Identity Crisis (Rocky Mountain Novella Series) (8 page)

     As soon as they were dropped off at the airport, and checked in, Steel found an unused gate for some peace and quiet and called Kawoski to let him know about the new text. 

     “Yeah, I just saw the report about Jason Middleton’s escape a few weeks ago,” Kawoski told Steel.  “We have an all-points bulletin out on him.”

     “Well, I know where he’ll be tomorrow.  He told Kristen to meet him with half a million dollars at two tomorrow.  She’s supposed to come alone though.  No cops.”

     As they waited at the gate for the plane to board, Kristen tried to put on a brave face for Steel and for herself, but she was worried…really worried.  She couldn’t get the picture of Julie out of her head.  She couldn’t imagine how scared her friend must be.  She had been grabbed, kidnapped, tied up and apparently beat up.  She must be scared out of her mind, not knowing what was going to happen to her or if anyone was even looking for her. 

    
The gate attendants announced that the plane would be boarding just as Kristen told Steel that she had to go to the bathroom.  Before he could stop her, she had already taken off.  She didn’t want to cry out in the open.  As soon as a stall opened up, she closed and locked the door behind herself and buried her face in her hands.  She wondered if she would ever be free of the terror Jason Middleton had brought into her life. 

     After a good cry, Kristen splashed some water in her face and then fixed her make-up.  She had to hold it together.  Julie needed her.  When Kristen exited the bathroom, Steel was there waiting. 

     “I was about to send in security,” he told her.  “You can’t go running off on your own.  I know we’re in Hawaii, but someone tried to kidnap you.  Just because we’re not in Colorado doesn’t mean that you’re safe.”  Steel didn’t like chastising Kristen or talking to her like she was a child, especially when he knew how vulnerable and fragile she likely was.  But, he was scared too.  Scared that something would happen to the woman he loved.  He needed her to be smart and stay safe. 

     Kristen was about to cry again, but she held the tears back.  She knew Steel was only being harsh with her because he cared.  “I know.  I wasn’t thinking.  I’m sorry,” she apologized before promising that it would never happen again. 

     Once they were on the plane, Kristen asked Steel what the plan was for when she would meet up with Jason to give him the ransom money.  “Oh no!  You’re not going anywhere near that cabin,” Steel insisted. 

     “I have to go, or he could kill Julie,” Kristen fought back.  “She’s in this because of me.  I’m not going to see anything else bad happen to her!”

     Steel could tell from the fire in Kristen’s eyes that he didn’t stand a chance of changing her mind.  His only option was to provide her with as much protection as possible, so they started out planning how he and Kawoski could be at the rendezvous without Jason noticing.  By the time the plane touched down in Denver, they had everything figured out. 

     The rest of the day was spent at police headquarters relaying the plan to Kawoski.  “Shouldn’t we call the bank to make sure they will have enough cash on hand tomorrow?” Kristen asked when they got to the part about the ransom. 

     “We don’t need the whole half million,” Steel answered, “just enough to make it look legitimate.” 

     Again, Kristen put up an argument.  “I have the money.  I don’t want to risk Jason looking at the money and realizing it’s not all there.”  Kawoski and Steel tried to explain that by the time Jason could look closely at the money, they would already have him surrounded.  Kristen wouldn’t budge, though.  In the end, Steel agreed to let Kristen bring the entire five hundred thousand. 

     That night, neither Kristen nor Steel could sleep.  Not well, at least.  While Steel tossed and turned, Kristen found herself reliving that night a year earlier when Jason tried to kill her.  Every detail of the dream was so vivid.  For months after it all happened, she had that same dream every night.  It took many, many therapy sessions to finally get to a place where she could sleep peacefully through the night.  When Kristen woke up in a sweat, she wondered how long and how much therapy it would take to stop the nightmares a second time. 

     “It’s going to be okay.  I promise,” Steel told Kristen as he cuddled up behind her and kissed her neck.  She felt safe in his arms and made him promise to keep holding her as she tried to go back to sleep.  They were both going to need all the rest they could get. 

     Kristen sat nervously in the car outside the cabin where she and Jason, who she knew as Adam, shared their third date.  She had gotten the entire half a million dollars from the bank and had it stuffed into a duffel that sat beside her.  She felt a little safer knowing that Steel was in the trunk and that there were officers hidden all around the cabin.  They had canvassed the area the night before as to go unnoticed by Jason. 

     “Are you alright?” Steel asked through the radio earpiece Kristen had in her ear.  He had to do a lot of arguing to get Kawoski to go along with having him involved in the sting.  It wasn’t that his ex-boss didn’t trust him.  There was no one he trusted more.  But, Steel was no longer a member of the police force.  If anything went wrong, it could cost Kawoski his job.  But, his job wasn’t as important to him as Julie was.  And Kawoski knew that Steel would never allow Kristen to go through with the plan without him being close by. 

     “I’m fine,” Kristen lied.  In reality, she was anything but fine.  She was terrified about all of the things that could go wrong.  For all she knew, that could have been the last words she would ever say to Steel.  Knowing that, she added, “I love you.”

     She looked at her watch.  It was one fifty-five.  Jason could show up at any time.  Kristen took a deep breath and scanned the area.  She didn’t see any movements at all, which was good.  If she couldn’t tell there were officers hidden throughout the woods, than neither could Jason. 

     The large hand on her watch hit the twelve.  It was two o’ clock.  Kristen felt like she would throw up.  She wanted so much to talk to Steel.  Just hearing his voice would do a world to calm her down, but she couldn’t risk saying anything.  Jason could be anywhere, watching her.  If he saw her mouth move, he would suspect something was up. 

     Steel gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.  The trunk of the car was unbearably hot, and he was beginning to get worried.  Jason was already five minutes late.  Something was wrong.  All he could think of was Kristen’s voice and how shaky it had been the last time he had heard it.  He didn’t like her being involved at all.  He could understand why she insisted on making the exchange herself, but he still didn’t like it.  He didn’t know what he would do if anything bad happened to her. 

     Kristen jumped as her phone signaled a new text.  DRIVE TO THE ATTACHED ADDRESS.  JUST YOU.  I’LL BE WATCHING THE ROAD TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE ALONE.  YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES OR YOUR FRIEND DIES.

     Kristen looked at the map image that accompanied the text.  The new address was over twenty miles away.  Without even considering any other options, she put the car in reverse and backed away from the cabin. 

     “What’s she doing?” Kawoski yelled into the radio. 

     “Kristen, what’s going on?” Steel asked at the same time. 

     “He sent me a new address that’s over twenty minutes away and if we don’t get there in less than that, he’s going to kill Julie!” she replied as she sped off down the bumpy road. 

     Steel radioed the new information to Kawoski, but there wasn’t much that could be done.  Kristen wasn’t going to not show up to save her friend, and Kawoski couldn’t send any reinforcements to help if Jason was watching the main road to the address.  Everything was in the hands of Kristen and Steel. 

     Kristen hoped there were no cops around as she pushed the car to speeds well above the posted speed limits.  She had to make up at least five minutes and the slightest thing going wrong could cost Julie her life. 

     Jason sat on the porch of the cabin with binoculars in hand.  He had a perfect view of the only road leading to the cabin.  Right on time, Kristen pulled up to the address at the bottom of the road.  He scanned the car to make sure it was really her and that she was alone.  Everything was going to plan.  When she parked, he dialed her number and waited for her to answer. 

     Kristen looked at her phone as it rang.  She didn’t recognize the number, but answered it anyways.  She felt a cold chill run down her spine as she listened to the once familiar voice give tell her to get out of the car with the money and walk up the road for one mile. 

     “I’ll be watching.  If I see anything funny, she dies,” Jason warned. 

     Steel couldn’t hear the phone call but as soon as she hung up the phone, Kristen bent down to grab the duffel bag, using that opportunity to relay what Jason had said to Steel.  She had to be quick because she didn’t know if Jason could see her lips moving from wherever he was.

     Steel wanted to stop her, but he knew Kristen wouldn’t listen.  There was nothing he could do and he felt helpless.  He was going to have to trust that Jason was just after the money and wasn’t going to hurt Julie and Kristen after he got it.

     Kristen’s legs shook as she made her way up the road.  The bag was heavy and strained her back as well.  With each step, though, she grew stronger and more determined to face Jason.  With any luck, it would be the last time she ever had to see or talk to him.

     A smile crossed Jason’s face as he watched Kristen hike up the steep road.  His precautions had worked.  He knew Kristen and Steel likely had set a trap for him, but unless Kristen had a really small person shoved in the duffel she was carrying, she was definitely alone.  He kept the car in sight the entire time to make sure no one else was in it.  So far, there had been no movement.

     As she made the last turn, Kristen could see the cabin come into view.  No one was waiting, but she could see a slightly rocking chair on the porch and knew that Jason had likely been sitting there watching her.  “I’m here!” she yelled.  “Come out and get your money!”

     Jason watched from the window as Kristen ordered him to come out.  He had no intentions of stepping out into the open.  Kristen was going to have to come to him. 
Even though he hadn’t seen anyone accompany Kristen, that didn’t mean that there weren’t sharp-shooters hiding in the trees, somewhere. 

     Kristen waited for Jason to appear, but when it became obvious to her that he wasn’t going to come out, she approached the cabin.  The entire time, she could hear Steel’s voice in her head telling her not to go in.  She didn’t have a choice…she had to do whatever Jason wanted if she was going to have a chance of saving Julie. 

     As she walked through the cabin door, she saw Julie tied to a chair.  Her eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving.  “Julie!” Kristen exclaimed as she threw the bag down and ran over to her friend.  She didn’t know where Jason was, but she forgot all about that.  She needed to get Julie untied and make sure she was even still alive. 

     Jason watched as Kristen attempted to free her friend.  He stepped up behind her and ordered her to stand up.  He could feel her body tense as he ran his hands over her body to make sure she wasn’t concealing a gun or any other weapons.  “Calm down.  I’m not trying to feel you up.  I just need to make sure you don’t try anything funny,” Jason told Kristen before ordering her to grab the money. 

     When Kristen reached for the duffel bag in the doorway, Jason had another surprise for her.  Before she knew it, a hand was pressing something against her nose and mouth.  She felt herself growing weak and wondered what she had gotten herself into. 

     After tying Kristen up, Jason sat and waited.  He knew that Steel must be somewhere nearby and he wasn’t wrong.  With the binoculars pressed to his face, he saw Steel sneaking up the long road to the cabin.  Jason knew that it wouldn’t be so easy to capture Steel, but he was sure he had that figured out already.  Steel may have been well trained, but Jason had the one thing that made Steel weak:  his wife. 

     Steel carefully approached the cabin.  He hadn’t heard anything from Kristen’s radio since she yelled for Jason to come out.  It’s how he knew the coast was clear to leave the car and head up to the cabin.  He knew something was wrong and that he’d do anything to save her.  He only wished he had some sort of an idea about what he was walking into.  He took his time checking out the cabin from every angle.  There were two doors entering the cabin…one in back and one in front.  He couldn’t see anything from the windows, so he was going to have to go in blind, or try to lure Jason out. 

     Jason laughed as he watched Steel sneaking around the cabin as if he had really gone unnoticed.  He had a lot of time to figure out his revenge on Steel and Kristen and nothing was going to get in his way. 

     Kristen came to and realized she was tied firmly to a chair.  She started to get the feeling of déjà vu.  She looked around but didn’t see Jason anywhere.  She tried to scream, but there was a handkerchief tied around her mouth making it hard to be heard.  She struggled to rock the chair, but it barely moved.  Hey eyes widened as she saw the front door open.  Standing in the doorway was Steel.  He had his gun pulled and signaled for Kristen to not give away his position. 

     After making sure there was no one around besides Kristen and Julie, Steel headed over to the girls and began untying Kristen.  The knots on the rope were well done, so Steel used his pocket knife to cut her loose.  As he made the first cut, Kristen screamed.  For a second, he thought he had accidentally cut her.  The cabin was dark and it was hard to see.  She wasn’t screaming because she was hurt.  She was trying to warn Steel that Jason was behind him.