Page 27 of Cursed Fox (Willow Creek Security #4)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Lex

I sped through the streets in an attempt to make the twenty-minute window in fifteen. I had yet to meet Jessie, but if she was anything like her mother, I knew she was a survivor.

Panic tried to take over, though. Thomas's goal was to kill Nancy, and I couldn't let that happen. Not just because I didn't want another death on my hands, but because I wasn't sure what I would do without her. I was quickly realizing I was in love with this woman.

Seconds later, I pulled into a run-down neighborhood and cursed under my breath.

"This is where he's holding my baby girl?"

The address was nothing more than a dilapidated house that looked like no one had been in it in at least ten years.

The shingles on the roof were falling off.

The shutters around the windows were broken.

At least one window we could see was smashed.

The front porch looked like it would fall down the second I stepped on it.

The house needed to be demolished, not housing anyone, least of all Jessie.

"We need to find another way in besides the front porch."

Nancy nodded her head, but her words contradicted her action. "I need to get in to my baby as soon as possible."

"I know you do, but we need to be smart about this. Who the hell knows what kind of surprises Thomas has waiting for us." I turned the Jeep off and turned to her. "Just give me one minute to do a quick three-sixty to see what we're up against."

I waited until I had her confirmation before stepping out of the vehicle. Starting on the right side of the house, I moved with precision. What I found didn't surprise me. More broken and dirty windows.

A glance inside indicated the interior of the house was worse than the outside.

There were holes in the walls. Some parts were even ripped down to the studs like someone had started a renovation project but never finished.

The few walls that were intact had wallpaper peeling off.

Large water stains could be seen on parts of the ceiling, and the majority of the flooring had been torn up.

It wasn't until I made it over to the other side of the house that I found where Thomas was holding who I assumed was Jessie. The girl was a spitting image of her mother, and she was tied down to a chair while her sperm donor paced in front of her.

I was just turning the corner when I heard the squeak of lumber bending under someone's weight.

"Son of a bitch."

I picked up my pace and arrived back up front just in time to see Nancy’s back as she entered the house.

The damn woman hadn't waited like I’d asked. I should've known.

Following behind her, I raced up the steps, praying the entire time that the porch didn't give out on me. Thankfully it held strong as I charged through the front door.

"I see you brought a friend.” Thomas’s voice was cold and empty. “Is this the infamous Westley who kept you from ruining your life like I expected you to?”

"No," I answered for Nancy. "I'm Lex."

"Well, Lex, I'm glad you could join the party. Now you can watch Nancy die, too."

Thomas whipped a gun out of the pocket of his coat and aimed it at Nancy. He wasn't very steady with it, which told me he probably wasn't used to holding one, let alone firing it.

"No one's dying today," I replied confidently.

Thomas swung the gun in my direction. Good. I would rather it on me than Nancy any day of the week.

"That's not your choice. I don't know if you noticed, but I'm the one with the gun, not you."

Oh I noticed. And I wanted to kick myself for not carrying. I relied so heavily on my hand-to-hand combat that it was rare I had a gun on me. Today would've been the perfect day.

"Why don't you put the gun down and we can talk about this."

Waving the gun around, Thomas started to yell. "I don't want to talk about anything. I want what I set out to do years ago."

"And what's that?" I moved a few steps closer. If I could just get close enough, I could disarm him. Thomas barely looked proficient holding the gun, I doubted he would be able to ward off an attack when presented with it.

"Kill the bitch who stole my life from me."

Everything happened so quickly, my mind was barely able to keep up.

Before he was fully done explaining what he wanted to do, Thomas aimed the gun back at Nancy and fired. My body immediately reacted and charged forward, tackling Thomas to the ground where we wrestled for the gun. It went off a second time before I managed to rip it from his grip.

I could've sworn I heard someone screaming “Mom” but I was too focused on raining down punch after punch on Thomas's face. I didn't let up even when the body beneath me stopped fighting and went slack.

When I finally did stop, I was heaving for air from holding my breath and my fists were a bloodied mess.

"Mom!"

This time, sure of what I heard, I scrambled off Thomas and frantically looked around the room for Nancy. I found her on the floor, blood pooled around her, and Jessie screaming for Nancy to wake up.

"Untie me, she needs help." I scrambled across the floor to Jessie and did as she asked. As soon as I got her hands undone, we both worked on the knots on her legs.

Jessie shot from the chair the moment she was free and raced straight for her mother.

"Oh God." I slid across the floor until I was kneeling next to a pale-faced Nancy. "Please tell me she's going to be okay," I pleaded, not the least bit caring how pathetic it made me sound.

"I don't know," Jessie wailed as she put pressure on Nancy's right thigh. "I need your belt."

I fumbled trying to get it off, but as soon as I had it free of the loops, I practically threw it at Jessie who caught it with one hand. I watched in horror as Jessie wrapped it around Nancy's upper thigh and tightened it until the bleeding slowed down some.

"Call for an ambulance."

It was a damn good thing Jessie was keeping her head about her, because I sure as hell wasn't.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed 911. When the dispatcher answered the call, I rattled off all the information and begged them to hurry.

"Please be okay," I whispered to Nancy. "Please don't leave me like the others."

My worst nightmare was coming to life as I sat there and watched the woman I loved bleed out.

"I love you," I leaned down and whispered straight into her ear. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before this, but I love you so damn much. You've made my life better and I don't know how I would survive without you. Please don't leave me."

I continued to plead with her over and over again until the paramedics and police arrived.

Jessie had to pull me off her so that they could work. "You need to let them do their job."

"I can't lose her," I told Jessie. "I know you don't know me at all, but I'm in love with your mother and I can't lose her." Tears shamelessly poured down my face but I didn't have the energy to push them away.

"We're not going to lose her," Jessie said with conviction. "We have to believe that."

I hoped like hell she was right.