Page 55

The man had used some spare rope he’d found somewhere, probably in the cabin. It was rough, and the man had tied it too tightly. He could already tell Joy's hands and feet were losing circulation. If Sam and Boone wanted to be here before he went in, they’d better hurry. A slight scuffle behind him told him Trace and Boone were there. Relief washed through him as his brothers crawled to his side.

He brought them up to speed, then said, "We're not gonna be able to wait on Sam."

If they needed any more persuasion than that, a scream ripped through the air.

A woman's scream.

Joy's scream.

Chance’s mind blanked. He reacted with pure instinct, taking a step back and then crashing in through the window.

He rolled to his feet, ignoring the stinging gash in his arm.

James stood at Gypsy’s side, a syringe in his hand. He’d positioned the needle just above the vein in the crease of her elbow. "I figured you'd crash the party soon enough, but I’ll admit I didn’t think you’d be so literal. You don't want to do anything stupid because your Little girl here will be the one who pays."

Chance kept his voice calm, even if his words were not. "If you harm one hair on her head, if anything from that damn needle makes it into her body, I will knock you out and drag you up the mountain. I know where the grizzlies feed. They're always looking for a nice snack. You're a little fatty, but I don't imagine they turn down fresh meat. Especially if it’s still alive."

The detective forced out a laugh, but the pallor of his face told a different story. Chance knew better than to make the man thinkthere was no escape. The only thing James had going for him was the hope he’d make it out of this cabin alive.

As if James could read his mind, he said, "This doesn't have to end badly. Nobody has to die today. I'm thinking we can tell Eddie I took care of your Little girl here. He'll never know. I can walk away. You can walk away. She can walk away. Everybody lives happily ever after."

Chance hadn’t been born yesterday. "If you thought that was a real solution, you’d have done it in the first place. Hell, you never had to show up in Wilder at all. If you were gonna lie to your boss, you could have done it two weeks ago. But you know that, unlike you, Eddie is smart. I don't imagine he trusts you very much. So, you're in a little bit of a bind here, Detective James. You’re right, though. You don’t have to leave here in a body bag. You have an option, and if you listen, I might even let you live long enough to benefit from it."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

Before he answered James’s question he turned to his gypsy. "Babygirl, are you all right?"

Pasting on a terrified smile, she nodded. "I'm fine, Daddy. No worries about me."

Damn, he loved his gypsy. “It's gonna be OK,” he said, and it was. There was no other option.

Joy sucked in a breath when James placed the needle against her flesh.

When Chance moved forward, the detective said, "She's okay, for now. I haven't stuck her yet. If I do, depending on how hard I push it, she’ll probably have barely enough to need a trip to the hospital. If you get all hero stupid, she's a dead woman, and that will be on you. I told you nobody has to get hurt."

Chance’s temper held on by a thread. "I believe we were talking about your options, not mine," he said. "Way I see it, you don't have an out. Except for one and that is to put down that syringe, sityour ass down on that couch, and wait for the sheriff to get here. He has connections. I’m sure that there are federal agents somewhere with their eye on Eddie Sharp. You cooperate with them. They'll work with you. It's your best shot and you know it."

James snarled. "You know what happens to cops in prison. I get any time at all. I'm a dead man. So, as options go, that one sucks.” Chance took a step forward. James shifted the needle into place, pricking the skin of Joy’s arm. “I told you, back away. I'll barely push the syringe plunger down, not nearly enough of this shit will get into her system. She'll be fine. You can take her to the hospital. I can get away. It's a win-win for everybody involved."

This man had lost his ever fucking mind. "I'm telling you right now, James, you put any of that poison in my babygirl, you have zero chance of survival. And I will make sure your death is as brutal as I can. You will beg to die before you do."

The detective shook his head. Dammit! That fucker was gonna do it. He was gonna inject that shit into his Little girl.

Chance started calculating the distance, trying to figure out how fast he could get to James. Could he make it before the guy pushed the plunger down in the syringe? Did he have another option?

Boone and Trace had angled around and were ready to break in at his signal, but he didn't have time for that.

Praying that her guardian angel was still hanging around, Chance nodded. "All right. You win. We'll play this your way. I'm gonna walk over to that chair and have a seat. You need to know if she has trouble getting over whatever a sick fuck like you likes to do to people. I will hunt you down. And when I find you, all bets are off.”

Chance took one step toward the table.

Trace shattered the window on the opposite side of the room and then stepped back. Before Chance could react, Dodger leapedthrough the window. He sank his sharp teeth into the detective's free arm and pulled him away from Gypsy.

James howled, fighting to wrest his arm from the wolf’s maw. The cloth of James’s sleeve tore, sending Dodger skittering across the room.

Bellowing in rage, James lunged for Joy, the syringe in hand, ready to attack. Chance got to James just before he reached his gypsy, tackling James to the floor. The man tried to twist and jab the syringe into Chance, but Chance avoided the man’s effort. James landed on his stomach, face to the wooden floor.

Chance stepped back, shoving Joy behind him and scooting the chair she was in toward the door. He watched as the detective rolled to his back on the floor.