Brutal Obsession (The Safeguard Series, Book One) (24 page)

“Parker, put your hands on your head,” Keane barked through the thick wood, staying to the left side of the entrance after removing the barricade bar. He rested his finger on the trigger and wrapped his left hand around the brass knob of the deadbolt for the door. “Face out toward the street.”

“What?” Parker called out, genuine confusion lacing his tone. “I—”

“Do as I said or I’ll shoot you where you stand,” Keane ordered loudly, doing a sweep of their surroundings. It didn’t appear anyone had broken in from the back, but this could very well be a distraction. Things weren’t adding up and that only enhanced the dangerous position they were in. “Now!”

“Fine!” Parker called out over the resounding crack of thunder. “I’m facing the street.”

Keane swung the door open, already having raised his weapon and was in position to fire. Parker Davis stood on the porch as instructed, his fingers laced behind his head. Rain was pounding the ground and the small overhead structure didn’t prevent Davis from getting the brunt of the volley.

Keane wasn’t about to make himself a target by stepping outside to pat Davis down for weapons, so he did the only thing he could.

“Take two steps back and then close the door,” Keane instructed, motioning for Ashlyn that she shouldn’t say a word. Davis couldn’t see her presence from where he was standing and it was going to stay that way until Keane was able to sort through the events. He peered over Davis’ shoulder, but he wasn’t able to see too far into the darkness before the door finally closed. Where the hell was Coen? “Lock the deadbolt, put your hands on the door, and spread your legs.”

Davis was wearing a pair of cargo shorts and a basic black T-shirt, both of which were soaked. The candlelight wasn’t much, but it was enough to see that droplets of water were hitting the hardwood floor, as well as dripping from the man’s hair. Keane stepped forward and patted him down, looking for any type of weapon he could have on his person. Surprisingly, the man was totally unarmed.

Keane slowly walked around Davis to the left, leaving a wide berth and ensuring that Davis’ attention was on him and him alone. This position gave Keane a vantage point of the room, while maintaining an eye on Ashlyn and the two other entrances. He maintained the sight of his weapon on the widest point of his target.

“Answer the questions in order,” Keane ordered firmly, with no hesitation. He didn’t care that Davis appeared nervous and terrified. He’d get over it if he wasn’t the man Coulter was looking for. “How did you know we were here? Why are you here? And who else is with you?”

“I-I got Ashlyn’s message,” Parker said, about to lower his hands when Keane motioned that he should put his hands up and lace his fingers behind his head. “She told me to come here without telling anyone, only saying that she was in danger. I’m here by myself. I swear.”

Keane never took his eyes off of Davis as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and redialed. Coen’s line rang continuously without answer. Shit. He then tried to get ahold of Calvert, but Keane’s attempt only garnered the same result. He then dialed 911, allowing the line to remain open for the authorities to trace their location.

“Parker, I didn’t bring my cell phone with me,” Ashlyn said with caution, causing Keane to shake his head at her attempt to gather information. He hadn’t wanted her presence known and lifted his weapon a fraction of an inch to warn Davis that he shouldn’t turn around or look in her direction. It worked well enough when he saw the big .45 caliber barrel pointed between his eyes, garnering his whole attention. “I told you that before I left the office, so why would you believe I sent you a message like that? Do you know Agent Coulter is looking for you?”

Davis had now started to shake at what Keane presumed was the realization that he was in a shitload of trouble. His lips parted as if he was going to speak, but Ashlyn couldn’t see that and talked over him.

“Did you kill Chief Garner and Aiden?” Even Keane could hear the tremor in Ashlyn’s voice. He wanted to spare her this, but they needed answers…fast. Staying here wasn’t an option, but Keane needed to clear a space for them to leave. That wasn’t going to be easy without knowing what awaited them outside in the darkness. “Are you the one who’s been stalking me?”

“What?” Parker said with disbelief, most likely wanting to turn around to confront the accusation. He made the smart decision and remained where he was. “I swear, Ashlyn, I didn’t kill anyone! You know me, for Christ’s sake. I haven’t done anything wrong. I got your message right after hearing about Aiden. Your message said that we were both in danger and that I needed to meet you here. I’m not stupid enough to fall for something like that without confirmation, so I asked for a response to a question to verify that it was you. You replied with something only you and I would know.”

“You’re going to have to clarify that,” Keane instructed in a steel tone, needing this conversation to hurry along. Two of his teammates weren’t answering, his boss was no longer answering his cell phone, and a killer had possibly just caught them in a trap. “Parker?”

“Ashlyn texted me something only the two of us would know, confirming it was her.” It was more than evident Davis wanted to turn around and plead with Ashlyn to believe him, but he made the wise choice and remained facing Keane. The two candles didn’t give off nearly enough light, but it wasn’t hard to read the man’s body language as he tried to keep from pissing himself. Davis turned his head just enough to speak with Ashlyn out of the corner of his mouth. “Your message stated I came to you last week with a request for time off, because I wanted to finally take the bar exam. No one knew that except you.”

“Where did this conversation take place?” Keane asked, hoping to get the answer he wanted. Ashlyn’s apartment had been monitored with listening and audio devices, but her office had been swept clean. Parker appeared to be waiting for Ashlyn to respond. “Davis, answer the question.”

“Um, her office at work.” Davis shifted his stance. His arms were likely starting to burn from maintaining his position, but that was too damn bad. “I waited until I knew for sure she had time to discuss it.”

“Was Ashlyn’s office door closed?” Keane asked, needing a quick answer. Where the hell were the cops?

“Yes, yes,” Parker responded, not knowing he’d just thrown a wrench into the working gears Keane and SSI had put into place.

“Ashlyn, you were swept for bugs and tracking devices, as was the additional apparel you brought with you,” Keane said, lowering his weapon and taking his finger off of the trigger. Davis was a pawn—nothing more and nothing less. “This perp isn’t just tracking you, he has somehow been able to listen in on your conversations even in situations where he shouldn’t have had access. Think, Ash. How is that possible?”

Keane might have ruled Davis out as a suspect, but damned if he would turn his back on an unknown subject whose alliances were unclear. Her bag had already been checked and so had her briefcase, but what if there was something inside that had been missed? He walked over to where Ashlyn had set the satchel down in the chair, the flap already lifted. He used his flashlight to look inside, tracing his fingers over the lining of the leather. He then pulled everything out of the bag, looking at the spine of the two books and dumping the contents of the folders on the ground. Nothing.

“Oh my God,” Ashlyn whispered in revulsion, taking a tentative step forward to where she’d set some of her things on the coffee table. She went to reach for something when Keane stopped her. He stared at the silver Mont Blanc Meisterstuck pen that had been handed down two generations. “He’s been listening to us this entire time.”

A gunshot rang out before Keane could examine the pen, not that confirmation was needed. It was more than apparent that they’d been hunted in a manner typical of a coward. This man hid behind his technology, stalking and terrorizing a woman and then murdering those associated with her from behind. They’d been found and were now cornered, but that by no means meant they had been defeated. Now that they could confront their attacker, he would have to show himself to get what he wanted.

“Ashlyn, you and Parker lock yourselves in the bathroom right now,” Keane instructed against his own wishes, not wanting to leave her side, but knowing it was for the best. He had to believe this wasn’t the last time he’d see her, touch her, tell her he—fuck it. Why not? He grabbed the flashlight she’d left on the coffee table and quickly escorted them down the short hallway. He wasn’t going to take the chance that they could be ambushed through the bedroom window. Ashlyn spun around and he pressed the metal handle into her hand, wrapping his fingers around the back of her neck. “I love you. Shoot first, ask questions later. Got it?”

“Yeah,” Ashlyn whispered before kissing him almost desperately. He tore away from her, knowing they were fighting for time and space to live. He just hoped like hell it had been Coen firing that shot and not the other way around. “I got it. And Keane? I love you, too.”

‡

A
shlyn closed and
bolted the door behind Keane, already knowing it was the wrong decision. She leaned her head against the wood and strained to listen for any sounds that would indicate a struggle. She was sending the man she loved—the one she walked away from five years ago—into a situation more dangerous than the one they’d already been through. She couldn’t let him do this alone if there was a chance she could alter the outcome.

“Parker, take these.” Ashlyn had made a decision and nothing could change her mind. She spun on the heel of her bare foot and shoved the flashlight into his chest. The look of horror on Parker’s face said it all, but she wouldn’t allow that to alter her decision. She grabbed his other hand and pressed her weapon firmly into his palm. “You heard Keane. You shoot anyone who tries to come in here that isn’t him or me. Do you understand?”

“You can’t go out there unarmed,” Parker whispered, trying to give back the items she’d already given him. He was also shaking his head to back up his claim, although that might have been shivering due to his wet clothes, which were now most likely cold. “Are you insane? Chief Garner is dead, and so is Aiden. This man is a killer. Let the professionals handle this. We can—”

“Parker, I’m your boss,” Ashlyn stated firmly, done having this conversation. Parker was in his late twenties, but he was still quite young and idealistic. The good guys didn’t always get the bad guys. “You do as I tell you. Stay here, lock the door behind me, and shoot anyone who tries to get in here that isn’t one of us.”

Ashlyn didn’t give Parker time to argue. She’d known he wasn’t a person who could take another’s life. He didn’t have it in him and she trusted her instincts. She turned around and unfastened the deadbolt, opening the door quicker than she’d intended. She hadn’t wanted Parker to stop her, but she needed to be more careful in her actions. The hallway was dark, especially since she’d left the flashlight with Parker. She didn’t move right away, listening for him to lock up after her and also to ensure that she was alone.

Silence.

Ashlyn quietly proceeded down the short hallway, using her hand against the wall to guide her toward the living room. The candles were still lit; giving enough illumination that she could see no one was in the room with her. The front door was barred once again. Keane must have gone out either the back or the garage. The second flashlight was right there on the coffee table, so she quickly grabbed it before backtracking her steps to the bedroom. The black duffel bag that Coen had given them was stashed under the bed with additional weapons. She couldn’t go outside empty-handed. She needed another pistol.

It took Ashlyn less than thirty seconds to locate the bag and obtain the small handgun she already knew how to operate. She shoved the bag back where she’d found it and then clicked the flashlight off, plunging herself back into darkness. She retraced her steps, once again using the wall as guidance, and made her way back through the living room.

The gunshot had come from the back and that was the direction Keane must have gone as well. Ashlyn would be better off going out the front door and making her way around the side of the house, thus giving her the element of surprise. It dawned on her that had she been alone, she never would have been brave enough to do this, but she didn’t stop to think about it. She couldn’t, or else she wouldn’t have been able to remove the bar and unlock the deadbolt, before turning the handle to step out into the rain.

The thunder and lightning appeared to have moved to the east, but the rain was relentlessly pouring down without an end in sight. The sky was pitch black and so was the street. Ashlyn tried to peer across, looking for any sign of Coen and Sawyer. No movement whatsoever ahead of her. She stepped off of the porch and veered left, listening closely for any sound of someone approaching. The only thing she heard was the thud of the raindrops hitting the ground, drowning out any other noise.

The wet grass was cold on Ashlyn’s bare feet, but she didn’t stop until she came to the cherry tree at the corner of the garage. She thought about walking around it, but then figured
he
might see her. She also didn’t want Keane to accidentally think she was the intruder and shoot her on sight. She dipped underneath the branches and managed to get closer to the edge of the house. The dampness made it hard to breathe, as it brought the mildew smell up from the deep-rooted tree and old musty mulch surrounding its base.