Chapter Forty-Nine
Rick
Rick waited for the signal from Austin, who was sitting on the roof across the inn, waiting for Kaylee to exit the church.
From the sounds of the screaming and coughing inside, it seemed that Mr. Turner’s science club had successfully incapacitated them with their stink bombs.
When the science teacher had suggested it, several parents protested, but they’d only built the contraptions, and after they were safely tucked into the basement of the inn, all the high school teachers had planted the bombs between the pews of the church.
“Rick, this is Austin, over.”
Rick picked up the walkie and pressed down on the button. “This is Rick.”
“I see Kaylee coming out the back with two unfriendlies on her tail.”
Rick’s heart lodged in his throat; his first instinct was to tell him to take the shot now, but he knew they had to wait. To make sure the rest were all inside.
“Understood. Keep your eye on her.”
“Affirmative.”
Something new Rick learned about Austin was that he’d served in the Marine Corps before coming to Holiday to take care of his grandmother. He’d taken the job with the US Forestry Department because he preferred nature to people, but here he was, stepping up to help his fellow man.
Maybe it was the town itself that brought people together, like a positive force of love and respect.
He’d have to think about that more later.
“All right, open the doors,” Rick yelled.
The minute that they yanked them wide, men poured out, coughing and crying. Each one was grabbed and thrown to the ground by the closest citizen, while others stood above, watching for any sudden movements.
A few of the bikers fought back, and it took several men lying on top of them to zip-tie their hands and legs.
They kept one door open, so only two or three got out at a time.
By the time they finished with every single man who’d exited the church, they had thirty-one men in custody.
A couple of them tried to grab their weapons, even though their eyes were watering and they could hardly see, but most of them were too busy gagging and crying to fight back.
Rick heard Kaylee scream and spun around, watching her sprint from behind a tree toward the inn.
He took off in her direction as she glanced over her shoulder at two men chasing her.
One of them lurched forward, faster than the other man, and reached for her, but before he touched her, rapid-fire paintballs unloaded into both men’s bodies.
They jerked with identical cries of pain and spun like they were having spasms, falling to the ground and writhing as the hits kept coming.
When Rick reached them, Paulette panting behind him, they were splattered with red, blue, and yellow paint, curled in the fetal position.
The one who’d almost had Kaylee had his hands between his legs, screaming about his balls.
Rick smiled in vindictive satisfaction. “That’s karma, dick.”
Rick and Paulette zip-tied the men, and they were read their rights.
Kaylee ran back to them, her chest heaving with exertion, but too pumped to stop moving.
She hovered over them, bouncing from foot to foot, and Rick looked up at her, studying the sweaty hair plastered to her forehead, the bright smile, and sparkling eyes.
“Way to go, adrenaline junkie,” he said, amused.
“I was so fast! Did you see how fast I ran?”
“I did,” he said, standing up and brushing her hair back. “I am so proud of you.”
Kaylee beamed.
Rick pressed the walkie’s button and said, “We got two more just east of the inn; requesting transportation.”
“On my way!” Josie’s chipper voice responded.
A few moments later, Josie pulled up in Paulette’s Razor, smirking.
“I’ve always wanted to drive one of these things!”
“Just don’t damage it,” Paulette said, tightening the last zip tie and climbing to her feet.
“How long before the cavalry gets here?” Josie asked.
“My guys from California were waylaid, so they sent some agents from Idaho Falls. As long as the weather cleared, they should be here within an hour.”
“Good, ’cause I don’t fancy babysitting a bunch of criminals all night,” Paulette said.
They lifted the closest man onto the back of the Razor, stacking the other one next to him so they were face-to-face.
Rick grinned at them as they glared from their prone positions. “You two just gaze into each other’s eyes, and it will all be over soon.”
Rick and Paulette followed behind the Razor on foot as Josie drove their prisoners to where the rest of them were being held. Kaylee herself into Rick’s arms, laughing. “Did we get them all?”
“I don’t know,” he said, unable to resist kissing her upturned lips, her excitement contagious. “We’ve got to do a head count when we get back to the church. How many showed up?”
“Thirty-three,” Paulette said.
“So we need to account for thirty-one more jackasses.”
Kaylee threw back her head and laughed, still cradled in Rick’s arms.
“I can’t wait to see the look on Ansel’s face,” Kaylee said gleefully. “This is how you should always capture bad guys. Make them sick to their stomach before you zip-tie them.”
Rick started running his hands over her, thinking about how close she’d been to being overcome by those men. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, Rick, I’m really fine. I’m actually great for the first time; I’m not scared.”
Rick wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. “Well, I’m happy for you, but let’s make sure we’re not missing any before you go taunting the animals.”
“Way to spoil my fun,” she said, leaning into his body and looping her arm around his waist. That simple display of affection from any other woman would have sent him into a full-blown panic, but with Kaylee, it felt natural and right. Like they were meant to fit together.
“I’m glad the two of you worked things out,” Paulette said, smirking. “For a while there, I thought I was going to get a call about having to put Rick in a body bag.”
Kaylee released a devious chuckle. “Believe me, it came close.”
“Hey!”
Kaylee quirked a brow. “Am I wrong?”
“No,” he grumbled, giving her waist a squeeze.
When they walked onto the lawn in front of the church, the chief came over, grinning broadly.
“Including the two who went after Kaylee, we got thirty-three bad guys.”
“See, you hear that?” Kaylee said, hugging him hard, and he returned the embrace as relief spread through him, a weight on his shoulders dropping.
“Yeah, I do.” As he scanned the mass of tethered bodies, he sighed. “Now we just gotta wait for my team to get here so we can start processing them and get them out of here.”
The rest of the townspeople gathered around except for a few police officers who were keeping their eyes on the prisoners. Rick pulled out his phone to check the time, but there were no new text messages from Finn or Scott.
“Dana, Gill, and I can make some hot chocolate at the shop and bring it out for you guys,” Kaylee said, her boss and coworker nodding in agreement.
“That sounds great,” Rick said, spinning her around so she was looking at the Razor. “Or, you and Josie could let Paulette drive you home, and you guys can hole up there until we’re done.”
Kaylee glared at him over her shoulder, her lips compressed in a thin line of irritation. “And why would I wanna do that?”
“In case something happens while we wait, like one of these animals gets loose, I want you as far away from danger as possible.”
“And maybe I don’t wanna leave you.”
The words were warm and soft, melting him slightly, but no, he wasn’t going to let her con him into staying.
“Kaylee, I let you be bait. Can you please give me this peace of mind?”
She let loose a heavy sigh and nodded. “Fine,” she said, turning in his arms and circling hers around his neck, “ but if anything happens to you, I’m gonna be really pissed off.”
“Same here,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose.
Kaylee dropped her arms and stepped back, her brow furrowed. “Before I go, I need to see him.”
Rick scowled at her. “No way!”
“Yes,” she protested, placing her hands on her hips. “I need to look him in the eye, or else I’m never gonna get a good night’s sleep.”
“Kaylee—”
“Please,” she cut him off, her eyes luminous pools of gold with flecks of green, and he knew it was futile to resist. “I just need him to know that I’m not afraid anymore.”
“Fine.” They started walking through the bound men until they spotted Ansel, his hands behind his back, layered between two of his men.
When Kaylee tried to get closer, Rick kept her by his side.
“Go ahead, say what you need to say,” Rick said, watching Ansel closely.
Kaylee stared him down and said, without her voice shaking, “You killed my best friend. You took away my safety, my happiness, and my security, but I got everything back, except for Elasia.” Kaylee swallowed, and Rick held her tight, listening as she continued, “She will never be able to smile, laugh, or have a future because of you, and I’m going to be there to make sure that you never hurt anyone ever again. ”
Ansel watched her, his expression dark, but it was his eyes, the possessive way he tracked Kaylee’s every movement, that made Rick’s blood run cold, and he wanted to kill the bastard with his bare hands.
Especially when he noticed Rick’s arm around Kaylee’s waist and that cool expression fell for a millisecond, revealing the rage underneath.
Before Rick could blink, Ansel was back to grinning maliciously.
“Then I guess I’ll be seeing you soon, Kaylee.”
Rick wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they walked away. “Come on, let’s get you home.”