you want to be certain that my sister ends up dead?” She jumped up and grabbed her purse, fumbling inside and producing a set of keys.
Then, with them in her hand, she headed toward the door.
“You left your car at the overnight murder scene,” he said.
She glanced back at him, then sagged against the wall for a second before straightening again, looking him directly in the eye. “You can’t call in the SWAT team. Julie will end up dead.” She met his gaze with an intense craziness that he’d seen before from families of missing people.
They got a kind of crazy that other people couldn’t begin to understand, with a ferocious animal-like quality, a primal driving need to rescue their loved one from danger.
He got where she was coming from because he’d seen it too many times. But, he still knew what he had to do.
“Lainey, we have to call the SWAT team. This man is holding all the cards.”
He walked closer to her. “Except one. Julie gave us this one chance to save her. She knew that if this man had total control that she was done for. This little girl gets that we have to come for her. And we have to come with everything that we’ve got.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lainey looked away.
“Lainey, this guy is a control freak. But if he’s surrounded, then he’ll have to give up.”
“Unless he kills Julie just before the house is stormed. Unless he’s one of those guys who would rather die than go to prison, committing suicide by cop, taking my little sister with him.”
A ferocious viciousness filled her eyes. “I won’t let you gamble with your cop logic when my little sister’s life is in the balance.”
She punched his chest with her finger. “I won’t let you get Julie killed. I won’t.” Her voice was so high that he was surprised she could still breathe.
“Lainey, we have to do it the cop way. There’s no other way.”
She nodded her head with a deadly determination. “Yes, there is. I find Sean Moseman and turn him over to this guy.”
She couldn’t be serious but the deadly intent in her eyes said she was.
“And then what? He kills him and you go to jail?”
“I don’t care.” She shook her head like it hung on a string, bouncing around with the power of the emotions that emanated from her skin. “As long as Julie’s alive, I don’t care if I have to pay a price. Put me in front of a jury of twelve people just like me, who have daughters, sisters, mothers, wives.” She met his gaze intently. “I’ll take my chance in front of those twelve people.”
And he knew she would. But he couldn’t let her. “We’re going to do this my way.” He walked across the room, retrieved his phone and began dialing. “I’m sorry, Lainey. But this is our best chance of getting your sister back alive.”
“No,” she screamed at him. “This is not your decision.”
But he continued dialing. He was an officer of the law and as much as he’d like to hand Moseman over to this maniac who had Julie, he couldn’t. He had to follow the law or he was no better than this man who felt he could decide for all of society.
“Life can’t be lived like this man wants us to live,” he said, looking intently into her eyes, hoping she could forgive him.
“It’s not your sister.” Her voice was grave and from somewhere distant, as if she’d already resigned herself to losing Julie.
“We won’t lose her, Lainey. I promise you.”
She looked at him forlornly, as if she were already planning her sister’s funeral. “It’s not within your power to promise.”
Damn, he’d kill this man himself if he harmed her sister. He would hunt him down and kill him himself.
But right now, he had to go with what he believed was their best chance to get this little girl back alive.
Even if it meant alienating Lainey Thomas for life. He had to treat her like the family of any other abduction victim and do what he thought provided the best chance of getting Julie back alive.
Like with a hundred
Then, with them in her hand, she headed toward the door.
“You left your car at the overnight murder scene,” he said.
She glanced back at him, then sagged against the wall for a second before straightening again, looking him directly in the eye. “You can’t call in the SWAT team. Julie will end up dead.” She met his gaze with an intense craziness that he’d seen before from families of missing people.
They got a kind of crazy that other people couldn’t begin to understand, with a ferocious animal-like quality, a primal driving need to rescue their loved one from danger.
He got where she was coming from because he’d seen it too many times. But, he still knew what he had to do.
“Lainey, we have to call the SWAT team. This man is holding all the cards.”
He walked closer to her. “Except one. Julie gave us this one chance to save her. She knew that if this man had total control that she was done for. This little girl gets that we have to come for her. And we have to come with everything that we’ve got.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lainey looked away.
“Lainey, this guy is a control freak. But if he’s surrounded, then he’ll have to give up.”
“Unless he kills Julie just before the house is stormed. Unless he’s one of those guys who would rather die than go to prison, committing suicide by cop, taking my little sister with him.”
A ferocious viciousness filled her eyes. “I won’t let you gamble with your cop logic when my little sister’s life is in the balance.”
She punched his chest with her finger. “I won’t let you get Julie killed. I won’t.” Her voice was so high that he was surprised she could still breathe.
“Lainey, we have to do it the cop way. There’s no other way.”
She nodded her head with a deadly determination. “Yes, there is. I find Sean Moseman and turn him over to this guy.”
She couldn’t be serious but the deadly intent in her eyes said she was.
“And then what? He kills him and you go to jail?”
“I don’t care.” She shook her head like it hung on a string, bouncing around with the power of the emotions that emanated from her skin. “As long as Julie’s alive, I don’t care if I have to pay a price. Put me in front of a jury of twelve people just like me, who have daughters, sisters, mothers, wives.” She met his gaze intently. “I’ll take my chance in front of those twelve people.”
And he knew she would. But he couldn’t let her. “We’re going to do this my way.” He walked across the room, retrieved his phone and began dialing. “I’m sorry, Lainey. But this is our best chance of getting your sister back alive.”
“No,” she screamed at him. “This is not your decision.”
But he continued dialing. He was an officer of the law and as much as he’d like to hand Moseman over to this maniac who had Julie, he couldn’t. He had to follow the law or he was no better than this man who felt he could decide for all of society.
“Life can’t be lived like this man wants us to live,” he said, looking intently into her eyes, hoping she could forgive him.
“It’s not your sister.” Her voice was grave and from somewhere distant, as if she’d already resigned herself to losing Julie.
“We won’t lose her, Lainey. I promise you.”
She looked at him forlornly, as if she were already planning her sister’s funeral. “It’s not within your power to promise.”
Damn, he’d kill this man himself if he harmed her sister. He would hunt him down and kill him himself.
But right now, he had to go with what he believed was their best chance to get this little girl back alive.
Even if it meant alienating Lainey Thomas for life. He had to treat her like the family of any other abduction victim and do what he thought provided the best chance of getting Julie back alive.
Like with a hundred
Similar Books
