Spark And Flame (10 page)

Chapter 25

“It looks like we got them to take a day off,” Lane announced as he turned off the TV.

The coverage of Langley’s escape and the resulting manhunt was more subdued. The tracker graphics and clocks were gone. While none of the media would directly accuse Langley of the deaths on Aiden and Lane’s driveway, they did take a more somber and reverent tone when referring to the dead officers. A few of the families of the fallen officers were able to hold press conferences and the media was slowly turning its focus to the individual officers as personal interest stories. Footage of Aiden trying to stop the woman before she set herself on fire then screaming in terror as Lane held him back played over and over and there was finally a hint of sympathy toward him.

“I think they’re coming around,” Aiden said as he stuffed his phone charger in one of the outer pockets of his backpack. Lane nodded then looked toward the windows.

“The sun’s starting to set. We should go now,” he said. “We want plenty of people to see us leave and I don’t want to give Langley a chance to set anything in motion if he’s got something planned for tonight,” Lane explained and Aiden nodded quickly as he eyed the door nervously. Lane threw an arm around Aiden’s neck and pulled him close. He kissed his forehead then leaned back. “We’ll be on a plane in a few hours and by tomorrow we’ll be far away and he won’t be able to follow us,” Lane said and Aiden offered a strained smile.

“I’ll feel better once we’re in the air and I know we’re out of his reach,” he said and Lane cupped his cheek and dropped a quick kiss on his lips before releasing Aiden.

“It’s time,” he said as he reached for Aiden’s bag and threw it at him. He caught it and slid his arm into the strap of his backpack and pulled it over his shoulder. “We’re taking the Corvette. I would be sick the entire time if we left the Merc at the airport and I think it will make a statement as we drive off. It’ll be more of a Fuck You to Langley, I think,” he said and Aiden snorted.

“I would not be upset if that car was stolen or vandalized while we were gone,” he said and Lane pretended to pout. “I think I would like it more if it were a different color. If something happens, use the insurance money to have it restored in a different color or buy something less offensive.” Aiden nodded at the door and Lane tossed the keys in his hand before he pulled it open.

All attention focused on Aiden and Lane as they rushed down the driveway toward the garage. Each carried a backpack and a duffle bag and quickly tossed them in the car and as soon as the garage door was open Lane reversed out. Reporters and camera men scrambled to catch them as they backed out of the driveway and Aiden offered a weak wave before Lane sped down the long rural road away from the house. He looked over his shoulder and laughed as the house and the carnival surrounding it disappeared from view.

“We did it!” He exclaimed as he grabbed Aiden’s hand and raised it to his lips. “An hour to the airport and then another hour until we’re in the air,” Lane said excitedly and Aiden grinned boyishly as he squeezed Lane’s hand.

“I don’t know how good of a plan this is but I feel happier than I’ve felt in weeks,” he said. “And I’m not scared right now,” Aiden added and Lane felt the weight falling from his shoulders.

“I don’t care what happens after this. I’m tired of feeling like a prisoner in my own home and waiting for him to make a move against us. We’re in control again,” he said and Aiden nodded in agreement as Lane turned onto the rural highway.

Lane felt more confident and joyful the further they got away from the house. By the time they hit the interstate, he’d be giggling like an idiot. A van pulled in front of them and he gestured impatiently as it slowed and he swerved slightly to the left to see around it to pass. He cursed as an oncoming motorcycle forced him to wait. Lane’s eyes went to the rearview mirror and he frowned at the older model Buick that was eating up the road behind them. He checked the oncoming traffic again, not relishing the idea of being stuck between a slow moving van and an impatient driver. A semi was heading toward them and Lane prepared to pass the van as soon as it went by. His brows pulled together when the Buick filled the rearview mirror and gunned its engine.

“What the fuck?” Lane yelled then stomped on the break as the van’s break lights came on. “Aiden!” Lane called as he threw his arm out to hold Aiden in his seat as the Buick slammed into the back of the Corvette. Momentum threw Lane forward and he did his best to keep his eyes on Aiden as the front of the Corvette crushed as it collided with the back of the van. The sound of smashing, crumpling metal and pain flooded Lane before everything went dark.

Chapter 26

Everything hurt and the metallic smell of blood filled Aiden’s nostrils as he forced his heavy eyelids open. It was small, dark and the floor beneath him was hard and somehow thin. He tilted his head and his cheek brushed against coarse, stale smelling carpet.

Lane!
Aiden tried to sit up and pain exploded in his head, side and right leg. His hands were bound and Aiden realized he was gagged.
Where’s Lane?
Aiden worried as he got his hands up and in front of his face. He used his thumbs to pry the gag out of his mouth and pulled the cloth down around his chin. He squinted at the rope around his wrists and there was just enough light for him to locate a knot and his eyes did their best to work through it before he raised it to his lips and attacked it with his teeth.

It felt like hours before his hands were finally free and the entire time he fought with the knot the gnawing worry Aiden felt about Lane became nearly hysterical. His brain kept attempting to calculate the likelihood he could have survived the crash but Aiden refused to let it weigh probabilities and statistics as he rolled and got his hands and knees beneath him. He silently thanked the universe that nothing was seriously broken. He suspected there were some broken ribs and something in his leg might be fractured or sprained but he was confident he could move somewhat effectively.

He was in a van and it was obvious that Langley was responsible. More fear surged within Aiden at the thought. If Langley put him in this van, what had he done with Lane? Aiden shoved the fear aside as he carefully raised his head and crawled toward the front seats. They were empty and a light outside reflected off the keys in the ignition. Aiden stared at them for several moments before he crawled backwards and surveyed the interior of the van. Aside from a large bag, it was empty. Aiden found the zipper and silently cheered at the smell of old grease and rust and the feel of metal and hard plastic. Tools. Aiden hunted until he found two large screw drivers, a hammer and a crowbar. He slid the screwdrivers into his back pockets and squeezed the crowbar and hammer in his fists as he made his way to the back doors. The heavy weight and coolness of the solid metal reassured and bolstered Aiden’s courage as he carefully rose to look out the windows. No one was in sight and the small aluminum building next to a barn drew his eyes. It was large enough to hold an RV or a few tractors and it made the hair on the back of Aiden’s neck stand. He set down the crowbar and slowly lifted the handle on the door until it clicked and he let out a shuddering, relieved breath as the door opened.

Aiden opened the door slowly and waited for someone to raise the alarm but there was only silence as his heart thudded wildly in his ears. Once it was wide enough for Aiden to slide out, he waited another moment and hugged the hammer and crowbar to his chest. Everything remained still and silent outside the van and Aiden reminded himself that he had to hurry and find Lane. He nodded firmly before he let his left leg slide out. His right followed and more pain shot up his side and he grunted as he leaned on his left leg and the back of the van. He looked around as he straightened and there was nothing but wide open farmland and the two buildings to the west of the van. Aiden considered the barn and immediately dismissed it. There was too much ventilation for the type of fire Langley favored.

A different pain flooded Aiden’s body at the thought and his stomach churned violently as he pulled and limped his way to the side of the van. Fuck, his body hurt.
Don’t think about that now. Find Lane,
he ordered then pushed away from the van and fell in the direction of the aluminum building. It wasn’t ideal but Aiden decided he was probably better off crawling. He could move faster and falling repeatedly would hurt like hell. His fingers curled around the hammer and crowbar as he pulled himself through the loose dirt toward the building. There was a wound in his forehead and Aiden was annoyed that it insisted on bleeding so profusely. It made everything smell like blood and he kept having to mop at his eyes with his sleeves to see.

It was completely dark by the time Aiden reached the doors. He decided that worked in his favor. He couldn’t work out why but he needed to have as much going for him as he could when he opened one of those doors. Aiden pulled himself to his feet and drew in as much of a breath as he could without making the pain in his ribs unbearable. He leaned on the left door and it was large and heavy enough to only give a little.

Once again, Aiden listened. He waited for someone to yell or for the door to make too loud of a sound but it was nearly silent as it slowly gave way enough for Aiden to enter the building. He tilted his head around the door until he could see inside and was immediately grateful for the two shop lights at the far end of the building. It was just bright enough for him to see but not so bright that he couldn’t hide. There were plenty of shadows and Aiden had yet to spot anyone. He frowned as he looked back over his shoulder. What if Lane and Langley weren’t there? What if Aiden had wasted so much time and energy getting to the building and Lane needed him to be somewhere else?

Aiden took a deep breath and forced his brain to stay focused. This had to be it. If it wasn’t, Aiden would never see Lane again, dead or alive. He looked at the large tractor and made that his immediate goal. Aiden let himself fall toward it and swallowed a grunt when he hit the floor and pain rolled though his body. He waited silently, in case his landing hadn’t been as quiet as he hoped. After a few moments Aiden got his elbows beneath him and pulled himself toward the tractor as he continued to scan the inside of the building. From the door he could only see the tractor and a long work table at the far end of the building. There were stacks of what Aiden suspected were hay bales to the left and he tried not to calculate how well they would burn as he reached for the tractor with the hand around the crowbar. He used the large treads of one of the tires to haul himself to his feet and carefully looked through it. A shape passed on the other side and Aiden ducked and listened. Footsteps. He tried to follow them and silently prayed they didn’t come around the tractor. There was a soft buzz that Aiden immediately recognized as an incoming call on a smartphone.

“I’m just about done here,” Langley said and Aiden’s hands instinctively tightened around the hammer and crowbar. “Is everything set at the lake house? I don’t want any surprises when I get there with Dr. Aiden Sharp,” he warned and Aiden’s lip curled as he leaned and rolled his body along the front of the tractor. He was sick of hearing Langley say his name.

Aiden waited until Langley was pacing away from him to raise the hammer and throw himself in Langley’s direction. His head whipped around and Langley gasped as he raised his arms defensively and Aiden put all his energy into pulling the arm with the hammer down as hard as he could. The head of the hammer connected with the front corner of Langley’s skull with a dull crunch and he collapsed in a heap of limbs. Aiden fell with him and easily freed the phone from Langley’s limp grasp. He ended the call and shoved the phone into the pocket of his hoodie before crawling toward the work tables, into the building’s open space.

As soon as Aiden crawled into the halo of light he spotted a foot on the other side of a stack of pallets.
Lane’s foot.
He dragged his body toward it and fumes caused his eyes to blur and sting and his lungs burned.

“Lane!” Aiden hissed as he caught sight of his unconscious face.
Please be unconscious and not dead,
Aiden begged as he pulled himself closer. Lane was almost sitting with his back against the stack of pallets. His arms were stretched wide and his wrists were bound to the pallets as his head hung limply. There was so much blood and Aiden’s hands shook as he gently pressed them against Lane’s chest. Everything was still warm and Aiden clung to hope as he waited for Lane’s chest to rise. He continued to wait and there was nothing. “Lane!” Aiden begged as his hands pulled at Lane’s soggy jacket and shirt. He was drenched in blood and some sort of fuel. Aiden swallowed a wave of panic as he got to his knees and his eyes went to the neatly arranged propane tanks along the walls. They were spaced approximately every four feet around the room and Aiden suspected that every bit of hay and wood in the building was saturated with gasoline. The aluminum would practically melt around them. Aiden blocked the thought as he raised his fingers to Lane’s neck. His skin was hot and slippery and Aiden couldn’t find a pulse. But he was still hot. A corpse wouldn’t stay hot for long.

Finally, Aiden found a weak, thready beat under Lane’s skin. He laughed softly as relief swept through him. Aiden leaned forward and pressed his lips to Lane’s as his hands curved around Lane’s face. He kissed him several times before he raised his head and leaned toward Lane’s left hand. He made quick work of the knot and freed Lane’s hand before he crawled over his legs and reached for his right hand. As soon as Aiden got the right hand released Lane fell to his side and his head landed on Aiden’s lap. A soft groan rattled in Lane’s chest and his eyelids fluttered.

“Lane!” Aiden cried as he folded himself over and found his lips. Their lips brushed and he felt Lane’s cling and a hot burst of tears washed down Aiden’s cheeks.

“Go,” Lane breathed and Aiden nodded in agreement.

“There’s a van outside with the keys in the ignition. We just need to get back to it and you can get us out of here,” Aiden said and Lane’s head shook faintly.

“You have to go,” he barely whispered. “I can’t,” Lane said and Aiden frowned.

“I’ll help you get to the van. I don’t know if Langley is unconscious or dead but I hit him in the head with a hammer. We have some time,” he insisted and Lane’s head barely twitched from side to side.

“I’m not going to make it to the van, Aiden,” he said as firmly as he could. “There’s too much broken and I think I’m bleeding internally. I can’t feel anything but cold,” Lane whispered hoarsely and Aiden shook his head.

“No! I’m not leaving you,” he said as he carefully rolled Lane onto his back. “You and I will stay here, then,” Aiden decided as he pushed the hair away from Lane’s brow then dropped his shoulders and placed a kiss on his lips.

“You have to go,” Lane urged. “Get back to the van,” he ordered and Aiden shook his head as he reached into his hoodie.

“You know I can’t drive,” he murmured as he leaned so the light fell on the phone’s screen. He almost cried when he saw it was locked with a passcode but it only took four attempts before Aiden’s birth year brought him to the home screen.

“Won’t,” Lane sighed and Aiden frowned as his eyes switched back to Lane’s.

“What?” He asked and a weak smile curved Lane’s lips.

“You can drive but you won’t,” he corrected and Aiden’s lips trembled.

“Just hang on,” Aiden commanded as he went back to Langley’s phone. He found the map app and smiled. “I know where we are. I’m going to call 911 and we’ll just wait together,” he said and Lane nodded faintly.

“Get the gun at my ankle,” Lane whispered and Aiden shook his head.

“I’d prefer not to,” he replied and Lane snorted weakly.

“I’d prefer not be bleeding to death but we can’t have everything we want,” he said. “Take the gun in case Langley wakes up. You can recover from ringing ears or whatever after he’s dead,” Lane said and Aiden’s lips twisted.

“I’m sure I could but everything is drenched in gasoline and there are approximately twenty propane tanks around the room. There’s also an abundant amount of dry wood and hay. There’s only a small probability that the flash from the muzzle would be enough to ignite the fumes but if I were to miss and hit one of the tanks or cause enough of a spark from a bullet ricocheting off the metal walls, this entire building would become an inferno,” he explained. “I’d prefer not to die in a fire,” Aiden added and Lane grinned.

“There is that,” he agreed and Aiden nodded as he dialed and pressed the phone to his head and waited until the emergency operator answered.

“Yes. This is Dr. Aiden Sharp,” he said and winced at the use of his title. “Chief Lane West and I are being held captive at what is known as Berringer’s Farm, on the east end of the farm. We’re about two miles off route 82 in a metal storage building next to a barn. I used a hammer to incapacitate Gavin Langley and Chief West and I are in need of immediate medical attention…” Aiden heard the scraping of feet on the dirt and looked up as the crowbar swung in his direction and he instantly fell back, out of its reach.

“No!” Langley roared as he dove on top of Aiden. The impact brought a torrent of pain and Aiden was momentarily stunned as his body became bright red flashes then heavy rolling pain. “What have you done?” Langley asked angrily as he snatched the phone from Aiden. He quickly ended the call and threw the phone aside. “You’ve ruined everything!” He screamed as he rolled toward Aiden.

This time, Aiden was ready and he grabbed Langley’s hands as they went for his throat. He used all of his weight and heaved his body up and over, rolling Langley. He knew if he could pin Langley’s hands, he could headbutt him hard enough to knock him out again. Or at least stun him enough to get in a solid punch. But Langley was stronger and Aiden’s body shrieked in protest as they twisted and he was thrown onto his back.

Aiden refused to release Langley’s hands and they bucked and thrashed against each other, each trying to get in a knee or use their heads. Aiden heard Lane grunting as he tried to get his hand around the hammer but he wouldn’t have been able to raise it if he reached it. Langley leaned away and Aiden followed and used the momentum to roll them away from Lane and the hammer and Aiden was able to get his head up. Langley snarled as his fingers curled into claws and strained toward Aiden’s face before Aiden brought his head down as hard as he could. A loud thud filled Aiden’s head and Langley’s body jumped beneath his. Aiden released Langley’s left hand and reached behind him and found one of the screw drivers as Langley’s hand closed around his throat.

Langley’s grasp with his left wasn’t strong enough and Aiden got the screwdriver between them and thrust it into the middle of Langley’s abdomen. Langley’s eyes bulged and a gagging cough hurled from his throat. Aiden pulled the screwdriver from what was probably Langley’s diaphragm and jabbed it into the center of his chest. The screwdriver caught on bone and Aiden reared back and swung his entire body forward as he planted the screwdriver into the middle of Langley’s ribs. There was a good amount of resistance but Aiden was able to use his body weight to force it through. He pushed off Langley’s body and got on his hands and knees. Langley stared up at Aiden in horror then spluttered and coughed, spraying Aiden with blood. Aiden’s eyes poured into Langley’s as he waited for the life to leave them. He coughed again, showering Aiden and he wrinkled his nose in disgust before he let his body fall onto his side. He reached back for the hammer and swung it in a wide arc and brought it down on Langley’s skull, doing his best to aim for the temple. This time, it was less of a crunch and more of a squish and Langley’s body was completely limp. Aiden dropped the hammer and used what little energy he had left to lift his hand to Langley’s throat. It flopped onto his neck and Aiden searched for a pulse. As soon as he was satisfied Langley was dead, he rolled onto his back and exhaled weakly.