Page 94 of Healing the Heart

She was afraid not to obey. The flash from his camera phone made green and yellow dots dance in front of her eyes. He checked the image and grinned like the maniac he was.

“Perfect. Doc is going to go nuts when he sees this,” he crowed as he bounded off the bed and left her naked, bleeding in two places—he’d also nicked her shoulder—and, thankfully, alone. But for how long?

Without question, he planned to lure Noah into a trap. Then what? Would he kill Noah and rape then kill her? She didn’t doubt he planned to end her life. That’s how a serial killer like him got his sick thrills. But he said he’d only do the former “if” Noah didn’t comply.

Fiona closed her eyes, tears leaking from between her lashes and running down her temples into her hair. She wanted desperately for Noah to charge through the door and rescue her. Even more so, she wanted him nowhere near the crazy man with the knife who was out for revenge. Her priority was his safety above all else.

Chapter 24

A Lot to Be Thankful For

NOAH PARKED AT THEend of the road and cautiously approached on foot, assessing the situation as he slowly moved in. They’d never made it to Parra’s apartment. On the way, he’d received a text he’d both anticipated and dreaded. Parra had Fiona and demanded a ransom of two million dollars cash. Noah was to deliver it alone, and unarmed.

He wouldn’t risk Fiona’s life by not following the instructions to the letter, but he didn’t believe for a minute he’d simply hand her over for the money. Although he’d take that deal in a minute.

Parra was a smart guy, a fucking psychopath but sharp enough he’d quietly carried out a twenty-two-year murder spree without being caught. He’d laid a trap, Noah was certain. The question was where and when he would spring it on him.

He wasn’t a fool, either. Hidden in the trees surrounding the cabin were his Rossi brothers, watching and waiting for his signal, two with sniper rifles to take the bastard out. That was Plan B, if Noah could get him into the open for them to take a shot.

Plan C was for Noah to take him out physically, with his fists or the 9 mm he had hidden in the duffel full of cash. That was the only thing he’d actually followed through on. Not that it was easy.

You couldn’t just walk into the bank and ask them to hand over that much cash. Local branches didn’t have that amount and required several days to physically transfer it in. He’d had to pool resources from multiple accounts and multiple sources, his private funds from years as a practicing surgeon, and borrow from his friends at Rossi and the club. He didn’t want to ask, but to get that much in a short time, he had to.

His eyes scanned constantly, searching for trip wires and traps, or anything unusual or even slightly out of place that might be a sign of trouble for him. The drought conditions didn’t help his cause. Dried leaves crunched loudly beneath his feet.

They took stealth out of the equation. He might as well have used a bullhorn to announce his arrival. Fallen tree branches and out-of-control weeds also covered the poorly maintained road. It didn’t look like a car had passed this way in months, maybe years. Which posed the question: how did he get Fiona inside?

As he got closer to the cabin, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Stopping twenty feet from the front door, he dropped the duffel and raised his hands. “I’m here with your money, Parra,” he called. “Send Fiona out.”

When there was no response, he sidestepped, so he had a view through the front window. It was dirty and nearly opaque, but he should have been able to make out light or movement. He saw neither.

“Jordan!” he shouted. “I’ve done as you asked. Let’s get this done.”

Still silence from the cabin.

“What do you see?” Keiran asked in his earpiece.

“Nothing. It looks abandoned.”

He took a step toward the door and heard an ominous click. Although he was on edge, his instincts were sharp. He spunand hit the dirt a split second before the cabin exploded. Noah covered his head as dirt, rocks, wood chunks, and glass shards rained down on him.

When the shower of debris stopped, he hefted the large pieces off him, got to his feet a little unsteadily, and stared at what remained of the cabin.

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