Panic lashed through her even as she accepted there was no other way. But Bo wouldn't be fighting alone. She would claw her way through this for her child—and for him.
Bo had the training, so she waited for his cue to spring. She never once doubted that he would fling himself between them and danger. This man would never risk a hair on her child's head.
Paige gripped her daughter tight against her, fear icing her veins. What the hell had Kurt planted in that letter and in their daughter's memory?
Kirstie turned tearful eyes up, clinging harder. "Mama?"
Rusty vaulted forward, rough hands reaching to grab Paige's arms, twisting and tugging her around by pinning both wrists behind her until they burned in their sockets.
Bo growled. Kirstie whimpered.
Paige went slack in Rusty's grip before either of them suffered from defending her. She shuddered to think of how many trips she'd made out here alone to Chuck Anderson's place, this danger lurking. "It's okay, punkin. I'm all right. Go ahead and talk to him."
"Listen to her." Eddie's smile looked so warm and normal no wonder her child had trusted him. "Nobody wants to hurt your mother, but we need to know about the stories.
Be a brave girl and tell us so everyone can go home."
Kirstie's hold stayed tight on Paige's leg. "You mean the princess story?"
"Yes, what about the princess story?"
"The one where the Princess Kirstie marries a king and they get the treasure hidden under the bush."
"What bush?"
"The one with pretty flowers in the side yard that Daddy and I planted for Mama for Mother's Day. The azzy, uh, az-aylee, um—"
"Azalea bush?" Eddie prompted.
"Yeah, that one."
The men exchanged nods.
"You did well, Kirstie Adella." Eddie stood, patting her on the head. "Your daddy would be very proud of you."
Bile burned Paige's throat stronger than the sting of her arms straining against the biting grip. The cops weren't going to make it.
Chuck smiled without it ever reaching his dead eyes. "Nice work, Eddie. How about getting the plane ready now."
The plane? Ready for what? Already Eddie ducked beneath the wing, a toolbox in hand.
Was Rusty going to fly them away? But the plane was wrecked, the nose gear sheared off.
"What if Kirstie's wrong?" She struggled to reason with monsters even as she knew it would be hopeless. "If you kill us you'll lose any hope of finding out more. At least keep her alive."
"There's no other choice," Chuck declared. "Once Eddie was stupid enough to tell her his name, we knew it was only a matter of time until they tracked him and she identified him."
"But the police already know about him."
Leaning closer, Chuck whispered against her skin, the sickening spice of his cologne almost gagging her. "And that won't be a problem once I take care of him, too. The poor man will die in the accident with you, and don't bother trying to warn him. He'll never believe you, anyway."
A few feet away Eddie pulled a screwdriver from his toolbox and hammered it through the gas tank. Fuel trickled from the small puncture and tainted the air. The large grill lighter sticking from his back pocket sent a chill of premonition through her.
Chuck stepped back and raised his voice. "I really don't want to scare the child any more than we have to. You two can make this easy and peaceful, or it can be frightening and painful. Your choice. If you fight us, the coroner will simply assume injuries are from the crash. If he can even tell from the charred bodies."
She'd been right not to trust Chuck all those years ago, but she hadn't even begun to realize the depth of this man's immorality.
He turned to Rusty. "Put a gun to the child's head while I tie up the adults."