were taken, so Genevieve leaned against the wall and tried to ignore her aching head. It was starting to squeeze and throb. Hopefully the medicine would kick in soon.

  Chang raced into the room, then after looking around, stood next to Genevieve. She braced herself for a rude comment, but he just pulled out his phone, looking ready to take notes. Like she should’ve been. She grabbed her phone and found the notes app.

  Garcia and Anderson told them about a cabin that they believed Dave Cooper was likely holding his victims. They had a recent letter addressed from there, and the police had missed it before because Dave’s stepfather owned it. He had a different last name from Dave and it had never come up as one of Dave’s previous residences.

  Genevieve made note of everything as quickly as she could. Her head hurt worse than before but she ignored it. There was no other option.

  Once the meeting was over, everyone spread out through the building, heading in different directions. Genevieve was once again paired with Garcia and Chang.

  She gathered her things and headed out to the parking lot for the unmarked vehicle they’d used before. Before she made it outside, she froze.

  Nick rounded the corner with his ex-wife.

  It felt like a slap in the face.

  “Come on,” Garcia snapped.

  She pulled her attention away from Nick and followed the detective outside. Between her pounding head and the shock of seeing Nick at the station with Corrine, it wasn’t until they were halfway to the woods that she realized Chang still hadn’t given her any cutting jabs. Maybe he hadn’t seen Nick and his ex arrive at the station. That was the only explanation.

  Her mind raced. If they were really about to bring Ava home, Nick would return to work soon. There was no way she could face him every day, if at all. Especially with him being the boss. She wouldn’t be able to hide her emotions, and after their night together, her feelings had only grown—despite her efforts to squash them.

  Once the whole mess was over, she would need to move to a different station. There was no other alternative. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about facing him, and it would be a hundred times harder if he got back together with Corrine.

  “Almost there.” Garcia’s voice brought her back to the present.

  As they neared, more official vehicles came into view. Other than their force, there were feds and other precincts. If Dave was in fact at the cabin, there was no way he would escape. There looked to be enough law enforcement to surround a cabin four times over.

  Hopefully this wasn’t a false lead like the last time. Given how long Dave had been holding Ava and Zoey, their chances of survival were bleak. Because of that, she was glad Nick wasn’t out with them—even if it meant he was with his ex-wife. At least they would have each other to lean on if something had happened to their daughter.

  Her heart ached worse than her head at that thought, but she had to accept the situation for what it was. If the abduction led to a family being restored, she needed to be happy for them. That was the right thing to do, as much as it would hurt.

  Up ahead, some cars turned off the main road. Other official vehicles followed.

  Garcia tapped the steering wheel. “We’re getting close. It’s time to take down that bastard.”

  Chang nodded. “We’re going to get him this time. I can feel it.”

  Genevieve leaned forward as best she could with the seatbelt across her chest and studied the scene in front of them. Her heart raced. This might really be it. Their chance to take down the school shooter and bring home Ava and Zoey.

  Garcia turned on the blinker, then turned after the other cars in front. They came to a rough gravel road with plenty of deep potholes.

  Chang rubbed his neck. “Nothing says ‘go away’ quite like whiplash.”

  For once, Genevieve had to agree with him. The horribly bumpy path made her think they were really on the right trail this time.

  Garcia pulled off into a clearing along with the others. One of the federal agents was giving directions. Canine units and cadaver dogs were both sniffing around.

  Genevieve’s stomach lurched at the thought of the cadaver dogs finding anything. She knew the victims—maybe it hadn’t been a good idea for her to be on the case, after all. She’d thought she could handle it since she wasn’t close to either one.

  Now she was here, so there was no going back. It was time to think about them as the victims and not of their first names, of people she sometimes hung out with socially so Tinsley could have more time with other kids.

  “One of the cadaver dogs smells something!”

  She spun in the direction of the voice. Several officers and two dogs were heading deeper into the woods.

  Genevieve closed her eyes. Just because they smell something didn’t mean it was Ava or Zoey—the victims she was here to save.

  A minute later, everyone started creeping toward the cabin. It didn’t come into sight right away. Genevieve started to worry they weren’t in the right pl
ace until the small building finally came into view.

  Everyone took position behind trees, guns ready, all around the cabin. Genevieve craned her neck to see what she could. The only window in view was covered from the inside. If there were any lights on inside, they were well hidden.

  Some of the feds charged toward the building without a sound.

  Genevieve’s heart beat so hard she could feel it through her entire body. She took deep breaths and pretended she wasn’t in the middle of a forest. Maybe what she needed was to look into other departments that didn’t hunt criminals in the woods. Maybe a city instead of a small town.

  Bang!

  A gun had been fired toward the cabin.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Genevieve readied her gun and waited for permission to charge.

  Everyone remained in their places.

  Footsteps and shouting thundered from the other side of the building. More gunfire.

  A girl screamed.

  Genevieve’s stomach lurched. She clenched her jaw, hoping that would be enough to keep her food down. No way she was going to vomit and show weakness around her brothers and sisters in blue. Being a woman put her at a disadvantage to begin with, despite how equal everything was supposed to be. She wasn’t going to add to that by throwing up in front of anyone.

  More screaming. Shots fired. Glass shattered.

  Garcia gestured to head toward the building. Genevieve and several others followed. They stepped out of the shadows and toward the noise.

  Once on the other side of the house, Dave—she recognized him from the pictures—held Ava in front of him and had a gun to her head. She was wrapped in ropes and tears ran down her face.

  Nothing good ever happened in the woods.

  She shoved those thoughts from her mind. The only thing that mattered was getting Ava from him alive.

  Racing

  Alex called Nick. Again. Social media and the news was buzzing that the police were hot on Dave’s trail, but there were no details. Just rumors and guesses—nothing more than theories.

  Voicemail.

  He ended the call and tried again. Nick would either block him or answer. Alex wasn’t going to leave him another choice.

  On the fourth ring, Nick answered. “I’m a little busy, Alex!”

  “Did they find Dave? Are Zoey and Ava with him?”

  “I don’t know if they’ve found him, but there’s a good chance they will, if they haven’t already.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I found an address in Corrine’s things. It belongs to Dave’s stepdad who has Alzheimer’s. He doesn’t remember the cabin or Dave.”

  The room spun around Alex. He stumbled to the couch and sat. “So, the cops really are on their way to them?”

  “If they’re still there. The last lead was disappointing. I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”

  Shouting sounded in the background.

  “Where are you?” Alex asked.

  “At the station. Corrine was so upset she couldn’t drive, so I had to.” He took a deep breath.

  “Is she involved?”

  “No, and unfortunately, the only thing she’s guilty of is stupidity. She withheld evidence that could’ve helped the case along earlier.”

  “What? Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, can’t she get in trouble for hiding evidence?”

  “Yeah, and she probably will, though it won’t be more than a slap on the wrist.”

  “For real?” Alex jumped up and paced. “She could’ve saved everyone a lot of time and grief!”

  “I know, but now that she’s cooperating…” Nick’s voice trailed off.

  “Not that she would have if you hadn’t found the address.” Alex wanted to hit something but instead rubbed his sore knuckles. He was probably lucky he hadn’t broken any bones on the mirror. No sense in tempting fate a second time. “So, what’s the address?”

  “Why? You planning on heading out there?”

  “If Zoey’s there, yeah.”

  “They’ll have to send her to a hospital to be looked over. You know how that goes.”

  Alex drew a deep breath. “I want to be there to see her with my own eyes. To hold her close.”

  “You think I don’t want the same for Ava? I want to wrap my arms around her and never let go. But I’m going to follow protocol and wait.”

  “Will you at least tell me the general location so I can head for the nearest hospital?”

  Nick muttered something Alex couldn’t make out, then told Alex the name of a hospital.

  Alex looked it up on his phone. It was just over two hours away. He could make it in one hour. “Thanks. Will you let me know if anything else comes up? Just a text will do.”

  “Yeah, I’ll try to remember.”

  “Try?”

  “I’m under as much stress as you! All any of us can do is the best we can. I can’t make any promises.”

  “Understood. Thanks again.” Alex ended the call, gathered what he needed for the drive, and headed out.

  He turned on his radar detector and peeled out of the parking lot. With any luck, he would be close enough to the cabin to be able to see Zoey before they carted her off to the hospital.

  Alex shuddered, thinking of the shape she was probably in after being held captive. He refused to let himself think she was anything other than okay.

  He tried to think of other things as he drove, but his mind kept wandering back to her and Ava. Then to Corrine. It made no sense that Dave hadn’t sent any ransom notes to her. He wanted her back and had her daughter—he had to have contacted her. It just didn’t make any sense that they wouldn’t be in contact.

  And that made Alex’s blood boil. If she could’ve put a stop to the hostage situation but hadn’t…

  He gripped the steering wheel, making his knuckles turn white. Ava and Zoey didn’t deserve any of this.

  Why hadn’t he just taken Corrine? That was who he had wanted. Killing people and holding others hostage was completely unnecessary.

  As Alex drove along now on the winding road surrounded by woods, his anger growing, he hoped he would find Dave before the police. Give him a little vigilante justice and call it self-defense.

  He checked the radar detector, then pressed harder on the gas. Though this was a different highway altogether, it reminded him of the one he’d taken not that long ago on his way to what should’ve been his first day of the police academy.

  Chills ran down his back at the thought of it. The people who had hurt him were dead or in jail. Soon Dave would suffer the same fate.

  Though Alex would’ve loved nothing more than to get his hands on him, it gave him comfort that there would be no way he would escape the death penalty. Not after everything he’d done.

  A gray and white dog ran out in front of the car. Alex slammed on his brakes. The tires skidded and squealed, pulling the car into the other lane.

  A horn blared as a pickup truck swerved around him.

  Heart thundering, Alex pulled his car off to the side of the road and struggled to catch his breath. He was shaking too hard to drive.

  He knew better than to hit the brakes, but it had been instinct. Then he’d nearly been hit by an oncoming truck. He could’ve gotten himself killed, then he’d never see Zoey again.

  Alex took a deep breath. “Stay focused. This is all about Zoey.”

  He sat up straight, ready to get moving again.

  The dog stood about ten feet in front of the car, its ears and tail perked up.

  “Move!”

  It didn’t.

  Alex punched the horn.

  The dog sat, not taking its gaze from the car.

  What was he supposed to do now? The dog wasn’t giving him enough room to pull back into traffic.

  It barked, staying in place.

  “What, are you Lassie? Want to lead me to Timmy?”

  The dog barked again.

  “I don’t have tim
e for this!” Alex hit the horn again.

  It didn’t move.

  Of course it didn’t. Alex wasn’t going to get out of the car. Not after what had happened last time.

  “Move!” He pushed the horn, letting it run for a full twenty seconds.

  The dog stayed put and barked more.

  What if the dog actually wanted Alex to follow it? Could its owner be hurt out there?

  The police were taking care of Zoey and Ava. Maybe Alex could help someone else who was in need.

  Unless it was a trap. He’d be stupid to walk into something like that again.

  The dog rose to its feet and inched toward the woods, limping, and continuing to bark at Alex, but not giving him room to move the car.

  Alex pulled out his phone and called Nick.

  “What?” Nick answered. His voice was strained.

  “What’s going on?”

  “They’re negotiating with Dave. He’s got Ava. That’s all I know.”

  Alex swore. “I’m so sorry, Nick.”

  “They’ve got the best of the best there.” Nick’s voice wavered. “If anyone can get her from him, it’s them.”

  “Is Zoey there?”

  Silence.

  “Nick?” Alex exclaimed.

  “Dave claims he let her go days ago.”

  It felt like a punch to the gut. Dave wouldn’t let her go. Captors didn’t do that. Either she’d escaped, or… Alex couldn’t let himself go there.

  “There’s a dog here, not letting me drive.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I think it wants me to follow it into the woods.”

  “Alex, stop and think.”

  “What if it found Zoey? I need to follow it, as crazy as it seems.”

  Nick took a deep breath. “Where are you? I’ll call it in.”

  Alex glanced at the GPS and told Nick.

  “I’ll call it in. Stay in the car.”

  “I’ve got my conceal carry.” Alex patted his gun.

  “Alex…”

  “Call it in, but if Zoey’s out there, nothing’s going to keep me from her.”

  “I know. Just be careful.”

  Alex ended the call and scrambled out of the car.