"You're not taking me," Harrison snarled, his eyes wild with rage and fear.

  Nicky raised her gun and fired, but Harrison moved quickly, and the bullet missed. Before Nicky could react, Harrison had the victim--and he was holding the knife to her throat. The victim whimpered, and Harrison's eyes locked on Nicky's like a violent animal.

  No.

  Nicky raised her gun and took a step back, knowing that if this was going to end, it would have to be on her terms.

  She kept her gaze locked on Harrison's as they circled each other in the alleyway, their eyes burning with hatred and desperation. For a moment, Nicky wondered if it was even worth it--if this man could ever truly be brought to justice for what he had done to so many innocent women.

  But then she saw the look of sheer evil in Harrison's eyes and knew that this was the only way things could end between them. She couldn't let him get away again--not with the stakes so high.

  If she was going to save this girl, she might have to shoot to kill.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  Ken had been in a lot of messed up situations during his career as an FBI agent. But dealing with a man who was threatening to kill his own wife and infant son? This was another level of crazy, and Ken wasn't sure his stomach could handle it.

  Driving in a police officer's car, he finally reached Harold Smith's residence--where he saw a series of police cars parked out front, and a few officers talking at the closed garage, one with a megaphone. Ken whipped the car up to the curb, threw it in park, and hurried over to the officers.

  "Agent Walker, you're here," Chief Schmitt said.

  "I got here as soon as I could," Ken said. "What the hell is going on?"

  "Bastard's threatening to kill his wife and kid, said he'll only talk to you and Agent Lyons."

  Off to the side, Margaret, the old nanny, was shaking like a leaf, but she trotted over. "Oh, Agent, it's terrible! Mr. Smith has completely lost it--where is Agent Lyons?"

  "She couldn't make it, ma'am," Ken said.

  "Oh, dear." Margaret shook her head. "Well, I can't explain it, but it's like he's some kind of monster. He told me to go home, and then I heard screaming--and then this."

  "His wife and kid are in the house right now?" he asked.

  "Yes, sir," Schmitt said. "In the garage. We've got the place surrounded, and we're trying to call him, to try and talk him down--but he keeps saying he'll only talk to you."

  "I'll do what I can," Ken said. "But we can't let him hurt his family. We need to get them out of there, now."

  Schmitt handed him the megaphone, and Ken faced the garage. Every officer on the scene was pale and tense, Ken included. One wrong move could mean the death of a baby and an innocent woman.

  Ken could not--would not--have that blood on his hands.

  "Harold, are you in there?" Ken said into the megaphone.

  A moment of silence, and Harold's voice sounded through the garage door. "Agent Walker, I'm here," he said. "Where is Agent Lyons? I need her here too."

  "She's on her way, I promise," Ken said, a blatant lie, but he just needed to talk Harold down. "Talk to me, Harold. What's going on here?"

  "It's... it's my Adaline..."

  Ken frowned. The woman Harold was cheating with?

  "When you called her to confirm my alibi, she... she told her husband everything, and then, and then..." A choking sound. "She left me, damn it! It's over between us, and she left me with this--this woman, and this stupid child I don't even want!"

  A woman's cry came out from the other side of the garage, along with the disgruntled coo of the baby, JJ.

  "Oh God, Harold," the woman said. "What are you doing?"

  "Get off me!" Harold's voice was louder now.

  "Harold, please, don't do this. It's not worth it," she said, her voice cracking. "I love you. I want to fix this. We can get through this together."

  Harold laughed, hollow and cruel. "I don't want you, Maggie, I want Adaline, but because of these stupid FBI agents, I'll never have her!"

  Ken saw where this was going. Harold blamed Ken and Nicky for his affair going south, and now he was lashing out. This was a highly volatile, dangerous man, and Ken wished Nicky was here to use her compassionate side to get through to him--but this was on Ken now. He had to talk Harold down.

  "C'mon, Harold, you don't mean that," Ken said. "You have a wife, and she's in there with you. You don't want to hurt Maggie and JJ, Harold. They're innocent. If you want to hurt me and Agent Lyons, well, I guess I understand that, but you don't have to hurt the others. They had nothing to do with this."

  "I want Agent Lyons here, now," Harold said. "She's the reason Adaline left me, and I want to make her pay."

  "You're right, Harold," Ken said. "I'm sorry--that's our fault, and we'll do everything we can to fix it. But if you hurt Maggie, you'll never get Adaline back. We both know that."

  "I don't care!" Harold's voice echoed through the garage.

  "It's too late for that now, Agent Walker. And I can't let them go. I can't let them ruin my life. I'm going to kill them all."

  Ken's veins ran cold. This was not going well.

  "Harold, you can't kill your wife," Ken said, trying to keep his voice calm and even. "Think about JJ. He's innocent here, Harold--you're his father. You don't want to kill your own son."

  "I don't care about that stupid kid!" Harold snarled. "I don't care about any of them! If I can't have Adaline, I don't want anyone!"

  "If you kill them, Harold, it'll destroy you," Ken said. "You'll destroy you, and you'll destroy your family."

  "It will be their own damn fault for destroying my life!" Harold yelled. "I won't let them do this to me. I won't let you do this to me. I'm going to kill them all!"

  Ken looked up at the tense police officers around him, and then back at the garage door.

  "Harold, I know you're confused," he said. "But I just want you to know that no one's gonna judge you if you just walk out of that door right now. Open the garage, Harold. Come on out and talk. We'll get Adaline over here too. We can work this out. No one has to die."

  "No!" Harold's voice grew louder. "No, you want to take away the one thing I want in life! You want me to take a vow of chastity and raise some kid I don't even want? No, I won't do that! The FBI can't force me to do that! And if they try, they'll have to answer to me!"

  Ken's heart was pounding. "Harold, please, don't do this," he said. "Just walk out of there now. No one has to die here."

  "I'm going to kill you, Agent Walker," Harold said. "Then I'll kill Agent Lyons, and I'll kill Maggie and JJ, and then I'll kill myself, and I'll be with Adaline in hell! And no one will be able to stop me!"

  "Harold, please, don't do this," Ken said. "Don't let this happen. You wanna kill me? Fine, go ahead! Come out and fucking kill me, man, but leave Maggie and the baby out of it!"

  Silence on the other side of the garage made Ken's blood run like ice. He held his breath. But when he heard a whimper from Maggie and a sound from the baby, he let out that breath. They were still alive.

  He could still do this.

  "Harold, can you hear me, buddy?" Ken called out.

  "Yeah... yeah, I'm here." His voice was thick with tears now. This gave Ken hope. Hope that Harold would find a heart in himself and come out of this.

  "Please, Harold," Ken said. "Come on out. Deal with me face-to-face. Leave your family out of it. How does that sound?"

  "B-but, if I come out, you'll shoot me," Harold said.

  "I promise, Harold, no one's gonna hurt you," Ken said. He hoped the officers would abide by that too. If Harold would just come out without hurting anyone, then Ken would see to it that he’d be treated fairly and not harmed.

  "Okay... okay, I... I'll come out," Harold said.

  Ken didn't know if Harold would do that, but he and the officers formed a semi-circle in front of the garage door, rifles trained on the door.

  Ken raised his megaphone. "Okay Harold, just open the door, and we'll be right there, man-to-man. No one has to go to jail here. Just open the door, and we'll talk about it."

  The garage door shifted. It began to slowly open, revealing Harold holding a knife to Maggie's throat, and the baby on the floor next to them.

  "Okay, Harold, let's just talk about this," Ken said as he slowly walked into the garage.

  Not a single officer moved. They stood outside, and Harold stood in the garage, with his wife and his son and his knife, and Ken.

  No one moved.

  "Is this what you want, Harold?" Ken asked as he approached Harold. "You want me here, so you can kill me?"

  "Yes," Harold said.

  "Okay, then that's what we'll do," Ken said. "I'm here, Harold. You want me to die, you can kill me. But I'm not gonna move any closer, and you can't do anything to Maggie and JJ. Let Maggie go."

  "If I do that, you'll shoot me," Harold said.

  "We won't shoot," Ken promised. "Just drop the knife and let Maggie and the baby go."

  Harold's eyes were filled with tears, but he shook his head. "No. If I let them go, you'll take them from me."

  "Harold, please," Ken said. "You don't want to keep doing this. You want me to die, you can do that. But let Maggie and JJ go."

  Harold shook his head. "No. I want them to die too."

  "I won't let that happen," Ken said. "I'll shoot myself before I let that happen."

  "I'll shoot you first," Harold said.

  "Harold, let's just talk about this," Ken said. "What do you want to do? Do you want me to die? Do you want Maggie and JJ to live? Just tell me, and I'll make it happen."

  "I want Adaline back," Harold said. "I want her to come back, and I want her to be happy with me. I'm going to kill you and Agent Lyons. And then I'm going to kill Maggie and JJ. And then I'm going to kill myself, and I'll be with Adaline in hell, and no one will be able to stop me."

  "Harold, I'm here," Ken said. "You want to end this, here's your chance. Let her go, and I'll come closer. We'll work this out. We can find a way to fix this, Harold."

  "No, it's too late for that," Harold said.

  "No, it's not too late," Ken said. "It's not too late to turn this around, Harold. It's not too late to save your family. Just drop the knife."

  "You son of a bitch!" Harold spat, and shoved Maggie away.

  In that split-second, Ken saw Maggie's eyes flash with terror, but she was free. She swept down and grabbed the baby, then ran out of the garage, to Ken's relief--but then Harold lunged at Ken with the knife.

  "Don't shoot!" Ken shouted at the other officers, who were standing by, ready to fire. He dodged Harold's attack, and thankfully, the officers listened to his order.

  They could do this without bloodshed. Ken didn't want to kill Harold. The man clearly needed help, and he thought about Nicky, and how compassionate she'd been with Mr. Dumond earlier. Ken knew that, sometimes, he could use some of that compassion himself.

  So, he wouldn't kill Harold Smith. He just had to get the upper hand on him and cuff him.

  Ken dodged Harold's attack and grabbed him from behind, trying to subdue him. Harold's knife-hand came up, and Ken saw a flash of yellow and black, and suddenly he felt a sharp, searing pain in his forearm. The knife slashed into him.

  "Agent Walker!" Chief Schmitt cried out. "Get out of the way, we're gonna shoot!"

  "Don't shoot!" Ken shouted. He grunted out in pain, but he didn't let go. He just tightened his grip and struggled with Harold to bring him down. He managed to get Harold to drop the knife, then shoved him back. Harold stumbled back against the wall, and Ken pressed his advantage. He lunged at Harold and grabbed the knife before Harold could react. Then he wrestled Harold to the floor, and pinned him, whipping out his handcuffs. Harold writhed beneath him, but couldn't get away.

  "It's over, Harold," Ken said. "It's all over."

  As Ken slapped the cuffs on Harold, he just hoped Nicky was having the same luck with the killer.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  Harrison Smith had his knife pressed to the victim's throat, and Nicky could see it: She was seconds away from total failure. In a quick slash, Harrison could end this woman's life.

  She could not let that happen.

  Facing off against him in the alleyway, the moonlight shone down and glimmered against Harrison's blade. Nicky held her gun firm, but her palms were sweaty.

  "Drop the knife, Harrison," Nicky said. "It doesn't have to end this way."

  In his eyes, Nicky saw no soul. He didn't show a hint of emotion as he gripped the woman tighter. She was sure the only thing holding him back from killing her was the knowledge that he would be shot dead on sight if he tried.

  "You don't understand anything," Harrison said. "I won't let you ruin my greatest creation before it's even complete."

  "It's over, Harrison," Nicky said. "Drop the knife and I can take you in peacefully. No one has to die here, Harrison."

  She slowly inched closer as she spoke. The FBI had trained her to deal with tense situations, life or death situations, but being in one of them never felt easier when the stakes were so high, so real.

  Nicky grasped her gun tighter still. She had no idea what would happen if she shot Harrison, but she knew that she had to try.

  "I think it's you who doesn't understand the situation you're in," Harrison said. "I'm not going to prison for the rest of my life. I'm not going to be locked up! No! I'm not done yet!"

  His voice was getting louder, more unstable. Fear filled Nicky's chest as she saw the woman in Harrison's grip move her arm. She was trying to protect herself from Harrison's insane plans. But Nicky shot her a look--a piercing look that said don't move. The girl whimpered but obliged. The worst thing she could do was try to get herself out.

  But if Nicky couldn't save her, she would never be able to live with the guilt.

  She stepped closer into the light. When Harrison saw Nicky, a different look flashed across his face--a more deranged, crazed look.

  "My, my, you're quite the beauty yourself," he said, grinning. "A little bit older than what I usually go for, but yes, I could make you work. Perhaps I should take your picture instead."

  "Drop the knife, Harrison," Nicky said.

  No. No, no, no. This was not how it was supposed to happen. Nicky was going to take Harrison down. She was going to save the woman. Everything was going to be okay.

  He was not supposed to be the one making her feel the fear.

  "Drop the knife," Nicky said. "You're surrounded, Harrison. Drop it and you'll be taken in peacefully."

  Harrison let out a short, shrill laugh. "You think I'm afraid of you?" he said. "You think it's that easy? You're not going to do anything to stop me."

  Shit. Nicky needed to switch her tactic fast. She needed to get into his head. What did she know about Harrison Smith? He was a delusional narcissist, living in the shadow of his father's forgotten legacy. All he wanted was to be known for his photography--by any means necessary.

  This was a person who had no fear, and who wouldn't give up without a fight.

  But he'd said something she could use. He thought she would work for his "art."

  Nicky was willing to do anything to save this girl. So, she said, "Fine then, you win, Harrison."

  His eyes flashed. "What?"

  "You win," she said. "I know you need to finish your work, and to do that, you need a worthy subject. So, take me. Leave that girl and take me instead."

  Harrison laughed again. "You don't know what you're asking for."

  "I know exactly what I'm asking for," she said. "I'm asking for you to let her go, and for you to take me instead."

  "No."

  "You need someone who is willing to go the distance for your work," Nicky said. "Someone who will let you photograph them in ways that would make your father proud. Someone who isn't afraid to go to the dark depths of hell for your art."

  Harrison laughed, and Nicky could see him loosening his grip on the girl--beginning to let his guard down.

  "What?" he said again.

  Nicky was bluffing. She had no idea how to rescue this girl, but she needed to buy herself more time--to make Harrison think she was on his side, to make him lower his guard.

  "I'm a photographer, too," Nicky said. "I'd make a great subject, Harrison. You can even make me your next muse. You can take all the pictures you want; you can do all the things you want. But first, let the girl go. Let her get out of here."

  "No way," Harrison said. "I need her for my work. She's my muse."

  "I'm your muse," Nicky said, taking a step closer. "Let her go. You know you want to."

  His grip loosened on the woman.

  Nicky waltzed even closer.

  "You can have me," she said. "I'm yours. I'll do whatever you want."

  "You're lying," he said. "You wouldn't really let me take you, would you?"

  He was weakening. She could see the cracks in his façade.

  "I would," Nicky said. "I'd let you take me. Take my picture. Make me your muse. But only if you let her go."

  "I could do that," he said. "I could do all those things to you. I could make you my next muse."

  "Then let her go," Nicky said. "If you want me, let her go."

  She was close enough to lunge at him now. All she had to do was make her move.

  "Let her go, Harrison," she said. "Let her go and take me instead."

  "You won't really go," he countered.

  "I will," she said. "If it means saving her, I'll do anything to save her."

  He looked over at the girl. And then, in a flash, he dropped her to the ground and lunged for Nicky. Everything moved in a blur after that.

  The girl screamed, and Nicky could hear her footsteps pounding the pavement, the sound of Harrison's breathing getting closer, louder.

  She aimed the gun forward, but he was too close.

  She fired.

  She missed.

  He dodged.

  She fired again.

  And again.

  He kept coming, and Nicky knew she was in trouble.

  She fired a fourth shot, this time hitting his arm. His knife dropped to the ground and slid away.

 

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