Deadly Desire (Carrington-Hill Investigations Book 2) (15 page)

“Sara, she’s dangerous
. Don’t move in until I get there.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Well then
, you better hurry.”

Sara heard the rev of the Marco’s engine. “I’m on my way.”

He disconnected the call. Sara continued to follow Maureen to an address on the outskirts of town, a little house down a dirt road surrounded by trees. Sara recognized the address as one of Collin’s properties. Sara bypassed the dirt road and continued farther up the street until she found a decent place off the road to stash her vehicle.

Marco’s words replayed in her mind.
Don’t move in
. She debated for a half a second and stepped out of the vehicle. She wouldn’t go in, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take a look around. Yeah, scouting the area didn’t technically fall under the category of “moving in on the residence”.

Chapter 16

Sara tried her best t
o move on silent feet through the forest that separated her from the house where Maureen was hiding out. Every crack of dead leaves beneath her feet sounded a million times louder in her mind than what it probably was to the untrained ear. Her heart raced in anticipation the closer she maneuvered through the property. For once, Sara felt a glimmer of hope that maybe this would soon be over.

She crouched down behind a large tree trunk and peeked out into the clearing
, her gun held steady in her hand. There was no way Maureen was getting out of this, no way Sara would let the bitch do any more harm to Collin than what she’d already done.

A cool breeze nipped the air
, eliciting a shiver down her spine. The sun was just starting to set in the evening sky as she observed Maureen moving through the house, passing by several windows
. Only Maureen
. And, just like that, a little bit of her hope subsided, guessing the stalker wouldn’t be joining in on the party. Under the cover of night, Marco, she and their team of specialized agents would administer the takedown.

A plan was already forming in her mind when
she heard the unmistakable crunch of leaves behind her and Marco appeared by her side and whispered, “I thought I told you to stay in the car.”

Sara shook her head. “Nope
, you said don’t move in on her.” She turned and grinned at him. “And I didn’t.”

Marco rolled his eyes, a move she’d seldom seen him make. She smile
d, knowing that the situation was anything but funny. “Where is the rest of the team?”

“Taking up positions surrounding the house. We’ve got snipers on the front door and a blackout team ready when I give the signal. I don’t want you to move from this spot.”

Yeah right, as if that is going to happen. She had a different idea of how she wanted this to play out. She wanted to be front and center for the capture. She wanted….no, needed, to let Maureen know that Sara was responsible for her demise. “How about I play bait?”

“How about not.”

Sara stuck out her bottom lip. “You’re no fun.”

Marco shrugged off his bulletproof vest and placed it around Sara before he lifted the binoculars to his eyes. “Shit, she’s about to leave.”

Unable to remain rooted in the safety of the trees, Sara sprinted out into the open. A disheveled Maureen, wearing jeans and a wrinkled shirt, emerged from the house with the strap of a black bag hefted on her shoulder. They were the same clothes from the attempted murder on Sara’s life. The only thing different this time around was that Maureen wasn’t hidden behind the steel of a gun. No, this time, Sara had the firepower to her advantage.
Not so lucky this time, are you, Maureen?

Sara pointed the gun at Maureen and cautiously stepped closer, closing the distance between them. “Drop the bag
, Maureen, and put your hands on top of your head. You’re surrounded, and the snipers have you in their sights. There’s nowhere to go.”

Maureen glanced around the surrounding forest. Sara saw
from the corner of her eye that the team had started to converge. Marco appeared beside her with his gun drawn. “I suggest you do as Sara says. Drop the bag, and no one gets hurt.”

Maureen’s eyes widened as she glanced down at her chest
, which was lit up with tiny red dots like the lights on a Christmas tree. It wasn’t until then that Maureen dropped the bag and eased down on her knees. The capture and arrest went off without incident, a little to Sara’s dismay. She wanted to administer a little payback, maybe just a punch or two because Maureen had forced her to leave Collin and their newfound playtime.

Marco had her secured and in the back of his SUV as the agents converged on Collin’s property and scoured the area for any sign of the stalker still at large. The search turned up empty
, just like Sara thought it would. The stalker was using Maureen as a diversion, someone to keep Sara preoccupied and away from figuring out just who the hell she was, and that was something Sara was counting on.

“I’m ready to send my message.”

Chapter 1
7

Marco leaned against the SUV and crossed his arms over his chest
, clearly blocking the view of a sobbing Maureen in the backseat. “And what kind of message do you want to send?”

“It’s time we put a name and a face to the stalker terrorizing Collin. It’s time we
draw her out and get her to come to us.”

Sara explained her crazy
-ass plan to Marco and, to her disbelief, Marco agreed to it. The plan was to stage Sara was hurt and to post it on Sanchez’s blog and within the news media. She knew the stalker would come for her to finish the job, especially if she was deemed vulnerable. The news would report the apprehension of Maureen, along with the added bonus of reporting that Sara had a bullet wound to the arm and had been rushed to Regency General. It was time to draw out the stalker and end this game once and for all. 

****

Unable to relax, Collin was propped up against his headboard with the remote in his hand as he flipped through the television stations in search of something to pass the time and take his mind off his girlfriend. And she
was
his girlfriend. He just hadn’t had the opportunity to tell her yet. A light knock came from his bedroom door.

He slid from the bed and pulled the door open, expecting to find his brother or one of the agents on the other side. What he hadn’t expected to find was Regina with red
, bloodshot, puffy eyes, crying at his threshold.

“What’s wrong?” His first thoughts
, knowing that Regina and Drew were in a relationship, was that something was wrong with Drew. When her silent cry turned into sobs, he did the first thing that came to mind. He pulled her into his chest and held her to calm the quivering woman that he’d come to rely on. It was an awkward moment and not very professional, but damn, he didn’t know how else to handle a crying woman.

He glanced down at her. “Regina, you have to tell me what’s wrong.”

“What the hell did you do to her?” Drew bellowed from the other end of the hallway as he stomped toward Collin. He never seen his brother so pissed off. He glanced down at Regina and silently cursed.

Regina’s eyes widened
, and she gasped as Drew pushed between them and swung his fist, knocking Collin in the eye.

Collin staggered but held up his hands. “Man, I didn’t do anything
. She knocked on my door and was crying. I was just trying to get her to tell me what the problem was.”

Drew looked
as though he didn’t believe it but still spun around and pulled Regina into his arms. “What’s wrong, baby?” He lifted her chin with the crook of his finger. “Tell me why you’re crying.”  

“It’s all my fault.” Regina pointed to the television
, and they all turned. Collin reached for the remote and turned the volume up. A picture of Sara was posted in the corner.

Collin’s legs gave out
, and he dropped to sit on the end of the bed as he listened to the breaking report of how Carrington-Hill had captured Maureen but that Sara had been shot in the process and taken to Regency Memorial. His heart felt as though someone had it in a vise grip and was slowly squeezing the life out of him. He shook his head.
No, this is all wrong. This can’t be happening. Not Sara.

The report showed an image of an ambulance leaving the scene of what looked to be the house he’d grown up in.
What the hell is going on?
When the news switched to another story, he muted the television and turned back toward Regina. She was still shaking in Drew’s arms.

“Drew, go get her some tea.” Collin guided Regina to sit on his bed
, and he got down on his knees in front of her. “Okay, start at the beginning and tell me everything that happened.”

****

Sara was propped in the reclining hospital bed, her arm in a makeshift sling with a gun hidden inside. Only a few more hours and the hospital halls would be empty. Marco had gone all out. He’d had the FBI commandeer the whole floor, not just a few of the rooms. More favors, she assumed he would have to pay back. Her father might have had a hand in staging the scene. Either way, it served her purpose. The room next to hers was set up as a monitoring room. A sign on the door indicated the room was under quarantine. Marco was a few doors down, in another room, set up to monitor the situation in case things turned bad.

The door to her room squeaked open
, and Sara’s mouth fell open. She snapped it shut as heat traveled up to her cheeks. The last person that needed to be anywhere near the stakeout had just walked in the door.

“Where’s your detail?” Sara bellowed, sliding off the bed.

Collin moved to her side. “Ditched them with a little help from Drew. They were busy containing a fire that started in the woods. I had to come see you.”

Sara squeezed her eyes closed as Collin cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. “Are you in pain?” He motioned back toward the door with his thumb. “Do I need to go find a nurse?”

The comm in Sara’s ear clicked to life. “You have incoming. Get him the hell out of there!”

Sara flicked the light off in the room and pushed Collin into the adjoining room. She whispered
, “Stay here. No matter what you hear, you stay here until Marco comes to get you.”

He shook his head, but she didn’t have time to explain
. She pulled the door closed and moved across the room to where the light switch was. Her dark clothes concealed her in shadows in the corner of the room. The comm clicked again. “Sara, I still can’t tell who the hell she is. You’re going to have to handle her blind. We’re standing by for the signal. Just wait for her to make a move.

Sara stood in the corner
, trying to slow down her breathing. She ditched the sling and held her gun pointed toward the ceiling. The ticking of the clock, in the room, gave away the minutes going by that would end this game once and for all. Here and now, it ended. No more chasing ghosts.

The door to the room squeaked open
, letting in only a little light from the outside hallway, but still not giving Sara a good look at the stalker. The person lifted something in the air, and the next thing Sara saw was a bright white and red flash that accompanied the muffled sound of a gunshot.
A silencer
.

Sara aimed her weapon and flicked on the light
. A moment’s hesitation went through her as she registered the face with the name. Katrina, the sheriff’s daughter, wearing a fake brown wig.

“Drop it
, Katrina. The game’s over.”

Katrina went to lift the gun with the silencer at Sara, but never got off another shot. Sara aimed for Katrina’s arm holding the gun and
squeezed the trigger. The gun fell with a clank as Marco and the rest of the team converged on the room. Collin, who hadn’t listened to her instructions, came in behind her and stopped cold in the middle of the room, starring at where a bleeding Katrina lay on the floor. Marco kicked the gun from her reach.

Katrina spotted Collin. “This is all your fault, Collin. It was supposed to be me. It was always supposed to be me. Tell them you don’t love her
. You love me.”

Katrina turned her sneer toward Sara. “Why couldn’t you just die, you bitch!”

Collin’s mouth parted as he stood in the room, staring in shock. Nurses and a doctor helped Katrina to a gurney. Several of the team followed them out of the room with strict orders to never let her out of their sights.

Collin pulled Sara in his arms. “I’m so sorry.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I swear I
barely know her.”

“It’s not your fault.” She cupped his cheek
. She could see the relief in his eyes. She kissed him, not caring that Marco was a witness. “It’s not your fault.”

He took two steps away from her and held her gaze before he turned around and walked out of the hospital room.
What the hell was he thinking? It’s not like she could just leave and go after him, maybe knock some sense into him. She still had a job to do.

She had more to deal with than trying to console Collin
. The FBI was already on site, but they’d also called the sheriff due to the circumstances, and she was going to be in debriefings and giving statements all night. They’d taken the gun and would find it matched the ballistics pulled from the murders and charge Katrina with those too.