KT took his hand in hers. “It’s going to be hard to face her, Jonah, but she needs you. You gotta suck up any feelings you have and be there for Karen.”
He nodded and climbed from the Jeep. His feet felt like they weighed three hundred pounds each with every step he took toward the front porch.
4:22 p.m.
The old mobile home was just as hot inside as out. Two broken windows allowed the humidity to seep in. Not to mention six of them in such a small space with no a/c. Clarice swiped at her forehead. She knelt before the boy in the corner, his eyes glancing all around.
She took hold of Matthew’s chin. “How soon do you think it'll be until your friend shows up?”
He jerked his chin loose. “What friend?”
“Miss KT.”
“If she comes, she's gonna beat you up.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
Clarice gave his nose a tap. “Do I look afraid? Oooh, she’s so tough and scary.”
“You gotta be tough to be a Marine.”
“Yeah, right,” Clarice said.
“You know that boy who saw us take the kid probably called the cops.” Meredith paced, her hands on her hips. “Waiting was a mistake. We should have just taken them out last night in the house.”
“Are you questioning my orders?”
“No, but last night we didn’t know she was a Marine.”
“You hear all the time about women in the military getting murdered. Boot camp doesn’t make you tough.” Clarice turned to go, but Meredith caught her by the arm.
“This is getting out of hand. Killing those kids put us on the cops’ radar for good. And now this.” Meredith nodded to the boy on the floor. “I say we do away with him and bolt.”
Clarice glanced at Sophia and Haley. “Do you agree with her? Are you willing to give up the nice home and live in a car instead?”
“No,” Sophia said. “I want the home with the pool.” She glared at her sister.
Meredith huffed out a loud breath. “If you think she's gonna take us with her, you're wrong. She doesn’t care about us. She only cares about her little baby, Evenie.”
“Shut up.” Sophia’s face turned red.
“It's true.”
“I said shut up.” She shot up and rushed at her sister. “We’re family and family sticks together. We are going to be living in that nice house. And we’ll eat steak instead of hamburgers. It's just a matter of time.”
“Now girls, that’s enough.” Clarice twirled her finger in Meredith’s brown hair. “Listen up. They believe. You need to too.” She tightened her grip on Meredith’s hair. Tears welled in the girl’s eyes. “We just have to do whatever it takes to get there.” She jerked Meredith’s head. “Understand?”
“Yeah.” A tear rolled down Meredith’s cheek.
“Hey, the kid,” Haley hollered.
He had almost made it to the back door. Haley grabbed him and dragged him back to the spot he’d been sitting.
Clarice walked over and slapped him.
His lip wobbled.
She pulled a gun from her pocket and poked it under his chin. His eyes widened, and he swallowed hard.
It’d be so easy to take care of him right now. Too bad she needed him for the Morgan woman.
“Stay put or they’ll never find your body in that river out back.” After a second of staring at the kid’s terrified eyes, she removed the gun and stood. “Now, do you guys think you can keep him from escaping while I go check on Evenie?”
“Yeah.” Haley nodded.
“Use this.” Clarice tossed a roll of duct tape sitting on the counter.
She headed outside to the sound of tape ripping from the roll. Evenie was on the dock, staring out at the water. “What are you doing?” Clarice asked.
“Nothing,” Evenie said. “Just looking.”
“Get in there and make peace with Meredith. She’s getting cold feet, and we can’t lose any of them right now.”
“It’d be like losing a sister.” Evenie pressed her hands against her heart and rolled her eyes.
“Good girl.” Clarice looked at the dark water of the Suwannee River. What did her daughter see when she stared at it? Just water? Fish swimming? Or something more nefarious?
She pulled out her phone and dialed KT Morgan’s number. It rang twice before she answered.
“This is KT.”
“I’ve got a friend of yours.” Clarice walked back to the trailer.
“How do I know?”
“You’ll just have to trust me.”
“Not a chance.”
Clarice let out an irritating breath and stormed inside. When Sophia went to say something, she swiped her hand across the air, cutting her off. She knelt beside Matthew, his wrists behind him, and his legs taped at the ankles.
“Say something nice to your friend, KT.”
He just stared at her, and she slapped him again, this time harder.
“KT.” His voice warbled.
Clarice jerked the phone away. “No games,” she said. “Or he’s gone.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you.” Clarice grinned.
Silence held over the line, then the Morgan woman said, “Where and when?”
4:36 p.m.
Jonah held Karen as her body shook. His heart broke a million times over with each quiver. They had to get Matthew back. Tears welled in his own eyes. He loved that boy with all his heart.
“Where’s KT?” Sheriff Logan Parker asked. His large muscular presence seemed to suck the air from the room.
“She went out to take a call.” Jonah bobbled his head toward the backyard.
“From who?”
Jonah shrugged.
“You know she’s the one they want.”
Jonah glared back at the man. “KT is our best bet for getting Matthew back.”
“And what makes you think that?”
“The police have too many rules. My sister has none.”
“I’ll not have her running wild in this town.” Logan’s lips thinned. “This Seidel woman, has KT ever heard from her?” Logan asked.
“Yeah.” Jonah nodded. “During dinner last night.” He steered Karen to the sofa.
“What’d she say?”
“Not much. Just that she was sorry for slapping KT and hoped nothing happened to her since she was the only witness.”
Logan scrubbed his hand over his chin.
“KT said it was a threat.” Jonah turned away from Karen and faced the living room wall. “She wanted to leave, said it would be safer, but I talked her into staying. I was just being selfish, not thinking about anybody but myself. Wanting my sister here for my wedding.”
“You had no way of knowing how dangerous these people are,” Logan said.
“They killed three people,” Jonah snapped. “I should have been smart enough to figure it out.” He mentally cursed himself. If he’d let KT leave town, Matthew might be safe. This was his fault, and he had to fix it.
“I need to get some fresh air.” He patted Karen’s hand and stood. “I’m going to check on KT.”
When he walked out the back door, his sister turned and looked at him. He recognized that look. The same one she’d had the day their parents disappeared in the lake. He kept hoping for a miracle. But she knew they were never coming back.
“What's going on?” he asked her.
“She’s got Matthew.” Her voice was low. “He’s okay right now. She wants to meet.”
“I’ll tell the sheriff.” He turned to leave, but she grabbed him by the arm.
“You bring in a bunch of police,” she said, “and he's as good as dead.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Meet her.”
“Where?”
“It's better you don't know.”
“You’re not doing this alone.”
“Thunder’s helping.”
“I want to be in on it.”
She shook her head. “I won’t put you at ri
sk.”
Her being special ops in the Marines had given her unique abilities over most people, but Jonah had to help. “If it weren’t for me, Matthew would be home safe. This is my fault.” This time it was him who took hold of her arm. “Please.”
She let out a loud breath. “Okay. But you do exactly what I say.”
4:41 p.m.
Jonah paced. Karen sat on the sofa looking out the window, both hoping Matthew would miraculously reappear. KT stood on the back porch. Logan was in the kitchen watching her. He had to know something was up, but he wasn’t asking questions.
The sheriff’s stare remained fixated out the back window. He knew about the death of their parents and her husband and son. There was no doubt he also knew about her dismissal from the military.
After a second of staring at the sheriff watching his sister, Jonah headed to the bedroom and found a legal pad on the nightstand. He dug through the drawer until he found a pen.
Karen,
Know that I love you, no matter what happens. My plan was to save Matthew and bring him back to you. I’m not sure I’m the hero type, but…
“What are you up to?”
He spun at the sound of Karen’s voice. His face heated. She jerked the notepad from his hand.
“What’s this about?” She shook the tablet in the air.
He walked over and shut the door. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“You and KT are up to something. I know it, and so does the sheriff. He’s watching her like a vulture.” When Jonah didn’t respond, she went on. “What did you mean by KT being able to get Matthew back? And what did Logan mean by KT running wild?”
How was he going to tell her the reason?
“Jonah, I want to know what you’re not telling me. Now!”
“Okay, sit down.” He plopped down on the edge of the bed beside her. “KT’s lived in a dark place for a long time.”
“A dark place.”
“She lost her husband and son in France. In a bombing.”
Her eyes widened.
“Some creeps from the Middle East started blowing up military personnel cars. Problem was it wasn’t just military who rode in them.”
“Oh, my…” Her hand went to her throat.
“By the time KT got a call, two soldiers were dead. She tried to stop Tristan and TJ, who’d left ahead of her, but they were already in the car.”
Karen got up and walked to the head of the bed She placed her hand on the headboard. “But what does that have to do with Logan not wanting her to be involved?”
“It’s what she did afterward that I’m sure has him worried.”
“What did she do?” Karen’s voice sounded wary.
“The blast had tossed her a good twenty feet.” All the worry and concern for his sister rushed back to the forefront of his mind. “I flew over to see her, in the hospital. I’d never seen her so hollow.” Tears blurred his vision. He shook his head to shut the memory out. “And then she disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“She found the people responsible.” He saw no point in telling her his siter had been a tracker with the military. “When she found them…” He cleared his throat. “Let's just say they never planted another bomb. The Marines didn’t want it to get out one of their own went rogue, so they discharged her, honorably at least. It’s taken her a long time to get over that hate. It almost destroyed her. Eventually, the anger turned to guilt. Logan’s probably worried before this is over, he’ll have to arrest her.”
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Karen finally spoke. “I don’t care what happens to these people.”
“I care about Matthew, deeply, but I care for my sister also.” Jonah got up from the bed.
“I get that. But let me tell you something.” She shoved her finger into his chest, and her face darkened. “No matter what she does to these people, she’ll be a hero in my eyes as long as Matthew is all right.”
He agreed, though he didn’t say as much. “I just don’t want to lose her…again.”
“I don’t either, but I need Matthew back.”
He paused for a moment. “Just say you’ll still love me when this is all over.”
Within a second, all the fire left her eyes. “I’ll always love you.” A tear trailed down her cheek. She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I know I sound crazy. I just want my baby back.”
“I’m going to have to go in a few, to help KT.”
She pushed away. “To do what?”
He shook his head. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t tell her. “The most important thing is Matthew right now.”
She squeezed his hand. “Be careful.”
“I will.”
She sucked in a whoosh of air. “What can I do to help?”
4:46 p.m.
A roar of a motorcycle revved out front. Voices yelled. Footsteps pounded in the other room. Doors slammed. Jonah and Karen rushed to the living room. Logan raced through the front yard with officers following. Thunder was doing wheelies up and down the street. He gunned the engine. One officer stepped into the road and held his hand up, causing Thunder to stop.
Jonah sucked in a deep breath and looked at the secondhand on his watch. Sixty seconds. He kissed Karen on the side of her head and headed out.
KT was waiting in the side yard. She gave Jonah a slight nod then turned and disappeared.
Jonah rushed forward. “What’s going on?” He jerked Logan by the arm, so he had no choice but to face away from KT’s direction.
“Don’t know yet.” Logan walked up to Thunder. ‘What are you doing here?” He yelled over the roar of the bike.
“Just driving up and down the road.” Thunder’s hands were still on the bars of the bike. A helmet swung from the handlebars. “Wanted to check on KT. I knew she’d come out, eventually.”
“Why didn’t you just knock?” Logan growled.
“Not everyone’s as welcoming as you.”
Karen ran out of the house to the railing on the front porch. “KT just ran out the back gate,” she yelled.
“Let’s go!” Logan raced around the block while other officers cut through the backyard though KT had a good forty-five second head start.
Jonah looked at Karen and gave a slight nod. I love you, he mouthed, then he hopped on Thunder’s bike and took off in the opposite direction of the police.
5:12 p.m.
A half hour, and this would be over. Clarice had made it clear on the phone there were to be no police, and KT was to be there at 5:30 or the kid was gone.
“Do you honestly think she's going to show up here without the cops?” Meredith rolled her eyes.
“She will.” Clarice snapped. She was tired of Meredith questioning her decisions.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Two things. She wants to get this kid back in one piece. She has to know if the cops show up, with us killing Stefania, we have nothing to lose.”
“And the second?”
“She’s pissed I set her up.” Clarice walked over and took the phone from Evenie. “Get to the window and keep an eye out in case she comes early.”
Evenie huffed and walked to the window. Her daughter was too young to understand their dreams would disappear if things didn’t work out. Clarice had to get back in Daddy’s good graces for Evenie. She deserved to have a home and the best of the world. And she’d kill anyone who got in their way.
5:13 p.m.
Jonah’s heart raced as they flew down the back roads to Jasper, Florida. Instead of the highway, they’d taken a back way Jonah had never been on before.
Thunder’s phone vibrated. He glanced at it before pulling the bike to the side of a dirt road leading to a bunch of old cabins and trailers off the Suwannee River.
“Where’s KT?” Jonah asked.
“Around.” Thunder took off his black vest. “Take your shirt off.”
“What? Why?”
“These people could know
what you look like. A slight disguise might be in order.”
Jonah unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it into a culvert. Thunder handed him the vest, and Jonah slid it around his shoulders.
“Wear this, too.” Thunder handed the extra helmet to Jonah, who put it over his head and clipped it around his chin. It felt like a twenty-pound bowling ball on his shoulders.
“You know the plan?” Thunder asked.
“Yeah.” Jonah nodded.
“Don’t deviate. If that kid’s still alive, we’ll get him out.”
As they climbed back on the bike, Jonah’s stomach twisted. Right now, that word if was the biggest word in the world to him.
5:17 p.m.
Clarice scanned the news on her cell. Nothing on the missing boy. Evenie continued her vigil at the window while Haley and Sophia sat on the floor across from the boy in the narrow hallway. In what was the living room, Meredith paced. Each had a pistol with them.
A motorcycle roared nearby. The rumble of the engine grew louder, then pulled around the front of the trailer. The two girls on the floor bounced up and rushed to the window to look out. Clarice shoved them aside. Two guys, having fun on a Harley, doing donuts.
“Help,” Matthew yelled. “Help.”
Clarice rushed over and kicked him in the side. She grabbed the roll of duct tape and slapped tape over his lips. He struggled, but it did not good. “If I didn’t need you alive, you’d have been dead a while ago.”
“What are we going to do about them?” Haley asked.
“Shut up.” Clarice watched the guys spinning the dirt, laughing. After a minute or two, they headed out. She kept her eyes on them until they were out of sight.
“That was close.” Sophia rubbed her hands up and down her arms.
A sense of relief came over Clarice. “Someone’s watching out for us, huh?” She laughed and nudged Evenie who continued to stare out the window, her face blank.
Clarice jerked. Something caught in her peripheral vision. Movement in the trees on the other side of the lot. Someone dressed in black. She glanced around for police or someone else but spotted no one.
Sucker Punched: A KT Morgan Short Suspense Page 6