The air pressure in the room changed as the door behind her opened and closed. It was well into the afternoon. Brian had promised they’d take a walk around the square.
“Brian, look at this, isn’t it…” His hands were on her shoulders. Hot. Sticky. The acrid smell of cigar smoke entered her nose and set off and explosion in her mind. Realization knifed into her. She tried to stand up, but he held her down and covered her mouth with his hand.
She tried to scream; he pressed harder.
“I’ve waited a long time for this, Kendall,” he whispered into her ear as he nuzzled her neck.
Her stomach lurched in revulsion as he dragged his rough fingers over her cheek. She turned away and closed her eyes. Focus. They were in a police station, for God’s sake. If she could only scream a dozen cops would converge on them.
“I can tell you’ve been with him. You smell like sex.”
Fear cut a hole in her, leaving horrible images to spill out. Where are you, Brian?.
“Brian always shares with me, even if he doesn’t know it.” He snorted, deep and throaty. “We’re going to leave here, Kendall. Nice and quiet, and just in case you think you want to scream, don’t. I’ve been watching him play outside your mother’s house.”
She stared at Kaden’s picture on the screen. Fear worked her into a panic. He knew where Kaden was?
“He’s a good kid. Safe for now, but you wouldn’t want anything to happen to him, would you?”
“Uh-uh,” she mumbled against his hand. In her peripheral vision, she saw the gleam of a knife blade. She held in a sob as he waved it in front of her face.
“My best knife. It would be an honor to break it in on your kid. Do you understand?”
Nodding, she blinked back tears.
“I’m going to take my hand off your mouth. If you scream, it’ll be the last thing you ever do.” He lowered his hand.
She tasted blood and swallowed. “Can I stand up?”
“Easy, sweetie.”
The endearment angered her, but she searched for a cool down. He would kill her if she gave him a reason. She glanced at her backpack on the desk. She had to have it.
“I’m turning around.”
“Go ahead. You’re going to be seeing a lot of me.”
Slowly she raised her gaze to his face, a face she knew.
Liam Byer stood in front of her in a battle stance. His dark blue shirt and pants clean and pressed, a languid smile on his thick lips.
“You’re…” She swallowed the lump in her throat and willed her heart to slow down. Sweat leached from her palms and her muscles instinctively tightened. “Liam?”
“In the flesh, or Copeland if you prefer. Hell, I’m anyone you want me to be.”
He shoved the chair over, moved close to her and pressed the knife blade to her throat. “You’re gorgeous, Kendall. Natalie was, too. Bri-boy sure can pick ‘em, but not this time.” He stroked a lock of her hair and pulled it to his nose, breathing in deeply. “I’ve been waiting for so long.”
She resisted the overwhelming urge to jerk away. She could feel the blade against her skin, cool, deadly, she knew her life hinged on the edge and dangled from the decisions she made in the next few minutes.
“I can hear your mind work, Kendall.” He dropped her hair, stepped back and slipped the knife into a case strapped to his belt. “Why do you think I picked you?”
“You picked me?”
“You’re smart. You know how to think, to move. A bit of a challenge on the road to payback.”
She fidgeted under his hypnotic stare. She could see the glow of insanity in his eyes. “Was Natalie Littrell payback, too?”
His eyes narrowed, he circled her like a snake coiling around prey. A shudder pulsed in her and rippled through her body. He was evil, dangerous.
“For a time. Until Brian stepped in and stole her back. I was screwing her up until then. The best part was, she wanted me instead of him.”
Kendall pulled in a breath, trying to release the ache she felt for Brian, for what he’d suffered at the hands of Byer, a man he’d trusted with his life.
He snorted. “Natalie is old news. You and I are going to make new sounds together. Satisfying sounds.” He touched her cheek again. “Gotta go. Get your cap and sunglasses.”
The Ray-Ban shades were lying next to her backpack. She picked up the cap, put it on and pushed her hair inside of it. Slowly she picked up her backpack, but he caught her arm.
“You don’t need that.”
“You want me to look natural, don’t you?”
He snatched the backpack from her hand and yanked down the zipper. Staring inside, he gave it a shake and zipped it shut. “Here.” He thrust the bag at her.
Cautious relief spread through her as she slipped her arms into the straps, securing the lifeline to her body. Folding the sunglasses, she clutched them in her hand, while her knees went to jelly.
Byer was standing with his hand on the doorknob, a dark blue cap on his head and a pair of shades on. “Remember, I know where he is.”
“Please…don’t hurt him.”
“Behave.”
Nodding, she moved through the door into the hallway, wishing Brian’s office was in the middle of the main entrance instead of the corner of the building. There was no one in the corridor. She glanced at the clock on the wall: 3:30 p.m.
“Over here.” He motioned to the service elevator and pressed the button. It opened and she stepped through the door, straining to hear the pounding of shoes. The echo of voices was all around them. She prayed they would have to pass someone, anyone. Maybe they would remember a couple of non-cops if she slowed and did something to draw their attention.
“If it’s busy on the first floor, stay cool.” He took hold of her forearm and squeezed hard.
Kendall glanced up when the light ring came on around the number 1 and the elevator bell dinged. Brian had called the back entrance a good way to slip into the station unnoticed. Now Byer planned to slip her out? There wouldn’t be much time if she got way. Could she get to Kaden before he did? Could she risk it?
They stepped into the narrow hallway and he steered her to the door. “Keep your head down.”
Kendall dropped back and released the sunglasses from her hand.
They clattered to the floor.
“What the hell?”
“Sorry.” She squatted down and retrieved the glasses, staring into the security camera for an instant before Byer pulled her to her feet and pushed her out the door into the afternoon heat.
“It pays to think like a cop, Kendall. Lunch. Afternoon briefing while it settles. Perfect timing.”
She wanted to resist but she let him pull her into the bustle of people moving down the street. They crossed and she expected he’d stop at a car parked next to the curb. That would be her chance, but he didn’t stop. Byer pulled her into a narrow alley and up a flight of metal stairs. The door at the top of the landing was solid and he slid a key into it. “Welcome to the nest, little bird.” He opened the door, shoved her inside and twisted the dead bolt.
Kendall kept her footing and watched him slide the chain guard into place.
She almost gagged on the air in the room. Everything from the sofa against one wall to the large brass bed in the corner was permeated with cigar smoke. The only window in the cubicle faced the police station across the street. Ornate black iron bars covered the opening on the outside and a filmy curtain rippled in the air currents sent out by an oscillating fan on the bedside table.
“Home.”
“If you can call it that.”
“What, you don’t like it? I know it doesn’t look like much, but it serves my purpose.” He moved to the window and slid the curtain aside. “I want to see his face when he comes screaming out of there after he finds you gone. He’ll assume I’ve taken you to the bayou, and I will when the time comes, but for now I want to watch. I might even let you have a look.”
She sat down in one of the chairs next to a small square table and sized up the situation. She’d never be able to get the door open before he whipped out his knife. The walls of the building were brick, the window was barred. “Do you have a bathroom?”
“Next to the closet.” He raised a spotting scope to his eye.
Standing up, she moved toward the narrow door. She turned the knob and pushed the door open. There was a toilet, sink and shower stall, but no window. She stepped inside and shut the door. Her image in the medicine-cupboard mirror was drawn, ashen. Pulling off her cap, she shook out her hair and considered her options. Her cell phone was lying on Brian’s desk, charging. Only the Taser was going to offer her the chance to get away, but what about his threat against Kaden? Could she beat him to her son?
“Kendall, get the hell out here,” Byer shouted.
Panic flamed inside of her as she looked around the room in a desperate search for help. Her gaze settled on a bottle of soap next to the sink. “Just a minute.” It wasn’t much, but it might help.
She opened the door and came out of the bathroom.
“There’s our boy.” He motioned her over, grabbed her by the nape of the neck and forced her to look out of the second-story window.
Brian ran across the open sidewalk in front of the police station and climbed the steps. If she could just get his attention.
She lunged at the window and banged her hands against it. Maybe she could break it. Shattering glass falling on the sidewalk would certainly attract him, but the window didn’t break, it was like hammering steel.
“Bulletproof glass.” Byer laughed and released her neck, letting his arms encircle her waist. He pulled her against him. “Isn’t this cozy? Him out there, us in here…alone at last.”
Panic clawed her mind and she staved off nausea. This couldn’t be happening.
Kendall twisted against him and stumbled back.
The smolder of lust in his dark eyes quickly turned to rage. “Teasing little bitch.” He balled his fist and stalked toward her. “Want to be with a real man? I can show you how it’s done.”
She looked at the door, then back at Byer, ready to defend herself until the last breath left her body, but he stopped abruptly and moved back to the window. What sort of mental trip was he on?
“Next time, Kendall, I’ll…”
She turned away. Reprieve, but for how long?
“He’s figuring it out right now. I hope his guts are exploding.”
The rate of Byer’s breathing accelerated. Rivers of sweat streaked the back of his neck. He was getting off thinking about Brian’s reaction?
Byer’s reality hit her like a hurricane. This was about Brian. It had never been about Natalie or herself.
Liam was fixated on Brian.
Panic crawled over her skin and she rubbed it away. Byer had followed Brian around since high school. College, the police force. His wife. Her blood chilled in her skin. Live bait. She had to get away. Now.
Byer still held the spotting scope to his eye. If she could warn Brian, there’d still be time to get to Kaden before Byer did.
Edging toward the door, she stilled the apprehension racing up and down her spine. She grasped the chain lock, careful to hold the links as she slid it open.
“Any minute now, he’ll run out the door and look into the street, hoping to see you.”
The link reached the end of the slide; she popped it out of the groove and pressed the chain against the doorjamb so it wouldn’t rattle.
“You’ve got to see this, Kendall. Here he comes, Mr. Great Cop.”
She turned the dead bolt, every grind of the lock mechanism magnified in her ears. Too late. She heard the stomp of his approach. A sound like the clap of thunder echoed in her eardrums and pain burned along the side of her head. She reeled, blinked back tears and grabbed the doorknob.
“Ah, Kendall. You never disappoint.” His breath was ragged, hot against her ear. “But I can’t let you go.” He cupped her nose and mouth with a rag.
The pungent smell of ether pushed into her lungs and she fought to breathe. Her mind raced to find a reason for the blackness that engulfed her. She closed her eyes, digging at his hand, while hopelessness coursed into her body.
“Go to sleep. When you wake up, I’ll have something for you.”
Her knees sagged. No. She tried to scream, but the word wouldn’t leave her mind. No!!
Brian couldn’t stop shaking as he scanned the faces of the people moving along the sidewalk. He’d guessed something was wrong when he’d reached his office and not found Kendall there.
The computer was still on and when he’d moved the mouse, Kaden’s picture had popped onto the monitor screen. Maybe she’d decided to skip out and see him. He raked his fingers through his hair. She knew how dangerous it would be to go to him. Didn’t she?”
Maybe she’d headed over to Café du Monde without him? His gut twisted. Where was she? He stalked back into the station.
Murphy, the day clerk, was sitting behind the desk sipping a soda.
“Hey, Murph. You see a woman leave in the last hour? She’d be wearing a ball clap and sunglasses?”
“Um…I’ve been up to my butt in paperwork. Would that be your good-looking material witness?”
“Yes…”
“I’d have remembered her. I didn’t see anyone.”
Brian’s heart zinged into overdrive.
“Thanks. I’ll check the recording room.” He bolted for the security-tape booth. His emotions cranked up. Kendall knew the dangers of going out alone. Maybe she’d been able to pull another vanishing act, but this time he’d have a record.
He stepped into the ten-by-ten room and searched the decks of video recorders until he found the back entrance. Stopping the tape, he hit eject and popped the video into the playback machine. Frame by frame he watched the tape, until he saw something that rocked his soul. He advanced the image.
For an instant Kendall looked up into the camera then dropped her head again. Byer’s face flashed across the recording as he grabbed Kendall and pushed her outside.
“Kendall…no…no….” Brian’s head spun as he raced for Schneider’s office and threw open the door. “He’s got her, Ben!”
“Who’s got who?”
“Byer has Kendall.” Brian took several deep breaths; he couldn’t think, couldn’t clear his head. “I’m going to get her.”
“We just came from his place, Brian. He’s not holding her there.”
Brian laid his face in his hands, working his emotions. “He’s sick. Probably always has been. Why didn’t I see it?”
“You’ve got a crystal ball shoved up your sleeve? You’re no good to her like this. Keep thinking.”
“Let’s get an APB out.” Brian pulled it together on the surface, but his heart was smashed. “We’ll assume he’s armed and dangerous.”
Schneider looked straight at him. “He’s good, man, but you’re better.”
“I don’t feel better right now.”
“Then get after him. Think like him. Be him.”
Brian stood up and left the office, determined. He’d find Byer all right and when he did, there’d be hell to pay. He wanted to put his hands around his throat and squeeze until he couldn’t breathe anymore, until every miserable thought left his polluted mind. The image of Kendall stopping him tumbled through his thoughts and dropped him back into reality. He needed her. Kaden needed her. A twist of sadness stretched deep inside of him, awakening his awareness. He stepped into the elevator and hit the button.
He loved Kendall and no murdering son of a bitch was going to take her away.
Ever.
