Rising Heat (104 page)

“But I didn’t expect you two to get so cozy.” His voice was harsh. “I didn’t expect you to be such a slut.”

“What the hell, Cutter?”

He gestured toward me.

“And she’s not going to be the last, either.” He laughed again. “And you’re going to have to watch. And when I’m done with her, I’m going to deal with your mother, the bitch. That’s how much I hate you.”

Hawk said nothing. I knew he felt something, but he kept his emotions under control, for now. I felt the muscles in his calf harden, as if he wanted to lunge out of the chair and attack Cutter. They had been friends… Cutter had kept his secret hidden for so long. So why now? Why expose himself now? Was I just a means to an end? Was this all just a set up to get revenge on Hawk?

Hawk asked the very same question I was thinking. “Why?”

Cutter sneered. “Because I can. Because I always have, and no one, not even you, had an inkling, did you?” He jumped off the table, pacing again, his voice filled with smug satisfaction.

“I’ve waited so long for you to get your comeuppance, Hawk. Thinking you’re so much better than everyone else, acting like the law doesn’t apply to you. Taking things that don’t belong to you—”

“So why pretend to be my friend? Why not just kill me one of the many times we went fishing or hunting?” Hawk demanded. He began to jerk at his bindings.

“Well, that wouldn’t have been much sport, would it?” He shook his head, as if the answer were simple. “You don’t get it do you? I want to take from you the same way you took from me.”

He gestured toward me. My heart seemed to shrivel as he took a step toward me, his gaze riveted to mine.

“I never took anything or anyone from you.”

Cutter wasn’t listening anymore.

“I want you to suffer knowing that I’m going to kill her, and before I do, I’m going to make her wish that she’d never laid eyes on you.”

My eyes widened as Cutter stepped toward me. I tried to sit up straighter, to get my feet under me, to kick him if he got close, but I never got the chance. He reached down and grabbed my hair, yanking me away from Hawk’s legs before I could react.

I screamed in fright and pain. Hawk shouted. My scalp burned where Cutter held onto my hair and dragged me a few feet from Hawk. I struggled and tried to twist my body around so that I could reach my hands up, maybe scratch his eyes, punch him in the nose, something, I didn’t know what.

I felt a hard, open-handed slap against my face. I fell back onto the floor, stunned, pain surging through me. I tasted blood. Tried to blink back the tears in my eyes. I tried to raise my hands, but I didn’t get them up in time. Cutter straddled me, my hands caught between my body and his weight.

“I’ve had enough of you,” he snarled.

Hawk was shouting, cursing at him while I continue to squirm underneath him. It was useless. He was too heavy. I heard Hawk’s fury-filled voice cursing Cutter, and also knew that he was struggling against his bindings. Then Cutter was reaching for my throat. He wrapped his hands around it and squeezed. I try to inhale air, wondered briefly how long I could hold it. He pressed his thumbs into the base of my neck.

I felt the pressure building in my head, heard the buzzing sound in my ears, released the air I held and tried to inhale again. Gagged, heard gurgling noises and realized they were coming from me. I began to see white spots in front of my eyes. I couldn’t breathe.

From far away, I heard Hawk shouting at Cutter. Blackness hovered around the edges of my vision as I stared up at him, my eyes bulging, horror at the realization I was going to die raced through me. My mouth was gaping now, my tongue protruding past my lips. My lungs felt like they were going to explode.

Just as I succumbed to the blackness, Cutter released his grip. I choked in a mouthful of air, coughing, gasping, tears filling my eyes. My heart thundered in my chest. I heard laughter and looked through the haze in my eyes to find Cutter laughing. He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me, at Hawk.

Just when I began to think I had a reprieve, he began to choke me again. I was taken by surprise, couldn’t even get a breath of air this time. I struggled, tried to lift him off me, but he was too heavy. His hands tightened around my throat again. I tried to tuck my chin down, tried to protect my larynx, but once again his thumbs found the dip in the hollow of my neck and pressed.

I couldn’t even defend myself, my hands trapped, unable to lift him off of me, even if I had the strength. Once again, I heard Hawk’s enraged shouts, but they sounded so far away. Cutter was just playing, torturing Hawk. Torturing me. I didn’t want to give up, but I couldn’t breathe. Again, my head filled with pressure, my lungs burned for air. My ears buzzed and hummed. My chest felt like it was going to explode. How long did it take to choke someone to death? When would blessed unconsciousness overtake me? How long would it take me to die?

*

Something smelled funky. I was confused, didn’t know… the last thing I remembered was lying on the floor in the cellar, Cutter choking me. But I wasn’t dead.

My eyes flashed open. I lay face down in the dirt. Just when I thought it would be over, that he had finally tired of tormenting me and Hawk, I saw his hiking boots right beside my head. How long had I been unconscious? Seconds? I groaned and tried to move.

Something grabbed me and yanked me onto my back. I tried to protest but couldn’t get a word out of my mouth. My throat was on fire. Cutter hovered over me. I saw a brief flash of his knife and cringed in expectation of him plunging the wicked blade deep into my chest, but instead he cut the bindings on my wrists, then my ankles.

What? Before I could lift my hands up to defend myself, he straddled me again, his hands pressing each of my wrists down into the dirt on either side of my head. I tried to buck him off me, but he was too heavy. I felt so weak and helpless. He laughed.

I didn’t hear anything from Hawk. Was he dead? Had Cutter killed him? No, it wouldn’t be any fun for him to kill me if Hawk couldn’t watch. That’s what he wanted. To get back at Hawk for perceived slights that dated back to high school. It still didn’t make any sense. There had to be more to it than that. There had to be! He could’ve killed Hawk numerous times over the years. Why hadn’t he?

A garbled cry escaped my lips, but even that little sound made my throat burn with fire. Made me want to cough. Then Cutter’s face was in mine, so close that once again I felt his breath on my lips.

“Your beloved Hawk can’t save you now, can he?”

He grabbed my face, his fingers clutching my jaw. Hard. I closed my eyes.

“Look.”

He turned my head, but I refused to open my eyes. I didn’t want to look into Cutter’s face, didn’t want that face to be the last thing I saw before I died. Instead, I envisioned Hawk’s face—

“Open your eyes! Open your eyes and look!”

His voice was heavy with fury, but I shook my head and squeezed my eyes tightly shut.

“You want me to cut your eyelids off, Tracy? Is that what you want?”

Oh my God. Would he do that?
Had
he? It was like he read my mind. He chuckled, low in his throat.

“You would be amazed at the things I’ve done.”

I opened my eyes and they widened in surprise. Hawk was not sitting in the chair anymore. He was lying on the floor, sprawled actually, not far from me. I could reach out and touch him if Cutter wasn’t sitting on top of me. And then, as if he could read my mind, he crawled off me and sat next to me with his legs crossed, casual, like we were roasting marshmallows over a campfire. I watched him warily.

“You’re still confused, aren’t you?” He shrugged. “I suppose it would be difficult for anyone to understand. But it’s more than just jealousy or resentment, don’t you see?”

“No,” I croaked. “Why do you care… if I understand?”

He sighed. Grabbed a handful of my hair and jerked my head. My heart pounded anew. I glanced toward Hawk.

“He’s nothing, don’t you understand? For all his bravado and bluster, he can’t save you, can he?”

Bravado and bluster? What was he talking about? There was no reasoning with him. I knew that, and I wasn’t going to waste the few breaths I had left to try. I was sure the end was near.

“I thought you… I thought you wanted him to watch.”

“Oh, I do, Tracy. I do.”

I stared up at him, not understanding any of this. He had harbored resentment and bitterness for so many years I had a feeling he’d completely lost touch with the truth that he had managed to twist it in his mind, turned it into something only he believed.

“Why did you wait so long?” I asked.

“To get my revenge?” He shrugged and made a face. “I was biding my time, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Besides, I was having so much fun. And then you came along. All of a sudden it just clicked. A perfect plan.”

“Why stalk me? Why all the notes and the taunts?”

He thought about it. “If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been so willing to run into Hawk’s arms, would you?”

He was a twisted, sick bastard. He understood only his own truth. Had he really killed his own parents? And so many women… and no one had an inkling of the truth. How was he going to explain Hawk’s disappearance? Mine? I asked him.

“Hardly anybody in town knows you, Tracy. You’ll just up and leave. Hawk will be a little trickier, but I’ll think of something. Maybe you two will run off and elope.” He laughed.

“No one will believe that,” I said. “Hawk is a staple in this community. Even Westin won’t believe it.”

“Westin,” Cutter scoffed. “He’ll believe anything I tell him about Hawk. Has ever since Hawk banged his wife.” He grinned. “So easy to manipulate.”

“And Officer Richardson?” I asked, trying to ignore the raspy sound of my voice. “Why did you have to kill him?”

“Collateral damage,” Cutter shrugged. “I had to move things along. I was getting a little bored, tired of you and Hawk playing hide-and-go-seek. I knew that it would only take a little push to convince you to run, especially if Hawk was out of the picture.”

“In jail, you mean.”

“Exactly,” he grinned. “You’d be surprised how many people in this town owe me favors.”

The silence was broken by Hawk’s voice. “You’re not going to get away with this forever, Cutter. You know that, don’t you?”

Cutter looked up, a pleased expression on his face. “It’s about time you woke up. I was getting bored, beginning to think I would have to do this without you.”

He shifted his feet under him and rose before stepping toward Hawk. I was still untied, but barely had enough energy to move.

“I’m going to kill her, Hawk, and you’re going to watch.”

“No, I’m not,” Hawk said.

His voice sounded so sure, so defiant. Cutter laughed and turned to glance at me. “And how do you intend to stop me?”

“Cut me loose and I’ll show you.”

My heart pounded anew. How could Hawk fight Cutter, wounded as he was? He had lost blood, maybe too much. He glanced at me. Then back at Cutter.

The asshole appeared to think about it.

“What’s the matter, Cutter? Don’t think you can beat me, even now? You’re more of a coward than I thought.”

I saw the expression of fury that Cutter barely managed to stifle at Hawk’s taunt. His hands balled into fists.

“You don’t want me unconscious, remember?”

Hawk looked up at his former friend, his face swollen and bruised. I had a feeling that Hawk had a plan. I only wish I knew what it was.

Suddenly, Hawk lashed out with a foot and pounded Cutter in his knee. Cutter, caught by surprise, went down and in the next instant, Hawk was on him.

“Run!”

Hawk’s voice penetrated the roaring in my ears. Run? Seriously? How could I?

I looked around, searching for the knife. Maybe if I could find it… but I didn’t see it anywhere.

“Run!”

Hawk’s roar startled me and in the next instant, I was moving, forcing myself to roll over, get my hands and knees under me. Pain shot through my left arm, my right leg. Everywhere. I gritted my teeth and managed to get onto my knees even as terror licked at me.

Hawk and Cutter were locked together like two wrestlers rolling on the floor. I glanced at the stairs. Could I make it? Could I make it up those stairs and somehow find my way out of the house? Then what? Where would I go to get help? I wanted to wail in despair. I had no idea where I was.

And then I remembered. Cutter’s wallet, his belt and cell phone on that shelf upstairs. If I could get to his phone I could call for help. I cast one glance over my shoulder at Hawk and Cutter, knew that our chances were slim, but Hawk was doing his best. I had to do mine.

I staggered to my feet, hunched over, dizziness surging through me as I made my way to the stairs. I tried to hurry, but my legs were weak. I stumbled once, nearly toppled headfirst into the bottom step, but caught myself just in time. I tried to scramble quickly, but the sound of the fight below me caused indecision to burn its way into my brain. I was choking back cries of heart-wrenching fear. For Hawk. For me.

I could do this.

I had to do this.

After a few seconds, I realized I
was
doing this. Somehow, someway, the door was getting closer.

I heard a crashing, scraping noise. A roar of rage echoed through the room. I couldn’t tell if it came from Hawk or Cutter, but I didn’t risk another glance. Instead, I focused on the doorway above me. The phone. If I could just get to that phone…

I
scrambled up the steps, trying to ignore the sounds of the fierce struggle taking place below me. I didn’t know how long Hawk’s strength would last. Instead, I focused my mind on a single goal — getting upstairs. Getting to Cutter’s phone.

Shit! Could I do it? Could I get to it in time? I clambered up the stairs as fast as I could, but not nearly as fast as I wanted to. Below me the sound of the fighting continued, the sound of flesh striking flesh, the grunts, the cursing. I knew Hawk was strong and powerful, but he was also injured and had lost a tremendous amount of blood.

I was sobbing by the time my hand found the door handle and my breath left my bruised throat in ragged gasps. I stumbled and landed hard on my knees near the top step. Pain surged through me again, so overwhelming it caused a chill to race through my body. It created a blessed numbness and I felt sure I was about to pass out. The corners of my vision thickened, grayed and then transitioned into a white haze.