The Dangerous Gift, page 18
Jared signed the papers, glaring at the woman he once had feelings for. Smug, Darleen checked his signature and stuffed the papers into her jeans pocket. “Before we wake Kitten, I have something to tell you.”
Jared’s gaze flickered over to Jen’s unconscious body. If he occupied Darleen, the chances of Dan and hopefully the federal authorities finding them in time improved. “Well, I’m all yours…”
“If only you were.” Regret flashed in Darleen’s gaze but was quickly replaced by excitement. “You’re the reason for all this unpleasantness. We’d be married and your parents and Harry could have toasted us at our wedding, but I wasn’t good enough for you, was I?” As Darleen ran the knife point down Jared’s torso, the buttons on his shirt flicked off, leaving his chest naked, exposed. His fists clenched, but he didn’t move. “Did your mother poison you against me while your daddy refused to drag the Unicorn into the twenty-first century? Or were you always waiting for your ‘kitten’ to return, once she’d sharpened her claws on the English dudes?”
Darleen let the knife swing over Jen’s head. Jared held his breath, poised to dive for the weapon if she let it go. She didn’t. Looking amused, Darleen laid the knife on Jared’s chest but kept her fingers wrapped tightly round it. “You really do love her. Pity. We could have been so good together. But never mind. I’ll sell these oil rights and leave this all behind. There’s sure to be another Jared waiting for me where I’m headed.”
Jared didn’t expect to come out of this alive. He regretted the time he would never spend with Jen. The children they would never have—unless she was already pregnant. They’d hardly practiced safe sex, his conscience reminded him. Even so, he would never see his child grow up. At least Jen would live and maybe find someone else to make her happy. The thought of her with someone else saddened Jared, but her safety was all that mattered.
Darleen watched him, her gaze intent, as if she could read his thoughts. “I’m disappointed, Jared. You don’t know, do you? Jennie worked it out when she became acquainted with the old cellar. It was me. I was the one who blew up the plane and ended Harry.”
“What?” Darleen’s revelation penetrated Jared’s musings. He’d been lost in his thoughts about Jen and the life they would never get to experience together.
Darleen frowned but continued, “I felt strange when the plane exploded. I saw my finger press the button, but it was like watching someone else. The sadness for the loss of life was mitigated by a powerful high as fire engulfed the plane and made it spin to earth, vibrant and bright like a falling star. It transfixed me. I almost forget to leave.”
Darleen’s fever-bright eyes and flushed face made her look inhuman. Jared breathed deeply and clamped his mouth shut to stop the vomit that surged into it from escaping. Confusion registered in Darleen’s gaze when Jared didn’t react, but she continued, “Getting into Harry’s hospital room was a rush, but no one questioned me, as I was dressed in scrubs. He was barely conscious and so confused. I toyed with leaving him alive. Ryder wasn’t even sure Harry recognized him at the ranch. But he knew who I was. The glimmer of recognition in Harry’s gaze sealed his fate. How would I explain being in his room in scrubs? Killing him was much simpler. I picked up the pillow from the trolley and pressed it into his face. He didn’t fight much, and then it was over.
“The rest of the plan went like clockwork. They discovered Harry’s death, but there were no clues as to who helped him into the next world. I saw you and Jennie leave, but you were oblivious, wrapped up in your pain. It was almost too easy.”
Darleen’s eyes glazed, and Jared swept the knife off his naked chest. He sprang up, knocked Darleen backwards, and pinned her down. She struggled, but the fight wasn’t there as she whispered, “We could have been happy and rich, Jared. You should have chosen me.”
She lay under him, limp and lifeless, but Jared wasn’t fooled. He felt in his pocket for his knife and held it to Darleen’s throat. He drew in a calming breath. Pain thundered through his head, followed by unbearable pressure, and then there was nothing.
***
Jennie
They thought she was out of it, but she wasn’t. She regained consciousness, but her head thumped and she couldn’t remember why. She was still not sure if she’d dreamed Darleen’s confession to the murders. A rapid movement at her side got her attention. Ryder hit Jared with a piece of wood before she could warn him. Now Jared’s unconscious body rested against her. The hilt of a silver knife glinted from the depths of Jared’s crumpled jacket, hidden when he’d dropped it. If only he’d fallen against Darleen, the knife would have cut her throat, but she’d rolled safely away.
“What have you done to Jennie? You promised she would be safe if I helped you with Jared.” Ryder knelt beside Jennie’s prone body. His sweet-scented sweat drifted into her nostrils as he stroked her hair. Jennie held her breath, afraid she would choke if his scent reached her airway. Ryder stood up then, and Jennie snatched a quick, deep breath.
Darleen shouted at her brother as she paced, her gaze straying constantly to Jared’s prone body. “We need her conscious, Ryder. I didn’t hit her. She was like that when I got here. You dragged her off a horse, didn’t you? She must have hit her head then. Wake her up or I will. The choice is yours.”
Jennie slid her fingers into Jared’s jacket. The steady thud of his heartbeat comforted her, and then her fingers closed round the knife. Jared always carried it and used it for many things, but to her knowledge never to stab another human being. She hoped she wouldn’t have to, either, but she couldn’t risk another close encounter with Ryder. Jennie moved restlessly. She needed to find a way to save Jared.
Someone was staring at her.
“Glad you’re back with us, Jennie. I need you to sign these papers.” Darleen sounded businesslike, as if none of the horror of what she’d done had registered with her.
“If I don’t, will I end up like Jared?” Jennie’s temper spiraled. Her prognosis in this situation wasn’t good. She would rather go out fighting than begging.
“Jared signed. He loves you. He didn’t want me rearranging your pretty face. Too bad, if you don’t sign, I’ll do it anyway.” Darleen pulled the hunting knife from her back pocket and pointed it at Jennie. “Ryder, you must go. Take Jared’s truck and wait for me where we said.”
Ryder looked reluctant to leave, and Jennie wished him gone. It would be one fewer person to fight off. “When Jennie’s signed the papers, I’ll bring her to you,” Darleen added before giving her brother a gentle shove, her expression just as gentle.
Ryder nodded and, with one last look of longing at Jennie, ran towards the track. Darleen turned her gaze, now totally devoid of compassion, on Jennie.
Jennie’s fingers clenched round the knife. This would be an equal fight. The world spun round her as she sat up, but she focused on the papers Darleen gave her. “You wanted to drill the oil on the Unicorn Ranch and Annie and Ralf stopped you. That’s what all the killing’s been about.” Jennie tore the unsigned legal document in half and ripped it again.
Darleen launched her body into Jennie, brandishing the knife. Jennie rolled out of her way, but the older woman anticipated her feint and landed on top of her. She pulled Jennie’s hair roughly back and held the knife to her throat. Jared’s knife felt warm in Jennie’s hand; she must use it now. She thrust her arm upwards and buried the point in Darleen’s armpit. The hunting knife fell from her attacker’s hand as blood pumped from the wound. Darleen emitted an animal-like scream and pulled the knife from her body. She realized her mistake too late as blood pumped ferociously from the gaping hole. She slumped forward. Jennie wriggled out from underneath her, shocked that she was the cause of all the blood. It was self-defense, so why did she feel like a killer?
Headlights appeared on the horizon, including the colored lights of the sheriff’s and several other official-looking cars. Jennie looked at Darleen’s body and shivered. If they’d arrived ten minutes earlier, Darleen would still be alive and she wouldn’t feel as though her world had fallen apart. She lay back, nauseated by the coppery smell of blood that covered her. Her headache escalated and echoed with the thud of the emergency personnel’s feet as they ran towards her.
Jared stirred at her side, his eyes unfocused. “Jen, are you all right? Is that Darleen?”
Jennie smiled, but it turned into a sob, and her lips trembled. “I stabbed her with your knife. She pulled it out, and there was so much blood. I think she’s dead.” Saying it out loud to someone else made it real. She’d killed another human being. The pain in her head intensified and her body shook as first Jared and then everything else disappeared.
***
Jared
Two uniformed paramedics separated Jared from Jen. They checked him over and put an I.V. into his arm before he could tell them Jen needed their help more. The ground rose up to meet him as he sat up, but as the fluid flowed into his system, he was less light-headed and nauseous.
The doctor intubated Jen and attached several fluid bags to the cannulae in her arms. The whirring of a helicopter’s rotor motors drowned out the noise of the emergency personnel. Within minutes, Jen and shortly afterwards Darleen were stretchered into the helicopter and flown away.
Dan stopped the paramedics before they took Jared to the waiting ambulance. “They’re taking you in for observation and a C.T. scan, Jared. It’s just a precautionary measure as you’re conscious and lucid.”
“What about Jen? She looked bad.”
A wary look crossed Dan’s craggy face before he answered. “She’s sedated because of the severe convulsions she experienced. They’ve airlifted her to the hospital for a C.T. scan and most likely surgery. I’m sorry. Darleen—” Dan stopped midsentence when he saw the furious expression on Jared’s face, and the paramedics warned him not to upset their patient.
“I don’t want to know about her. She’s the reason we’re here.” Jared blinked away his tears. No time for weakness. If he were a stronger man, Jen would be safe, not comatose in the helicopter, which was now a distant speck on the horizon.
Dan continued despite Jared’s anger, “Darleen has lost a lot of blood, mainly because someone, probably her, pulled out whatever stabbed her. Does this look familiar?” Dan held up a clear evidence bag that contained Jared’s bloodstained knife.
Jared nodded. “That’s my knife, but I didn’t stab her. I was out cold until I saw both her and Jen injured beside me. Where’s Ryder? He must have hit me. Perhaps he turned on his sister. He’s fixated with Jen. He wouldn’t want her hurt.”
“Perhaps, but there’s no sign of him here, or at the buildings the federal team have discovered. We think Jennie was held there, but she must have escaped to end up here.”
Jared found it difficult to speak further, and the paramedic intervened. “No more questions until he’s had the C.T. scan.” The paramedics lifted Jared onto a stretcher.
Dan nodded and patted Jared’s arm as the paramedics carried the stretcher past him. “Don’t worry, we’ll sort this out.”
Jared closed his eyes and wondered why he didn’t tell Dan that Jen had stabbed Darleen. Dan must suspect either him or Jen in the absence of Ryder; it seemed the most likely explanation. Hopefully Dan would believe it was self-defense, but how would they prove it?
***
Ryder
There was so much blood. Ryder shuddered as he viewed the chaotic scene from the old barns through his night vision binoculars. He didn’t mean to disobey Darleen, but when he went to reclaim the truck, he saw the dust clouds and lights of the sheriff and other official-looking vehicles. He wanted to go back to get Jennie and warn Darleen, but he was confused and finding it difficult to breathe. Finally, he hid in the back of the barn with the rats and the cats who hunted them until the cars passed by. Then he ran for the truck and searched in the glove compartment for a weapon. Nothing.
Ryder didn’t have a gun, but he did have the night vision binoculars. He watched, feeling strangely detached as his sister put a knife to Jennie’s throat. He shut out the pain by closing his eyes, but the voyeur within him made him look again. This time Jennie wielded a knife and thrust it into his twin. Ryder recoiled in shock as Darleen reached up and pulled the knife from her body before she keeled over in a pool of her own blood. Ryder screamed, but no one heard in the chaos that followed. The barn shook with the vibration of a passing helicopter. Ryder waited for it to pass and then drove the truck out of the barn to escape the horror.
***
Jennie
Jennie moved restlessly on the hard bed, unable to get comfortable. She swallowed and discovered her throat was sore and dry. She needed a drink, and her heavy eyelids wouldn’t open. She moaned softly and reached out tentatively.
A warm, strong hand touched hers. “Jen, how are you feeling?” Jared’s deep voice was incentive enough for her eyes to open. A grey tinge gave his face an unhealthy pallor, and dark circles outlined his eyes. When did he last sleep? “Do you need some water?”
Jennie nodded. “I’m so thirsty.”
Jared took the cup from the side table and gently supported Jennie’s head as she drank greedily.
“Not too much. You’ve just come out of a heavy sedation.” Jared removed the cup but continued to support Jennie’s head.
Jennie’s hand gravitated towards her head, which ached when she touched the raised bumps on her skull. “What happened to me? It’s a blur. I’m not sure what’s real. Ryder pulled me off Springtime, and I must have hit my head because I woke up in a dark, musty room with him, surrounded by hundreds of photographs of me. Darleen had a knife and we fought.” Jennie shuddered. “She was laying on me, covered in blood…” She stared at Jared, unable to voice her greatest fear.
Jared avoided her gaze. “You were lucky to avoid surgery. Your brain swelled after you fractured your skull, probably when you fell from Springtime. Darleen almost stabbed you, but you stopped her with my knife.” He paused, his gaze wary.
Jennie trembled as the implications hit home. “I stabbed Darleen.”
Jared pulled her shaky body closer. The contact was painful for her bruised head, but Jennie ignored the pain. She needed his warmth and strength to keep her from falling apart. “She was so still. Is she…?”
“No, she’ll recover. You did what was necessary. She would have killed you.” Jared pressed his mouth against Jennie’s bruised head and kissed her so gently, it was more a movement of warm air than a kiss.
“How do know? You were out of it. Will I be arrested?” Tears coursed down Jennie’s cheeks. Darleen had won after all.
“There was an audio recording. It’s patchy and poor quality, but Darleen’s threats are unmistakable. She pulled the knife out of her body, and it was in her hand when the paramedics found her. If she’d left the knife in, the blood loss would have been minimal. So you have nothing to worry about.”
Jared slipped onto the bed and pulled her against his hard body. Jennie sighed and curled closer to him.
There was a brief knock on the door before it opened and the sheriff entered. “I just need to ask Jennie a few questions. The doctors have agreed to let me if you feel up to it, Jennie.”
“Can’t this wait, Dan? She’s only just woken up.” Jared eased off the bed, his muscular body a physical barrier between her and the sheriff.
“Now would be best, Jared, before Jennie’s thoughts are colored by outside factors.” Dan pulled a plastic chair from the corner and sat down on the other side of her.
“I’ve told Jen about the recording.” Jared paced as he spoke.
“Good, this shouldn’t take long, then.” Dan took a notebook from his top pocket.
“It’s fine, Jared,” Jennie’s husky voice interrupted. “I’d rather get this over with now.”
“Okay, but I’m staying. No arguments.” Jared returned to the bed and put his arm gently around her.
Dan smiled despite the gravity of the situation. “Tell me what you remember, Jennie.” She recounted her hazy memories, and Dan seemed satisfied. “Did you set the mobile phone to record?”
Jennie thought back. “No, it was dark in the cellar. I called Jared, and then the signal disappeared. I left the phone on in case I could call him back, but we found each other. I forgot about the record app. Perhaps I pressed it in the dark. What did it record?”
“Darleen’s confession to the three murders most importantly, and her attack on you and your comments to Jared before you lost consciousness again. I doubt you will be expected to face a self-defense hearing if the district attorney agrees. You will both have to give evidence at Darleen’s trial, but that’s all.”
Jennie smiled. “Thanks, Dan, that’s such a relief.”
Dan stood up. “I’ll take your statement in the morning, and Jennie, thanks for your help.” He nodded to Jared and left them alone.
“I’m so relieved.” Jennie snuggled against Jared. “Maybe now we can get on with our lives?”
***
Ryder
Ryder sat in the stolen car and watched the comings and goings at the emergency care centre. He rubbed his eyes and almost didn’t recognize the face that stared back at him in the rearview mirror. He opened the window, but the rancid smell remained. He’d been driving around, changing cars for twenty-four hours, but he couldn’t leave like Darleen asked him to, not until he knew what had happened to her and Jennie. Instinctively, he knew his twin wasn’t dead, but he would have to go inside to find out. Alive or dead, she was here. He’d heard the news on the radio.
The thud of car door jolted him back to reality. He looked round. Hot air enveloped him and stole his breath. Too bright. He raised his hand to shield his eyes. His body banged against the metal of the car. His hands restrained behind his back. A distant voice urged a response, but he didn’t understand…
