Deadly Trap (Maple Valley Book 5), page 1
Contents
Copyright
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two About the Author
Copyright © 2023 Rebecca Deel
All rights reserved.
Cover by Melody Simmons
DEADLY TRAP
Rebecca Deel
To my amazing husband. I wouldn’t want to weather the storms of life with anyone else. I love you.
CHAPTER ONE
AS BRYNN GILBERT stared at the gun pointed at her heart, ice water poured through her veins. This couldn’t happen in Maple Valley, and yet the man holding the weapon with a steady hand proved crime occurred in small towns of Tennessee, too. “What do you want?”
“Come with me.”
“Take money from the register and go.” Bandit wouldn’t have much luck, though. Most of her customers used debit or credit cards for purchases.
Bandit shifted closer, still holding his handy dandy gun. “We’re walking out the back door, Ms. Gilbert. We don’t want to attract attention.” An ugly smile curved his lips.
Did he think her intelligence fell somewhere between that of a flea and a gnat? Bandit’s smile promised pain and eventual death. Brynn didn’t intend to die today, thank you very much. “No.”
She slid her hand along the underside of the counter and pressed the panic button she’d hoped never to use. Would help arrive in time?
In the understaffed Morgan County sheriff’s department, each deputy covered a large territory. What was the chance a deputy patrolled close to the center of Maple Valley at this time of night?
She should have completed the inventory when her coworkers were here instead of working on the task after the garden center closed for the night. Brynn didn’t expect a stranger to walk in with a gun and demand she leave with him. She should have been safe counting plants and bags of potting soil at midnight.
Bandit scowled. “I have orders.”
Now they were getting somewhere. “Someone ordered you to kidnap me?”
“Who said anything about kidnapping?”
Seriously? “What do you call taking a woman against her will? Look up the definition of kidnapping in the dictionary. Your picture’s there.”
His meaty left hand whipped across the counter and gripped Brynn’s wrist in an unbreakable hold. “It’s business. Let’s go.” He dragged her toward the back of the garden center. “I don’t like mouthy dames.”
Dame? Cretin. She fought the forward momentum but Bandit dragged her in his wake. The floor’s concrete surface didn’t slow their progress.
When the bottom of Brynn’s sneaker caught on the floor drain, she stumbled and fell, knocking over a stack of plastic planters.
Bandit cursed and yanked Brynn to her feet, continuing the journey to the back door.
She had to stop him but how? Experts said not to allow a kidnapper to get you into a vehicle or you’d die. Why didn’t the experts tell you how to escape from a kidnapper before he stuffed you into a vehicle?
Brynn scanned the dimly-lit center, looking for something to use as a weapon. Where was a convenient fireplace poker or a hefty baseball bat when you needed one? Flats of pansies, marigolds, and impatiens and a ton of other beautiful plants and flowers but nary a weapon in sight. She grabbed a flat of pansies and flung it at Bandit’s head.
He hunched, shook off dirt and plants, and swung around. Fury burned in his eyes as he cursed. Bandit shoved Brynn against the closest wall. His onion-scented breath washed over her face. “My job is to deliver you to the boss. No one said I wasn’t allowed to hurt before delivery.”
Oh, boy. “Let me go.”
Bandit slapped her, whipping her head to the side, and followed up with another slap to the other cheek.
Pain exploded in Brynn’s face. Her cheeks burned, and tears blinded her.
“A slap is nothing compared to the pain you’ll feel with a bullet in your leg.” One of his hands clamped around her throat and squeezed. “Continue to fight me, and I’ll shoot you, Ms. Gilbert. You understand me?” Bandit compressed his hold.
She wheezed, eyes widening.
Bandit shoved Brynn’s head against the wall hard enough that she saw stars. When she started to sag, he hauled Brynn over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Her kidnapper strode across the remaining feet to the exit and flung open the door. A bright light pinned Brynn and Bandit in the doorway.
“Police! Freeze!”
Bandit froze. He cursed under his breath, then called, “Okay, man. Don’t shoot.”
“Drop your weapon. Now.”
Brynn recognized that voice. Deputy Caleb Montgomery would know what to do.
“All right, all right. Hold your horses.”
Despite his easy, relaxed voice, Bandit’s muscles tightened. He was up to something. Brynn wanted to warn the deputy but feared a reprisal for him.
“Drop it,” Montgomery ordered.
“Hey, I don’t want to get shot. I’m putting it down, nice and easy.” Bandit crouched slightly, his left hand gripping Brynn’s leg in a painful hold. Instead of dropping the gun, he pointed the muzzle to the side. “You don’t want to shoot me, man. You might hit the chick. That’d be a real shame, wouldn’t it? She wouldn’t be so pretty with a bullet hole in her.”
Brynn kicked hard to break his hold. In retaliation, Bandit’s grip tightened until excruciating pain shot up her leg. She screamed.
The deputy shouted something at Bandit who rushed toward the cop.
Bandit raised his gun and fired off three shots in quick succession.
“No!” Did the bullets strike Deputy Montgomery?
Close by, car tires barked. Another shout. Bandit dropped Brynn and shoved her toward the deputy.
Brynn collided with Caleb’s hard, muscled body, and they fell to the ground with him on the bottom to cushion her collision with the asphalt.
Caleb flipped their positions so his body covered hers. He fired several bullets at the vehicle. Metal pinged and glass shattered. The vehicle raced away.
“Caleb,” another man called. “You good?”
“Yeah. Go.”
The second deputy ran off in foot pursuit. Brynn hoped the deputy had a vehicle. Otherwise, Bandit would get away, leaving her to worry about the stranger coming back for her in the dead of night.
Caleb levered off Brynn and knelt beside her. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.” Such a lie. She was terrified. Her face and thigh hurt. Her throat felt swollen and bruised.
He grabbed a flashlight and swept the beam over her. Caleb cupped her chin gently with his hand and turned her face to the side. He growled. “No, you’re not. That guy nailed you good.”
Caleb released her and activated a radio attached to the shoulder of his uniform. “Dispatch, I need an ambulance behind Brynn’s Garden Center.”
He returned his full attention to her. “Medical help will arrive soon. Is anyone else in the center? An employee or another gunman?”
“No one. I was alone, working on inventory when that guy walked in and pointed a gun at my chest.”
“Did you recognize the gunman?”
She shook her head.
“What did he want?”
Tears burned her eyes again. Rats. She hated to cry, especially in front of this man. Brynn blinked rapidly, hoping to dispel the tears. Epic fail. They overflowed. She took comfort from the fact that she wasn’t sobbing out loud. Inside was a different matter. “Me.”
Caleb stiffened. “I know this is difficult, but you must be truthful with me. It’s important, Brynn. Did he sexually assault you?”
“No.”
The tough cop relaxed a little. “Did he indicate that was his intention?”
She shook her head again.
“Did he say why he wanted to take you with him?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, Caleb. His job was to deliver me but he hadn’t promised not to hurt me in the process. I don’t know who wanted Bandit to kidnap me. He didn’t say.”
His lips twitched. “Bandit?”
“He didn’t introduce himself. I had to call him something besides Guy With The Gun, and I was too scared to come up with a decent moniker.”
Caleb cleared his throat. “Bandit works for me. Did he take anything? Money? Drugs? Cell phone? Anything at all?”
Was he laughing at her? His voice sounded like he wanted to laugh. Then what he said registered. “Drugs?” Brynn scowled. “I sell plants, not drugs. Illegal drugs ar
Caleb held up a hand. “I have to ask. It’s part of the job.”
“It’s a lousy part of your job. I’m not a drug dealer.” She’d met several over the years, and every one gave her the creeps.
“I have to ask questions, Brynn.”
A siren cut off, and flashing blue-and-white lights created a strobe effect in the alley. A vehicle door opened, then another male voice called out, “Caleb, what do we have?”
“Trouble.”
Understatement of the year.
CHAPTER TWO
CALEB MONTGOMERY STARED down at the woman sprawled on the ground, her cheeks tear-streaked. Despite his resolve not to become personally involved with Brynn until her case was resolved, her bruised face and eyes awash with tears tugged at his heartstrings. Not good if you were trying to remain objective. The resolve seemed to be a wasted effort on his part.
David, his brother and boss, crouched beside him. “Brynn, you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Caleb frowned at her. “No, she isn’t. The perp roughed her up before he took off with his partner.”
Brynn gaped. “Bandit had a partner?”
“At least one. I didn’t get a good look inside the car before the perp and driver left.”
His brother’s eyebrow winged up. “Bandit? Did he steal something?”
“He almost took Brynn.”
A scowl. “Run it down,” David said. “Short version. Details later.”
“Dispatch reported a panic alert from Brynn’s garden center. I was two miles away and arrived on scene in less than two minutes. I noticed overturned pots at the front of the center, indicating some kind of struggle. The door was locked.”
“How did the guy get inside the place?”
“Didn’t get that far in the interview.”
His brother motioned with his finger for Caleb to continue his report.
“I heard a scream and saw Brynn fighting someone. I circled to the back of the building. The perp opened the door with Brynn slung over his shoulder. I identified myself as a police officer, told him to freeze, and drop his weapon.”
“What kind of weapon?”
“A Glock.” The muscles of his jaw flexed as he remembered Brynn’s scream of pain. “The creep hurt her, rushed me as he fired three shots, then dropped Brynn and shoved her toward me. I fired. He jumped in the car. Elliot gave chase.”
David scanned him. “You hurt?”
He hesitated.
His brother stiffened. “Where?”
“Two in the vest. I’m fine, bro. The vest did its job.”
Brynn gasped. “Bandit shot you?”
“I’m fine,” he repeated.
His brother stared at him through narrowed eyes. “Good to know you finally earned a medical degree. We can use it when we’re deployed.”
Heat burned in his cheeks. Brothers. They were pains. Wasn’t he lucky to have four of them? Not. “Funny.”
“You’re both going to the hospital for the doc to check you,” David continued.
Caleb glowered. “For this? Come on, David.”
“You’re going. End of discussion.”
He sighed. When he used that tone of voice, David meant business. “Yeah, yeah. I hear you.” At home, Caleb didn’t mind laying into his brother to argue his point. On the job, David was the boss. Period. When the sheriff of Morgan County spoke, you listened or you found yourself on suspension without pay.
An ambulance parked behind David’s patrol car, and two EMTs climbed out and approached them. “What do we have?” Patrick asked.
“Ms. Gilbert was attacked,” Caleb said. “Struck in the face at least twice and likely has more injuries.” Some Brynn may not realize she had, and some she might downplay as minor. As the hours passed, the injuries would make themselves felt.
“What about you, Caleb?”
He rolled his eyes. “Took two bullets to the vest.”
Patrick motioned his EMT partner toward Caleb. “Let’s get you both in the ambulance so we can assess the damage. The lighting is bad here.”
“I have better lighting ordered,” Brynn said. “But the company has a backlog.”
Caleb waved off Patrick’s partner. He didn’t need help getting to the ambulance.
Brynn subtly shifted away from Patrick when the paramedic knelt beside her.
Caleb went on alert. “Hold up, Patrick. Brynn, what’s wrong?”
She remained silent.
He glanced at Patrick. “I’ll bring her to the ambulance in a minute.” When the two men retreated, Caleb sent his brother a pointed look. If Brynn wouldn’t talk in front of the EMS crew, she’d remain mute in front of David, too.
David held up one finger to indicate Caleb had one minute.
Bossy much? Although irritated, he gave a slight nod. No reason to argue. Brynn would either tell him what was bothering her or she wouldn’t. Badgering her wasn’t an option. But he wanted Brynn to trust him enough to confide in him.
Caleb waited until his brother was out of earshot before turning to the woman he’d wanted to ask on a date for months. “Talk to me,” he murmured. “Are you afraid of Patrick?”
She lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know him.”
“He’s a good man. Married to a sweet Alabama girl. They have two little boys running around the house. Patrick’s also an excellent paramedic. I would trust him with my life.”
“Okay.”
He studied her mutinous expression. “But you don’t want him assessing you.”
“No.”
Caleb’s gut tightened into a knot. Had she lied to him? Did the perp do more than slap her? He shifted closer. He longed to brush away the tear streaks on her cheeks with the pad of his thumb but didn’t dare touch her. If Brynn had been raped, the last thing she’d want is another man touching her skin even to comfort her. “Would you be more comfortable with a woman? I can request a female EMT if you’re prefer one.”
“It’s not that.” When his eyebrow rose, Brynn frowned. “All right. It’s not only that. I don’t need medical attention for bruises. I’ve had them before. They’ll go away on their own in a few days.”
Fury lit him up inside. Brynn wasn’t talking about bruises from bumping into furniture. Who had hurt her, and how recently?
Caleb reminded himself to dial it back a notch or five. “Someone hurt you in the past.” He made it a statement, not question because he knew in his gut he was right.
She shrugged. “I survived.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? You didn’t hurt me.”
“No one should have hurt you, Brynn. Tonight, or earlier.”
Her gaze skated away from his but not before he caught a glimpse of more tears shimmering on her lashes.
“Caleb, get a move on,” David called out.
“Will you let one of the guys do a cursory exam of your face if I stay with you?” Caleb asked. “We’ll leave a more thorough assessment for the doctor.”
She gave a slight nod.
“Excellent. May I help you to your feet?” He extended his hand to her. When Brynn placed her small, calloused hand in his, Caleb counted it as a huge victory. He closed his fingers around hers and stood, drawing her up with him.
When Brynn put weight on her left leg, she gasped.
Without thinking, Caleb wrapped his arm around Brynn’s waist to hold her steady. “Mind if I pick you up? I’ll put you down as soon as we reach the ambulance.”
“You can’t carry me. You were shot, Caleb.”
He snorted. “Trust me. A couple of bruises or cracked ribs is nothing compared to other injuries I’ve had in the past.”
She stared. “Is being a police officer that dangerous?”
“It can be, but I was referring to my military service.” And his second job with Fortress Security. Working as a team of operatives for the private security company, Caleb and his brothers routinely hunted the worst terrorists and eliminated them. The job came with hazards that included close quarters combat. He and his brothers often came home with bruises, knife wounds, and a bullet wound or two, plus strained muscles and sprains. Not a job for the faint of heart.
“What military branch?”
“Army.” Caleb scooped Brynn into his arms and carried her to the back of the ambulance, forestalling further questions. He didn’t want to talk about his military background right now. Everything could wait until Brynn had been assessed and treated. If she wanted to know more, he’d tell her what he could. Wouldn’t be much since mission details were classified.
