Chapter 19
WILLA
He was between her and the rest of the cabin. Willa inwardly raged at herself for not looking further into the cabin after her grandfather had left, but she had no idea who owned the cabin or that he might show up.
Even if she had known his name, she wouldn’t have been able to protect herself. She only knew what Kimmy’s killer looked like, but not his name.
Now she had both pieces of the puzzle, and she had no idea what to do.
“I want to enjoy this moment,” he exhaled with a smile. “You and me, together, one last time.”
“I never told anyone who you were.”
He laughed. “Of course you didn’t because you didn’t know anything. You were headstrong. It was admirable.”
He rethought his words.
“Annoying, but then again, so was your friend. She sounded more docile than she was.”
Willa tasted bile on the back of her tongue. “She was my best friend.”
“Everyone has someone,” he shrugged. “My best friend is your grandfather. He had no idea that he was giving me the information I needed to get close to you.”
“The dinner.”
He smiled. “Exactly. He told me about the reservation, and I sat outside waiting for you to leave and head back home. And then you went to that bar. So I followed, but you didn’t come back home that night.”
“I went to Landon’s house.”
He nodded. “I wanted you to come home. I wanted to get to you before he touched you, tainted you.”
She was shocked. Her hand fumbled on the doorknob that she was still playing with, trying to jiggle it loose. “You wanted to stop him from tainting me?”
He moved closer and she hated to see how big he was compared to her.
Getting around him? Not likely. He had a long reach. He was certainly looming over her, but she wasn’t remembering what he did to her, she was imagining what it was like for Kimmy to face him.
She fought.
Willa fought back sudden tears.
“What did you think Landon could do to taint me?”
“I know he kissed you, your grandfather told me about that, but I was trying to keep him from touching you. I never had your friend. She didn’t let me inside. She didn’t give herself to me.”
“And you thought I would?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve found partners in the past who liked looking at my mark on you.”
She lifted her chin in defiance, but it didn’t anger him or upset him.
He smiled. “I was angry at first when I heard that you lived, but then I heard the whispers from people who had seen you at the hospital. The scarring. How horrible it was. How… disgusting.”
“I know how stupid most men are. I know what they will tolerate. I don’t have such issues. I just want to possess you before I dispose of you.”
“I won’t give in to you,” she bit out her words. “I won’t give you the satisfaction.”
His smile only got bigger at her words.
“I’ve evolved, Willa dear. You don’t know how I’ve changed since I’ve had your blood on my hands. Hot. Sticky. Everything.”
“No,” she shook her head, panicking in a way that she never had the time to panic before. “No, you haven’t done those things. I would have heard about women being attacked like that. I would have seen the connections.”
He rushed up on her, pushing her against the door. The wooden frame groaned under the additional pressure, but what was worse was the distinct line of an erection pressing against her belly.
“That’s because I haven’t been with anyone else since then. I’ve been waiting. Waiting to finish what we started.”
He lifted a hand and touched the side of her face.
Willa remembered Landon touching her like that, but he touched her because he loved her. This man-
This… monster touched her because he wanted to-
She vomited, the bile from her empty stomach splashing onto his shirt.
“You… bitch!”
The last thing she saw was his fist coming down at her face.
ALEXANDER
He saw a car at the cabin.
It wasn’t one he recognized as Ted’s, but that just meant he might be trying to hide his tracks.
And that made Alexander even more upset, incensed.
“How did I not see this?”
Well, his friend had always been good at hiding things from him, he just never had the idea that his friend was the devil himself.
He parked far enough away that he thought Ted might not hear him, but close enough that he thought he could get to the cabin quickly.
He needed to get inside and have the element of-
The front door banged open, and all Alexander could do was stare as Ted wiped off his hands.
His bloody hands.
“Come on in, old friend. Join the party.”
He turned his back and walked into the cabin.
It was a power move. Alexander knew how confident Ted was in that moment. He knew he had the upper hand and Alexander realized that he’d given it to him on so many levels.
He should have called Landon the moment he saw the picture, but he didn’t.
He wanted to beat his head against the wall, but instead, started toward the cabin before Ted got suspicious.
Alexander reached into his pocket and turned on his phone. As much as he’d hated putting Landon’s phone number into his speed dial, but now, he was grateful for doing it.
He placed the call and hoped that Landon would pick up instead of sending his ass to voicemail.
He’d likely pissed off the only man who had a hope of saving them.
He’d never make that mistake again… if he got another chance.
LANDON
He picked up his phone and saw Alexander Rogers was calling him.
Was he mad? Absolutely. Did he want to punch the man? Absolutely.
But he wasn’t going to spit in his face now.
Lifting the phone to his ear, Landon answered. “What is it-”
“Where’s Willa?”
Landon moved the phone away from his ear. “What-”
“I have her in the… bedroom. Do you want to see her?”
He felt his stomach twist and turn in his gut, but he lowered the phone and hit the speaker button.
“Why… why would you have my granddaughter in your bedroom.”
The laughter that filled the air in the vehicle made them all react. Some of the men just tensed. Others just looked sick.
“I have her there, because I’ve been looking forward to having her for all of these years, Alex. I plan to enjoy myself for as long as possible.” A silence fell and Landon looked down to see if the call had dropped. “If you’d like to join me… You’re more than welcome.”
“You bastard! There’s no way I’d help you.”
“Oh well, then you’ll just have to watch!”
The SWAT team vehicle was speeding its way up the road when they heard a heavy thump followed by a series of grunts and hits.
Landon was praying silently for time. Time to get to Willa. Time to save her.
Time to be with her.
Weston called back from the front. “Four minutes, Landon. We’re four minutes away.”
Landon lifted the phone closer to his ear as the men on the SWAT team talked through their options.
“… have to go in hot…”
“…there could have been renovations…”
“…barely seven hundred and fifty square feet…”
“… what kinds of surprises are there going to be…”
“Never figured you for a fighter, Alex.”
He could hear the district attorney breathing heavily. “I’ll fight for her.”
“So far, I’m not impressed.”
“Gramps?”
Landon’s heart nearly ripped out of his chest.
“Will you look at that, Alex. Our girl has come around.”
Duval was the only one who looked at him. The man gave him a nod, determination in his eyes.
Landon gave him a nod back.
Yeah, he had hope. He wasn’t going in alone, but he knew that they would get her out.
And after that, Landon would love her for the rest of their lives, no matter what.
WILLA
She felt weak. Tired.
Exhausted.
She wanted to fall asleep, but she couldn’t, not if she wanted to live.
Half of her face was on fire, the other… numb?
She couldn’t tell what was going on.
What?
“Gramps?”
“Will you look at that, Alex. Our girl has come around.”
“Gramps?”
Our girl?Oh, god. “Gramps?”
Say something!
“Willa. I didn’t know about Ted.”
“You didn’t want to know, Alex.”
“I thought you were my friend.”
“Friends don’t have to be nice guys. They just have to be friends.”
“Then if you’re my friend, Ted, let me take my granddaughter out of here. I won’t tell anyone. She won’t tell anyone.”
Willa saw ‘Ted’ lean over her and look into her face.
“What do you say, Willa dear. Will you keep our little secret?”
She tried to nod, but there was an odd feeling in her neck, in her body.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. After our last interaction, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. It took a while to learn how to inject it in just the right places to keep you talking but make everything else… pliable.
“When we’re done, Willa, you’ll either be begging me to kill you, or begging me to bring you home with me. I’m okay with either option as long as I get to have you.”
“Get away from her!”
For a moment she saw her grandfather rush into her sight, but Ted pulled out a gun and-
“NO!”
The boom that filled the air sounded like a cannon, almost deafening her in the tiny room.
“No! Gramps!”
“I’m… I’m alive.”
Ted leaned over her and placed a kiss on her forehead. “He’ll stay alive if he just sits there like a good boy. This is my time with you.”
He started to move away, but Willa felt her shoulders lift off of the bed a moment before she fell back against it, a moment after she heard tearing.
“Will you look at that, Alex? She may dress frumpy on the outside, but she has such good taste in lingerie. I’m going to enjoy taking that off of her.”
Willa closed her eyes to keep back the tears.
She had a feeling that Ted would like to see her cry.
She wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.
LANDON
He heard the distinct sound of cracking and sat bolt upright as someone pried his phone out of his hands.
Kelly, who the rest of the team called Fox, was holding his phone and shaking his head. “You can’t break it yet. We need to hear.”
Landon looked around and saw that the team was filing out of the truck. He moved to follow them, but Kelly put a hand on his arm.
“Put it away, Landon. Wrath is easy. Getting Willa out of there is going to take calm heads and steady fingers.”
Landon looked down and saw his hands shaking with rage. “I’m okay. I’m good. I can go with you.”
Kelly looked out of the door and Weston looked back at them.
“I’ll let you come with us, Landon. Don’t make me sorry.”
Landon jumped out of the vehicle and Myles tried to hand him a gun.
Landon shook his head and pulled out his handgun. “I’m good.”
Weston gathered the group and pointed out the bedroom. The two doors. Neither door was near the bedroom. “Front door. Mudroom door.”
Duval nodded. “Two entry points.”
Fox looked at Weston. “The window’s too high for entry. Concussion grenade?”
Landon bit the inside of his cheek as his cousin spoke. “No. We don’t know how hurt Willa is and her grandfather is shot. A concussion grenade might do more harm than good. Dally?”
Landon looked at the other team members who he hadn’t met yet.
“Get up on the top of the wagon. Can you cover us from there?”
“Can I?” Dally nodded. “I’ve got you. It’s why I pulled in right here, West.”
“Let’s go.”
Landon pushed up beside his cousin. “Where do you want me.”
West turned around as the rest of the team walked by through the trees. “You’re going in last. You haven’t practiced maneuvers with us and we’re not letting you go in there until we’ve cleared the way.”
“I want to kill him.”
“But what do you want more?”
“I want Willa safe.”
“You’ll get her safe and away from here, Landon. But to do that you have to follow the rules, no matter how much that sucks.”
Landon nodded and put his gun back in his holster.
Willa wouldn’t care if he used his gun, but Weston was right. The most important thing was Willa.
“Let’s go get her.”
West slapped a hand down on his shoulder. “Let’s.”
ALEXANDER
Alex had never felt so helpless before. He’d thought that the man standing before him was his friend. His closest and oldest friend, but he had no idea that Ted was a monster.
How had he missed it?
Willa was weeping softly, but what could he do?
Ted was leaning over Willa, but Alex couldn’t see what he was doing.
He didn’t want to. He just wanted him to stop.
“Ted, stop. Please, Ted.”
Ted stopped and stretched to his full height and reached for his belt. “Listening to you beg, old friend, is just making me harder.”
Blind.
Alex was struck with a blind rage.
As Ted turned back toward the bed, Alex somehow got himself up off of the floor, but the pain in his shoulder staggered him. Alex fell against Ted’s legs and wrapped his arms around them and took Ted down to the ground, just as the world imploded.
LANDON
He followed in behind the SWAT team, chomping at the bit to push his way in front of the group, but Weston had been right. He hadn’t trained with them. He was more likely to be a danger than a hero.
And all that mattered was Willa.
He was at the back of the group that went through the front door. Closer to the bedroom.
The door flew off its hinges, Duval was basically a wrecking ball in human form. They went through the opening one after another and moments later they were turning to head into the bedroom.
He heard shouts and orders in the air, but there was only one thing he was waiting for.
“Landon!”
Moving through the group, Landon took in the room with one glance. Kilo and Weston had the district attorney pressed up against the wall. Fox and Duval were putting another man in cuffs and not being delicate about it.
He moved to the foot of the bed and leaned over Willa, trying to take in everything at once.
“Landon!”
Hearing her say his name was a relief.
“Willa. God, let me look at you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t… I don’t want to know. I can barely feel a thing, I almost want it to stay that way.”
Landon couldn’t quite put it into words, but he needed to call it in.
West touched his arm. “I’ll call it in. You just stay with her.”
Oxy, another member of the team, brought in a medical kit and set it on the bed beside Willa.
She tried to stop him. “My grandfather was shot. Please, help me.”
Oxy grinned at her. “It’s okay. I dropped off a kit for Kelly in the other room. He’s bandaging up your grandfather.” Then Oxy looked over at Weston for a second. “And West is telling the Ambo what’s going on here.”
A tear coursed down her cheek and Landon leaned forward to wipe it away. He looked at her. “I’m holding your hand, honey. Can you feel it?”
The smile on her face was courageous and a little sad. “No. He said he… he injected me.”
Oxy was right at his side. “The Ambo is just a few minutes away, Willa. We called them earlier, so they’re coming. If you feel something hurting. Tell us.”
She looked up at Landon. “How did he hurt me?”
Landon didn’t want to tell her, he wanted to avoid the question.
“Will I live?”
“Of course!” Landon shook himself. “I’m sorry,” he lowered his voice again. “I’m sorry. Sorry. You’re going to be okay, honey. Your grandfather stopped him before he did anything…”
“You’re going to be just fine, Willa.” Oxy opened up the third roll of bandages. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you earlier with the rest of the guys, but I agree. You’re pretty phenomenal.”
“I’m numb.” Her voice was wobbling.
Oxy shook his head. “Not where it counts, Willa.”
Landon agreed, he switched places with Oxy so that he could bandage her other wrist. “You’re smart and you’ve got a heart bigger than Texas.”
“Careful,” she looked at Landon, “that’s easy to disprove, lots of machines in the hospital.”
He shook his head. “You think whatever you want, and I’ll think whatever I want.”
She sighed and the tears started to flow. “I just kept thinking about you and how much I wanted to see you again.”
He leaned over to kiss her, but he gave her the time to turn away or say no.
Instead, she said, “Kiss me, Landon. I need to feel your love.”
“Always.”
He brushed his lips over hers, a gentle sweeping kiss. And when she tried to chase his lips with her own, he lifted his hand to cup her cheek. “Relax, honey. I’ll do the work.”
His next kiss was slower, and he could hear the approaching sirens through the rush of blood in his ears. He couldn’t help but feel lucky that they’d gotten there in time.
When he leaned back, Willa looked him right in the eyes. “Make sure they take my grandfather first.”
West stepped closer and gave her a grin. “There’s room for both of you.”
She smiled at his cousin and Landon relaxed just a little.
“And… that man?”
Landon still wanted a few minutes alone with the man. Well, he’d only need a second to end his miserable life.
Luckily Weston answered.
“He’s coming back in the wagon with us. I’m sure he’ll enjoy the experience.”
Landon felt her relief like it was his own when EMTs moved through the door.
Oxy helped them move her to the gurney and Landon followed after them as they wheeled her out. He felt… useless, really. What could he do to help?
He knew it wasn’t about him, but that wasn’t where his frustration came from. He wanted to help her.
He wanted to help Willa.
He was relieved that her injuries were less than they had been the first time that she’d been at his mercy, but he wasn’t trying to kill her this time.
That’s what had given them time.
No matter how disgusting his intent had been, he hadn’t gotten to do much at all.
And Willa, Landon knew that she was stronger than this.
Stronger than all of them.
She would be okay.
She had to be.
He followed them out to the driveway where the ambulance was parked at the bottom of the stairs, the SWAT vehicle had backed up nearby, the back of the vehicle ready for the team and their handcuffed prisoner. He could be a ‘suspect’ later, but Landon knew that he’d done it and that made him a prisoner in his head. He’d be one soon enough.
He’d also be there by Willa’s side through the whole case in court, he’d always be there.