Chapter 40

LYNN

I wake up, reaching out for Dan, but the bed is empty. The darkness outside is still thick, but the dining room light is glowing.

I get up and find Dan at the dining room table, meticulously cleaning the guns he brought from his father’s house.

“Babe, what are you doing?” I ask, wrapping my arms around him from behind and resting my head on his neck.

“I couldn’t sleep. Plus, I have no idea how long these guns have been sitting unused at my dad’s place,” he says, working the slide back and forth to spread the oil. “I might lose my job over this.”

I give him a puzzled look. “I’m on suspension because of this case. My captain doesn’t believe in the supernatural or ghosts, he would say.”

“So what if you get fired for what you believe in? We could start our own private investigation firm,” I whisper in his ear.

“Are you serious?” he asks.

“Absolutely. We work well together. We’d make a great team, and I’m really in love with you right now.”

“Just right now?” he teases with a grin.

“Yeah, not sure if I’ll still love you if you don’t make it,” I retort.

“Oh, I’m gonna fucking make it.”

“You better,” I say, just as Zoey walks in, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Is it time?” she asks.

Dan checks his watch. “Sunrise is still an hour and a half away.”

“Perfect,” I say, heading into the kitchen.

Zoey follows me and starts a pot of coffee. I rummage around for breakfast ingredients, finding frozen potatoes, bacon, and a dozen eggs. “Do you mind?” I ask, holding up the bacon.

“Go for it,” he says.

Once everything is cooked, I serve up plates for everyone and set them on the dining room table. We eat in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts, mentally preparing for the task ahead.

“It’s time,” Dan announces, pushing his plate away.

He disappears into his room and returns with another bag. He pulls out a bulletproof vest and lays it on the table.

“Do we get one?” Zoey asks, pointing at the vest.

“I don’t have another one. You two shouldn’t worry about it. I don’t know if Detrick has any weapons, and I don’t want to take that risk.”

“We’ll be fine,” I assure her, looking at Zoey.

I watch as Dan gears up, biting my lower lip. He catches me staring.

“What?” he asks.

I snap out of my thoughts. “Nothing,” I say, walking up to him. “Damn, baby. You look good in this gear. Will you make love to me in this later?”

“No!” he exclaims, then leans in close. “Anytime you want,” he whispers, kissing just below my ear. A shiver runs down my spine and my nipples harden.

“You better come back to me,” I say. He just waggles his eyebrows.

“Hey, after all this is done, you want to move in with me?”

“No!” I exclaim. “My place is twice the size of yours,” I say, walking away.

In no time, everything is loaded into the Explorer. “You drive,” Dan says, tossing me the keys. He climbs into the back seat as I take the wheel. Zoey gets in the passenger seat.

I drive down State Road 22, scanning for a landmark. Dan has the back window open, also on the lookout.

“There it is,” he says, pointing. “Stop right here.”

I pull over on the road. It’s still too early for any traffic. Dan gets out and comes to my window. “Meet me right here as soon as you get her.”

“Be careful,” I say.

“I will,” he promises, leaning in for a kiss. I kiss him back, long and slow. “Don’t forget, wait for my signal.”

I nod, then watch him disappear into the woods. I drive a few more miles and park the car a safe distance from the oak tree, but close enough to Chelsea’s driveway.

CHELSEA

I wake up to the sensation of my bed moving. I open my eyes to see a head moving under my sheets, getting closer. Suddenly, I feel his warm mouth envelop my pussy.

“Oh my god,” I gasp as his hands reach up and grab my breasts.

“I love it when you sleep naked,” he murmurs.

“I do it for you, baby.”

His tongue delves deep inside me, bringing me to the brink of orgasm.

“Not yet, my little sex slave,” he says, pulling away from my pussy. “Who do you belong to?”

“I belong to you,” I pant. “Please don’t stop.”

He crawls up to me, his hard, throbbing cock inches from my face.

“Suck me,” he commands.

I take his shaft in my hand and lick the head. He pulls my hand away and thrusts his hard cock down my throat.

I gag momentarily until my throat adjusts to his forcefulness. This continues for a few minutes. He pulls out and looks down at me. Tears fall as I look up at him.

“Can you please fuck me?” I whisper.

He lifts me up and positions me on my knees. I feel him behind me. With one swift stroke, he’s inside me, taking my breath away.

He takes a handful of my hair and yanks it back. He’s frozen in place. I gasp for air and twist my head to look at him.

“Please, fuck me.”

He’s still buried deep inside me, and I can feel him shaking his head, as if he’s searching for something that isn’t there. Suddenly, he springs up and bolts out of my room.

“No, baby, come back. You promised!” I cry out. “I’m sorry. Please, come back. I’ll be good. I won’t cum until you say so.”

I lay there, waiting for him to return. But there’s only silence.

DAN

I push my way through the dense underbrush until I stumble upon a chain-link fence. I crane my neck to look up—it must be twelve feet high, with barbed wire coiled along the top. Good thing I brought my wire cutters.

I pull them out and start snipping away, creating a hole big enough for me to pass through.

Once I’m on the other side of the fence, I look up and see the silhouette of the hospital roof. I start making my way through the woods towards it.

The woods start to thin out a bit, and I spot a path leading away from the hospital. I follow it for about fifty yards until I reach a fork in the path.

The wind starts to whip up, gusting at about twenty to thirty miles per hour.

“This must be Clayton,” I murmur to myself. I pull out my phone and shoot a text to Lynn.

DAN

NOW!

Just as I’m tucking my phone away, I hear a branch snap. I whip out my 9 mm Glock from my hip and aim it towards the noise. It’s Detrick, approaching me with a shotgun.

“Drop the weapon! Show me your hands! Show me your hands!”

The wind is howling now. I can hear trees crashing down in the distance.

“I don’t think so, Detective. I could shoot you dead right now and your department would chalk it up to probable cause. I’d walk away scot-free.

“You see, you’re trespassing on private property, and I was just defending myself,” Detrick yells over the wind.

“We don’t have to do this!” I shout back.

“Oh, but we do, because she’s not leaving with you.”

No sooner do the words leave his mouth than I hear the crack of a tree splitting.

I glance up to see a tree toppling towards me.

I look away and leap back. That’s when he fires his shotgun.

I hit the ground on my side and return fire. Six shots hit him square in the chest, dropping him.

I feel a sharp sting in my left shoulder. I look down to see blood seeping out. I roll up my sleeve to find a dozen holes.

“Son of a bitch shot me with buckshot.” Luckily, most of the buckshot was stopped by my vest.

I pick up my 9 mm and aim it at Detrick, slowly approaching him. I wrench the shotgun from his hands, then bend down to check his pulse.

Nothing. He’s dead.

Suddenly, I hear a low, deep voice. I stop what I’m doing to listen. It sounds like a no. Then trees start snapping and falling all around me.

I look up to see several trees crashing down towards me. I holster my gun and start running. I trip over a fallen tree and hit my head on a stump.

Stars burst in my vision, then everything goes black.

LYNN

I clutch my phone, waiting for a text from Dan. I glance at Zoey, her eyes wide with fear.

“We’re going to make it,” I assure her. She blinks, then gives me a shaky smile.

My phone dings with a message from Dan. I shift the Explorer into drive and slam on the gas. Thirty, forty, fifty miles per hour.

The light at the end of the driveway is receding.

“Why is it getting smaller?” Zoey shrieks.

“I don’t know,” I reply, pressing harder on the gas. Eighty, ninety.

“Are you trying to kill us?” Zoey screams again.

Suddenly, we break free. I slam on the brakes, the tires skidding on the gravel driveway. The car screeches to a halt just inches from Chelsea’s car. I leap out, leaving Zoey in the car.

“Let’s go!” I yell.

Zoey shakes her head. “I can’t.”

I don’t waste another second and dash inside.

“Chelsea!”

I race through the house, then sprint upstairs to her bedroom. As I enter, I find her lying naked on her bed.

“Lynn, what are you doing here?” she asks, sounding delighted.

“I’m getting you out of here.”

“No. Chris will be back. I promised him I’d be good. I said I wouldn’t cum until he told me to.”

“Jesus!” I exclaim, searching for something for her to wear. I find one of her oversized T-shirts. She stands up as I approach her. I try to pull the shirt over her head, but she shoves me away.

“No!” she screams.

I pull out the bottle of chloroform and douse her shirt with it. I get behind her and cover her nose and mouth. She struggles to pull my hand away. Then she collapses to the floor.

“What are you trying to do to me?” she mumbles, looking up at me.

“Damn, it didn’t work,” I mutter.

A few seconds later, she stands up, and I watch as her eyes roll back in her head before she crumples onto the bed.

I manage to get her shirt on, then hoist her over my shoulder.

“Damn, girl, you’re getting heavy,” I grumble, gripping the railing as I navigate down the stairs. I make it out the front door and see Zoey still sitting in the front seat.

“Open the back door!” I yell.

Zoey scrambles out and flings open the back door. I toss Chelsea into the back seat, then sprint to the front of the car and jump in.

I throw the car into reverse, the tires squealing and spitting gravel in protest. I aim for the driveway and floor it, leaving the scene behind.

Once I hit the main road, I steer toward the spot where I left Dan. ~He should be waiting for me.~ ~He better be.~

But when I pull up, Dan is missing. Instead, an old Ford pickup truck sits in the spot where I last saw him.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I mutter, pounding the steering wheel in frustration. “You promised me, Dan.”

Suddenly, a soft groan echoes from the back seat.

“Chelsea’s waking up,” Zoey announces, glancing back.

“We can’t stick around. We need to get back to Dan’s place,” I declare, hitting the gas and leaving the deserted spot behind.