Chapter 31

31

Ryan had spent his entire career completely focused on whatever job was at hand. He'd been proud of the way he could block out any problems he was having in his personal life. Actually, he was a pro at blocking out just about anything that wasn't directly related to the task at hand. He could ignore concerns about his health, his finances, his partner—everything could be conveniently packaged away while he gave whatever crisis he was involved in his entire attention.

He'd always thought that was a good thing. That he had a gift other officers didn't. And until this moment, he'd also naively imagined that he had a talent for the job. That God had meant for him to be a cop.

Now Ryan realized that he'd never been completely challenged. As he waited in position, listening for the signal, he realized his heart had never been involved before. No, he'd never known Candace before.

Forcing himself to remain still and not triple-check his weapon, his radio, or his surroundings, Ryan asked the Lord to be with him. Asked for His strength and His wisdom. Gave thanks that Bethanne had made it to safety and was essentially unhurt. Then he asked for God to place His protective hand over Candace and give her hope.

Most of all, he asked the Lord to help him accept His will. He needed to believe that the Lord was there with him. Otherwise, it was too much pressure. Too much of his life at risk. If he failed Candace today, he'd never recover. "I can't do this on my own," he whispered.

"Everyone's in position." The chief's low, steady voice came through the radio attached to Ryan's vest. "We'll go in on the count of three."

No one replied. There was no need. He could feel his fellow officers' bodies tense as they waited for the count.

"One. Two. Three."

Sheriff Johnson shot the lock, took two steps forward, and kicked open the door. Deputy Ernst and Ryan followed him in.

"Drop your weapon, Scott!" the sheriff ordered.

Scott barely spared any of them a glance. He was fixated on Candace. "You're ruined," he said, shaking his head. "You're going to have to go away now."

She flinched.

The scene would no doubt be Ryan's worst nightmare for the rest of his life. Candace was propped against the weather-beaten wall of the shack with her ankles and wrists bound. Her hair was matted, her jeans and T-shirt were dirty, and her feet were bare. With tear tracks running through dirt and blood on her face, she looked petrified.

Blood! Scott had cut her face. And her arm.

That gutted him.

But almost worse was the look of resignation in Candace's eyes.

She'd almost given up hope.

Maybe she already had?

His beautiful, vibrant, caring Candace had had her light taken out. Scott Conway had not only hurt Candace's body, he'd hurt her whole being.

Pain washed over him. Why had he not been able to find her sooner?

"Mulaney," Chief Foster murmured.

He nodded. There would be plenty of time for guilt and recrimination later.

Candace hadn't even flinched. Ryan wasn't even sure if she was aware of what was going on around them. Her attention was on Scott and the knife in his hand. Her eyes were open, but it seemed like she could barely breathe. Remembering that Bethanne had said Scott had kicked Candace, he wondered if the guy had broken one of her ribs.

"Scott Conway, drop your weapon!" Sheriff Johnson repeated. He and the chief had their guns trained on him.

But they might as well have been pointed at the ceiling. Scott continued to stare at Candace with a mixture of hunger and horror. "I don't think I can fix this," he said.

Only then did Ryan notice the images of Candace littering the floor. Drops of blood dotted the ones at Candace's feet. Ryan had seen a lot of bad things over the years, but this had to be one of the most chilling.

"Drop the knife, Scott," the chief said. "Candace needs medical attention."

Slowly, Scott turned to face them. "She's ruined. She'll have scars." He grimaced. "I don't know if I can fix them."

"She's going to be pretty as a picture again, Scott." Sheriff Johnson's voice was as cool and even as if they were discussing the weather. "All she needs to do is see the doctor. He'll fix her up."

Glancing toward Ryan, the chief nodded. Giving him the signal to approach her.

Ryan eased closer. He couldn't wait to lift her into his arms and carry her out of this place.

Sheriff Johnson kept speaking in that low, relaxed way. "You need to drop your knife so we can get her the help she needs."

When tears started falling down Candace's cheeks, Ryan couldn't help but close the gap. He was done standing to one side while she was bleeding and scared to death. "I'm here, Candace."

With a look of horror, Scott veered toward him. "No! You stay away! She's mine."

Ryan so wanted to draw his weapon and shoot him. Anything that would stop Scott and get Candace in his arms. But his training and experience had served him well. He lifted his hands. "I won't take another step. Not yet. But she's bleeding, Scott. She's bleeding bad."

Scott shook his head as if denying the obvious would change Candace's injuries. "This is your fault. Yours! You were everywhere she was. You were too close to her. I saw you kiss her. I saw it!"

That had to have been what set him off. Feeling Chief Foster's eyes on him, Ryan flushed. He should've known better. Should've never given in to desire that night.

But he knew that he never would've been able to deny Candace anything. Or maybe he had been the one who couldn't deny his feelings.

Feeling the other officers' eyes on him, Ryan guessed that they were hoping he would distract Scott's attention long enough for one of them to tackle Scott and knock the knife out of his hands. "What did you want me to do, Scott?" he asked, adding a thread of disdain to his tone. "Ignore her?"

"You should've left her alone."

"How could I?" Noticing how Sheriff Johnson and Deputy Ernst looked ready to move, Ryan spoke louder. More boldly. Anything to keep the guy focused on him. "Can you really blame me? She's beautiful. And she smells so good, like vanilla and fresh flowers." He lowered his voice. "She's so sweet too. I knew she was special."

Scott glared at him like he'd forgotten anyone else was in the shack. "You don't get to talk about her."

"How can I not? Look at her! Even lying there on the ground, it's easy to see she's got an amazing figure. No wonder she's Miss Crittenden County."

"No." Scott shook his head. "No. You can't. You're sullying her image. I took pictures of her. I kept pictures of her being perfect. I made her pretty. I made her better. I loved her even when no one else was around!" Tears formed in his eyes as his voice rose. "I didn't want her to be—"

Deputy Ernst tackled him to the ground. As Candace screamed, Chief Foster and Sheriff Johnson rushed to immobilize Scott and cuff him.

Ryan dropped to his knees beside her. "Candace. Candace, honey, it's over."

Behind him the chief was barking orders into his radio. Deputy Ernst knelt down and used a knife to gently slice through the rope around her wrists and ankles. Outside, they could hear the blare of sirens and emergency vehicles. Ryan realized they'd been parked on a long-neglected stretch of road, waiting for the opportunity to arrive.

Kneeling close, he pressed his fingers to her neck and felt her pulse. It was sluggish but steady. Pure relief coursed through him as he realized that she was going to be okay. Unable to help himself, he kissed her uninjured cheek and carefully moved closer.

"Ryan," she whispered. "You didn't forget me."

He felt like collapsing on the ground. At last, she was with him. "Never," he replied as he wiped her cheek with his thumb. "You are always with me. Always. Whenever you need me, wherever you need me, I'll be there. No matter what. I promise."

Smiling weakly, she closed her eyes.