Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1) (38 page)

The recognition of her physical state solidified her plan, though she detested it. Emily blew out a sigh of resignation and changed her course. She began to run as fast as her legs would carry her away from the lake and towards the road. She’d have to lay low and choose which vehicle she waved over. Pick the wrong one, and she could very well be at the mercy of another idiot who’d do her grave harm. God save her, Emily prayed, as she picked her way through the ever-thickening underbrush, as quickly as she could.

“What in the hell?” Garrett muttered as he came to an abrupt stop along the dirt drive he was traversing. Every light within the small cabin just ahead of them was on, including its outer flood lights. It shone like a beacon there in the middle of the forest.

Gabriel and Noah weren’t waiting for confirmation that they’d finally hit upon the correct location, because everything in their hearts and minds was screaming that Emily was close. They both opened their rear doors and were out of the SUV with their guns drawn before Garrett could cut the engine off. But Lawton and Kaden were there to head them off, each man stepping in front of their teammates to ensure they used caution so no one died that night.

“Move!” Gabriel ground out, staring Lawton down with a ferocious glare.

“Absolutely not!” Lawton bit back. “Go in there half-cocked, and you’ll get Emily and yourself killed. Not happening, Gabe. By the book, as we always do, or you and Noah stay here. This is non-negotiable.”

Gabriel growled and turned away for a moment, then he finally ran a hand through his hair and gave a curt nod. Lawton only slapped his shoulder and then gave the hand signal for each team to take up position and move in. Their additional reinforcements flanked the rear and sides as instructed, and then their team converged on the cabin’s front door.

No sounds could be heard from within the house, though everyone surrounding it strained to hear even the slightest movement from behind its walls. Lawton gave the final countdown silently with his fingers in the air, and when he hit zero, he and Garrett kicked in the front door and entered one after the other. Gabriel and Noah were right on their heels, with the remainder of their team only a step behind.

They spread out rapidly, searching each room within the small abode, and found evidence immediately which pointed to a struggle and possible flight of the home’s inhabitants. Noah was the first to step into the bedroom that Emily had been forced to rest in, but Gabriel entered next. Their eyes took in the smashed lamp and blood splattered across the pristine white linens. Gabriel glanced at Noah, who was pointing to the door on the other side of the room. Gabe nodded and they walked to it together.

Noah swept the closet door open, while Gabriel kept his gun trained on the small hiding space. Emily was not there, but it was clear the garments hanging in front of them had been purchased for her. They were her size and there were so many sheer sleeping gowns. Both men wanted to rip them to shreds, just to purge the raw anger billowing off of them in waves.

“Damn,” Kaden muttered behind them, and they both turned in unison to see that he was looking at their find. “This guy is one sick fuck. I checked under the bed, nothing there. Come with me though, we’ve got something for you to see in the living room.”

As they stepped into the hallway, Gabriel noticed Ross and Ethan coming out of the bathroom with evidence bags in their gloved hands. Noah arched an eyebrow at them in question. Ross took the silent directive and he held the bag up for them to see.

“Found multiple bottles of prescription painkillers in there. As well as syringes filled with, I’m guessing, the more potent sedative Becca helped Eric acquire. We’ll get this stuff tested, but the caps on the syringes match in color to the one we found on your garage floor,” Ross said evenly, though his jaw flexed.

Gabriel shook his head and looked ahead as they turned the corner into the small living room. He knew immediately what had gone down there, without one word of explanation or conjecture. Garrett slapped his chest with a pair of gloves and then handed another set to Noah.

Members of the Chattanooga team were already pouring over the evidence, snapping pictures and documenting everything, while the Dalton team had flashlights and were scouring the ground looking for footprints that they might all follow. Noah moved to the shattered glass door and knelt down on one knee.

“She took some glass to her arms and legs from the looks of all this blood,” he said brokenly.

“If Emily hit Eric over the head with that lamp in the bedroom, she had very little time to break this one and then get out,” Gabriel said in way of acknowledgement. “And I doubt Em had time to find another object to knock out the jagged pieces around the edge, before she jumped through and ran.”

“Got footprints out here!” called Deborah, an agent from Dalton. “Two sets. And a sheriff department’s cruiser tucked into the trees.”

Everyone moved in Deborah’s direction without delay. They ignored Eric’s car and headed for the trail he and Emily had left behind. Multiple beams illuminated the area, and it was clear that one set of prints was much smaller than the other and lacked treads.

“There are no treads here. Emily has no shoes on!” Noah gasped. “Son of a bitch! That will slow her down significantly. And it looks like Eric has boots on from these tracks.”

“I’m thinking she has socks on, at least. No ridges in the indentations here to suggest that she’s barefoot,” Deborah observed. “That will give her a little protection from the forest floor. You said earlier that Emily is an extremely fast runner?”

“She is,” Gabriel answered. “And for long distances, too. She won’t tire easily, especially if she’s running for her life.”

“Which from the looks of the broken branches on these low bushes, she is,” Garrett agreed with a heavy sigh. “We need eyes all over this. There’s no telling in which direction Emily ran from him, or the path Eric took to capture her.”

Gabriel snatched his phone from his pocket and called Braden. He chewed his lower lip impatiently until the call was answered.

“Braden, has the Atlanta team landed yet? No? Good. Call them now and tell them to take their two helicopters over this entire area, night vision goggles on, and report any heat signatures they pick up. This was the house, but Emily’s in full flight escaping, with Eric in pursuit. We’ll set up a grid and begin to work it on foot. Yeah, we’ll keep our phones on us at all times,” he assured him, then ended the call.

Noah called everyone to him and they began to divide the surrounding terrain into quadrants. One and all looked to the GPS on their phones, and once there was a definitive plan, they moved out again. The Chattanooga team’s leader passed out the night vision goggles he had brought along, and soon each grouping had one member wearing the glasses that might help them spot Emily or Eric.

As they began to run away from the cabin with Ross and Garrett at their sides, Noah glanced over at Gabriel and nodded. “What was it you said when we left D.C. to find Em? ‘Let’s go get our girl?’ I think I’m ready to do that again.”

“Damn straight,” Gabe said in a low voice. “It’s past time, Noah.”

CHAPTER 38

Emily watched from behind a substantial bolder as an old green truck rattled past her hiding spot. She was beginning to feel the effects of lying cramped up in the tight ball she’d folded herself into for the last hour or more. She’d even gone so far as to bring fallen leaves and branches over her back and legs, trying to blend in as much as possible. The truck was the fourth that had sped past, but each had looked more ominous than the one before, and she hadn’t trusted the rough looking drivers enough to give herself up.

But she couldn’t keep hiding all night. Even now, Emily could detect the shift in the sky as a new day prepared to dawn. The forest was slightly quieter, as though the nocturnal animals were bedding down before the birds rose to herald the sun’s appearance. And Emily knew that once the area was flooded with daylight, the roadway would become much busier and her chances of being seen by Eric would increase exponentially.

She had no illusions that he was doing anything other than stalking her still, tracking and hunting her with his every breath. Only now, Eric would be furious after she’d attacked him. There was no telling what he’d do to her now if he managed to lay hands on her. He might even decide she wasn’t worth the trouble and just kill her, Emily thought and grimaced as her side began to throb again.

A slight tremble rolled through her body from the chill in the air. She clenched her teeth together so they wouldn’t clatter and kept her left hand over her mouth. She was determined that no condensation would puff out through her lips and give away her location. She would not lose her life over something so small as her own breath heralding her hiding spot.

A twig snapping to her right had her completely holding her breath. Emily grew utterly motionless and cursed her heart that thudded heavily in her chest. She was sure that anyone within a mile would pick up on its erratic beat and zero in on her location like a beacon.

Next, she heard leaves rustling and she bit down on her lower lip with enough force to taste blood again. Don’t move a muscle, she told herself. Just don’t let him flush you out!

“Emily, I know you’re near,” came Eric’s cajoling voice, and Emily stifled the sob that wanted to tear its way out of her chest. “I know you’re tired and bleeding. It’s time to stop this silly little game and come home so I can tend your wounds. I
will
find you, make no mistake. But I will go a hell of a lot easier on you if you come to me under your own power. Walk to me, Emily. Now!” he commanded.

Emily drew in on herself even more, not sure she could make herself any smaller a target, but trying nonetheless. She heard another vehicle approaching, this one sounding much larger than the first few she’d observed. Run and get help, or stay and take the chance he’d stumble over her? She had less than a minute before the truck passed by, and Emily tried to gather her courage and decide.

Gabriel held a hand up, halting those around him. But they’d heard it too and they paused, straining to hear more. Eric’s voice had carried across the last expanse of forest closest to the rural road running parallel to the grid they were searching. They waited and heard nothing more, but they knew the only reason Eric would have chanced speaking aloud was if he thought he was finally closing in on Emily.

Ross was already texting all the other teams, telling them what had just transpired and calling the helicopters to their current location. They raised their weapons higher and began to move forward at a faster clip.

Ever so slowly, Emily began to extend her legs. She rolled onto her stomach and dug her feet and hands into the soft earth beneath her. With a final prayer for speed, strength, and agility, she assumed the starter position she had used in school when she’d run track and field. She imagined the gun going off and she shot away from her hiding spot, headed directly for the road and oncoming vehicle.

Emily heard Eric, perhaps forty or fifty feet behind her, making no effort now to keep his footfalls quiet. But she also heard the unmistakable hiss of airbrakes engaging as she turned to see a tractor trailer bearing down on her. The truck jumped and lurched as its driver attempted to stop while still swerving into the opposite lane so he didn’t run over her. Emily stood frozen as the air coming off of the large semi blew past her, but it served as a slap in the face and reminded her to run.

With no more time on her side, Emily pivoted around and began to push her body once more. She sprinted alongside the truck and was at the driver’s door when he swung it open. The older man looked as though he was ready to throttle her for scaring him so. But one look at all the blood covering Emily’s body and the stark fear in her eyes, had him clamping his mouth closed as he swung down from his seat.

“Please, take me away from here! Now! We can’t wait!” she yelled, unable to hide her distress.

“Okay,” he nodded and stared wide-eyed at her. “Come on, little girl. I’ll get you to the hospital.”

He reached for her hand to help her up into the cabin, but the fear that suddenly entered his eyes said it all to Emily. Eric was too close and now she’d placed this poor man in danger by asking for his help. She murmured an apology and began to sprint along the roadway.

Summoning what little courage she had left, Emily glanced over her shoulder to see Eric less than fifteen yards behind her. He was bloodied too, from where she’d hit him with the lamp, and looked beyond enraged. The road was too easy a place for him to overtake her, she conceded, so she leapt over the nearest ditch and hit the woods again at full speed.

The branches and underbrush slapped her skin and clothes, but she was in what felt like the final flight for her life, and there was no stopping her now.

“Emily!” Eric roared in shear anger and frustration. “You will end this right this second, or I swear to you, I’ll make you very, very sorry for putting me through this!”

Tough shit
, she thought, and poured on the speed. Emily also thought she heard a helicopter nearby, but surely not, she told herself. Instead of letting fanciful thoughts distract her, Emily tried to remember the way back to the lake. If push came to shove, she could always dive in and stay under as she headed for the other side. Swimming was her body’s second most favorite form of exercise, and she knew she could out-distance and outlast Eric there.

Gabriel, Noah, Ross, and Garrett broke through the trees just as Emily leapt from the road and hit the forest again flat out, some thirty meters ahead of their location. Gabriel shouted for Eric to halt and fired a round that zipped past his head, but the bastard gave them no notice as he jumped into the woods right behind her. They saw the semi parked at an odd angle across both lanes and its driver standing, clearly shaken, by its side.

“FBI!” shouted Garrett. “Do
not
move your vehicle until we come back! Understood?!”

The man only offered them an unsteady nod as they turned back and ran into the forest, parallel to the path Emily and Eric were creating. Ross pressed the com in his ear and began to relate what was transpiring to the other search teams. He implored the two helicopters to get lower and help them out, and everyone to converge faster than they were.

But for Gabriel and Noah, they only heard snippets of what Ross was saying. Their sole and solitary focus was on the sounds Emily and Eric were making as they raced through the forest, so they didn’t lose her location. They gave their chase all they had, determined to pass them both and head Emily off before she was grabbed. The madman was far, far too close to her at present, for either man to breathe comfortably.

Emily pushed herself beyond all reason as she heard Eric less and less. There was much more light in the sky now and she could see the rocks and downed limbs that had caused her to stumble and trip during the night’s darkest hours. Her arms and legs shook, and her chest heaved, but she told herself this was nothing. Nothing compared to what Eric would do to her if she paused for even one second. He’d kill her, without a doubt.

When the land began to slope downwards, she knew the lake was closer. It became the goal, the objective, and the beacon of hope. She placed all her faith in that body of water, that somehow it would give her shelter and sanctuary. Emily admonished herself for not taking to the water earlier that morning, and instead heading towards the road. She would have been much better off, but she couldn’t go back and erase her mistake now. No, now she could only run. Run like the wind.

Minutes later, she leapt over a rather large rock and saw the shimmer through the trees up ahead that let her know the water was upon her. She almost wept to see its appearance on the landscape. Without slowing down, Emily headed directly for the shoreline, ready now to swim to freedom.

However, several things happened in the seconds before her feet touched water. She heard her name called from three different directions and a helicopter so close overhead, that she could feel the air coming off of its rotor blades. The thwapping sound made it impossible to decipher who was yelling at her, but somewhere in the mêlée her brain registered Noah and Gabriel’s voices.

She skidded to a stop and turned to see them barreling towards her from her left. Ross and Garrett flanked them, and all four men had their sidearms raised. Noah was waving his hand in the air and shouting at her to get down. Emily squinted as she swayed on her feet, unable to understand why he was yelling at her. Was he angry?

Strong arms lifted her off of the ground from behind, and Emily knew those arms before she looked over her shoulder. She began to fight, but Eric tightened his hold. He drew an arm around her neck and started to cut into her airflow, so much so, that Emily saw black creep in around the edges of her vision.

She watched Gabriel and Noah pause right in front of them, their faces locked in stone as they stared him down. Agents seemed to pour out of the surrounding forest then as if they were ants converging on a picnic, and Emily almost chuckled to herself when she thought of that ridiculous analogy. What in the hell was wrong with her, she wondered? Had she lost all reason?

“You’ve no way out now, Eric!” Gabriel said in a lethal voice. “Let her go, and you
might
live to see another day.”

Eric chuckled and turned his body and hers so that the lake was to his back. He looked at all the agents surrounding them and sneered. Eric grew very still, as if he was taking all the time he needed to survey his options and decide on his next course of action.

“He’s got a gun!” Garrett warned when he saw the flash of a barrel.

Eric had just pulled his own piece and placed it against Emily’s temple. She grew just as still as Eric, not fighting against him in the slightest.

Calm like she had never known before settled over Emily and she managed a serene smile as she looked at Noah and Gabriel. They hadn’t glanced at her yet, as if doing so would cause them to falter in the moment when it mattered most to be at the top of their game. But Ross caught her expression and his brows drew together in a dark scowl. He shook his head, warning Emily not to do anything that might cause Eric to make a move against her.

“Eric,” Emily said softly, while she stared into Ross’s eyes. She raised a hand to slowly caress the arm Eric held tightly across her throat, hoping to distract him with a soothing touch.

“Let’s go home and leave this behind,” she encouraged, shifting her gaze over to Noah and then Gabriel. “Kidnapping is only a crime if someone has been taken against their will. If I say I went with you of my own accord, there is no case. But if you harm them or me, they most certainly can take you away. You know this. So what will it be? You and me together? Or us separated?”

He made no immediate comment, but Emily felt the instantaneous shift in Eric’s posture. He went from a rock hard, rigid stance to a less tense bearing. Not relaxed by any means, but less poised for a fight. She felt a long, heavy sigh leave his chest and Emily knew she had enough to work with.

Noah’s eyes finally flickered down to meet hers and Emily gave him a slight nod, letting him know her next words were for him and Gabriel.

“I’m sorry I left the bedroom without you by my side, and I’m sorry for the utter hell I’ve put you through tonight. It was never my intention. I’d just finally started to feel comfortable… happy… and I let my guard down for two minutes. I would take it all back if I could. But I want you to know that I love you so very much.”

“You do, Emily?” Eric asked in disbelief, thinking her words were for him.

“Both of you,” Emily said to Gabriel and Noah, completely ignoring the maniac holding a gun to her head. “And I trust you,” she murmured as she went lax in Eric’s hold.

When Emily stopped supporting her own weight, Eric lost his balance. He tried to haul her back up against him, but she crumbled and pulled him down with her. He wrapped an arm under hers as they fell and Emily felt her shoulder pulled at an odd angle as his dead weight landed on the joint. Pain seared through her chest and she cried out, but Eric rolled, placing her atop him, using Emily’s body as a shield.

She lifted her feet and came down with as much force as she could muster. One foot connected with his left knee and the heel of her other shifted back to hit Eric directly in the balls. He howled in pain and threw Emily off of him before he thought better of it. She rolled away only to find herself immediately lifted into Gabriel’s arms and carried away from Eric while the others encircled him with weapons drawn.