Chapter 14
14
B uddy twisted the key to the front door of Kaelie’s house. When he left the station, she’d given him a set of keys, so he could get in and fix a leaky faucet. Since he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep well, he figured he’d do that before even trying to take a much-needed snooze.
The lock stuck slightly, and the door squeaked as he pushed it open. Another thing he could tinker with to occupy his time and mind.
He closed the door and stepped into the family room. A breeze tickled the back of his neck, and he turned toward the hallway.
“What the?—”
The crack of metal smashing into the side of his head sent a sharp pain from one temple to the other. It was as if someone pushed a cold knife through his head and yanked it back out. He reached for the wall, blinking, trying to focus, but everything blurred.
His knees hit the floor with a loud thud. Seconds later, another sharp pain vibrated through his skull, and the world faded to black.
Kaelie slammed the gear shift into park before yanking the keys from the ignition and bolting to her front door.
Without thinking, she twisted the knob and raced inside, skidding to a stop in the middle of the hallway.
“Buddy,” she whispered, staring at his body slumped over on a chair in the middle of the living room. His hands were tied behind his back, and his ankles were taped to the wooden legs. His head flopped forward, and a trace of blood trickled down the side of his cheek. The smell of gasoline lingered in the air.
“You got here quickly,” a male voice said from behind her.
She turned on her heel and gasped. Keith leaned against the wall between the dining room and the foyer with a lighter in one hand and a gun in the other.
“This isn’t going to end well for you,” she said, balling her fists. She should have listened to that tiny voice that told her something wasn’t quite right when she pulled into her driveway.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He rolled his finger over the silver wheel of the lighter. A tall flame flashed in front of his face. “You might have put a few pieces of the puzzle together, but at the end of the day, the world will think Buddy over there lost his mind. He killed Edwin?—”
“That little setup has been thwarted. The clerk sung like a canary and ID’d you. Besides, Buddy had been reinstated.”
Buddy groaned in the background.
Keith’s smile faded a tad, and she could tell his mind was churning over what that meant for his current situation. “Looks like I’ve underestimated you,” he said, still flicking that damn, stupid lighter. “But at the end of the day, it won’t matter. He’ll be dead. You’ll be dead. And I’ll be gone because you know I’m already dead.”
“Everyone knows it was your brother who died in that fire which you set. Give it up, Keith. You’re fucked.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe I’ll end up a fugitive, but you’ve got to love countries with no extradition laws, and I’ve got the cash to get me a private jet to take me there.”
“You still have to go through customs and Archer Jones won’t make it through any security checkpoint as a wanted man.”
“Now you underestimate me,” Keith said, inching closer. “Do you know how many millions my brother heisted from that bank?”
Another audible moan by Buddy.
As Keith inched forward, she took a few baby steps backward, toward Buddy.
“All marked bills.”
“Not anymore. Well, all but five hundred thousand.” Keith pointed to a large bag. “Which will be strategically placed across the street where the authorities will find it. They will either think Buddy, and maybe that idiot Duncan, took a deal from me, or they will think they had something to do with my disappearance. There are enough unanswered questions and very little substantial evidence to prove that I was involved in anything.”
Wow. Keith was more delusional than Edwin had been. The things she and her team had uncovered would not only prove Keith committed murder, but it would get him sent to prison for a long time. She decided there was no point in arguing with him. He believed he’d walk out of here unscathed. Who was she to try to burst that bubble? Of course, she’d enjoy the fuck out of it when she slapped handcuffs on that sorry piece of shit.
“So, let me guess. You found a way to launder the money through an LLC in an offshore account.”
“Oh, look at you, all full of yourself because you think you’re so smart. Doesn’t take a detective to figure that out, but I’ll pat your backside and stroke your pretty little ego so you can feel good about yourself.”
She gritted her teeth, making a growling noise. His sarcasm made her want to spit in his face after she broke his nose with a quick jab.
Buddy grunted.
Two grunts.
And then a moan.
She let out a long sigh.
Buddy did too.
Hot damn, he was awake. While that didn’t change the situation much, it made her feel better. Hopefully, Keith hadn’t caught on to that little game.
“Since we’re on the subject, let me see if I have all this straight,” she said.
Keith glanced at his watch. “You’ve got ten minutes. Then you can kiss your dick boyfriend goodbye.”
She’d make good use of the time while she figured out how to take Keith down.
“You helped your brother get out of prison so that he could be your dead body double.” She moved closer to Buddy, standing about two paces away and directly in front of him. Planting her hands on her hips, she lifted the back of her shirt, so that Buddy could see her weapon. Keith’s biggest mistake hadn’t been underestimating her but overestimating himself.
Now, she just needed a plan. One that Buddy would understand through osmosis or some such shit.
“You’re really going to bore me with this crap,” Keith said as he moved his leg behind the wall in the foyer before kicking a gas can into view. “Just so you know, I’ve doused?—”
“I can smell it. Can we get to the details? There are a few things my tiny little brain hasn’t been able to wrap my head around.”
Keith laughed. “You’re a feisty lady. I bet you’re a good fuck.”
She waggled her finger behind her back, hoping Buddy could actually see it and understand that he should do nothing, even though he was the kind of man who was fiercely protective of what he might consider his. But it was more than that with Buddy. His sense of honor and duty pulled him to protect, no matter the cost to himself.
He proved that the day he nearly died, saving the general’s life.
Keith leaned to the side. “Shocked that didn’t rouse the poor bastard, but I did clock him good, and he is a pussy.”
“My time is running out, and I have a few more questions.”
“Fine.” Keith shoved the gas can toward her feet. “While you talk, I want you to pour that around the sofa. Feel free to douse some on yourself as well as Buddy.”
Like hell.
“Why beat the crap out of your girlfriend?” Kaelie asked.
“She wasn’t my girlfriend. Just a means to an end. At the time, the investigation was still looking like Buddy would be blamed for everything. Actually, if you hadn’t shown up, he would have. Kudos to you for thwarting that.”
If she wasn’t so disgusted by the man standing in front of her, she might have been flattered. “What about Edwin? Didn’t you need him on the inside?”
“Again, you showed up. But when he went off the rails, I had to kill him, and since he accused Buddy a little too quickly, I thought it might lead the investigation back to Buddy if I made it look as if he could have done it.”
“So, you stole his guns,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Such a smart girl.”
His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her. “Why give Edwin money?” She bent over, careful not to reveal her weapon and picked up the gas can, using it as an excuse to get closer to Buddy.
“So he’d think I was returning to help him get out of the country.”
“You took a big risk coming back.”
“Perhaps, but I really want Buddy dead.”
She swallowed. “Why? What did he ever do to you?” This was the one piece of the puzzle she hadn’t figured out. Other than basic male ego, she’d seen nothing substantial regarding their history to lead her to believe Buddy had done anything so horrible that even Keith would hold a grudge.
Keith’s face contorted as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. His lips pursed, and his eyes narrowed into tiny slits shooting daggers in her direction.
“Buddy and I aren’t much different. We both love fires and have an odd thrill for setting them. He says he doesn’t, but you should see him when he sets a bonfire. It’s like he’s an artist standing in front of a blank canvas, waiting for the first stroke of the paintbrush.”
Something touched the back of her foot. She stood very still, hoping it wasn’t a cockroach but instead Buddy.
“That still doesn’t explain why you want him dead.”
“I wish he was awake to hear this, because I’d love to see the look in his eyes when I tell him what he prevented me from doing.” Keith wiped the sweat beading across his forehead. “You see, when he was seventeen, he happened to be at the same ski lodge my family went to. I had just found out my mother had been having an affair with the general, who was there with his wife and kids. Imagine that. My mother and the general, sneaking off to fuck in the snow somewhere.”
“Shit, you started the fire at the Cambridge Ski Lodge?” In one thought, everything snapped into place. She remembered reading in Keith’s records that his parents divorced a year after he enlisted.
“I wanted the general to burn. I had locked him in the bathroom, then stood back, and watched that lodge go up in smoke. What a fucking hard-on that gave me. But then the fake do-gooder runs in and saves the day. Asshole.”
Chills ran up her body, coating her skin like snow falling from the sky. “Your mother died in a house fire.”
“Jesus,” Buddy muttered from behind her. “You’re a fucking piece of work.”
“I wondered if you were faking.” Keith snickered.
“Fake this, you dirtbag.” Buddy snagged the gun from her holster and shoved her to the floor.
Two shots rang out as heat erupted all around her.
“Get out,” Buddy yelled.
She stood, jumping over a flame, as her house quickly turned into a fireball. Thick, black smoke bellowed to the ceiling. She covered her mouth, blinking wildly through the smolder.
“You bastard.” Buddy swung, his fist landing square on Keith’s jaw.
Keith laughed as he wiped the blood from his face, rushing forward and crashing into Buddy. Flames flickered around their bodies as they rolled on the floor. She took a pillow and swatted at Buddy’s pant leg, which had caught fire.
“If you can, get the guns. But if not, just get out and get help.” Buddy shifted his body, but Keith had him pinned.
“Kaelie. Now!” Buddy yelled.
She stood there for a second, blinking, the heat filling the room, choking her more than the smoke. The sound of fabric catching fire filled her ears. The smell of burning flesh tickled her nose as she looked down at her burning arm. Quickly, she took the same pillow and smothered the flames. She found both guns and ran from the house, screaming and searching her back pocket for her cell, which was nowhere to be found. Once across the street, she started banging on Duncan’s door.
“What the hell is going… fuck.” Duncan held her by the hands. “Is Buddy in there?”
She nodded. “Keith too. I must have dropped my phone.”
“Use the landline.” Duncan took off running.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m a fireman. Where the hell do you think I’m going?”
Buddy did his best to ignore the intense heat as he struggled to get the upper hand. The fire raged around them, and the gas stung his eyes. His ankles were still taped to the sides of the chair legs, though the chair had since shattered to pieces. Buddy managed to pin Keith down. He sat on Keith’s stomach and held his arms over his head.
The flames roared to the ceiling and sparks flew, snapping at his already burned body. He had to get out, and soon, or they’d both perish.
“I’m letting you go,” he said, easing up on Keith’s arms. “You’re not worth dying for.” Buddy jumped to his feet.
“You shouldn’t have let me go. Now I’m going to kill you.” Keith slowly stood, an evil smile spreading across his face.
“Come on, you can kill me outside.” Buddy turned and smiled when he saw Duncan race through the front door.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Duncan said as he stepped over some of the flames, holding a shotgun. “You can come out with us, or you can burn. The choice is yours.”
Buddy glanced over his shoulder as Keith tried to run for the back door.
Bang!
Keith screamed as he hit the floor, holding his knee.
Duncan pointed to Buddy’s arms and side. “You’re burned pretty bad. Get out of here. I’ll handle Keith.”
Buddy nodded as he stepped through the front door, keeping an eye on Duncan, who dragged Keith out by his arms.
“Buddy!” Kaelie’s voice filled his heart with joy.
He turned and hobbled toward the street. The sound of fire engines echoed in the background. People came out of their houses, asking how they could help, but all Buddy could focus on was putting his arms around Kaelie.
“Sorry about the house. It’s not going to be livable for a while, but you can stay with me.” He kissed her forehead, but she took a step back.
“What? Too soon to ask you to move in?”
“Those burns are bad. Really bad.”
As the adrenaline wore off, scorching pain hit his mind with the force of a volcano. His knees buckled.
“Lie down,” Kaelie whispered.
“Here, in the middle of the street? That’s stupid.” But he could no longer hold his own weight. He rested his head in her lap and closed his eyes. People shouted around him. The ground shook as firemen raced past.
“Leave it to one of my men to play hero.”
He could have sworn that was Arthur’s voice, but he couldn’t open his eyes to make sure. All he wanted to do was picture his happy place, which was in Kaelie’s arms. With her, he could do anything, including ignore the pain.
Someone put something on his body that made him scream like a dying pig. Or at least he thought he had screamed.
He twitched as a needle pricked his arm. Fluid immediately filled his veins and oh, it carried with it a cocktail of I-will-no-longer-give-a-shit painkillers.
His breathing slowed, and he tried to enjoy the medical high and Kaelie’s soft hands in his hair.
“I’ve seen worse.”
This time it was Rex’s voice that filled his ears.
“You’re an ugly asshole,” Buddy said, blinking his eyes open.
“I love you too,” Rex said with a laugh.
“I think that’s Kaelie’s line.” Buddy shifted his gaze.
Kaelie smiled.
That was all he needed.
“I’ve fallen hard for you, Kaelie Star.”
“You’re in pain and doped up on drugs.” She bent over and kissed his forehead. “But I’ve fallen even harder for you, Buddy West.”