Lone Star Justice (24 page)

She looked around for anything that might help her get out of the handcuffs. The closet was dark, but Aaron hadn't kicked the door all the way closed. A shaft of light did little to help illuminate the dark closet, but as her eyes adjusted she could see a bit more. Shelves lined the walls and held large cans of food, bottles of water, flashlights, blankets. And what looked like a medical kit. She scooted into a sitting position. How was she going to get on her feet with her ankles taped and her hands behind her back?

She scooted back against an empty section of the wall, then inched her way up until she was standing. Her ankles were bound tightly, so walking was out of the question. She took small, careful hops across the short distance to the shelf where she'd seen the kit. So far, so good. But the kit was on a shelf just out of reach of her bound hands.

Damn it. Okay, time for some innovation
. She turned around to face the shelf and used her lips and teeth to tug it toward the edge. Then she gave one final tug and it crashed to the floor, scattering supplies everywhere. She eased herself back down to the ground until she was kneeling and looked around for scissors, a scalpel--something sharp enough to cut through the ties. She finally found it under a small pile of bandages.

The scalpel was so sharp she cut her finger trying to pick it up without being able to see it, but she kept trying until she finally had it sharp end up in her right hand. She started sawing at the plastic tie until, finally, it popped loose and her hands were free. Then she cut the duct tape loose and tucked the scalpel into her pocket, just in case.

Where had Aaron taken her mom? There was no way he could have gone out the main door, so that left the way he came in. Where did that door lead? She eased out of the closet, looking around to make sure the room was empty, then crept over to where the door had been. The wall looked blank. But she'd seen a door there just a few minutes ago! It had to be hidden somehow, but damned if she could find it now.

How much time had passed? Five minutes? Ten? Her Mom could already be dead. She had to find a way to get help. She flipped the monitor back to where it showed the inside of the house. The guards were still at the door, so she tried screaming as loudly as she could. There was no reaction. So that meant the room was soundproof. She scanned the electronic controls and found the button for the sound. If she could hear what was being said outside, did it have a setting where those outside could hear what was happening inside?

She tried pushing the button again and the voices outside went silent. Then she yelled, "Help!"

***

Rand's radio crackled to life as he walked across the pasture toward the well house. "Rand, he's got her."

His heart froze. How in the hell had the bastard gotten past a dozen armed deputies, state troopers and FBI? "Are you absolutely sure? What happened?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Brandy's right here. He came in through a hidden door in the wall of the safe room. Our guys are trying to find it now. He couldn't have gotten in the house, so there has to be some kind of tunnel down there."

A tunnel. Where did it lead? "Which wall? North, south, east, or west?"

There was a short silence, then, "South wall."

He looked at the house, then across the pasture to the south. The only thing in that direction was a barn. "Got it. Send everyone to the barn. You and Cody stay with Brandy. Do NOT let Aaron get near her. Shoot him on sight, you understand?"

"Got it boss."

Rand took off running for the barn about four hundred feet away. In the distance, he could see flashlights bobbing up and down as the other offices ran in the same direction.

As he neared the building, he dropped low and slowed, easing his way to the side and around to the main door. He peeked around the door frame, his heart in his throat, afraid of what he would find, but the building appeared empty. He slid inside, gun drawn, and stopped, transfixed by the sight of a rope hanging from a rafter in the center of the room, a noose tied neatly at the end.

The sound of Maddie's voice, getting louder by the second, sent him scrambling for cover in a vacant stall. Where was his back up? They should have been there by now. But there was no more time to worry about that. The floor opened up and Maddie stepped into the barn, her head twisted at an odd angle. Then Aaron appeared behind her, his hand fisted in her hair. He shoved her, and she hit the ground, hard.

Rand nearly leapt from his hiding place. He wanted to strangle Aaron with his bare hands, then string him up by his own noose. But Aaron grabbed Maddie and now held a gun to her head.

"Put the noose around your neck," Rand heard him say.

Maddie struggled to stand and tried to pull away from Aaron.

"Do I have to do everything?" he said? Because if you don't do what I say, I'll go back for Brandy and let you watch while I do the same thing to her that I did to your friend."

Maddie was shaking so badly she could barely hold on to the rope, much less put it over her head. Rand aimed his gun, steadying his gun hand against the wooden rail of the stall. Aaron had his back to him, but he was standing too close to Maddie. Rand couldn't risk shooting him and hitting her.

Aaron grabbed the end of the rope with his free hand and pulled it, tightening the noose around Maddie's neck. Her eyes widened and she choked as she struggled to breathe. Her hands tugged fruitlessly at the rope.

Aaron laughed and walked away a few steps to loop the rope around a post. "Now, it's time for some fun."

Rand stood and aimed for Aaron's head. "Can I join in?"

Aaron whipped around and brought his gun up.

Rand's shot caught Aaron dead center in the middle of his forehead.

Rand kept one eye on Aaron to be sure he was dead, though from the amount of blood seeping onto the concrete floor there wasn't much doubt. He picked up the gun and turned to check on Maddie. His back up had finally arrived and cut her down. She sat on the floor rubbing her throat. When he knelt down in front of her, she launched herself into his arms and sobbed.

He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. "It's okay. It's all over. He's dead."

"B-B-Brandy?" she finally managed to choke out. "Is she okay?"

Rand looked up at a nearby state trooper. "Can you check on my daughter, please?"

The trooper made a call. "She's fine. Cody will bring her to the hospital."

Rand helped Maddie up. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I don't need a hospital. I need to see Brandy."

Rand shook his head. "You're getting checked out. You have a nasty bruise on your head, and your throat looks bad, too. I'll make sure Brandy gets there safely." The paramedics arrived and Rand helped her onto the gurney.

She wiped her wet cheeks and nodded. Rand watched as she gathered her strength and slid back into the cloak of toughness he'd come to know. And love.

***

Maddie finally convinced the doctors to release her once they'd determined she suffered from nothing more serious than a mild concussion. She'd had enough of hospitals and doctors and people fussing over her. Everyone but Rand, that is. She'd barely seen him when he dropped Brandy off after taking her statement. He'd stayed long enough to tell her about Brandy's brave actions and how she was the real hero. Then he'd disappeared without a word.

Okay, fine. If that's how he wanted it, she could handle things herself from here on out. She never should have shown weakness after the shooting, but for that one small moment she'd needed his strong arms around her, had needed to release all the pent up emotion of the last few minutes.

Evidently it had been more than he could handle. Just like the last time, when she'd needed him, emotionally, he was unavailable. She was grateful he'd been there to rescue her, at least. Even if he couldn't handle the aftermath.

Brandy paced the room while Maddie got dressed. "Where's Dad? Have you talked to him ?"

"No. I don't know where he is, either. It doesn't matter. Ellie is picking us up and taking us back to the house."

"Cool. Maybe Dad will stop by."

Maybe, but Maddie wasn't going to hold her breath.

Ellie helped Maddie pack their clothes and the things they wanted to take back with them to Oklahoma. "Are you sure you have to go back there? I thought maybe you'd decide to stay, pick up where you and Rand left off."

Maddie laughed, the sound hollow and empty. "Don't think that's going to happen. He has better things to do than take on a ready-made family. Besides, our lives are back in Oklahoma. Brandy has school, friends. I have a job. We need to get things back to normal."

Ellie gave Maddie a hug. "At least promise to come back for a visit, or invite me up there to see you. I've missed my best friend."

Maddie hugged her back. "You're welcome to come visit any time."

By the time they had the SUV loaded and had arranged for the furniture to be picked up, the sun was beginning to set. They were going to be very late getting home, but since Rand hadn't even called or come by, Maddie couldn't wait to get out of town.

She thought about calling him, but decided against it. What could she say that wouldn't sound weak and petulant? She wrote him a polite thank you note and gave it to Linda when they stopped by to pick up Domino.

Linda frowned at the envelope in her hand. "Don't you think you should give this to him yourself? Or stop by to see him?"

Maddie shook her head. "No. I'm sure he's busy."
Too busy to see us, obviously
. "He knows my number. He can call me if he wants to."

Brandy refused to speak to her all the way home. They'd already fought about her not getting to say good-bye to her father. Maddie felt bad, but she'd been down this road before and didn't want to give Rand a chance to break her heart again. She feared, though, that it was already too late.

***

Maddie was getting worried about Brandy. While she'd seemed happy to be back with her friends, now that school was out and summer was in full swing, her daughter barely left the house. Her friends had stopped calling after a few weeks when Brandy refused any and all invitations. She spent more time on the computer than Maddie liked, but as far as Maddie could tell, Brandy was playing online games, not talking to friends.

She knew Brandy missed Rand. To be honest, she missed him too. She'd gone over and over the events of that last day in her mind, wondering if she should have called him, stopped by to see him. Then she'd gotten busy at work and the days just slipped by. She'd barely noticed when May turned to June, and then July. She might have continued on oblivious if she hadn't missed her period.

She'd prayed it was just stress. But then the morning sickness started and she knew.

She also knew she couldn't hide it from him this time. That wouldn't be fair. She had to let him know, and she had to do it face to face. But first she had to be sure, so she made a doctor's appointment for the next week. Then she knocked on her daughter's door.

Brandy looked pale when she opened the door. Maddie put a hand on her forehead. No fever.

"Are you feeling okay? You don't look well."

Brandy nodded. "I'm fine. Just tired. I can't sleep."

Maddie drew her into the living room. "Sit down and tell me what's going on. I'm sorry I've been so busy and preoccupied lately. Why didn't you tell me you were having trouble sleeping?"

"I don't know. I didn't want to worry you."

"Want to talk about it? Are you having nightmares?"

Brandy shrugged. "Sometimes. Mostly I lay awake for hours. My brain won't shut down. I keep thinking about what might have happened. I mean, what if Dad hadn't gotten there in time. What if Aaron had killed you? I would have been all alone."

Maddie slid an arm around Brandy's shoulders. "You would have had your Dad. You would have been sad for a while, like I was when I lost my mother and brother, but you learn to go on, to rely on yourself and take care of yourself. Hopefully you won't ever have to do that, but you would survive."

"Mom, why hasn't Dad called? Did y'all have a fight or something?"

"No, we didn't fight." It might have been better if they had. "I don't know why he hasn't called. But I was thinking…how would you like to go back there in a couple of weeks?"

When Brandy brightened, she hurried to add, "Just for a visit. I can't be gone long, but if it's okay with Rand, you could stay for the rest of the summer."

Brandy threw her arms around Maddie's neck. "Yes!"

"Okay. And until then, you can sleep in my room if you want to, see if that helps you fall asleep more easily." And with Brandy in her room, maybe Maddie could quit obsessively checking on her daughter several times a night.

In spite of being home, Maddie still didn't feel safe. Maybe it was the empty house next door, where Matt used to live, reminding her that she couldn't even trust people she thought of as friends. Maybe it was knowing Doc still hated her, and probably hated her even more knowing his son had died because of her.

Or maybe it was knowing she was pregnant once again, and not wanting to go through it alone. Mostly, though, it was because Rand had made her feel safe in a way she'd never felt before, and without him she just couldn't find that strong, unshakeable core she used to have. She felt less than whole, like a part of her had been ripped away.