Chapter 8

“I’m not happy with you, Alice.”

Aaron sounded like he was even closer. Any second, he’d come through the dining room door and find her. “Do you know how much of my time and money you’ve wasted with your little stunt?”

She spotted the small, waist-high door in the wall that Dee called an elf door. Silently, Sarah darted over to it and pulled the small, glass knob. The old wood stuck, and she had to hold back a frightened sob. There was a creak of a floorboard right outside the dining room door, and Sarah gave the knob a desperate yank. The small door popped open, revealing a serving hatch that opened into the kitchen.

Boosting herself up, she folded herself into the hatch, pulling the small door closed behind her just as the door to the dining room swung open. Scared that Aaron had spotted her, she didn’t try to hide there, but shoved through the other side. Even as the small door leading to the kitchen swung open, her breath caught. What if Logan was in there?

As the opening widened, revealing an empty kitchen, Sarah sucked in a breath. Turning so she could swing her legs down, she lightly thumped her knee against the side of the hatch. The sound seemed so loud, even over her heartbeat drumming in her ears. He’d be rushing in at any second, Sarah knew, and she slid out of her hiding place as quickly and silently as she could.

She held back a terrified, frustrated sob. Now she was trapped in the kitchen again. Her only other options were the hallway where Aaron was, the back door where Logan was, and the basement.

Even as she thought it, her feet were already moving. The door was warped, and she tugged at it, her fingers slipping on the glass knob. It finally popped open with a thunk that sounded much too loud. With a frantic glance behind her, Sarah slipped through the doorway.

Standing on the first wooden step, she carefully pulled the door closed, stopping when it rubbed the frame with a squeak. Even though it wasn’t latched, Sarah left it, hoping it wouldn’t swing open and that Aaron wouldn’t notice the door wasn’t completely shut. She paused for a moment, listening. All she could hear was her own heartbeat and the rasp of her frantic breaths.

Her right hand automatically reached to the side and felt for a light switch, but she only found rough, unpainted wood and something fragile and sticky that she figured were spiderwebs. A faint sound through the door made her go still, her breathing loud inside her head. Had she imagined it, or was Aaron in the kitchen? He could pull open the door at any second.

Swallowing as much of her panic as she could, Sarah searched for the second step with her foot. As she eased her weight onto it, it gave a low creak, and she went still again. When the basement door stayed closed, she started breathing again in short, hard pants. She lowered her other foot onto the step. Her fuzzy socks caught on the rough wood of the step, and she wished she’d worn shoes. Why would she have, though, since she was going to go back to bed immediately after Otto picked up the puppies?

The puppies. Content with their full bellies, they’d been sleeping in their crate, which she’d placed on the living room floor under an end table. If they stayed asleep and silent while Aaron was searching for her, maybe he’d miss them. She’d never seen him be cruel to animals, but then again, she’d never seen him around animals. Sarah’d had a kitten for a few weeks when she was younger, but her father had taken it away from her after she’d broken one of his rules. After that, she’d never asked for another pet.

Aaron was carelessly cruel to people, though. Sarah knew this well, and her stomach churned with worry. She forced herself to focus. If she couldn’t save herself, then she’d be no help to anyone or anything else.

Step by blind step, she crept down the stairs, one hand trailing down the exposed studs of the unfinished wall. The stairs were steep and uneven, some risers narrow and some wider, and the distance between them varied wildly. Her eyes started to adjust to the near-blackness, although she wasn’t sure if the shapes she could barely make out were really there or just her wishful thinking. It would be infinitely less terrifying to be able to see where she was going.

Her foot dangled in space, and she had a moment of panic. What if the stairway ended, and she was going to fall off the edge onto a hard concrete floor below? Her toes finally made contact, and she blew out a relieved, silent breath. The next step was shallower than she expected, and her foot thumped against the wood.

Sarah froze, holding her breath as she listened for any sign that Aaron had heard her misstep. All she could hear was the blood thumping through her ears, and she started to breathe again.

As she stepped down again, the surface her socked foot came into contact with felt different. It was slightly uneven and cool. When she tried to descend another step, her body jarred when her foot connected too soon with that same bumpy surface, and she realized that she’d reached the bottom. It was a relief to be off the untrustworthy stairs and farther from Aaron, but the basement was an unknown. Sarah had no idea which way she should go or what she might run into.

She extended her hands, hoping to feel any obstacles before she crashed into them, and her fingers bumped into a wood surface. Flattening her palms against it, she ran her hands up and down, trying to figure out what it was—a wall? A large piece of furniture?—when she found the doorknob. That was why it was so dark—there was a door at the bottom of the stairs.

Turning the knob, she pushed it open, hoping it would be lighter on the other side. She only stepped into more blackness, however. She closed the door behind her, cringing at the click as it latched but wanting as many barriers between her and Aaron as possible. Although she felt for a lock, the door was smooth except for the round knob. Giving up on locking it, she turned to face the pitch-black room. With her arms stretched out in front of her, she took a shuffling step forward and then another. The dark was so complete that it was dizzying.

Something brushed her face. Sarah sucked in a hard breath through her nose, barely preventing a scream from escaping. She batted at the air, trying to swat away whatever had touched her, but it didn’t work. The light tap against her cheek repeated once, twice, and a third time before she realized that she’d walked into a hanging string.

With a ragged gasp of relief that it hadn’t been a giant, fanged spider or a rabid bat or a serial killer or whatever else might hang out in a dark basement, Sarah grasped the string and tugged. A lightbulb clicked on, blinding her for a few moments until her eyes adjusted.

She looked around, taking in the shadowy space. Antique-looking things were stacked against the walls, some broken and some not, some older than others, but all dirty, cobweb-covered, and very creepy. The floor was packed dirt, and the walls were unfinished with exposed, battered-looking insulation filling in the areas between the studs. There were suspicious rustling noises and the musty smell of rodents.

Hoping that nothing furry—or scaly or slimy or…well, anything—ran out in front of her, she crept forward, trying to see around the piles to a possible exit—a door or window or anything that would give her a chance to escape. There was nothing—no convenient outside door into the root cellar, no window. The bare bulb was dim, though, and threw a harsh, white light that distorted shapes more and more the farther from the bulb she went.

What she wouldn’t give for a flashlight. Sarah promised herself that she’d start carrying one at all times. A flashlight, and a utility knife, and a gun would’ve come in handy at the door earlier.

A wave of guilt swept over her. Could she have actually shot her brother?

Then she remembered that he was planning on basically selling her to Logan Jovanovic. Her flash of guilt disappeared, replaced by the burn of anger. Aaron was the one who should feel guilty. He’d locked her up, hurt her, driven her to escape, and now he’d just ruined the first place she’d ever been uncomplicatedly happy. Rage built until it was pounding against her insides, wanting out. At that moment, if she’d really had a gun in her hands, Sarah would’ve shot him without remorse…although she’d probably have aimed for his foot.

There was a shadowy alcove behind an old dresser stacked with dusty picture frames. Sarah’s heart rate sped up with hope that she’d found a way out—one that didn’t involve backtracking and running into Aaron. The large dresser mirror blocked her view, hiding the nook. Was there a door there? Could she be that lucky?

Sarah picked her way around some scattered scrap lumber and wire hangers so that she could wedge herself between the dresser and the wall. She held her breath as she brushed against both surfaces, unable to stop thinking about what was rubbing off onto her—dirt and dust and spiders and… She forced herself to quit obsessing before she completely lost her nerve.

From her new angle, she could see behind the mirror, but it was too dark, the shadows too deep, to make out any details. Carefully, Sarah climbed onto the top of the dresser, making sure not to knock any of the picture frames off onto the floor. Peering over the top of the mirror, she could see into the nook. Disappointment struck as she saw the alcove was lined with solid rock.

Tipping her head back as she closed her eyes in anxious frustration, Sarah forced herself to think. She had to find a way out of the basement, a way that didn’t involve going back upstairs where Aaron was. She opened her eyes and spotted a wedge of light illuminating the wall beneath a piece of plywood, above and to the right of the dresser.

Looking closer, she saw it was sunlight. Her breath caught with hope as she realized that there was a window behind the wood. She carefully made her way to the side of the dresser. From that position, she could just reach the top of the board. She grabbed the upper edge and hooked her fingertips behind it, struggling not to cringe away as her nails penetrated the thick layer of spiderwebs between the plywood and the window frame.

Sarah pulled at the board, praying that the age of the wood and the nails holding it to the window frame would work in her favor, weakening it enough that she could yank it free. The wood creaked and tipped toward her, and Sarah’s heart jumped with excitement. It was working. She redoubled her efforts, leaning back to use her weight as she hauled on the edge of the board.

With a crack, the nails holding the plywood pulled loose. Sarah lost her balance, toppling back off the dresser. Her arms flailed as she fell, smacking against the piled lumber and sending pieces flying across the dirt floor. She landed on her back with enough force to drive the air out of her lungs.

For a moment, she lay stunned and gasping for breath. Light from the newly uncovered window poured into the basement, blinding her. There was a squeak and a thump from the top of the stairs, and Sarah recognized the sound: someone had just opened the door to the basement.

Suddenly, her lack of air wasn’t from her fall but from sheer terror instead. Sarah scrambled to her feet and climbed onto the dresser again, her hands shaking as she grabbed the mirror for balance. When she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs, Sarah quit caring about staying quiet, knocking all the picture frames to the ground as she moved over next to the window.

The glass had been knocked out long ago. Although the window wasn’t big, Sarah was pretty sure she could fit. For once, she was thankful for her small frame. Grasping the bottom of the window, she boosted herself up. Sarah managed to get her head and shoulders out of the opening before her arms started to shake. Her feet scrabbled against the stone wall, trying to find leverage.

A laugh, horribly familiar and humorless, came from behind and beneath her. “What are you doing, Alice?” her brother asked. He was close—too close—and terror gave her a surge of strength. She hauled herself up and out of the window until she was halfway through. Just her legs remained in the basement, but that was still too much. She was vulnerable, exposed.

Sarah arched her back, struggling to see over the window well into the front yard. If she screamed, would it bring help, or just Logan? Her frantic gaze scanned the area as she strained to get the rest of the way through the window. The sound of boots on gravel made her whip her head around. If Logan came at her, she’d be trapped. Her wonderful taste of freedom would be over.

It wasn’t Logan, though. Instead, she saw Otto rushing from his parked squad car toward the front porch. Relief and gratitude and something else, something new, poured through her. It wasn’t just that someone had come to help her, it was Otto. She knew he would keep her safe, and here he was, proving it. At that moment, her small crush grew, solidifying into something real and amazing.

“Otto!” she yelled, her voice breaking with fear and wonder that he was actually there when she needed him most. “Help me!”

His head whipped around, and his gaze locked on her. He headed toward her just as Aaron’s iron-tight grip wrapped around both of her ankles. Releasing the frame, Sarah grabbed the metal edge of the window well, but its smooth, rounded edge didn’t offer anything to grip. Aaron gave a yank, and her shoulders shrieked in protest as she was stretched between her hold on the window and her brother.

“Otto!” she yelped in panic, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hang on for very long. In fact, one more good pull would bring her back into the basement, to face the wrath of her brother.

Suddenly, Otto was there. He grabbed her, wrapping his huge hands around her lower arms, and Sarah had never felt so relieved. Releasing the edge of the window well, she grasped his wrists as he hauled her toward him. “I’ve got you,” he said.

“No, you don’t,” Aaron snarled, his grip on her ankles tightening until Sarah could almost feel the bones grinding against each other. She gave a gasping sob of pain as her brother yanked on her legs, trying to pull her back into the basement.

“Who’s there?” Otto barked in a tone so sharp and commanding that Sarah flinched, even though she knew it wasn’t directed toward her. “Police. Let her go now!”

Either Aaron was surprised that Otto was a cop, or he obeyed automatically without thinking about it, but her brother’s hold loosened for a second. It was just long enough that, when Otto hauled on her arms, her legs pulled loose of Aaron’s grip. Sarah heard him swear as Otto dragged her through the window, her knee banging painfully against the frame.

As soon as she was clear, Otto grabbed her around the waist and lifted her. The world spun as he turned and ran. She locked her arms around his neck, marveling that he’d come, that he’d actually saved her. Even now, with Aaron and Logan still close by, Sarah felt like it would be okay. Otto was here, and he was holding her. They’d keep each other safe.

He carried her to his squad car, and shifted her weight to one arm so he could open the front passenger-side door. Placing her in the seat, he cupped the side of her face.

“Okay?” he asked, his gaze running over her in a fast, intent appraisal.

As soon as she gave a slight nod, he said, “Lock the doors.” He swung the door closed and ran back to the window, crouching to look inside. She immediately pressed the door-lock button, feeling a flash of relief at the comforting click.

With a quick glance at where she sat in his car, Otto moved swiftly toward the side of the house. When he disappeared around the corner, Sarah immediately began to panic again. She huddled in her seat, wondering if she should stay in the car or be ready to run when Aaron came out the front door or around the other side of the house.

She swiveled her head, trying to see where Logan was, but the yard and what she could see of the house were quiet. It was impossible to see beyond the first row of trees. The pines and aspens grew so closely together that the rest of the forest disappeared into shadow. Aaron or one of his men could be thirty feet away from her, and Sarah wouldn’t know. She shivered and started chewing on her thumbnail.

Instead of making her feel better, the quiet just scared her more. Were Aaron and Logan ganging up on Otto? He was a strong guy and a cop, but could he take on two armed criminals? She stared at the empty windows, wishing desperately to know what was happening. Did he need her help? She wasn’t a trained fighter, but she couldn’t leave him to the mercy of Aaron and Logan.

Her hand inched toward the door handle, but she froze at movement inside the opened front door. Logan ran out, a gun in his hand. After a paralyzed moment, Sarah slid down in her seat, attempting to hide, but it was too late. He’d spotted her.

He strode toward her, getting closer and closer until she could see his cocky, cold grin. She shrank away, pushing back in her seat, unable to tear her gaze from the man she’d been ordered to marry. All she could see was evil. She’d thought Otto had saved her, but it had only been a short reprieve. Logan was there, and he was going to either kill her or force her to return to her prison in Texas.

Her jaw set so firmly that her teeth clicked together. No. She’d barely gotten a taste of freedom, barely experienced the joy of making friends and feeding orphaned puppies and having a crush on a guy, and she wasn’t about to go back without a fight.

She ripped her gaze away from Logan’s and looked under the steering column. The keys weren’t in it, and Sarah felt her tiny hope that she could just drive away extinguish. She grabbed for the radio mic, instead.

When Logan saw her holding it, his smug smile disappeared, and he raised his gun. Sarah quickly pushed the only button on the side of the mic. “Hello? We need help. I’m calling from Otto Gunnersen’s ca—”

Logan pulled the trigger. There was a loud crack, and then the side window turned from transparent to opaque and covered in cobwebbing cracks. With a yelp, she flinched, dropping the mic as her arms flew up to cover her head. She heard Logan laugh, and her entire body felt cold.

“Caller, what is your location? Caller, are you there? Please respond.”

She fumbled to grab the mic from where it was dangling just above the floor in front of the driver’s seat. With another bone-chilling laugh, Logan raised his gun again. How many shots before the glass broke completely, leaving nothing but air between her and a bullet?

Logan’s finger started to pull back on the trigger.

Frantic, Sarah looked down at the panel and pushed a button. The siren screamed, and Logan, startled, jerked the gun down as he fired. The car rocked as the bullet hit the door. He was scowling now, obviously furious that she’d made him flinch. This time, he aimed right for the already damaged window.

Sarah grabbed for the mic as the bullet struck the window. The sound was more of a crunch that time, and she couldn’t keep herself from cowering at the sound. There was a clatter that was barely audible over the still-blaring siren, and Sarah looked up.

The remains of the glass had fallen. A jagged, empty hole framed Logan’s grinning face. He pointed the gun at her.

“Out of the car, fiancée.” She clutched the mic tighter, her gaze darting around as she looked for something that would save her. Did squad cars have guns in their glove compartments? A hand grenade, maybe? “Get out now, or I’ll shoot you. I don’t like to lose.”

Desperately trying to think of a way out, Sarah reached a shaking hand toward the unlock button.

“Turn that noise off first,” he said, sounding annoyed. Grateful for any delay, she pushed the button. With a final whoop, it went silent…but then immediately started up again.

“I said turn it off!” Logan yelled.

“I did!” Even as she stared at the button, she realized that the siren wasn’t coming from Otto’s car. Another squad car, its overhead lights flashing, raced around the final curve of the driveway.

“Fuck!” Logan gave her a final hard glare before he took off, heading for the trees. The newly arrived squad car stopped at the edge of the yard, and Theo jumped out. Still running, Logan fired off several shots behind him, and Theo ducked behind his opened door. He returned fire, but Logan disappeared into the trees.

As Theo started to give chase, Sarah fumbled with the handle. The door finally opened so abruptly that she almost fell out. “Theo! Otto went after Aaron! He needs help!”

Theo immediately pulled up, although he kept a close eye on the spot where Logan had been. “Where?”

“Aaron was in the basement, but I don’t know where they ended up.”

Theo headed for the open front door, just as Otto came around the corner. He had a firm grip on a handcuffed Aaron’s arm. When Sarah saw them, a wall of emotions slammed into her, but relief was by far the strongest. Otto was okay. Her knees went wobbly, and she sank back down on the seat, ignoring the bits of safety glass scattered around her.

Aaron was being arrested. Logan had run away. Could it actually be over?

Once Theo saw Otto and Aaron, he turned and jogged back to his squad car. He leashed Viggy, who was already wearing a bulletproof vest, and the two headed into the woods after Logan.

Hugh’s truck barreled around the turn, coming to a halt behind Theo’s car. Lexi, Hugh’s K9, followed him out of the pickup cab. She tore toward the house, but a sharp word from Hugh made her turn around and return to his side. Another squad car flew up the driveway, and then a marked SUV arrived. Soon, there seemed to be cops everywhere. As soon as her legs were semi-steady, Sarah stood and moved toward the hood of Otto’s squad car. She couldn’t look at the ruined window anymore. It made her think of how close she’d been to getting shot—or taken.

Otto walked Aaron toward one of the other squad cars. As they crossed the yard, Aaron’s gaze was fixed on Sarah. His face was expressionless, but she knew he was coldly, deadly furious. She started to shrink back but then caught herself. There was no reason to be scared of her brother anymore. He’d been arrested. She was finally safe…for now, at least.

Otto sat Aaron in the back of the squad car and then hurried over to Sarah. He stood close, but not close enough. She fought back the temptation to throw herself into his arms, to hide her face against him and let him keep her safe.

“You okay?” he asked, his gaze scanning her body, as if checking for injuries.

Sarah took a mental inventory. Besides being a little shaky and sore, she was fine. “Yes.”

“Would you be up to telling us what happened?” The way he spoke, so softly and gently, was soothing. His tone, paired with his reassuring strength, made Sarah calm down, bit by bit. She sucked in the first deep breath she’d taken since she’d opened the door to find Aaron on the porch.

“Of course.” As the panic ebbed, her thoughts rushed in. “Jules! She and the kids are in the woods!” Sarah lunged away from the car. She had to go find them, help them. Logan was still out there… All the terror that had faded roared to life again.

Otto made a shushing sound, a kind of soft hiss through his teeth that reminded Sarah of something Chester—her brother’s driver and one of the only two kind people in her old life—would do to calm a startled horse. It worked on Sarah, as well. To her surprise, she found herself settling back against the side of the car, close to him. “Jules and the kids are fine. She let the dispatcher know that they ran to Steve’s house.”

“Oh. Good.” As relief flowed through her, so did exhaustion, and her head dropped back. A strand of hair escaped her ponytail and tangled in her eyelashes. Otto reached out and brushed it to the side, tucking it carefully behind her ear. She blinked at him, startled by how good that small touch had felt. His hands were so big—all of Otto was so big—but he was the gentlest person Sarah had ever met. She felt her heart expanding like a balloon, filling until it pressed almost painfully against her ribs.

“You sure you’re okay to tell us what happened?” he asked.

“Yes.” She took a breath. “I’m fine.”

Sarah pushed away from the car, but Otto didn’t move. She paused, looking at him uncertainly, and realized that their faces were just inches apart. They stared at each other, frozen, until Hugh clearing his throat made both of them jump.

“Any day, lovebirds,” he called. “Grace and a Tattered Hearts marathon are waiting for me at home. If I’m not back soon, I know she’s going to start without me. She’s rude like that.”

“I don’t think she’s starting without you,” Theo said, looking at the driveway. When Sarah followed his gaze, she spotted Grace pulling up behind Hugh’s truck. As soon as she climbed out of her car, Hugh was right next to her, frowning. Otto had stepped back, so Sarah moved away from the squad car absently, watching Grace and Hugh with fascination. Hugh was always smiling, so his ferocious scowl looked strange on him.

“Why is he so upset?” Sarah whispered to Otto.

“Pretty sure he told her to stay at his place,” Otto murmured, leaning down so that he could speak quietly right into her ear. His breath brushed against the side of her neck as he spoke, and Sarah shivered.

“I’m not Lexi,” Grace said as she faced off against Hugh, her hands on her hips. “You can’t tell me to stay. Well, you can, but I won’t.”

“Obviously.” Hugh leaned in closer. “If you’d stayed at home, like I asked you to do, you wouldn’t be here, in the middle of a dangerous situation.”

Grace barked a laugh. “If it’s so dangerous, why are you standing here yelling at me? Shouldn’t you secure the perimeter or arrest a perp or somehow make it less dangerous?”

Although he made an attempt to hold on to his peeved expression, Sarah could tell that Hugh was amused. Even after meeting him just a few times, she recognized the way his mouth tucked in at the corners. Sarah was pretty sure he was just a few seconds away from laughing. “It’s under control now, but you didn’t know that. You could’ve walked into a really bad scene.”

“This is my home.” Grace’s tone had softened a little, though. “Jules, Sarah, and the kids were here. I needed to find out what was happening, to help if I could.”

“You need to stay safe.”

“Your definition of keeping me safe involves locking me in a tower lined with bubble wrap,” Grace shot back, although she sounded more fond than annoyed now. Sarah, though, flinched at her words. Were all men like Aaron, wanting to lock away the women they loved, needing to keep them safe to the point of making them prisoners?

Even as the thought crossed her mind, Sarah dismissed it. If she’d said to Aaron what Grace had just said to Hugh, Sarah would’ve been on the floor, bleeding. Aaron wasn’t normal. Most guys were nothing like her brother. Sarah sent a quick glance toward Otto.

Some guys were his exact opposite, in fact. Otto had saved her from her brother, and then he’d arrested him. Thanks to Otto, she was finally safe. He’d given her back her freedom.