Rescuing Ryder (Serenity Securities, Team Hawk #1)

Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Claire slammed the door to her house, no longer concerned about an intruder. The disappointment and hurt she felt concerning Ryder overrode everything else. Feeling deflated, she sat on the living room couch. Thinking a glass of wine might calm her nerves and damaged ego, she meandered to the kitchen and poured a glass of red wine.

She stared at it, remembering the last time she enjoyed it. Claire threw it at Ryder, and now she felt justified. It wasn’t because he asked to transfer. Why didn’t he discuss it with her? She acted inappropriately. No matter the reason, she would’ve insisted he change to Dr. Hill. The trust she worked so hard to build appeared broken.

Walking to her study, she played soft classical music and sat at her desk. Claire tipped the wine back for another sip when the hair on the back of her neck warned her. She glanced around the room, figuring out why it felt off. Her desk appeared tidy, but her pictures sat in incorrect order. She glanced at her calendar to see someone drew a red marker through all the scheduled notations.

Claire quietly set the wine down and slowly rose from the desk, paralyzed by fear. She attempted to act casual as she fiddled with the music and walked with the letter opener from her desk in the palm of her hand. She casually exited the study, grabbed her purse and yanked at the door. It didn’t budge as she tried to undo the lock with shaky hands.

A hand wrapped around her mouth while the cold tip of the knife stuck to her throat.

“Hello, Claire. I’ve bided my time, waiting for you to come home and now here we are,” the voice whispered. “Drop the letter opener,” he demanded.

Panic and fear ran through her. She knew that voice. David Kilner wanted to see the fear in her eyes. She refused to act the helpless victim and give him what he wanted. The blood rushed through her veins as she recalled how he killed his wife and her mother. Their brutal deaths lingered in the back of her mind. Knowing David Kilner had nothing to lose by killing her, she attempted to keep him talking until she figured out a way of escape. If caught, they’d only send him back to the mental facility, claiming his insanity played a part.

“What do you want?” she gritted out as the pressure of the knife sunk deeper into the side of her neck and she dropped her only means of defense.

“I love classical music too. It makes me feel relaxed. We’ll sit in your study while we get acquainted with one another again,” he sneered.

“How did you find me here?”

David Kilner chuckled. “Did you honestly think I lost track of you? I know you have an affinity for helping soldiers; why else would anyone move here? But they can’t help you now. Do you remember how my wife and her mother died? I opened the refrigerator door every morning to stare at her lovely face, knowing she’d never leave me. Her mother interfered and I couldn’t risk witnesses to my wife’s untimely demise.”

“You killed them in cold blood. You didn’t eat them,” Claire revealed to him as she tried to buy time. Her heart pounded in her ears. After listening to Kassie’s story, she knew how much danger she was in. Her friend suffered for days before the team located her. David Kilner wanted to play with her like he accomplished with the letters before making her suffer a brutal death.

“Tell me, why did you side with Dr. Klein while the leading psychologist insisted me sane?” The knife moved from her neck to her back at her kidneys.

What were the chances of survival if he stabbed her there? Did she have time to escape or the strength to move with such an injury? Claire scanned the room, searching for any blunt objects. She almost finished unpacking her office. The paperweight sat on the bookshelf, where she set it a few days ago when she rearranged her desk in the middle of the night.

“As you described killing your mother-in-law, you smiled. When you spoke of your wife, you regretted it,” Claire admitted while she attempted to move closer to the heavy object.

“Her mother wanted her to divorce me. She knew what I did. She saw me kill her dog in the backyard. I never should’ve agreed to let her live with us. She interfered too much just like you.”

Claire swallowed. She closed her eyes, thinking about all the time she wasted focusing on her career, not the things that mattered. Ryder’s face appeared before her and she regretted not speaking with him. She wondered if her death would add another name to his list of guilt.

“What do you want? Did you need money to escape? It’s the reason why you wanted the temporary insanity plea. You figured after a couple of years, you’d convince them of your mental stability and they’d release you,” she informed him as he moved her to sit in the winged back chair she added to her study for reading, a few feet from the paperweight.

He pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it at her. “Oh, Claire. You disappoint me. I’ll need a new wife and you fit the bill perfectly. Now, be a good girl and shut up. Where’s the file you kept on me? We don’t need the police or your friends finding it once you’ve disappeared.” He sat at her desk and rummaged through the files, keeping his weapon trained on her.

Could she run fast enough to escape a bullet?

“I kept them at my office on the mountain. You didn’t think I’d leave them here after your notes, did you?” she asked.

Kilner paused for a moment before smiling smugly at her. “It’s too bad. I’ll have to tie you up and take the doctor’s baby you hang around. I’m sure his wife will do anything to save her child. Maybe I’ll take her, too. She’s a beautiful woman. I hope you don’t mind sharing. There’s enough of me to go around.”

Panic set in. She knew Kassie enough to know she’d sacrifice herself for her child. She already experienced enough in her lifetime to endure losing the child she desperately prayed for. Now wasn’t the time to show her fear.

“I’ll get the records for you. You don’t need to take an innocent child. This doesn’t involve anyone other than the two of us. Kassie didn’t witness anything like your wife’s mom. You don’t have a reason to hurt her,” she argued.

“Do you think I need a reason? Do you know what it’s like to watch life slowly slip away from someone you love? There’s a thrill you can’t begin to imagine. You control their life and death and they can’t do anything about it,” he stated as he breathed deeply, almost relishing the thought. It made her shiver and shake to the core.

“Maybe I was wrong. You might be sane after all. Only a monster finds killing a harmless child and mother exciting. You’re nothing more than a criminal who preys on helpless victims who can’t fight back,” she challenged.

He swiftly walked toward her with the gun. His face filled with rage as he hit her on the side of the head, making her see stars. “Shut up, you bitch,” he seethed. “Now we’ll go to your bedroom and you’ll do exactly as I say.” He jerked her roughly from the chair.

She wanted to fight or struggle, but the gun dug into her stomach.

A loud pounding on her front door startled both of them.

“Claire, I know you’re in there. Open the door,” Ryder demanded.

David Kilner cursed under his breath as he searched the room. Still dizzy from the strike to the head, Claire fought against the fog threatening her. She didn’t want him to hurt Ryder. Despite his thinking, he fought the urge to harm himself, which proved he wanted to live. He only needed a reason. She refused to allow him to lose his life now.

“Damn it, Claire. We need to discuss this. Your neighbor lady keeps watching me from the window. She’ll call the cops on me if you don’t let me in. Then you’ll have to come out and explain to the police. Open the door,” he demanded again.

“He won’t go away and the neighbors won’t hesitate to contact the authorities. Let me speak with him and he’ll leave peacefully,” she begged.

David hesitated as he ran his hand through his hair, momentarily loosening his grip on Claire. But now Ryder’s life hung in the balance and she refused to risk him.

“Answer the door. I’m standing in the next room and can hear everything you say. If you warn him in any way, I’ll shoot him where he stands. And Claire?” he let his warning hang.

“What?” she gritted out.

“We practiced shooting guns and I always hit the mark. Don’t think I’ll hesitate,” he warned.

Nodding, she watched as he moved behind the wall. If Claire guided Ryder to her office, she might sneak the paperweight while she spoke with him. At least it offered her some hope. Getting Ryder out of the house became her first priority.

Kilner signaled for her to allow Ryder in as he beat on the door again.

She opened the door to discover an angry and confused man. Under normal circumstances, she’d call it a win and want to talk it through. Right now, her goal shifted to convince him to leave. Claire steeled herself to cause him more damage and hoped one day, someone explained he didn’t have a choice…again.

“What do you want? I’m no longer your physician. You might want to locate Dr. Hill. I’m sure he’ll be happy to talk to you,” she suggested angrily. She didn’t even have to act out those words because she felt the sting of his betrayal in her chest.

Ryder stepped across the threshold. His nostrils flared as he stared at her. “Listen, I meant to discuss this with you. You’ve avoided me ever since the morning in the woods.”

Claire wanted to ask him if he kissed her while he planned to ask for another physician. But she refused to give away any information to David, who pointed a gun in Ryder’s direction.

“We agreed from the start you held choices. You made one. Dr. Hill’s skills prove superb and he’ll help you. Promise me you’ll stick with it. Even when things get dark, you won’t quit.”

Ryder shook his head. “I’ve gotten as dark as possible and I’m still here.”

Claire entered her study with Ryder shutting the front door and following her. She headed for the paperweight and slipped it into her pocket, hoping the bulge didn’t give it away.

“It’s best if we keep our distance from one another,” she informed him cooly. “My methods the other day were unprofessional and I’m sorry. It’s my fault. You have every reason to want a new psychiatrist. I want your promise you’ll stick with him,” she pleaded softly while keeping the fear at bay.

“About the other morning, Claire,” his voice softened as he stepped closer. “I?—”

“I don’t need explanations. Please go, Ryder. You made an excellent choice and I wish you the very best,” she rushed, not wanting him to give her future killer any fodder to decide to keep him.

“Claire, can we at least talk about this?” he asked, confused by her coldness.

She shook her head. “No.”

Ryder winced. “How about I come down in the evenings and help you with all your accidents? You can pile them up in the living room and it’ll give me something to do. I’ll even allow you to compare notes with Dr. Hill,” he bargained.

Claire sighed shakily. “Ryder, I can’t do this. I don’t need a handyman anymore,” she informed him lamely.

“Like hell, you don’t. The hall light fixture still doesn’t work, and it’s a safety hazard. I bet the person who decided to paint the house hired the crappiest electrician. There’s no telling how old or bad the wiring is,” he groused.

“I’ll hire an electrician,” she blurted.

“What about the security alarm? When did the security people say they could install it? Chase said you keep sensitive records and want the alarm to protect against people seeing anyone’s files. I can talk to Matthew and get it done faster than the company,” he bartered.

“There’s no need.” Claire winced, hoping her explanation kept David from searching for his file. “I decided to keep them on the mountain. With all the security there, no one will dare bother them.”

Ryder stared at her and her gaze shot to the floor. Her heart raced as he stepped closer. His finger lifted her chin to meet his eyes as he searched them. She blinked the tears away and tried to remain strong. Every minute Ryder remained in the room gave David a chance to shoot him.

“I need you to leave,” she whispered. “Please do as I ask. Your life is worth saving, and I want you to stick with Dr. Hill. I have confidence in you both,” she whispered. Her throat felt dry as she blinked back her water-filled eyes.

Ryder’s lips brushed against hers before he stepped back, still watching her. “Goodbye, Claire.”

She watched as he turned and exited the office.

“Ryder,” she called.

He stopped and stared at her. His expression appeared lost. She almost wept when she considered how far he had come and would blame himself for everything about to happen.

“I want you to remember this. No matter what happens, some things are out of our control and it’s not your fault,” she emphasized. “It was never your fault,” she whispered.

He gave a slight nod before walking out the door. Claire quietly sobbed her relief as she awaited her fate.

Kilner came out from his hiding spot and slammed the lock into place before poking her in the gut with his weapon. Turning toward her, he sneered, “Move into the office and close the blinds,” he gritted out. “You lied about the files. I already searched through them and they aren’t in your office. Where did you put them?”

Claire stared at the door. Who knew a door held so much meaning. She remembered feeling the joy of turning the key into the lock after making it officially hers. It held a promise of new beginnings. Now Ryder left through it, giving him a second chance at life. The bright purple wood sealed her in with a killer, who didn’t plan to allow her to live.