Out Of Control (39 page)

Dana’s
head rocked back against the seat, then fell sideways and hit the window glass.
She blinked hard to clear her vision. She couldn’t die now. Not when she had
just found Cole and was finally able to start living.

****

Cole
skidded his truck to a stop at the intersection of a state road and a
farm-to-market road where he’d asked everyone but the chopper and Scott to meet
him. They were all standing there waiting for him. He could barely get the
words out to tell them that the person they were after was his Uncle Tate.

The
man who’d married his mother’s sister.

The
man who had been like a second father to him for so many years.

Had
talked him into taking this fucking job!

He
was barely finished speaking when he heard his radio crackle and picked up the
mic to answer.

“This
is Scott. The chopper followed him as far as Fandango Road, but there’s no way
he didn’t notice it. He pulled off the highway into thick trees and we lost
him.”

Cole
fingers tightened on the mic. “Tell me exactly where you lost him.”

He
listened to the information. What was it that was tickling the back of his mind?
Something from when he was a kid. Someplace…

“I’ve
got it.” He turned to Andi. “Let me see your copy of those aerial maps.”

Andi
reached into her car and pulled it from the dashboard. Cole grabbed it, spread it
out on the hood of the SUV, and jammed his finger in one spot.

“Right
here in these trees. I remember an old cabin the cowboys used to use when they
were riding fence line. It was long before they started using trucks and ATVs.”
He smacked his head. “And Jesus. Oh Jesus. It’s got an old well behind it.” He
spoke into the mic again. “Scott, remember we talked about…”

But
he couldn’t finish. The thought of what they’d probably find in the old well
nearly made him lose the coffee he’d just finished.

Andi
took the mic from him. “Deke, patch me through to the chopper.” When Gaylen
answered, she said, “Give these coordinates to George. We need to get started
from where we are right away.”

“I’ve
got them,” Gaylen answered. “Tell Cole we’re on our way.”

Cole
took the mic back. “It’s dark. Can the chopper do this at night?”

Scott
actually allowed himself a chuckle. “Give George a compass and coordinates and
he can fly the Alps blindfolded at midnight. Just tell me the best way to
approach the place from where I am now.”

Cole
gave him the information, then tossed the mic back in his car. He buried his
face in his hands, trying to find some semblance of control. “Jesus, Andi, he’s
got her…He’s…Oh, God.”

“We’ll
get to her in time, boss.” She squeezed his arm. “Come on. Let’s get moving.”

****

Dana’s
head ached unbearably. Tate had tired of her cursing him and yanked a
foul-smelling cloth out of the console, pressing it against her nose until she
passed out again. She’d lifted her manacled hands to grab at his arm, but the
anesthetic had worked too quickly.

She
didn’t want to open her eyes now, but she had to see where she was. No cedar
smell this time, so he wasn’t using the old barn. No doubt that place had been
written off after the teenage boys had discovered it. Pushing hard to lift her
eyelids, she saw Tate standing in front of her, a frightening grin on his face.
Carefully she slid her eyes from left to right. They were in a cabin. An old
one from the looks of it.

She
tried to sit up and discovered her hands and feet were tied to the bed. Goose
bumps stippled her flesh and when she lifted her head to look, she was stark
naked.

“That’s
right, Dana. Or should I say, Carrie. Oh, yes. I know who you are. One good
look and I knew.” He cackled. “Although you aren’t nearly as appealing as when you
were a little girl. Still, I can take my pleasure.” He rubbed his hands
together. “So. Let the games begin.”

Anger
welled up from deep inside her. This was the man who had turned her entire life
into a living emotional hell. The rage surged over the fear.

“You
don’t scare me anymore,” she taunted. “You’re nothing but an old man who gets
off on torturing people. Hell, you don’t even torture people. You torture
helpless little girls who can’t fight back. What do you think that makes you?
You think that makes you a man? What kind of man gets off hurting helpless
little girls?”

His
face hardened. “You don’t want to provoke me, Carrie. That makes me very angry.”

“If
you’re smart, you’ll just let me go and get the hell out of here. You know Cole’s
hot on your trail.”

“Even
if he remembers this place, it will take him so long to find it again it won’t
much matter by the time he gets here. Now shut up. I don’t want to have to hit
you again.”

“Oh,
as if you brought me here for a friendly visit.”

“Friendly?”
He laughed. “My dear, I can be very, very friendly.”

Tate
sat down next to her on the bed and ran his hand over her, from shoulder to
knee. It was difficult, but she made herself not flinch.

“Your
breasts are certainly much bigger now. And such delightful nipples.” He took
the left one in his fingers and twisted it as hard as he could.

Dana
clenched her teeth together and swallowed her scream. She wouldn’t give him the
satisfaction.

“We’ll
see just how long you last when the fun really starts.” He licked his lips and began
to sing. “There was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle
of her forehead…”

****

“We
need to do this carefully.” Cole was in the chopper on the radio with Scott,
who’d switched places with Gaylen at the rendezvous.

“Of
course.” Scott was now riding with Gaylen and one other deputy. “As deranged as
this guy is, and knowing the game is up, if we come in with the chopper, he
could decide to shoot her and take off into the woods.”

Thanks
to Cole’s memory, they were able to spot the cabin from the air, and he was
directing the five vehicles from the air since the building was almost
completely hidden from sight. But the helo stayed far enough away so if Tate
happened to look, they’d just be a speck in the sky.

“Remember,”
Cole continued, “I’m pretty sure he’s still got sensors around the cabin. He’s
a nut about them. Has them all around the ranch house. The deer are always
setting them off and driving my aunt crazy. We need NVGs to be able to spot
them.”

“Got
‘em in the bag I brought along,” Scott told him. “Ask and ye shall receive.
What’s your idea? I’m up for anything.”

“I’ll
tell George where to set me down and give you the spot to meet us. Pass it
along to the others. The cabin is two miles in from the road where we’ll land.”

“Got
it,” Scott told him.

“We
can’t all go at the same time. We’d make too much noise and besides, someone
would be sure to set off the sensors. But I can lead you in with me. When we
get Dana out of there, we can call in the troops. Not until then.”

“Are
you sure the two of us can do this?”

“You’re
the big bad fed, right? Who else do I need?”

“Yeah,
right. Okay. You call the shots unless I see it going south.”

“That
won’t happen,” Cole assured him.

But
the panic still gripped him.

Oh,
baby, hang in there. Please don’t let him get to you. Be strong. I know you can
do it. Dana. Dana.

Cole
repeated her name over and over as he tried to center his mind on what was
about to happen.

George
set them down in the pasture Cole indicated, and he dropped to the ground. In a
moment, the car with Scott and Gaylen bumped along with its headlights off.
Scott was out almost before it stopped.

“Here.”

He
handed Cole a pair of NVGs, putting on a pair himself, and Gaylen passed out
radios and flashlights. Cole ran through the plan he’d formulated, letting
Gaylen know he was leaving him in charge of everyone else.

“The
others should be here any minute,” he told the senior deputy. “Tell them what’s
happening. Remember. Do not head in until I call you. There’s no telling what
this maniac will do if there’s a bunch of people thundering through the woods.”

“And
if we hear shots?” Gaylen asked.

“If
I yell for help, you have my permission to proceed. Not until then. Okay,
Scott. Ready?”

The
agent checked his gun, made sure a round was chambered, and nodded. “Let’s go.”

Chapter
Forty

Dana
found her mind drifting back to the barn where Kylie had been killed and she’d
barely survived. He’d had all the power back then, but not anymore.

She
knew better now. She was no longer a seven-year-old little girl. She was a
woman who knew her own mind, and she knew this man was one sick bastard. She
wasn’t going to let history repeat itself, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to
let him kill her. She was stronger this time. She was even stronger than him.
Cole had given her that strength. She’d find a way to hold herself together
until he could get here.

Even
letting the monster grope her wasn’t so bad as long as she let her mind go
somewhere else. Pretend it wasn’t happening. She looked at the ceiling made of
chinked logs and began counting each of the logs. When she’d counted them twice,
she began on the walls.

“If
you think your lack of response will make me stop, little girl, you’re very
much mistaken. It does, in fact, urge me to more bizarre actions to stimulate
you.” He gave that high cackle again she was familiar with. “But that will be
lots of fun, won’t it, little girl? I didn’t tape your mouth like I did the
others, you know. If you are to be my last enjoyment, I want to hear every
exciting scream.”

He
walked over to the dresser, opened a drawer, and took out a large box. When he
came back to the bed and showed her his toys, she finally knew real fear.

****

They
crept slowly through the trees, watching for the sensors through the NVGs. Cole
said they’d be on the surface, made of metal and easy to spot with the goggles.
As they got closer to the cabin, the little dots of titanium began to glow in
the green light.

Calling
on memories from years before, Cole led them in a zigzag pattern avoiding the
sensors and taking them around to the front of the cabin, which faced away from
them. Tate’s truck was parked in the small clearing. Light from one lamp
spilled into the woods, and they crouched low, scuttling below the window to
avoid being seen.

They
had just tiptoed up to the porch when a scream split the night and Cole’s blood
turned ice cold.

****

Dana
watched the man as he moved about the cabin. Every so often, he’d stop by the
bed, reach over and pinch her nipples. The pain was so bad she couldn’t stifle
the scream that ripped from her throat.

“I
love that sound,” he crooned. “And I’ve just gotten started. Oh, yes, I expect
you’ll be screaming until the lovely little throat is raw.”

When
he picked up a single razor blade, Dana felt the nausea rise at the back of her
throat.

“There
was a little girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead…”

Tate
Bishop was so busy focusing on her, he never heard the door crash in until it
was too late.

Cole
leaped on him like a madman, knocking the razor blade loose. His hands were
around Tate’s throat, squeezing, squeezing, squeezing. Tate tried to grab his
wrists and pull him away, but Cole just squeezed harder.

Dana
tried to turn her body to hide her nakedness from the stranger who entered with
Cole, but he got to her first and covered her with his jacket. Tears rolled
down her cheeks, tears of relief as much as pain.

“Cole.
Cole, damn it.” The stranger pressed his arm around Cole’s neck to pull him
back, at the same time yanking his radio from his belt. “Come in, everyone.
Jesus, get your asses here right now.”

“I’m
going to kill the bastard.” Cole’s voice was rough and thick. “I’m going to
fucking kill him.”

“Think
of Dana.” The man pulled harder. “Cole, look at her. She needs you. Come on,
man.”

“Cole?”
The word came out as a croak from her raw throat.

Cole
blinked hard, looked at her then slowly released Tate and moved to the bed,
leaving the stranger to cuff Tate. “Oh, Dana. Oh, sweetheart. Jesus, God. Let
me get you out of here.”

He
pulled out a pocketknife, opened it, and sliced through the ropes binding her. Then
he picked her up gently in his arms.

“Scott.”
He shouted at the other man in the room. “Get that damn chopper to land in the
clearing. I need to get her to the hospital. Now.”

“On
its way.”