Sweet Revenge

Chapter 27

Matt tried to keep calm as he faced his oldest enemy. He shifted his weight on the metal chair as the walls of the interrogation room began to close in on him. They had Laney. Without question, Emery had Laney. “Where is she?” Matt asked softly.

Emery smiled. “How should I know? But she has a rather commanding presence, and I’m sure we’ll find her soon.”

The commander had her. Matt’s entire body went cold with a fear-filled rage. “Is that a fact?” Matt would kill them all with his bare hands.

“Yes, it is.” Pleasure glimmered in Emery’s eyes. He glanced at Patterson. “They’re probably creating a manhunt for whoever shot the sheriff. Why don’t you go make sure they’re not going all vigilante on us.”

Patterson eyed Emery and then Matt. “I don’t think so. I’ll stay right here.”

Chalk one up for decent instincts. Matt forced all emotion into a box, becoming the killer his creators had wanted. “Things aren’t quite what they seem, are they, Patterson?”

Emery glanced at Patterson. “Don’t let this guy get into your head.”

Patterson nodded. “I know he’s trained, but my gut tells me something more is going on here. What is it?”

Matt wanted nothing better than to tell the agent the truth as a surprise tactic to jump Emery. But if Patterson discovered who they were, he was a dead man. The guy wouldn’t survive the night. So Matt sighed. “What’s going on is that you guys are chasing your dumb-ass FBI tails and have the wrong guy in custody.”

Emery smiled. “Look at you being all confrontational.”

“Very,” Patterson agreed with a glance at his partner, back in sync. He moved around to retake his seat. “Tell us who tried to kill the sheriff, Dean. Let us find Laney and protect her. I believe you care about her.”

Matt lifted a shoulder. “Laney was a sweet distraction as I played the part of a bartender for a while. But I didn’t kill anybody and would like to be on my way.”

“Now, why would you discount what you have with the pretty green-eyed woman?” Emery drawled. He turned toward Patterson. “She is lovely, isn’t she?”

“Very.” Patterson tapped his fingers on the manila file. “Help us save her. Please.”

“I don’t know where she is.” Matt tuned in to the activity in the station house. It did sound like the deputies were heading out to hunt… and with a vengeance. “Did anybody witness the sheriff getting attacked?” he asked Patterson.

“Nobody saw anything.” Patterson sighed. “If you don’t have a partner, and you’re not involved, why would somebody take Laney?”

“The serial killer?” Emery asked casually. “Maybe the serial killer or killers got her.”

Patterson’s eyebrows slashed down. “This attack would be different from the killer’s MO. He likes to get victims alone and take his time.”

Matt kept his gaze on Emery. “Killers? Plural?”

“It’s a theory.” Emery shifted his weight as he reached for something under the table. “Makes an odd kind of sense, doesn’t it?”

“How so?” Patterson asked. “Because Dean is here and Laney has been taken somewhere else?”

What the hell? Matt ran back the last week in his mind. So Emery knew about the serial killer. What did this mean? “I don’t have a partner, but I’m interested in your thoughts about the serial killer having one.”

A vein bulged in Emery’s neck as he angled toward Patterson. “Why don’t we go meet them?” Quick as a python, he struck with a syringe plunged into Patterson’s neck. The guy was out immediately.

Matt reacted just as quickly, balancing himself with his cuffed hands and swinging his legs over the table to hit first Emery and then Patterson. Patterson flew to the side, his eyes shut, his head thunking on the table. With a primal roar, Matt landed on his feet and lifted the table into Emery, throwing them both into the two-way mirror.

Then he threw himself back, ripping the table over his head and twisting. He dropped to his knees and used his teeth to tug the keys from Patterson’s pocket.

Emery regrouped and shot forward, so Matt kicked out with his boot and caught the bastard under the chin before falling and throwing the table over his head again. The cuffs ripped into his skin, and his shoulders popped from the effort.

The table hit Emery in the neck, and he fell back.

His mind calming, his body relaxing, Matt set down the table and spit the keys at his hands. A couple of twists, and the cuffs released. Just in time for Matt to throw an elbow into Emery’s chest and avoid the syringe aimed at his neck. Being able to discern movement before it happened saved his ass again.

Ducking and reaching out, Matt grabbed the syringe and burst into Emery, injecting the needle and releasing the liquid. “I hope that’s not a lethal dose,” Matt said, allowing Emery to drop.

Matt leaped across the room and locked the door. A commotion sounded beyond the mirror. Taking a deep breath, he bent at the knees and lifted the table. Tucking his arms in, he burst through the mirror.

Glass shattered.

He landed on the other side and threw the table toward two soldiers trying to draw guns. The table legs impacted first, and Matt jumped to punch for throats.

Both soldiers went down and hard.

Gulping, Matt reached for their weapons before approaching his unconscious brother.

Nate lay on his side, his heart beating steadily again. Thank God.

Matt grabbed Nate’s shoulders and shook. “Wake up, Nathan. Now.” He shook harder.

Nate came to with a low groan.

Matt removed Nate’s cell phone and dialed Shane. “We’re in trouble. Lock on to Laney’s signal, and when I’m safe, I’ll call you back.”

“Roger that,” Shane said, his voice tense.

Matt slipped the phone into his pocket, thrust a gun into Nate’s hand, and hauled him up. “Get ready. We need to go now.”

After receiving a nod from his pale brother, Matt turned and slid open the door. Time to go find Laney.

Laney shoved wet hair off her face and tried to run under the heavier trees to block the storm. Rain smashed down, and the wind had picked up to the extent pine needles hampered her way. She shivered in her wet clothing, her mind going numb. What now?

She kept jogging through the forest, heading toward town. If nothing else, she needed transportation.

What about Matt?

She steeled her shoulders, determined to save him. But if the commander had gotten to her, he’d probably gotten to Matt. Though, with Matt’s training, maybe he’d escaped.

God, she hoped he’d been able to escape.

Her entire life, she’d followed her instincts. Sometimes they’d helped her, like when surviving her lonely childhood. Often, they’d sucked, like when going to work for the commander.

So this time she followed her heart. Matt was one of the good guys, and if she had a chance to save him, she’d do it. She headed toward town and the sheriff’s station, which had to be about fifteen or so miles away.

She managed to jog the first mile through the dark forest as the storm pummeled down. The second mile, she sprinted.

The third, she walked.

By the time she stretched into the fifth mile, weakened legs, upturned roots, and flying branches tripped her.

She landed hard, debris cutting into her already-wounded hands. Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the trunk of a pine tree being assaulted by the crazy wind.

Cold encased her wet feet until they cramped. Chills cut down her back, and her lungs heaved. She wiped her soaked hair off her face and tried to dig deep. The injuries to her wrists and hands screamed in agony, and she used that pain to center herself.

Furious clouds hid the sun, and the world continued to darken. Night would soon fall, and she needed to be out of the forest while she could still see.

A low-pitched whistle had her stilling and jerking her head to the side. She peered into the rain-drenched forest. Maybe it was some sort of weird birdcall.

Her heartbeat picked up in a way she respected. So she listened some more.

Another whistle.

The crack of a stick pierced through the storm. She leaped to her feet, her heart nearly stopping.

A man stood in shadow between two massive pines.

She blinked several times and took a hesitant step forward. “Matt?”

The rain had slicked back his hair to curl around his ears and run down the hard angles of his face. His black T-shirt clung to his broad chest, while mud and leaves coated his boots.

He looked like a pissed-off fallen angel in the middle of Armageddon.

Tears shot into her eyes. Bone-deep relief made her sway. He was all right. Thank God.

Long strides propelled him out of the darkness toward her, where he cupped her face. “Are you all right?”

She struggled to remain in control. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart, no matter how badly her knees were shaking. “Fine. You?”

“What happened?” He whistled, and Nate instantly appeared to Laney’s right.

“The commander is here,” Laney said on a rush. “He has troops moving in from all sides to take us.”

“I know.” Matt glanced around. “Nate, how close are we to Backlebee Lake?”

“About five miles,” Nate said, wiping rain off his forehead with his arm.

Matt nodded. “Thank God for tracking devices. That’s how we found you, Laney.” He fingered the bracelet still wrapped around her wrist that held the tracking device. Then he slipped his cell phone from his back pocket and pushed a number on speed dial. “Shane? Can you get a satellite view of the forest?”

Matt listened for a moment and then shook his head at Nate. “The cloud cover is too thick. We have to assume they’re moving in, and quickly. The good news is if we can’t see them or their heat signatures, they can’t see ours.”

He turned his concentration back to the phone. “How soon can you get an extraction team here?” Matt listened and cut a look at Nate. “Okay. Stay in touch.” He disconnected the call.

Laney swallowed, and her teeth began to chatter.

Matt slid a wet arm around her shoulders. “The storm is too bad to land a team here. We need to ride out the next hour or so, and Shane will airlift us out as soon as possible.”

“Let’s go.” Nate pivoted and disappeared behind a fir big enough to decorate Rockefeller Center at Christmas.

Matt turned and tugged Laney close for a hug. “Can you make it five more miles?”

She forced a smile and hoped he ignored the trembling of her lips. “Yes.”

“Good.” He slipped his hand into hers and led her onto a barely discernible path.

She could do this. Yes, the commander was scary and the men after her deadly. But the one in front of her knew how to kill, and he’d do so for her.

The least she could do was jog through a storm.

So she sucked in rain-filled air and ran like her life depended on it. Matt stayed close to her side, while Nate scouted ahead and often doubled back to check in.

Night began to fall, and the storm somehow increased in strength. She struggled to continue even as Matt blocked her from most of the wind.

An hour later, Nate reappeared. “There’s a cabin about forty yards to the east.”

Matt retook her hand and tugged her to the left. How he knew which way was east was a mystery, but Laney didn’t have the time or energy to figure it out. She plodded doggedly along, her tennis shoes squishing in mud, her body more numb than cold.

The sound of waves battering the shore competed with the wind a second before a rough cabin came into view.

Shelter. She almost cried at the welcoming sight.

Matt herded her along the beach toward the front door as Nate ran around back.

The door was locked. Matt put his shoulder to it, and the wood crashed in with barely a whisper. He tugged her inside and used his cell phone as a flashlight to illuminate the small space.

A bed took up the left corner, a small kitchenette the right, and a sofa lounged in front of a stone fireplace with wood stacked to the side. An arched doorway had been cut into the far wall, and Laney immediately headed that way.

“The water pump is probably off,” Matt said, heading toward the fireplace. “You can use whatever toilet they have, but don’t flush until we fetch water from the lake.”

She nodded and tripped inside a surprisingly modern bathroom. God, she was cold. After making use of the facilities and trying to wipe off mud and leaves from her tingling cheeks, she headed out to face Matt.

The roar of a fire caught her attention first, but his broad back enticed her more than the flames. He’d tossed his shirt over the back of a chair, and muscles shifted nicely as he tugged open drawers near the bedside.

He reached in and drew out a large flannel shirt. After shaking it out, he turned and tossed the worn material at her. “It’s clean. You have to get dry.”

So this was the soldier. Laney had seen glimpses of him during their time together, but seeing Matt in full concentration, all fighter, was something new. Intimidating and intriguing all at once.

She caught the shirt. “Won’t they see the smoke from the fire?”

“Not in this storm.” His gaze raked her head to toe. “Getting warm is too important, so the risk is worth it.”

Her hands hurt, they were so cold, so she headed back into the bathroom.

“All clothes, Laney,” Matt called after her.

“I know. I am the doctor here,” she tossed back.

His barely audible “Smart-ass” made her smile as she removed her wet clothing to cover up with the soft flannel, which reached past her knees. She padded out barefoot and hung her clothes over chairs to dry as Matt finished going through all the drawers.

He turned around. “No weapons. Damn it.”

The cabin’s owners had probably closed the place down for the winter. Laney handed him the gun she’d taken off Tasha. “For bluffing. There aren’t any bullets.”

Matt took the gun and frowned.

Laney headed over to the small kitchen to open the remaining two drawers. “A couple of steak knives. Nothing impressive.”

The door burst open, and wind rushed inside to scatter her clothing across the floor.

“Sorry.” Nate elbowed the door shut and shook out his hair.

“No problem.” Laney fetched the clothing and rehung it. The small room suddenly had way too much testosterone in it, with two Gray brothers.

“Okay.” Nate wiped moisture off his face. “There are several cabins along the lakefront. I’ll go search each one for weapons, and then I want to scout to the west to find how close the commander’s troops are, and how many he brought.”

Matt headed toward the door. “I’ll walk you out.” He turned around toward Laney. “Get warm by the fire. We’ll plan when I get back.” His gray eyes revealed nothing.

Laney took a deep breath and nodded. Plan?