He’d ruthlessly killed thirteen people.
„If it wouldn’t have put you in danger, I’d do it again.“
„And for that you’ll pay.“
Unsurprised, she and Owen turned to find both Jacob Conti and Drake Edwards standing at the end of the row of boxes. Edwards had spoken and now came closer, a semiautomatic in his hand and a predatory leer in his eye.
Kristen’s blood ran cold. Abe, please know I’m gone. Please come find me. Please.
„Drake, search him for weapons. Then let’s go somewhere where we’ll all be more comfortable, shall we?“ Conti said smoothly.
Edwards patted Owen down, retrieving two large semi-automatics, one from his shoulder holster, the other from his back waistband. He then forced them to walk until they reached the wide corridor where forklift trucks normally went about creating the huge stacks of boxes. At the end of the corridor were large loading bays, deserted. All was quiet now.
Owen stopped. „Kill me here,“ he announced. „I’m not going any farther.“
„You’ll do what we say,“ Edwards snapped.
„You’ve got me now,“ Owen said as if Edwards hadn’t spoken. „Let her go.“
Conti’s lips curved. „And lose the best part of my revenge? I don’t think so.“
Again Kristen saw Edwards’s predatory leer. And understood. Owen had killed for her. Now she’d be used to make him suffer.
Edwards chuckled. „You gotta love smart women, Jacob. She’s figured it all out.“
Owen paled, but said nothing and Conti laughed. „You see, just killing you wouldn’t be enough. You’re going to suffer as you made my son suffer. Drake will have her and you will watch. Then Drake will kill her and you will watch. Then… you’ll wish you were dead.“
„Come, Miss Mayhew.“ Edwards took her arm and horrified, Kristen yanked away. Edwards’s expression grew dark and he grabbed her arm hard, his fingers digging into her flesh. „I said come.“ He pulled her to him and she struggled, pushing at his chest, twisting her head when he would have kissed her.
Conti laughed again. „So, Drake, will she be as entertaining as Richardson?“
Edwards grabbed her shoulders and shook her until she saw little white lights in front of her eyes. „I think so, Jacob. I like them with a little piss and vinegar.“
Kristen blinked hard, trying to still her swaying senses, thinking it was a trick of her imagination when Owen went down on one knee and Edwards jerked. He hung there for a split second, a neat little hole in his forehead, then crashed to the floor. Before she could draw her next breath Conti’s arm was locked around her neck, his gun at her temple.
Owen was still on one knee, a small gun in his hand. He must have hidden it in his boot. He was breathing hard, his eyes narrowed and deadly and Kristen realized she was indeed looking at the man who’d ruthlessly murdered thirteen people. She looked at Edwards’s body from the corner of her eye and her stomach heaved.
Fourteen people.
„You sonofabitch,“ Conti snarled. „Throw down the gun or she dies.“
„He’s going to kill me anyway,“ Kristen said. „Get help. Please.“
Conti shoved the gun harder into her temple. „Shut up. The gun, Madden. Now.“
Owen dropped the gun on the floor.
„Now stand up and kick it this way.“
Owen obeyed. Then there was another shot and Owen fell to the floor, writhing in pain, his knee bleeding. But he uttered not one cry. She remembered the words of the Lake County coroner. He was indeed as stoic as a Marine. A sharpshooting Marine.
„Now watch her die, Madden.“
Kristen closed her eyes, preparing herself, wishing she had just one more day with Abe. He’ll find me here, she thought. Shot just like Debra. Oh, Abe, I’m so sorry.
And then, Abe’s voice boomed. „Let her go, Conti.“
Kristen sagged. Abe. Conti jerked her so she stood on her own two feet, his gun still at her temple. Abe stepped out from behind a stack of boxes near the loading bay, his own gun drawn.
„Why would I do that?“ Conti called back.
„Because I’ll kill you where you stand if you harm one hair on her head.“ He approached slowly. „Let her go.“
Conti retreated a step, dragging her with him, calling the names of several men in an authoritative voice.
Abe walked steadily closer. „If you’re calling the men who were standing guard outside, you’ll have to yell a hell of a lot louder. Let’s just say they’re out of the range of your voice.“
Kristen felt the change in Conti, his body stiffening in rage. „I’ll kill her. I swear I will.“ Fighting panic, Kristen looked at Owen lying on the floor, clutching at his knee, then saw him pointedly look to his right. She followed his line of sight and nearly fainted in relief.
Barely visible through the boxes was Spinnelli, his gun steadily trained on Conti.
And me, she thought. Frantically she tried to think of a way to get away from Conti so that Abe and Spinnelli would have a clear shot.
Then Owen looked up and again Kristen followed his line of sight. To where Mia knelt on one of the metal racks, her hands poised on a box. Mia held up three fingers, then two. Her breath trapped in her chest, Kristen waited… waited… until one of the boxes thudded to the floor behind them with a crash. Startled, Conti faltered and
Kristen lunged, kicking, squirming, scratching, biting, dropping, and rolling when he lost his grip. Three shots rang out in quick succession and Conti fell.
He wouldn’t be getting up again.
Then she was in Abe’s arms and he was rocking her. „Oh, God, oh, God,“ he kept saying, his face buried in her hair. „I thought I’d lost you.“
He thought he’d have to watch another woman he loved killed before his eyes. A shudder ran through his body and he tightened his arms around her. Kristen ran her hands up and down his back. „I’m fine. I’m fine. Abe, I’m really fine.“
Her words gradually sank through his fear and Abe loosened his grip. He held her at arm’s length, his eyes narrowed, searching for any sign of abuse, closing his eyes in relief when there appeared to be none. „I wanted to kill Edwards for touching you.“
„It’s okay. He’s dead. Owen killed him.“
„I know. I was standing behind those boxes from the time you all came out of the stacks, watching the whole thing.“ Abe shuddered again, knowing he’d never forget the sight of those bastards’ hands on her. „If you hadn’t stopped where you did, we couldn’t have gotten to you in time.“
Kristen twisted around to look at Owen, who lay silently observing, his face contorted in pain. „You stopped us here. You said you wouldn’t go any farther.“
Mia swung down from the metal rack. „He saw us at the loading bay door.“ She looked at Owen, her expression unreadable. „You must have one hell of an eye.“
Kristen let out a breath. „You saved me. Owen…“ Her face twisted pathetically. Her eyes filled with tears. „How could you do it? How could you kill all those people?“
He said nothing, just lay looking at her. „I can’t let you go,“ she said brokenly, as if there weren’t three armed cops surrounding her who would allow her to do so if she wanted to.
„I know.“ It was gritted from behind clenched teeth. „I couldn’t respect you if you did.“ He struggled to sit up, then like lightning pulled a second Beretta from his other boot. „I also won’t go to prison. Good-bye, Kristen.“
„Owen, no.“ In horror Kristen watched as he put the small gun under his chin. Abe pulled her around, crushing her face against his shoulder as a final shot rang out.
„Don’t look, honey,“ Abe murmured against her hair. „Just don’t look.“
She wouldn’t. She’d seen more than enough.
Saturday, February 28,
6:15 p.m.
She shouldn’t be here. The thought echoed in Abe’s mind as he watched Kristen reading the note Owen had been writing just before being called to Conti’s warehouse. She should be at the hospital with Aidan and Mclntyre, who were conscious but under observation. Kristen should be there, too, being treated for shock. But she’d refused to remain at the hospital, even with every Reagan begging or demanding she stay. Instead she’d insisted on accompanying him and Mia back here, to Owen’s house. Where this whole nightmare began.