Читать книгу The Military K-9 Unit Collection - Valerie Hansen - Страница 19

SEVEN

“We were waiting for you. Put down the gun, missy,” the Red Rose Killer instructed. “You don’t want your boyfriend here to die. And he will, because I’ll shoot you and then he’ll come after me. The moment he takes a step, boom.”

Serena stared at the man on the other side of the room holding a sniper rifle aimed at her head. Her fingers flexed around the grip of her Glock. She wasn’t sure if Jason’s shout not to shoot when she opened the door had been directed to her or to the Red Rose Killer. Either way it was a lose-lose situation.

She sent up a silent plea to God for help. She squared her shoulders and addressed the man holding them hostage. “You’ll die, too.”

The killer’s lips bunched up. “Then we better come to an agreement, don’t you think?”

She met Jason’s grim gaze. Saw the trickle of sweat running down Jason’s face. How much longer could he stand there like a statue? She hoped and prayed the FBI and the sheriff would arrive soon. She’d managed to call both of them from the top of the bluff. But if they came in with guns blazing...they would all die.

From outside the door, she heard Ginger’s soft whine. Serena was thankful she’d had Ginger stay on the porch, but the dog understood something was happening.

“Hide,” Serena said, directing the word to Ginger, needing the dog to find safety in case the shack blew up.

“What?” the killer asked.

“Stay calm.” She slowly holstered her weapon and lifted her hands. “Look, I don’t know who you are. I don’t want to know who you are. I just want all of us to walk out of here alive. You can defuse the bomb and we’ll let you go. You can just walk out, and we won’t follow.”

The man stepped into a shaft of moonlight, giving Serena her first good look at his face. She didn’t recognize him. He got up close and personal, standing almost nose-to-nose with her. The muzzle of his rifle settled in the dip of her throat between her collarbones. It took every ounce of her willpower to not flinch away.

“I know you called for backup. I know these woods are probably filling with officers right now, but you’re my ticket to freedom.”

“Don’t touch her.” Jason’s warning was low and menacing.

Boyd laughed. “You have a thing for this little miss here, don’tcha. You’re not gonna let her die, and she’s not gonna want to let you die. So as long as I get out of here safe and sound...” He held up a remote detonator. “Then your boyfriend won’t die. Unless I need the distraction, in which case...boom.”

The air in Serena’s lungs swooshed out, and her stomach plummeted. How long of a range did the detonator have? She couldn’t take the chance he’d blow Jason up once they were away from the shack. “I’ll go with you only if you promise to give me the detonator.” She held out her hand.

His lips stretched over his teeth as he slipped the device back into his pocket. “Sure. I can do that once we are at the border to Mexico.”

He was toying with her and enjoying it. Frustration pounded at her temples.

“Do your job, Serena. Don’t worry about me.”

Jason’s words sliced through her. She met his gaze. “I’ll do what I have to.” To keep them both alive.

Boyd put a hand on her shoulder and marched her out the door. She scanned the trees for signs of backup but saw no one. She was glad to see Ginger had obeyed her command. Serena hoped the little dog was in the woods far from harm.

“See, no one is here.” Serena twisted to face the killer. “Give me the detonator, and you can go free.”

A scrap of noise lifted the hairs at the back of her neck. She slanted a glance sideways. A blur of red and white raced around the edge of the shack. Ginger!

The killer spun toward the oncoming threat.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Serena knocked the rifle aside and did a leg sweep, taking Boyd out at the knees. He fell backward like a giant tree. She stepped on the hand still clinging to the rifle and planted her other boot on his throat as she drew her weapon.

His right hand went for his pocket.

She stepped harder on his throat. “Hands up!”

Men and women from the Sheriff’s Department and the FBI exploded onto the scene from behind the nearest trees. Deputy Mike Burnside and FBI agent Oliver Davison rushed up the stairs.

Mike patted Serena awkwardly on the back. “We’ve got him, Serena. You can stand down.”

“He has a remote detonator in his front right pocket.”

Agent Davison took the device out and handed it to another agent. “We need to get everyone back to let the bomb tech do his thing.”

The Red Rose Killer was handcuffed, arrested and led away.

Knees weak with relief, Serena stumbled back into the shack. She had to see Jason. They weren’t out of danger yet.

“He’s been arrested,” she told Jason. Tension radiated off him. “A bomb tech is here to defuse the explosive.”

Despite the sweat dripping down his forehead and his hands clenching and unclenching, one corner of his mouth lifted. “Good to know.”

Agent Davison stepped inside. “Deputy Evans, I need you to leave now. Our bomb expert will take over.”

She shook her head. “I’m not leaving him.”

“Serena, please. Go.” Jason sounded close to the breaking point.

She allowed Agent Davison to escort her out of the shack. Ginger waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. They followed Agent Davison until they were a safe distance away. Huge lights were being set up around the perimeter. Through the trees she could make out headlights of vehicles.

“Deputy Evans, get over here right now!” The sheriff’s gravelly voice rang out through the trees. She squinted through the lights and could barely make him out standing fifty feet away.

She waved her hand indicating she’d heard him, but she wasn’t budging from where she stood. Ginger leaned against Serena’s legs as if offering her support.

As a man dressed in a Tyvek explosive suit entered the shack, Serena closed her eyes and prayed.