Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
Someone was yelling.
Piper’s eyes drifted open, and she winced as the light hit her irises. Pain radiated out from her chest. Every breath was excruciating. Confusion muddled her brain. She processed things in slow motion. Leather. She was sprawled across a leather couch. Cool air washed across her cheek from a vent above her. The carpeting on the floor was thick and plush, the color of a clear summer sky. A short distance away stood a pair of legs. They were clad in dirty jeans and expensive tennis shoes.
Todd Hutchinson.
With a jolt, Piper remembered getting hit by the truck. Being placed in the extended cab. That’s why every inch of her body hurt. Judging from the way her chest ached, she had a broken rib or two. The pain was washed away by a rush of adrenaline as fear took hold.
She battled against it. At the moment, Todd was facing away from her. He hadn’t noticed she was awake. It was a small consolation, but it gave Piper a moment to fully assess how bad the situation was. Then she nearly laughed out loud. She’d been kidnapped by a sadistic serial killer. It didn’t get much worse.
“I didn’t tell you to bring her here!”
The voice was fueled with rage and frustration. Piper’s gaze slipped toward the window on the far side of the room. She inhaled sharply in surprise, sending a bolt of pain arcing from her ribs.
Standing on the other side of the home office was Paul Kingston. His face was mottled with fury, gaze locked on Todd. “Do you understand how police investigations work? She’s bleeding all over my couch! My carpet! Not to mention that a neighbor could have seen your truck driving in the neighborhood. The sheriff’s department already suspects my son is involved. It wouldn’t be a leap for them to suspect me too.”
“But they don’t. You told me yourself.” Todd’s tone was calm and controlled. He’d changed his appearance, probably to avoid detection by law enforcement. His head was shaved, and he’d grown a beard. “Your contact in the sheriff’s department has kept you informed. I know you’re aware my brother has been arrested. Nothing will go according to plan until you figure out a way to get Wally out of this.”
“Your brother blew up a cabin with law enforcement nearby. He’s not getting out of this anytime soon.” Paul jabbed a finger in Todd’s direction. “You should’ve kept him out of it. In fact, you were supposed to take the money and leave after Elena was killed. You’ve created this mess!”
Todd stalked closer to Paul. “No one knew about that cabin except me, Wally, and you. So how did law enforcement find out about it?”
Paul threw up his hands. “I don’t know. Maybe Wally told his girlfriend about it? Deputies have interviewed her several times.”
“No. My brother has never trusted women.”
The energy pouring off Todd was palpable. His expression was controlled, his voice calm, but Piper sensed it wouldn’t last. Like a panther sneaking up on its prey, Todd was deadly. Paul didn’t realize what a precarious position he was in.
Thankfully, the two men were paying attention to each other and not her. She shifted her weight slowly and agony swept up her arm. Her left elbow was swollen and horribly bruised. Broken? Likely. She gritted her teeth and tried to push into a sitting position. That made the pain in her chest explode. Darkness clouded her vision. She was in bad shape. God, please help me. Give me strength.
Paul noticed her slight movements and his face flushed an even deeper shade of red. He pointed. “Look! Now she’s awake.”
Todd turned, and a smile lifted the corners of his lips. His gaze swept over her with a hunger that sent ice running through Piper’s veins. Her breath stalled. This. This was the real Todd Hutchinson. The man she’d interviewed before the bombing was an alter ego, carefully crafted to make Todd appear like a disorganized and sloppy alcoholic. It was a clever ruse to keep anyone from suspecting his true nature.
A cold-blooded killer.
She met his gaze. Her throat was dry and her lips cracked, but she managed to croak out, “You murdered Elena. And Gerdie.”
Todd laughed. “Finally. Although I must say, Piper, I’m disappointed. I thought you’d figure out it was me much earlier.”
She hadn’t. Not really. Jackson had seen through Todd from the start though.
Jackson. Her throat clogged, and tears pricked her eyes at the thought of him. Was he still alive, or had he succumbed to his injuries from the cabin bombing? Even if she survived this—which was unlikely—Piper still might not get the chance to answer the question he’d posed to her last night. He didn’t know she was ready to stay and fight for their love.
Regret and sorrow threatened to drown her. Piper forced it back. As long as she was still breathing, there was hope. She’d run away from Jackson too many times. She wouldn’t do it again. Not physically, mentally, or emotionally. Fighting for their life together started now.
“You need to get her out of here,” Paul ordered, reigniting the argument between him and Todd. “This wasn’t the plan. You’ve mucked things up from the beginning. If you had just taken the money and left town as we planned, then none of this would’ve happened.”
Piper’s mind whirled. She suddenly understood that Paul had hired Todd to kill Elena. They’d suspected Shawn, but they were wrong.
Todd snarled. “I’m not going through with anything until you figure out a way to get my brother out of this mess.”
Once again, the men were focused on each other. Piper scanned the surrounding area. She needed a weapon. The small table next to her held books and a magazine. Nothing helpful. Bookshelves lined one wall. A few paperweights were used as decor, but there was no way to know how heavy they were. Or if she could lift them. To her shock, Todd hadn’t restrained her. Maybe he thought the injuries she’d suffered from being hit by the truck would keep her from moving quickly.
He wasn’t wrong. Every part of her hurt when she breathed.
Paul puffed out his chest and stepped closer to Todd. “Wally shouldn’t have gotten involved. That stunt he pulled with Marcus? It was reckless and stupid. You were supposed to manage him. It’s not my fault that he got himself caught.”
“It is your fault. No one knew about the cabin. You told the cops.”
“No, I didn’t.” Paul’s ire increased, along with the volume of his voice. “Don’t forget who you’re dealing with. I know all of your secrets. The crimes you’ve committed, the women you’ve killed. Do you want me to start sharing information with law enforcement?”
With the grace and speed of a professional boxer, Todd’s fist slammed into Paul’s face. The crack of cartilage proceeded a blast of blood and a howl of pain. Paul bent over, and Todd took advantage by smashing his fist a second time into the older man’s face. Then he grabbed him by the scruff of his blood-stained shirt and shoved him against the wall.
Todd leaned over Paul. “You made a deal with the devil, old man, and you know what they say, the devil always gets his due. I killed Elena and I have the receipts tying you to the murder. Do you want me to give those to the police?”
Paul wheezed in response.
“My brother protected me from our dad when I was a kid,” Todd continued. “I’m going to stay loyal to him. So I don’t care what you need to do, but you’re getting Wally out of this.”
Paul held up his hands in surrender. “Okay.”
Todd smirked and punched him again in the gut. “Don’t threaten me again.”
The violence was brutal. Was this a sample of what Elena and Gerdie had gone through? Is this what Todd was planning on doing to her? Piper’s heart rate spiked. Fear tasted sour in her mouth and her breath came in short pants. She couldn’t even draw in full breaths to counteract the adrenaline coursing through her. She pulled air in through her nose and held it for three seconds before letting it out. Then she did it again.
A flash of metal caught her attention. Piper winced as she stuck the fingers of her right hand in between the couch cushions, and they brushed against something hard. She tugged it free .
A letter opener. It had a sharp point and an intricate handle engraved with lady justice.
Thank you, sweet God in Heaven.
The blade was short and not very sharp. It didn’t guarantee her survival, but it was a weapon. It was a chance. Piper just needed to wait for the right moment.
Paul lay on the ground with Todd standing over him. He pushed himself into a sitting position. Blood coated the lower half of his face and stained his clothes. He spat a tooth onto the carpet. “You broke my nose.”
“I’m gonna break a lot more than your nose.” Todd grabbed Paul by his shirt and lifted him to his feet, hurrying him over to the desk chair. “Call the governor. Call a senator. I don’t care who you call, but you need to get the charges against my brother dropped now.”
Piper couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. Did Todd really believe that Paul could get Wally out of criminal charges simply by placing a phone call? It wasn’t going to happen. Which, it seemed, Paul already knew. But now that he’d taken a beating from Todd, he was desperate to figure out how to get away from him.
Paul held up his hands. “I need a few minutes to think.”
“You’ve got two.”
Todd shifted his attention to Piper. His gaze was predatory. Blood-thirsty.
Bile rose in the back of her throat as he stalked closer. She wanted to sink back into the couch but resisted. Fear was Todd’s drug. He fed off of it, craved it. She wouldn’t give him a drop. Instead, she jutted up her chin and met his gaze with one of her own. “You won’t get away with this.”
He chuckled. “I have so far.” Todd reached the couch. He trailed a finger along the curve of Piper’s cheek and it took every bit of willpower not to shudder at the contact. “I wanted you from the beginning, but you always thought you were too good for me. You preferred Jackson, a weak-willed moron, when you could’ve had a real man. I thought when Lionel attacked you, it would kill my obsession, but it never went away. You’ve haunted me.”
In a flash, his hand wrapped around her throat. Piper’s heart rate spiked. His fingers constricted her airflow, and his body crushed her already damaged ribs. She nearly passed out from the pain alone. Todd hovered above her. His eyes were dark pools of hatred. “I knew you ran along the path in the nature preserve. Elena was a preview. I shot her and made her run toward you, so you could see what was coming.”
He lightened the pressure on her throat. Piper sucked in a tiny bit of air. Her fingers were locked around the letter opener. She wanted to wait for the right moment, but if Todd choked her enough that she passed out and then moved her while she was unconscious, she’d lose her chance to get away.
He chuckled. “I’m gonna have so much fun with you.” Then he growled and squeezed her throat again. His shoulders dropped as he added pressure.
Piper’s vision narrowed. She had one shot at this.
Without warning, and faster than she could’ve believed possible considering her injuries, she jabbed the letter opener into Todd’s neck. He screamed as the blade wedged deep into his skin. Blood spurted from the wound. The pressure on her throat immediately eased as Todd jumped back. Piper sucked in a much-needed breath. Her ribs screamed in protest.
Todd, red-faced and panicked, held his fingers to the wound. Piper had aimed for his artery. It wasn’t clear if her aim had been accurate. Fear propelled her to her feet. At best, she’d mortally wounded him. At worst, she’d enraged him. She wouldn’t wait to find out which one it was.
On shaky steps, she stumbled for the door. Paul didn’t make a move to stop her. He gaped openmouthed at Todd, as if he couldn’t believe this was happening in his home office. Under other circumstances, the expression on his face was comical, but now, it was simply a relief. She wouldn’t have to fight off two men in her condition.
Piper yanked open the office door. The house was a mansion on a wide expanse of property. Was there a housekeeping staff? Gardeners? Not everyone who worked for Paul was crooked, right? Then again, if Todd was merely injured, he would kill anyone who attempted to help her.
She limped down the hallway. Her left leg had been badly bruised in the collision with the truck and screamed with pain. Adrenaline masked some of it. Behind her, in the office, she heard Todd bellow her name. It was coarse and wild. Like a monster being unleashed.
Her breath came in pants as she rounded the corner into an expansive living room. Couches were arranged around an elegant coffee table. A hutch along one wall. Todd’s footsteps pounded behind her.
The sound of glass breaking erupted from different parts of the house. A second later, smoke filled the room.
Hope alighted in Piper’s heart. Jackson and the ranger team had figured out where she was. The SWAT team was preparing to enter, but the place was massive and it would take time to search. Todd was obsessed. He wouldn’t let her go easily, not even under these circumstances.
He screamed her name again, and his footsteps drew closer.
Piper dropped to her knees and maneuvered to the hutch. She opened a door, grateful to find the cabinet was empty. She crawled inside. Silent prayers exited her lips. Her breath came in pants, and it felt like her heart was about to explode out of her chest. Tears, from fear and from the smoke, streamed down her face.
She didn’t know who would find her first.
Her comrades?
Or Todd?