Rescue Me (39 page)

And he wanted kids, damn it. Tons of them. He
wanted little boys who loved the water like their daddy and little
girls who could break hearts with their smile. Just like their
mommy. He wanted the fairytale, just like Kathryn.

Why the hell had it taken him this long to
realize that?

* * * *

Kat paced the living quarters of the boat and
blew out a long breath. The constant rocking made her queasy. Maybe
she should eat something.

Of all the times for her appetite to kick in.
Still, she had nothing else to do. She was bored, and when she got
bored, her mind raced. She didn't want her mind doing a damn thing
right now.

She peeked into the small refrigerator and
pulled out a summer sausage and cuts of cheese. Suddenly famished,
she ate everything already cut and worked on cutting more.

A terrifying thought entered her mind. What
if something did happen to Spencer? She would never see him again.
With all the emotions stirring inside her, her fear of losing him
far outweighed anything else.

Kat wanted to see him, to hear him, just to
know he was okay. She wanted to touch him again, to love him. Above
all, she wanted to tell him she loved him. It didn't matter if he
married her or not. She loved the stubborn man and always would.
Nothing else mattered. She would take him in any way she could.

It all made sense as her fear made everything
clear. She didn't hate him. She pushed him away so
he
would
hate
her
. Then she could go back to her miserable existence
of blaming him for everything that had ever gone wrong in her life.
But the fact she may never see him again forced her to realize what
her heart had been trying to convince her of all along.

She was in love with a man just as stubborn
as she was. The only way to be truly happy would be by his side for
the rest of her days, regardless of whether they had matching
rings. She brushed her fingers across the compass. Her epiphany
made her warm all over and she couldn't wait to see Spencer again,
just to tell him how she felt. Marriage or not, she planned to
spend the rest of her life with the stubborn ass. She couldn't
imagine another day without him.

The sound of boats slowly moving past kept
Kat on constant alert. What if one of them stopped next to hers?
She wouldn't know what to do. Then again, if it was the police, she
run into their arms and hug them before begging them to help
Spencer.

The last of the boats passing moved out of
range and it grew quiet. Too quiet. The gentle lapping of the water
on the side of the boat wasn't enough. She needed something more to
fill the air.

She went to the radio. Spencer had had it
playing music when they made their trips to the market. There had
to be a simple button to activate it. She spotted a square silver
button with the word 'tuner' over the top and pushed it. The room
filled with the sound of a radio station and her nerves eased.

She settled on her favorite smooth jazz
station. Magazines sat in a rack against the wall and she grabbed
one. After flipping through it, she grabbed another and flipped
through that one. The gentle rocking of the boat relaxed her. The
jazz filling the room oozed into her senses, releasing some of the
tension. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes, wishing she
could call Spencer and check on him.

This was pointless. And boring. She bundled
up and went above deck. The wind whipped at her, nipping at her
ears and nose. As she approached the back of the boat, a light
brighter than the sun appeared and blinded her, preventing her from
seeing the boat it belonged to or any of its occupants. She lifted
a hand to shield her eyes and swallowed hard, her heart now in her
throat.

“Ma'am? Capital PD. Are you all right?”

Oh, thank God. The police.
She waved.
“Yes.”

“You do realize it's not only illegal but
very dangerous to be out here without your navigation light.”

“I'm sorry. I don't even know what that
is.”

“Are you going to be out here long?” The
voice sounded strange. Oddly mechanical.

And oddly familiar.

“I, uh…”

“Would you like me to help you out?”

Kat smiled and it eased some of her angst.
“That would be great.”

The Capital PD boat edged to the side of
Spencer's and Kat's instincts went into high alert. Something
didn't look right. Police boats weren't speedboats. When a man
jumped onto the deck, a startled cry escaped her lips as her blood
cooled.
He
shouldn't be here.
He
didn't even know
where she was. Every alarm in her brain blared.

Run!

Taking a hurried step back, she asked, “What
are you doing here?”

The man answered her by forcing a foul
smelling rag over her nose and mouth. Kat screamed and took a
breath to scream again. Instead, her world collapsed into darkness
as consciousness drained from her.

Spencer did another perimeter sweep before
checking every room inside—again. Still nothing.

Fuck it.
He could keep Kathryn safer
by his side than have her out alone on that water. What a dumb
fucking idea using the boat as a panic room. It seemed like a good
idea at the time.

He marched over to the radio, then he brought
it up to his mouth. “Kathryn?”

No answer.

His heart sank. He tried again, this time a
little louder. “Kathryn?”

Still no answer. Dread twisted his guts to
the point that he almost doubled over. He ran over to the window
and narrowed his eyes. Was that another boat against his?

“Kathryn!” He tried to keep his control, but
fear and anger knotted inside him as the images built in his mind.
He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her.

Just then her cell phone rang and a deep
foreboding settled over him. Where the fuck was it? It rang again
and he raced over to the kitchen counter, and lifted it to his ear.
“Hello?”

“So good to hear your voice again,” a voice
sang over the line, sending the hairs on the back of Spencer's neck
on end.

“Salazar.”
Holy shit.
He knew it, that
bastard had to be involved somehow. He could hardly lift his voice
above a whisper. “Where is she?”

“Ah, right to the point. You see, that's why
I like you. Anyone else would have asked too many questions, but
not a TREX agent like you.”

He fought the urge to squeeze the phone until
it shattered. “If you hurt her—”

“Let's cut to the chase, shall we? You want
to get her back, I want you to come and try.”

“This isn't some fucking game. What are you
trying to prove?”

“You need to pay attention. Now try to keep
up. Let me know if I'm losing you.”

“You son of a bitch,” Spencer seethed, almost
choking on his own words. “Where is she?” It took every last fiber
of his being to keep his emotions in check. He wasn't doing a very
good job at it.

“You're growing impatient. Why don't we
continue this conversation at a later time? Perhaps at her
funeral?”

The thought of Kathryn being taken away from
him permanently gripped his insides. He gritted his teeth and
closed his eyes, swallowing down the howl of rage he wanted to let
loose. “Continue,” he said on the back of a growl.

“Thank you. Now, where was I? Oh yes, I was
about to tell you what you need to do to see her again.” He cleared
his throat. Spencer could almost hear him smile.

“There is a cabin in the Black Hills. I think
you know the one I'm referring to. Up until recently you were a
frequent visitor. Go to the cabin. You'll receive further
instructions once you arrive. And Spence? Come alone or she dies.
Call in TREX and she dies. Basically, if you don't do exactly as I
say, she dies.”

“Fuck!” Spencer shoved the phone deep in his
pocket and ran into his room to grab another handgun. He strapped
it to his calf and threw on his some extra clothes, then ran out to
the bike he kept parked in his garage. After putting on his helmet,
he fired off the engine and sped off.

How could he have been so fucking stupid? By
sending Kathryn out there alone, Spencer played right into this
asshole's game. Salazar had been playing everyone all along.

The bike slipped on a patch of black ice and
his heart lurched, clearing his mind of everything but making it to
the cabin. He'd be no good to Kathryn lying in a ditch.

Fuck it.
He had to get to her. He kept
the bike at a dangerous speed. The higher he went in elevation, the
more treacherous the driving became. It started to rain as soon as
he left his house and the precipitation froze to every already cold
surface. The rain and the wind were needles piercing into any part
of him not adequately covered. He crouched behind the shield but
didn't slow his speed.

By the time he reached the cabin, his entire
body ached from the cold and the way it stiffened his joints. He
jumped off his bike and dropped his helmet as he raced to the cabin
door. “Kathryn!”

He threw the door open and immediately froze
in his tracks, shock and numb, his gaze tracing the sight. Maps
hung on one of the walls. Whiteboards and the passport system
occupied the opposite wall. A table in the middle of the room had a
two-way radio on it. Next to it sat the K-SAR's procedural manual.
Bile hit the roof of his mouth and his chest pinched.

It was an exact recreation of the inside of
K-SAR's Com Van.

“Nice to see you could join us.”

Spencer spun and drew his gun in a single
move. There, appearing out of the shadows with a gun pointed at
Spencer's chest, was Damon Salazar.

Even though he fully expected to see him, the
sight of Salazar had him in a rage. The image of Logan McKoy
sliding down that tree, leaving a trail of blood, surfaced. And
then Lyons, a hole in his forehead because of this fucker. This man
took away Spencer's best friend. If he didn't do something, Salazar
would take Kathryn next.

“Have a seat.” Salazar motioned toward the
table with his gun. Spencer cocked his in response. Salazar glanced
at the barrel of Spencer's gun, a smile slowly spreading on his
face. “I don't think you want to do that. If you want to see your
beloved Ms. Davis again, have a seat.”

Spencer placed his finger on the trigger.

“Do it, Spencer.”

Spencer jerked around at the sound of another
voice. Slowly, numbly, he lowered his gun. A sudden vise pinched
his chest and no matter how hard he gasped, he couldn't take in any
air. There, standing with yet another gun centered on Spencer's
chest, was the one person he knew better than to trust.

“Travis fucking Becker, you son of a bitch.”
Spencer took his time making his way to the table. With each step
he calculated what he'd need to do to kill each of them with or
without a firearm.

Salazar yanked the gun from Spencer's hand.
“Travis has always been Kat's partner, first with the state, then
at K-SAR. It was only right to bring him in on this, her final
search. From what I hear, being lost is nothing new for her. It's
giving her back to the land. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

Shit
. He couldn't stand the thought
her being out there in the cold wilderness alone. Again. She had to
go through it once. She shouldn't have to ever go through it
again.

“You're insane,” Spencer hissed. He sat after
Salazar motioned at the bench again, the end of the pistol steadily
targeted at Spencer's heart. He looked down at the binder, the knot
in the pit of his stomach growing.

He really didn't like having Becker behind
him and wouldn't put it past the asshole to shoot him in the back.
Casually, he turned at the table so he could keep both men in his
peripheral vision.

“I'm not crazy,” Salazar corrected, his
expression hardening. “Just very pissed off.”

Spencer scraped his gaze across Salazar's
face. “That makes two of us.”

“Do you have any idea what you've done? I've
spent years putting this in place all to have it completely fucked
by a set of pretty blue eyes.” Salazar bared his teeth. “Killing
Tommy Miller would have shifted all of the power. Martin Miller
would have done anything to protect the rest of his little
grand
brats
.”

“Too bad Sam Green had a heart.”

“One that is no longer beating,” Salazar
retorted with a grin.

Spencer snarled as he turned to Becker. “And
what's your play in all of this?”

“Help Salazar. Kill you. Get the girl.”

“Aren't you married?”

Becker set his jaw and held out his gun. His
hand shook. This guy had no idea how to shoot. Poor guy. No doubt
as soon as Salazar did whatever he needed to do with him, he'd put
a bullet between his eyes.

Spencer shifted his attention back to
Salazar. “Tell me where she is.”

Salazar pointed at the binder with the gun.
“All in good time.”

“What do you want?”

“Control.
The Order
has it and would
like to keep it that way.”

Wait. That didn't fit. “Aren't you trying to
shift the balance?”

“I'm trying to
keep
the balance just
the way it is. I know you're working with Miller. Your entire
agency is.”

“TREX had never even heard of
the
Order
until Sam Green.”

“Don't lie!” Salazar took a step toward him,
the gun shaking in his hand. Oh, yeah. This guy had no idea what
the fuck he was doing. If Spencer moved fast he'd have Salazar's
gun out of his hands and inside his mouth before the asshole knew
what hit him.

Tensing for the move, Spencer then let out a
breath to cool his nerves. A distinct metallic click stopped
him.

He turned to see Becker arch his brow as he
took a step toward him, the gun fully cocked and his finger on the
trigger. “Don't be stupid, Spencer. You may be able to jump one of
us, but the other would just shoot you.”