He gasped and dropped his hands to his knees as he let the memory crystalize. Bentley had tried to kill him. How the fuck had he forgotten that? Human minds worked in strange ways to offer protection, but his brother had literally tried to drown him in his hospital bed. If Jane hadn’t returned to the ICU room, he’d be dead.
He continued to race across the driveway fresh panic snaking through his chest. He had believed Bentley was dangerous before. Now though, he’d remembered what his little brother was capable of. Once he was inside the cab of the truck, he started the engine, and dialed Jude.
His friend picked up on the first ring and the call transferred instantly to the vehicle’s Bluetooth system. “I had a flashback, and I remember everything. Bentley had a water bottle. Held mychin and poured it down my throat. I couldn’t breathe and he unplugged the machine monitoring my vitals. Everything Jane said was right.”
Boots sounded on the other line, then the jangle of keys. “Did you get ahold of your parents?” Jude’s voice boomed through the truck’s speakers.
Sully whipped the seat belt over his chest before glancing in the rearview mirror and backing out of the drive. “I talked to my mom. Bentley stayed in their spare bedroom last night. As far as they know he’s still there. I told them to lock their bedroom door and stay there, but my father wouldn’t listen.”
“Can’t blame him. Would you hide or fight if there was danger at your doorstep?”
His cheek ticked. “It’s different.”
“Not for him,” Jude answered. He could tell the moment Jude started his SUV. Music blared from the speakers, then the volume quickly receded.
“I’m headed there now.” Palm trees passed in a blur of green and brown as he bared down on the accelerator.
“I’ll call emergency services and Red. I’m about twenty minutes out. We should arrive at approximately the same time. Jane safe?”
“She locked the doors behind me and set the alarm. I haven’t told her yet about what I remembered.” He turned on his directional and took a left past a gas station and shopping center.
“There’ll be time after. See you in twenty.”
Those twenty minutes felt like some of the longest of his life as he sped down the freeway to the exit that would lead to his parents’ ranch. When he finally pulled in, clouds of dust from the driveway plumed around his truck. He stomped on the brakes, kicking up gravel under his tires. When Jude pulled in thirty seconds later, Sully was already out of the truck and headed up the front steps of the porch. Without a word, Judejoined him as they walked onto the porch, his hand resting on the weapon holstered at his hip. When the front door swung open, he nearly grabbed his own weapon.
“Mom, what the hell are you doing?”
“Your father’s upstairs trying to get Bentley to open the guest room door. He’s locked it and shoved something heavy up against it.” Her voice shook with fear.
“Come on,” Jude said, as they pushed past his mother and took the stairs two at a time.
When they reached the second floor, it was easy to see that his father had managed to splinter the door. The crack allowed them to look inside the room and the corner of a dresser poked out from where it was against the threshold. Bentley’s frame was visible beneath the covers of the bed, but something looked distorted. They worked in tandem to get the dresser away from the door. He was about to walk inside of the room when his father put a hand on his shoulder.
“Let me,” his father said, voice quiet and even. Bentley had tried to kill him, and he wasn’t the same person as the boy he’d grown up with, but that didn’t make his stomach clench less as his father pulled down the sheets. The only thing below the comforter was a trio of pillows. One had been intentionally tied tightly in the middle to look like the shape of the head and shoulders.
“Call Jane,” Red shouted from behind him. He hadn’t heard his teammate approach. Breathing hard, he dialed Jane’s number. The phone rang repeatedly, and they all held their breath, waiting to see if she answered. The call went to voicemail, then again when he called a second time. His wild eyes sought Jude as he punched the redial button. The phone rang repeatedly, but no one answered. His heart felt like it was going to explode from his chest and his hands trembled as he tried to dial again.
“Red, you’re driving.” The three men exchanged a glance, and they raced outside. Red was yelling something into his phone and got behind the wheel of his SUV. He opened the passenger-side door with clammy hands as Jude got in the back. He kept calling Jane, willing her to pick up the phone, but she didn’t. He hoped she’d fallen back asleep, but he knew that wasn’t the case. His skin was squirming as Red pressed through heavy morning traffic. It was hard to sit still as his mind reeled with all the things that his brother could do to hurt the woman he loved. Getting through traffic had taken way too long, so they opted for side streets to cut around the congestion. As they wove through beachside neighborhoods, Sully continued to call Jane.
“Hold it together,” Red said, his tone firm.
“We’re going to get to her.” Jude leaned forward in his seat. “We’re not too far out. I called the police station. They’re on their way, too. They’ll probably get there before we do.”
“It’s possible he’s not even there,” Red said. His teammate’s frantic driving was a direct contradiction to his words. There was a prickling sensation at the back of his neck, and he knew for certain that Jane was in trouble. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her. Why had he left her alone in the town house? He should have insisted that she go with him.
“Whatever you’re thinking,” Jude growled, “stop.”
“You couldn’t have predicted this.” Red slammed on the brakes in front of his town house and the tires screeched. The three men filtered out of the SUV and raced up the stairs, stopping beside a uniformed police officer. He was about to ask the officer the status when a scream ripped from inside the house.
Chapter Nineteen
Jane had justturned the dead bolt and set the alarm when there was a rustle behind her. She spun around and stilled at the muzzle of a gun an inch from her face. Bentley was pale and sweat beaded on his upper lip. His hands shook violently.
A cold calm fortified her, and she stood her ground. There was something about an emergency or a crisis that allowed her to completely detach her emotions, her arrest notwithstanding. “How did you get in here?”
“What the fuck does it matter?” His mouth curled into a sneer. Red splotches had formed on his neck and face, and he was breathing hard.
She continued to stare at him with a steady gaze until his chest was heaving. A tense cry of frustration escaped his lips. “Fine. The other night when I walked in on your little picnic, I took Sullivan’s spare key off Dad’s ring. I thought that once you were arrested, I’d be able to get to him, but he never came home that night. He went to his fucking friend’s house instead. Couldn’t bear to spend the night in an empty town house without you, I guess. At two o’clock this morning, I let myself in the side door. My friend disconnected the alarm, then put it back online. You guys didn’t even move. I’ve been holed up in the linen closet waiting for Sullivan to leave.”
