If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

Keith had already figured that much out, too.
    He didn’t waste another second. They’d wasted too many already.
    Just how stupid did they think he was?
    Carter stood there, shaking his head as he waited for Keith to creep around the corner of the house.
    He waited in the shadows until he had a good shot. It took some doing. Keith was careful, using the lack of light, the shadows of the house to his advantage. But as he came to the deck, Keith had to risk exposing himself and that was when Carter fired.
    This weapon, unlike the shotgun he’d used earlier, was virtually silent. Save for the green laser, it made no sound. And he had to be quick, precise—if Keith saw the laser, it would be too late.
    He waited until Keith went to slip into the house, his back turned for just a moment.
    Then he fired.
    Keith stumbled, fell.
    As he jogged toward the deck, he checked the time. It had been three minutes since he’d shot Law. He had less than fifteen minutes before Ezra would arrive—no, he hadn’t
seen
anybody call, but he knew they would have already done it. It didn’t matter. He’d either finish the job and be gone by the time they got here, or he’d finish up when the sheriff got here.
    He wasn’t picky. He wasn’t even worried, now that it was coming down to it.
    He’d always known how he’d handle it if he was discovered.
    Carter would be damned before he went into a cage—no fucking way. All he wanted to do was take some people with him. The people who had pushed this on him—namely Lena and Nia.
    Although he hadn’t heard any sirens, he imagined the radio he’d heard earlier was the sheriff’s office discovering his surprise out at Deb’s place. More of the sheriff’s minuscule police department out there, dealing with the mess he’d left for them. That nosy bitch wouldn’t be causing anybody any more problems now. Not ever.
    He crouched by Keith, rolled him over. Keith’s face was slack. Checking his cousin’s pulse, he found it steady. Good … good. Didn’t want the guy dead. He hadn’t ever been a problem, after all. The tranquilizer would keep him under for hours, but Keith would be just fine.
    Rising, he opened the screen door, checked the back door … locked. He used the butt of his gun to break the glass.
    After all, no point in being quiet now, was there?
*   *   *
    On winding country roads, ten miles could take forever. Ten minutes might as well be two hours. Ezra pushed his car as fast as he could, fear blistering through him, turning his gut to ice, his blood to acid, and his mind into a tangle of horror.
    What if …
    What if …
    “Stay safe,” he whispered, thinking of his wife.
    He’d just found her. He couldn’t lose her already.
    Other deputies, whoever could be spared, were already heading to his house. But nobody would do a damn thing until he was there. Not when Lena was involved. Fuck … Lena.
    “Please God …”
    Lena buried her fingers in Puck’s fur. The dog was trembling, but not with fear. Every now and then, a soft growl would escape. The dog might understand fear, but he reacted to her fear more than his own. And right now, he was pissed.
    “Hush,” she said, keeping her voice low. “Hush now.”
    She was hiding in a closet. A fucking
closet
, like a child. It infuriated her.
    Tucked behind boxes and clothes and coats, Nia had said she wouldn’t be seen from the door as long as she and Puck didn’t move. But Lena didn’t know how much longer she could stay there, frozen in terror, not knowing what was going, locked in and cut off.
    This, here, was horror.
    This, here, was helplessness.
    Puck’s body stiffened. Lena sank her teeth into her lip.
    The floorboards just outside the door creaked.
    Nia, her hands resting under her face, dust tickling her nose, lay under Lena’s bed, staring as the feet moved across the floor just outside the hallway.
    Lena was in there. Helpless. Vulnerable. Yeah, she had the dog with her, but the dog couldn’t stop a speeding bullet, couldn’t tell her to run—
    Fuck—
    Carefully, she eased out from under the bed, still watching those feet. He was opening the closet door now. She’d be on the other side of the bed in a second, and unable to see him. Closing her eyes, she said a quick prayer. That she’d live through this, and if she didn’t … well, maybe this would make up for some of the mistakes she’d made lately.
    There were other things she wanted to include, but then a sound caught