29. Nova
CHAPTER 29
NOVA
M y head hurts, but I’m alive. Even if I am a bit more bruised than I was a few hours ago.
“It doesn’t have to be this hard,” Brett insists as he kneels in front of me. “Come on, you have to be hungry. Thirsty?” He reaches up and brushes some hair behind my ear in what I’m sure he believes to be a tender gesture.
In reality, it only churns my stomach.
“I’m fine. Pretty comfortable, actually.” I force a smile.
He shakes his head. “You always were stubborn. Seems that part of your personality didn’t leave when you lost your memories.”
“You mean when you tried to kill me?” I ask.
“You didn’t leave me a choice. I know you can’t see it now, but you will.”
“When? After I’m dead?”
“That’s just it, though.” He smiles. “If you hand over the evidence, you don’t have to die. We can go to Ivan together, plead for your life.”
I stare at him. Is he really that stupid? That he believes Ivan isn’t going to kill him, too, the moment he has those files? “You can’t really think Ivan is going to let you live.”
“He’s already assured me he will. And a seat at his right hand with the paycheck to prove it.”
I literally cannot tear my gaze away as I search his expression for a sign that he’s making this up. That he doesn’t truly believe things will work out that way. There’s none. He actually believes every word of what he’s saying. “Brett, Ivan is going to kill you. I may not remember anything, but I do know that.”
He shakes his head. “You’re wrong, and it’s going to cost you your life.” He slides to his knees beside me. “Come on, Nova. Don’t do this. We have a second chance.”
“Are you kidding me?” I glare at him. “Do you seriously think there would ever be a chance for us?”
A muscle in his jaw flexes. Should I be taunting a violent man when I’m tied to a chair? Probably not. Then again—his rage might be just what I need. A partial plan forms in my mind.
“We worked before. We could work again.”
“I doubt it,” I deadpan, trying to channel all of my anger into this one interaction. If I can just make him angry enough, then he might get violent enough to break the chair for me. That is if I survive the assault. One problem at a time.
Brett grabs a folding chair he’d carried down earlier and sets it up in front of me then sits down in it. “We were in love, Nova.”
“You were in love. I was too foolish to see the monster behind the man.”
His expression darkens. “We were in love,” he repeats. “You asked me out first, did you know that?” he asks. “Walked right up to my desk and told me to meet you at Gio’s.”
“Who’s Gio? Another psychotic friend of yours? Was it a double date?”
“An Italian restaurant,” he replies. “It was also where I proposed.” I don’t respond because I’m not even remotely interested in hearing the rest of that story. “I almost didn’t go, but you were so—fiery,” he says with a smile. “A ball of flame that I just couldn’t help but be drawn to.”
My stomach churns. “That was in the past.”
“It’s not, though. You were so happy to see me again. To sit across from me in that café and talk about our past.”
“And how much of that was the truth, I wonder?” Are my parents really dead? Do I really have no friends?
“Oh, all of it.” He scoots closer. “Every word of it was the truth.”
“Seems to me you omitted a whole lot of information. You know, like how you’re a murderer and partnered with the same man who ordered my death and killed my partner.”
“Killing you was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I threw up afterward. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep.”
“Probably because you were busy tearing my apartment apart, looking for the evidence you needed.”
“I loved you, Nova. You may not believe it, but I loved you. I gave you a chance before you took off into those trees. You chose not to take it.”
“What chance was that? Hold still and you’ll make it quick?”
“I didn’t want to kill you. I came here, to this place, to try to win you back. All of this started because I was desperate to get close to you again.”
Interest piqued, I decide to bite. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He stands and begins to pace. “You were working this case with Sam.” He turns to stare at me. “I knew Sam was weak, and I was worried he would break and get you killed. So I initiated contact with Ivan, hoping to get inside his organization so I could protect you.” He sits back down in the chair and faces me. “When you first saw me, you were, admittedly, less than pleased, but we worked together to gather that evidence. Evidence you then stole from me.”
“And then you tried to kill me. I know the end of the story.”
“You don’t even know half of it,” he snaps. “Your precious Sam nearly got you killed. I was so furious that I knew we couldn’t wait any longer to get the evidence, so I broke into Ivan’s office. Then I used what I found to tip off his competition so he’d be distracted. That way, I could get you out.”
“Except you got Sam murdered. And not just Sam, but also the woman Ivan was seeing at the time, and—oh yeah—me.”
“But you didn’t die. Don’t you see? We’re meant to be together. We have a second chance. If you give me that information, I can buy our freedom with Ivan. Then, we can leave and start again.”
“Let me see if I can make this any clearer for you.” I lean forward as far as my bindings allow. “I have no interest in ever, ever being anything to you except the woman who puts you behind bars.”
Brett’s expression twists, turning furious in the span of a heartbeat. “Why is that? So you can go play cowboy?”
That’s right. Get mad. “Excuse me?”
“I saw the way you were looking at him. Standing in his house in your pajamas.” He shakes his head. “You’d already decided you wanted him, didn’t you? It didn’t matter that we were engaged. That you’d promised to share your life with me.”
“I’m sorry, didn’t you just say you plunged headfirst into my case to win me back? Which leads me to believe we weren’t actually engaged.”
“We were,” he insists. “You gave it back to me right before you left. Told me it wasn’t the right time.”
“Well, seems past me wasn’t completely blind.” I straighten in the chair, wishing the arm of the chair was loose enough to get free.
“Where’s your cowboy now?” he sneers, making a show of it by looking around the room. “I don’t see him now. If he’s so good at finding people, then why hasn’t he come looking for you?”
I swallow hard, feeling the heartache all over again. Because I didn’t give him a reason to.
“Ahh, there’s the pain. I see it all over your face. Perfect.” He leans in closer. “Now, how about we try another route? Either you tell me where I can find that evidence, or I’m going to go start taking out my frustrations on those hicks you were bunked up with. Maybe I’ll start with their mother.”
The blood in my veins turns to ice, and I stiffen. All desire to anger him dissipates because it’s no longer just me in the crosshairs. “You won’t touch them.”
“Won’t I?” he asks, leaning in even closer. We’re only a breath apart. “I know the property now. I know where the parents sleep. All it would take is slipping in there, and no one would even know until Mother Hunt wasn’t downstairs making breakfast.”
“You will not touch her.” My gaze drops, and I note a dagger sheathed in the top of his boot. That’s what I need. My ticket out of here so I can warn them.
“Maybe I’ll bring you pictures. No one will ever even know it was me picking them off one by one. Not until your precious cowboy is left. I’ll let him see me. Right before I drive a dagger into his heart.”
I snap. Rearing my head back, I slam it into his. He roars in anger, practically exploding out of his chair. Perfect. Use that temper. I only need one chance. Just one. “How dare you!” He lifts the chair I’m tied to and throws it. I hit the ground with a painful thud, my entire body taking the brunt of it.
But it’s exactly what I needed. Adrenaline shooting through my system, I rip my arm free from the broken armrest then kick my leg out.
He lurches toward me, but I roll, bringing what’s left of the chair with me.
“You’re going to pay for that!” he bellows.
I swing the chunk of wood still attached to my free wrist as hard as I can. It hits him in the side of the head, and he stumbles back. Using my free leg, I swipe out and knock him to the ground then slam that same foot into his face.
Bone crunches, and he falls still, eyes rolling back in his head.
Heart pounding, I drag myself closer and rip his dagger free then slice the two zip ties still attached to the chair from my wrist and ankle. The others can wait. Right now, I need to get out of here before he wakes up or Ivan discovers me.
Now free, I search Brett’s pockets. Grabbing his gun and a set of keys, I creep toward the stairs. Pain radiates through my body from its impact with the floor, but I focus on freedom. I can’t stop now. No matter how badly it hurts.
The house above is dark with only a lamp turned on at the end of the hall. There are no doors open, so I keep moving, not wanting to take any time trying to clear them. I descend a flight of stairs and sprint toward the front door.
Shoes thudding against the smooth tile, I reach the front and rip it open.
An alarm screeches, but I don’t hesitate. I hit the lock button on the key fob in my hand and race toward the car that beeps, moving as fast as my aching body allows.
Every muscle in my body hurts, every inch of me burning, but I push on because I have to. They have to know he’s coming. That he’s planning to make them pay for my mistakes.
They have to know the truth.
I jump into the car and speed out of the driveway, racing as fast as I can down the road. With no idea where I am, all I can do is open the digital map on the dashboard and type in Pine Creek.
My vision wavers, but I blink rapidly and roll the window down so the cool air will hopefully help keep me alert long enough to get there.
I’m coming.
* * *
By the grace of God, I manage to make it onto the ranch. The gate is locked, though, so I get out of the car and make the walk up the drive. Adrenaline waning, my body begins to shake, but I continue putting one foot in front of the other, focusing only on getting to where I need to go.
If I can make it to the main house, they’ll call Elliot. Then everything will be fine because they’ll know. Gravel crunches beneath my shoes, so I focus on that sound rather than the pain in my body.
Almost there.
Bright lights illuminate me overhead, and I stop walking.
“Nova?” Tommy Hunt calls out as he steps into the beam of the lights, a rifle in his hands.
Tears fill my eyes, and I sink to my knees, my entire body finally giving in to the exhaustion. “It’s me!” I call out. “I got here in time.”
He rushes toward me then kneels down at my side. “Let’s get you inside, okay?”
“He’s coming for you,” I tell him as he pulls me to my feet then helps me toward the small utility vehicle. “He’s coming for all of you.”
“We’ll handle that later. Let’s get you back to the house, okay?” He helps me into the seat and buckles me in.
“How did you know I was there?”
“Security monitor on the front gate picked you up.” He places the rifle back on the gun rack behind us then lifts his phone. “I’ll call Lani.”
“No. Please don’t. The fewer of you that are here, the better. I’ll be okay. It looks worse than it is.”
He casts me a side glance as he drives. “It looks pretty bad.”
“I’ll be fine. I just need Elliot. Call Elliot. Keep Lani out of this, please. At least, for now.”
“Okay.” He comes to a stop in front of the house. Ruth rushes down the steps, and tears fill my eyes as I use what strength I have to rise to my feet and throw my arms around her.
“Oh, honey. Come on. Let’s get you inside.” She helps me out, and Tommy comes to my other side. Together, they help me up the stairs even though my body has all but given up on moving.
They guide me over toward the couch and help me down. She covers me with a blanket.
“I’m calling Elliot. Grab the first aid kit.”
“What about Lani?” she asks.
“No,” he says. “Nova said we need to keep her out of it for now.”
She nods, lips flattened in a tight line, then rushes out of the room.
Tommy sits beside me and taps the screen of his phone. He puts it up to his ear, and I lean back, closing my eyes. I made it. Thank You, God. I know You’re the only reason I was strong enough.
“Elliot. She’s here,” I hear Tommy say. “Nova is here.”