Kansas Nights [Kansas Heat 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (43 page)

“What psycho?” Alarmed by Benny’s panic but not completely convinced it was justified, Kathy covered his hand, refusing to let him lift the receiver until he answered her question. “
What psycho
?”

“Dennis Rendell.” Benny pinned her with a hard look. “Your daddy ever talk about him?”

“Yeah.” The word slipped free as Kathy felt her whole body go numb at the mention of that name. Her dad had known Dennis. He’d hated him enough to warn Kathy long ago to stay clear of any man bearing the Rendell name. They were pure evil.

“Now can I call the cops?”

“Fine.” Kathy released Benny’s hand. “Tony—Damnit, Benny! That fucking hurt!”

Kathy had more curses to fling at him, but they froze on her lips as she realized Benny wasn’t trying to tackle her. The weight that knocked her to the ground was limp and lifeless. Benny slumped forward, dead on his feet. For a second, she simply absorbed that fact before the reality of it had her squealing and leaping out from under him. He went crashing forward even as the desk chair beside her hip exploded.

Kathy might not have known what the hell was going on, but she still ran. In blind panic, her instincts took over and had her flying through the library’s lobby, using everything she could as an obstacle for whoever pursued her. Still, she barely missed being hit by the splinters of wood that exploded out of the counter as she ducked behind it.

The rain of shrapnel followed her as she darted behind the old card catalogue and down past the newsstand and passed the long row of computers. The explosions didn’t stop until she reached the end of the aisle and darted behind one of the towering metal-framed bookcases that lined most of the library floor. Not that Kathy stopped just because they had. Adrenaline fueled her flight as she blindly wove herself deep into the maze of bookcases.

Only once the potent hormone started to wear off did Kathy slow down and begin to consider her options. One thing she knew for sure, she had to stop breathing so loudly. Biting down on her lower lip to keep from panting, Kathy forced herself to breathe deep and evenly through her nose.

Next, she did the hardest things she’d ever done in her life and came to a standstill. Despite every muscle screaming at her to move, Kathy tried to hear over her own panic and figure out where her assailant had gone. There was no way to know. She wasn’t superwoman and didn’t have ice in her veins, which left her unable to hear anything over the desperate pound of her own heart.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t think of a plan to escape. Kathy’s mind came up with one that she didn’t have the sanity left to judge. All Kathy knew was she had to do something, try anything other than stand there and wait to get shot. That didn’t make it easy to get started.

As much as Kathy had feared to stop, she now feared moving. It took all of her courage and the terrifying feeling that her soon-to-be murder was getting closer to lift her feet. Once they started walking her speed only gained until she was back to rushing as fast as she could, making her way to the aisle closest to the front of the library.

It was the furthest away from the most obvious exit. Hopefully, that also meant far away from the person shooting at her. It was also, however, right in front of the large window that faced out onto the street. All Kathy had to do was distract her assailant, break the glass, and escape.

It sounded good in theory, but when Kathy braced her hands on the middle shelf and leaned in, nothing happened, not even when she used all her body weight. The heavy racks held solid and still against her, but as she kicked out with her legs, trying to push herself forward, the metal shelves finally started to groan.

The deep sound wound into a shrill one as the bookcase tilted precariously. Then with a final rush it reached its tipping point. In a raining shower of books, it toppled over, slamming into the next row with a clang and enough force to send it crashing down as well. The sudden whoosh combined with the clacking thunder of books slamming into each other was almost loud enough to disguise the high-pitched squeal of somebody getting caught beneath the wreckage.

Kathy didn’t wait to find out if she’d actually succeeded in capturing her assailant, but gave in to the instinctive need to flee. In that second, she completely forgot about her plan. Instead of smashing through the window, she went with the stupidest of all options and the one that just seemed ingrained in her muscles and darted back toward the storage room.

Panting more with fear than her exertion, Kathy flew across the library’s lobby, jumping over chairs and knocking down the main display as she dove for the protection of the counter. More bullets rained around her, assuring Kathy that she’d failed to subdue her attacker. That realization sank in as Kathy hesitated for a moment, crouching behind the counter as she tried to catch her breath and her sanity.

She couldn’t afford to rest, not when Marion could be seconds away from being close enough to actually hit Kathy. No matter how bad a shot the old woman might be, Benny’s lifeless gaze assured Kathy that even Marion could get a good shot off once in a while. The sight of Benny crumpled on the floor flooded Kathy with renewed panic and had her scrambling back to her feet.

She darted through the door to the storage room even as the frame splintered a mere inch from her cheek. Ignoring the shrapnel that scraped over her cheek, Kathy flew through the wide-open exit. Only instead of moonlight and fresh air leading her to freedom, she found herself slamming into a hard wall of muscles.

Too caught up in the instinctive need to flee, Kathy reacted without thought, kicking and flailing as she tried to fight off her attacker.

“Damnit, Kathy! Stop! It’s me!” Jack snarled with a harsh whisper, not that she appeared to understand him.

Jack didn’t waste his breath arguing with her. Instead he kept his eyes trained on the doorway as he pulled her to safety behind the Dumpster. When she kicked him, though, Jack paused long enough to give her a hard shake.

“It’s me, Kathy!” Jack kept his voice low, but sharp. “It’s Jack!”

“Jack,” she repeated back in a whisper, going perfectly still for a second before erupting in another bout of manic flailing.

This time, though, she sobbed his name and threw herself deeper into his embrace. Crouched as he was behind the Dumpster, Jack fell to his ass as he accepted her soft weight. Her arms whipped around his neck, strangling him even. At least she stopped kicking at him. Instead, Kathy wound her legs around his hips and squeezed with enough force to make him cringe. Jack didn’t complain, though. The strength in her limbs proved that she wasn’t just alive, but healthy as well.

Worried didn’t even begin to describe the horrifying fear that had consumed him when he spotted the body slumped over in the storage room. Despite the fact that he could see it wasn’t Kathy or even a woman, it had taken Jack’s heart several painful moments to accept that fact. In those seconds all Jack knew was it hurt. Just the idea that it might be, could have been, may one day still be Kathy lying there had hurt so bad, he didn’t want to think about it ever again.

Instead Jack just wanted to wallow in the warm, soft feel of her in his arms. For a blinding moment the instinctive need to comfort and cherish overwhelmed the fiercer emotions that had been driving him. All the tension and aggression wavered as muscles weakened at the feel of Kathy trembling in his arms. She felt so small and fragile, making him ache at the very thought of how willingly she threw herself into danger.

Jack’s arms tightened around Kathy at the reminder of how quickly she could be taken from him. Nuzzling his face into the silky strands of her hair, he ignored their ticklish caress and breathed in her sweet scent, letting it warm and fill his heart. The pain and tension making it hard for him to breathe slowly eased, even as the rage that burned beneath his fear and panic remained. His anger only hardened, sharpening at the sound of Kathy’s breathless voice quivering with terror.

“She’s…still…in there.” Kathy stuttered over her words as she shuddered hard enough for her teeth to clatter.

“I know, baby.” Jack pacified her, sensing Kathy’s descent into shock. “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to take care of everything.”

Even as Jack ran a soothing hand down her spine, he started to shift her weight, preparing to dump her so he could roll to his feet and greet the person hustling down the alley. Jack was a second from terrifying Kathy all the more when Collin passed through a puddle of light. Recognition didn’t bring any relief, not when Kathy still trembled in his arms.

Ducked low to stay hidden behind the Dumpster, Collin’s gaze locked on Kathy’s back and refused to budge even when he spoke to Jack. “I called the sheriff’s department. They should be here any second but we need to get her out of here now.”

“Agreed.” Jack nodded before nuzzling his lips in close to Kathy’s ear. “Honey, I need you to let go of me now.”

“Uh-uh,” Kathy murmured, her arms and legs tightening around him.

“Uh-huh,” Jack retorted, sliding his hands around her waist so he could start to lift her. “You need to go with Collin now. He’ll keep you safe.”

“Come on, sweetness.” Collin grunted over his words as he tugged on a resisting Kathy, having no choice but to use his superior strength to pry her free. At first unwilling, Kathy quickly curled herself into Collin’s arms as Jack released her. Jack watched as Kathy whimpered and burrowed deep into Collin’s hold, feeling his heart tighten as he watched Collin dart back down the alley using his own back to keep Kathy safe.

Jack had no doubt that Collin would lay down his life if necessary. It was that fundamental trust that allowed him to turn away from the woman who had been the obsessive focus of every single one of his thoughts for the past hour and focus on doing his job. Pulling his gun from its holster, he peered around the edge of the Dumpster. Nothing moved within the shadows of the library door or the storage room beyond, but the darkness was awfully deep and capable of hiding almost anything.

With his gun pointed toward the ground, Jack lifted up onto his feet and darted quickly around the Dumpster to slam up against the back wall in time to miss the bullet that split a hole through the metal trash bin. Jack let out a slow breath, not needing to remember his training because it was already ingrained into his very nature. He stayed calm, keeping his breathing and heartbeat even as he shouted toward the door.

“This is Agent Harrington with the Drug Enforcement Agency. I want you to put your gun down and come out with your hands up.”

Like they ever did. That didn’t mean he could just skip the preamble. Jack couldn’t very well charge Marion Myers with attempting to kill a federal agent if he didn’t tell her he was one. While the standard option he offered Marion didn’t get accepted, it did get a response. Two more bullets shot through the doorway, slamming into the stone walls in a haphazard pattern.

The first shot, the one that had pierced the Dumpster, had clearly come from deep within the storage room. Jack suspected that Marion had lingered in the door to the lobby, probably waiting to see if she had an opportunity to make a getaway. The next two, though, were high and wide, proving that now that she knew she couldn’t escape, she’d started to panic. His conclusion seemed to be confirmed by the sound of a crash and the echo of footsteps that followed.

Somebody had just run into something heavy as they fled. Daring to hope he wouldn’t get singed in the process, Jack peeked around the edge of the door to find the storage room apparently empty. Still, he moved slowly, checking and clearing the whole room before inching up to the side of door leading into the lobby. Marion had ceased making noise, having disappeared into the blackness once again.

Not daring to risk a shootout by calling out again, Jack ducked low beneath the main counter and cautiously crept into the library. Keeping his senses open for the slightest bit of movement, he rounded the counter and hesitated, choosing the path that had the best coverage in case Marion started opening fire again.

What he saw was the debris of a rampage already waged gleaming in the pale moonlight that seeped in through the front windows. The counter’s edge was split and splintered where a bullet had clearly chopped chunks out. Magazines lay spewed across the floor in disarray while the racks that should have held them rested on their sides. The row of computers didn’t look neat or orderly, with chairs knocked over and cracked monitors lining the tabletop.

In the path of destruction, Jack could see the flow of actions and knew instinctively that Kathy had fled this way as somebody shot at her. She must have disappeared into the stacks and ended up all the way to the front of the library where an entire section of bookcases had been toppled over.

Jack could imagine that Marion had shoved them down, trying to pop Kathy out of hiding. That image formed in his mind even as his hand tightened over the handle of his gun. It took a moment for Jack to remember that he couldn’t kill Marion, no matter how much he wished her dead. Thankfully, life didn’t give him the chance to test his control.

“Marion Myers?”

The world went bright with that boomed-out question. Blinking through the pain, Jack spun, raising his gun toward the man who’d clicked on the lights. It took him barely a second to pull his finger back from the trigger even as he recognized the man darkening the edge of the storage doorway.

* * * *

Marion bowed her head, blinking against the sudden wash of lights as the florescent bulbs overhead flickered to life. They illuminated the harsh reality of her circumstance. Crouched there low amongst the musky rows of books nobody cared about, Marion couldn’t imagine sinking any lower.

“This is Sheriff Anthony Black.” Tony introduced himself as if Marion hadn’t spent countless years attending the very same political and community functions he had. Despite that, no familiarity sounded in his voice as the sheriff tried to prod her. “If you don’t mind, ma’am, I need you to come on out now.”