Dare Me Again by Karin Tabke Read Free Book Online Page B

had left it on the hearth and nearly cried in relief. It was Simon: Are you Okay? Did you get my message?
    Instead oftexting him, she tried to call him but the call timed out. Panic exploded. Quickly she texted: Simon, I’m afraid. Stevie isn’t here and I think someone is outside and the Jeep is stuck in the snow.
    His response was immediate: Lock the doors, take as many weapons from the wall in the great room as you can, go upstairs, and stay upstairs, but not in the loft, stay at the top of the stairway. DO NOT leave that post. Stay at the top of the fatal alley, don’t give it up. And stay calm, Princess.
    Another loud thud on the porch startled her. She screamed. Hastily she grabbed the bow, the ax, several of the knives, the two quivers of arrows, and hauled ass upstairs.
    Simon. She could barely text, her hands were shaking so badly. Is it Evan?
    I think so. Stay calm, baby. I’m coming.
    As she read the text, another thud against the door startled her.
     

     
    Desperation born of fear for his wife’s safety forced Simon’s hand. He was two hours away from the only thing that mattered to him. The local PDs and CHP were bogged down with traffic issues and the collapse of a strip mall roof with several people trapped inside. Even Stevie’s hands were tied. There was no one to reach out to. Except the one person Simon knew walked both sides of the law, and had the resources and the men to help him.
    He made a call he’d hoped he’d never have to make. Because once he did, he would owe. It didn’t matter though, because there was nothing Simon wouldn’t do to protect the woman he loved.
    As he dialed the number, he prayed he was not too late.
    “How’d you get this number?” a rough voice asked.
    “I need to speak to Brick.
Now.”
    “How’d you get this number?”
    “He gave it to me.”
    “Who the fuck is me?”
    “Sergeant Simon West. Third three-two-five Alpha Company under the command of Captain Brickland.”
    “Call back in five.”
    “
I don’t fucking have five
. My wife is in grave danger. I need to speak to the captain now!”
    The sound of a hand being placed over the phone was followed by muffled voices.
    “West?” his army captain’s voice said.
    “I need your help, sir.”
    “Talk to me.”
    Simon explained the situation.
     

     
    Tense, arms shaking, arrow nocked, Kat kept her eyes on the front door. The last barrage was a half hour ago. But with each thud, the door had shaken a little more. She debated whether to vacate her perch at the top of the stairway and push some of the heavy furniture against the door, but realized it wouldn’t matter—he’d come through the kitchen door. So, she waited.
    As she waited for Simon, Kat watched her cell phone’s battery life drain away. The charger was useless with no power.
    The glass of the long window parallel to the front door shattered, startling Kat. “Where is your cop now, Katy?” Evan called from the other side.
    She gasped as ice-cold fear gripped her. This time there was no Simon to pull him off her.
    “I know where he is,” Evan snickered. His voice was much closer and more sinister with no glass between them. She could see his shadow but not his face. At least this way she knew where he was, and she was ready for him if he breached the door. “He’s chasing a cab with a fake Santa in it, thinking it’s me!” His snickers turned into full-blown laughter. “Oh, Katy, Katy, Katy, he was so easy to fool.”
    “What did you do, Evan?”
    “Well, first I made a deal with the prosecutor, Katy, just so I could see you again. All because I missed you.”
    “Liar.”
    “No, really, I did. I missed seeing the fear in your eyes as I slowly tightened my hands around your neck.” He laughed again. “I missed it so much I promised the prosecutor I’d testify against everyone if he just let me go.”
    “Why do you want to kill me, Evan? What did I ever do to you?”
    “You ruined everything. My entire life, you ruined