Jerry heard the distinct click as the knife opened. Without a second’s hesitation, she brought the rock up and struck him on the temple, as hard as she possibly could.
Blood sprayed her face and hands, but Jonathan did not fall. Stunned, he stabbed the air around her, prompting Jerry to jump to her feet to escape his reach, but she didn’t move fast enough. Jonathan, blood streaming down his face, grabbed her ankle with his right hand, while swinging the knife wildly with his left.
Jerry brought the rock down on his head again, her force much more compelling as she stood. Her next blow landed on his shoulder in an effort to make him release the fierce grip he had on her ankle.
Jonathan howled in pain, sending birds and other woodland creatures scattering away from the commotion. Jerry wondered at how part of her brain took in the animals’ movements, all the while she fought for her life.
With both legs free, Jerry kicked the knife from Jonathan’s still flailing hand, before crashing the rock down, one last time, on his head. The final blow sent Jonathan slumping onto the ground, a fountain of blood, draining the life from his body.
Jerry dropped the rock, grabbed the knife, and stepped away from the body. He was dead, or soon would be, and she felt nothing but relief. Standing bent over with her hands on her knees, she caught her breath before straightening to her full height, and staring over the cliffs.
The sun was dipping just below the horizon, sending a kaleidoscope of oranges, yellows, and reds, into the sky above. Without a doubt, it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
Chapter Twenty
“He’s down, she did it.” Rodney relayed the fight between Jerry and Jonathan, blow by blow, to Dylan and Nate. All three men breathed a collective sigh of relief at his last words.
“Now we just have to find her.” Nate scoured the shoreline, looking for anything that would stand out in the quickly changing light. Just then, his phone rang.
“It’s me, Boss.” Jerry sounded weary, but strong. “It’s over.”
“Are you okay?” Nate motioned to Dylan that the call was from Jerry.
“Never better,” Jerry joked. “I found my phone in the car, he’d disabled it, but you should be able to track the GPS now. Come and get me, would you?”
“We’re on our way.”
~~~
Jerry heard the chopper land, only minutes before she saw two figures running up the hill towards her. Two flashlights swung from side to side in the growing dusk as they searched for her location. With keys she’d found in Jonathan’s pocket, she started the car to let the headlights guide them.
Dylan reached her first, grabbing her in a big bear hug, before he pushed her away for a head to toe inspection. Satisfied, he passed her off to Nate without saying a word.
“I’m fine, really,” she assured both of them, after Nate gave her a once over of his own. “Too bad I can’t say the same for Casanova over there.” She nodded in the direction of Jonathan’s body.
“Gotta love Karma,” Dylan grinned. “She’s a bitch, but she’s fair. Bastard got exactly what he deserved.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Nate headed in the direction of the body, already punching numbers into his phone for the coroner.
“Where’s Ethan?” Jerry asked, confused that he was not with Dylan and Nate. In the darkening minutes that passed since she’d killed Jonathan, thoughts of Ethan had both warmed her, and kept her sane.
The shadow crossing Dylan’s face before he turned away gave Jerry her first inkling that something was wrong. Grabbing Dylan’s arms, she made him face her.
“Is he okay, what happened?” The emotion she’d kept neatly in place, during the ride in the trunk, and during the ordeal with Jonathan, was now beginning to spiral out of control.
“He’s fine, he’s safe.” Dylan assured her, dreading the moments ahead more than anything he’d ever done. “He had to leave.”
Jerry searched his face for answers and didn’t like what she saw. “What do you mean, leave? Where did he go?”
“He went back to Europe.” Dylan gingerly removed the camera pin from her scarf and disabled it. “He said to say goodbye.”
Jerry noticed Dylan’s movements and heard the words he spoke, but she didn’t understand what he was saying.
“He left, back to Europe? Today? But why?” She felt Dylan lead her back to the car and help her into the passenger seat. Her eyes followed him as he slid into the driver’s side before turning to face her.
“Are you sure you want to have this conversation, now? You’ve been through enough.”
“What do you mean, this conversation? Tell me what the hell is going on.” Her voice began to rise, the shock from the day’s events threatening to become hysterics. Dylan sighed and took her hands in his.
“I know you love him, but the truth is that he is not worthy of you.” He began, cursing himself silently when tears sprang into her eyes.
“What exactly are you saying, Dylan?”
“Your relationship wasn’t real, it was just a game to him. He was seeing at least three other women, that I know of, this past week. God knows how many he had during the entire time that he was here.” He watched as horror replace confusion on her face. This was killing him. “I’m sorry, Jerry, but he left this morning, said to tell you, and I quote, ‘It was fun.’”
“No. That’s not possible. He loves me. He would never do that.” Jerry felt her world shift. The always-present part of her that believed she was not worthy of love grew stronger in the aftermath of her denial.
“I have proof.” Dylan said softly.
“Show me.” Jerry whispered, calmly accepting that Dylan was not lying, and that she would never be good enough.
“Are you sure?”
“Show me.” She repeated, defeat nearly breaking her in two. It was best to get it all out now, rip the bandage off completely, so the wound would begin to heal. As if that will ever happen; the little girl’s voice inside her spoke the truth.
Dylan pulled the pack of photos from his pocket and handed them over to her. “You don’t have to do this now,” he said again. She looked so fragile, so completely unlike the Jerry he knew, and loved.
“Yes, I do.” Removing the photos, her heart began to pound and sweat broke out over her brow. There was Ethan’s beautiful, lying, face, smiling into the eyes of some blond bombshell, the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The next image was taken at night. He and an attractive brunette lounged on the sand at the water’s edge, the lights of Pier 39 shining in the distance. The third picture showed Ethan and a different blond, he must be partial to bottled color, hanging off the side of a street car, laughing.
Jerry placed the pictures back in the pouch and sat silently for a long moment.
“How is it that you have these?” She finally asked.
“I suspected that he was a scumbag from the moment I laid eyes on him. I knew that you were falling for him, so I had him followed. I never wanted this, Jerry, no matter what I thought of him. You have to believe that.”
“When were you going to tell me?” She felt dead inside, drained as surely as Jonathan’s corpse.
“As soon as I could prove it. I just got the pictures today, this morning in fact, after the scumbag left. I didn’t even get a chance to punch him.” Dylan growled, wishing he could do some serious damage to Ethan’s face right now, no matter how good his reasons were for leaving.
“He’s not worth it.” Her voice was devoid of emotion. The heat, and the fury, Dylan knew would save her had not yet surfaced.
“He didn’t deserve you, Jer.” Dylan told her as he reached over to take her in his arms. “You deserve so much better.” He stroked her hair and felt the shudders run through her. She was too drained to cry, too hurt to speak. He knew the tears would come soon, he’d seen them in a vision.
“Let’s get you home,” he crooned, and rocked her like a child.
Epilogue
“Tell me she’s okay,??
? Ethan’s demand sounded more like a plea.
“Physically, she’s fine.” Dylan said tersely. He’d spent the better part of the night letting Jerry cry it out on his shoulder. Ethan Barnes was not his favorite person at the moment.
“And otherwise?” Ethan asked, though he already knew the answer. Leaving Jerry had created a hole in his very soul, he could only imagine how much harder it was for her, believing that he’d lied to her, and played her for a fool.
“How do you think she’s doing, Barnes? Spare me the stupid questions. Was there another reason for your call?” Dylan still had the urge to bash in Slick’s face.
“No. I just needed to know that she was safe.” Ethan’s voice dropped.
“Read the report, watch the video. It’s all there.” Dylan growled. “Go do what you left her to do.”
“I will. And I’ll be back for her, Dawes. Count on it.”
Dear Reader,
Thank you for making the books of my series, Timeless Trilogy, best sellers at Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K.; I’m humbled by your loyalty and your kind words.
I’m including a bonus excerpt from the next book in the SSCD series, The Littles. In it, we fast forward about two years, to when Jeri (she changes the spelling of her name, to avoid being thought a man) is in charge of her own team. Together, they hunt down the lowest of the low, a psychopath who focuses his rage on children, until a member of the team catches his eye.
Ethan and Jeri find each other again in the third novel of the SSCD series, Bayou Butcher. Discover how Jeri and Ethan meet again, after more than two years apart. Will she forgive him? Does he deserve it?
BONUS EXCERPT: The Littles, An SSCD Crime Thriller:
Prologue
The woman’s eyes shot daggers of pain-filled hatred into the black, soulless, eyes of her son. Naked and gagged, with arms and ankles bound behind her, the woman lay sideways on top of a cold, metal table.
“One more strip should do it.” The man, grown weary from hours dedicated to his mother’s torture, sliced another section of skin from her exposed arm, this one near her shoulder. “We must give our furry friends incentive to feed.”
Stepping back, he admired his handiwork. He’d been careful not to make any of the cuts too deep, he didn’t want her bleeding out. No, exsanguination would be too good for this whore. Smiling, he imagined a long, slow, death, in the same darkness in which she’d happily trapped him as a child.
Weeks of starvation, while she became rat food, seemed a more appropriate way for the bitch to go. He would visit, from time to time, maybe even remove the gag and let her beg for life. Or death.
“I suppose I should thank you, while your mind is still clear.” He told the moaning woman. “Without your example of maternal love, I might never have realized my true mission. It is my duty to save other Littles from she-devils like you. It will be my pleasure to punish them for a lifetime.”
As if she weighed next to nothing, he picked up the woman who gave him life, and tossed her into the basement closet that would become her coffin.
One
“You’re a snob, pure and simple.” Jeri aimed her voice at the speaker atop her desk. “Just because a movie has less than a four-star rating, doesn’t mean that it’s bad. Some very good movies have three stars, two stars even.”
“Oh, yeah? Name three. Hell, name one.” Dylan looked across the room at his wife, Roni, casually arranging recipe cards for her next show. His heart tripped as it always did when he looked at her. God, he loved that woman.
“I’ll send you a list.” Jeri grinned and continued. “That’s really not the point. The point is your misguided snobbery. You’re basing your opinion on everyone else’s. If your preferences are dictated by mass opinion, which, by the way, usually correlates with the studio’s advertising budget, you’re potentially missing out on …”
You’re the one who’s missing the point.” Dylan interrupted, ready to hunker into a meaningful discussion on the merits of filtering and time management in regards to wasting 90 minutes on a movie that sucked. Jeri stopped him, mid thought.
“Come in,” she called in response to a sharp knock on the door. Dylan frowned as he listened to the brief exchange.
“There’s been another one in Georgia.” Dylan recognized Adam Gold, Jeri’s partner. His deep baritone was hard to miss. “They just called us in. Briefing in ten.”
Jeri nodded solemnly as Adam’s head disappeared behind the door. “Dammit, dammit, dammit.” Jeri swore, forgetting for a moment that Dylan was on the phone.
“What’s happening in Georgia?” Dylan’s tone changed from carefree to concerned.
Jeri jumped slightly at the sound, then sighed. “Murder.” Her voice was thick with anger. “Particularly gruesome murders” She swallowed hard. “Children.” Her voice nearly broke at the thoughts of those brutally killed at the hands of a monster.
Dylan lowered his own voice, reading the distress in hers. “How many? Where in Georgia?”
“Three, so far. In the mountains, northwest of Atlanta. He chooses his victims from small communities. More impact for his kills.” She began packing her desk, preparing to leave for an extended stay in Georgia. If her gut was right, and it usually was, this bastard was just getting started.
Dylan felt an old tug, one that drew him towards danger and the satisfaction of stalk and capture. More than anything, he loved locking away the dregs of society. Well, more than almost anything. Since marrying his beguiling witch, he found it near impossible to be away from her for any length of time.
“Go get him. Be careful.” His voice was low, but fierce.
“Always am.” Jeri snapped her briefcase closed. “I’ll be in touch.” She disconnected the phone, her mind already running over details of the first two murders. Both children were seven years old, both had been abducted in broad daylight from their homes. Both mothers were stay-at-homes and both were present, in another part of the house, when he took their only child. The method of both killings was also the same, Jeri made a conscious decision to skip those details. She and her team would dissect every bit of gory minutia as they worked to discover the unsub’s identity. “Unknown subject, my ass.” She muttered on her way to the conference room. “This one’s a coward. It takes a big man to prey on little children.” Her sarcasm was not lost as Adam joined her.
“Add sadist with mommy issues to that list.” He held open the door, letting Jeri go in first. No matter how outdated the concept, chivalry was as much a part of his character as was his easy charm, and dedication to the job. With his movie star good looks and family connections, he could have had a career in politics, was groomed for it, in fact, but he chose to serve as a federal agent. Much to the disappointment of Adam Gold, Sr.
Jackson and Cara, partners and fellow field team members, were already seated, studying split screen images of the three victims on the wall monitor.
Jeri cringed and held back the bile that automatically rose to her throat. Some things you never got used to. “Another little girl.” she commented. “I wonder if he’s decided on a preference.”
“Possibly, but it could just be that she met the rest of his needs. Only child, aged seven, work-at-home mom, rural town.” Cara touched the fingertips of one hand with the index finger of the other as she reeled off the characteristics.
“What are the differences?” Jeri asked as she took her seat.
“The biggest change is the time between the abductions, and the kills. The first two abductions were spaced over two months. He held Jeffrey for three days, and Angela for two, before killing them.” Jackson switched the screen to a timeline. “He took Lucy Carson yesterday, just two weeks from his last kill. And he only kept her for one day.”
“That had to be a blessing,” Adam murmured as he scrolled through the images on his tablet. “Did he call the family this time?”
“Only once, last night.” Jackson read from his notes. “The transcript is the same as the others.
Initially, the child is crying, screaming for mommy. He lets that go on for up to ten seconds before he outlines, in gory detail, just what he plans to do to their child. Meanwhile, the child is still screaming, and begging for Mommy, in the background. Each phone call lasts about a minute, plenty of time to track it.”
“But that would be too easy.” Jeri nodded for Jackson to continue.
“Damn right, and this bastard’s anything but easy. The burner phones trace back to grocery stores in the area. We’re working on video footage, but that’s tricky. The problem is that there’s little, to no, digital imprint in the backwoods of Georgia. None of the stores where the phones were purchased have cameras. If the phone numbers were not tied to product codes, we’d have no idea where he made the purchases.”
“What about tracking the phone?” Adam asked.
“Sure, but it’s no good. He calls on the edge of cell tower range, about a hundred miles from the town where he takes the victims. After each call, he disables the phone until he needs it again. He ditches the phone after each kill, always in a very visible spot.”
“He’s arrogant. He thinks he’s smarter than law enforcement and he’s taunting them. Taunting us.” Jeri tapped her finger on the table, absently. “Are the children recorded, or live, on the calls?”
“Not sure,” Cara made a note. “Jimmy should have the originals by now, I’ll ask.”
“If it’s recorded, tell him to isolate any background noise. Maybe we’ll get a clue where he’s taking them.” Jeri’s eyes narrowed. “It has to be isolated, but that’s not difficult in this terrain. Where was Lucy taken?” She ran her fingers lightly over the little girl’s name. Lucy Carson, a blond haired, blue eyed beauty with dimples and a thousand watt smile. The image on Jeri’s tablet looked nothing like the image on the wall screen.
“Coker, near the North Carolina border. He dropped the phone at a ranger station in the National Forest, just over the North Carolina line.” Cara changed the wall screen to an area map of western Georgia. “The ranger came off patrol and found the phone on his desk, smeared with blood.”
“Just like the other two.” Adam commented. “Is that why they finally called us in? He crossed state lines?”