Hostage Negotiation (16 page)

She shook her head to clear the buzzing sound in her ears, desperately trying to focus her bleary vision. Beside her, the masked man groaned, his chest slumped against the wheel. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Kaylee couldn’t help a slight cheer. The man had used a seat belt as a rope to tie her but hadn’t worn one himself. Sometimes karma was awesome.

He jerked back against the seat, looking out the window, eyes wide. He clawed for his pistol just as the driver’s side door was thrown open. Hands reached in and hauled him out of the truck as he was raising the pistol.

Bam! Bam!
Bam!
Shots rang out and someone let out a string of curses. Kaylee struggled against the seat belt, desperately trying to maneuver her body at an angle that would allow her to get some slack on her hands so she could unclick the seat belt.

Something cracked against the windshield and she bolted upright. A rock, gravel from the road, had flown up and now skittered across the hood and dropped to the ground. She lifted herself higher, trying to see what was happening. Zack, it was definitely Zack. He was on top of the masked man a few feet in front of the truck, pummeling him with both his fists, over and over and over. Her captor had given up fighting back and was whimpering and crying out like a wounded animal, throwing his hands up, desperately trying to block the blows.

Kaylee redoubled her efforts, twisting and tugging.
Click.
She finally got the seat belt to release but the chain was still stuck. She glanced over her shoulder at the road as she tugged and worked on the belt to unloop it from the cuffs. Her captor was no longer even trying to deflect the blows. His hands were down. His head whipped back and forth as Zack continued to slam his fists into him.

“Zack!” Kaylee yelled. But he didn’t seem to hear her. “Zack, stop it! You’re going to kill him!”

Still nothing. She didn’t care if the masked man died. But she did care if he died like this, because it would forever be on Zack’s conscience. She desperately yanked at the seat belt but it was hopelessly tied around the chain. Sirens sounded in the distance. She jerked her head up. Yes! The police must have been close by, after all. They’d heard the shots. But they’d be too late to stop Zack.

She threw herself back against the seat and lifted her legs, kicking them against the steering wheel. She managed one quick blare of the horn then slammed her foot down on it, over and over, honking at Zack and screaming his name, begging him to stop.

His head jerked up, and his right fist froze in midswing, ready to deal what surely had to be a death blow to the unconscious man lying beneath him. Like a savage animal, his entire body was coiled, ready to strike. With her fuzzy vision, she couldn’t see the look in his eyes, but she imagined them filled with blood lust, an all-consuming rage and thirst for vengeance. She shook her head, quietly beseeching him to stop.

His shoulders finally slumped and he gave her a curt nod, lowered his fists. She sent up a silent prayer of thanks and smiled. He didn’t return the smile. Instead, he turned around, bent over their captor’s body. She tried to see what he was doing, but his back blocked her view. A moment later she could see him straighten and shake his head, before shoving himself to his feet.

The sirens were much louder now, and a four-wheel-drive sheriff’s office truck came skidding around the far corner, lights flashing. It headed toward them, another truck following close behind. Zack ignored them and strode to the pickup, to Kaylee. He tossed something inside on the dash—the leather mask, that was what he’d been doing, taking it off. And then he was cutting the seat belt. Without a word, he lifted her into his arms.

She put her hands around his neck, clinging to him as he carried her away from the truck. The first police vehicle stopped about twenty feet away. Drew Shlafer hopped out of the passenger side and ran toward them. The driver hopped out, as well, gun drawn as he hurried toward the body lying in the road.

Zack ignored both of them, just walked past Drew, whose mouth fell open at the sight of them, probably because Zack was covered in blood and limping, and Kaylee wasn’t in much better shape herself.

“Hospital,” Zack ordered as he stepped past the lieutenant. “She needs a doctor.”

Drew immediately turned, barking orders to his men, with more arriving, sirens blaring. Then he ran to the truck and yanked the back door open just as Zack reached it. He lifted Kaylee inside, cradling her on his lap. Drew slammed the door, slid into the driver’s seat and did a one-eighty, racing back down the road.

His eyes met Zack’s in the mirror. “The masked man, he’s—”

“Alive,” Zack replied, his voice tight, clipped. “Only because Kaylee stopped me. I wanted to kill him.”

She tightened her arms around him.

“His mask was gone,” Drew said. “But I didn’t get close enough to see him.”

“Jasper Carraway,” Zack said. “It was Jasper.”

Drew shook his head. “No. It wasn’t. They found the real Jasper Carraway’s body in the panhandle. He was murdered several days ago, his body stashed in the woods behind his house.” He reached over to the passenger seat as he steered around another curve then held up a picture for them to see in the back. “Is this the man you saw when you took off the mask?”

Kaylee lifted her head, trying to focus on the picture. It was just a fuzzy blur, and her head pounded from the effort. She closed her eyes and relaxed back against Zack.

“That’s him,” Zack confirmed. “That’s the man who abducted Kaylee.”

“And you,” she whispered against his neck. “He abducted you, too.”

He gently squeezed her in response.

“Hutch Mulcahy,” Drew confirmed. “He must have killed the FFW officer and taken on his identity to insinuate himself into the search, to get close to Kaylee no doubt. You were right about the profile change. He’d been working at a landscaping company in Naples during the day. And he’d called in sick on the days of the abductions.”

Zack’s fingers gently stroked Kaylee’s back as he continued to hold her tight. “Just get us to the hospital. Kaylee needs a doctor.”

“You got it.”

She lifted her head and stared at him in wonder. “You’re the one who needs the doctor. You should let me go and let me check your injuries.”

He cupped her face. “I’m never letting you go.” And then he kissed her.

Epilogue

Kaylee stood in front of Mystic Glades’s only church, waiting for her cue to go inside, while her new friends fussed over the short train of her wedding gown. Silver and Amber smiled at her as they arranged her veil, while Faye insisted on tying a small red-colored velvet bag to the garter on Kaylee’s thigh.

“Trust me,” she said, as she straightened, “that little bag is the secret to a hot, sex-filled honeymoon.” Faye winked as Kaylee’s face heated. “And there’s always more where that came from. Stop in at my shop, The Moon and Star, anytime.”

Silver rolled her eyes and gave a last pat to Kaylee’s veil before she and Amber both stepped back. “When you and Zack return from your trip to Kentucky, of all places, you should stay in the bridal suite at my bed-and-breakfast.” She waved toward the building that was a short distance away from the little clapboard church.

“Or better yet,” Amber added, “come stay with me and Dex in the condo we just bought in New York. We’ll take you for a carriage ride in Central Park.”

Kaylee smiled through threatening tears at these three women, all of whom had found their own heroes in Mystic Glades, just like she had. She aimed a particularly warm smile at Silver, who was Cole’s wife, and who had helped prepare her for the ups and downs of being a law-enforcement officer’s wife, since Silver and Cole had married not long ago themselves.

“Thank you all,” she said. “You were so nice to my parents.” She waved toward the church, knowing her mother sat in the front pew, and that her father stood just inside the double doors, ready to walk her down the aisle. “And you’ve welcomed me to this town, and into your hearts. I couldn’t ask for more supportive friends.”

They all hugged and then her cue—the “Wedding March”—started up inside.

“This is it,” Faye said, reaching for one of the door handles while Amber reached for the other. “Ready?”

Was she ready? It had been six months since Zack had saved her from the masked man, limping and bleeding and pushing himself to the limit to find a shortcut through the woods to stop the truck at one of the curves. And then he’d thrown the only weapon he had, the knife, blowing out the tire and then facing Kaylee’s abductor with nothing but his bare hands. The man was amazing and had risked everything—for her. Now her former captor was in prison, where he’d never hurt anyone else, ever again. Because of Zack.

She’d been so desperately in love with him that she hadn’t wanted to wait longer than it took for both of them to be released from the hospital before starting a life together. But he’d insisted on her taking the time to recover, in mind and spirit, not just body, before making a decision like that. And he wanted her to wait through the trial, saying she needed to focus on that before adding anything else to her plate. And he’d been right. She’d needed that time more than she’d realized.

She’d finally opened up to her therapist and was working through her fears. Surprisingly, testifying in court had been an important part of that therapy. Finally seeing the face of the man whom she’d thought of as the devil, as all-powerful, had made her see him for what he really was. Just a man. He no longer had the power to hurt her.

Of course she’d also had to tell her parents the full story, prior to the trial, so they wouldn’t be surprised to hear it from the media. That had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. Especially because she’d misjudged them so badly. By trying to protect them, she’d hurt them. And she’d vowed never to lie to them again.

Yes, Zack had been right. She’d had a lot to work through. But she’d come a long way. Were there still some dark times? Nights when she woke herself screaming? Yes, but they were further and further apart now. And she had no doubt that one day the nightmares would disappear forever.

She was happy—really happy—for the first time in a long time. She was marrying the love of her life, Zack Scott. And then he was taking her back to his hometown, to Murray, Kentucky, to spend some time with his very large extended family, many of whom were sitting inside the church right now.

Just like Amber, Silver, Faye and other Mystic Glades residents had welcomed her, so had Zack’s family. She’d been so worried when she’d met his three brothers, his mom, his dad, because she knew they must have all loved Zack’s first fiancée, Jo Lynne, very much. But there was plenty of room in their hearts for Kaylee, too. His mama told Kaylee she held an extra special place in her heart, because Kaylee had brought Zack out of mourning and back into the light. By taking Zack into her heart, Kaylee had given his mother back her son.

The doors swung open and were propped back. Then, one by one, her three matrons of honor—Amber, Silver and Faye—headed down the aisle. And then it was her turn. She kissed her father’s cheek and put her arm through the crook of his elbow. Then he slowly walked her down the red carpet.

Kaylee smiled through her happy tears at the overflowing pews on either side of the aisle. It seemed like the whole town had turned out for the wedding, people she was still getting to know, like Buddy Johnson, who seemed to own half of Mystic Glades. She blinked in surprise to see another man, leaning against the wall with a snake wrapped around his neck. The man grinned and waved then resumed petting the snake as if it was a dog.

She smiled back, wondering what other types of surprises she had in store living in a place like this. It was quirky and strange and absolutely perfect so far. Because Zack was here, which was all she needed to make her life complete.

He watched her from the front of the church, his broad shoulders encased in a gorgeous, black suit. Surely, there’d never been a finer looking groom. Even his three handsome brothers, who stood with Faye, Amber, and Silver, couldn’t compete with how extraordinary Zack looked. Then again, she supposed she was biased.

As she neared the front of the church, she shivered with delight at the way Zack’s deep blue eyes seemed to devour her. Impatient now, she urged her father to hurry, probably a little too fast, judging by the surprised smile that spread across Zack’s face.

Before her father could give her away or the preacher could say a single word, she raised the edge of her veil and planted a searing kiss against her husband-to-be’s mouth.

He eagerly deepened the kiss, much to the amusement of his brothers, who whistled their approval. While most of the church dissolved into laughter, her new friend Faye urged them on with a loudly whispered, “You go, girl.”

The sounds of both the preacher and her father loudly clearing their throats had her reluctantly ending the kiss and stepping back. Her grinning groom gave her a sexy wink that nearly brought her to her knees.

An eternity later, after her father officially gave her away and sat beside her beaming mother, she smiled up at Zack. “I love you.”

“Not half as much as I love you,” he assured her. “Now let’s do this thing so I can take you somewhere private.” He winked again and helped her arrange her veil over her face for the ceremony.

She took his arm and faced a future filled with hope and security, and best of all, the warm light of her husband’s love to keep the dark shadows at bay. Oh, she knew there would still be times when the horrors of her past would haunt her. But she also knew that she never had to face her fears alone again. She would always have this wonderful man beside her, for better or worse.

Just when she’d decided the preacher was never going to finish, he pronounced them husband and wife. This time it was Zack who lifted her veil. The look on his face was almost reverent. He stared down at her as if he thought he was the luckiest person alive to have her. But of course that wasn’t true. She was the luckiest one, to have him.

The preacher told Zack he could kiss his bride.

And so he did, quite thoroughly.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES
by Tyler Anne Snell.

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