Merry with a Lawman (Love Beach, Holiday Collection)

19. Fade to black

NINETEEN

FADE TO BLACK

DAVIS

I hate being right.

While waiting for Gigi to call, I check in with Dawson, who informs me he never saw a single person come or go earlier from Richardson’s house.

On edge, I pace the office, ignoring Parker asking what’s up. I don’t want to give voice to this nagging thought that something bad has happened.

Until Gigi finally calls, frantically yelling into the phone. “She’s not here, Davis. But her keys and purse are. Her phone is gone. The TV is on, and she was in the middle of popping corn on the stove. It was smoking by the time I got here.”

“God Dammit. Don’t move. Lock yourself in the house. I’m on my way.”

“I called Jackson. He’s on his way, too.”

Forget my assigned patrol time. I yell out to Parker that I have an emergency and I leave.

With the lights on in my patrol car, I head to Shell Street, passing through every stoplight. It’s Christmas Eve and there are very few cars on the road. I’m only a few blocks away when a call comes in from a number I don’t recognize. The hair stands up on the back of my neck when I answer.

“Who the fuck is this?”

“Davis?” Belle’s tiny voice shakes. I squeal to a stop in the middle of Main Street.

“Where are you, honey?”

“I-I took too long locking the doors. I’m so sorry. I should have locked them,” she cries.

“No matter now. Tell me where you are.”

There’s a shuffle of noise on the line.

“She’s down at the Yacht Club. Boat slip fifty-two.” I recognize that arrogant voice.

“Richardson? So help me, if you hurt a hair on her,” I seethe.

Belle screams in the background, and I think I hear something sounding like a slap across the face. The line goes dead. My heart drops out of my chest like a dead weight.

I arrive at the club, barely setting my cruiser into park before I’m out of it, taking off at a run. I count down the numbers of the boat slips until the very end. As I near slip fifty-two, I slow up.

With my gun out of the holster, holding it at the ready, pointed down, safety off, I approach. I round the boat next to it carefully, gaining a better view of the single cabin cruiser from the stern. At first, I don’t see a soul around the shiny new Regali XL.

I only keep up my knowledge of boats for the job; you never know when trouble may occur at the yacht club. Two years ago, a fight broke out between two men. One tried to drown the other over a lost bet. He tied the anchor around the guy and severed the control lines for it. I arrived on the scene right when he pushed the dude overboard; Fortunately for him, I knew how to stop the anchor wench from releasing manually.

“That’s far enough, Davis.” Finally, Richardson presents himself holding a gun on Belle. But she’s on the floor of the stern, tied up at the ankles, another rope around her wrists behind her back. They must have knocked her out; her eyes are closed and she’s not moving or screaming.

I’m ready to hurt him. “You sick fuck. You can’t stand when a woman tells you no?” I taunt him.

“You think that’s what this is about? Her? Hell no. She was just something to trifle with while I was keeping my eye on you.” He smirks and crouches down by her, smoothing the hair back from her face. My heart twists with every second his fingers are on her. “She’s beautiful. I would have fucked her so good. But she must love you, because she certainly wasn’t opening her legs up for me.”

“Stop touching her.” I charge toward him, but he lifts his gun to me, bringing me to a full stop. I lift mine, pointing at him. We’re in a standoff.

“We wouldn’t be here if that fucking senator had done his job and run you over good and dead.”

“Chad?” That asshole.

“That’s what I get for sending an incompetent fool to do the job. But don’t worry, officer. I’m here now to tie up all loose ends. There’ll be no more screwups.”

I have a mind to shoot his kneecap out; I’m wearing my vest. If his aim is poor, he might knick my legs, but if it’s good maybe my head, but not before I cap him first.

Suddenly, I hear someone run up behind me and the next thing I know… Something solid hits me in the head and I’m falling to the ground. The last vision I have is of Belle, laying helpless at his feet, as I fade to black.