Dead Wrong (17 page)

EIGHTEEN

T
he man clamped his arm around Kat’s ribs, bruising flesh already tender from the seat belt. His other hand was pressed against her mouth and she struggled to breathe as he dragged her deeper into the woods. She recognized his cologne and his voice, sending shivers of fear over her body. He was the man who’d tried to kill her at Nancy’s house. Now he was doing a great job of knocking her injured leg into rocks and trees, letting pain slice up her leg.

She managed to open her mouth and bite him.

“You little witch,” he hissed and jerked his hand free.

“Stop,” she cried out. “My leg is broken.”

He didn’t stop, but hauled her up higher. Her foot hung limply below the break and black stars danced in front of her eyes.

“Please stop. It hurts.”

“Tough.” He clamped his palm over her mouth, this time tight as a vise, and kept going into thicker vegetation. Pain washed over her, stole her breath and made her weak. He slowed and dumped her in the tall grass sending nausea rolling in her stomach and sweat breaking out over her face.

He squatted next to her, his gun trained on her heart. “If you try to signal him, he’s dead, too. You got that?”

Kat knew he meant Mitch. They’d seen him talking to Angie, though they hadn’t been able to hear the entire conversation when this guy had decided they needed to move. Now he wanted to kill Mitch to keep him from arresting him. One shot and he’d take Mitch out. She wouldn’t let that happen.

Fear strangled her breath, but she forced it away and sat up. Dizziness swirled, and she shook it off. If she was going to figure out how to get away from him without anyone getting hurt, she had to distract him by talking to him. “Who are you?”

“Like you don’t know.”

“If I knew I wouldn’t ask.”

He didn’t take his focus from where they’d last seen Mitch. “Nice try. But I’ll never buy your lie. Nancy Bodig said she showed the company books to you.”

“What? What books? I don’t know anything about any books.”

“Then why did she hire you?”

“To find you—the man who killed her brother,” Kat said, hazarding a guess.

“I didn’t even know she had a brother. Whoever killed him it wasn’t me.”

“So why did you kill her, then?”

He quickly glanced at her, but even after he looked away, his penetrating gaze stayed with her. “She was my accountant, and she took the wrong set of books home. I couldn’t risk her turning me in for money laundering. When she said she’d hired a P.I. to investigate, you had to go, too.”

“Of all the stupid mistakes.” She let disgust fill her voice. “She thought you were following her because of her brother. I doubt she even looked at the books.”

His mouth dropped open.

She needed to take advantage of his stunned state. She lunged to her feet, but when she put pressure on her injured leg, she crumpled to the ground.

“Don’t be stupid,” he hissed, then jabbed his gun into her temple.

“Killing me will just make things worse for you,” she said. “I used to be a cop, and cops take care of their own. They’ll hunt you down with a vengeance.”

“Shut up.” He glared at her, but she had to go on.

“Mitch’s a cop, too. Taking him out guarantees you’ll be caught.”

“I said, shut up!” he shouted, and Kat hoped Mitch heard him. He jabbed the gun harder, the cold metal bit like a snake. “You’re just begging me to take you out.”

“You can kill me, but you’ll never get away. If Mitch is here that means other cops are on the way.”

“Just be quiet and give me some time to think.” He smacked her across the face with his gun.

The impact jerked her to the side. Blackness clouded her vision, and she stilled to stem off the darkness that came with the smallest of movements. There was no way she could fight this man off by herself. Mitch was her only hope. But where was he?

She listened to the sounds of the night. Crickets chirped and wind gently rustled the grass and trees, but other than that...silence. Still, she knew Mitch was here. She’d seen him taking care of his sister and trying to calm her. She also heard him say she was
his Kat. His Kat
as if she belonged to him and he was looking for her.

She closed her eyes and reminded herself that God was here with her.

I’ll give up my life for him, Father. Please don’t let his search for me lead him to his death.

* * *

Mitch was almost there. He could see Kat lying on the ground and Norton squatting next to her, his weapon aimed at her. Problem was Mitch didn’t have a plan to rescue her. He couldn’t rush the guy or he’d plug him with a bullet or worse yet, turn and fire on Kat.

He could work his way around behind them but there was no way he could jump Norton before he took Kat out.

Mitch heard the barest hint of a rustle behind him.

Had to be Cole.

Mitch turned, his weapon at the ready, but as Cole stepped into view, Mitch lowered it and waited for Cole to join him.

Staying low, Cole crept closer seeming as if he melded with the brush. “What’s going on?”

“Norton has Kat over there.” He pointed to their location. “She’s injured. Not sure how, but I heard her cry out in pain.”

Cole hissed out a breath. “Norton the only one?”

“As far as I can tell.”

“Then we can take him. One of us needs to act as a decoy to draw his fire. The other can circle around and attack him from the rear.”

This sounded like the best option, but Mitch wouldn’t let Kat’s brother be the decoy. “I’ll stay here and draw his fire.”

“No. I’m the decoy.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

He studied Mitch for a long moment. “I’m the one wearing the bulletproof vest. Besides, I twisted my ankle back there, so it’s better for me to stay put.”

Mitch hadn’t seen Cole limp, but he couldn’t argue with the guy without drawing attention. “Should take me just a few minutes to get around them.” He peered at Cole. “Don’t try to be a hero and do something stupid.”

Cole gave a clipped nod.

“I mean it, Cole,” Mitch added. “I love your sister, and you better not make me tell her I got you killed.”

“’Bout time you admitted how you felt about her.” Cole smiled and flicked his hand to tell Mitch to take off.

He did, carefully placing one foot in front of the other to keep his footfalls silent. He kept moving until he was close enough to hear Kat’s ragged breathing. Likely from the pain.

“You can still take off. It’s not too late,” she said to Norton, but her words lacked conviction.

“You said yourself other cops are on the way and you’re going to be my ticket out of here. So get up. I’m not going alone.”

“My leg is broken.”

“Either you stand up or I start firing in the direction of that cop you seem so fixed on protecting.”

So she knew he was here. She must have been close by when he’d talked to Angie.

“Fine. I’ll get up, just don’t shoot at him.” Injured and held captive, she was still trying to protect him.

His heart soared then fell. He should be the one doing the protecting. Caring for her. Helping her. Loving her. And he’d failed. Just like he’d failed Lori and once again, there was nothing he could do.

Lord, I need Your help. I get that I can’t control everything and can’t be everywhere at one time. But You can and I need You to be here now. With Kat. With Cole. With me. Help me...no us, to end this without anyone getting hurt.

“C’mon out, Norton,” Cole yelled out. Mitch heard brush rustle and knew Cole was on the move to draw Norton’s attention and his fire.

Norton’s gun exploded, the flash blinding in intensity.
Pop, pop, pop.

With a roar, Mitch leaped from his spot and tackled Norton from behind. He rolled, taking Mitch with him. Mitch knocked the weapon out of Norton’s hand. He heard Kat fumbling for it. He broke free for a second, slammed his fist into Norton’s face, and heard a satisfying crunch of bones. Norton retaliated with a punch of his own.

“Freeze!” Kat screamed. “Or I’ll shoot.”

Norton went still. Mitch grabbed his cuffs and slapped them on Norton’s wrists, jerking them a little tighter than necessary.

“Cole. We have him. He’s cuffed,” Mitch yelled as he dug his flashlight from his pocket and aimed it at Kat. Mitch held his breath while running his light over her body. He noted a bloody pant leg and waited for a response from Cole. Nothing.

“Are you okay?” he asked, hating the terrified look on her face.

“I’m fine. Please go check on Cole. Hurry.” Her frantic tone nearly had him bolting away, but he wasn’t willing to risk leaving Norton anywhere near her even if he was cuffed, so Mitch jerked him to his feet. He shoved him onto beaten-down grass and shone his flashlight in front of Norton’s feet.

“Cole?” Mitch called out. Nothing. He headed to the last location where he’d seen movement. The location Norton had fired those rounds into. He heard a moan ahead and moved faster.

Mitch found Cole lying on his side, his face pale and his hands clutching his chest. “Cole.”

“See you got him,” Cole said breathlessly. “Kat okay?”

“Her leg’s broken, but otherwise I think she’s fine. Where are you hit?”

“He plugged me dead center of my vest.” Cole ripped the vest free and gulped deep breaths. He trained a harsh look on Norton, and Mitch pitied the person who ever crossed Cole Justice or hurt his family.

Sirens split the quiet, easing Mitch’s concern for Kat and his sister a bit. “You called in reinforcements I see.”

“Hey, I was once a marshal. You don’t think I’d count on a cop for my only backup do you?” Cole laughed, then started coughing.

Mitch smiled. “If you’re up to keeping this creep here, I’ll go get Kat then we can check on my sister.”

“Angie’s a real spitfire. Made me come after you.”

“That she is.” Mitch forced Norton to sit with his back to a tree as Cole got up and stretched.

“What’re you waiting for?” Cole barked. “Go rescue your damsel in distress.”

With one last look to make sure Cole was fit to handle Norton, Mitch bolted toward Kat. He could finally tell her how much she’d come to mean to him, and God willing, Mitch hoped she wasn’t too mad at him for running from her the other night to listen.

* * *

Kat lay on her back, fighting the pain and listening to the rustle of people moving about and the stilling of sirens as they reached them. She’d told Mitch she was fine, but her stomach was tight with worry.

What if Cole was hurt? Maybe dead? Any one of them could’ve died tonight.

She heard footfalls pounding her way and watched as Mitch burst through the thick brush. He smiled at her, his crooked grin tipping up at the corner, and she knew everything was okay.

“Cole’s vest did its job,” he said and dropped to his knees by her side. “He’ll have a bruise, but he’s fine.”

“Thank You, God.”

“Amen to that.” He helped her sit up and held her shoulders. “How about I carry you out of here?”

She smiled up at him. “There is nothing I’d like more than to be held by you, but I think my leg needs a splint before I can move again. I’d better wait here for the paramedics.”

He settled closer, bending low so he was nearly eye level with her and those eyes often as sharp as steel were soft and tender. He brushed wayward strands of hair from her face then slipped his arms around her back.

She smiled at his gentle touch, and moved toward him as he lowered his head and kissed her. Softly, gently. Perfectly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him until she heard footfalls coming their way.

She eased back, and he took her hands in his. “So you want me to hold you, do you?”

She smiled again and seeing his eyes heat up in response she decided to throw caution to the wind and tell him exactly how she felt. “And never let go.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I love you, Mitch,” she said shyly.

“I love you, too, Kat Justice. Don’t ever scare me like this again.”

“It’s not in my plans.” She brushed her fingers down the side of his face, and he shivered. She loved seeing his reaction and knowing that he cared about her. Now she could only hope he’d decided to let go of his past and let her in.

“So,” he said casually though she could see his pulse pounding at the base of his neck. “Once the doc patches you up again, how about we go on a date? You know something romantic with candles, and music.”

Her smile faded. “You think you’re ready for that? I mean with what happened to Lori and all?”

He stared into her eyes, and she held her breath as she waited for his answer.

“Being with you is all that matters.” He cupped the side of her face, his fingers gentle. “Almost losing you made me see I’m willing to risk everything for you, Kat. Everything.”

Risk everything? As in his life? She frowned.

“What?” he asked, his voice filled with dread. “What did I say?”

She shook her head. “When you said risk everything, my mind went to you being a cop and the risks you take.”

“And you could never be with a cop, right?”

“No, I can,” she said emphatically to counteract the insecurity in his voice. “I just need to remember to let God be in charge instead of worrying.” She took a deep breath. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to let it go completely, but you are so worth trying for.”

“We can work on that together.”

She rested her forehead against his chest and knew he was right. They had things to overcome, but together they could do anything.

EPILOGUE

M
itch pulled to the curb in front of Kat's renovated house. It had taken another six months to finish the renovations but seeing the results was well worth the wait. The only clues that the place had suffered such severe damage last year were immature little plants surrounding the structure, contrasting with the older neighborhood's mature landscaping.

“I don't think I should be here, Mitch.” Angie swiveled to face him and he was once again amazed at the transformation in her physical appearance. She'd kicked the drugs and was living with him. Eating regularly had filled out her face and she once again looked like a twenty-nine-year-old woman.

He took her hand and squeezed. “Of course you should.”

“But look at this neighborhood. It's filled with classy people who won't want a drug addict around.”

“A reformed addict is a whole different story, bug.” He met her gaze and made sure she knew how proud he was of her transformation. “Besides you don't know what goes on behind all these closed doors. Probably a few prescription drug addicts on this street alone.”

“But not in the Justice family.”

“You're right. They're all clean and sober. But they won't look down on you. Each one of them has a past filled with things that keep them from judging others.”

“You're sure?”

“I'm positive.” He nodded and smiled at the thought of the amazing family waiting inside. The family who for the most part had opened their arms to include both him and Angie. “So, are you game?”

“Fine.”

“That's my girl,” he said and tweaked her nose. He grabbed his jacket and as he slipped into it, he felt the pocket to make sure the box holding his mother's ring sat where he'd stowed it before leaving home today. Lori had liked everything new so he'd bought a new engagement ring for her. But his mother's ring reminded him of the precious gift of family, and he knew it would be perfect for Kat.

When everyone went home tonight, he planned to ask her to marry him. Talk about something scary enough to make him not want to go inside, but he did and was soon surrounded by the Justices minus Kat.

Mitch introduced Angie to Ethan and his wife, Jennie. They engaged in small talk while Mitch searched the room for Kat. He didn't see her in the small groups of people chatting and laughing in the family room painted in a vivid blue just like Kat's personality.

“She's in the kitchen,” Ethan said, looking at him with an appraising eye. The eldest of the Justices hadn't warmed up to Mitch. It was clear he didn't think Mitch was good enough for his sister. But Dani had told Mitch that Ethan would feel this way about any man who might seriously pursue Kat, to be patient and let Ethan get to know him.

Still, Mitch felt uneasy. He could hunt down and bring in a killer, but he withered under Ethan's intense scrutiny. He felt like the room temperature was rising with each second so he slipped off his jacket and draped it over his arm.

“I'll put that in the bedroom for you,” Dani said, trying to take it from him.

He didn't want to part with the ring so he held firm, but when she eyed him up he released his hold, and she lost her balance. Derrick caught her, but she dropped the jacket and the ring box came tumbling out.

Dani gasped and clapped as her face brightened with excitement.

Ethan dropped down to get the black velvet box and rose with a scowl on his face.

“I was hoping to get a minute alone with all of you today.” Mitch took back the ring. “I plan to propose to Kat tonight, and I was hoping for your blessing before I do.”

Angie must have sensed his discomfort as she slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze much as he'd done with her in the car a few moments ago.

“You've got mine, Mitch.” Dani gave him a quick hug before stepping back. “I'm sure the others feel the same way.” She nudged Derrick.

“Ah, yeah, man,” Derrick said and shook Mitch's hand. “I'm cool with it.”

Cole stuck out his hand. “Welcome to the family.”

“Well, she has to say yes before I'm part of the family.” Mitch ended with a nervous laugh.

“She'll say yes.” Cole stepped back and Mitch could tell this usually reserved guy was happy for them.

“Hurt her and you'll answer to all of us,” Ethan grumbled, but he shook hands, too.

“Ignore the grump,” Jennie said and gave Mitch a little hug. “He'll never think anyone's good enough for Kat, but we all know you'll make her happy.”

“Then I guess all that's left is to ask Kat.” He couldn't believe how nervous he was.

“Ask me what?” Kat's voice came from behind.

He palmed the ring while turning to look at the woman he hoped to spend the rest of his life with. She wore a simple white sundress and had her hair pulled back with soft tendrils just caressing the side of her face. He imagined his fingers touching the same spot, and he forgot about everyone else standing there. All he could think about as he walked toward her was taking that clasp out and running his fingers through hair he knew was soft and silky.

He took her hand and urged her out onto a deck overlooking lush green grass and surrounded by towering pine trees. He turned and saw everyone watching them through the French doors so he pulled her to the side and smiled down on her.

“What's going on?” she asked. This time her tone held worry.

He let go of her hand and got down on his knee. Her gasp of surprise gave him a moment's pause. Was it a good gasp or bad one? He had a whole speech planned, but when he looked up and saw love reflected in her eyes, he knew she'd say yes, and he didn't need a formal speech.

“I love you, Katherine Marie Justice. More than I ever thought was possible to love someone.” He pulled out the ring box and opened the lid. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she whispered as tears slid down her cheeks.

He stood and put the ring on her finger. “This was my mother's ring.”

She studied it. “It's perfect, Mitch. So perfect. It's almost like we get to share this day with your parents.” She twined her arms around his neck and looked up, love for him burning in her eyes.

He lowered his head and claimed her lips as he heard a round of applause behind them. Reluctantly he lifted his head and was reminded of their first kiss when Kat had told Cole to get lost.

“You do know marrying me comes with all of them.” She tipped her head at her family standing in the doorway. Dani had her arm around Angie and his sister glowed with a happiness he hadn't seen since their father died.

He smiled down on Kat. “I wouldn't have it any other way.”

Today was a new beginning for both of them. He'd thought God didn't have his best interest at heart, but now, as he bent to kiss Kat again, he knew without a doubt he'd been wrong. Dead wrong.

* * * * *

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