Laying Down the Law (2 page)

“I went outside to check on the horses,” Karina continued after she’d gathered her breath. “When I stepped into the barn, he hit me over the head. I didn’t even see him. Didn’t know he was there until it was too late.”

Cord jumped right on that. “But you could tell for sure that it was a man?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation.

Damn. He hoped that meant the guy hadn’t sexually assaulted her in some way. But if this piece of dirt had done that, it would definitely break from the MO of the Moonlight Strangler, who’d never sexually assaulted any of his victims.

“What happened next?” he persisted when she didn’t continue.

Karina closed her eyes a moment. Shuddered. “I screamed as I was falling, and he cut my face.” She reached to put her fingers there, but the paramedic moved them away.

It was the slice on her cheekbone. And the signature of the Moonlight Strangler.

Or rather the signature of his copycat.

“Did your attacker say anything to you?” Cord asked.

She swallowed hard. “He laughed and said, ‘This will show them.’ It wasn’t in a regular voice. He was whispering as if his throat was raspy.”

Perhaps just someone who wanted to clear Willie Lee’s name. Of course, to the best of his knowledge, there was still only one person who fell into that particular name-clearing category.

Karina herself.

Cord studied her injuries, trying to look at the pattern to see what they could tell him. Karina didn’t seem like the vain type, but he had a hard time believing that any woman would allow her face to be cut so she could try to prove someone’s innocence. If she’d set this up, she could have merely had the person hit her on the head and leave bruises on her neck.

Cord’s phone buzzed, and when he saw Jericho’s name on the screen, he answered it right away. “Did you send that ranch hand, Rocky, off to do something?” Jericho asked.

“No. Why?”

“Because he’s not here. The CSIs finally made it so I started looking for him to take him to the office, but he’s not in the house or bunkhouse.”

Hell. “You don’t think he went looking for the attacker?”

Jericho cursed, too. “If he did, I don’t need this now. If Karina has his number, try to call him.”

Cord assured him that he’d try, but he figured since she didn’t have her phone with her, there was little chance Karina would remember the ranch hand’s number.

But she surprised Cord when she rattled it off.

“I have a good memory,” she mumbled. A comment that snagged his attention because there seemed to be something else, something that she wasn’t saying.

Something that she
remembered
.

“What is it?” Cord asked, staring at her.

She didn’t get a chance to respond. Didn’t get a chance to explain, either. The driver hit his brakes, bringing the ambulance to a jarring stop.

“Draw your gun,” the driver told Cord.

Cord did. And he soon saw why they’d stopped and why the driver had given that order.

It certainly wasn’t what Cord had expected to see.

There. In the middle of the dark country road. A man. He was wearing a ski mask.

And he had a gun pointed right at them.

Chapter Two

Karina lifted her head to see what had caused the ambulance driver to give that order to Cord.

Draw your gun
.

Not exactly an order to steady her racing heart. But then, seeing the man in the ski mask didn’t help with that, either.

Oh, God.

He’d found her.

Cord did indeed draw his gun. Fast. “Call for backup and get down,” he told the paramedic beside her.

While the paramedic did that, Cord maneuvered himself in front of her, and the driver got down onto the seat. But the man on the road did some maneuvering, too. With his weapon still aimed at them, he ducked behind a tree, probably so that Cord wouldn’t just shoot him.

“Don’t try to drive off, Agent Granger,” the man shouted. “Wouldn’t be good for your health right now if you tried to do that. We need to have a little chat first.”

There were no side windows on the back of the ambulance, and with Cord in front of her, she couldn’t see much through the windshield. However, it sounded as if this monster had some kind of backup. Or maybe he was just bluffing and wanted them to be like sitting ducks while he fired shots at them.

“The ambulance is bullet-resistant,” Cord said, as if reading her mind. “And I want to catch this sick bastard.”

So did Karina. More than anything. Not only could catching him clear Willie Lee’s name, but it would also get this killer behind bars, where he belonged. She’d known in her heart that Willie Lee wasn’t the Moonlight Strangler, and arresting this man would prove it.

She hoped.

Of course, Cord might continue to believe this was a copycat. He might not want to admit they’d charged the wrong man with multiple murders. Because in this case the wrong man was his biological father and he wanted to see him punished.

“There are explosives in the ditches on both sides of the road,” the man shouted. “If you shoot at me or do anything else to otherwise rile me, the explosives will go off.”

Karina gasped, and the paramedic didn’t fare much better. He dropped down to the floor.

“Explosives?” Cord asked, glancing around. He spoke in a loud enough voice that the guy outside would have no trouble hearing him. “That’s not the MO of the Moonlight Strangler.”

“You’re right, but sometimes a man’s gotta get creative. The explosives might not kill you.
Might
not. But it’s a big ol’ risk to take with such fragile cargo inside, isn’t it?”

That got Karina snapping to a sitting position. Or rather she tried to do that. She was strapped to the gurney that was locked in place on the floor, but she still lifted her torso as much as she could.

“I’m not that fragile,” she insisted. However, the dizziness hit her, and almost immediately she had no choice but to drop back down.

Karina cursed the dizziness. The pain. Cursed the fact that this idiot was taunting her after he’d come so close to killing her.

She could still feel his hands around her neck. Could still smell his stench on her skin. Could still hear his gravelly voice as he’d cut her.

This will show them
.

But he’d whispered something else to her, too. Something she hadn’t been able to catch because by then the pain and the panic had been screaming through her head.

What had he said to her?
What?

Knowing that might help them if she could somehow use those words to figure out who was behind that mask.

He’d seemed...familiar. Or something.

“Do you see any explosives?” the driver asked Cord. Unlike Cord, his voice was trembling. Probably the rest of him, too.

Cord shook his head. “It’s too dark to see much of anything out there.”

No doubt part of this killer’s plan. There might not be any explosives at all. But Karina rethought that. The attack at her place had happened nearly an hour ago. That was plenty of time for the killer to get out here and set up an ambush, especially since this was the only road leading into town.

It was also the same road that the backup lawmen would be taking.

Karina prayed their arrival wouldn’t make this situation worse than it already was. Maybe the deputies or whoever responded would be able to sneak up on the man and capture him. Alive. That way, he could answer questions and clear Willie Lee’s name for good.

“What do you want?” Cord shouted to the man.

“The woman,” he readily answered.

Had her heart skipped a beat or two? It certainly felt like it.

Cord glanced back at her, probably trying to reassure her that he wouldn’t just hand her over to a killer. And he wouldn’t. She’d only known him a month, but he wasn’t a coward or a dirty lawman. He didn’t like her. Possibly even hated her. But he would protect her with his life.

But that wasn’t comforting.

Karina didn’t want anyone dying to save her. Still, she wasn’t exactly in a position to defend herself.

“Why do you want her?” Cord called out to him.

“Because I’d like to finish what I started.” Another fast answer. Whether it was true or not, she didn’t know.

Was something else going on here?

“We should have started with introductions first,” Cord said. He moved to the front seat, probably so he could be in a better position to return fire. “Who are you?”

The man laughed. “And here I thought you were smarter than that. After all, we do share the same DNA.”

She could only see the side of Cord’s face, but she saw a muscle flicker in his jaw. “So, you’re saying you’re the Moonlight Strangler? Because you can’t be. He’s in a coma.”

“I’m not just saying it. I
am
the Moonlight Strangler.”

“Right,” Cord grumbled under his breath. Karina had no trouble hearing his skepticism.

“Though I gotta tell you, I never liked that name,” the man continued. “Moonlight Slasher would have been a whole lot better, don’t you think?”

“Haven’t given it much thought. A killer’s a killer no matter what he’s called. But I’m not convinced you’re who you’re saying you are. Convince me,” Cord insisted.

The guy laughed. “Boy, you got a smart mouth. I like that. It’s something we have in common.”

“I have nothing in common with you,” Cord snapped.

Karina figured that Cord didn’t want her to be part of this conversation. Correction: a part of this taunting. But this might be the only chance she got to ask the question she needed her attacker to answer.

“Why do you want me dead?” Karina shouted to the man.

That earned her a glare from Cord, and he motioned for her to get back down. She didn’t.

“Tell me why!” Karina said in an even louder voice when the man didn’t answer.

“You’re not gonna like the answer, sweetheart,” the man finally said.

The
sweetheart
turned her stomach. He’d used that same syrupy tone when he’d been attacking her.

Except he had used a different tone when he’d mumbled those handful of words that she hadn’t understood.

“Besides,” the man went on, “talking time is over now. I figure Sheriff Jericho Crockett or his lawmen brothers are trying to sneak up on me right about now. Hope they don’t step on anything that’ll make ’em go ka-boom.” He laughed. “Oh, wait. I do hope that happens. Crockett blood spilled all over these woods. What a nice way to end the night.”

Oh, mercy. “You have to warn Jericho,” she told Cord.

Cord motioned for the ambulance driver to make another call. The man did, and he told whoever answered that there might be explosives not just in the ditches, but also in the woods. Hopefully, the lawmen would get the word in time.

“Time’s up,” the man yelled. “Hate to sound all dramatic, but hand her over or else.”

“She’s hurt,” Cord answered. “And I’m sure you know why since you’re the one who hurt her. She can’t walk.”

“Liar. I didn’t do a damn thing to her legs.”

“It’s her head,” Cord explained. “You hit her hard enough that you might have fractured her skull. That’s why she’s in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.”

Silence.

For a long time.

So long that Karina got a really bad feeling. A feeling that went all the way to her bones. If she didn’t do something fast, he was either going to kill them all or get away.

“Cord can carry me to you,” she told the man.

As expected, that really didn’t go over very well with Cord. “Have you lost your mind?” he snarled.

Possibly. She didn’t have a fractured skull, as Cord had told her attacker, but she was dizzy and in pain. Still, this might be their only shot at catching the man. After all, he’d have to come out of his hiding place to get to her.

“He doesn’t want to shoot me,” she whispered to Cord. “If he did, he would have done that in the barn.”

Cord’s eyes narrowed. “A bullet isn’t the only way to kill you.”

She was well aware of it and touched her fingers to her neck to let him know that. “If you’re carrying me, he won’t shoot. And once you’re close enough to him, you can drop me and grab him.”

Cord cursed. “There are about a dozen things that could go wrong with a stupid plan like that—including he could kill us both and then come after the paramedics to kill them, too. Is that what you want?”

Karina didn’t get a chance to answer that because her attacker ducked out of sight behind the tree.

“Too late,” the man shouted.

“Get down!” Cord warned them, and he moved back to the gurney to cover her body with his.

Not a second too soon.

The blast tore through the ambulance, tossing it and shaking the ground beneath them.

It was deafening.

And then everything happened much too fast for Karina to process a lot of it. They were moving, tumbling. Crashing into things.

Debris, flying everywhere.

Somehow, Cord managed to keep hold of her, and since the gurney was anchored to the floor, he was toppled around with her. No way to brace herself, no way to do anything but wait for this nightmare to end and pray they stayed alive.

There was the sound of metal screeching against the pavement, and the ambulance finally stopped with a jolting thud.

What had happened now?

And was everyone okay?

The ambulance was a jumbled mess, and it took her a moment to realize it was on its side. That was likely where the impact had landed him.

“He set off the explosives,” she said. Though Cord had obviously already figured that out.

There was a cut on his forehead and some blood in his light brown hair. Heaven knew where else he was hurt, but at least he wasn’t moaning in pain like the bald paramedic crumpled next to them.

“Are you all right?” Cord asked her.

No. Not by a long shot. But Karina didn’t think she’d gotten any other injuries, probably because she’d been held in place on the gurney. And because of Cord.

“I’m not hurt,” she responded. Maybe that was true, but everything inside her felt bruised and raw.

Cord pulled the straps off her and eased her sideways off the gurney and onto the floor. “Help him,” Cord told her.

That’s when she saw the angry gash on the bald paramedic’s head. Not a simple cut like the one on Cord’s, either. This one was deep, and he was losing a lot of blood.

It was hard to find anything in the debris, so she used the cotton blanket that’d been covering her and pressed it to his wound. While she did that, Cord checked on the paramedic in the front seat. It didn’t help her nerves any when he pressed his fingers to the guy’s neck.

“Is he dead?” she asked hesitantly.

Cord shook his head. “Just unconscious.” He used the radio in the front to call for assistance. “Stay put,” he warned her.

Despite the debris and clutter everywhere, Cord managed to make his way to the back of the ambulance. He had his gun ready when he tried the door handle. It took several pushes, but he finally got it open.

Karina couldn’t see anything outside because Cord was blocking the way. He didn’t go outside. He stayed there, his gaze firing around and his head raised. Listening.

She heard the moan coming from the front seat, and several moments later, the paramedic in the front lifted his head. “What the heck happened?” he grumbled.

“An explosion.” Cord didn’t even glance back at the guy. He kept his focus outside. No doubt in case the killer came after them again.

That gave her a fresh jolt of adrenaline.

They were stuck here. Right where the killer could get them. And this time, he just might succeed.

This nightmare wasn’t over. It was just beginning.

“Try to level your breathing,” Cord told her. “I don’t want you to hyperventilate.”

Since she was very close to doing just that, Karina tried to slow down her breathing. Tried to steady her heartbeat, too. She wasn’t very successful at doing either.

“Jericho should be here any minute,” Cord assured her.

She wasn’t sure if that was wishful thinking or if he’d gotten confirmation of that when he’d used the ambulance’s radio. Karina certainly didn’t hear any sirens.

But then she also didn’t hear their attacker taunting them.

“Is he still out there?” she asked, and wasn’t aware she was holding her breath until her lungs started to ache.

Cord didn’t jump to answer her. He continued to look around. “I don’t see him. That doesn’t mean he’s not there.”

True. “You’ll have to warn Jericho.” She didn’t want the sheriff driving into a trap.

“He knows,” Cord assured her. He shifted his position, lifting his head.

And then he cursed.

He drew in several more breaths and cursed again.

“Can you walk?” Cord looked at her first for an answer, then at the bleeding paramedic.

“Yes,” Karina answered at the same time the paramedic mumbled a not so convincing “yeah.”

“Why?” she asked.

But it wasn’t necessary for Cord to answer her because she smelled two things that she didn’t want to smell.

Gasoline.

And smoke.

“Did he set a fire?” she blurted out.

Cord didn’t answer her question. “We’re getting out of here now. Now!” he ordered, glancing back at the paramedic in front.

“What’s going on?” the paramedic asked, but despite being dazed and injured, he started climbing over the seat toward them.