No matter how much she hurt, she didn’t stop to even walk. She kept moving as fast as she could. Once she got to where she’d taken the call, she then pivoted north and ran even faster. All the while, hearing the man’s tick-tock in her head.
And regretting not telling Cooper that she loved him.
Chapter 40
With nothing but time, Cooper walked the entire warehouse. The rain pelted the metal roof, causing a loud din of noise. The warehouse wasn’t overly large, and unfortunately, it appeared it had recently been cleaned out. It was obviously one of the buildings the city council wanted to begin renovations on. Which meant he had absolutely nothing to use as a weapon or to free himself.
And with that realization came all sorts of thoughts. Things he wished he had told his mom, stuff he wished he had done with Jace, Caleb, and Brice. But most importantly, how he wished he had told Marlee how he really felt.
Cooper hated not knowing if Jace was alive or dead. By the gunman’s reaction, there was a good chance that Jace had been killed, and that tore Cooper up. His best friend had needed him, and he hadn’t been there to help. If anyone should have known to look around the property for potential threats, it was Cooper. Why hadn’t he?
Because he’d been too wrapped up in thoughts of Marlee and helping her solve the case so they could figure out what their next step was. That’s what had gotten his friend killed. Cooper would have to live with that for the rest of his life.
He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. His abductor hadn’t wanted him dead—at least not yet. There was a real chance that outcome was coming sooner rather than later. Otherwise, why lock him up? It had to be to lure Marlee out. But Cooper knew she wouldn’t fall for anything like that. Nor would any of his friends allow it. They’d keep her protected.
That was the only thing that kept him from going insane.
Cooper glanced at his shoulder that still throbbed. The tourniquet he’d fashioned hadn’t stopped the bleeding entirely. He could feel it leaking into his shirt, but at least his lifeblood was no longer pouring out. He closed his eyes for a moment and slid to the floor.
Instantly, his mind conjured an image of Marlee from the night before when they had gone to bed together. Neither had asked the other, they had simply gone. They hadn’t talked with words, even though there was so much he’d wanted to say to her. Instead, they had spoken through touch and kisses.
The feel of her hands on his body had been heavenly. She’d brought him pleasure the likes of which he’d never experienced before. He’d wanted to give her that same feeling. Watching her climax, seeing the pleasure flow over her face, hearing her cries of ecstasy, and feeling her clench around his cock was something he wanted to revel in for the rest of his life.
After, she had curled up beside him, her head on his chest, and her arm flung over him as he played with her hair. In seconds, she was fast asleep. He hadn’t woken her to speak then. It had felt too good to just hold her. Sometime soon after, he had fallen asleep, as well.
Cooper’s eyes snapped open. He’d heard something. He was sure of it. At least, he thought he had. He’d been in a state between sleep and wakefulness so he couldn’t be positive. It might have been a dream, but he thought there had been a loud bang.
He climbed uneasily to his feet and looked around the warehouse again. Once more, there was nothing. The rain had tapered off a bit, however. Cooper decided to try the doors again. Maybe someone would pass by and hear him. It was too bad the windows were so high up, or he might try and climb out one.
The first door was the same as before. The second one caused him to hesitate before touching it, however. He was sure there hadn’t been wires there the first time he tried to escape.
Cooper squatted down beside the door and investigated the wiring that ran from the bottom up to the top corner. The moment he spotted the switch for the bomb, he took a step back. Had that been there before? He’d been too riddled with pain and the desire to get out to be sure.
He quickly checked the other two doors once more, but neither of them appeared to have been tampered with. So why this door? There had to be a reason. Was it the only one his friends could use to free Cooper? Right now, that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he needed to stay near it to make sure that no one tried to open it.
* * *
“Where are you?” Stella asked the moment the call from Chuck came in.
The deep voice she recognized said, “I’m taking care of a few last-minute details.”
“Is everyone out of town?”
“Martin is helping me with a few things, but he’s just about to leave. We’ll be the only two left. And after the meeting tonight, we’ll be gone, too.”
Stella looked around the house. She was leaving with nothing more than her suitcase that was already in the car, but the place felt empty. As if this was the last time she would ever see it. And that was likely the truth. The houses she had were all paid for and furnished, so she just had to show up.
“Stella?” Chuck called.
She licked her lips. “Sorry. I’m just unsettled by the meeting being pushed back and the rest.”
“By the rest, you mean Marlee.”
Stella rolled her eyes. “Yes, I mean Marlee.”
“Has anyone been by the house?”
“No one. It’s like she didn’t tell the authorities. Or maybe she did, and they’re just waiting to come at me in one huge rush.”
Chuck made a sound. “No one is going to touch you. I give you my word.”
“You can’t make that kind of promise.”
“I did, and I have. Now, stay there until I arrive. Okay?”
She sat on the couch, feeling better than she had in hours. “Okay. I’ll be here. Just hurry. The sooner I get out of this place, the better.”
“I’m in total agreement on that one.”
* * *
Jace sat on the bed in the motel room, pleased that his head no longer felt as if it were split open. The pain was still there, but it had lessened enough that the room wasn’t spinning anymore. The aspirin he’d taken had done very little to diminish the pain, but since that was all he was willing to take, he couldn’t gripe about it. Karl and Marina were still there, skulking around him as if waiting for him to fall on his face.
Which was a very real possibility.
Dammit.
He looked over to find Danny talking to one of his deputies. Danny glanced his way, his face lined with concern. Jace pushed to his feet to go to him, but the sheriff held up a hand, telling him to wait.
Being hurt sucked. Jace didn’t want to wait, but he also wasn’t sure if he could actually walk the twenty feet to the door without someone’s help. It reminded him too much of his time as a prisoner of war—and no one wanted him to go down that road. Thankfully, his thoughts halted as Danny approached.
“Did you find Cooper?” Jace asked.
Danny shook his head. “Not yet. Do you know if Marlee was headed anywhere this morning?”
“Cooper wanted her to remain at the ranch. That’s why both of us came to the motel.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“What’s going on?”