Foxfire (21 page)

Tyler paced to the kitchen and back bringing
a bag of chips. He plopped in the chair and dropped the bag on the
coffee table. “Damn. A bomb. How the hell did Max manage that?”

“Easy. We found some traces of C-4. He's no
dummy. He rigged it to blow but used just enough to make it a small
blast. But why did he target the old man?”

“Because he means so much to Grace. This
whole thing is about retribution. He's getting even, but since he
and Grace were once an item, he wants to make sure she suffers. No
quick kill for her. It's all about power, control, and getting
even.”

****

Grace went into her darkened house, leaving
the door unlocked. She wanted no obstacles for Max. Her plan was
simple. She'd wait for him in her bedroom. Max would expect her to
be upset over Brad. He should remember that she became a tiger when
backed against a wall. She'd defeated him once, and she'd do it
again. When he came after her, she'd pull the gun from under her
pillow and shoot him between the eyes.

Her plan had just one flaw. If she turned on
the lights, Tyler would know she was home, but if she didn't, Max
wouldn't.

Tyler would make her stay at his place or
insist on staying here with her. If she didn't set herself up to
lure Max in tonight, he'd strike out against someone else she
loved. Tyler might think he could outsmart Max, but Grace couldn't
take that chance. She picked up the phone and dialed Tyler's
number.

“Grace, what took so long?” Tyler's voice
told her he'd been concerned. “Where are you?”

“I'm...we're at Harri's. It took a while to
convince her to leave Brad. I'm sorry if you were worried.”

“Damn right I was worried. I was ready to
come to the hospital and drag you both out.”

“I said I was sorry. It couldn't be helped.
She wanted to make sure he'd stay asleep through the night. She
loves him.” She took a quick breath. “How's Tiffany?” She could
picture Tyler's hand messing his hair in frustration.

“She's fine. I fed her and she ate every
bite. Tomorrow we'll take her outside and let her get some strength
back in her legs.”

A stabbing pain clutched her chest. She hoped
she had the chance to do that, but tomorrow she might be dead. She
prayed not, for she wanted so much more. If her plan worked, Max
would die in her place. She had to remain confident. She could
defeat him. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I'll swing by and pick you and
Harri up in the morning. We can stop to see Brad. I know Harri will
want to stay with him, but Jake and I need your help. We think Max
is holed up in a vacant house. Can you think of any place he might
be hiding?”

The cabin at Hannah Falls was the only vacant
place on this side of the mountain. If he was staying close, that's
where he'd be. Maybe he'd been there all along. She'd thought Adam
had followed her and Tyler to Hannah Falls that day, but maybe it
hadn't been him. Maybe it had been Max. “I can't think straight
tonight. Right now all I want is a hot shower and bed.”

“Okay, babe. Get some rest. We'll talk in the
morning. Can you put Harri on the phone for a minute?”

For a moment Grace panicked. “Um, Harri's in
the shower right now.” She hated the lies. Hadn't she been upset
with him for his deception? She'd held it against him, even though
she was as guilty as he for keeping secrets and telling lies. But
she was doing it to protect him. A pain twisted her heart. And he'd
been doing it to protect her. If she lived through the night, she'd
tell him the truth. That she loved him. That she wanted him in her
life.

He paused for a second, then said, “Make sure
everything is locked up before you go to bed.”

Grace breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He
believed her. “I did that as soon as we got here.” She exaggerated
a yawn.

“You and Harri get a good night's rest. Call
if you see or hear anything suspicious. We're sending a man over to
watch the house, but his plane hasn't landed yet. I think you'll be
safe enough. I doubt Max knows where Harri lives.”

“I'm sure you're right. Goodbye, Tyler.” She
might be saying goodbye forever. She'd might never hear his voice
again, never see his face or feel his arms around her. A gnawing
ache settled in her chest. After making love with Tyler, she knew
without a doubt that she loved him with all her heart. The
realization of all she might lose slapped her hard, making her
throat tighten and her eyes smart with unwanted tears. She had to
stop thinking about it. She couldn't afford to be caught up in
these feelings. Not if she had any chance of stopping Max. She had
to be strong, and confident, and ready.

She hung up and went into the bedroom to
retrieve her gun. She turned on the bedside lamp and opened the
drawer on the nightstand. Her heart rate doubled when she saw the
gun was missing. In its place was the necklace Max had given her in
her other lifetime.

“Is this what you're looking for?”

She didn't have to see him to know Max was
behind her.

“We meet again, Gracie Jo.”

“Don't call me that.”

Her eyes frantically searched for a weapon,
but there was nothing except the lamp. She slowly stretched her arm
toward it.

“Don't even think about it,” Max said.

She straightened and turned to face her
nemesis. He stood in front of the closet, holding her gun in his
hand.

“What do you want, Max?” she asked.

He gave a short brittle laugh. “So you
recognize me? What do you think of my new face?”

“It matches the ugliness inside you. What do
you want?”

“I want a lot of things.” His eyes turned
feral, his glance narrowing in on hers. “I want you to put on the
necklace, Gracie Jo.”

“No.”

He pointed the gun at her.

“You won't shoot me. If you do, people will
come running. You can't afford to take the chance. They're on to
you, you know.” She took a step forward, trying to bluff him with a
confidence she didn't trust.

“Ah, but I don't need to shoot you.” With his
free hand, he flipped open a long lethal-looking knife. “Now put on
the necklace like a good girl.”

Her chest threatened to explode with fear.
She prayed it didn't show in her eyes. The last thing she wanted
was for him to see he frightened her.

“I'll scream if you come one step
closer.”

“This knife will be buried in your heart
before the first sound escapes your throat.” His lips pulled upward
in a grin that never reached his rat-like eyes. “I said, put the
necklace on.”

Grace's hand fumbled in the drawer until she
touched the cool stones. She closed her fingers around the necklace
and threw it at him. She started to run, but he moved sideways,
blocking her exit. She froze. He tossed the gun on the bed. Sweat
trickled down her armpits, though her body chilled as if her blood
had been iced. The knife kept her attention. She was afraid to look
away. Afraid he'd carry through with his threat.

She glanced at the bed from the corner of her
eye. The gun was close, but not quite close enough. She clutched
her hands into fists, then opened the fingers slowly, willing the
blood to warm them.

He picked up the necklace. “Come on, honey.”
He held his open palm up, the heavy necklace draping over it. “You
don't want it?” He shoved it in his pocket. “Probably for the best.
It would just get in the way.” He nodded toward the gun. “I'm
giving you a chance. Let's see who's the fastest.”

She read the insanity in his eyes. Her arms
felt like lead, while her knees threatened to buckle. She lifted
her chin a notch higher. “Like you gave my dog a chance?”

He rubbed the blunt side of the knife along
his nose. “Ah, the dog. Most unfortunate. I've always liked
dogs.”

Every muscle in her body screamed for her to
lunge for the gun and blast his taunting face away. “You're a cruel
bastard.”

His eyebrows raised in mock surprise. “Me?
You call me cruel, when you disfigured me, then tried to destroy me
with your testimony?”

His voice, no longer controlled, boomed
through her tiny bedroom. “Do you know how much trouble you caused
me? Do you even care?”

“Why should I care? Look what you did to
me.”

“All I did was offer you a job where you
could make a lot of money.”

“Offer? Hardly. You kidnapped me and forced
me to—”

“The way I remember it, you came to me
willingly. You liked what I had to offer. And you paid me back by
destroying my looks. Just like I'm going to destroy yours. Maybe I
won't kill you after all. Maybe I'll just carve you up so bad no
man will ever look at you again.” He moved a step closer. “Before I
do, do you want to go at it for old time's sake?”

If she could keep him talking, she might be
able to get away. She inched her foot closer to the bed.

“You deserved what I did to you, Max. I
thought you loved me, but you were only using me. What was I? A
trophy?”

“I would have married you. But you left me.
You betrayed me.”

“Only after you tried to make me one of your
prostitutes. You disgust me. What excuse do you have for hurting
Brad? He didn't do a damn thing to you.”

“Brad?” Max touched the tip of the knife to
his chin. “Ah, the old man. Were you sleeping with him, too?”

How dare he? She wanted to feel his face cave
against her bare hands. Wanted to hear bones crunch. Wanted to dig
her fingers into his scrawny neck and choke the life from him. She
raised her fists.

“Angry, are you? Hmmm. I've got the knife and
you've got...a gun if you're clever enough to get it. Why don't you
try? Don't you want to shoot me? Or are you afraid?” He waved the
knife in front of his face. “Does this scare you? What if I carved
your face a little bit? Just a small teaser of things to come? Once
I've finished with you do you think that vet will still want to
screw you?”

A thousand spiders crawled up her spine. What
were the chances of her reaching the gun in time? If she dove for
the bed and rolled, she'd be a moving target, but she had to
try.

With a burst of confidence, she threw herself
toward the bed and grabbed the gun. She rolled, holding it in two
hands, her finger on the trigger, and met his feral eyes gleaming
like the blade of steel resting against her throat.

Chapter Fourteen

Tyler snapped his fingers. “Adam. How did I
forget about him? He's familiar with everything and everyone in
Foxfire. If there's a vacant house, he'll know about it.” He
grabbed the telephone book and began scanning the names.

“Will he help us?” Jake asked, leaning over
Tyler's shoulder.

“Yeah.” Tyler found the number and dialed.
Adam answered on the second ring.

“Adam. This is Tyler. Listen, I need your
help. Are there any vacant houses in Foxfire?”

“You wanting to rent a place for your
friend?” Adam sounded puzzled.

Since the sheriff knew Tyler worked for Jake,
Tyler supposed by now that Adam knew, too. He might appear a bit
dim-witted, but nothing transpired in Foxfire without his
knowledge. Tyler's undercover days were over. Once Max was caught,
Tyler could spend the rest of his life doing what he loved—taking
care of animals and loving Grace. It was all within his reach. “No,
I'm looking for a place someone might hole up if they didn't want
to be found.”

Adam's voice lifted in boyish excitement.
“You think that serial killer is hiding in Foxfire? I knew it! I've
been trying to tell Brad, but he wouldn't listen. And look what
happened to him. Are you going to make me a special deputy or
something?”

Tyler grinned despite himself. “I would if I
could, Adam, but I'm not a cop. However, you are the resident
expert.”

“Do you want me to come down and we can
brainstorm? I think I've got a map around here someplace.”

Tyler lifted his hand, thumb and forefinger
joined in a circle of success. He grinned at Jake. “That would be a
big help, Adam. See you in a bit.” He hung up.

“I wish it was still light outside. Even
though Adam knows these hills, we'll probably give ourselves away
tromping through unknown territory. We may have to wait until
morning after all.”

Jake's phone rang. He put it to his ear and
answered. A frown crossed his face. “You're sure?”

“Who is it?” Tyler asked.

Jake turned his back. “Okay. How much time
can you buy?”

Another pause. Tyler could tell something big
was coming down. Adrenalin flushed his veins, and his stomach
tightened in anticipation, just as it always did when his target
was in sight. Soon he'd have the satisfaction of avenging Natalie's
death. Would he then be able to put aside his guilt and find love
again? Did he have a chance with Grace? Did he really want to find
out?

Jake hung up and faced Tyler. “You didn't
tell me there was a serial killer operating here.”

“What does that have to do with catching
Max?”

“They lifted some prints from Brad's house.
They match with Max's.”

“So what? We knew Max did that.”

“And they checked Max's DNA to that found on
the victims of the Knoxville Knifer. That matches, too.”

****

Adam backed his truck onto the road and
headed for Tyler's house. He was flattered that Tyler called him.
Most people thought of him as a backwoods hillbilly. Now he had a
chance to show them he had a lot more brains than they gave him
credit for. He saw a light on at Grace's house and thought about
stopping to tell her the news. But that wouldn't do. He should tell
Lainey first.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he
turned into Grace's drive. He could use the excuse that he wanted
to find out if she had any news about Brad. He'd tell her about
Tyler wanting his help, and then he could mention that he thought
the killer might be holed up in that old cabin above the falls.
Maybe he and Grace could go after the killer themselves. Wouldn't
that be the cat's pajamas? They'd have their pictures taken and be
on the front page of the newspaper, just like her and that attorney
guy. Yessir, people would look up to him after that.