Chapter Twenty-One
Logan and Jared lay at the top of the hill behind some trees and silently observed the camp below – an ancient, rundown cabin that barely looked able to stand up on its own with a truck parked in front and an old sedan in back. An armed man lounged on a rickety wooden chair by the front door…a door that had only been used once since they’d been watching.
Wade had gone through that door.
As Logan had predicted he’d found Wade, although his childhood friend had made it exponentially easier when he’d made the mistake of ambushing them at the airfield. That move had tipped his hand and Logan had been able to trail them to this location in the mountains. Wade had never been much of an outdoorsman and this camp wasn’t the best choice for an on the run serial killer.
It was surrounded on three sides by higher ground and the only way to drive out was one road. It practically begged to be invaded by law enforcement. That might have been why Wade chose it, of course. He had fantasies of a testosterone-filled hail of gunfire, perhaps some hand to hand combat, then he wanted to personally kill Logan. Preferably slow and painful, although he’d do it quick too if he needed to. After all, that’s how he’d dispatched the other Bryson males.
Logan wasn’t about to let any of that happen. Wade wasn’t going to allow himself to go back to prison and he didn’t give a shit about innocent lives – as evidenced by the fact that Kaylee was in the hospital fighting for her life at the moment. No, Logan had something far more low-key in mind.
Silently elbowing Jared, Logan pointed over his shoulder. They needed to discuss what they wanted to do now. He had his ideas, but he wasn’t averse to listening to his best friends. They climbed over the top of the hill and then down the other side to where the SUV was waiting.
“Do you think Amy and Mike might be alive in that cabin?” Jared asked as they drove away. Logan didn’t want them to be caught unawares that close to their camp. They’d take up a position near the lone road in and out but far enough away not to be seen. Eventually, Logan would need to watch the camp closely, taking note of the habits and movements. Only then could he formulate a final plan.
“It’s possible,” Logan replied, his fingers tapping a beat on the steering wheel. “That’s why I think we need to rule out going in with guns blazing. We could do that and we’d win as we have more men, but I don’t want innocent people losing their lives if we can avoid that.”
At least he thought they outnumbered the bad guys. Wade could have another team somewhere nearby, but Logan’s gut was telling him that Wade was a loner. He would only trust a few people. It wasn’t in his nature to build an army. He’d create a duo or trio and then get rid of them when they no longer served their purpose. Just like Marilyn. Then he’d go in search of another ally and the cycle would start all over again.
“What are we going to do about the leak?”
Rubbing at his temple, Logan grimaced at the question. “I’ve been asking myself that since the airfield. Clearly, the marshals have a leak. We just don’t know who it is. My feeling is that if we tell the marshals we’ve found Wade somehow he’s going to slip out of the noose and get away. I can’t imagine how but I can’t trust them. I think until we know who the leak is we need to keep this to ourselves.”
“And hope we find Amy and Mike alive.”
There was always hope but knowing Wade? The chances weren’t in their favor.
* * * *
Reed didn’t know how long he’d been sitting on the hard plastic chair next to Kaylee’s hospital bed. Time was all messed up inside this building with its gray walls and antiseptic smell. With the blinds drawn it could have been day or night, summer or winter. He didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. The only thing that did was lying on that bed unconscious, and it was all his fault.
He’d been greedy, arrogant, and only thinking of himself when Kaylee had told him she was coming along to help Ava with the twins. He’d wanted a chance to spend time with her, try and repair their broken marriage and he’d managed to do that.
But at what cost? The price was far too high.
He should have never let her go and insisted she stay home and be safe even if it meant that they never worked out their issues. Better her to be alive and not with him than the alternative.
He’d made a deal with whatever god might be listening. If Kaylee would only survive, he’d back off. He’d give her whatever space she wanted and if she wanted a divorce then he’d give it to her. When she woke up, she would have every reason to blame him for what had happened and he’d take whatever anger she had because he deserved it. He was the cop. He was supposed to know better.
He didn’t hear the door open until Griffin was standing next to him holding out a paper cup of coffee. Steam rose from the contents and the aroma made his empty stomach lurch. The combined smell of coffee, rubbing alcohol, and sickness did nothing for his appetite.
Griffin pulled up another plastic chair and sat down next to Reed. “It’s not very good coffee but it might help you stay awake.”
Reed didn’t need any help. He might never sleep again.
“Thanks.” He accepted the cup because it would have been ill-mannered to do anything else. “Did Tanner and Seth leave?”
Griffin nodded. “Just a few minutes ago. Logan didn’t want to go into details but they’ve found the camp. Now they watch and learn the schedule, formulate a plan.”
Acid churned in Reed’s gut and bile rose in his throat. He’d never hated many people in his life, always thought it was a waste of time and energy, but he hated Wade Bryson with a fire in his belly that he hadn’t even known existed in the world. He’d gladly kill the man with his bare hands with a smile on his face the entire time he was doing it. No regrets. Bryson was a blight on humanity and Reed would be doing the world a favor by taking him out of it.
If Kaylee died, there wouldn’t be a safe place for Bryson to hide in this universe. Reed would make it his life’s mission to–
“Reed,” Griffin said loudly. “Are you listening to me?”
No, he hadn’t been. He’d been thinking about revenge.
“Sorry, what were you saying?”
“I was saying that Evan, Josie, and the twins made it to Florida. They called and Ava got to talk to Colt and Brianna. Evan is taking them to the beach. He said the kids didn’t really see anything. They were elbow deep in chocolate and toys. They did hear the gunfire though which Josie explained away as sounds from the airplane engine. Who really knows if they bought it?”
“They should probably go see a counselor after what happened,” Reed replied wryly. “But I guess the ocean is supposed to be healing, too.”
“I’m sure Ava and Logan will do that,” Griffin said. “They’re good parents.”
“They are,” Reed agreed. “You and Jazz would be good parents.”
It was an idle observation, one that Reed had made to keep Griffin from asking tough questions like what the doctor had said.
She was lucky. We repaired the damage and replaced the blood she lost. It’s up to Kaylee now. Is your wife a fighter?
That’s what the doctor had said.
Kaylee was a fighter, but it was hard to fight and be tough when she was lying in a hospital bed, needles and tubes coming out of her arm and hooked up to monitors. She was as white as the sheet she was lying on, her auburn hair a flame around her pale features. Every now and then she’d sigh or gasp and Reed would come out of his chair, hoping against hope that she’d wake up and every time he’d been disappointed.
It’s up to Kaylee now.
Come back to me, honey. I need you.
I can’t lose another person I love. Not again.
“We’re not going to have any children,” Griffin said, taking a sip of his coffee. “I don’t mind kids or anything, but I grew up in a full house and it’s just not something I want in my adult years.”
Griffin was one of about a billion kids in his family and everyone knew that he liked his peace and quiet, but when Jazz had started that theatre group for the kids in the county everyone had just assumed that they would have a couple of children.
Just as everyone had assumed that Reed and Kaylee would have kids.
Staring down at his rapidly cooling coffee, Reed tried to take a drink but his tight throat made it almost impossible to swallow. He ended up coughing and wiping the coffee from his chin.
Griffin slapped at Reed’s back. “Easy there. Just sip it, buddy. Take it slow.”
“I’m okay. It was just hotter than I expected.”
Kaylee hadn’t moved despite all the fuss and noise. Her chest rose and fell evenly, her features in peaceful repose.
“Right. So, can I get you something to eat?”
“I’m good.”
Apparently that answer wasn’t what Griffin wanted to hear. “When was the last time you ate? You should eat something. You won’t be any good to anyone if you don’t eat.”
Reed didn’t have enough fingers to count the number of times someone had come into this room and said the exact same thing. He was damn tired of it.
“Stop acting like my mother.”
“I’m just trying–”
He’d had enough. There were too many people telling him what to do, what to say, and how to feel. They all thought they knew what he was feeling. They didn’t know shit.
“Leave me the fuck alone,” Reed said, pushing the chair back so the legs scraped against the gray tile. “I just want to be left alone. Can’t you see that?”
“Yes, and that’s why we’re not doing it.”
“Fuck you.”
Griffin had almost a dozen siblings and a myriad of cousins and he wasn’t going to be put off by Reed being an asshole.
“Fuck you, too. We’re just trying to help you.”
“Maybe I don’t need help.”
“Maybe you need so much help you don’t even realize it. You’re sitting here swimming in self-pity and that, my friend, isn’t doing Kaylee a bit of good so fucking stop it.”
Leaping to his feet, Reed got into Griffin’s face. Nose to nose. Man to man. It felt good to actually do something, even if it was only feel a little anger.
“Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you! I’m not swimming in self-pity but if I was, wouldn’t it be justified? I might lose another wife. That would be two while you’re still on number one, you son of a bitch.”
“And that’s not fair,” Griffin agreed. “Not fair at all and I cannot imagine what hell you’re going through.”
“Then why are you acting this way?”
“Because I’m thinking about Kaylee. You’re thinking about you.”
The intimation that Reed wasn’t thinking about the woman he loved before himself was just the match to the fuse that he needed to go off. Before he could stop himself, he’d punched Griffin right on the jaw, sending him staggering back a few steps.
“Do you feel better now?” Griffin laughed, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’d hit you back, but this is a goddamn hospital and your wife is lying there fighting for her life. A little fact you seemed to forget for a moment. I’ll put that punch in the bank though so when you least expect it, expect it, asshole.”
His face hot, Reed sat back down heavily in the chair. He had forgotten where he was for a moment and he wasn’t proud of that. And now his hand hurt.
“I don’t feel better,” he admitted, rubbing at the reddened knuckles. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are, but you still owe me a free shot. Listen to me because I’m getting tired of trying to help your ungrateful ass. You’re awash in guilt and self-pity and that’s not going to help Kaylee. It’s indulgent and selfish to do this. It doesn’t help her or you, by the way, it only serves to put distance between the two of you. It’s not your fault Kaylee was shot. There. I said it out loud.”
“How did you know–”
“It’s written all over your face, and also Tanner made a few remarks before he left. We can all see it and I can assure that it’s not a productive emotion. Guilt fools you. It makes you think you’re doing a whole bunch, but in reality you’re just swimming laps in a riptide and getting pulled under. Next thing you know you have to fight to get to the surface or be drowned by it.”
It was almost exactly what Reed and Ava had said to Kaylee this week. It appeared he’d come full circle. Now he was the one wracked with guilt. Griffin was right. It would only put a barrier between Reed and Kaylee when they’d just knocked the last one down.
“If I’d said no when she wanted to come–”
“She would have come anyway,” Griffin finished for him. “Let’s face it. We’re not exactly married to shrinking violets. Our women kick ass. They’re stubborn and brave and fiercely loyal. Kaylee would have come to help Ava because that’s what friends do. I’m here, aren’t I? I could be fishing, you know.”
No one loved their quiet fishing trips more than Griffin.
“I just want her to be okay.”
“She will be. She’s tough and she loves you. The important thing,” Griffin went on, “is not to let shit like that fester inside of you. Let it out. If something is bothering you, talk about it. Express your feelings.”
“That sounds horrifying.”
“I know it does, doesn’t it? But being with Jazz has changed me. She’s all about getting in touch with our feelings and talking through them. Being introspective and getting to the root of issues. At first, I thought it was kind of stupid but she’s on to something here, man. This shit works and I’d be the first to tell you that I thought it was New Age touchy-feely crap.”
“It is New Age touchy-feely crap.”
“Well, women like it. You going to be a Neanderthal your whole life?”
“Maybe.” He paused before going on. “I can’t lose her, Griffin. If I do… Fuck, I can’t even imagine it.”
Actually, he could and it wasn’t pretty. He’d lost Julie and it had taken him years to recover. He didn’t think he’d come back from it a second time.
“Good. Keep your thoughts positive. That’s what Jazz would say. She’d send all that positivity into the universe.”
Reed wanted to believe. If he lost Kaylee, it would be like a hand reaching into his chest and ripping out his heart.
Come back to me, honey. I love you so much.