accelerated at the thought that someone had been there before him. Examining the lock more carefully, he found that it had been jimmied. Addy was here. He could feel her presence.
There had been no other car in the drive and he hadn't run into any traffic on the lonely stretch of road leading to the turn-off. If Addy's kidnapper was still here, he was on foot. Taking no chances, Nick pulled out his 9 mm. automatic. Damn his noisy cane! But if the kidnapper was inside, he would have already heard Nick's car when he arrived. Time was of the essence if a bomb was involved. He hadn't dared waste precious minutes parking farther away and walking. Making his way into the foyer, Nick waited a few seconds, allowing his vision to adjust to the shadowy darkness inside the mansion. He checked the parlor on the right side. Empty. He turned left. Then he saw her.
Damn! She was half naked, hog-tied and huddled in the corner of the room. Thank God, he'd found her still alive. He wouldn't allow himself to think about what her kidnapper might have done to her. Walking as fast as his slow stride would allow, he crossed the room.
Addy saw the dark figure approaching her. When she'd heard the car, she'd wondered if Brett had returned. Now she knew that Nick had come to rescue her.
'Nick!' she cried. 'I knew you'd come.'
Kneeling in front of her, he laid his gun and cane on the floor, then ran his hands over her face, cupping her chin in his palm. 'Damn, Red, I've been out of my mind!'
He surveyed the situation quickly, able to see the canvas belt attached to her waist. Early morning sunlight illuminated the room with a hazy, topaz glow. Nick recognized the C4 plastic explosive immediately. God knew he'd seen enough of it in Nam. Although the stuff was deadly, even in tiny pieces, it was one of the most stable explosives around. So damned stable that he and his SEAL comrades had occasionally set it on fire and used it to cook their food. C-4 created an instant hot flame.
And the damned stuff was readily available on the black market, especially in a military town. And Huntsville was a military town. The right person could easily have done the wrong thing, using his position to confiscate C-4 and make himself a nice little profit.
Nick released the catch on his cane. The sharp stiletto blade popped out. With careful manipulation, he removed the knife and immediately began slicing away at the heavy canvas belt. 'We've got to get this off.'
'How much time do we have?' She stared at him, her gaze locking with his.
He glanced down at the digital timing device. Only minutes remained, but it would be more than enough time for him to cut through the belt, remove it from Addy's waist and get her out of the house. 'Plenty of time, Red. Just sit still and I'll have this thing off you in a few minutes.'
'Brett Windsor kidnapped me.'
'Dammit, why didn't I follow my instincts?' Nick kept his eyes focused on his knife and his hands, on the task of cutting through the belt. He tried not to think about Windsor or what he would do to the man once he'd been caught.
'Brett's insane. He—he planned to kill Daddy, too. Once Daddy and Dina were married, Brett was going to kill Daddy and make it look like either a heart attack or a—a suicide.'
Nick cursed the strength of the canvas. His sharp knife had cut through less than halfway. 'As soon as I get you out of here, I'll call Ned Johnson. They'll pick up Windsor, and if he's not in jail by the time I get to him—' He heard the floorboards in the foyer creak. Someone else was inside the house. But he didn't dare waste time checking out the intruder's identity. With every beat of Addy's heart, the blinking red timer clicked off another second of her life.
'Nick, it's Brett. He's come back!' Addy cried.
Too late, Nick swung around. His gun lay beside him. Brett Windsor stood in the doorway, the morning sunlight silhouetting his muscular frame.
'Move away from Addy nice and slow,' Brett said. 'I have no problem with shooting both of you and then letting the bomb take care of the rest.'
'Don't risk your life,' Addy whispered to Nick, seeing him eye his gun lying a few inches from his knee. 'I'd rather die than—'
'Don't talk nonsense,' Nick said, his voice so low she barely heard him. 'I don't have a life without you, Red.'
'Stop whispering and get the hell away from her!' Brett walked into the parlor and pointed his gun directly at Nick's head.
Nick obeyed, standing slowly and walking away from Addy, limping badly without the aid of his cane. He hoped he could find a way to buy them a little time. 'Pretty ingenious plan you worked out, Windsor. Get rid of Addy. Make it look like someone who wanted the NASP contract was the murderer, then once Dina married Rusty and became his primary beneficiary, see that he has a heart attack.'
'Gerald Carlton had better hope he has an alibi for the past few hours.' Brett laughed, then nudged Nick in the stomach with his gun.
'Where did you park, Windsor?' Nick asked. 'I didn't hear you drive up.'
'I parked far enough away so you couldn't hear me.' Brett grinned, showing his straight, white teeth. 'I haven't got time to tie you up, Romero, so I'm going to have to shoot you.'
'Yeah, that would be the only smart thing to do. But before you shoot me, tell me how you knew I'd found Addy.'
'Dina called me, the minute you left.' Brett shook his head and grunted several times. 'I hope she doesn't freak out on me. She's upset about all the killing. Dina's such a delicate little thing. I don't know how she would have survived all these years without me.'
'Haven't you got that backwards, Windsor?' Nick taunted, wondering if he could rile the other man enough so he'd make a mistake, one that might give Nick the chance to jump him.
'What do you mean by that?'
'You've been living off Dina ever since you went through your share of your father's estate. For months now, Rusty McConnell has been paying your bills.'
'He's damned rich enough to pay my bills. He knows I keep Dina happy, and that old fool is so hung up on our Dina that he'd do just about anything for her.'
'I doubt he would have welcomed you so cordially if he'd known you and Dina were lovers.'
Addy sucked in her breath so loudly that Nick heard her, and knew that Brett had, too.
Brett laughed, his toothy grin sinister in a way that made Addy wonder why she'd never noticed the neurotic glint in his eyes. 'Oh, we've all loved her, haven't we, Nicky? That's what she calls him, you know.' Brett turned toward Addy, giving her a hasty glance. Nick took a step in his direction. He turned back quickly. 'No, you don't!'
'I've known Dina a lot longer than you have,' Nick said. 'She won't be able to live with herself if you go through with this. She'll break under the pressure.'
'That won't be your problem.'
All three occupants of the parlor heard the cars drive up, doors slam and footsteps pound on the veranda. Wild-eyed and clearly frightened, Brett grabbed Nick, twisting his arm behind his back and sticking the 10 mm. against his waist.
Dina Lunden ran into the parlor, then stopped dead still when she saw Brett and Nick. 'Please, Brett … darling, you mustn't do this.'
'What the hell are you doing here, Dina?' Brett asked, his voice shrill.
Rusty McConnell bounded into the room, stopping at Dina's side. 'My God!'
'You brought Rusty with you!' Brett screeched. 'What were you thinking of? This wasn't part of my plan. None of this was. Everything's going wrong.'
'Brett, don't kill anyone else. If you let Nick and Addy go, then Rusty won't file charges, will you, Rusty?'
When Dina turned to him, D.B. McConnell glared at her, then at Brett Windsor. 'That's right. I'll see that you're set up with as much money as you think you'll need, and I'll hire a private plane to take you anywhere you want to go.'
'I want it all,' Brett said, releasing Nick and walking toward Dina, whose arms were outstretched in a pleading, come-to-me gesture. 'Dina and I can't live on a paltry six million dollars. I killed once for such a small amount. This time, it'll have to be more.'
