A Darkness Absolute (Rockton 2)

"There's no shortage of places empty here at this hour," I say. "He knows Eric and Will and the whole damned militia will be in those woods looking for him. And I'll be here, recuperating. I'll have a guard, though, and probably a nursemaid. So he needs to lure me out. What better way to do that than to steal my puppy."

She's quiet for a moment. Then she says, "I know I just complained you always seem to be the focus of attention, but are you really sure he's that obsessed with you? If he's got a chance to escape, would he really risk it to kidnap you?"

"It's not me. It's what I represent. He targeted me at first to stop me from finding him. Now he wants to punish me for it. Someone bested him and--worse--that someone is a woman. He needs to put me in my place. My place is in a hole."

"Okay," she says, and then, "Sorry. I didn't mean ... You don't normally..."

"Have an overinflated sense of my own importance? I know exactly what this guy sees in me, and it's not that I'm not the cavegirl of his dream, okay? I'm an adversary." I see the wavering beam of Paul's flashlight as it rounds the corner and I turn mine off, withdrawing from the windows. Once he passes, I check my watch. Three minutes.

"I agree with your reasoning," Diana says. "The evidence does strongly suggest your dog didn't escape. It also makes sense for Shawn to stay in Rockton. If he wants revenge, yes, he'll snatch you before he runs, thumbing his nose at Eric and Will, too. And the best way to lure you out is by taking Storm. You're doped up on painkillers, so he expects you'll go charging into the woods to find her, the capable cop turned panicked puppy-mommy." She opens the back door. "Pa--"

I slam it shut before she can finish.

"What are you doing?" she says.

"I'd ask you the same thing."

"Getting Eric on the line. Presuming the radio works. If not, we'll have to send someone to find him. We need to get his ass back here with Will so they can turn the tables on this bastard."

"Sutherland will be watching for that. Waiting for them to return. If he figures out I called Eric, he'll abandon his scheme. We'll find Storm dead outside my back door, and a few days later, we'll find Nicole's body, too. If he can't kidnap me, he'll cut his losses and punish me that way."

She's quiet for a moment. Then she says, "This is the point where I should ask you what's the alternative. But I already know it. You're going after him. Which only proves exactly what he's counting on--that you're too doped up on meds to think straight."

"I've figured out what he's up to. Where he is. What happened to Storm. You agree with my reasoning, which should prove I'm thinking just fine. That's how I catch him. By stepping into his trap ... knowing it's a trap."

I back up as Paul comes around again. Another watch check. "Three minutes. I have three minutes to get out that door and into the forest."

"You need backup."

"I would love backup. But Paul is loyal to Eric first. Same as everyone in this town."

"Except me."

I look over. Her face is half hidden in shadows.

"I don't give a damn about Eric Dalton," she says. "And you need backup. You just admitted that."

"You have zero experience providing it," I say. "I can't hand you a gun. He already managed to get mine away from me."

"I'm not letting you go into that forest alone, Casey," she says. "You take a step out that door alone, and I'll scream for Paul."

I glance at her.

"And don't think you can take me down first. You've hurt your shoulder."

I walk to a drawer and pull out a sheathed hunting blade.

Diana smiles. "Now, that's a knife. I'll take it."

"No." I hand her the knife from my pocket. She flicks the button. A three-inch blade pops out. She looks at the hunting knife.

"No," I say. "Be glad I'm arming you at all."

I take a penlight from the next drawer and hand it to her. Then I say, "I have a plan. That plan does not involve you getting within twenty feet of this maniac. If he grabs me, you will follow at a distance and see where he takes me. Note landmarks. Big rocks. Downed trees. Anything distinctive. Eric can find them."

"Okay."

"Dress warm. If he grabs me, he's going to take me a long way."