Page 67 of Risk Assessment
Dylan kept driving. One bad decision on his part had nearly cost that little boy his life. His fingers tightened on the wheel as he sped around a corner. He wasn’t going to lose Raleigh.
He and his unit had been stalled outside the large white house. The emergency call had come in almost an hour earlier. Carol, Georgie’s mother, had called. Richard, Georgie’s father, had gone crazy. He was high and threatening her and Georgie. She had tried to get her son out, but Richard had taken Georgie from her arms and shoved her outside. She was terrified that Richard was going to hurt Georgie.
Carol’s white face, streaked with mascara from her hysterical sobs, flashed in his mind. The smell of her perfume as she hung on to the front of his shirt, begging him to go in and save her son.
This was not the first 911 from this address. Bad things happened in wealthy neighborhoods, too. Richard was a CEO of a pharmaceutical company, and he’d been known to sample some of what his company made.
Dylan tried speaking to Richard because he knew him from his days in uniform. Richard’s voice cracked, and his words slurred. He wasn’t making any sense. What did he want? He was ranting and raving about aliens trying to take his son. Aliens? He kept saying he wouldn’t let Georgie be tortured by them.
Dylan had tried to work with him, but Richard hung up and refused to pick up the phone again. The negotiator was on the way but caught behind some traffic accident on the freeway.
Just like last time, Dylan was on his own.His breathing was ragged and harsh as he flew down the road.His heart thrummed a wild cadence:Get to Raleigh. Get there on time.
His chest ached at the thought of Josh hurting Raleigh. Would he though? Was he angry enough with her to cause her pain?
Dylan checked the map on his phone; he was almost there. “Raleigh, hold on.”
The scene in his head played on repeat.
Richard yelling inside the house, and Georgie’s screams. Georgie was going to die. If Dylan didn’t get in there, the kid wouldn’t make it. He knew it with every fiber of his being. He hit the door with everything he had. Just as it flew open, Georgie plummeted through the air. Richard had dropped him from the second-floor landing into the foyer.
Time stood still. He lunged to catch Georgie, but he was moving as if he was underwater. He stretched out his hands and managed to grab Georgie around the arm. He pulled up sharply and felt the bones pop under his grip, but he stopped the boy’s fall. Georgie screamed.
The gunshot startled them both. He looked up and saw Richard’s body coming down over the railing. He’d pulled Georgie to him and whirled around at the same time. Clutching the child to his chest so he wouldn’t see, he rushed him outside. He passed his teammates as they poured through the doorway. They were too late. Richard had ended whatever trip he’d been on all on his own.
Now, Dylan hauled in a long breath as he drove and replayed the scene again in his head. Georgie had already been falling when Dylan had rushed into the house. He hadn’t caused the boy to be dropped. Georgie was already in the air. He’d been told that by his superiors who had cleared him, but he hadn’t believed them. Now, he knew. It wasn’t his fault.
The relief was profound He hadn’t let himself remember what happened. It was too raw. Too painful. His job was to protect people, not hurt them. Georgie had triggered so many things about his mother, about his childhood that he hadn’t let himself remember what happened.
Now, he could see exactly what he’d done. He’d done the right thing. But the relief was short lived. Now that he knew that he could, he needed to save Raleigh.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Raleigh’s head pounded like a thundering herd was charging through, and her mouth was drier than dust. Her stomach churned and her eyelids were heavy. Didn’t seem to matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get them open.
She remained still, fighting the fog in her brain.
Where was she? She was lying on something hard. A musty odor filled her brain, along something else, something she knew but her brain was too fuzzy. She couldn’t move her hands. Were they tied? Yes. In front of her. Something was biting into her wrists. Adrenaline pulled her from the murky depths. She’d been drugged.
She cracked her eyes open. She was lying on her side on a wooden floor. A grey wool blanket covered her, soaked in a smell she recognized. Josh’s cologne. Josh! It came back in an instant. Josh was her stalker. She shifted her weight. At least her feet were free. Not that she could move them. The fog was still around the edges of her consciousness. The floorboards creaked, giving her away.
“Are you up, sweetheart?”
She remained silent. Would he fall for it? Could she convince him she was still unconscious? She needed to think. Figure out a plan. Something.
“Don’t be coy, darling. We’re together. We don’t have to pretend anymore.” He walked across the room. Was he wiping his hands on something? It was hard to tell through her lashes.
Wait. Pretend? Pretend what? What was it he wanted? Should she play along?
“Don’t be angry with me. I know it’s been a little scary, but everything will be fine now. We can’t tell the world we’re together just yet, so I had to sneak you away.”
He’d smuggled her out of the chapel. Were they still at the resort? How long had she been out?
She tried to take in her surroundings. They were in what appeared to be a small cabin or shed. A metal chair with a bent leg was tucked under a decrepit wooden table. The room wasn’t huge but did have a couple of windows in the front and one on the side. Torn, yellowed curtains covered them, somewhat diffusing the light.
Raleigh closed her eyes and swore silently. She wanted to scream, but she bit her lip instead. Screaming wouldn’t help her now.
Dylan. His image rose behind her eyelids. Had she been out long enough for him to miss her yet? Would he be looking for her? Was he still in the parking lot of the church? Was the wedding over? Tears made her vision swim. Her heart ached at the thought she might never see him again. She might never see anyone again.
