Final Mend (31 page)

“Yep. That and adrenaline.”

“So your fists, your arms, will help you dodge bullets? You don't think that whoever we meet at this cabin won't have their adrenaline? You know we could be heading into a trap, right?”

“You think I care about that right now? All I care about is my little girl.”

“How do we know she's even there? Lillian could be lying to you. Setting you up. If she had anything to do with Brandon's murder, anything at all, then—”

“You didn't have to come!”

“We can't just go in there without a plan.”

“I have a plan.”

“We don't even know who's there. How many are there. If Amy is even there.”

“I know that cabin like the back of my hand. We're close, and I'm damn sure not stopping or turning around.”

She squared her shoulders, digging in her purse for the 9mm. She checked the clip and handed it to him.

“Do you at least know how to shoot?”

“Are you kidding me, Winona?”

“No, I'm not kidding you. If it comes down to it, can you shoot a living, breathing human being if he's threatening your life or those you love?”

“Maybe you're a tough street chick who carries a couple of guns everywhere she goes. I can picture you with an AK on your back and a belt of bullets strapped around your chest. But I can hold my own. I might not be a cop, but I'm probably a better marksman than most. I was four years old when I shot my dad's rifle for the first time. I grew up around hunting and fishing, spitting and shooting.”

“Hunting is a lot different than killing a person.”

“And you would know better than me how?”

“Well, I've never had to kill anyone. Most of my PI work didn't involve danger.”

Jake glanced at her. Shadows deepened the hard lines of his face, making him appear lethal. But the last time a friend had helped in an investigation, he'd ended up dead.

In many ways Jake reminded her of Naomi's ex, Caleb. Caleb had become addicted to alcohol, ruined his relationship with Naomi, and Winona had befriended him when he came to Montana to try to win Naomi back. He was trying to change, trying to get better, when he was shot outside the police station by the cronies who wanted to kill Garret.

Caleb had died because of quick and irrational decisions. At the time, she had been holed up safely with her mother and she knew it was nobody's fault. But she knew they hadn't thought things through, and she worried the same thing was about to happen again.

“If my life or the life of anyone I care about is in danger, I will shoot. If you threatened Amy, I'd shoot you.” Jake patted her on the leg before returning his hands to the wheel. “You worry too much. Stop worrying.” He turned off the lights and drove.

“What are you doing?” Winona squinted through the gray. It shouldn't be dark yet, but the unrelenting skies held the sun hostage.

Jake pulled under a tree and shut off the engine.

“I think it's best if we walk the rest of the way.”

“Walk? I didn't exactly bring my hiking gear.”

Jake glanced down at her tennis shoes. “Those will have to do.”

• • •

“Listen to Mommy, Amy.” Lilly tucked her hand under Amy's chin and made her look at her. Amy thought her mom was pretty when she first woke up in the morning and wasn't wearing all that makeup on her face. But right now, that makeup kind of made her look like one of those dancers on television.

Amy was confused. Lilly didn't like to be called Mommy. So Amy thought maybe she was in trouble. And Mommy was strapped to the bathtub rail with some kind of ties. Now she sat in the bathtub without water. She had fought when he tied her, and Amy cowered in the corner. He'd threatened to tie her, too.

Daddy had told her that rail was there for safety reasons. She was supposed to hold it when she stepped out of the bathtub so she wouldn't fall. But Lilly didn't look safe.

Lilly kept yelling at that guy. That guy named Ben. And Ben threatened to shoot them with that gun. Daddy said guns were bad. Way bad. The news said Daddy had been shot with a gun. She wondered if that was why he was in heaven.

Ben was nicer the last time she'd met him. He'd wanted to play hide and seek all the time. She'd hide, and she must have hid real good because it took him a long time to find her. But she had a hard time finding him, too. Then he'd let her watch TV and she got to stay up as late as she wanted. All she ate was popcorn and chocolate and he let her drink as many sodas as she wanted. They even went swimming, but it wasn't fun without Jake and her daddy. And she'd still felt nervous around Ben, even when he was nice to her.

“Amy, are you listening?”

“Yes, Mo—uh, Lilly.”

“You can call me Mommy right now, okay, baby girl?”

Amy nodded, still confused. She was scared. Ben said he'd strapped Lilly to the bathtub rail because she'd misbehaved, but that didn't seem like a fair time-out. Ben was walking around, talking like crazy. He'd been waving a gun around, but now it set on the dresser in the bedroom. He chattered about nothing, and she wasn't even sure who he was talking to. He didn't have a phone or anything.

“Mommy needs you to do something for her.”

Amy nodded again. She felt like such a baby around her mom. Uh, Lilly. And Lilly usually treated her like a baby. Even called her a baby. She never knew how to act with her.

“I need you to find me something so I can get myself untied. And I need you to go get that gun from Ben and bring it here to Mommy. But don't tell him you're gonna get it. Just grab it.”

“But guns are bad. Daddy says.”

“Well, your daddy isn't here right now.” Her mom's voice scared her. She sounded tinny, like she was talking through a tunnel. She didn't sound as angry as usual. “And right now, Mommy really needs you to get that gun,” she continued.

“Why?”

“Because if that man gets it first, he's gonna shoot us both. Or he's gonna take you and run away where you'll never see Mommy or even Jake again.”

• • •

Jake followed Winona to the front of the cabin, admiring her stealthy moves. The rain had stopped, but misty gray veiled the earth. Fear smelled like doused fire in his throat, the taste of rain like salted mold in his chest.

Trees swathed them on all sides. Made it easier to take cover from anyone who might be watching from the cabin. He felt reassured to see all the lights on. The rain kept it dark enough that it would be hard for a person inside to spot them until they made it out of the clearing.

Winona moved, stopped, listened. Her tennis shoes burrowed in the mud, but it didn't slow her down. Her gun was cocked and ready, but not shaky and set to shoot at anything that moved. She was calm, controlled. He was lucky to have her on his side.

Dampness clung to him. His shirt and jeans seemed to stick to his body. He didn't know how the police handled things like this all the time when all he wanted to do was get these clammy clothes off.

A twig snapped. Winona whirled, spotted a small animal, and continued her trek to the cabin mantled in household lights.

She moved around all angles of the cabin, peering in windows. Fear lanced him. He almost dropped his weapon and ran to Amy when he spotted her carrying a gun.

“Oh my God.” He was just about to run to the porch, prepared to burst through the door, when Winona's palm to his chest halted him.

“Shh,” she whispered. “You can't just go barging in.”

“The fuck I can't.”

A burly man stepped forward toward Amy. She pointed the gun at the man and he stopped.

Jake's world toppled. He fought the urge to go to her, clenching his gun in his hand as if that would keep him grounded. Amy, his Amy, was in danger and he was only steps away from saving her.

• • •

Winona treaded carefully up the steps and quietly opened the door. She'd seen three people: a man, Lillian, and Amy, so she knew where they were in relation to the rooms. But someone else could be lurking and waiting for them.

She tiptoed to the doorway of the room the three were in, mud tracking through the house with every step. She stopped Jake from running in and accidentally getting shot.

Amy held a pistol way too heavy for her. Her arms shook as she pointed it at a man who stood next to Lillian, who was zip-tied to the bathtub rail. A package of zip-ties was strewn across the floor.

“Untie her,” Amy demanded. Her face held a bravado that said she would not give in.

Jake pushed past Winona and stopped at the entrance to the bathroom. Winona pointed her pistol at the unnamed man.

“Amy? It's Jake. You're safe now. Carefully lower the gun to your feet, babe.”

“Jake?”

“Yes. Winona is here, too. No one is going to hurt you.”

Amy's lips trembled and she blinked slowly. “Mommy promised me I could go see my daddy. But then Ben said my daddy was in heaven and that's the only way I could see him. And then Ben tied my mommy up to the bathtub like a policeman would do. But he's no policeman, I don't think. And those aren't the handcuffs police use, are they? Where's my daddy?”

“Don't move,” Winona said as the man shifted as if about to lunge for Amy and the gun. “Hold your hands up, and stay still.”

He halted and glared at them.

“Amy, come here,” Jake demanded.

Amy wandered forward, still holding the gun. Jake reached out and took the gun. Checking the safety, he removed the magazine.

Winona didn't allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief. Not yet. “Who else is here?”

Amy swiped at tears. “My daddy was supposed to be, but Ben lied.”

“Who else?”

“No one else is here,” Lillian finally spoke, her voice shaky.

“Is that true, Amy?”

Amy nodded. “Yes.”

“And how did you get here?”

“My mommy brought me with Ben.”

“Thank God you got here,” Lillian said. “I thought this man was going to kill us.”

“Oh, shut up, Lillian,” the man now known as Ben said. “Lillian is just as involved in this, if not more so. You'd better keep your gun pointed at her, not me. She's the one who arranged this whole thing. She's trying to sell Amy.”

“Yeah? And what are you here for?” Winona asked.

“You can call me a fence. A fencer of people. I have a buyer for Amy and I'm the one who buys her from Lillian.”

Nausea welled in Winona's throat. Pointing her gun at Lillian wouldn't help much, considering she was tied to the bathtub rail, so she continued to train her gun on Ben.

“Jake, why don't you take Amy out to the Jeep now? I'll meet you there in a bit. And try calling 9-1-1 again.”

“It won't go through,” Amy said. “We already tried.”

“Okay. Jake, take her out, please.”

Jake, still holding the 9mm she'd given him earlier, took Amy's hand. “Come on, babe.”

Once they left the room, Ben arched his eyes at her in an aggressive smile. “Now what are you going to do?”

She nodded toward the zip-ties. “I want you to cuff yourself to the rail like you did Lillian.”

Ben chuckled. “Yeah, right.”

“What?” Lillian screeched. She flailed her body. “You can't do this. He'll kill me if you leave me here with him. Please, please, take me with you.”

She bashed against the railing, kicking at the porcelain tub. Winona almost felt sorry for her. Almost relented. She was grateful Jake had taken Amy out of the room so she didn't have to see this.

“Shut up, Lillian. Tie yourself, Ben.”

Ben smirked, but didn't move.

“Jake,” Winona called, still pointing the pistol at Ben.

Jake rushed back into the room, holding the 9mm she'd given him, but Amy wasn't with him.

“Where's Amy?” Winona asked.

“She's fine. Sitting in the kitchen eating a Popsicle.”

“How do you know no one else is here?”

“I searched the rooms. She heard her mom scream, then you, and she wanted me to come check on her.”

“Do you not care?” Lillian shrieked. “Even for Amy's sake, do you not care?”

Especially for Amy's sake, Winona didn't care. Amy would understand later. Besides, the cops would come soon; Winona would make sure of it. Winona only needed a few minutes to ensure their safety out of the cabin. Then she would leave the rest up to the cops.

“Sorry, but I'm gonna need your help,” she told Jake. “Ben needs to zip-tie himself to the rail next to Lillian. But he isn't cooperating.”

Jake stepped forward, pointing his gun.

Ben held up his hands. “Fine, fine, I'll do it.”

“Jake, can you make sure he does a proper job of it?”

“What are you doing?” Jake asked, still aiming his gun at Ben.

“Leaving them tied until the cops can get here.”

Jake gripped the steering wheel with everything he had, fueling his raw emotion and channeling it into the wheel as he would his bicycle in a race, his legs in a run, or the water in a swim.

Careful. He had to be careful. He wanted to protect Amy and Winona, and part of that protection right now was to keep them safe on the road. He couldn't speed past the cars or dart between them. The water was heavy, the rain coming down again.

He heard Amy's soft inhale and glanced in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were wide, shoulders hunched.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Why did we leave Mommy with that bad guy?”

Her words attacked his resolve. Fuck. He had to go back for her. If something happened to Lillian, the only thing Amy would remember was that Uncle Jake had left her with the bad guy.

He glanced at Winona, and she nodded, seeming to know what he was thinking. He slowed the truck, looking for a place to turn around.

He called Garret and in clipped messages, told him he was going back for Lillian. Garret tried to dissuade him. Promised they'd have a helicopter there soon. But Jake knew he had to go. Amy would hate him for the rest of her life if he didn't go back.