A Case of Love (22 page)

"You
bitch
!” he shouted in her face, spittle flying to land on her skin after he slapped her... “You'd better hope the phone disconnected before he heard those words or..."

"Or what?” Kenzie spat, staring up at him through tear filled eyes. She could already feel her eye and her cheek swelling. “Or you'll kill me even more? Give me a break."

"I know ways of giving pain that you've never even thought of, little girl,” he said, his eyes hardening. “Don't push me."

"You sound like you've been watching too many old action flicks.” She flinched back a little when he raised his hand once more but her eyes stayed steady. If she could keep him busy, if Gideon had caught any of what she'd screamed, if he didn't kill her before Gideon got to her, if...too many ifs.

"You sound like a little girl who's playing with things that are way out of her league,” he shouted back. He reached out and grabbed hold of her shirt, yanking on it hard so that it tore halfway off. “If I had more time, I'd show you that there are things in this world worse than dying, a fuck of a lot worse."

As if to prove his point, he reached into the ripped front of her shirt and lifted her bra encased breast in his hand, squeezing it until his fingers sunk into the flesh. Kenzie tried desperately to ignore the pain, but it grew and grew until she fought her bonds, screaming in pain. When he released her, she breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. He pulled up her bra so that the band dug into the top of her breast, exposing her nipple.

"With the right pair of scissors, I could nip that pretty little bud right off of there,” he growled, his face turning hard as he stared at her rosy nipple. He seemed enthralled by the marks his hand had made on her body, already welting and turning into bruises. He trailed one finger over the welts, ending by catching the nipple between his fingers and squeezing.

"Stop!” Kenzie cried, hating the way he seemed to be getting excited by her pain.

He sighed. “You're right. I have to be extra vigilant now. Hawkins could be here anytime and the boss is counting on me. Maybe after I kill him,” he looked into her eyes as he continued, “I'll bend you over his corpse and fuck you.” He laughed and turned back to the window, watching for his prey.

As soon as he turned, Mackenzie began struggling against the bonds that held her to the chair. He'd used duct tape, wrapping it around her wrists several times. She fought against it, a small bit of hope flaring to life as she felt it give just a little. Her phone was in reach, if she could get one hand free, she might be able to warn Gideon again, give him time to get the police here.

But it all depended upon getting her arm free.

Hawk stared into the phone, slammed it shut then glancing over at Brett and said. “Something's wrong."

"Yeah, ya think?” Brett asked sarcastically, slamming his hand down on the dash. “That crazy son of a bitch has her."

"No,” Hawk said slowly. “No, I don't think it's the arsonist. She was trying to warn me. I think it's Tanelli's men."

"Tanelli? Isn't he that drug guy that Kenzie ended up almost being raped by?"

"Yeah, and he's looking for me because he thinks I double crossed him. Which of course, I did since he's a criminal and I'm a cop. He's tried to kill me twice now."

"He's tried to kill you twice and you let my cousin stay with you? You knew he was dangerous and still she stayed with you?! Dammit man, what's wrong with you?"

Hawk stared at him. He couldn't answer that because Brett was right. He should have sent Mac to someplace safe, someplace away from him. Now she was in one of Tanelli's goon's hands and it was his fault.

"Okay, get over it,” Brett growled. “We have to rescue her otherwise Dillon will have my hide. Got any ideas?"

"He's expecting me, let's give him me,” Hawk said after a minute.

Kenzie squirmed in her chair, fighting with every ounce of her strength against the tape that was holding her still. She'd managed to pull off some of the duct tape over her mouth, by rubbing her face against her shoulder.

The man had walked out of the room after slapping the tape across her mouth, wagging his finger at her. “Now, don't ruin the surprise,” he whispered in her ear, chuckling inanely.

Her phone began to ring, sitting just out of her reach. She could see the front screen and saw Ron's name come up. Frustration thundered through her, making her struggle that much harder. “No! Don't hang up, Ron,” she begged, pulling on her tape bound wrists.

Just as she was about to give up, the tape stretched, giving her hope. “Come on, come on, come on,” she begged breathlessly. “Let...me... Go!"

She grunted heavily and pulled hard, her hand slipping out of the ring left by the tape. She used so much force, she almost fell from the chair. “Thank God,” she whispered, ripping the tape off her other wrist and reaching for the phone.

Before she could open it, or dial a number, she heard footsteps coming back toward her. Kenzie's eyes searched for somewhere to hide, seeing the only other door in the room and rushing toward it. She scooted through the door just as the one to the hallway opened, her captor walking in.

"It shouldn't be much longer, pretty girl, then you and I can get to know each other better. Of course, I'll have to kill you after that, but I don't think that should wreck our after...noon."

Mackenzie heard his rage in the last syllable of that word. Then the chair she'd been in flew across the room. His screams of rage were almost foul to hear, scaring her even worse. She moved away from the door, searching the room for somewhere to hide. There were no other doors, but the window had been broken out of the frame.

She ran to the window, staring down at the four story drop. A quick inhale of fear had her moving back away from the window.

"I'll find you bitch,” he screamed. “I'll find you and then you'll pay."

Kenzie's eyes were wide, but she started back toward the window determinedly. Pulling out a few stray pieces of glass, she ducked through the window frame, finding herself on a small ledge only about a foot wide.

"God Kenzie, if you get through this, you're going to ask to be transferred to obits,” she muttered, grabbing on to the side of the brick building. Her foot slipped and for a moment she thought she was dead, her arms wind milling out. She caught onto another brick, yanking herself back to the building, hugging the side with every bit of strength she had.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God!” she whined, closing her eyes tightly. Her heart beat with a frantic pace, knocking against her chest until she thought she'd be sick.

"Come out, come out wherever you are,” she heard her captor sing out, his voice even closer.

Kenzie forced her eyes open, forced her fingers to slide over a few bricks and her foot to slide a few inches. With her face pressed against that brick wall, she refused to look anywhere but at the next few bricks or down toward her feet, slipping along the wall.

She'd made it to the next window and peaked inside, her whole body shaking in reaction to her fear. The room was deserted, but the glass in this window was still intact and it wouldn't budge. She thought of kicking it in, but it was too close to the other window. He would hear her. There was no way he wouldn't. She'd just have to go on to the next.

Tears skimmed down her face, her head thudded with a sickening persistence, occasionally swirling with dizziness. She glanced down the small ledge, noting a chunk of the brick was missing about half way down to the next window. She would have to step over nothingness to get to the next window. A sob shook her shoulders and she barely kept herself from screaming.

"You shouldn't be out here."

His voice had the scream building in her chest bursting from between her lips. “Leave me alone!” she screamed.

"I can't do that Mackenzie. You're a witness.” He stepped out onto the ledge, his eyes barely glancing at the drop. “Come back now, if I have to follow you to catch you, you won't like what will happen next."

"No!” She turned, readying to kick out the glass. She over-balanced, her body tipping toward the drop. With a scream, she felt herself falling.

Hawk pulled into the apartment complex, his eyes searching the different buildings. Slowing, he nodded at Brett who opened the door to the car and slipped out, rolling once on the concrete before getting to his feet. He took off at a run toward one of the buildings.

Gideon pulled into a parking spot, getting out himself and making a production of making himself visible. He waited for the sound of the rifle, waited to feel the impact of a bullet. There was nothing. “Where are you?” he muttered.

He scanned the buildings quickly, pacing once and going back to it. His eyes were squinting into the sun and the figures were only in profile, but he knew it was Mac and she was standing on a ledge on the outside of the building!

"Mac?” he hissed, frozen for just a second before he started running toward the building.

Brett saw him running and tore after him, looked up at the building and cursed soundly. “We've got to get to her before she falls."

They sprinted up the stairs, Brett on Hawk's heels. Breaking through a door on the same side of the building that Mackenzie was standing on, they headed toward the window. Gideon was almost there when he heard a sound that stopped him in his tracks.

Mackenzie screamed.

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Her fingers barely grabbed the ledge as she fell, feeling the jerk on her arms as she clung frantically to the brick. Her feet kicked out into the open air under her, searching for purchase. Glass from the window she'd broken cut into her fingers and she cried out again.

"God! Help me!"

"Mackenzie!"

Gideon's voice was both a blessing and a curse. He was there, but then again, so was Tanelli's man, set to kill him.

"Don't come out here, Gideon. He'll kill you!” Her voice cracked on the last syllable. She felt her fingers growing slippery with blood, the pain almost more than she could stand. Risking a quick glance over her shoulder, she almost screamed again as she glimpsed the ground so awfully far away.

"Mackenzie!” Gideon yelled again, his voice getting closer.

"No!” she shrieked, hearing the crunch of glass and seeing Tanelli's man coming closer. With a strength she didn't know she possessed, she lifted herself slowly upward until she could hook her arm over the ledge, dragging herself over the glass. He was in front of her, peering in the broken window, waiting for Gideon to come close enough to kill.

With one more huge surge of strength, she pulled herself up far enough to grab his leg, yanking hard and sending him off balance. He screamed as he back pedaled, his feet hitting the edge of the ledge.

"Mackenzie!” Gideon yelled, hearing her scream, his heart dropping into his stomach. She couldn't have fallen, she just couldn't. He wouldn't be able to stand the pain. Dropping all pretense of stealth, he barreled toward the room where the scream had come from.

"Don't come out here, Gideon. He'll kill you!"

Her voice gave him hope though he could hear the stress in it. “Mackenzie!” he shouted again. Pushing open the door to the room, he dived inside, rolling quickly until he was hidden by a half wall into a gutted kitchen. When no shot followed his outrageous dive, he peeked over the top of the wall. He could see the man standing in the broken window, the glass sparkling in the afternoon sun.

Mac's head poked over the top of the ledge, reaching out with her hand and grabbing the man's leg. She gave a mighty yank, sending him off balance. Gideon raced toward the window, just in time to see him topple off.

He gave a sigh of relief, reaching out to grab Mac when she jerked, her body falling backward as if something had grabbed her. Her fingers were the last to let go and he reached out, grabbing her arm in both his hands.

The jerk on his arms almost yanked him through the window and off the ledge but he managed to brace himself against the sill, holding her with both hands. “Mac!” he shouted.

"Let me go!” she yelled, her body moving under his hands. “Get off of me!"

"W...What?” Shock almost had him letting go but he refused. Instead he shouted for Brett. “Hunter, get in here now!"

But he was already there, reaching out and grabbing Kenzie's other hand, hearing her scream in pain.

"Quit fighting,” Hawk shouted. “Stop squirming."

"Get off of me!” she screamed again as they pulled her up so that her head and shoulders were almost over the ledge. Hawk could see her looking down, he could feel her kicking her feet. “He has a gun!” she screamed at Hawk.

"Oh God, he's on her legs,” Hawk shouted at Brett.

There was the sound of a gun shot and Mackenzie screamed, her wriggling turning to desperate struggling. Suddenly another scream rang out and Kenzie almost flew over the side of the ledge and into Hawk's arms. She was missing a shoe and her pants, left in just a pale green thong and her shirt.

"Are you shot?” Gideon yelled, holding her close. “Are you hit?"

"N...no,” she whispered, her whole body shaking with reaction. She desperately wanted to hold onto him but her fingers were bleeding and her arms hurt terribly. Scrapes ran down both her legs and a welt went across both of her shins.

"Call 9-1-1, have them send medics and the coroner,” Gideon said over Mackenzie's head. He stripped off the shirt he'd thrown on over his tee shirt this morning and wrapped it over her shoulders, helping her get it over her arms. “Come on, baby, let's get you out of here."

Bending down, he lifted her in his arms, hearing Brett behind him on the phone with the operator. Hawk would have called, but he couldn't take his hands off of Mac long enough and his fingers were shaking too badly to dial the numbers. Adrenaline could be a bitch.

"How did you know?” she whispered into his ear, snuggling against his wide chest as he carried her out of the room.

"Mac, baby, I don't want to piss you off, but you get into more trouble than any two women. When no one knew where you were, I knew there had to be trouble."