Fear For Me (For Me #2)(67)

Convinced him by putting Helen’s life on the line.

“Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy cutting on her…” Jon said. The guy had kept Helen, played with her.

“I let you finish her,” his partner shot back.

He had let him. She’d been a gift. A beautiful, bloody doll for his collection.

“When Hamilton ignored the letter, I came up with a different plan, didn’t I?” His partner snarled.

“My plan.” The guy was trying to take credit? “I’m the one who got to the infirmary—”

“And I’m the one who had the car waiting, just like I said I would. I had the car waiting for you. New clothes. Cash. I’m the one who made sure no one would know about the communication we had—do you even know how hard that was? I did it, for you.”

His voice vibrated with fury, and Jon hesitated. He didn’t like to make him angry. But something was f*cking bothering him. “You put that necklace where Stacy would find it. If you wanted me out, why the hell would you—”

“The bitch wasn’t respecting you.” It was said with barely contained fury. “She needed to know who she was pissing off—and she needed to know what was going to happen to her.”

It did happen. I cut her so deep.

She respected him now.

“Hell,” his partner blasted, “I’ve been doing everything for you. I even took you to Lauren Chandler’s place, and I let you kill the whore there.”

He’d done all of that for him. Kept him hidden. Brought him food. But… “Five years—”

The other man exploded. “You shouldn’t have f*ckin’ taken the babysitter! That was stupid! They caught you red-handed. What the hell was I supposed to do? I got you out!”

Not soon enough. Too many days and nights had passed. Now he couldn’t stand to be confined. He’d taken to sleeping out in the open because he couldn’t bear to be in the cabins near the swamp. Not anymore. The walls closed in. He couldn’t breathe.

“I even let you target the ones you wanted for payback, when they weren’t the prey I would have chosen.”

He only liked to hurt women—the ones like sweet Jenny.

I even let you…

His partner’s words rang in his head. The anger erupted. “You don’t let me do anything.” Not anymore. I’m the leader now,” Jon said, straightening to his full height. A height that put him a good two inches shorter than his partner. “We do what I say because if the marshal gets close again, I will tell him all about Jenny. And you.”

His partner’s face flushed dark red. “They already know about me. Lauren told the cops you were talking to me. They know.”

Walker backed up a step, the move instinctive.

No, don’t back down. You’re in charge.

His partner glanced toward the door. “They’re gonna find this place. I told you, it was too f*cking obvious a choice. You need to get the hell out of here before the marshal comes or before the dogs hunt you down. You need to run.”

“I’m sick of running. I want Lauren,” The scent of blood was clogging his nostrils. Driving him wild.

He wanted it to be her blood. When Lauren was dead, when he finished the circle that had started with Jenny, his partner would see he was the one in charge. He wasn’t the student. He didn’t need to be taught.

This was his game.

His power.

In the distance, he heard the growl of an engine. Not just one engine. Two.

“Told you,” the other man said with a sigh. “How many escapes do you think you’ve got in you?”

“Plenty. Because you have to help me. If you don’t, I’ll send sweet Jenny home at last.”

A muscle jerked in the man’s jaw. “Go out the back. Run through the woods on the north side. I came in that way. My boat’s still there.”

Yes.

He spun, gave one last glance at Hamilton. Already rotting.

Not so high and mighty.

Soon, Lauren would be rotting, too.





*


Anthony braked his SUV, sending dust and dirt flying around his vehicle. He and Matt weren’t the first on the scene. To the right, he saw the Jeep with the Fish and Wildlife logo on the back, and he knew Wesley had already arrived—Wesley and Paul. The detective stood on the steps of the cabin, his gun held tightly in his hand.

There was another car at the scene, too. A beat-up sedan was parked near the side of the cabin. He noticed Wesley had parked his vehicle behind the sedan, blocking it in.

Maybe Wesley and Paul thought it was Walker’s stolen ride. They weren’t about to give the man the chance to escape in it.

Good move.

Anthony and Matt exited their SUV quickly. They drew their own weapons as they swept the scene.

“Wesley?” Anthony asked. He couldn’t see the guy.

“He went around back to block the exit.” Paul inclined his head toward the front door. “We just got here, freaking seconds before you.”

No need to wait any longer.

Anthony gave a nod. At the signal, Paul lifted his foot and kicked in the door.

The cabin wasn’t small. It wasn’t some shack. Instead it snaked and stretched back. But it didn’t take the men long to find the judge.