Brutal Obsession (The Safeguard Series, Book One) (26 page)

Both Coen and Keane rushed forward, their instinctive nature having them disarm the suspect to ensure there was no more imminent danger from a body disconnected from its neural impulses. Andrew Rutledge lay face down in the wet grass, the rain drenching the back of his suit jacket as he jerked and twitched his last few seconds away. He’d apparently dressed for the occasion, not that he’d made much of an impression.

Keane leaned down and pressed two fingers to Rutledge’s throat, confirming the lack of a heartbeat. There was no pulse…a few random beats followed by nothing at all. He quickly picked up the man’s Ruger SR9C and then quickly turned to find Calvert helping Ashlyn up off the ground. The area became somewhat blinding as the electricity returned and lit up the backyard like a stadium full of overhead lights.

Ashlyn stood there shivering with drenched clothing. She’d never looked so beautiful and Keane would have gone straight to her had Coen not called out for help. Sawyer was lying on the ground just inside the tree line at the back of the property.

“He’s breathing,” Coen called out, running his hands over Sawyer’s body and looking for any visible injuries. Sirens could now be heard in the distance. “I can’t locate any wounds. Get an ambulance and—”

“No. No ambulance,” Sawyer muttered, lifting a hand to his head and then rolling over to his side. “Shit, that hurt.”

“Are you hit?” Keane asked, sharing a confused look with Coen as to what caused Sawyer to be unconscious for the half hour it had taken to secure the situation. “Did you take a knock to the head or something?”

“Electrocuted by that fucking generator,” Sawyer mumbled as he finally lay back and put a hand to his chest. “That son of a bitch shot twenty-two thousand watts through my body. I know that stupid son of a bitch rigged it. He—”

“Is dead,” Coen confirmed, sitting back against the wet ground and running a hand down his face in relief. “And you’re not. I’d say SSI has successfully completed its first case through a series of completely lucky happenstances.”

“I’d wager this protection detail wasn’t technically supposed to end this way,” Keane offered up, standing to hold out his hand to Ashlyn. That could be taken a lot of ways and it was apparent Ashlyn had gotten his true meaning. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her while shaking Calvert’s hand. “The situation wasn’t completely in our favor.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Calvert said, stepping over to where Rutledge’s body was still laying, missing a chunk out of his head and a couple of holes through his chest. Keane didn’t miss the raised eyebrow in regards to the way he was holding Ashlyn, but figured the man deserved to be kept in the dark for a while. After all, Calvert had purposefully sent him on this assignment knowing full well what kind of personal conflict had remained. “I’ll call in the federal boys. I’ll also call the Attorney General, seeing as how there’s going to be a rather nasty amount of fallout considering Rutledge’s position and the carnage left in his wake after our little gunfight this evening.”

“Mr. Calvert?” Ashlyn called out, turning in a manner where she could still keep one arm around Keane’s waist. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Keane wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Ashlyn meant by that, but his choice of inquiring about it was taken out of his hands when the police finally made an appearance. Calvert immediately calmed the situation down and let the cops know that they were federally licensed investigators, directing what the officers needed to do and the fact that they shouldn’t contaminate the crime scene since it was a federal investigation. He went on to explain that the FBI would be arriving any minute.

Calvert did request an EMT for Sawyer, who was still protesting while eventually managing to sit up without going completely pale. The EMTs finally made an appearance and explained to Sawyer that many people who suffered severe electrical shocks could find themselves in trouble from what the laymen termed as dry land drowning, or pulmonary edema due to the aftereffects of the shock on the body. This could happen up to several hours later and they insisted that he spend the night in the local hospital.

“Man, you sure know how to get out of doing your end of the cleanup,” Coen said, finally standing and trying to wipe away the grass that had remained on his jeans. It was useless and he finally gave up trying. “Next time, I’m the one who goes to check shit out and you clean up the equipment while I relax in the hospital.”

“Your ass would have been fried, too,” Sawyer replied, resting his elbows on his knees as he tried to recover his senses. He was damned lucky he could shake it off. “You asshole.”

The two continued to exchange barbs back and forth as Keane led Ashlyn away from Rutledge’s body. She’d had a hard time pulling her gaze away and he could only imagine the shock she’d felt upon discovering who had stalked her for so long, including murdering two of her colleagues. She was alive and safe, though. And that was all that really mattered.

“You scared the hell out of me when you came around that corner talking all that shit,” Keane honestly admitted, pressing his lips against Ashlyn’s forehead. He should be angry with her for putting herself in danger, but he was too relieved to feel anything else at the moment. “I was terrified that Rutledge would shoot you on the spot.”

“I didn’t know he’d gotten to that point,” Ashlyn admitted, her cheek resting against his chest. He figured she was still watching the chaotic scene before them as Calvert continued to give instructions. “I truly thought he was still infatuated with me and that I could talk him down, but I didn’t know it was Andrew. I can’t believe I didn’t see it, but I do remember what he was talking about. I remember what I said to trigger whatever mental break he had, but I swear it was an innocent comment.”

“You don’t have to convince me of that, Ash,” Keane replied, knowing for a fact that Andrew Rutledge had lost his way from the pressure of having to be that promising prosecutor everyone spoke of. “Rutledge had a lot of people fooled, including himself.”

“We were talking about our love of caramel one morning when he’d asked what I was drinking,” Ashlyn admitted in somewhat of a whisper. Keane pulled her closer, if that were even possible, and allowed her to say what she needed to say. It was obvious she needed to share it with someone. “I told him a cinnamon caramel latte and Andrew said that he loved caramel. I joked that we must be soul mates. People say things like that all the time. It was such a casual comment that anyone would consider meaningless—just everyday conversation.”

“Exactly,” Keane agreed, pulling away far enough so that he could see her beautiful blue eyes. They were shining bright with tears and he wiped away the ones that escaped with his thumbs as he cradled her face. “You are completely innocent in all of this. You didn’t make him do the things he did as a result. Andrew Rutledge committed these crimes, Ash. No one caused him to do anything. He decided what and how he was going to act toward the world because he was insane. You know how this works and you know the guilt you’re feeling will fade with time.”

Ashlyn nodded her understanding, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t carry around some responsibility. It was just worthless remorse that would fade once she took the time to come to terms with what had happened. She lifted a hand and wiped away the raindrops that were now falling sporadically. The storm was passing and leaving a peaceful calm in its wake, along with a fresh smell in the air.

“I need to call Gina,” Ashlyn said, resting her forehead on Keane’s chest as she thought of all the things she had to do. “She can tell the team that…oh no!”

Ashlyn looked up and then at the house, causing Keane to realize that she must have left Parker locked away in the bathroom. He released her, but stayed close on her heels as she made her way through the back door the police had already opened, through the kitchen and into the living room. The house was now bright with light. She was calling Parker’s name all the way, leaving footprints behind in her wake.

The bathroom door finally opened, Parker still clutching Ashlyn’s weapon and flashlight in his hands. Keane figured it best to obtain the firearm first, considering the man’s grip on the handle was a little too tight for comfort and his finger was a little too close to the trigger. Ashlyn proceeded to explain in detail what had happened and who had been responsible, the two of them consoling each other now that they could openly and honestly talk about what had taken place.

Keane stood by and watched, wondering where they went from here. They’d both confessed their love, though he would have certainly chosen a better time if one had presented itself. He wouldn’t withdraw his declaration, because he’d meant every word of it. He truly wished his mother were alive to meet her future daughter-in-law, but he wouldn’t tell Ashlyn that quite yet considering she wasn’t aware of his plans to marry her as soon as possible. He’d lost her once. He wasn’t about to lose her again to the fates.

“How did Rutledge know your location?” Calvert asked, walking through the front door. He was holding a phone to his ear and Keane assumed it was Coulter.

“He put a listening device in Ashlyn’s pen…the one her father had been given upon his retirement, which had been handed down from him,” Keane revealed, looking at the pen and knowing the feds would bag it as evidence. “Rutledge was tracking along with us every step of the way.”

“The team worked well together,” Calvert expressed after disconnecting his call. He crossed his arms and tilted his neck to the side, cracking whatever vertebrae needed relief. The black tattoo moved gracefully under the collar of his dress shirt, which Keane was noticing for the first time. D.C. tended to bring out the professional attire in those trying to impress, although Calvert’s personality did that all on its own. “Royce is disappointed he didn’t get more hands-on, but at this rate…I’m sure he’ll get his chance.”

“SSI specializes in protection details,” Keane surmised, thinking of all the other cases they could be assigned. “I think my high-risk detail for the year is done, so I’ll take the divorce case where simple, naked pictures are needed for proof of some affair and whatnot.”

“Wait,” Calvert instructed, shooting Keane a sideways glance. “I thought you wanted a thirty day probation. You still have another three weeks and some change left to that. We could use that time to see if you’re really cut out to be an SSI agent.”

“Seeing as you left it out of the contract,” Keane stated with a smile, “I believe I’m now a full-time employee with great pay and full benefits.”

Calvert nodded his agreement and then glanced at Ashlyn, who happened to be looking Keane’s way. He would have to remember that Calvert liked to have the last word.

“And I have a feeling you’re going to need it, Sanderson.”

‡

K
eane slowly maneuvered
his old Audi TT Coupe down the gravel lane a couple of months after the case had been resolved, giving Ashlyn time to appreciate the majesty of the mature American Elms. Their abundant green leaves provided more shade for the arrow-straight journey that would lead them to the temporary headquarters of SSI, although he had a gut feeling Calvert might actually make it a permanent move out to the boonies.

“This is beautiful,” Ashlyn said, admiring the view through her oversized sunglasses she’d just purchased at the airport because she’d forgotten her favorite ones back in D.C. They had the windows rolled down and her right hand was currently out the window, appearing to ride the imaginary waves of the wind. One more trip to the big city to oversee the moving company and she would be a permanent resident of sunny Central Florida. He was just about to lace his fingers with hers when his phone rang, this time connected through the Bluetooth on the stereo. He glanced at the display and smiled. Sadie had a knack for calling each and every time he drove down this lane. “Hi, Sadie. Perfect timing as usual.”

“Hi, big brother,” Sadie replied over the multiple voices talking in the background. “Hey, Dad is going to call you because he thinks I’m being stubborn. And I just wanted you to know that I’m not.”

“You are stubborn,” Keane responded with a smile, taking Ashlyn’s hand in his. He admired the diamond ring he’d inherited from his mother to give to his future wife. She would have been very happy with his choice, although maybe not so happy with Sadie’s decision to buy their childhood home. “Dad was ready to let go, Sadie. You know that.”

“I do, which is why I also purchased an RV for him and rolled it into the mortgage so he can go wherever his fancy takes him,” Sadie declared, excitement brimming in the tone of her voice. Keane was already shaking his head at the confrontation he knew would come, but Ashlyn squeezed his hand to remind him he needed to take his sister’s feelings into consideration. He sighed and continued to listen as Sadie told him her plans for breaking the news. “Dad doesn’t know that and I don’t want him to, so we need to say he won it in a raffle that the hospital was putting on for the orthopedic wing. We can say the biggest pain in the ass won it when they choose his ticket.”