Fair Play (21 page)

Dani had to think fast. She had to tell Jace where they were if there was any chance of their survival. Henry held the phone to her ear.

At the sound of Jace’s voice, she almost lost the rigid control she had on her emotions. Henry hit her cheek with the phone. “Could I please talk to Jace?”

Jace knew she was going to try to tell him something, so he played along. “Hold on a second, and I’ll get him.”

Henry held his hand over the mouthpiece, and warned her to inform her husband that she was all right and nothing else. She nodded. “Hi, honey. I’m fine. Really, I’m fine, just as I was an hour ago, when you saw me by those rocks. You know which rocks. That twenty-foot rock display that’s hidden from the strip? Yeah, that one.”

Henry grabbed the phone away from her. “That’s enough. Now get my money to me, or else.”

“I’m going to remind you one last time. If you harm her in any way, I will kill you slowly, inch by inch, causing you so much pain you’ll beg me to kill you.”

“Tomorrow at six. The same place as before.”

Henry turned to Dani. “I’ll bide my time, but you can be sure after I get my money, I’m going to get my fill of you, then I’m going to kill you.”

Dani looked at him defiantly. “You don’t frighten me. Jace will save me from your worthless piece of shit hide, and when he finds you, he’ll make sure you never rape a woman again.”

With a scream of rage, he shrieked, “Bitch, I told you to keep your filthy mouth shut.” Henry slapped her so hard, stars danced before her eyes before she passed out.

Jace repeated what Dani related to him. “She’s trying to tell us where they’re at. She said an hour ago I saw her at a twenty-foot rock display. An hour ago she wasn’t here. Henry had her. That means the rock display is an hour away from here. She said you can’t see it from the Strip. But if it’s an hour away from here, you wouldn’t be able to see it, so what was she trying to say?”

He paced back and forth, repeating what she said like a mantra. What did a rock display have to do with the Strip? Jace stopped. The strip, maybe she meant the strip of road.

“I think I know what she was trying to tell me. They’re somewhere near a twenty-foot rock display an hour away from here that you can’t see from the road. But which direction?”

Agent Monroe said, “I’ll take a couple of my men and we’ll search north of here first and then south. I’ll have to call more agents in to search east and west.”

Jace shook his head. “No, Charles, you stay here in case Dani calls again while Agent Monroe and his men search north and south. Barbara, Tony, and I, will search east and west. Whoever finds the rock formation first will call the other group.”

Monroe looked at Jace. “That’s not a good idea. This is too dangerous for civilians. I can’t allow you to put yourself in jeopardy. We have to wait until we get some more agents to help.”

Jace pointed to Barbara and Tony. “They are licensed bodyguards who carry guns, are highly trained, and just as capable as your men. I’m going whether you want me to or not.”

Agent Monroe shook his head. “I can see I’m not going to talk you out of it, but you let those bodyguards do everything. I don’t want you taking any unnecessary chances. Understood?”

“Yeah.” But he’d do what it took to save his family. To save Dani.

Dusk was setting in making it difficult to see, but Jace wouldn’t stop. He had to find her. He knew their location was here somewhere close by, he could feel it. He and the bodyguards had tried every direction, but came up empty.

Frustrated, he got out of the car. Where could she be? He was desperate. Time was not on their side. The longer that monster had her, the more danger she was in. His eyes scoured the landscape looking for any rock, anything, that would give him a clue. Nothing.

Dani stared at the ceiling, thinking of Jace and praying to God she’d see him again. It wasn’t fair. Just when she’d found the love and happiness she’d craved, it would be taken away. Thoughts of the child she carried tore her heart out. Their child, made from the love she shared with Jace, would never experience life.

No! She refused to give up. Her child would live. That monster would never take from her again. Jace would find them.

Jace paced back and forth, trying desperately to think if he missed any of Dani’s message. His eyes searched frantically, knowing somehow, Dani was near. Wait. There in the distance was a hill of some kind. Could it be the formation he was seeking?

He dashed to the car, telling Tony to drive to where he pointed. As they approached the rise, Jace could make out some type of formation that could be Dani’s rocks. A few more minutes-there–about 100 yards away, a rock formation materialized.

Jace grabbed the door handle, but Tony took hold of his arm, stopping him. “Wait, let me check it out. It won’t take me long to see if they’re in there. In the meantime, call Detective Monroe and tell him what we discovered and give him our location.”

“Why don’t I go and check it out, and you call Monroe?”

“It’s better if I go, because I’m armed. I won’t go in without you unless she’s in immediate danger.”

Reluctantly, Jace nodded. Time seemed to stand still as Tony moved stealthy toward the formation, Jace’s eyes fixed on his movements. His heart jumped to his throat, his breath halted, and he felt the sweat trickle down the side of his face as he hoped and prayed she was there.

Tony was gone five minutes, but it felt like an eternity to Jace. “That’s it. There’s a shack behind it, and they’re in there.”

Unaware he’d been holding his breath, it surged out in relief. “Okay, let’s go.” Jace phoned for backup, using his GPS to provide accurate coordinates.

“It’s essential we approach from different sides. It’s too dangerous to just barge in. We’re unsure of his mental state, and have no idea if he has weapons. Extreme caution must be taken. We don’t want him to hurt them or use your wife or mother-in-law as a shield. I’ll sneak up from the west side. Barbara, you take the east side, and Jace, you come in from around the back.”

Henry unlocked the door and stood eerily staring at Dani. Fearful, her heart hammered against her chest, but she forced her face to remain blank. She wouldn’t give him the weapon of her fear.

“Can you cover my mother up with a blanket? She’s cold.”

“You’re in no position to be telling me what to do.”

“I asked that you give my mother a blanket. I didn’t tell you to do anything.”

“Maybe if you treat me nice, I might do it.” His hand lowered to his groin, rubbing himself he leered at her.

Nausea rose to her throat, quickly turning to panic when she noticed his erection. Distracting him would be her salvation from the horror he had in store for her. As hysteria threatened to claim what little control she had left, she used every ounce of willpower she possessed to calm down, for the sake of her unborn child. Dani bit her tongue to force herself to ask sweetly, “Could you please get a blanket to cover my mother?”

He sneered, then replied hatefully, “No.” He was enjoying the game he played. Seeing her plead for her mother excited him.

His answer spurred her temper to explode. “I didn’t think there was anything human in you. You’re the slime of the earth and have been crawling on your belly so long, you don’t know how to stand up and be a real man,” she snarled, contempt thick in her voice.

His eyes narrowed. “So you don’t think I’m a real man. Maybe I should remind you of just how much of a man I really am.”

She sneered at him. “Just because you have a penis doesn’t mean you’re a man. Do you honestly think that raping a woman proves you’re a man? The only thing that proves is how much of a coward you really are. You can’t get a woman to willing sleep with you, so you have to use force. I bet you can’t even get a desperate prostitute to sleep with you, unless you pay her a thousand dollars.”

His hand whipped out and connected with her cheek. “I’m getting real tired of your mouth. Keep it up, and you’ll be too busy to talk.”

Revulsion shot through her body, driving her to counter, “You put anything in my mouth and I swear, as God is my witness, I’ll bite it off.”

Dani cringed as he jumped on her, straddling her body and wrapping his hands around her throat. “You little bitch. You have to be alive to be able to bite it off.”

Her mother screamed at top of her lungs. “Leave her alone. Get off of her. You’re killing her. Stop ... Dear God, stop. You’re killing my baby.”

The second Jace heard the scream, his legs pumped as he rushed to the shack. The door broke off its hinges from the force of his kick, sending it flying to the floor. The sight of his wife being strangled fueled his fury. Seizing Henry by the shoulders, Jace threw him against the wall, then pounced on him, beating him in a fit of rage. His vision narrowed, fixed on Henry’s face, bloodlust throbbing through his veins.

Freed by Tony, Dani ran to Jace, pleading with him to stop. Tony attempted to pull him off Henry, but Jace’s focus was so intense, nothing existed but his need to kill Henry.

“Stop, Jace! Please, I need you to hold me.”

Dani spun his face toward her. “Let it go. He’s not worth it. I need you. Our baby needs you.”

Pain ripped across his knuckles as he made contact with Henry’s jawbone. He paused. Somewhere in the distance he heard Dani call to him. She said she needed him. Henry collapsed to the floor in a heap. Jace clutched her, then drew her into his embrace, his lust for revenge forgotten.

He inspected her body for injuries. Her cheek and lips were swollen and red, and a cut marred the corner of her lips. His hands gently probed for broken bones as he inspected her left eye, which was swollen nearly shut and already turning black and blue. Lowering his eyes, he noticed the bruising on her neck, as well as the bruises on her body. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? How’s the baby? How’s your mom?” he rambled, then turned to see how Maureen was.

Dani hung back as Jace stepped toward her mother. She was thankful Barbara had thought to cover her up and was trying to make her comfortable.

“Are you okay?” inquired Jace.

Her mother nodded, and tears pricked the back of Dani’s eyes. She’d been through so much.

Jace instructed Barbara to call for an ambulance and Tony to call Agent Monroe.

Suddenly Maureen’s eyes widened in terror. Jace glanced over his shoulder and spied Henry hooking his arm around Dani’s chest while holding a knife to her throat. Jace spun around, his weight on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce.

“Back off or she’s dead.”

Jace took a step forward.

“I said back off, or she and your baby are dead,” Henry snarled.

Dani’s eyes darkened in fear. “Please, Jace, do as he says. I’ll be all right.”

Jace’s glance shifted from Dani to Henry. “Let her go, and you can walk out of here alive. Hurt her in any way, and you’ll wish you were dead.”

Henry laughed at him. “Do you think I’m stupid? The minute I let her go, you and your goons will be all over me. You’re not going to let me live.” He licked Dani’s cheek. “I’m not going to let her go yet. I still haven’t had my taste of her again. How does it feel, knowing I was the first man to ever touch her? She was fresh and sweet, and loved every minute of a real man touching her.”

Jace bit the inside of his cheek to control his fury, his hands fisting tight. He knew Henry was baiting him, trying to get him to do something stupid, so he could kill Dani. With Henry pawing his wife, he didn’t know how long he’d be able to control himself.

His gaze narrowed as Henry fondled Dani’s breast, capturing it in a punishing grip, then pinching, trying to get her to scream. Jace curled his hands into fists, ready for any opportunity.

Dani bit her lip, vowing to herself she wouldn’t do anything to provoke her husband into attacking her stepfather. She studied Jace’s face, reaching the conclusion he was very close to losing control. Henry wanted to kill him and was trying to bait him into attacking. She would do everything in her power to prevent it from happening.

Henry continued his methodical assault on her while Jace helplessly watched. She could tell when Henry had become physically excited, knowing he was touching her in front of her husband who was powerless to do anything but observe. He brushed his hand across Dani’s breasts, slowly traveling to her belly, then shoved crudely between her legs. Stimulating his already aroused body, he rubbed his erection against the side of her body.

Horror and humiliation caused her eyes to shut, the memory of her rape slamming into her mind, unable to halt the images from shattering her control. Tears slipped from her eyes. This couldn’t be happening again.

When Jace saw his wife’s descent into her private hell, the precarious control he’d leashed so tightly snapped. All the rampant rage inside erupted as he violently thrust his body at Henry and grabbed the hand holding the knife, preventing him from using it on his wife.

Knocked to the floor from the force of Jace’s attack, Dani pushed herself up to try to help him, but Barbara pulled her out of harm’s way. Terror like she’d never felt before swooped down and slashed her with its sharp talons, ripping her heart apart. She watched, helpless, as they grappled over the knife, rolling on the floor, fighting for possession. Unable to tell who had possession of the knife, she watched intently, not wanting to see but not being able to take her eyes off them.

Tony and Barbara had their weapons drawn, but were unable to take a shot without the possibility of injuring Jace. They stood powerlessly watching the scenario, waiting for a window of opportunity to shoot.

Jace and Henry continued to struggle for the knife when all of a sudden they stopped. Dani’s breath caught in her throat and her hand unconsciously clasping her throat as she waited to see who the victor was. Neither man moved for a few seconds, then Jace stood up and turned toward Dani, a look of disbelief on his face, his hand holding the knife protruding from his chest. He fell to the floor in a heap.

The breath stuck in Dani’s throat erupted in a scream of fury so full of agony it sounded like it came from the bowels of hell. Thrusting herself at Henry, she raked her nails down his face, exposing half of his cheek. He backhanded her, sending her to the floor. As he moved to attack her again, two shots rang out. The smell of gunpowder filled the air as Barbara and Tony kept their smoking guns aimed at Henry.

With a staggering step, Henry fell to the floor, dead, one bullet in his chest and one in the center of his forehead.

Dani needed to stay overnight at the hospital for observation, but refused to be taken to a room until Jace was out of surgery. For two grueling hours, she waited with her father and the bodyguards until the surgeon appeared to give them his prognosis.

“Mrs. Diamond? I’m Dr. Stewart. Your husband had some damage from the stab wound, but luckily no vital organs were injured. He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s going to be all right. We’ve placed him in intensive care for the night, so we can keep a close eye on his vital signs, but I think we’ll be able to move him to a regular room tomorrow if he’s stable all night.”

Dani hugged the doctor. “Thank you for saving him.”

“You need to think about you and your baby now and get some rest,” he replied. A nurse appeared with a wheel chair and stopped next to the doctor. “You need to go with the nurse now so she can set you up in a room.”

Tears trickled from her eyes. “Please, Dr. Stewart, is it possible to be put in the same room as my husband? I’m not going to be able to rest because I’ll worry about him all night.”

“If you promise you will lie down and rest, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Dr. Stewart returned a few minutes later. “We’ve set up a bed for you in your husband’s room so you can take care of yourself at the same time. But if you don’t rest, I’ve left instructions to move you to another room. Clear?”

“Yes. Thank you for being so kind.”

He touched her shoulder. “Now let’s go see your husband.”

Sunlight sifted through the slats in the window, shining light on Dani’s cheek. Her eyes opened slowly as she felt the warmth of the sun kissing her skin. She stretched and the soreness of her body reminded her of her ordeal. She moaned when she sat up quickly, feeling the pain radiate throughout her body. Moving more slowly so the aches would die down to a dull thud, she stood up to check on Jace. He’d slept restlessly during the night.

She brushed a kiss on his forehead and his eyes opened, taking a few seconds to focus. He turned his head toward her, as if trying to determine if she was real. His hand lifted toward her as she looked intently at him.

“How are you feeling?” Jace looked like he’d been through the wringer.

“You’re here. I’m not dreaming.” He touched her cheek as if to make sure.