Killer Scents

Danny had her at a huge disadvantage. He knew where they were; she didn’t even know if there was a back door. It would be stupid to risk running off blindly. No, she needed to be patient and stick to her plan, and with a little luck, save her own life.

She closed her eyes the same instant the front door opened and Danny stepped inside. He dropped something heavy on the floor before shutting it behind him.

“I think it’s time for you to wake up.” Danny put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed, lifting her upper body from the couch and pushing her back down hard, before leaving her once again. The unmistakable sound of tape being pulled from a roll broke the silence.

She lay in wait of the perfect moment. His footsteps grew closer.

“Ah!” Becca bolted upright.

He stumbled back into the coffee table and fell to the ground. She lunged forward, the door knob in her grasp.

“No!”

Danny’s hand clamped around her ankle and pulled her to the floor. She kicked out with everything in her to get free.

“You fool. Haven’t you learned by now you’re not going to get away from me so easily?”

He flipped her over, knocking the wind from her lungs. She gasped for air, coughing and blinking to clear her vision. Becca froze.

Danny now knelt beside her, syringe in hand. “Enough of the fun and games. You just pissed me off one too many times.”

The sudden crunch of tires against gravel stole his attention. He slipped the syringe back inside his vest pocket and then picked her up and ran to the bathroom where he dropped her in the tub. Her head connected with the faucet, and the world started to spin.

“Hello? Is anybody here?”

Becca recognized Jacob’s voice and opened her mouth only to have Danny stuff a towel in it. Sweat dripped from his face and fire burned in his eyes as he took his gun from the back of his pants and aimed it at her head.

“Hello?”

“You shut the fuck up,” he snarled. “I hear one noise out of you and your buddy out there gets it.” He slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Her hand went to the source of jolting pain and came away bloodied. She pulled the towel out of her mouth and pressed it against the wound. Slowly, she moved out of the tub only to end up flat on her ass. The room spiraled, sucking her into a black hole of nothingness.

Randy sat at the counter in Danny’s hideout. Every single aspect of the room had a purpose, from the portable incinerator to the tall coolers used to preserve the flowers. Unfortunately, he ended up empty-handed when it came to the good doctor’s elusive journal. An element, he believed, would answer many of the questions swimming in his head. The cylindrical case was another item not found. There was an endless supply of surgical gloves, wet wipes, duct tape, and rain suits. Not one thing told him where Danny might have taken Becca.

Suddenly the door burst open and Jeffery ran in. “Something is wrong! If that bastard hurts him...!”

Randy slid off the barstool and held a hand up to halt his tirade. “Slow down.” He walked over to Jeffery, who stooped with his hands on his thighs attempting to slow his breathing.

“Jacob...something wrong...I feel it.”

“What makes you think that? Where is he?”

“That’s just it.” He straightened his stance and threw his hands up in the air. “He left over an hour ago to grab some clothes from my place.” He began pacing. “He’s not answering his cell.” With an air of drama, he put his fist to his mouth and choked out a sob.

Randy took hold of the distraught lover’s shoulders until the guy looked at him.

“We’ll find Jacob. Right now you need to calm down and focus. It’s possible there’s a very simple explanation. Remember, cars break down, phones die, and so on.”

Jeffery shook his head in earnest. “No, you’re going to have to trust me on this. I sense something isn’t right.”

“Well, then let’s grab a couple of men and take a ride over there.” Randy ushered Jacob’s lover from the room. “Why don’t you try his number more time?”

Jeffery held his cell phone between them and pushed redial, letting it ring until it went to voicemail. “Jacob, I’m here with Randy. You need to call us when you get this message. We’re on our way over there. I’m very worried about you.”

Chapter Twenty-three

“Fuck!”

Becca startled awake to a phone connecting with the wall and pieces of it flying around the room. She was no longer in the bathroom but gagged and tied to a kitchen chair, and this time she wasn’t alone. Jacob now sat across from her. Blood dripped from a nasty gash at his temple and his chin rested on his chest. He appeared to be oblivious of anyone or anything around him.

Danny ran toward her. “We have to get out of here now!”

She squeezed her eyes shut preparing to die. A flood of relief brought tears to her eyes as Danny cut the tape from her wrists and ankles. Her joyous moment was short-lived when the all too familiar cool metal of his gun pressed against her forehead.

“You’re going to help me get him to my truck. I got no time for fucking games. If he’s not out there in less than five minutes, I’ll put a bullet in both of you and fly out of here solo.” He pushed the gun against her skin. “Understood?”

Becca nodded, unable to respond with the tape still stretched across her mouth. She shifted her attention to the window. Why the sudden urgency to get away? Randy? Are you coming for me? None of it really mattered if she didn’t do what he wanted. She dropped to her knees and began frantically pulling at the tape wrapped tightly around his ankles.

“For fuck’s sake!” Danny shoved her aside and ran his blade between Jacob’s ankles, biting into shin flesh, too.

The tape muffled Jacob’s pain-filled cries. The slice must have been excruciating, but his eyes remained closed.

“You take the other side.”

His menacing tone quickened Becca’s step. They literally dragged Jacob outside and into the back of the SUV—ironically the precinct’s vehicle. Do I dare take the tape from my mouth? No, he’s already teetering on the edge. I’ll wait it out.

Seconds passed before the passenger door opened. “Get over, you’re driving.”

Becca scrambled over the console and slid in behind the wheel while Danny put the keys in the ignition and started the truck. The entire time he kept his gun trained on her.

“Drive. When you get to the road don’t stop, just turn right and step on it.”

Where are we going now? She glanced in the mirror and saw Jacob in the exact same position they’d left him. What set Danny off? A phone call? A message? Please let this mean help is on the way.

Randy punched the wall. “Dammit!” The feeling of deja vu was becoming all too familiar. He stooped to pick up a part of what once was a cell phone. Pieces of it lay strewn across the floor amidst broken furniture and puddles of blood. He swallowed the lump in his throat at the prospect of Becca being hurt.

Chief grabbed hold of his shirtsleeve as he ran past him toward the door. “Come on! Let’s go! They can’t have more than a four or five minute lead.”

Randy squelched the rage rising up in him and sprang into action, reaching the SUV at the same time the