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“We won’t let that happen. I’ve got officers, along with my brothers, watching you.”
“I saw the officers drive by and hang out outside many times today.”
“Everyone on the force is looking for Rad and more than happy to protect you and the baby.”
“Which is the only reason you let me come into work today.”
“I know this place is important to you and so is your independence. It’s unlikely Rad would show up on such a busy street and risk being seen. He’s not that stupid. But I’m not taking any chances with your safety.”
“I appreciate it. I’ve been hyperaware of my surroundings all day. The other hairdressers who work for me are more than happy to get some extra shifts to cover for me. I just... needed something normal today.”
“I get that. And I hope we find him soon so that you can get back to living your life without looking over your shoulder. I’m sorry Rad is coming after you because of me.”
She cocked up an eyebrow. “Come on, Wilde, you know I gave him hell a thousand times while he was with my sister. I convinced her to leave him. That is why he’s coming after me. Taunting you is just a bonus for him.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not letting him get close enough to hurt you ever again.”
“How long can he run? The money he got from stealing from those houses isn’t going to last him long. Every law enforcement officer in the state is looking for him. His face has been on the news for several days. Someone is bound to recognize him and call the cops.”
Unless he’d left the state. Hunt didn’t understand why he didn’t after he killed Angela. He’d come up with an almost believable story about Angela’s disappearance. If he’d left, they’d have never found Angela’s body.
“Did his parents say if they’d heard from him again?”
“They haven’t. His phone battery either died or he’s turned it off, knowing we can track him with it. We’ve got a cop watching his grandfather’s place, though it’s unlikely he’ll go back there. And while his parents want their son back, they know they need to turn him in if he shows up there or they’ll be in a lot of trouble. I think they’ve resigned themselves to that because they want to have a relationship with Lana and that won’t happen if they don’t do the right thing.”
“It’s sometimes hard to do the right thing when you want to protect someone you love. I wanted to kill Rad for hurting my sister. I wanted to forcibly remove her from him. I regret not doing either of those things. And at the same time I know that wasn’t the answer. It wouldn’t have solved the problem.” She dropped her gaze to Lana. “And though I wish my sister had just left him like we planned, and I’m incredibly sad and angry that she’s gone. I’m also ashamed to say that I’m glad he won’t be in Lana’s life. He’ll never hurt her the way he hurt my sister. Lana won’t grow up thinking she’s not good enough, the way he made my sister feel. I want him to pay, but deep down I know the best revenge is that he won’t be around to see his daughter grow up. He’ll have no influence or significance in her life. He’ll be the monster she’s afraid of and hates for taking her mother. I hate that for her, but it’s no less than he deserves.”
“And that’s why he’s such a threat, Cyn. He can’t stand the thought that he’s screwed this up so badly and we will be the ones to raise Lana. The one good thing he did in his life is lost to him now. He wants us to hurt the way he hurts.”
“I have a very bad feeling this isn’t going to end well.”
Hunt agreed, because he didn’t see Rad turning himself in or going out without a fight.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Hunt walked in behind Cyn to the house she rented from Shelby and flipped on the lights. Cyn put the baby seat on the couch, unbuckled Lana and picked her up just as Lana started to fuss for her next meal.
The door had barely closed behind him when a truck engine revved outside, tires skidded to a stop out front and a door slammed. Hunt turned to the living room window to check the street, caught sight of Rad storming around the front of his truck toward the house with a shotgun in his hands and turned back to Cyn. “Get down!”
The window exploded with the deafening sound of the shotgun blast. Glass and pellets pelted him in the back and arms as he ran toward Cyn and covered her with his body. Another blast rang out, hitting the side of the house, sending pellets and bits of drywall into him again.
He wrapped his arms around Cyn and the crying baby, held them down, then grabbed his radio on his shoulder and called for backup. “Shots fired!” He rattled off the address and pushed Cyn down to the floor with the baby protectively secure beneath her body. Hehated to leave her, but stood, pulled his gun and turned to the door just as it burst open. Adrenaline pumping, he raised his gun just as Rad shot him with a nine-millimeter right in the chest, the impact making him stumble back.
Hunt got off a shot at the same time, but it went wide. Hunt hit the floor just as Cyn tucked the baby under the wood coffee table, grabbed the gun from his hand, spun around and without an ounce of hesitation shot Rad three times.
Hunt tried to get up, but the searing pain in his chest and a wave of dizziness kept him on his back as he tried to catch his breath. He managed to put a protective hand over Lana and glance down his body. Cyn kicked the gun away from Rad’s hand as Rad coughed and tried to suck in air as blood spurted out his mouth and ran down his chin.
Cyn stood over Rad, the gun in her hand trained on Rad’s head. “It didn’t have to be this way!” she screamed at him.
Bloody bubbles rose from Rad’s lips as he mumbled, “I want my baby.”
Hunt managed to reach for his radio again. “Officer down. Assailant down. Send an ambulance.”
Cyn’s worried eyes found his. “You okay?”
“Vest,” he managed to say on a ragged exhale. “Hard to breathe. Ribs.”
“Look what you did,” she said to Rad. “All this hurt and pain and for what?”
