Saving Me (Finding You #3) (12 page)

Chapter

Twenty-One

Kyle

I made it to Big Bear Lake cabins without further incident thanks to the police escort. We pulled into the office and were given directions. We were losing some light, so easing into a break in the trees not far from the cabin, the officer put his bike into park and I followed suit beside him with the car.

“Sheriff McQuade and Officers Bennett and Kransky are already at the cabin. I’m sure they could use my help. You’ll have to stay well back, though. Is that clear? I’m talking in the trees, clear.”

I nodded, even though I had no intention of standing back and watching while Dakota was inside with an insane criminal.

We walked along the bumpy road to the cabin. Neither of us spoke. There was too much tension in the air.

After a few minutes of long strides, the chunky timber structure appeared.

We both stopped about twenty feet from the front door.

“This looks like the place. Black SUV parked out front.” The officer drew a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. “Registration matches.” He looked at me. “You stay here. I’m going around back to check things over.”

“Yes, sir!” I leaned back against a tree, hidden from view until he’d disappeared around the back before stepping out and ducking down as low as I could to make my way towards the front door. I wasn’t going to go through the front door but merely listen to see if there was any sound from inside.

I was so close to Dakota and yet a million miles away. All I wanted to do was charge in and rescue her from any more trauma. Each second that passed was too long. What were the police doing? Didn’t they have the situation under control yet? Why was it so quiet?

With my ear to the door, I was met with silence. Damn, it was so frustrating! Four policemen and one psycho. Was John that crazed that he’d outwitted all of them?

At that point I wasn’t sure what to do so I headed around the back where my police escort had gone. I’d only made it around the corner of the cabin when someone jumped out from behind a tree, gun pointed. “Stop! Put your hands in the air! Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot!”

I froze, raising my hands, looking to see who was there.

A stocky cop with a scowl was ready to shoot.

“I’m Kyle Rutherford. I’m the fiancé of the woman inside. I traveled up here with Officer Ryan, I think his badge said? Please, I just want to see my fiancé.”

The muscle-bound, uniformed man slowly walked from the shadows of the tall pine trees towards me, gun still targeted at my chest. “Stay right where you are. Don’t move and keep your hands up.”

He reached me and motioned with his gun. “Stand up against the wall, now.”

What the hell was this? Did he think I was the criminal? Not wanting to piss off an already gruff looking cop, I obliged, spreading my legs wide, arms up high, resting on the timber wall, cringing when he frisked me.

“Turn around and show me some identification. Nice and slow.”

For the second time that day I dipped into my back pocket and withdrew my wallet that held my driver’s license. I handed it over and waited.

Satisfied I was telling the truth, the officer seemed to relax. “I’m Officer Bennett. What are you doing snooping out here, anyway?”

“I was told to stay behind some trees around the other side of the cabin but my fiancé is inside. There’s no way I can stand here and just wait. I need to be doing something. I was trying to hear what was going on inside. What’s taking so long?”

“It’s a delicate situation. I’m sure it’s all under control. There’s nothing you can do except wait. It’s too dangerous for you to go inside.”

“Well, then can you get in there and see what’s happening?” I was desperate for some news. Anything.

Bennett looked at his watch. “Hmmm. I was ordered to stay outside and guard the perimeter in case the perp. escapes but they have been in there a while. Look, under no circumstances do you follow me, okay? Stay here. I’ll go in and see what’s taking so long and come right back out.”

At least that was something. I agreed to appease him and let Bennett walk away while I hung back.

I paced back and forth, wondering how long I’d be able to follow orders and not go barging in.

The sun had sunk below the trees as darkness fast approached, making visibility a problem. This was crazy. Something had to be done to speed things along. Standing outside, not knowing what was going on inside was the worst kind of torture.

When Bennett had been gone five minutes, I was banging my fist on a tree, watching the bark fly off. He had said he would go in and then come right back. Well, if he didn’t hurry up I was going to work my way around to the back of the property to see if I could see or hear anything. Five more minutes. Bennett had five more minutes.

I wanted a piece of that son of a bitch more than ever now. If I could get John on an even keel without a firearm, I knew I could bring him down. Dad had always been strict on me being able to defend myself. After a couple of years doing martial arts as a teen, I knew enough to get out of a jam. Disarming a psycho took things to a whole new level but I was up for the challenge. Anything for Dakota.

Shit, I hoped she was okay. Not knowing or seeing her was the worst. And why was the place so damned quiet?

Nope, I’d had enough of waiting. To hell with this. I slowly walked to the edge of the cabin, peeking around the corner, unable to see much with the muted light but confident the ambush was unraveling inside and not out back. I crept along the back as silent as the night itself.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Dakota

I didn’t know what time of day it was or even what day of the week. I did know that I couldn’t be dead because that wouldn’t leave my body in a fire pit. Death would take away the agony.

Was I even awake or was this darkness more like a coma? And what was with that groaning? Was it John? Was he hurt? I could only be so lucky.

It became louder and as I listened intently it became apparent the moans were coming out of my own throat.

In the next second there was a loud pop like a firecracker and then a heavy thud followed by a door opening and boots moving. Familiar boots. The sound of the loud pop caused me to jump in fright but the echo of those damn boots filled me with terror.

The boots stopped outside the doorway and there were another two pops. After that chaos ensued. Men’s voices yelled and curses were screamed. More shots fired. Boots running and becoming quieter. Good. The boots were scary. I tried moving my arms but couldn’t as I remembered I was bound tightly to the bed. All I managed was to move my head and heavily open one eyelid. The blackness was still there. Panic grew. I was trapped in an abyss. With each strangled breath the tentacles of darkness seemed to wind around me tighter. Awash with dizziness, I was dragged under again.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

Kyle

I heard three gunshots as I made my way along the back of the cabin. I halted, not knowing whether to proceed or hold back. I didn’t exactly want to run head on into a shootout. But loitering outside when I might be able to help didn’t sit well with me either. And then something monumental hit me.

Dakota! Fuck!

Acting on impulse with revenge powering my legs, I ran towards an opening and was nearly bowled over by a man exiting and making a run for the cover of trees, not looking anywhere but straight ahead. His hand was a bloody mess but it didn’t seem to slow the guy down.

My mind tried to process who he was before acknowledging that he wasn’t in a police uniform.

The guy’s body language told me he was trying to flee something bad. The brief glimpse of the man’s face when he’d run out the door showed a person who was angry and agitated.

As he disappeared into the first line of trees, I knew without a doubt it was John. My legs started to move of their own accord. I wanted to yell all sorts of things out to the guy that had started all this but I decided to hold my tongue until I had the fucker in a stronghold.

As much as I wanted to go to Dakota, I knew I had to finish this. For her. The guy was obviously smart and had made it out in one piece even though there had been four policemen inside. How the hell had that happened?

I couldn’t see John but I could hear his panting. The severe wound on his hand would have to slow him down, even just a fraction. I was primed and ready for action, clearly at an advantage.

I tried to just focus on catching the guy. That’s all I needed to think about. Not the fact that Dakota might be the one who had taken one of the shots that had been fired. No, I couldn’t focus on that.

Get the prick and do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn’t walk out of this forest in one piece. Do it for Dakota.

Where the hell was the maggot? It was impossible to tell with only moonlight as a guide. Not to mention the trees. Even with John in close vicinity it was like finding a dot in acres of wilderness.

I hoped the dipshit wasn’t still armed, but then surely if he was there would have been more bullets fired. A knife wasn’t so hard to kick out of someone’s hand. Piece of cake, really. It was too late now anyway. I was in this until the end.

My own panting was getting louder the more I ran. I tried to hone my hearing in to see if John was still close by. Nothing. The trees seemed to be getting thicker. I wasn’t sure which direction we were headed but Big Bear Lake was spread out over a large area, so getting lost was a very real possibility.

Surely one of the cops at the cabin would have radioed for help by now. A chopper with a high powered spotlight wouldn’t go astray, or a SWAT team.

It really was the perfect place to try and escape the law. John had certainly thought out his plan meticulously. Nothing had been left to error. Well, apart from being found out, of course.

I was just glad John hadn’t tried to flee the country with Dakota. Maybe that was his plan after he was finished with her here. Who would know?

Something swooped down in front of me, causing me to slam the brakes on. Shit!

Just an owl. Just an owl.

It was a five second pause I didn’t need. While I was stopped, I listened. Still nothing. Damn!

Was this guy even human? He seemed to have superman abilities.

Picking up the pace again, I decided that moving forward was better than not, so I kept going.

The further into the woodland I went the darker it became, the tall pines swallowing the moon.

After what felt like another ten minutes of dodging trees and jumping over forest debris I had to stop. I was getting nowhere. Chasing what? An invisible man? John could be anywhere in the dense thicket. How far should I run before it would be wise to give up? I was in a clearing, moonlight filtering through enough to see.

Bending over and grasping my knees to try and quell the stitch in my stomach, I heard twigs snap from behind and then low singing, “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf…?”

My body was instantly upright and alert, spinning around and coming face to face with the very man I’d been chasing.

Shock had me rooted to the spot as I looked into the face of depravity.

“Well, well, well! What have we here then, hmm? Pretty boy decided to be a one-man army and take the law into his own hands. It seems that the hunter has become the hunted!” A smug smile resting on lips that I wanted to smash.

I waited on my opponent to make the first move, finally having my target sighted, trying to form a plan and breathe calmly to keep my wits about me. All these months of wondering what I would do to the mongrel once I got a hold of him and now that moment had arrived. I studied my adversary as his fists clenched and unclenched at his side, unable to keep quiet.

“You filthy, disgusting insect! Do you have any idea what you have done? How you hurt your own wife? Do you?” My voice was laced with revulsion.

“Oh, please! Spare me your heartfelt sentiment. You’re no saint! You took my wife away while we were still married! If it wasn’t for you I’d have her back and wouldn’t have had to travel halfway around the fucking world to rescue her!”

“Rescue her? The only person she needs rescuing from is you! That’s where I come in!” I was simmering, almost boiling, unable to contain my rage as I jetted towards John, who had pushed his chest out and stood in a fighting stance.

“Come on, pretty boy, let’s see some dance moves!” John almost sang the words.

“Arrrrrrgggghhhh!” I roared as I flew into him, causing both of us to hit the forest floor with a thud. He let out an ‘oomph’ as the wind was knocked out of him.

I used my weight to hold him down while landing three hard punches in the idiot’s face. It shouldn’t have felt so good but it did. “You will never touch her again, do you understand? Never!” I ground out, teeth grinding so hard together my jaw ached.

“Fuck you!” spat John, bringing his good hand up to my neck and squeezing forcefully, causing me to pause, momentarily giving him the break he needed.

The big man pushed with all his force into me, hand still around my neck, changing our position so he was on top.

I had to put some karate moves into practice and get rid of the thug quickly because with no air, it would all be over in a heartbeat. I switched to survival mode, not thinking, just acting.

Straightening my right arm, I brought it to the inside of John’s and using all my strength, I rammed it into John’s arm, disengaging the hand around my neck. John lost his balance and fell on top of me as I coughed and sucked much needed oxygen into my lungs. There was no time to wait, though. If I waited, I’d die.

Like lightning, I grabbed John’s bloody hand, squeezing it forcefully while pushing him off me. The monster howled in pain.

“Fuck! You’re gonna die for that!”

I found my own voice after my panting had subsided slightly. “Bring it, dead beat. I’ll take whatever you have to offer.”

I rose to my feet, John remained on his knees. Using my right leg, I karate-kicked John’s chest, causing the man to fly backwards with a loud grumble and then a thump as he hit the earth.

I followed, yelling into the dark night, knowing there was no one around, “You and I should have met long before now. I could have finished you off before you kidnapped Dakota. I could have saved her all the extra pain you’ve put her through.”

John was down but not out, kicking me in the knee-cap as I approached. I crashed to the ground as pain lanced through my knee and lower leg. One of my weapons of defense were gone. All I had left were my hands. While they weren’t quite as effective, I’d have to use them as best I could. My opponent wasn’t too stupid, obviously knowing that to avoid another kick, he needed to incapacitate me. It was going to be tough to win this.

Show him no weakness, no matter how much it hurts. Karate 101.

Trying to flout the cutting agony in my leg, I rolled onto my side and pushed up. “Come on, princess! Get up!” I motioned with both hands to John in a ‘come at me’ gesture.

John was winded from the hard kick to the gut but he was actually rising to meet the challenge.

We stood facing off, breathing ragged, John bent at the waist and me on one leg, waiting on each other to make a move. Apart from a raging inferno in my knee, I was moderately unscathed.

John, on the other hand, looked like he’d been dipped in blood. He looked hideous, eyes flaming, nostrils flaring. Mouth in a crooked sneer, gore and bruises and swelling covering his face.

The son of a bitch was enjoying every moment of the fight.

“What the hell did Dakota ever see in you? I can’t believe you were ever a part of her life. You’re disgusting!”

John grinned. “Compliments will get you nowhere with me, pretty boy.”

I couldn’t run with an injured leg so I had to wait for John to make a move but it seemed like the mongrel was dragging it out on purpose. The goading continued.

“Is she as good in bed for you as she is for me? Fucking hell, those tits were made for me. Perfect fit in these hands.” Well, one of them could hardly be called a hand, more like a mauled stump now.

A pained bellow jetted out of my throat at the thought of Dakota being with the creature before me. I was fighting to stand still, a side of me taking over that I never knew existed. Fury devoured me—all I wanted was to watch the life drain out of John’s eyes as he took his last breath.

“Aww, what’s wrong, hotshot? Don’t like to share? Well, let me tell you, these hands have been all over that luscious body the last couple of days. Mmm. It was mighty fine too.” John licked his lips and then laughed manically.

I hopped forward twice, knuckles white. “Shut the fuck up! Don’t you ever talk about her out of that vile mouth of yours! That sick memory you have in that twisted brain of yours is going to be your last, do you hear me?”

John angled his head, a finger tapping on his lower mouth. “Big words. You think you can take me, karate kid? Now that I’ve taken away one of your defenses? Hmm? I got nothing to lose. Nothing! Take me! I dare you!”

Fuck, this guy was pissing me off. My mind tried to come up with a plan of attack but it would mean having to approach off balance, dwindling my odds away to nothing. Jesus!

Maybe I could reverse the verbal slander. Get the guy so enraged he’d snap and make a move. It was worth a try.

“If you think you ever had another chance with Dakota, you’re crazier than I thought. Whose name is she screaming out when I’ve got her in bed, huh? Whose? Mine. That’s right! Whose arms does she wake up in every morning and fall asleep in every night? I’m curious, ‘cause it’s not yours, dipshit! She moved mountains, or should I say oceans, to get back to me. Me! Not you! She hates you! You’re nothing but a lowlife wife-beater. Scum of the earth who shouldn’t even be walking. If she could put a bullet in you herself, trust me, she would. But you know what? I promised her that if I ever came into contact with you, I’d tear your head off your shoulders, and that’s just what I plan on doing!”

Well, that ought to be a start. John’s already ugly face morphed into something that didn’t even look human. His chin jutted out and his ears reddened as the hard lines of his face became a road map of insanity. His mouth thinned into a crooked slash. Every muscle in his body seemed to squeeze tightly.

In a second I had my wish as John charged forward. Bracing myself on one leg, I waited for the impact. John had both arms out in front of him but I was ready. In a similar move to earlier I brought both arms up at just the right moment and swung outwards, knocking John’s arms away. Then I used the heel of my hand to smash into John’s already injured nose, pushing upwards against the nostrils. In what appeared to be slow motion, John’s head flew back hard, his feet flying out from under him before he landed on his back. I knew the move wouldn’t kill him, as the nose was made up mostly cartilage but it was enough to buy some time to strike again.

Dropping to one knee, grimacing in agony as I stabilized myself with the other, I landed John a severe karate chop to the throat, which if it didn’t finish the parasite off, would certainly cause great harm.

John’s mouth opened, eliciting loud gurgling noises. His eyes rolled back into his head but I wasn’t finished yet. I reached for his shirt and shook the man hard.

“Look at me, you fucker!”

John’s eyes momentarily opened and tried to focus. I ruthlessly stared into the black hollows until I was sure they were looking back at me.

“This is for Dakota, you slime ball! I hope you rot in hell!” John’s eyes widened, fear written in them for the first time as he followed my raised hand. “Bye bye! Or as you Aussie’s put it, “see ya mate!”

With that, I did another chop to the throat, shutting off John’s windpipe completely as I heard nothing but a quick attempt at a last breath and then nothing. Silence.