Extreme Measures (8 page)

“You gonna go pump your gas or what?” The snap of the girl’s gum made him jump.

“You should be nicer to your customers.” Stuart’s hand curled around the butt of the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants.

She didn’t bother to look at him. “And you should go whine to someone else.”

His temper spiked, and he didn’t even realize he’d killed her until the blood splattered across the neat row of cigarettes behind her head.

Chapter Six

"Are you going to tell me about my aunt now?” Erin waited until Matt locked her apartment door before broaching the subject. She’d debated asking him, but hearing Felicia’s name had left such a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach she had to know.

Matt jangled the keys in one hand, his jaw clenching then relaxing. “Are you sure you want to do this now?"

Erin turned her attention to the busy streets of downtown Charleston. During this time of the morning, the city was coming to life with businesses opening for the day and horse-drawn carriages standing at the ready to ferry visitors to historical sites. Ordinarily, a walk to work was her favorite part of the day, but today, not even the beauty of the city could erase the ugly stain on her life.

Her brows drew together. Matt wasn’t pushing her for a response, and honestly, she wasn’t so sure how to respond. Did she really want to find out her aunt had been brutally murdered or that Stuart had been the one to kill her?

Whatever answer Matt gave her wouldn’t change what already was. Stuart was a murderer. What was one more body to him? The thought made her knees weak. She closed her eyes briefly, drew in a deep breath, and managed a mumbled affirmative response.

"Felicia was found dead in her house yesterday morning from a blow to the head."

Erin winced. Knowing the truth and hearing it spoken out loud were two vastly different things. "You never did mince words, did you?"

"I’ve never sugarcoated things. You know that.” His gaze shifted to her face. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

She summoned up the strength to nod. "Aunt Felicia and I weren't close. We shared the perfunctory holiday cards every year, but that's about it. Ever since that big family rift several years back, Stuart and I rarely saw her. Just occasionally over summer holidays, but Mom really hated her."

Tears pricked the backs of her eyelids. Her mother had never spoken ill of anyone, but she’d made her dislike of her sister-in-law blatantly obvious, and over the years, the family had stopped asking questions. Erin had always meant to ask Felicia what had happened. Now, she’d never get that chance.

She mentally chastised herself. She'd had plenty of time to ask, years to attempt to forge a relationship with her last aunt. She just hadn't made the effort. The thought stung.

"And right now, you're feeling guilty that you didn't see her more often." Matt words filtered into her consciousness, and as much as she wanted to vehemently deny the veracity, she couldn't.

"Felicia didn’t want the door open any more than I did. The road runs both ways.” The second the words left her mouth, she grimaced. She couldn’t blame her aunt, not now. Before Matt could say anything, she held up one hand. “Just forget I said that.”

“I can arrange for you to see her if you’d like.”

Erin swung a look at him, narrowing her gaze. “You really want me out of South Carolina, don’t you?”

“That’s beside the point. I thought you might like to see her once more. Obviously, you’re going to see read something into everything I say, but I'm not the enemy, Erin. I didn’t kill your aunt nor did I make Stuart a murderer."

The verbal slap almost made her recoil, but she held her ground. "No, but you will do whatever it takes to bring him in dead or alive." While she wanted to know Stuart couldn’t hurt anyone else, the idea of Matt taking her brother’s life was a bit hard to swallow.

"You know me I'll do everything within my power to take him in alive.”

She did know that. It didn’t change anything. Stuart would resist, giving Matt no choice but to do what he had to do. And the last remaining family member she had would die.

It didn’t make sense because she’d closed Stuart out of her life years ago, but the thought of being alone, totally alone in the world, unnerved her. She’d had no close connection with Stuart or Felicia, but to think that her last familial tie would be severed with her brother’s death was a little soul-shattering. An entire family line extinguished in four years.

She realized Matt had slowed his steps to keep pace with her. “I’m sorry. I do know that, and I shouldn’t be so angry with you. It’s not just about your presence here even though it does remind me every second that my brother wants me dead.”

Any moment now, she expected to round a corner and see Stuart standing there because she didn’t doubt he would find her if that was his intention. Stuart had never lacked intelligence...just a moral compass. And the last longer Matt stayed, the greater the chance of a confrontation between him and her brother. One would die, and she didn’t want to hope it was Stuart.

She shouldn’t worry about Matt. He was very good at his job, and he would do it then return to Quantico without looking back. And she’d be left to rebuild her life once more. She’d have to start over again, in another city where no one knew anything about Stuart O’Malley or his sister. Tears filled her eyes. Maybe this time she’d move out of the country, somewhere outside the reach of the FBI.

"I won’t harm Stuart without provocation, Erin. If he cooperates, he'll be returned to prison peaceably."

"You and I both know that’s not going to happen. He will fight you.” She’d bet her next year’s rent that would be the case.

"And he’ll lose.” Matt stated the fact without cockiness.

“I’ve never doubted that,” she whispered. “You and I both know in a battle of one on one, Stuart will be the loser.” Her fingers played with the strap of her purse. "But he’s been out long enough to have access to drugs if he’s still in to them. Having some in his system…” She broke off, shaking her head. “Whatever the reason Stuart broke out of prison, now that he’s out, he doesn’t have any intention of returning. I may not have seen him in four years, but I know about his determination all too well. When he wants something, he won’t stop until he gets it.” And she was the something
he
wanted. He’d have had no other reason to kill their aunt. Or even to go to her house.

“Then I’ll do what I have to do.”

Her lungs ached from lack of oxygen, compelling her to draw in a deep breath. “I know that, too, but regardless of my relationship with him, Stuart is still my brother. And I don’t want him to die. Enough people in my family have died.”

Matt stopped and took hold of her shoulders, his touch igniting her skin. “Erin, look at me.” She didn’t have a choice but to tip her head back to see his face. “I didn’t come here to execute your brother. I promise you I will do everything I can to take him back to prison alive.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Thank you.” But she knew it wouldn’t be enough. There was nothing Matt could do to stop Stuart’s suicide mission. By now, her brother had to know the FBI was looking for him. And he would walk straight into the line of fire regardless of the consequences.

The shrill ring of Matt’s phone prevented further conversation. He kept one hand on her while he answered. His clipped responses to the caller created a ball of anxiety in the pit of her stomach.

When Matt ended the call, he steered her toward a black sedan with federal plates parked next to a meter.

“What are you doing?”

He opened the passenger door. “A store clerk was shot about twenty miles outside of Summerville. The guy on the security camera fits Stuart’s build. Local police is on the way for positive identification, but I’m not waiting around for them to confirm what I already know.”

This was really happening. Stuart was in Charleston. To find her. But she still didn’t understand why he wanted her so desperately. Was his intention to wipe out his last remaining blood relative? Did he blame her for his incarceration, too?

She tried to stop walking, but Matt was much too strong. “Matt, damnit, what do you know that you aren’t telling me? There has to be more to this story than Stuart’s prison break.”

Matt barely glanced at her as he towed her along. “What are you talking about?”

“You were so adamant that he would come after me. Why? You had no way of knowing that unless you had proof. The FBI wouldn’t have sent you here on a lark.”

“Let’s have this conversation when we’re outside of Charleston, preferably hundreds of miles away.”

Heart and head pounding, Erin finally managed to come to a stop by digging in her heels. She yanked her arm free from Matt’s grasp and massaged the area where he’d gripped her. “What do you mean
we
? You’re not leaving Charleston. Your job is to capture my brother.”

He swept his sunglasses off with one hand and gave her a look she recognized all too well. Should he lie to her or tell her the truth? How much should he tell her? The indecision on his face made her push.

“Matt, just talk to me. Tell me what you know. If Stuart has some grudge against me, I deserve to know.”

With a curse, he shoved his sunglasses back onto his face. “Erin, I really don’t want to do this.”

She touched his arm, felt the tension in his muscles. “But you can’t deny I should know. Whatever it is, I can take it. I’d rather have proof of my brother’s psychopathic turn than to wonder.” She sensed the weakening of his resolve, and she added the final plea. “Matt, please. You don’t know what this is doing to me inside. It can’t be any worse than I’m imagining.”

He scrubbed his face with both hands before lifting his head and removing his sunglasses once more. “Yeah, it can. Stuart left proof in his cell. He’s been obsessed with killing you since he was transferred to Attica.”

“Weren’t you the one telling me you didn’t want to leave a string of dead bodies?” Arlin muttered, his head below the dash of the van.

“Just shut up and get this thing started.” Stuart shifted from one foot to the other, both jittery and excited. He’d never killed out of desire before. Usually, it was all about need or protection. This time, he’d just wanted to pull the trigger, and now his blood hummed in his ears like a finely-tuned engine.

“You couldn’t get the damned keys? She’s dead. You think she’s gonna object to us taking her vehicle?”

Stuart ignored him, his gaze flicking to the store’s glass door. “We should get some stuff. No telling when we’ll get this chance again.” He didn’t give Arlin time to put his two cents in before he took off.

Back inside the convenience store, he snatched several bags from behind the counter and began filling them with cigarettes, beer, and snacks. A couple of magazines finished off the stockpile before he headed back out the door.

The old van’s engine coughed and sputtered before settling into a jumpy rhythm. Stuart frowned. That might not take them very far. The thought of stopping again caused a broad smile to stretch across his face. Maybe there’d be another smart-mouthed cashier who needed a lesson in manners.

Oh, yeah. He could get used to this killing for the sheer thrill of it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arlin’s heavy frown as he shifted into the driver’s seat.

“This thing ain’t gonna get us very far.”

“As long as it gets us away from here, we’re good.”

Arlin continued to glare at the steering wheel. “The police are gonna check to see what vehicle she owns.”

Stuart considered smacking him. “Which is why we’re gonna drop this thing the first chance we get.” His fingers twitched over the top of the gun, drawing Arlin’s attention.

“Don’t even think about it.” Arlin scrambled across the console and into the passenger’s seat. “Remember what I told you about my guarantee.”

“Three days.” Stuart slid behind the wheel.

“Yeah, but I didn’t tell you everything.” A sly grin split Arlin’s face.

Stuart’s blood ran cold. The guy might not be bright, but he was crafty. “What are you talking about?”

“You think you’re the only one who knows how to use a phone? When you was taking that nice long shower of yours this morning, I made a couple of calls myself. Turns out Billy has always wanted to visit Charleston, and he don’t mind waiting for us there, especially if he gets to wait with your sister.”

Rage colored Stuart’s vision a hazy red. “You sent him to find Erin?” His fingers bit into the faux leather.

Arlin shrugged. “Just covering my bases. Thought about what I said back at the motel and figured you might be counting down the days until my deal with Billy was up. But,” he held up one bony finger for emphasis, “he didn’t mind renegotiating. He’s been behind bars a long time, and once I told him what your sister looked like, well, he couldn’t wait to haul ass to the Holy City.” He grinned and settled back against the cracked upholstery. “We made ourselves another plan, and if I don’t show up in Charleston with you, well, you won’t get the chance to see your pretty little sister.”

Stuart’s stomach lurched. Billy with Erin. The thought sickened him. Not because he had any love for his sister, but because he knew the atrocities of Billy’s crimes. That wasn’t how he wanted to kill Erin. Sure he wanted her to suffer, but he wanted to be the one to do it. And he wasn’t going to allow Arlin to take that away from him.

“You know I’m going to put a bullet between your eyes before this is over, don’t you?” Stuart shifted into drive without even giving Arlin a second glance.

“I’ll take my chances.” Arlin sounded way too smug for Stuart’s liking.

“You do that, you sick little bastard, but I’m keeping a bullet just for you.”

After agreeing to take her back to the apartment for some of her personal items, Matt helped her pack, watching Erin’s every move. Since he’d told her the truth, she’d gone strangely silent, moving methodically through the apartment to choose which things she’d take with her.

He snapped the last suitcase shut and set it on the floor. Erin tugged a sweater from the closet and draped it over one arm.