I'll Be Seeing You (20 page)

One of the officers walked over to them, his expression grim. “Everything’s clear. No one’s in the house,” he informed them quietly. “I’m sorry, Detective.”

Cole’s cell vibrated and he quickly answered, a small part of him praying that it was Katherine. That she had gotten out before…he stopped the thought cold. He
would
find her! And she would be alive!

“Mac, I got the slippery son of a bitch,” Ken rushed out proudly. “This motherfucker is a tricky little bastard…I’ll give him that, but
not
fricking tricky enough.”

“Send the address to my phone,” Cole barked, turning back toward the door. He stopped and turned back towards Ben. “We’ve fucking got him,” he growled and took off back to his car. He heard Ben shout his name, but ignored it. He needed to get to Katherine before it was too late.

***

“I’m not going anywhere with you, Alex,” Katherine informed him stubbornly, trying so hard to keep the tremor from her voice.
No more!

He turned his face towards her very slowly…his eyes glassy with his madness, and Katherine had that instant moment of clarity when she realized that she was going to die like the other girls. He was not going to keep her alive. This
man
may have believed in his sick, twisted mind that he loved her…that he wanted her with him…but he enjoyed killing much too much to let her live. In the years since this entire nightmare had begun, he had developed an appetite for the death that he caused.
That’s
what now gave him pleasure–watching the life drain out of these women who looked so much like her. So, it was only a matter of time before he would realize that taking the life of the one who he had chased for all these years would be the ultimate thrill of pleasure for him. And she shuddered at the thought of what he would do to her in the time that it took for that realization to sink in. There was just no going back for him. He enjoyed the kill. He got off on the power he held over life and death. He got off on the power that he thought he held over
her.

Katherine’s jaw tightened as they made their way down the stairs, her lips set in a tight line of determination. She quickly glanced around his neat and tidy living room. Everything looked so
normal.
No one would ever expect that there was a true monster living here.

When they reached the bottom Katherine stopped, refusing to move. It ended now. She was done with being afraid. She was done with running away and hiding. She would not let this monster break her! For the first time in her life she had something worth fighting for, and damned if she wasn’t going to fight with all she was worth.

Alex yanked on her arm, his eyes narrowing as his fingers squeezed. “Come on,” he ground out, but Katherine held fast, shaking her head firmly. She knew that this ended here, and her heart clenched when she thought of Cole. She loved him so much, and it killed her to think that they might never have a chance.

“I’m done, Alex,” she whispered, her chin lifting in defiance, her spine rigid as she stared him down. No more being afraid.

Before Katherine could even think to react, his hand shot out and made contact with her cheek, sending an explosion of white, blinding pain slamming through her where his hand landed on her already bruised and battered jaw. She fell to the floor with a resounding thud, her eyes blurring as she fought to stave off the wave of nausea overtaking her.
She would not break!

“When, Katie,” he hissed, his eyes blazing. “When will you understand that we belong together? That no matter how hard you try to fight it, we
belong
to one another!”

Katherine pulled herself up, her gaze not wavering from his for a single moment. “We don’t,” she replied softly, trying desperately to keep her head from spinning. “You and I are nothing,” she whispered, her voice getting stronger as her fury at this man rushed forward. He had ruled and controlled her entire life for the past ten years and she wasn’t going to allow him to do that anymore.

If Cole had shown her anything in these past few weeks, it was that she
was
stronger than she had ever thought she could be. His love had given her the confidence to finally face her nightmare head on.

Alex growled at her, his lips turning up in a vicious snarl as he pulled her against his body. “We are
destined
, Katie,” he whispered against her ear, the heat from his body radiating off of him, and she felt her stomach tighten. “We are
everything
. Where I end–you begin. Don’t you see that?”

“No, Alex. I don’t see that at all. All I see is a pitiful,
delusional
man who fixated on someone who never had any feelings for him–a man who hides in the shadows like a coward and kills innocent women. I see a monster. Someone who makes my stomach turn and my skin crawl…someone who I am no longer afraid of. You hold no power over me anymore, Alex. I was lucky enough to find real love for the first time in my life.”

Alex roared, throwing her across the room. “No!” he screamed, rushing over and glaring down at her. “You belong to
me
!”

His head whipped around as the sound of screeching tires filled the air and Katherine felt her body seize up on her. Oh, God…no! It couldn’t be…

Alex stormed over to the window, glancing out only a moment before rushing back to her and pulling her to her feet. He reached behind him and pulled a large hunting knife from the waistband of his jeans, pressing it firmly against her neck.

“It seems that your Knight has arrived,” he murmured, his voice deadly low and even, and Katherine felt a shiver run across her. “We could have been out of here, Katie,” he taunted as she heard a car door slam. “But you had to fight me, didn’t you? And now, because of your stubbornness…he’s going to die.”

***

Cole pulled his weapon as he ran blindly up to the house, kicking the door in without any preamble whatsoever. He burst into the room like a tornado, only to find Katherine, bruised and bleeding, being held in that maniacs arms; a knife to her throat and a wicked smile on the fuckers face. He felt his rage consume him. He wanted this bastard dead! He
needed
it.

“Ah, Detective,” Alex laughed softly, his hold on Katherine tightening. “I was hoping that we could have avoided all of this, but I’m afraid that Katie was being a bit…difficult. I guess I’ll just have to work a little harder to break her of this stubborn streak.” 

Cole’s eyes met Katherine’s and his jaw clenched. “Let her go,” he ground out, much more calmly than he thought he would. He wanted to kill this son of a bitch. It was deep, raw…powerful. He had never wanted anything more. It was so blinding that a small part of him worried that he would act rashly and make a mistake. He ground his teeth together as he tried to keep his head clear. He
wouldn’t
mess this up!

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Alex tittered. “I do need you to drop your weapon though.”

Katherine ever so slightly shook her head at Cole, her eyes locking with his in desperation. “Don’t,” she croaked, her voice nothing more than a low, pitiful whisper. She knew that if he did, Alex would kill him in an instant, without even thinking about it. “
End
this now, Cole.”

Cole’s blood turned to ice as realization dawned on him. She wasn’t planning on walking away from this! Fuck! She was going to sacrifice herself to end this once and for all.

“Katherine…
don’t
” Cole breathed, silently begging her–pleading with her not to do this.

“Drop the gun, Detective,” Alex once again commanded.

“Take the shot,” Katherine said softly, her tone stronger now…resigned, and she gave him a sad smile, her eyes conveying the love that she felt. “Cole, you
need
to stop him once and for all. Take the shot.”
There would be no more blood on her hands.

“Katherine, please,” Cole whispered as he lifted his hands in the air and carefully set his gun down on the floor.

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it, Detective?” Alex asked softly, his eyes locking with Cole’s in silent challenge. “Now, if you would be so kind as to kick that over here, please.”

“Cole, please…don’t do it,” Katherine begged.

Cole did as he asked, glaring at him in murderous fury. “You know there are going to be cops swarming all over this fucking place in a matter of minutes don’t you, asshole,” he stated calmly, his eyes going back and clashing with Katherine’s. He saw her pain and knew that it mirrored his own.

“I have no doubt,” Alex laughed. “That’s why we really must be getting a move on.” 

He bent down, keeping Katherine close to his body, in order to pick up the gun, and it was in that moment that Katherine’s hands came up and grabbed the arm that held the knife to her throat as she stomped down on his foot with her heel with all her might, causing a startled grunt to pass Alex’s lips. She knew that if he picked up that gun, Cole would be dead.

Everything seemed to happen all at once after that. She heard Cole scream her name, she felt a searing pain travel down her throat to her chest as Alex’s knife slid across her…and she felt that warm rush of blood. She pushed with all her might away from his body and threw herself to the floor with a sound smack.

Cole roared as he lunged forward, knocking Alex to the floor with a heavy thud. They rolled and grappled as Cole tried to wrench the knife from his hand, his fury overtaking him. Alex twisted, knocking over a table in the process and kicked out, trying to get the furious man off of him, but Cole was not letting go. The knife went skittering across the room as Cole reined blow after blow down on him, his rage taking over.

Katherine slid across the floor, the blood flowing from her making the floor slick, and she willed herself to reach out and grab the gun lying there. She could see it…just within her reach. If only she could grab it. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to her, she felt the cool steel beneath her fingers and lifted the revolver.

Katherine squeezed her eyes shut a moment, trying desperately to clear her vision, but the room was beginning to spin and she knew that it had to be now or never. As the men twisted and rolled, Katherine took aim, praying that she wouldn’t miss. “Please…” she croaked before taking the shot.

The retort of the gun echoed throughout the house and Katherine let the gun drop from her hands, which were now shaking wildly. She was vaguely aware of Cole pushing Alex’s body away from him and come charging towards her, his face set in nothing less than pure terror. She felt him pull her into his arms as the sounds of sirens filled the night air. She had done it, she thought proudly. She had ended the bastard. She had finally stood up and ended her nightmare.

“Holy Christ,” she heard Cole growl as he ripped off his shirt and pressed it to her chest. She could feel his entire body shaking violently. “Just what in the hell were you thinking?” She could hear the tremor in his voice and see that look of fear in those incredible eyes of his, and gave him a shaky smile.

“It’s over,” she whispered, her lips turning blue as they shook from the strain of speaking. “It’s finally over. Thank you, Cole… thank you for showing me what love is. I love you so much.”

“Please, Katherine,” Cole husked out in complete desperation now, and she felt her eyelids starting to drift shut with a will of their own. She wanted nothing more than to look into the face of the man that she loved–but she was just so tired. “You have to hold on for me now, Baby. Damn it, Katherine! You
have
to hold on.”

She heard shouts as tires squealed and doors slammed; she heard Cole screaming orders, calling for help… and then she heard nothing at all.

Chapter 12

Cole sat silently in the quiet room with his head in his hands as he fought to get some type of control over his raging emotions. He couldn’t do this, he thought raggedly. He just couldn’t. It was too much.

Ben came quietly through the door and walked over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze. He shoved a cup of coffee towards him, but Cole shook his head.

“The Captain should be here shortly,” he said quietly, sitting down beside his partner, and not having the slightest idea as to what to say to his friend. What did you say to comfort someone whose pain was so raw…so damn deep? How did you find the words? “We found out that the bastard had made a copy of Katherine’s house keys,” he said softly. “That was how he was getting in and out without leaving any trace.” Ben sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Any news,” he asked finally, and once again Cole shook his head miserably. Ben knew that he was merely hanging on by a thread.

“Detective McKenzie?”

Cole sprang from his chair as if he had been set on fire and rushed over to the man standing in the doorway dressed in a rumpled set of scrubs. His heart began pounding wildly around in his chest, threatening to cut off his supply of air. He had never been so blasted scared in his entire life.

“Yes?” Cole closed his eyes, silently saying a prayer. He wasn’t an overly religious man; it was hard in his line of work with what he dealt with on a daily basis, but damned if he didn’t need every prayer that he could get at the moment.

“She’s in recovery, Detective. She’s going to be fine,” the doctor said with a slight smile, and Cole felt the air rush out of his body in a giant whoosh. “She lost a lot a blood but she’s stable. Thankfully it didn’t hit her artery,” he went on with a shake of his head. “Had it been just a millimeter over…well, let’s just say that she is one lucky lady. Dr. Li did an amazing job stitching her up, so there should be very little scaring…if any. You can see her in about an hour or so, once we get her off of the ventilator and into a room.” With that he patted Cole quickly on the arm and left the waiting room.

Cole felt Ben walk up beside him and pat him firmly on the back. “Your girls a fighter,” he said softly, a smile curving his lips, and Cole nodded.
She damned well was.

Cole took a deep breath and realized that the next hour of his life was going to be pure, unadulterated torture.

***

Katherine opened her eyes slowly, trying to ward off the blinding white glare of the fluorescent lights above her head. Her throat was raw, feeling as if she had swallowed sandpaper, and her entire body ached. Trying to focus, she glanced around and realized that she was in the hospital. She wasn’t dead.

“Baby…” Cole breathed, and she could hear the utter relief in his voice. It was strong and powerful, and it sent a shiver of longing up her spine, causing gooseflesh to rise up on her arms.

Katherine turned her head to find Cole sitting beside her bed, dark circles marring the wonderful blue depths of his eyes, and she tried to give him a reassuring smile…but everything hurt so badly.

“Alex?” she rasped softly, needing to know that this all was really,
truly
over.

“Who?” Cole questioned in confusion, worry in his eyes as his gaze traveled her face.

“Jeff…Jeff was
Alex Pierce
,” she choked out, and Cole’s brows furrowed. He hadn’t spoken to anyone about what had happened that night yet. He had been too consumed with his fear for Katherine. Ben had gone back to the station after the doctor had said that she would be fine, and Mike had only stopped by to check on her progress and to offer Cole his support. He didn’t care about anything else. He only cared about
her.
Suddenly it dawned on him. That boy that she had dated back in high school! Holy
fuck
!

Cole tenderly grasped her hand in his, being so very careful not to hurt her. “He’s gone, Sweetheart.” That had been the one thing that Cole had questioned. He wanted to be sure that the bastard was dead. Ironically, she had hit him in the femoral artery and the son of a bitch had bled out in a matter of seconds.

Katherine had hit her mark with deadly precision and Cole couldn’t help but to be extremely grateful that she was indeed a natural with a firearm. The only thing about it all that twisted at his insides was the fact that in her ending that sadistic bastard, she was going to have to live with the realization that she had taken a life…no matter how justified. He knew all too well how that could eat away at a person. But he also knew how someone’s love could heal that guilt as nothing else ever could. And he swore with his entire being that he would love her enough to heal her the way that she had healed him. He thanked God for giving him the opportunity to do just that.

“It’s really over?” she asked, unable to believe that it could possibly be real. After all this time, could her nightmare really,
finally
be over?

Cole brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm gently, his eyes shining brightly as a smile lifted his mouth. “Yeah, Baby. It is.” He took a ragged breath and she swore that she saw fear flitter across his features. “God, Katherine, what in the hell were you thinking?” he finally blurted out in a rush, his features burning with his torment.

Katherine closed her eyes and sighed. How could she make him understand? There had been no other choice. She would have done anything to keep him safe. And, it just needed to stop…all of it.

“Cole…”

Cole shook his head violently. “No, Katherine. You could have died, and whether or not you thought that you were protecting me, I wouldn’t have been living without you. Can’t you see that? Jesus, losing you would have been an existence that would have been hell on earth.” The depth of his emotion caused the burning sting of tears to hit her. She loved this man so very much. “I can’t even begin to imagine my life without you.” He leaned forward and carefully pressed his mouth to hers, being as gentle as humanly possible. Her cheek and jaw were bruised a deep purple from where that bastard had hit her, and she had bandages on her neck and chest. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her in any way. He just needed to feel her lips against his. “I love you, Katherine, and I never want you out of my sight,” he chuckled against her lips, “fucking
ever!”

Katherine giggled softly through the tears running down her cheeks.
This
was what had been so worth the fight. And she knew that with this man beside her, she had found a happiness that was so very precious. She had found her
life
.