BREAKING STEELE (A Sarah Steele Thriller) (14 page)

Gently pulling her face up, I reached to undo her duct-taped mouth. Suddenly, her gaze landed on something behind me. Her eyes widened and she gave a muffled scream.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. He rose from the corner like a shadow, where he’d been watching. I gasped and turned, raising my gun. But he came at me fast. His eyes glowed in the wan light.

There was no time to fire off a shot. He batted at the gun with his fist. After years of training, my response was instinct. I blocked the blow and countered with one of my own. I braced my elbow, and struck him in the knee joint.

With a cry he doubled over. I charged up with my shoulder, hitting him square in the mouth. I felt a tooth break into my skin. But then he raised a hand and struck me across the cheek, throwing me off balance.

I landed on my side. “You’re both going to die now,” he said.

Not today. I grunted as I shifted my weight and brought the gun up to his face. “Goodbye,” I said, then squeezed the trigger.

But either my shot was off, or he moved quicker than bullets. He flew out the door faster than I could fire again. The gunshot resounded through the room. I tasted gunpowder in my mouth. Full of anger, I shot again at the door.

Then I turned to Angela. Her body had gone limp and her eyes were closed. Bile rose in my throat. “No,” I groaned.

Dropping the gun I lifted her head up with both hands and tugged the duct tape off her mouth. Putting two fingers to her neck, I checked for a pulse and listened for breath.

“Come on,” I whispered. “Come on.”

If she didn’t make it, I don’t know if I would.

But then I felt it. Her throat pulsed to life. It was weak but still there.

“Hang on, Angela!” I said as I unwrapped the tape from her hands, and then laid her on her back. Once I started talking, I couldn’t stop. “You’ve got lots more medals to win. I’ve never told the other girls this but you’re way better than either of them. You’re something special.” I tugged at the tape on her legs but it wasn’t coming off. “You’ve got a big life to lead, and you have to take Cassandra and Jessie with you. They love you so much. And so does your mama. You have to start treating her better, you hear me?” I finally made a tear in the tape and ripped it off.

My hands were covered in blood. There was so much blood! Where was it coming from? I searched her body for the wound, and found it on her lower ribcage. A big cut with a knife, and it was oozing blood and water.

I pulled my shirt off and pressed it to the wound.

“You stay with me, Angela girl.” I took out my phone to dial 9-1-1. “I’m gonna get us some help.”

Chapter 45

“MISS—MISS, WE CAN take it from here.” A paramedic took my arm and pulled me away from Angela. I stumbled back and Detective Monroe grabbed me.

They’d come with the full SWAT team. Without a sound. All I saw were flashlights glowing on the end of big guns before they surrounded me. If Detective Monroe hadn’t been there, I’d have been handcuffed and accused.

I watched as the medics worked on Angela to stabilize her, and they soon had her in the back of the ambulance and on her way to the hospital. “Where are they taking her?” I asked a medic standing by the pool of blood.

“St. Luke’s.She’s lost a lot of blood. We gave her something to stop the bleeding.” He looked gravely at the blood, then back at me. “She wouldn’t have survived for much longer. Good thing you came when you did.”

“You mean the wound wasn’t new?” I asked. Detective Monroe leaned in to listen.

“No, it looked to be a few hours old.” He wiped his hands with a disinfectant cloth, then handed me a clean one.

A few hours old. That was probably around the time Mandy and Rick called the police.

I shuddered. The Williams’ knew every one of our moves.

“Thanks.” My head was spinning and I sat down on a wooden sawhorse. Forensics teams were appearing, and Detective Ross was telling them where to go and what to do. It was just a flurry of words and noises.

She was alive, I found her, and if I’d been even fifteen minutes later she’d be dead. I was so angry that I had to force myself to think about my surroundings so I would not fly into a fit of rage. He used me, was playing me, and I felt like a puppet on a string.

Detective Monroe finished a phone call, and then turned to me. “The medics are on their way to the hospital, and they say they’ve stabilized her. They think her attacker gave her blood thinner so she’d bleed out faster.”

I curled up my lip. “It was Hank Williams, not just some attacker.”

Detective Monroe put his hands on his hips and sighed. I braced myself for the inevitable scolding.

“Sarah, what you did was a gigantically stupid decision.”

I didn’t think gigantically was a word, but I wasn’t going to mention it to him.

“But—” he hesitated, and his mouth twitched through his frown, “—but you did good. You saved her life.”

I hugged myself, hunching over, suddenly feeling cold all over.

“Hey!” he said. I looked up quickly. He had a sober look in his eye. “Don’t you ever do that again, you hear me?”

My whole body felt like mush, and weariness enveloped me. “I hope I never have to do anything like that again,” I said.

Chapter 46

“DO YOU HAVE ANY idea where he might go?” Detective Ross asked me. We were at the police station, and they were filing the report and taking my statement.

“You mean Hank, or Glen? No idea,” I said. “But once you find him, there’ll be enough evidence on him to put him away for a long time. You should find more in that creepy basement. I know I made him bleed when I hit him. And I think he lost a tooth.”

Detective Monroe nodded and jotted the note down.

I was ready to be done. My nerves were raw and the fluorescent lights made my eyes hurt.

Taking another sip of water, I pulled the blanket they’d given me closer around my shoulders. At least they’d given me a comfy office chair instead of one of those crappy, plastic chairs they usually offered.

We were in Officer Monroe’s office, and had been there for the last hour as I’d relayed my story.

“Anything else you want to tell us?” Detective Ross asked. His face stilled. He’d been looking at me all night as if I was hiding something. But I wasn’t. Except for the fact that I’d gone into the house ready to shoot Williams.

“Just that ... just that I’m thankful you—” I looked at Monroe, “—told me to go see Solomon and learn how to use a gun.”

I suddenly wished I could tell Solomon about all of this. Wished it so badly it surprised me. I’d just met him but already he seemed like a significant part of my life. Or ... he might be, one day.

Monroe nodded. “It worked out, didn’t it?” Ross frowned, but turned away.

“Can I go home now?” I asked in a tired voice.

“Yes.” Ross stacked his papers. “I think you can. If we need anything else we’ll call you. And we know where to find you.”

Even though it came from a policeman, the words were disconcerting. I wish it wasn’t so easy to find me. I stood up to go and when I got to the door, something came to me. I looked at my hand, and then looked down. There were numbers still there, from when I’d written Hannah’s license plate down.

I should tell the police, tell them I thought Hannah was involved, and that she might lead them to Hank.

“Yes?” Monroe asked, noticing I was still there.

I closed my mouth, thinking hard. In an instant, a plan filled my head so big and fleshed out it must’ve been there all along.

“Nothing,” I said with a weak smile. “Have a good night, gentlemen.”

And then I walked down the hall, away from all the desks and paperwork and laws. It was time to venture out on my own. I’d seen what the law had done to Hank the last time they’d tried him. I couldn’t trust it again.

He’d broken me. I came about as low as anyone could be.

But now I was rising, a new person. And he was going to have to deal with a Sarah Steele he’d never seen before.

Chapter 47

I PASSED OUT FOR a few hours but real sleep wouldn’t come. Angela was gonna make it. I’d gone to see her and brought her a burger and fries. Hospital food was the worst and I knew she would appreciate it.

That afternoon I waited outside her downtown apartment. Thanks to Rick and his handy friend Doug, I got her address. Seems her apartment was also Williams, Inc. owned.

I was parked by the main elevators so I had a clear view of anyone coming or going. An hour came and went, when at around four I saw Hannah and her tight face appear. A black Town Car pulled up and the driver got out and opened the door for her. I started my engine and backed out. I was going to follow her; it was all I could think to do.

She might lead me to Hank.

Chapter 48

I STAYED A FEW cars back from the black Town Car as we drove toward the foothills. We took a few more turns and I pulled over into the driveway of a home that had a For Sale sign in the yard. These homes were huge and expensive and most were for sale. This was a dead-end street, so I parked and waited.

I found a PowerBar in my glove box and munched on it. It was past four and I’dhad a light lunch. I wanted to know what house the car parked at, but I did not want to drive by and get spotted.

A few minutes later the black car drove by the other way and I ducked in my seat. Great, she was dropped off … now I had no way of knowing what house she was in.

I started the car and backed out. No time to wait. I was gonna risk it. I had gone this far already.

The street flattened out after going uphill for a few blocks. All these houses overlooked the city and had amazing views. At the end of the street was a gate and a long drive that went up and over a small hill. I couldn’t see the house at the end but I figured it was the place.

There was a guard shack at the gate and a big dog lounging under a tree. Who else would have security like this at their house? I pulled over, not getting too close so the cameras wouldn’t spot me, and turned around. As I drove down the hill I took note of the other houses, they were all big but nothing with a gate or security. It had to be Hank’s house.

Okay, so I now I knew where he lived. Big deal. I could’ve found that off of the internet. What was I going to do, sneak in and spy on him?

Parking at the same house I did before, I waited. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for but my brain needed time to think. I texted Mandy and told her that I was okay, and that Angela was doing better. She replied in all caps that I was a stupid, stubborn brat and that if I did anything like that again she’d kill me herself.

“Can I stay with you and Rick tonight? Don’t feel like being alone.”

“You better if you want to stay friends.”

She said she would be gone all day but would be back by eight, and that I better be home soon after. I smiled and shook my head. She was acting like a mom.

I looked up just as a car drove by, and I about had a heart attack. Driving by in a silver Lexus was none other than Hank Williams.

Chapter 49

HE DROVE ON AND didn’t look toward me. I sucked in a breath and groaned. Was it Hank? Or was it Glen? Adrenaline rushed through me, and I felt so tired. But I was determined to see this through to the end. For Angela’s sake.For Heather’s sake.For Tracy’s sake.For my sake.

Starting the car, I pulled out after him, making sure to stay back.

Was he visiting Hannah or did he live at the house? Now I had some sort of lead into where he was staying but was not sure what to do with this new information. So I kept on following him. It was a sure bet that he was up to no good.

The Lexus made a right on Hill Road and I turned on my blinker and followed. Traffic was lighter and it wasn’t until we turned down Whitehead Street that I knew where he was going.

He was driving to my best friend’s house, the place I was supposed to be staying tonight. Rick and Mandy’s.

I had to get there before him. Taking a shortcut, I gunned it. Tired squealed and streets sped by. I turned corners so fast I almost flipped the car, and disregarded stop signs. My heart pumped in my ears, but I’d never felt so charged up. Looks like all the car racing video games I’d played as a kid paid off, because I reached the house before the Lexus.

They’d given me a garage door opener as a gift for Christmas a few years back. I pulled into the garage and hit the button to lower the large metal door. I entered, slammed the door, and took the stairs two at a time. The guest room where I would sleep was on the second floor.

I dumped my purse out one the bed, searching for my gun. My hands trembled as I loaded the clip with bullets from my pocket. There was no calm exterior anymore, just a raw need to protect my friends.

The cool metal felt good in my hands, but as I loaded the clip I had a sinking feeling about how alone I was in all this. There would be no one to come. No one to have my back. It was just me against the killer.

Bring it.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, my mind worked out a plan. It wasn’t much, but it was the only thing I could think in such a short time. Letting my anger build, I made myself remember the crime scene photos, the blood, the hanging body, Hannah’s hollow eyes and rotting teeth, Angela’s limp, blood-soaked body, and then … my mind roved deeper, to what had happened in the past.

I felt a fire grow within me, and I didn’t quench it this time.

Chapter 50

RICK WAS A LITTLE paranoid. He had a small room he called the security room. It had all the cameras throughout the house, alarm switchboard and some other things that just looked like buttons and lights to me.

I’d known them both a long time so I knew the codes and how to work most everything from the few times I house-sat for them. The house was dark with all the blackout blinds drawn. I turned on all the alarms but put them into silent mode so I could see what ones got tripped, but they wouldn’t send out an audible alarm.

I sat in the dark security room watching, waiting for him to come.