Once I saw for myself that Mom and Livvy were okay, I let one of his minions zip-tie my hands together and push me to my knees. I kept my end of the bargain, but instead of keeping his, he made my family watch as he beat the shit out of me.
His brass knuckles hammered against my ribs, bit into my kidneys, and smashed against my face and head repeatedly. The blows hit so hard my vision flashed white. As I blinked the world back into view with my eye that hadn’t swollen shut, brass flew at my face once again. I staggered but didn’t go down. Then a blow to the back of my head sent me sprawling forward.
A yank on the back of my shirt returned me to my knees. With bloody straw stuck to my face, obstructing what was left of my vision my stomach revolted and I threw up.
Behind me, Madden laughed.
Goddamn coward had me tied up and still had to use brass knuckles to beat me. Just when I think he can’t be any more of a pussy, he lunged forward with his knife, slicing what felt like the mark of Zoro into my back. Then things went fuzzy.
I heard my sister yelling, but she sounded miles away. Her screams meant she was alive and kept me going, reassuring me I was the only one taking the hits. Not her or Mom. That’s all that mattered.
I must have hallucinated from the pain because I had visions of Daisy sneaking into the barn, with the men holding us hostage none the wiser. The three most important people in my life all here with this psychopath and his henchmen. I watched as my hallucination got into place and lined up what I think was the shotgun I keep in the back seat of my truck. I tried to signal for her to get the hell out of here, instead she held a finger up to her perfect lips. And then the sound of gunfire ricocheted off the barn walls.
The two men taking aim at my sister and mother drop to the ground each taking a shot to the side of the head.
Fighting unconsciousness, I whip my head back to Daisy, but she’s gone. The gun is laying on top of the stack of alfalfa, but she’s nowhere in sight.
The horses whinny and pace in their stalls as I struggle to get to my feet. With all the hits to my head, my balance is off, and I stumble. Successively. I make it to my feet on my second try only to be halted before I can take a step in her direction.
“Stay where you are! Hands where I can see them,” a female voice shouts from behind me.
I stop as instructed, my bound hands held out in front of me as I turn my head toward the voice of authority. With one eye swollen shut, my blurry vision prevents me from seeing who's talking to me, but they’re aiming their gun at the coweringginger, not me. It’s then that I notice the badge and hear a dispatcher over someone’s radio.
She’s law enforcement, and I know her.
“Swift, you good?” Deputy Norris asks. She was the deputy on the scene after Daisy’s fall. I’m relieved to see a familiar face.
It takes a second for me to register the two officers behind her. All three are focused on the prick from Boston.
“Carmine Madden, you are under arrest for murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and assault. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say…”
As the two officers with Deputy Norris put Madden in cuffs, Mom yells, “Daisy!”
I don’t hear another word of the Miranda rights I know by heart because she’s here. She wasn’t a figment of my imagination. Time slows as my pulse thunders a punishing beat in my head. She’s running across the barn, and I clumsily meet her halfway. The fruity scent of her shampoo and her trembling body against mine are a godsend.
“How badly are you hurt?” she asks, pulling back to inspect me. “Where did he cut you? I saw the knife.”
I turn sideways so she can see the slices in my back.
“That piece of shit!” She takes off toward the officers, and with my hands still tied, my attempt to stop her is futile.
Norris blocks her path to Madden. “Daisy, I can only imagine how you must feel right now, but I can’t let you attack him, as much as I may want to. We can’t risk making any mistakes in this case. Not if we want to put him away and keep him there until his dying days.”
“He tried to kill Owen! He threatened his family and mine!”
As is so typically Daisy, she leaves out the part where he tried to have her killed.
“You saved them tonight,” Norris says. “The dispatcher you spoke to heard the whole thing. We have his recorded confession. You got him.”
Mom and Olivia join me as a young officer approaches with a pair of safety shears to cut the zip ties from my wrists.
“You’re one lucky man,” the officer says. “She loves you so much she was ready to kill for you. I’m just glad we got here when we did.”
“What do you mean?”
“Miss McKinnon was about to pull the trigger when I pushed her to the ground and Deputy Norris took out the armed assailants.”
Oh, thank God.
