The house overlooked a small lake, and sported large windows to take advantage of the view. A set of French doors opened onto a deck with a covered hot tub and gazebo. Everything was covered with fresh snow, and Brian didn’t want to make any tracks that could be visible from the upstairs window, in case anyone was looking out.
He circled around the deck, keeping himself hidden until he reached the side of the house.
The lights upstairs turned off. Had Tommy seen him creeping around? Or was he going to bed?
Brian perked up his ears, hoping against hope that Cait wasn’t being held in a bedroom and that Tommy wasn’t forcing her to sleep with him.
Everything was deathly silent, with no sounds of fighting, shouting, or struggling.
Tommy might have chloroformed her or slipped her a roofie. What if he were abusing her at this very moment?
Brian couldn’t stay back and wait for the rest of the squad to arrive. All they would do would be to escalate the situation. Spook Tommy and cause him to do something stupid, like shoot someone.
Even if Tommy had a gun, he was still only one man. And if he were occupied with Cait…
Brian’s gut turned upside down at the horrendous thought. Maybe there were no sounds of struggle because Cait wanted to be with Tommy. Maybe this was a big reunion. A happy ending for her. Maybe they were getting together for old time’s sake or crying about their lost baby.
Brian shook off the wild notion that Cait had somehow orchestrated this “kidnapping” so she could take his son and reunite with Tommy, her secret crush from the past.
What was wrong with him? He wasn’t prone to fantasies. In fact, he never invented stories. But things were different now that he was showing her he loved her.
The stakes were sky high, and he found it hard to breathe. He had to get to Cait and make sure she knew he loved her.
He wasn’t going to give up on her until she told him to his face that she no longer loved him—that she wanted to be with Tommy.
He was going in, no matter what.
Brian stood back to kick in the door and heard a shout behind him. “Freeze. Hands up.”
No way was he going to let Tommy shoot him like a dog. Just then, a helicopter buzzed overhead, and Brian ducked, dropping his hands.
He ran under a fusillade of bullets and rolled under the deck.
