Chapter 22 #3
“Because he’s my son!” As soon as she broke down sobbing, I yanked the weapon from her hand. I didn’t feel sorry for her in the least. Her eyes opened wide. “Don’t you dare hurt him!”
“He’s after Alexia, Ms. Landers. I’m not going to allow anything to happen to her.”
“He won’t hurt her. He adores Alexia. He even asked me to hire her. Why would he do that if he wanted to hurt her?”
“Psychotic assholes do things that only suit them. I don’t give a shit the reason you’re hiding what your son did. The fact is, Steven is a murderer.”
“I’m sorry. You’ll understand when you have a child.”
My fucking God. I shoved her weapon into my jacket, retrieving mine.
“You better hope nothing does happen. Either way, you will pay for your sins. Justice will be served.”
Justice. I spouted off about justice like it was my God-given right to lay down the law when I had no issue breaking it. At this point, I couldn’t care less about the oath I’d taken or the difference between right and wrong.
All that mattered was saving Alexia.
And ending the motherfucker’s life.
Betty could have prevented at least one death. Jameson knew his own son had committed the murders and had allowed an innocent man to take the blame. Why? To keep his horrible secret? Or had Steven blackmailed him into allowing his own brother to take the fall?
All I could think about was getting to Alexia. The rest would be sorted out later. Let the chips fall where they may.
I stormed out of the office, immediately heading to the elevator. By then, people were filtering up to the floor to continue the party. When I noticed Jessica, I pushed my way through the crowd, hoping to see her.
Jessica finally appeared and I grabbed her arm, pulling her aside. “Where is Alexia?”
Her eyes opened wide when she noticed the weapon in my hand. “Last I saw her she was with Timothy. Why? What’s happening?”
“Fuck. I need to find her.”
“Should I contact the police?”
“Don’t bother. I’ll handle it.” At this point, the police would only get in my way. Without hesitating, I took off, racing to the stairs.
It took me all of two minutes to search the floor, forced to realize he’d taken her.
Then my phone rang.
An unknown number.
“You motherfucker. I will kill you.”
His laugh was full of enjoyment. As if he’d won. You bet he’d rattled me, which was why he’d picked this exact moment to take her. “I guess you’ll need to find me. Won’t you? This time don’t take so long. I’m going to enjoy my prize.”
“Why nurture her career if you were just going to hurt her?”
“You don’t understand. I never wanted to hurt her. I wanted to keep her. She is perfect. Everything I’ve ever wanted. Sweet. Innocent. Fighting for the innocent. She looks just like my mother. Have you noticed? My real mother.”
“You knew all along Betty Landers was your biological mother.” While I’d hit record, my guess was I wouldn’t be able to track the number.
“My adoptive parents didn’t keep anything from me. They told me everything. Of course, that was right before I had them killed. They had to tell me.”
What the fuck? That I hadn’t anticipated.
I was already out in the parking lot, heading for the car.
“Your brother is going to die, Steven. Do you understand that? Because of you. He’s protecting you but you don’t give a shit about him.
” The fucker couldn’t have gone too far.
This was some fucking test and I was set to lose.
And that just couldn’t happen. I refused to allow anything to happen to the woman that…
Well, fuck me. That I was falling hard for.
He’d seen us together. That’s why he’d taken her.
I should never have allowed her to come tonight.
“We’re all going to die. My brother is eager to please me. Don’t feel too sorry for him. He’s exactly like me. He just kills with a smile on his face. And my name is Timothy. I suggest you remember that.”
“Turn yourself in, Timothy. Make it easy on yourself because when I find you, and I will find you, I have no letter of the law to follow. Not this time.”
“Maybe that’s what I’m hoping for. To prove to you that I’m right.
You know, all I’ve ever wanted is a family.
That’s it. Did you know my adoptive parents were abusive?
Did you know they used to beat us? Lock us in a room?
They couldn’t care less about their two children, including one with special needs. ”
Fucking Christ.
He blamed his mother for everything that had happened to him.
“Alexia doesn’t belong to you.”
“She’s perfect. I found her. But you touched her. You fucking touched her. Why didn’t you just leave her alone!”
“What did dear old Daddy say to you? You do realize he’s the reason your mother was taken from you.”
“That’s not true. She left us. She wanted nothing to do with us.” His psychosis was strong. Buttons had been pushed from seeing me with Alexia.
“Is that why you’re forcing her to keep your secret?”
His laugh was as maniacal as I remembered. Only this time, there was no cold chill. Just a determination to end the war that had been raging on inside of me for years. A war that had broken out long before he’d crossed my path.
One I was eager to end because I had a life to enjoy.
And he wasn’t part of it.
The laughter continued. I was at my car, searching the parking lot. Where the fuck was he taking her?
Think.
The girl who’d been found. In the Everglades again, but he wouldn’t be so stupid as to use the same area. Or… He would because he needed to improvise. Granted, there was a hell of a lot of real estate in the Glades.
“You can’t have her. She’s mine. She’s always been mine. I waited for a very long time to claim her. Mine. All mine.”
He was losing what little control of reality he’d had control over. When he did, he’d take out his anger on anyone who got in his way.
The bastard had learned from me during the time spent in the FBI. He’d known exactly how I was going to handle a case, the steps that I’d taken.
He’d used everything he’d learned to become the perfect killer.
Now it was time to bring an end to his killing regime.
“Make no mistake, Steven. I’m coming for you. Be prepared to meet your maker.”