Sworn to Protect (Vows of the Heart) (26 page)

She channel surfed and stopped on the news even though she di
dn’t really want to. She frowned as the camera focused on a building fully engulfed in flames – a building that looked terribly familiar. At the bottom of the screen the marquee read LIVE SPECIAL REPORT: Mysterious Fire in Slum District, Rockdale, NY.

A cold knot of terror settled in the pit of her belly. Her body shook uncontrollably. “No!” Bethany screamed, jumping to her feet. Despite her efforts, despite her leaving Ethan, trying to distance herself from him, despite trying to keep him safe, it still came down to this.

Tommy flew out of the kitchen, his gun in hand. “Bethany, what is it?”

She pointed at the TV, unable to speak, tears pouring down her cheeks, her heart shattered into tiny pieces.

“Oh God,” Tommy whispered. “That’s Nathan’s apartment building.” He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Bethany covered her mouth with her hands trying to choke back her sobs.

“We’re going live to Steven Wolf in New York,” the anchor said. “Steven, what’s going on?”

“Actually, Dan, we’re not sure. We’ve received a report of a massive explosion in a slum district apartment building. We haven’t been able to get all of the details yet, but unconfirmed sources have hinted it might have something to do with the Lancaster case. How and why, we have no idea.” The camera moved off of the reporter and focused on a building behind him, massive flames shot into the air and smoke billowed into the sky. Helicopters circled low over the rooftops.

“Do we have an estimate of how many people might be in that building, Steven?”

“What I’m hearing here, Dan, is that the building has twenty-five apartments. Of course, we have no way of knowing exactly how many people are involved, but witnesses are saying that the entire building, and I mean the entire building, simply exploded. There was no indication of fire or anything wrong. Honestly, Dan, when I spoke with the fire captain, he was not optimistic that anyone inside survived the initial blast.”

Bethany collapsed on the couch, sobs of grief wrenching through her.

Tommy stood watching the TV as if frozen. He shook himself and faced her. “Bethany, we are leaving.”

She swallowed hard, a strange numb detachment descended. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Tommy.”

“Bethany,” he said harshly. “We don’t know what happened. I’ve seen Nathan walk away from much worse.”

Bethany knew she didn’t dare hope. But if there was a chance that Ethan was alive….

“Let’s go. We have to get out of here now. I’ll get the car started. Grab your stuff upstairs.”

“Okay,” she said
, her voice shaking. She rose and hurried toward the stairs.

Tommy headed for the garage. His cell phone rang and he answered it. “Ye
ah? Wait….what? You’re where?” he asked, his voice strained. “Holy fuck!” He hit the buttons on the alarm panel and opened the door that led from the kitchen to the attached garage. Bethany lost his words as he closed the door behind him.

She
almost made it to the top of the stairs when the terrible cold descended. She stopped, a terrified cry escaping her lips, and looked at the top landing. Aaron stood before her, still blood soaked, his agonizing injuries exactly same as that awful night. He shrieked his mournful cry, lifting the hairs on her arm. Then flew straight at her.

Bethany
recoiled, screaming in terror. Her foot slid backwards, missed the step, and she tumbled down the stairs.

She hit the floor, dazed, fighting to pull her wits together. She screamed again as hands grabbed her. But these were solid, mortal hands. She looked up, trying to blink her vision clear.

A man wearing winter camouflage and a ski mask gripped her arm, his hand as strong as a vice. But her gaze focused on the small TEC 9 he held and pointed it straight at her. How in the hell had he gotten in?

“Where is he?” t
he man whispered, his voice deadly.

Bethany’s thoughts scrambled
, but terror possessed her. Did he mean Tommy? She heard a noise from the garage.

The man heard it too. He hauled her around in front of him, the gun pointed at her temple. Bethany’s knees nearly buckled. She knew she was dead
, but her thoughts focused on Ethan. Was he alive? Did she dare fight to survive or was it all lost? Then she thought of Tommy – his little girl and his pregnant wife. She couldn’t let anything happen to him. He had a family.

“Don’t make a sound,” the man snarled. He pushed her forward. “Into the garage, slowly.”

She obeyed, moving stiffly. They passed through the entryway and progressed into the kitchen. The house was as silent as a church. On the other side of the kitchen, Bethany hesitated at the door to the garage.

“Open it, nice and slow.”

Her hands shaking, she gripped the doorknob and turned. The metal workings seemed inordinately loud. Slowly, she pushed the door open. It swung outward, to her left, and stopped at just over a forty-five degree angle. A bright overhead light illuminated the garage. SUV Tommy had rented sat with its back hatch open. The driver’s side door also hung open, the keys in the ignition and the radio playing at a considerable volume.

“Go through,” the man said giving her
a slight shove.

Bethany obeyed
, wishing his hand would relax on her arm. There was no way she could easily break his grip.

She stepped over the threshold, a small three inch drop from the doorframe. Out of the corner of her eye, she became aware of a person plastered against the wall, his gun pointed straight at her head. Tommy? He didn’t move and Bethany knew she didn’t dare turn her head. Only her iron grip on her emotions kept her from reacting and looking at him.

The man’s boot hit the floor behind her. She sensed rather than saw movement from her right. Instinctively, her hand shot up and grabbed the man’s wrist which held the gun to her head. Her strength fueled by terror, she shoved upward. A gunshot cracked the silence.

For a heartbeat, Bethany remained frozen, her ears buzzing, wondering if she had been the one hit and her brain had not yet acknowledged the bullet buried in it.

The grip on her arm relaxed and the gun fell from nerveless fingers, clattering as it hit the cement.

“Bethany,
” a voice that sent shivers down her spine whispered from behind her. She hesitated for a split second, certain her imagination created what she most wanted to hear. The person had not been Tommy. Her gaze locked on his beautiful mercury eyes, his features pale, but his jaw set in grim determination.

“Ethan?” Joy and relief rose, destroying the last of her terror. She threw herself into his arms, clinging to him with all of her strength. “You’re alive,” she murmured, squeezing her eyes closed, her body shaking. “You’re alive.”

His strong arms closed around her. “Jesus, Bethany,” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear. “Are…are you all right?”

Absolutely numb, she tried to take inventory. “I...I think so.”

Ethan pulled back slightly, cupping her face in his hands. “Is there anyone else?”

“I…I don’t think so. Only him.” She tried to turn
, but Ethan refused to release her.

“No, sweetheart, don’t look. I got him point blank in the temple. It’s not a pretty sight.”

She sagged against him, burying her face in his loose hair.

****

Ethan’s heart slowed its ragged dance. He closed his eyes savoring the magnificent sensations of holding Bethany in his arms again. Her silky hair caressed his skin. Her body shook violently and he smoothed her hair, speaking softly.

“Sweetheart,” he whispered, his lips brushing her cheek. He tasted the salt of her tears. “We can’t stay. We have to leave…now.”

She nodded, but didn’t move. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I should have never left you.”

“It’s okay, Bethany. Come on, we have to move now.”

She nodded and her grip eased on him.

Ethan guided Bethany to the car. As soon as she sat in the passenger seat, he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. She responded to his kiss
, but fear still gripped his heart. He pulled away and stared down at her. “Bethany please,” he whispered. “Is there still a chance for us?”

“Ethan, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left. I was just so scared.”

“I know.” His fingers never stopped caressing her soft skin. “But please I have to know. Please tell me it’s not over.”

“
It’s not over…I never wanted it to be over. I only wanted you safe.”

He held her tightly and
breathed a ragged sigh. “Nathan told me Aaron scared the hell out of you again. Although, maybe I should thank him.”

“Thank him?”

“Whatever Nathan saw rattled him so badly, he hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol since.”

“Really? He’s been sober?”

“Stone cold.” He drew a deep breath to steady himself. “We have to leave. I’ll explain everything on the way out.”

“Where is Nathan anyway?”

“At a motel waiting for us. I was afraid if he came here he’d fall off the wagon. He said he gave you a Glock. Where is it?”

“On the nightstand in the bedroom.”

He sighed softly and pulled another Glock from his waistband. “Take this and wait here.”

“Where’s Tommy?”

“Outside, watching the perimeter. I’ll get your things.”

“Grab the laptop and the papers next to it – they’re important.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Within minutes he returned, throwing everything in the back of the SUV. He climbed in the driver’s seat and handed
over her Glock still in its holster, along with her jacket. “From now on the Glock stays within arm’s reach of you.”

She nodded and clipped the holster to her belt.

Ethan backed the car out of the garage and hit the button to the automatic garage door. Tommy ran to the vehicle Ethan had driven to the cabin, his cell glued to his ear.

Ethan paused in front of the house. “The upstairs window was open,” he said and pointed. “He
used that tree to climb up and get into the house.”

“Tommy had just turned off the alarm so we could pack the car.”

Ethan nodded. “I came in right after he did.” He paused and gazed at her a long moment. Never could he describe the terror he felt seeing a gun pointed at her head. “I’m surprised Aaron didn’t warn you.”

“He…he tried
, but he scared me so badly I fell down the stairs. We just saw the news reports on Nathan’s apartment – I thought you were dead.” Her voice cracked.

Ethan took her hand and pulled it to his lips.

They turned onto the road with Tommy right behind them.

“So tell me what happened,” Bethany said.

“Well, while I was recovering, Nathan decided to put hidden cameras all over the apartment complex so he could monitor the situation. The security cameras fed live to his computer screen. We were talking about one of your emails when I spotted someone walking around the complex who just looked like he didn’t belong. I’m still not sure what it was, but I knew he was one of Cordova’s goons casing the place. If Cordova could find my brother, I knew we were ass deep in shit. We got out that night and used fake IDs to hop on a plane here. We knew his cabin would be next. I heard the news reports on the radio right as I arrived here. Apparently, we got out unnoticed and just in time.” Ethan shook his head. “Cordova just killed a lot of innocent people for nothing.”

It didn’t take them long to drive down the mountain and reach the small
, but nice little motel. Nathan had got them adjoining rooms. He rose, grinning the minute he saw Bethany, and swept her into a bear hug.

“Congratulations,” she said, smiling up at him. “Ethan told me.”

He laughed softly and set her on her feet. “At least some good has come of this.”

Tommy walked in the door and clicked off his cell. He shook Nathan’s hand. “This is freaking insane.”

“You got that right,” Nathan said. “Hey, I figured you could bunk with me tonight and tomorrow we’ll see about putting you on a plane back home. The only thing I’m worried about is this storm. I’m afraid the airports are going to be shut down for a couple of days.”

Tommy surprisingly shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere, Nathan. I just got off the
phone with my wife. She’s taking the rug-rat and visiting her sister in Florida. She hates the snow anyway.”

“That’s probably a good idea. I’d hate for your family to be in danger because of us.”

Ethan sighed and started pacing. “Nathan, I know you’ve got about half a dozen aliases you can use, but if Cordova was able to find you….”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry, bro. I didn’t mean to drag you into the middle of this.”

“I know.” Nathan gripped his brother’s shoulder. “But I’m glad you did.”

Ethan blinked at him in surprise and a slow but bright smile creased his face. Unfortunately it vanished all too quickly. “I found out Cordova plans to leave the country soon…he’s headed for San Diego, but he’s moving slow and quiet.”