Chapter 17 #2
Bree’s desperate attempt to free herself from the plastic bag blocking her attempt to breathe made Avery even more determined to get to her. She turned and slammed her heel into Dan’s face, connecting with his nose.
He cursed, released her ankle and clasped his hand to his face. “Bitch!” he yelled. “You’ll die for that.”
She kicked out again, landing her heel in his eye.
Dan swung out his hands, missing her.
Avery lunged to her feet and raced toward Bree.
Her sister twisted and fought to free herself from the man and the bag, stealing the air she needed to live, her moves slowing as she grew weaker.
Avery leaped onto the man’s back, slung her arm around his neck and tightened her hold, refusing to give up on her sister.
Bree’s body went limp, her dead weight pulling the man forward. He released her and his hold on the plastic bag, shifting his grip to Avery’s arm, which was clamped around his neck.
In a sudden move, he flipped Avery over his head. She grabbed for a hold on something, anything, her fingers snagging the black ski mask hiding his face and taking it with her.
She landed hard on her back, the air knocked from her lungs. For a crucial two seconds, she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. She could only watch as Dan pulled a small handgun out of his pocket and aimed it at her.
Then the man in black dropped down on her and clamped his hands around her throat.
Avery recognized him as Seth Ryland, Mr. Logsdon’s caregiver.
“No,” Dan yelled. “This is my job. My duty.”
“She nearly killed me,” Seth said through clenched teeth as his grip on Avery’s neck tightened. She couldn’t breathe. Her vision grayed around the edges.
“No,” a voice cried out. “Don’t hurt her!”
The hands on her throat eased only enough for Avery to pull in a little air before they tightened again.
Dan spun toward the voice, his weapon pointing at the man rushing toward him.
“Don’t hurt my Sarah,” Mr. Logsdon, in a burst of speed, flew toward Dan.
A loud bang erupted.
Out of the corner of her eye, Avery saw the old man fall to his knees.
“No,” he said. “That’s my girl...come home...at last.” Then he slumped forward and lay still.
A strangled cry sounded from the woman trapped in the chair.
Dan turned back to Avery as she struggled beneath Seth.
“Let her go,” Dan demanded.
“No,” Seth said, his lips pulled back in a feral snarl. “She tried to kill me.”
“Do as you’re told,” Dan shouted.
“This one is mine. You can kill the other.”
“Don’t defy me, son,” Dan warned. “It never ends well. Now, back away.”
Avery stared up into the burning eyes of Seth Ryland. Though her vision blurred, she could see what she hadn’t seen before—the resemblance between Seth Ryland and her own biological father.
She tried to bring her knees up, but Seth’s body pinned hers to the cold concrete floor, his hands choking the life out of her.
A loud bang sounded, echoing off the walls.
Seth jerked, his eyes widened. “No...” he said, “you didn’t.” Then he dropped down on Avery, his hands slackening around her throat.
Warm liquid soaked into Avery’s clothes as she dragged in what breath she could. Gathering her returning strength, she pushed and shoved until she could roll Seth’s limp body to the side.
Avery sucked in a rush of air, breathing in and out several times before she sat up. Bree lay motionless on the floor behind her. More than anything, Avery wanted to check for a pulse, give her CPR or anything to keep her alive.
With a gun pointed at her chest, all she could do to help Bree was to use her body to shield Bree and try to talk Dan out of killing another soul.
In a cold, measured tone, Dan said, “It’s not the way I would’ve chosen for you to die, but Sarah will watch, nonetheless. You’ll pay for her choice to forsake her vows and disappear with my children. The choice that cast suspicion on me and ruined my life.”
“You ruined your own life. She wouldn’t have left, wouldn’t have abandoned her children if she’d thought she had any other choice.
” Avery poked her finger toward Dan. “You’re the villain, the monster who drove her away.
You’re the one who chose violence. You ruined your own career.
You’re a monster and a murderer, all to prove your power over women. You disgust me.”
“I am your father. You and your sister would not exist if not for me.”
“You’ll never be my father,” Avery said. “You have no idea what it means to be a father. You’re nothing but a sperm donor. Nothing.”
His eyes narrowed. “Whoever raised you forgot to teach you how to talk to your elders. Your betters.” Dan moved slowly, circling her.
Avery rose to her hands and knees, crawling closer to Bree in an attempt to keep her body between her twin and Dan.
“Are you watching this, Sarah? Can you see, or do I need to bring you closer?”
“No,” Sarah moaned. “Don’t hurt them. Take me.”
Dan shook his head, his gaze firmly fixed on Avery, where she hovered over Bree.
“No, that’s not the way this ends. After thirty-four years of hiding, Sarah made the mistake of underestimating me.
She thought she was smarter than me. I knew she’d come back to this shitty little town.
I watched and waited. When her mother died and she showed up for her funeral, I had her.
Then I set up the lure to bring in her children.
I already knew one of our daughters from the photo on the news of the FBI agent involved in a sting operation.
I pulled strings and got her a gig in San Antonio.
Then all it took was to put her DNA up on ancestry websites and wait.
I knew eventually, our babies would want to find their biological parents—the only parents they should have had if Sarah hadn’t stolen them away. ”
“Parents don’t kill their children,” Avery said. “I take it Seth was your son. My brother. And you killed him.”
“Half-brother. And he was getting too cocky. Becoming a liability. He was creative in the way he killed those women and staged them. The boy always had a weakness for theatrics.”
Dan stepped forward, closer to Bree than Avery liked.
A hand touched Avery’s leg.
In her peripheral vision, Avery could see that Bree’s eyes were open. Since she was turned away, Dan wouldn’t know.
He needed to be closer for Avery to have any chance of knocking the gun out of his hand.
Avery stayed low, hoping Dan would think she was injured and couldn’t stand. She needed time to ease closer, without him knowing. She needed time to get into position before he tried to shoot her.
“Time’s up. Today is the day I keep my promise to your mother. It’s the day her babies die in front of her. The day she pays for the choice of leaving me.”
He raised his hand, aiming at Avery’s chest.
“You’re right.” Avery pushed to her feet. “It’s time.”
Bree rolled over and swung her leg out in a fierce sweep, catching Dan’s ankles as he pulled the trigger.
The bullet went wide.
Dan staggered backward, off balance.
Avery launched herself into him, knocking him to the floor.
The gun dropped from his hand and skittered across the concrete, coming to a stop just out of reach.
Avery dove past Dan.
He swung out an arm, knocking her to the side. He twisted, reached and wrapped his fingers around the gun.
Avery dove toward him as he rolled over with the weapon.
Bang!
Avery landed on the ground beside Dan, waiting for the pain, the rush of blood leaving her body, and, ultimately, her death.
When none of that happened, she rose on her hands and knees and stared down at the dark stain across her front.
She touched it, searched for the wound and couldn’t understand why she felt no pain.
“Avery!”
The shout made her look up.
Grant raced across the floor toward her, his brow creased, his face pale. When he reached her, he dropped to his knees in front of her. “Oh, sweetheart, were you hit? Where does it hurt? You should lie down until the ambulance arrives.” He tried to ease her down, but she shook her head.
“I’m not hurt,” she said.
“But the blood,” Grant touched her shirt. “There’s so much.”
Again, she shook her head. “Not mine. She pointed to the dead young man. “It was Seth’s. My brother. He tried to kill me.” She spun toward Bree.
Her twin sat up, shaking her head. “That was close.”
Melissa ran up to them, followed by Sheriff Taylor.
“The ambulance is on the way,” the sheriff said.
Avery leaned over her father and touched fingers to the base of his throat. After a long moment, she nodded. “He’s not going to hurt another woman.”
“So, Dan was the serial killer?” Melissa asked.
Avery nodded and tipped her head toward Mr. Logsdon’s former caregiver. “He and his son, Seth. They did it all to punish my mother.”
Avery struggled to stand.
Grant helped her to her feet and slipped an arm around her waist.
She held out a hand to Bree.
Between Grant and Bree, Avery limped over to the old man on the ground.
Grant bent to feel for a pulse.
Avery held her breath, staring down at Sarah’s father, her grandfather, and she prayed.
Grant glanced up. “There’s a pulse; it’s weak.” He searched for the wound and found it in the old man’s side. Ripping his shirt over his head, He quickly folded it into a thick pad and pressed it firmly to the gunshot wound.
Melissa knelt beside him. “I’ll take this. You’re needed with the twins.”
Avery gave Melissa a grateful smile and waited for Grant to rise. He took her hand and walked with her and Bree to where the other victim of that horrific day sat, trapped in her chair, having witnessed the tragedy unfold before her, incapable of doing anything to stop it.
Between the three of them, they untied her. When she tried to stand, her knees buckled. She would have fallen but for Avery and Bree wrapping their arms around her, holding her up.
The paramedics arrived wheeling in stretchers. Sarah didn’t want to let go of her daughters. Her bony fingers gripped their hands. Tears slipped down her cheeks.
“You’re going to be okay,” Avery said. “We’ll be right behind you and follow you all the way to the hospital. He’s gone now. You don’t have to be afraid ever again.”
The medical technicians loaded her into the ambulance and pulled away
Grant drew Avery into his arms and held her close. “I thought I’d lost you.”
She sighed, glad it was over. “It was close.”
“Too close.”
Avery leaned back and looked up into his face. “If you hadn’t come when you did...” She looked around until her gaze found Bree.
Bree came to stand beside her. “It’s over.”
Avery nodded.
“She lived thirty-four years in fear.” Bree shook her head. “How does one get past that level of PTSD?”
Avery leaned into Grant. “With the love and care of family.”
He bent and pressed a kiss to Avery’s forehead. “Sarah and her father, your grandfather, will have love in spades.”
She smiled up at him. “And love heals.”