Page 46 of SEAL's Sky
“About time you got here. We’ve been waiting for you, darling. Now put down the phone and come here. How could you be with that Neanderthal?”
His voice froze her on the spot. It was her nightmare. Except it was real. Like a scene out of a slasher movie. Kurt Walker had a knife to her mother’s throat. And Jen knew without a doubt that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if she didn’t do exactly what he told her.
“Okay, I’m putting it down. Just don’t hurt my mother,” Jen said it as much for Tex’s benefit as her own as she placed the phone face down on the metal counter near the kitchen doors. She prayed that Tex had answered his phone and could hear every word. He’d know what to do, who to call, and send them help. All she had to do was keep them alive. Jen wouldn’t even consider the option that Tex hadn’t answered. That would leave her helpless and her mom most likely dead just like in the dream.
“Come closer, and don’t try anything.”
“What do you want? Why are you here? The FBI said you promised to leave me alone.” Jen met her mom’s gaze and prayed she was doing the right thing and wouldn’t get her killed. As she slowly approached the man she hated and feared, she thought her heart would beat out of her chest. Fighting the urge to run, she had to be strong for her mother.
“They’re idiots. The FBI has no clue what is really going on. I could tie them in red tape for a hundred years and they’d never be able to prosecute me. You should never have gotten away. I wasn’t done with you yet.” His words confirmed a lot of what Murph thought. As if to prove his point, he pushed the tip of the blade into her mother’s flesh and a drop of blood appeared.
“Stop. Please. Don’t hurt her. I’ll go with you. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Of course you’ll do what I want. Have you forgotten the rules already?”
Her mind raced and her eyes darted around looking for a weapon to use against him, but he was near the only ones in the kitchen. A shiver of fear slid down her spine like icy fingers.
“I’ll never forget the rules, Kurt. But they only work when we’re together just the two of us. I should never have run away.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. Do you think you can put one over on me? How stupid are you?.”
Jen’s fear intensified as he pricked her mother’s neck again. The desolation in her eyes scared Jen more than Kurt. Shaking her head, she silently pleaded with her not to do anything stupid.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she answered, keeping her voice as subservient as possible. He liked that she needed to calm him down. Had he figured out that her phone was connected?
“You can’t placate me with false statements. I’m a lawyer. I’ve heard it all. But I don’t give a fuck if you are lying or not. You’re coming with me.”
“What about your deal with the FBI?” If he was going to kill her anyway, then at least she could leave them enough evidence that he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else. But she had to save her mom.
“Don’t worry, my dear. They won’t know I have you and when I’m done they’ll never find your body. I’m smarter than the idiots at the FBI. Did they actually think I was going to help them take down one of the biggest crime syndicates? Stop stalling. I won’t ask you again. If you behave I might let your mother live.”
“You will never get your hands on my daughter again, you sick son-of-a-bitch. Go ahead and kill me. I’ll haunt you for all your days.”
“Are you sure you want to push me? I could slice her soft neck before your next breath. Now get the fuck over here.”
“No, Mom. Please. Kurt, she doesn’t mean it…”
How long had she been standing there? It seemed like hours. Drenched in sweat and shaking, she was almost within reach. She’d hoped that she’d be able to pull her mom away but with the knife against her skin, she didn’t see how.
Jen was so focused on Kurt and her mom she didn’t realize someone was behind her. Neither had Kurt. One minute he was holding a knife and the next it skidded across the floor as the sound of a gunshot echoed in her ears. Grabbing her mom, she pulled her as far away from Kurt as she could get. Then she turned around expecting to see Murph or the police. The last person she expected to see was Tony.
Jen never saw Tony angry, but there was no missing it now. If she hadn’t known him so well, she’d have been terrified by the look on his face, but he never took his eyes off of Kurt and had his gun pointed at his forehead. “Go ahead, asshole. Grab another knife. I’m an excellent shot.”
Kurt’s eyes blue eyes flashed with fury. He was smart, he’d been caught, and a cornered animal was the most dangerous.
“Jen call nine-one-one.”
Hearing the sirens approaching, Jen didn’t have to worry about making the call, they could already hear the sirens approaching. Tex had taken care of it.
“I always win,” Kurt yelled as he rushed Tony.
Before he got close, he’d pulled the trigger and shot him in the center of his forehead, and he went down like a sack of potatoes. Then he dropped the gun on the counter and hugged them both.
“Are you okay, Dollface? How bad is it?”
“I’m okay,” her mom mumbled against his chest, as she clutched the towel I’d used to stem the bleeding, but it had already stopped. We’d been lucky, very lucky.
Before she could ask Tony why he’d been carrying a gun, Murph and the other SEALs charged into the kitchen followed closely by the police.
