Chapter Four
With a head full of steam, Reed stomped downstairs and into the kitchen for a beer. Normally he wouldn’t drink but he wasn’t on guard duty tonight and frankly, he needed the alcohol. What he really wanted was a double whiskey but that was out of the question.
The maple wood floors were cold under his bare feet. He should have stopped to put on a pair of socks, but he’d been so damn mad he could barely think straight. Did the woman that he loved actually believe that having a baby was more important to him than she was? It appeared that she did.
He didn’t remember any abandoning going on, either.
Sure, he’d gone off by himself for a little while to lick his wounds. He’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he’d been caught off guard by the news and he’d been justifiably upset. The doctor had been so calm and reassuring up to that point, although with each subsequent visit the news had become grimmer and grimmer. It was only human to be depressed when you’d wanted something so badly and found out it was never going to happen. He hadn’t left her. He’d been there. He was sure of it.
He had to wonder, however, if he was pretending not to care? Was he in deep denial? Was Kaylee seeing something inside of him that he didn’t know about himself? That couldn’t be the case. He wasn’t the most introspective guy, but he’d know if he resented his wife for not being able to get pregnant.
And what kind of guy would be like that? An asshole.
I am not an asshole. I’m a good husband.
But he was well aware that when he’d met Kaylee she hadn’t been able to trust him at all. It had taken a huge leap of faith for her to believe in him and his love. He’d thought after all this time together she’d be past all of that, but just when he thought something was dead and buried it popped up out of the grave again. She hadn’t had much luck with men staying when things weren’t good. Now she believed he wanted out because everything wasn’t perfect. He didn’t know how to convince her that she was wrong.
Twisting the cap off of the beer bottle, he tossed it into the trash can and sat down at the table near the window. Mike and Jared were out there tonight, watching the perimeter while Amy took up guard inside. Reed would take his turn tomorrow. That’s why he was here. To keep Ava, Logan, and the kids safe. Not to repair his wounded marriage. That had been a hope but not a very realistic one. They both had to want it and clearly Kaylee didn’t.
“Can’t sleep?”
Looking up from his beer, Reed was startled to see Amy standing in the kitchen doorway. She was probably just making the rounds and checking in with Mike to see if everything was okay.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind. Thought a beer might help me fall asleep.”
“Want to talk about it?”
Amy retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She was an attractive woman around her early to mid-thirties with short dark hair and big brown eyes. Tall and slim, she was in excellent shape due to the physical demands of her job. The muscles in her arms were clearly displayed by the short sleeves of her t-shirt. She gave off an air of efficiency and capability.
But he wasn’t going to spill his guts to a stranger.
“Not particularly.”
She shrugged and sat down opposite him at the table. “That’s fine. I was just being polite anyway. You don’t really strike me as the ‘let’s talk about our feelings’ kind of guy.”
“I’m not.”
“Okay, we’ll talk about something else because I get bored when I have to stay up all night. How about football? Or baseball? Do you like sports?”
Taking another deep draw from the bottle, Reed took the time to study the woman sitting across from him. A dedicated agent and everyone seemed to like her. She knew her job and didn’t have to be babysat by any of them.
It had been a long time. He wasn’t getting any damn younger and he was rarely in situations alone with an attractive woman. Searching his brain, he couldn’t remember the last time and warning bells were going off in his head.
Drink your beer and get out of here. Nothing good can come from this.
“No, I don’t like sports.”
It was a lie, but it seemed like a good idea not to encourage this any further. Even if she was only being nice.
“Are you one of those video game types?”
His marriage might be in shambles, but he wasn’t looking for a replacement. Or a fling. Amy probably wasn’t either, but he wasn’t one to tempt fate.
“Work.”
“You look like the dedicated type. I bet you’re a workaholic.” Amy looked up at the ceiling. “Does your wife not like it when you work so much? Anyone outside of law enforcement just doesn’t understand.”
“That’s a personal question.”
Kaylee had always been supportive of the time he’d spent at work. She was dedicated to her own job, too.
“I’m sorry. You seem unhappy. It’s none of my business. I was just trying to help.”
At one point, Reed would have said that the woman upstairs understood him better than he knew himself. She’d given him the time and space to figure out his life and now he wanted to return the favor. He simply hadn’t known how hard it would be.
“I’m fine.”
Her chair scraping loudly against the ceramic tile, Amy stood and screwed the lid on her water bottle. “I’m going to make the rounds. If you want to talk, I’m here.”
His gaze swept her from head to toes. She didn’t seem to be anything but nice.
“I won’t but thanks.”
“That’s fine. Good night.”
Amy left the kitchen and he drank down the last of the beer, tossing it in the trash as he stood. It was time to get out of here. The bedroom might be frosty and cold but down here was worse in a far different way.
How do I make her see that I love her?
* * * *
Logan wasn’t asleep when he heard the soft knock on his bedroom door. He’d barely slept since Tanner and all of his other sheriff friends had come to get them from the house in Corville and placed them into protective custody. He wasn’t worried about their safety. Not much, anyway. He trusted his friends with his life. No, it was his brain that was the problem. His mind was far too active to allow restful sleep. Constantly thinking about what Wade was going to do next and where he might be. Catching him sooner rather than later would be best. Wade didn’t care who he hurt and would surely wage a path of destruction a mile wide until he was safely behind bars again.
Ava must not have been sleeping well either because she sighed and levered up from the mattress slightly, pushing her long hair out of her face. “Someone’s at the door.”
“I know. Go back to sleep.”
She was already shaking her head no. So stubborn. “It could be the kids.”
“The kids wouldn’t bother to knock, babe. Go back to sleep.”
Of course, she didn’t listen worth a damn. She tugged on her robe while he strode to the door, pulling it open a crack to see who was on the other side.
Jared, wearing a fucking grim expression on his face. Wade had done something and it wasn’t good. Hopefully not too many innocent people had been hurt.
“I knew you’d want to know right away,” Jared said. “Tanner and Seth found the vehicle that was thought to be stolen by Wade. Marilyn was in the trunk. Dead. Shot in the head.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Marilyn wasn’t completely innocent, but she hadn’t deserved this. It was a lesson though in that if you run with danger and evil it just might bite back at you. Logan had had a bad feeling all along about what Wade would do with Marilyn when she wasn’t useful anymore. He wished he’d been wrong. He’d wanted to find Marilyn alive for many reasons, not the least of which was to hear what all she knew about Wade’s plan once he’d broken out of prison.
Turning to where Ava stood behind him, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Go back to bed. I’m going downstairs to talk to Tanner and look at those maps again. Maybe I’ll see something I didn’t see before.”
His beautiful but sleepy wife pointed to the clock on the bedside table. “It’s almost five in the morning. I might as well get up and start some breakfast. I’m guessing that everyone but Kaylee and the kids are awake because of this news.”
“I haven’t woken Reed yet, but he was my next stop,” Jared replied. “But yes, we’re awake. I can make breakfast, though. It’s no big deal.”
“I seriously doubt I could go back to sleep after that morbid news,” Ava said crisply. “I’ll head downstairs and start the coffee. Sounds like it needs to be strong.”
Ava headed downstairs while Logan and Jared woke Reed. They’d tried to be quiet but of course Kaylee woke up as well. Just like Ava, she insisted on going downstairs to help cook breakfast. The three men headed straight to the office where Mike and Amy had Tanner, Seth, and Evan Davis on the phone. Evan sounded surprisingly chipper but then Logan realized it was two hours later in Florida.
“If you’re worried, we can bring everyone down here,” Logan heard Evan say as they entered the room. “Wade can’t get on a plane and it would take him a few days to travel here. No way could he head here and not be noticed.”
“Hey Evan,” Logan greeted the marshal-turned-sheriff-turned thriller novelist. “I appreciate the offer but we’re trying not to venture too far from home in case I’m needed here for the manhunt. But I’m going to think about sending Ava and the kids down there. That might be a good idea.”
“They’d never leave,” Reed said. “You’d have to drug Ava and tie her up to get her to go.”
“True, but I’m not above doing that if I think she’ll be safer. She’s stubborn as a mule but if she thinks the kids will be better protected down there then she’ll go. I’ll talk to her about it.”
“Whatever you decide is fine with me,” Evan said. “You’re always welcome here, whether it be just Ava and the twins or all four of you along with your protective detail. We also have several retired marshals in this area that would be glad to lend a hand as well. They’re bored as shit.”
“Is Tanner on the phone, too?” Logan asked.
“I am. Seth’s also here.”
“I’m not sure what you’ve already reported–”
“Not much,” Tanner interrupted. “I was saving the details for you, if you’re ready.”
Jared was recording the call to ensure they didn’t miss any information.
“Go ahead. We’re all here.”
“We got a tip through the phone line that Bryson was spotted at a drive-in restaurant about ten last night thirty miles from Cheyenne. That was in the opposite direction that we were traveling so we had to turn around. By the time we got to the area we drove down a two-lane side road that we thought would be a good route for Bryson. It was also near the drive-in he’d been seen at. We found the vehicle abandoned on the side of the road. Marilyn was in the trunk. One tap to the temple. I doubt she saw it coming.”
Logan doubted that as well. Marilyn had trusted Wade for some God only knows reason. It had cost the psychiatrist her life.
“Any indication as to what direction he’s headed or his mode of transport?”
“We’re checking out the stolen car reports in this area. There’s one that looks the most promising. A 2015 Chevy Tahoe truck. Black. We just talked to the owner and he said that he’d darkened the windows which would be just what Bryson would want.”
“Hardly low profile,” Reed murmured. “A vehicle like that is going to call attention to itself.”
“And that’s what Wade wants,” Logan said. “He’s just getting started. Frankly, I’m shocked it’s taken him this long to kill Marilyn. I predict very bad things happening from here and the time in between will get shorter and shorter.”
“Agreed,” Jared replied, that grim expression back in place. “Wade Bryson is like a ticking time bomb, and he’s definitely going to explode. Have you been in touch with Jason’s team?”
“We have,” Tanner confirmed. “They’re making a turn and heading toward us. From here we’ll split up, taking two of the most likely paths. Logan, I don’t suppose you have any wisdom there? Is there anywhere in this area that Wade would want to go to? Any place that he might know someone or feel safe?”
Logan had been asking himself that question since this whole fucking mess began. “I’m going to go back to the maps and try again. Nothing comes to mind right now but I’m not going to give up. There has to be something I’m missing. One thing I do know is that he has to have more help than we knew about. He wouldn’t have killed Marilyn until he had someone else. Maybe he picked up someone right after. It would have to be someone he trusted and that means they’re probably not on the right side of the law.”
“We can help with that,” Amy said, speaking for the first time in the conversation. Mike wasn’t much of a talker, but Amy usually didn’t hold back. “We’ll use our database and find any ex-cons from the prison who live in that area.”
“Also check for people who worked at the prison,” Logan instructed. “We’ve seen that he has power over people and can convince them to do things that they might not normally do.”
“You act like he has some sort of freaky mind control,” Mike laughed. “He’s just a man.”
“A man that convinced a woman who had never even had a traffic ticket to kill for him,” Logan said, his teeth snapping together in frustration. This should have been over by now. He should be back in Seattle with his family enjoying the summer. “Don’t underestimate Wade Bryson. I did, and he almost killed me. He doesn’t have any conscience. We’re like insects to him, only to be squashed when we get in the way. And eventually he’s not even going to care who is a threat to him. He’ll start killing because he enjoys it. He gets off on it.”
“You sound very sure,” Amy said. “We can only hope that you’re not right. We don’t need any other casualties in this situation.”
Situation was a piss-poor way to describe the clusterfuck that they were smack dab in the middle of right now. Innocent people were almost certainly going to be hurt or killed.
“I hope that I’m wrong, but I don’t think that I am. Wade’s selection of vehicle tells me that he wants attention and to show off a little. That’s not good news.”
“So what’s our next move?” Tanner asked. “We’re going to follow our gut unless you tell us otherwise.”
“For now, continue. I’ll keep looking and researching. Let’s talk again in about three hours.”
That’s what Logan’s world had come down to. Three-hour increments and a fucking sociopath on the loose.