Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1)(88)

“One mistake? She drove a girl to commit suicide.”

“She didn’t kill anyone. That girl had mental problems. No one could have predicted she’d hang herself because of a little teasing.”

“A little teasing? I read the texts she sent to Lindsay,” Grant said. “Your daughter was brutally and intentionally cruel. She taunted that poor girl mercilessly.”

“Regan had no idea the girl was medicated. I’m sure she wouldn’t have teased her if she did.” But Corey’s eyes weren’t convinced. He was making excuses and he knew it.

“You don’t even care, do you?”

“I need to protect my child.”

“What about teaching her to be a decent human being? What about forcing her to live with the consequences of her actions? Do you not care what kind of person you’ve borne and raised?”

Corey’s gaze went flat. Clearly, that ship was halfway to the Caymans.

Mac tapped Grant on the shoulder. “You can’t kill him.”

“I can hurt him.” Grant’s blade was poised directly over Corey’s carotid artery, but he could easily move it to a less fatal location.

“Grant, let’s call the cops,” Mac said. “We need to find Donnie.”

Donnie. Shit. Donnie could be anywhere.

Grant grabbed Corey by the hair and pressed his knife to his throat. “I can take your whole f*cking head off from this angle. So where is he, Corey? Where’s Donnie?”

Corey’s face twisted with resentment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You can’t kill him.” Mac pulled out his phone and punched numbers.

But Grant wanted to. Listening to his brother summon the police, red hazed Grant’s vision. Rage muddied his thoughts. This man had threatened to kill Ellie’s family, and now he was holding back information. As soon as the cops got here, Corey would shut up and call a lawyer.

“Grant!” Mac yanked on his shoulder. “You can’t kill him.”

That caught Grant’s attention. He straightened, removing the knife from Corey’s throat. Corey’s head fell onto the ground, and his body shook with self-pitying sobs. Grant stood and sheathed his knife.

“What now?” Mac asked. “The cops will be here any minute.”

“We tie him to something, and we split up. Do you want the house or the skating rink?” Grant looked behind him. Corey’s sedan was still running. “I’ll take his car. Hopefully the cops will be able to get him to talk.”

Sand grated on blacktop. Grant whirled toward the sound as Corey launched his body at his legs. Grant sprawled, his legs shooting back, his weight coming down on the back of Corey’s shoulders. Corey hit the pavement face-first and went still.

“So much for questioning him,” Mac said. “Now how are we going to find out where Donnie is?”

Grant poked Corey with his boot. No response. “Hey, I didn’t expect the idiot to try and tackle me. I didn’t even hit him. Fool fell down and knocked himself out.”

“Doesn’t matter how it happened.” Mac lifted his palms. “An unconscious man can’t tell us anything.”

“Shit.” Grant sheathed his knife and swept both hands through his hair. What now? He nodded toward the vehicle. “I have some zip ties in the van.”

“Here.” Mac handed the plastic fasteners over Grant’s shoulder.

He bound Corey’s wrists behind his back. He dragged the man by his feet to the building and zip-tied him to the natural gas pipe running from the meter into the ground. “I’ll call McNamara from the car, explain everything, and get him to send men to the house and the rink.”

Mac was running for the minivan. “Where do you want me?”

“I don’t know.” Grant ran for the sedan. “Donnie was after Carson and Julia. I have to make sure they’re safe. Ellie is at the rink with Julia.”

But which one would Donnie go after?

The ice rink was a very public place. When Grant had dropped off Ellie and Julia, dozens of parents had crowded the bleachers and lobby. The house was the easier target, and Carson, who’d gotten a clearer view of Donnie, was the better witness. Chances were, Donnie would be going after the boy. Also, the rink was all the way across town. Mac might not even get there before the police.

“I’ll take the house. You head for the rink.” Grant drove off. He called the cop. Though supremely pissed off, McNamara promised to send units to both the rink and house ASAP. Grant shoved the gas pedal to the floor. He’d get there first. He’d call Hannah and Ellie and put them both on alert. His instinct told him the ambush on Corey had gone all wrong. Punching numbers on his phone, he ran through a stop sign, the case whirling in his mind. Grant had missed an important piece of information. Now all he could do was hope his failure wouldn’t cost the people he loved their lives.





Chapter Thirty-Three


Donnie parked his van down the street from the Barrett house. He’d had it with these people. He was tired of being jerked around. That applied to his client as well. He’d killed two people for that loser. Sure, he’d enjoyed the act, but he still deserved to be compensated for his effort and risk. Motherf*cking coward was too chicken to do his own dirty work. Well, he was going to pay up. Donnie was a killer. Nobody was going to f*ck with him.