Unbound (Crimson Romance) (24 page)

“I don’t see anything,” he said.

“Stop!”

He stopped the truck. “I don’t see anything.”

“There’s someone running in those trees,” she told him.

“Are you positive?”

“Yes.”

“Which way?” he asked.

“The opposite way as us. I’ll call back and have Devin keep her eyes open.”

He slammed the truck in park and leapt out. Smith followed him while talking on her radio. Burke pulled his gun and moved slowly in the direction she had pointed.

“Flashlight?” she asked when she had finished on the radio.

“The moon’s bright enough. Right?”

She shrugged. “Good enough for me.”

“You really good with that?” he asked, motioning toward the rifle she carried.

“Very.”

She watched him nodded in the light of the moon. He moved off the lane into the brush. She followed two steps behind him and two steps to the side. She’d hate to accidently shoot him if he wound up in her line of fire.

• • •

“Where is she?” Dean asked. “They aren’t that far ahead of us. We should have seen her by now.”

“It’s possible she stopped,” Carl warned. “Keep your eyes open. We’ll find her.”

He watched out the window of the back seat. Afraid he might miss her, he was terrified to blink. They had to find her. There was no other option, because if she was running through the woods Talbot was chasing her. No one was saying it, but he knew it.

“There!” It was only the slightest glimpse of her in the moonlight, but he knew it was Payten.

“Where?” Chase asked.

The truck rolled over another dip in the lane. Between the dips and the trees, he lost sight of her. It was several long seconds before he spotted her again. The moonlight showed Payten moving through the trees.

He was already reaching for his door handle when he saw Talbot dive to tackle her. He was out of the truck and running for them before his father or Chase could protest. He raced toward where she had gone down. He couldn’t see her on the ground, but kept running.

She came up off the ground as suddenly as she had gone down. She was running toward the truck. He could see Talbot chasing her. She wasn’t running fast enough.

“Payten!” he screamed, running faster.

She didn’t scream back, but she sped up. He had to get to her before Talbot did. Dean knew he would kill her if he caught her. He didn’t know how she had gotten away the first time, but Talbot would make sure she didn’t again. He pushed himself to run faster.

He was so close when he saw Talbot dive for her. Talbot wrestled her to the ground. Her scream echoed through the trees.

He reached them and jerked Talbot away from her. Off balance, he fell to the ground with him. Talbot flailed wildly and managed to kick Dean in the chest. The blow knocked the wind out of him. He gasped for air.

He was still gasping when Talbot punched him. He returned the punch blindly, but he felt the crack of Talbot’s nose under his fist. It felt good. He rolled away from Talbot and pushed to his feet.

Payten was steps away from them. “Run!”

“Dean!”

He turned in time to see Talbot lunge for him. The knife in his hand shone in the moonlight. He flung himself out of the way. Barely keeping his balance, he avoided the knife.

He wasn’t as lucky the next time. Talbot’s wild slash cut across his arm when he threw it up to cover his face. He leapt back.

Before Talbot had time to follow, Smith — or was it Chase? — yelled, “Down!”

Dean flung himself to the ground, trusting her — whichever one it was — to know what she was doing. He rolled to face Talbot. He didn’t finish rolling before a gunshot sounded.

The scream that followed was chilling. Completing his roll, he saw Talbot lying on the ground.

With the immediate danger past, he pushed himself to his feet and raced to Payten. He scooped her off the ground and moved away from where Talbot lay.

“Are you okay? Are you all right? Did he hurt you? Let me see.”

She burst into tears in response. He kept moving away until Burke poked him in the back.

“Put her down. She’s bleeding.”

“Talbot — ”

“She’s fine here. You’re far enough he can’t get to her. Smith and I will be between you until Chief and Chase catch up.”

He couldn’t bear to set her on the ground so he sat down and cradled her in his lap. Around him, he could hear the crackle of the police radios and Talbot’s screams. Beyond that, he could hear faint sirens that grew increasingly louder. His attention was focused on Payten.

“Are you okay?”

Her arms were around his neck. She refused to let go. He gave up trying to find out if she was all right. The fact she was in his lap with her arms around his neck and her warm breath against his cheek was good enough until the ambulance crew arrived.

He stood at the back of the ambulance while the crew worked on Payten. His father came over and briefed him on what would happen next. The sheriff and his deputies had arrived and were going to take Talbot into their custody. The second ambulance crew was taking him to the hospital because of his injuries. Deputies would remain with him throughout his stay. Burke and Smith were at the residence where Payten had been held.

The only thing he heard was his father telling him Payten was safe and she was going to be fine. He hugged his father while Payten smiled at the two of them from the stretcher inside the ambulance. It was an enormous hug that relayed all his gratitude and love in a way he would never be able to express with words.

“Thank you, Dad. Thank you.”

He patted him on the back. “You’re welcome, son.”

Dean rode in the ambulance with Payten to the hospital. They admitted her for the night. After cleaning and bandaging the cut to his arm, the staff tried to send him home. He never budged. Payten smiled every time he told the staff to forget about it, and she made room in her hospital bed for him to sleep beside her.

Somewhere deep in the night, she whispered to him. “You saved me, Dean.”

He smiled, but he knew she had saved herself. He’d heard her give her statement to his father. Her brains and her legs had saved her, not him.

“I love you,” he whispered back.

She sighed happily. “I know. That’s what saved me.”

She fell asleep before he could ask what she meant.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dean sat down across the wide table from the man of his nightmares. He had never come to visit Peterson before and never would again. Even weeks ago, the nightmares would have plagued him ruthlessly if he’d so much as thought about it.

Now, he knew what he had to do. Payten had suggested it, and she was right. He had to see Peterson. He had to see him in his prison orange jumpsuit and in cuffs.

Peterson’s jumpsuit really was orange and he was cuffed to the table in front of him. Shackles held his feet to the chair. Peterson was a much smaller man than he remembered. It could have been the years in prison. It could have just been Dean wasn’t a ten-year-old boy anymore.

“You’re not as big as I remember, Kevin.”

Peterson snarled. “You’re as mouthy as I remember.”

Dean shrugged. The man across the table inspired no fear. Dean didn’t shake. His heart didn’t race. His stomach didn’t turn.

“I just stopped in to let you know you’ll be going on trial again soon,” Dean said.

Peterson whipped to attention. “What?”

“Talbot told the police everything. He wasn’t as dedicated to you as he was afraid of prison.”

Dean had been present for the interview with Matthew Talbot. Citizens weren’t normally allowed to watch interrogations, but his father had managed to swing it. Yesterday, less than a week after Payten’s kidnapping, the sheriff’s department had taken Talbot from his room in the hospital to a cell in the county jail.

“Matthew loves me,” Peterson said. “I saved him.”

“Did you know that his mother used to leave him locked in the closet?” Dean asked casually. “They left him in a cell without a light for a few hours and he just rolled right over. Looks like in this case fear wins.”

He stood up to leave.

“You fear me!”

Dean shook his head at the pathetic excuse for a man in front of him. “Not anymore.”

As he left the prison visiting room, the sound of Kevin’s screams followed him. He knew his nightmares no longer bound him. He was set free. He couldn’t wait to get home to Payten.

Epilogue

“‘That’s what saved me?’” Andie repeated. “Oh, gag me, P. Just gag me.”

Maddie elbowed her. “Shut up. It’s sweet. So sweet,” she sighed.

“Clear something up for me?” Andie asked.

“Sure,” Payten answered.

“Who shot Talbot? Was it Smith or Chase?” Andie asked.

“It was both,” Maddie said.

“How do you get that?”

“It was,” Payten said. “They both yelled, and they both shot him. Chief Whitley said the shots hit centimeters apart.”

“Wicked!” Andie exclaimed. “Do they do the twin thing? You know think as one and whatever?”

Payten rolled her eyes. “Doubtful.”

“I just love your story,” Maddie told her. “It’s so sweet.”

“Are you going to cry again?” Andie asked.

“No,” Maddie sniffled defensively.

Payten patted her back. “Thanks, Maddie. It feels like a fairy tale. More creepy though.”

“Maybe Ryleigh will turn it into a book,” Andie teased.

Payten shook her head. “Seriously doubtful. She’d have to come home to write that one.”

Andie laughed.

“She’s going to come home,” Maddie told them. “I can feel it.”

“Feel it, my ass,” Andie replied. “Who told you that? You always get the gossip first. It’s ridiculous.”

“Nobody told me anything,” she insisted.

“You two should really go finish with those table decorations. We’re almost done,” Payten told them.

She watched as they moved away, still arguing. She took stock of the community center after she was sure they were back to work. They were decorating for the annual Hartsville Valentine Dance. Unsurprisingly, she had been voted head of the committee. She had roped Maddie and Andie into helping decorate.

The community center was scattered with red, pink, and white balloons. Streamers were draped to cover the wires from the Christmas lights on the ceiling. When the overhead lights were shut off and the Christmas lights plugged in, the ceiling looked like it was covered in stars. Tables were covered with pretty white tablecloths and set with red plates, cups, and utensils for snacking at the dessert tables, which were stocked with homemade goodies volunteers had brought. Various dishes in a variety of sizes filled with candy hearts acted as centerpieces for the tables. For her tiny budget, she thought the overall look was pretty darn good.

She moved to help various volunteers complete their projects. When the decorating was complete, she headed toward one corner of the room. Opposite the wall with the desserts, Dean and the guys were setting up their instruments to play.

“Hey, guys,” she said. “How’s it coming?”

Dean moved away from the tangle of cords he was working on untying and kissed her cheek. “We’d be better if Kal ever learned to wind up the damn cords.”

“Hey!” Kalvin protested as she laughed.

“I think the decorations are finished,” she told them.

“Looks great,” Jack replied.

She shrugged. “We try.”

“Oh, the modesty,” Kalvin teased.

She reached out and poked him. “Jerk. I’m going to change and fix my face. I’ll be in the bathroom if you guys need anything.”

Dean fell in step and walked with her to the bathroom. “I don’t see anything wrong with your face,” he said.

She laughed. “Thanks. I meant I’m going to put my make-up on.”

He kissed her when they stopped outside the bathroom door. “I know. Need anything?”

She shook her head. “People should start showing up in another half hour or so. There are always some who like to show up early. I already told Andie and Maddie if anybody shows up with food to steer them toward the dessert tables.”

“Got it.” He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her again. “I can’t wait for this night to be over.”

She nibbled at his lower lip. “Me, neither. Just you and me, and no one to call at three
A.M.
to ask about colored streamers.”

He chuckled. “Betsy is insane. You do know that, right?”

She squirmed in his hold as his hands drifted from her waist. “Yes. Quit playing with my butt.”

He gave her one last squeeze, then let her go.

“I’ll be back soon.”

As she dressed and applied her make-up, she thought about what she had planned for him when they got home. She’d made a trip to the city to buy more lingerie. She figured that would be a wonderful Valentine’s Day present to them both.

In the month following Talbot’s arrest, they’d worked most days at the diner and spent their nights with one another at his house. Those were the only constant fixtures in their routine. Payten, who had so adored and loathed her perfectly scheduled life, was finding excitement in the unplanned. Some mornings, she actually got up when her alarm clock went off and baked. Other mornings, she spent her time before work in bed with him. Some mornings, they made it to the diner at seven. Most days, especially on ones that didn’t involve baking, they were late.

Their evenings were as unpredictable. They might spend the evening working on the diner’s books or, like they had one night, rearranging furniture. Some nights, they read to one another. Other nights, they spent time catching up on the many television shows she had gotten him addicted to. She couldn’t convince him to buy a television, but he had readily agreed to move hers.

In fact, all of her things were steadily finding their way to his house. Her clothes were hanging in his closet. She was teaching him that both halves of the counter in the bathroom were for her things. Her car was parked in his garage, and her pots and pans were in his cabinets.

After Talbot was arrested, she had stayed several nights at her own house. She was determined not to let anyone take her cute little house away from her. The mess was cleaned up, and, thanks to her girls, her bedroom was repainted and had new bedding.