“It’s obvious he likes routines.”
Chase stiffened. “Eason did try to take Sierra’s life the same way he did Amber’s.” He thought back over the details. “Amber was killed in her bed. Sierra was attacked in hers. Maybe…”
Chase broke out into a cold sweat. “Jake, I’ve gotta go.” If Eason had taken Sierra where he thought, she would have very little time left to live, if any.
27
Sierra stared into the darkness. One way or another, this would all be over soon. An odd sense of relief mingled with a fear so poignant she could taste it. She’d never been trapped in a car’s trunk before. It was darker than she would’ve imagined. Scarier. Every bump knocked her around as if this small car—which Kevin had boasted he kept on hand in case of such emergencies—had no shocks.
Some kind of strange scent lingered in the air. Had Kevin kidnapped and transported other women in this same manner, in this same tight space? Had the haunting scents of fear and death remained behind?
Sierra shuddered.
She felt around the dark interior the best she could, but doubted Kevin would’ve left anything she could use to defend herself. Her fingers grazed something metal and she groped at it, only to discover it was part of the car. Frustrated tears flowed down her cheeks as her options diminished.
She’d seen this scenario played out on television before; women kidnapped and shoved into trunks. But, reality was much different than on screen. Her captor had not conveniently forgotten to confiscate her cell phone. There was no hidden latch on the backseat to release, and there was no glowing taillight to knockout and alert others she was inside.
She listened, trying to get some clue as to where Kevin was taking her, but it was no use. She couldn’t decipher which bumps and which ruts came from what roads. She guessed they were still travelling on pavement, but couldn’t be sure.
Sierra slammed from side to side as if she were a pinball as Kevin took a corner too fast. He hit another bump and her head bashed into something solid. Pain erupted and lights flashed within her eyes. Nausea rose as she fought to remain conscious.
After some time, the car came to a stop. Kevin’s muffled voice came through, and Sierra assumed he was on the phone, until she heard another voice come from outside the car.
“Help!” Sierra screamed and beat on the trunk. Her efforts were muted by the car’s radio, which Kevin quickly turned up. She continued yelling, and kicked with all her strength, but doubted her efforts could be heard beyond the rhythmic thumping of the song’s base guitar.
The car moved again. A few more turns and then they stopped. The engine cut off. The door slammed. Sierra’s heart skipped. Sweat beaded along her temples and rolled, mixing with salty tears. A key twisted in the lock, and then light flooded the confined space.
Time had run out.
Kevin whistled a lighthearted tune as if he was extracting something as mundane as a bag of groceries. He grabbed her arms and hauled her from the trunk. As soon as she landed on her feet, he had her by the waist and held her close. “Welcome home.”
His words made no sense until she looked up. “My condo,” she rasped. Memories flooded her mind; running through the ice-cold night, barefoot and barely alive; fumbling with her car key, praying she could escape before Kevin followed. She’d left this place thinking she’d never be able to return. Instead, she was back where she started—in the hands of a killer.
If he managed to get her inside, she’d have little chance to escape. She’d have no time to know if Chase and Piper had survived the blast. She sucked in air, preparing to scream, but Kevin’s hand came down hard on her lips, smothering her attempts.
“I can’t let you alert the guard at the gate, now can I?”
Sierra jerked her head to the side. “That’s who you were talking to. How did you get past George? He knows I put out a restraining order on you.”
“George had a little episode and had to be replaced.”
“What did you do? He did nothing to you!” Sierra thought of the older gentleman’s kind smile. Everyday he’d talk about his grandchildren, showing pictures and sharing stories. The thought of yet another person hurt because of Kevin sickened her.
Kevin shrugged and full-blown arrogance showed through. “Let’s just say he’s…retired.”
“You…” Sierra didn’t waste her breath completing the sentence. There were no words to describe Kevin’s brutality. Instead, she twisted and bit down hard on his hand.
He yelped, but before she could get away, he grabbed her hair and yanked back. Pain radiated through her scalp as he unlocked the door and pushed her inside.
Kevin released her in the foyer and she fell to her knees. Familiar scents surrounded her. Faded aromas of cinnamon apple air fresheners mixed with traces of lemony laundry detergent. Everything smelled the same, and she expected everything to appear the same. But, something was different. Piper must’ve tidied up the place. In her bedroom, her lavender comforter had been spread evenly across the bed and the various items Kevin had knocked to the floor had been picked up. There was no sign she’d nearly been killed the last time she’d been in there. If not for the fact Kevin stood beside her, she could’ve thought it all a vivid nightmare.
He pocketed the stolen key and ambled into the room. He draped his coat across Sierra’s beige leather sofa as casually as if he’d dropped by for a late dinner. “Almost feels like old times, doesn’t it?” He drifted around the living room as if he belonged there, but never took his eyes off her. He ran a finger along her cherry wood end table and then touched the empty space on the fireplace mantle where Piper’s picture used to be before he’d thrown it in a fit of rage. “We had fun, you and I.”
Sierra wanted to tell him he was delusional, but thought better of it. She didn’t want to get into a discussion of what his idea of fun was. Stalking? Abuse? Murder? Instead of speaking, she stood and took a small step backward toward the front door. If she moved fast enough, maybe she could—
She lunged toward freedom, only to have the wind crushed from her lungs as Kevin knocked her to the floor. He panted near her ear. “Get up.” He tugged and dragged her to the bedroom holding her arm so tight, he cut off blood flow.
Fingers tingling, Sierra tried to jerk away, but failed. Kevin blocked the door with his wide stance, and her bedroom, which once had been her quiet respite from the world, had become a deathtrap.
She had to find a way to get past him, or die trying.
He’d begun to sweat, and he swiped at his brow. Sierra took the opportunity to bend low and ram her head into his jaw. Teeth smashed. Flesh broke. Blood trickled from his mouth. He released her arm and staggered backward, crashing into the dresser. Items fell in disarray. Her mirror shattered and dozens of pieces rained to the hardwood floor, sliding in all directions.
Hoping Piper had stored the pepper spray somewhere close, Sierra lunged for her nightstand. She tore open the drawer. Her heart stilled. The canister wasn’t there, but her Bible was. Upon touching the soft, leather-bound book filled with God’s promises, she felt His presence and power as swift and sure as if His living waters flowed through her very soul, and she knew she wasn’t alone. He was right there with her in her struggle, giving her strength and courage. Giving her hope.
A sliver of the broken mirror glinted at her feet, catching her eye. The fractured glass was small, but so was the stone David used to bring down Goliath.
Thank you, Lord.
She picked up the makeshift weapon, drew in a breath and faced him. Using courage she didn’t know she possessed, she lifted her chin. “I’m taking my life back.”
“How?” He scoffed. “With your tiny little fists?”
Sierra didn’t know if she would be able to stop him, but she did know God had a plan for her life, and she didn’t believe it would end this night. Not here. Not this way. Not by a man whose altered mind and twisted thoughts destroyed all in his path. Chase had shown her life held numerous possibilities, and hope was something she should always keep within her grasp. She didn’t know what the future held, but she did know she wanted to be a part of it.
“It’s time to end this.”
“Then so be it.” With a low growl, Kevin strode toward her as if he’d already won not only the battle, but the war.
He lifted a hand toward her throat and Sierra struck out in a wide arc, shoving the sharp point down into his neck, penetrating flesh and slicing through hard muscle. The glass slid through her hand on impact, cutting and sending pain searing through her fingers as well.
Kevin let out a high-pitched wail like a wild animal. He yanked out the broken glass and blood poured from the wound down his arm, chest and sides, splattering to the floor. He looked at Sierra with stunned disbelief, as if he just realized a man of his quick wit and keen intelligence could actually bleed. His gaze, mixed with confusion and rage, settled on hers.
Seconds passed as Sierra cradled her hand and stared back, as stunned as he that she’d managed to inflict serious injury.
He lunged toward her. Sierra backed away. He swayed, made a gurgling sound, and fell face down on the hardwood floor. Seconds passed as he lay there, struggling for breath, blood pooling around his prone form.
Forcing her feet to move, Sierra stumbled from the bedroom, through the foyer and jerked open the front door. Cool air rushed in, reminding her of the first day she’d run from Kevin. She had hidden, but he had found her, just like he had promised.
“Where you gonna go?” Kevin’s enraged voice came from behind.
Heart thundering, Sierra whirled around.
He climbed to his feet and staggered toward her, crimson blood flowing from his wound. “You will
never
be safe from me.”
Chilled to the bone, Sierra shivered.
Kevin took one more step and then stopped, focusing on something behind her. His face, already pale from loss of blood, turned ashen. “You.” Contempt and pure hatred filled his tone as his nostrils flared. “You’re supposed to be dead.”
“Apparently, God had other plans.” A familiar voice rumbled past her shoulder.
Sierra turned. Chase stood in the threshold, battered and bruised with dirt smudges across his face and clothes, but very much alive. Her heart skipped a beat and tears flooded her eyes, blurring his stunning image. “You made it out.” After fearing he was dead, she wanted to touch him, to assure herself he was real, but footsteps sounded behind her, coming fast.
Alarm skittered across Chase’s face. He raised his gun, aiming over her shoulder. “Sierra, get down!”
She ducked, but it was too late.
Kevin grabbed her around the waist and rammed his fist into her side.
White hot pain ripped through her, and she looked down. A length of broken glass protruded from her flesh. Horror filled her—Kevin had stabbed her with the same weapon she’d used against him.
She met Chase’s terrified gaze as Kevin’s hand clamped around her throat. Her head swam and lights danced before her eyes. Deafening gunshots blasted through the air as Sierra’s world faded to black.
28
Chase paced the hospital’s small surgical waiting room. He held his jaw clenched so tight it hurt, but he welcomed the distraction. He’d thought he’d experienced his deepest fears when he’d seen Sierra go down, but waiting in this cold, heartless white room for word on her condition took his apprehension to a whole new level.
“How is she?”
Chase whirled around at the anxious voice behind him. Sierra’s sister rushed to his side, clasped his arm and looked up with tear-filled eyes.
“I don’t know yet. She’s in surgery. Eason is too.”
Piper’s eyes widened. “Both of them? An officer told me Sierra had been injured, but said nothing about Kevin. What happened?”
Chase fisted his hands and crossed his arms, bracing to relive the nightmare. “Eason stabbed Sierra in her side with a piece of broken mirror. I don’t know the damage yet. As far as Eason’s injuries go, the surgeons are trying to remove three bullets from his chest and patch a hole in his neck.”
Piper shivered and her lower lip trembled. “Do you think he’ll make it?”
Chase understood the question she didn’t ask. “He won’t be coming after Sierra again, either way.”
Piper nodded, but looked as if she might pass out.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” He led her to a stained chair that appeared as if it had seen more than its share of sorrow. “There’s nothing we can do now but wait.”
“Waiting’s the hardest part.”
“Tell me about it.” Chase sat next to her, searching for something to occupy his mind. “Is your husband on his way?”
“Yes. He’s coming from Singapore. He’ll be here by tomorrow. I thought he’d be upset about the house, but he’s just happy Sierra and I are alive.”
“I like him already.” Chase attempted a smile, but failed. He grasped the armrests, fingers curling around the wooden edges. He glanced toward the double doors leading toward Sierra. It took all his willpower not to barge through and demand an update.
“You love her, don’t you?” Piper whispered.
His gaze locked onto hers.
Understanding shone through her eyes, and she placed a hand on his arm. “I know this may sound forward, but any man willing to risk his life for my sister deserves a chance with her. I just pray you’ll have that chance.”
“You’re not the only one.”
The waiting room doors burst open and Mom, Dad, and Jake nearly tripped over each other trying to get inside.
Dad spoke first. “Thank God you’re safe.”
Jake’s and Mom’s voices overrode one another. “What happened?”
Chase stood, holding up his hands. “I asked you all to stay home.”
“If you really wanted us not to come, then you should’ve explained what exactly was going on.”
Piper stood and introduced herself. “I’m Sierra’s sister. Your son saved her life.”
“We hope.” Chase added. “There are two people in surgery right now. Sierra and Eason.”
His mother’s face paled, and Dad grabbed her arm, guiding her to a seat.