01 Only Fear (24 page)

“That’s so sweet. You’re worried I’ll get caught.” Fearmonger laughed.

“Hardly.” Becca’s chin jutted out.

“Let her go,” Maggie said, stepping toward them. She swayed a bit and clasped a hand to her chest but kept going. Ethan stifled the urge to run to her and hold her back. “It’s me you want, anyway. She has nothing to do with this, with your
lessons.
”

“It’s Ethan you really want,” Becca added. Ethan thought her glance flickered his way ever so subtly, but he couldn’t be sure. Did she know he was here, flat against the wall on the other side of the doorway, under the cover of darkness?

“And where is the man of the hour?” Fearmonger asked, glancing up the stairs just beyond Becca.

“Right behind me. I just run faster. Once help arrived for Julia, I took off,” Becca said, effectively letting Ethan and Maggie know that Julia was safe. “But he’ll be here. And you’re going to jail. You may take one of us down, but you’ll never get us both.”

Ethan winced at her taunt. She was keeping her cool, but he wished she wouldn’t push Fearmonger’s buttons. Of course, he probably would have done the same thing in her situation. It would keep the man’s attention on her, and allow Ethan to take a shot.

But could he take that shot?

Fearmonger stood almost squarely between Becca and Ethan, but what if Maggie moved to the side, even a couple inches? Or what if the bullet went slightly right and hit Becca? Or what if it wasn’t enough to stop Fearmonger, and he got to Becca or Maggie before Ethan could save them?

As the old doubts plagued him, the image of the little girl he’d failed filled his mind. Her eyes looked up at him as she lay on the grassy lawn where she’d fallen.
His fault.
He’d made a choice and defended Mallory, and Bethany had paid the price. What would this choice cost him?

“You’re right, you know,” Maggie said, stepping a little closer to Fearmonger.

Ethan bit back the urge to shout at her to stay put. Her comment, and the way she seemed to approach him rather than cower, drew Fearmonger’s attention—and kept it away from Ethan and Becca. She didn’t think twice about drawing the danger to herself if it meant helping others. His chest filled with love for this brave woman.
His
woman.

Fearmonger tilted his head in question.

“About fear,” Maggie continued. “You were right when you said it can take over your mind, your heart, your soul. My panic attacks are proof enough of that. But you’re wrong about something else.”

The gun shifted a bit, ever so slightly off of Becca. Unfortunately, it shifted toward Maggie. “No,” Fearmonger said, his voice hard. “I’m not wrong.”

Maggie shook her head, and the gun inched just a little more toward her. “If there’s one thing you’ve taught me, it’s that people
can
take control. They can face their fears. If not, why else are we on this earth? God gives us what we need to cope. He gives us the strength to deal with our fears.”

It was as if she was speaking to him, Ethan thought. About his past. Did she know he was there? Was she ready to get to safety if he moved in?

Her next words confirmed it. “Your theories are
bullshit.
”

Fearmonger’s roar of anger snapped Ethan into action as the killer swung his gun to aim it directly at Maggie. Ethan caught the flash in Becca’s eyes as she signaled to Ethan. It was now or never. And they were counting on him. Ethan took a step forward, feeling the comforting, familiar grip of his gun in his hand.

Fearmonger shook his head, his body quaking with his fury. “You can have this conversation with God, if He exists, shortly. You won’t be on this earth for very much longer. But first…” As Fearmonger moved to aim again at Becca, she ducked and Ethan put the man in his sights and fired.

“Get down!” Ethan yelled to Maggie as Fearmonger fired his gun, the loud report reverberating off the thick basement walls and drowning out his warning. But she’d already dropped to the floor and was rolling away from the danger. Ethan’s bullet connected with Fearmonger’s back and he crumpled to the ground. Fearmonger’s bullet slammed into the concrete where Becca’s head had been just seconds before. Ethan propelled his body forward and kicked the gun away from Fearmonger’s hand, sending it skidding into a corner. But there was no need.

“He’s dead,” Becca said, checking for a pulse and taking the knife from the scabbard at Fearmonger’s belt as Ethan kept his weapon trained on the monster.

“It’s okay,” Maggie said.

She had risen and come to his side, but he hadn’t noticed. He didn’t want to take his eyes off the bastard. She guided his hand down, lowering his weapon. Holstering his gun, he reached out and grabbed her to him, loosening his hold only when she moaned slightly. He pulled back and ran his hands over her, searching for wounds. If that maniac had hurt her, he’d shoot him again.

He cupped her face in his hands—hands that had been steady only moments ago but now shook with emotion. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, but her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “Not me. But Julia…”

“Damian’s got her to the hospital by now,” Becca said. “I’m sure she’ll be okay. I’ll go upstairs and make a few calls. See if I can find out the latest.”

Ethan turned to Becca. “You did good, Agent Haney.”

She grinned. “Thank you for noticing, Agent Townsend.”

“But how did you figure out where Fearmonger was taking Maggie?”

Her grin widened. “There were only four places he could exit the tunnel he was in. One was the medical building and we knew he didn’t go that way since we came from there. Another was the area he’d parked his van, which he had to suspect had been discovered since we’d tracked him down. When I saw one of the other exits was the radio station, I knew that was a logical place to take Maggie. It was a place that linked them.”

“Great work.”

“Except…” She hesitated. “He got the jump on me. Got my weapon.”

“He threatened to slit my throat unless you tossed the gun to him,” Maggie exclaimed. “What else could you have done?”

Becca grimaced. “I should have been prepared. I should have had a Plan B.”

“Next time.” Ethan clasped her on the shoulder. “This was your first big assignment. You survived. You learned. And next time you’ll be more careful.”

She nodded but was clearly still contemplating how she could have been better. “I think I’ll give you two some time.” She jogged up the stairs and out of sight.

“I guess that means we have her stamp of approval now,” Maggie said with a grin.

Unwilling to go any longer without her body against his, he pulled her close, wrapping both arms tightly around her. His throat worked as he swallowed the lump there. “God, Maggie.”

She squeezed him back, her arms circling his waist. “I know. But we’re okay now. You did it. You got the monster.”

“I got my life back,” he whispered against her hair. “When I saw what he’d done to your sister, and thought about what he would do to you…I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He pulled away to gaze into her dirt-streaked face. She’d never been more beautiful to him.

“You’ve got me now,” she assured him, leaning up until she was a breath away. “Show me what you’d do
with
me.” The tenderness in their kiss made his chest swell and ache. She tilted her head and he followed her lead, deepening the kiss, reaching for the passion he knew they shared. The sound of several footsteps at the top of the stairs had them reluctantly pulling apart.

Ethan leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. “We’ll finish this later.”

Noah, Maria and Lorena came rushing in at almost the same time, from the direction of the stairs leading into the rest of the building.

“Julia?” Maggie asked.

“She’ll be okay,” Noah assured them. “Just heard from the hospital. She lost a lot of blood, but she got there in time.”

“Thank God. Do my parents know?”

“They’re with her at the hospital.” Noah looked at Fearmonger’s body lying sprawled on the ground. “Looks like we have several things to be thankful for tonight.”

The summer night wrapped around her like a warm blanket as Maggie stepped through the hospital’s automatic sliding doors. She’d needed a moment to herself, to absorb what had happened in the past few days. She felt her heart pumping but embraced the feeling. The awareness of this ordinary function of her body was no longer solely linked to anxiety but now a reminder that she was fully alive.

As was her sister, thank God. Julia had come out of surgery and was recovering in intensive care. The prognosis was good. The desire to hear Ethan’s voice, and to share her relief, was so intense it almost knocked her knees out from under her. She leaned against a concrete pillar and stared across the dark parking lot. She had to stand on her own. Ethan was busy, anyway, answering questions and helping to process the scene back at the university. Thanks to Damian’s insistence, the police had agreed to delay her questioning and let her go to the hospital.

A niggling of doubt picked at her. Now that the danger was over, would Ethan still feel connected to her? Their passion had been intense and sudden. But it had also felt right.

She blinked as the form of a man emerged from the darkness, weaving between the cars. She’d know that swagger anywhere. He headed for her and she straightened, swallowing as he came up to her, his gaze sweeping over her body. She felt the heat of his look all the way to her toes.

Tucking her hands into her back pockets, she fought the urge to reach for him. She wanted to give him some space. Let him make the next move. Danger did things to people, made them more vulnerable in so many ways. Perhaps when he’d declared his desire for a future with her before, he’d been under the influence of adrenaline or something.

“I have that answer for you. To your previous question,” she continued when he didn’t say anything. He just stood there, looking at her with an odd, intense expression on his face. She resisted the desire to shuffle her feet. “You know, about our future.”

Oh, God, what if, now that it was all over, he’d changed his mind?

She almost backed away. But no, that was the old Maggie. Hiding from her fears. The new Maggie stood up to them. The new Maggie claimed her right to live life to the fullest. And she was certain Ethan had to be a part of that life to make it truly full.

I am in control.

For the first time in a long time, she believed it.

She swallowed. “If you’re, uh, still interested in something long term, I’d like to give it a try. I think we should be together.”

“Bullshit.”

“What?”

“I don’t
think
we should. I
know
we should be together, and you do, too.”

She sucked in a breath, her heart pounding as she reached into her front pocket and pulled out a piece of suturing thread she’d found on a supply cart in the hospital. She handed it to him.

“What’s this?” he asked, his look of confusion comical.

“I told you there were no strings attached. But now I want them.”

“I don’t think it’s long enough,” he said, his lips curving into a grin. “I plan to be attached to you for a very long time.”

The earth shifted as Ethan pulled her to him and embraced her as if he’d never let her go. She sank into him, savoring the steady heartbeat beneath her palms. She felt him breathe in and out before he spoke again.

“I thought you were gone forever. I thought I’d lost you.” His hands came up to frame her face. “God, I never want to feel that way again,” he whispered. It was a prayer.

“You won’t have to.” It was a promise.

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