Expert Witness: A Romantic Suspense Novel (30 page)

“Are you kidding me?” His voice shook with anger. “I spent years planning this. Making sure you’d get what you deserved and it would be slow, agonizing. Just like my brother’s. I wasn’t about to let you go that easily.” He stopped himself for a moment, and then his voice was eerily calm again. “Though the attack was an added bonus. I watched for as long as I could before I had to intervene.” His eyes lit with a sick pleasure.
 

Despite his claim of revenge, he plainly enjoyed the thrill of watching others in distress. The ache in her stomach intensified as repulsion swept deeper within her gut. The man before her possessed no empathy. His plan for retaliation served as a means of justifying his twisted internal needs. But he wouldn’t talk all night. She’d served her purpose for him now.
 

Though her eyes remained fixed on his, in her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a cutlery block set a few feet away. She didn’t need to think twice. It would be her only chance at a weapon.
 

Jordan tried to keep her voice steady as the desperation of her situation rose. “What are you going to do? Karen and Mike know you’re here with me, which means Chase knows you’re here. You can’t get rid of everyone.”
 

He shook his head and arched an eyebrow at her.
 

“You never told them you were coming?” The words came out as a whisper as any hope of her friends putting two and two together in time to assist in her rescue dissipated.

“No, they have no clue. I don’t have a room here, and I’ve made sure no one will remember us together. Besides, your fall will be an unfortunate tragedy brought on by a mix of alcohol and poor judgment. No one will be looking at it too closely. Though I will say the stop at Gator Lake was tempting. I almost considered revising my plan, but too many unknowns there, so I stuck with the original. What is it we say? The first response is usually the best one?”

Jordan cringed at his use of the word
we
. Derek had no place among psychologists. The oath they took to do no harm when becoming a doctor would mean nothing to him.
 

She had to act fast, before he did. In one swift move, she leaped forward and grabbed the first knife her hand encountered from the cutlery block. Adrenaline spiked her blood as she pulled it out and whipped around to face him. “Derek, get the hell out now,” she said, the knife held out in front of her. Her mouth was so dry that it felt like it was full of cotton. She was surprised when her command came out strong and foreboding.
 

Instead of moving back, Derek came at her full force. She wasn’t prepared for how fast he made contact and was only able to drag the serrated edge across his ribs. The superficial cut did little to deter him. He grabbed her arm, twisting the knife out of her grasp and causing her to cry out in agony as her arm was contorted in an unnatural angle. She tried to fight him with the remaining arm, but he was much stronger and was rapidly gaining the upper hand.
 

His fingers dug into her skin and he used the painful position of her arm to steer her ahead of him. “Try something like that again, and the little video you saw of my brother’s antics will look like a day at the spa,” he spat.
 

Her eyes watered from the burning pain shooting through her shoulder and she blinked several times to hold back the moisture. Each step forward brought her closer to the balcony she was supposed to be falling—jumping from? What the hell had he said? “Your plan doesn’t make sense.” She winced as he clamped down even harder on her arm. “I’ve only had a couple of drinks.”

“Yeah, you did screw that part up a bit, huh? I figured it’d be a lot easier to get you to loosen up some while you were here.” He rolled his eyes as if her failure to get sufficiently drunk was a personality failing. “But you’ve had enough to do what I need you to now.”

They were almost to the glass doors now, and Derek grabbed a pad of paper and pen from the end table.
 

“Here. This will be your chance to say good-bye. You can give Mike and Karen your best and, of course, don’t forget your new
beau
.” He placed the pen in her left hand, still wringing her right arm like a wet washcloth. Then he grabbed the pad of paper and positioned it against the wall in front of her.

“I won’t write a suicide note,” she protested.

He exhaled behind her. The warm air hit her neck and reminded her of the attack at her office. She fought the terror that came with it as her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it was about to explode.
 

“Everyone knows I would never do that.” Wetness escaped from the reservoir she’d been attempting to dam up and a lone tear trailed down her face.
 

He gritted his teeth. “Write it how you want, but make it clear you can’t cope with the fears you have now.”
 

She pressed the pen onto the paper awkwardly. Ambidexterity wasn’t a skill set of hers, but Derek wouldn’t react well to that revelation. Curling her fingers around the smooth plastic, she began to form her first letter. She needed to go slow. Needed to figure out another way to escape from this madman.

The ringtone of her phone startled her.

“It’s probably Chase.” God how she wished she was with him now.
Will I ever be again?
Her breath caught with despair. No. She couldn’t think like that. She wouldn’t give up.

Derek didn’t loosen his grasp. “I think you and I both know you won’t be answering,” he hissed.

“If I don’t, he’ll be worried.”

 
“And you think that’s relevant? Chase may be intimidating to some, but he’s obviously no better than you are.” His teeth were clenched as he spoke, and bits of saliva sprayed onto her cheek. “When he was hired, I thought it might make things more exciting. That would have been fine with me. You weren’t nearly the challenge I’d anticipated, but he’s been a minor nuisance at best.”
 

His words chiseled away at her fear. Dropping the pen, she pushed back from the wall as hard as she could, hoping to throw him off balance.
 

Derek cranked her arm more.

She screamed as spots swam in her peripheral vision.
 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Chase combed every inch of the beach in front of the cove, where the waves crashed up against the rocks in the moonlight. There wasn’t a soul around. Even the concession stand was closed. He used the light from his cell flashlight to illuminate an information board he discovered around the pavilion. It showed the trails at the park, including the one to Gator Lake.
 

The route wasn’t long and as he ran along the path, he prayed that Derek hadn’t found her first. He couldn’t lose her. Memories of seeing Robert’s lifeless body after the shooting flashed through his head. Was this his fault, too? Had he let his feelings for her overshadow his responsibility? He forked a hand through his hair. God, how he’d tried to make sure they didn’t.
What would you have done differently?
His resolve strengthened as he remembered her words to him on the beach that day. Not a thing. He wouldn’t change any part of what he’d shared with Jordan. Their relationship wasn’t an error in judgment. This time it was going to end differently. It had to.
 

 
The chorus of crickets was the only sound piercing the silence around him. The outline of a boardwalk up ahead came into view, but as he got closer, he could see that the lake was deserted. Like the beachside of the park, there was no activity nearby anywhere. He took in the smoky scent of nearby fires wafting through the damp air. The campgrounds probably weren’t too far, but he couldn’t think of any reason she’d have stopped there. Recognizing that the search there was fruitless, he retraced his steps.
 

After arriving back at the resort, he made his way back up to the condo. She’d check in here eventually. At this point, it was his best hope.
 

Approaching with caution, he was surprised to hear conversation coming from the condo as he got closer. He took post next to the kitchen window. The slats were closed so they couldn’t see him from inside. The sound of Derek’s voice made him bristle, and hearing Derek’s instructions to Jordan had him battling the urge to blast into the condo. It was crucial to be fast, but he also had to be smart. He ducked under the window so his shadow wasn’t evident inside and crept to the entrance. If only he had some type of distraction to ensure that he got to Jordan before Derek could do anything to harm her.
 

He dialed her cell number and let it ring. It rang from within the condo, but no one made any move to answer the device.

Damn. He was used to doing entries with his team. At least then, he’d have a flashbang so he could create a diversion. Nothing like a couple hundred decibels of noise and blinding light to pave the way for a smooth entrance. But he’d have to fly solo and make do tonight. He couldn’t risk waiting for backup with Derek intent on following through with his threat.
 

While Derek complained about how easy it had been to carry out his plan, Chase slowly turned the doorknob. It wasn’t locked. He held his weapon in one hand and eased the door open, praying that Derek was too caught up in his own monologue to hear the movement.
 

He let out a measured breath as he slipped into the entry hall. There was a wall separating the hall from the living area, and neither Derek nor Jordan could see him yet. He could keep that advantage for a few more steps before he’d round the corner and be in their line of vision. Leaving an arm’s length in front of him so his weapon didn’t give him away, he started making the slow semicircle around the corner.
 

He’d almost made it around when he heard a scuffle. Then Jordan screamed. Fury tore through his body, and his heart pounded so ferociously his ears rang. Upon entering the room, Derek was holding Jordan against the wall with her arm pinned behind her. He scanned his hands and spotted no weapons. Derek caught sight of him preparing to jump into the fight.
 

“One more step and I’ll kill her,” he said, his voice cold.
 

Chase didn’t move. Even with the way Derek was holding Jordan in front of him, he’d have a clear headshot. “Let her go or, I can assure you, she won’t be the one dead.” His tone was matter-of-fact. His request, nonnegotiable.
 

Jordan stopped struggling, watching him from over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide with fright. The room was eerily quiet while he waited for Derek to decide his fate.
 

Rather than let her go, Derek shoved her hard in Chase’s direction. She flew through the air, and Chase reached forward to grab her.
 

Derek escaped past them as Chase steadied her in front of him.
 

 
“Are you all right?” he asked.

 
“I’m okay.” Her voice was unsteady. She bent her arm out in front of her and rotated her wrist. “It felt like he was about to break my arm, but I think it’ll be okay.”

Her defensive movement sent another course of fire through his veins. “I’m going after him. Call nine-one-one and lock the door behind me.” Derek wasn’t going to get away. He wouldn’t let him. He darted in the direction of the stairs. The sound of echoing footsteps greeted him when he opened the heavy steel door. Despite the head start, Chase knew he was gaining ground as the steps got louder. He’d have him before they reached the bottom.

A door screeched open, and the sounds stopped.
Damn it.
Derek must’ve arrived at the same conclusion. Exiting on the next floor, he hoped he was on the same path Derek had taken.

A flash of color indicated a man had turned in the corridor in front of him. Remembering the two walkways both curved around to meet, Chase chose the opposite direction.

A few steps later, and he was face to face with Derek.
 

“Down on the ground!” Chase kept his weapon trained on the man in front of him.

Derek squinted his eyes at him and then looked furtively around.
 

“There’s no where to run, and I don’t miss,” he said evenly.

“So you’re going to shoot me, Chase? You can live with that?” He raised one brow.

Chase didn’t need time to consider the question. “Absolutely.”
 

 
Derek changed tactics. “You’re way off here. This is a mistake.”

“Save it, Derek. If you don’t get on the ground now, I’ll gladly put you there.” The steel quality of his voice made it clear he was ready to follow through on the threat.

Derek glanced around at his surroundings one more time and then lowered himself to the ground.
 

Chase didn’t trust him. “Hands behind your back.” Derek complied, and Chase anchored his knee on his back to keep him from moving while he cuffed his hands behind him.
 

“You know, this isn’t over,” Derek said, his head turned to the side and pressed against the cool concrete floor.
 

“Oh, it’s over,” Chase said, nodding. “You won’t be doing much from behind bars. Consider yourself lucky you’re still talking.”

“No one will believe this. It’s her word against mine. I’ve made sure to leave no tracks, and my record is clean,” he said with a sneer. “As far as I’m concerned, you came barging in in a jealous rage.”