Page 107 of Last Chance Christmas
Cole kept his hands in front of him but could feel the scissors in his back pocket. It wasn’t his ideal weapon, but if he could get close enough without Victoria pulling the trigger, he’d have a shot at turning the advantage around.
“Another move and she dies.” Victoria tilted her head.
Cole shifted his gaze to the left, and bile rose in his throat.
“Officer Stuart. So we meet again,” Mackey sneered. “This time you brought a little lady to join in the fun. I prefer my victims to be teens, but it’s not like I haven’t killed another woman.”
“No one gets away with murder, Mackey.” Cole dug his heels into the snow. He would not let the man escape and snuff out any more lives. Not when it would mean another family was destroyed, along with the chance to make memories together. “There are witnesses to your schemes, Mackey. You can’t hide forever.”
Mackey laughed. “Such a shame. That female corrections officer thought she knew better too. You’re both wrong. Soon, you’ll join her in the grave.”
Kianna smirked. “You left her for dead, but you failed at your job.” Her voice was strong, despite the loss of color in her cheeks.
“Be quiet,” Mackey shouted. “No one eludes my grasp. That woman is dead.”
“You’re bluffing.” Cole stood his ground. “You’ve been too busy hiding to make another kill.”
“Not when I have an accomplice.” Mackey narrowed his gaze.
Cole turned to Victoria, who still had her gun trained on him. Her finger hovered too close to the trigger. “It was an unfortunate tragedy, really. Her body couldn’t muster the strength to recover after surgery, and her heart gave out. She never even made it home from the hospital.” Victoria pouted.
“No!” Kianna struggled, still in his hold.
The smile that lit up Mackey’s face made Cole want to hurl. “She barely felt a thing. I promise you won’t notice what hit you either.” He stroked Kianna’s hair, and she flinched.
Cole resisted the urge to rush Mackey and take him to the ground. “Don’t touch her like that.” If it weren’t for the two guns trained on them, he’d have the man in a wrist lock. Instead, he ground his teeth.
Mackey laughed.
Cole flexed his hand. “How’d you bypass the officer stationed at her door?”
“When you work for the city, you make lots of friends. Who trust you.” Victoria smiled.
“Give it up. The police have been scouring the area for you.” Cole stepped forward.
“Don’t move,” Victoria shouted.
“It’s time to put an end to this.” Mackey yanked Kianna and pulled her toward the car they’d just escaped from. “And soon we’ll be on our way to paradise.”
Victoria flicked her weapon at Cole. “Move it.” She pointed to the car.
Cole didn’t budge. There had to be a way to catch Victoria by surprise and then incapacitate her and Mackey without Kianna in the crosshairs.
As if she knew, Kianna peered over her shoulder. Fear and determination filled her expression.
The moment they were back in the car, it would be too late.
Victoria closed the gap and gripped Cole’s arm. She moved to his side, and cool metal kissed his neck. “The waiting is over.” Victoria’s breath raised the hair on his back.
“When you add two more murders to your count, you’ll have the whole FBI on your tail.” Cole wasn’t going to give Mackey and Victoria the satisfaction of thinking they’d won. “If you kill us, you’ll have signed up for war against the police force.”
“Not if it’s a tragic accident and all the evidence disappears,” Victoria interjected.
“They’re never going to fall for that.” Cole dug his shoes into the snow.
“Your boss has already received an email informing him you’re taking a long weekend to attend to a family emergency. Certainly, he won’t question a grieving son who needs to be with family after his dad dies.”
The blood drained from Cole’s face, and he clenched his fists. There was no way she’d know anything about his dad. And Basuto wouldn’t buy it either. Would he?
