Thanks to all you readers for your continued support and kind words and for being dedicated members of the Samcedes fanfiction family. Standard disclaimer: I own probably ten percent of this story, the rest of the credit goes to the author Delores Fossen and creators/writers of Glee.

Triggers: More Violence

Chapter Ten

Sam had been certain that he wouldn't sleep, not after Mercedes had come to him with her offer. But he'd been wrong about that. Maybe it was just sheer fatigue, great sex or the combination of both, but he'd closed his eyes and drifted off.

With Mercedes curled up next to him.

Hours later, she was still there with her face pressed to the curve of his neck. She was naked now though. They'd managed to get their clothes off for the second round of sex that'd been just as great as the first, and then she'd obviously managed to sleep, too.

Sam didn't want to wake her, but it was nearly six, and despite having gotten barely an hour of sleep, he had to get his day started. There were phone calls to make, persons of interest to interview and paperwork to complete. All of which he wanted to ditch when he looked down at Mercedes.

A sensible man would kick himself for taking her as he'd done. But he hadn't been anywhere near sensible. Taking her a second time was proof of that. The fact that he wanted her again was more proof that he didn't need to hurt his case for having any common sense that the good Lord had supposedly given him. He was out of control and rash and not thinking straight.

He eased away from her, surprised that the movement didn't cause her to stir and wondered if it had. It was possible she was actually already awake and was puzzling over what'd happened as much as he was. Also, like him, she could use some time to think.

Sam took his phone and gun, choosing to do his thinking in the shower, but with everything else he had to do, he kept it short, and he didn't find any answers in the scalding hot water. Of course, that was asking a lot of a mere shower.

He spent less than five minutes total, managing to change into some fresh clothes and brush his teeth. Then, he checked his emails on his phone, scanning through the sparse updates that he found there before he went back into the bedroom. He figured it was time to wake Mercedes so they could go to his office, but the bed was empty.

Alarm shot through him.

He drew his gun, but then he heard the shower running in the guest room across the hall, and he released the breath that he'd sucked in. Even though it was highly likely that nothing was wrong, he glanced into the guest room anyway. She'd left open the adjoining bathroom door, and he saw Mercedes's silhouette behind the opaque glass of the shower stall.

His body clenched, and it wasn't alarm that shot through him this time. It was need, and Sam might have done something stupid and acted on that need if his phone hadn't rung. Evander's name popped up on the screen so Sam went back into his bedroom to take the call.

"Is everything okay?" Sam immediately asked.

Evander greeted him with a groan, and for such a simple sound, Sam still heard the weariness. "No one tried to kill us, so that's good," Evander said.

It was indeed good. "You're still at the hospital?"

"Yeah. I sent Madison home so she could get some rest."

Sam wanted to point out that Evander needed rest, too, but it wouldn't do any good. If their positions had been reversed, Sam would have stayed at the hospital, as well.

"The doc got back some of the test results," Evander went on. "There's no sign of brain swelling, which means the memory loss is from mental or emotional trauma rather than the injury."

Sam was thankful that there wasn't that kind of physical damage because it meant Tina could recover, but the trauma told them that she'd been through hell and back. There was no way to give Evander any comfort about that so Sam didn't even try.

"There were traces of drugs in her system," Evander continued. "Barbiturates and there were two recent needle marks so Dr. Chang thinks that's how the drugs were administered." He paused. "Along with other defensive wounds, there was bruising around the injection sites."

Which likely meant someone had administered the drugs by force. Not a surprise, but it added to an already gruesome picture. Tina had tried to fight whoever had done this to her, but she'd lost. Partially anyway. Yes, the person had managed to drug her, but she'd gotten away.

"If you find Ryder, I want a shot at him," Evander added a moment later.

There was a thick layer of anger coating the exhaustion and worry. Not a good combination. But Sam was pretty sure that his brother didn't mean an actual shot as in putting a bullet in the snake. Still, with Evander's emotions running this high, it was too big of a risk to take.

"I'd rather you stay with Tina. She needs you just in case there are any more hired thugs out there." It was playing dirty, but Sam knew it had worked when Evander cursed.

"Catch the bastard," Evander growled, and he ended the call.

As Sam put his phone away, Mercedes hurried into the room. She was toweling dry her hair, and he could tell from the way the side of her top was hiked up that she'd dressed in a hurry.

"Anything?" she asked, tipping her head to his phone.

"No brain damage for Tina." He kept it at that and hoped she wouldn't press for details. To help his chances with that, he went to her and brushed a kiss on her mouth.

There was suspicion in her eyes when she met his gaze. "I figured you'd be trying to put up a wall between us. Conflict of interest, loss of focus, etc."

"I tried," he admitted, and when he lingered a moment with the next kiss, Sam forced himself to step back. He cursed, something he'd been doing too much of lately, and it wasn't helping. "I need to break a horse," he grumbled.

Her eyebrow lifted, and amusement flirted with the bend of her mouth. "Is that a metaphor?"

He shook his head. "Taming a wild horse would burn off some of this...restlessness." That wasn't anywhere near the right word for it, but Mercedes knew what he meant.

"I watched you do that once," she said. "Years ago." More of the amusement came, this time to her eyes, and he was glad to see it. If talking about the past lessened her fear and worry, then he was all for it. "It was...interesting."

He got the feeling that wasn't the actual word she meant, either. That may be what she'd seen had been arousing. Or maybe that was just what a certain part of his anatomy wanted him to believe.

Thankfully, he didn't have to deal with the temptation because his phone rang. He pulled the cell from his pocket, and just like that, he became all cop again. That's because of what he saw on the screen.

Unknown Caller.

There'd only been two people who'd recently shown up on the screen that way—Marley and Ryder. Mercedes obviously knew that, too, because of the soft gasp she made. She moved closer to Sam, but he went ahead and put the call on Speaker after he hit the record function on the phone.

"Sheriff," the caller immediately said. The voice was weak, more breath than sound.

"Ryder?"

"Who else?" Despite the weakness, the killer still managed some cockiness in his tone. "I guess you thought you'd killed me. You nearly did," he added with a cough.

"Don't expect me to feel sorry for you," Sam snapped. "Where are you?"

"I'll get to that." Ryder cleared his throat. "First, tell me about Tina. I've heard you found her."

"Who told you that?" Sam countered.

"Oh, you're trying to protect her. How sweet," Ryder cooed. "I'm sure your brother appreciates your valiant effort to save the love of his life."

Sam tried to not let Ryder egg him on, but it was hard to hold on to his temper when he wanted to kill this piece of slime. Mercedes no doubt felt the same, and she slid her hand down his arm as if to help settle him.

"Tina was an unfortunate problem," Ryder went on. "She got away from me in Mexico."

"Then who was the dead woman we found in your car?" Sam pressed.

"I'm not sure. She was just some woman who recognized me from the news, and she was going to call the cops. She had a gun, and the bitch actually shot me before I could tackle her. I killed her," he added as if discussing the weather. "Around that same time is when I lost Tina. That was nearly a year ago, and I didn't know where she was. Not until yesterday when one of my associates spotted her right in Blue Ridge." He paused. "She didn't even know who I was."

Sam had to get his teeth unclenched so he could speak. "So, you drugged her, beat her up and dumped her near the ranch to lure Mercedes into the open."

"That's only partly true. I didn't dump her. She got away from us. And as for beating her up, she got in some punches of her own. Our Tina is no fragile little flower, but she can be beaten down like the rest of us."

The leash snapped on Sam's rage. "You son of a bitch. So help me God, I will put you in the grave."

Mercedes's gentle touch turned into a hard grip, and she yanked Sam around to face her. Her eyes held both sympathy and a warning. A warning that he knew he needed when he heard Ryder laugh.

"Temper, temper," Ryder taunted.

"Say another word about beating up Tina, and I'll let Evander come after you," Sam taunted right back.

Silence. Then a restrained "yes" from Ryder. "I suspect I'd stand a better chance with you than I would with your brother. Though come to think of it, the doctor did have to dig your bullets out of me."

So, Ryder had seen a doctor. That was a thread that Sam needed to pull a little harder if he could find out where Ryder was.

"And then there's the problem with Mercedes," Ryder continued. "I'm betting you're not happy with me because of the associates I hired to take care of her."

Sam didn't fall for the jab this time. "Do you have a reason for calling, or do you just have too much time on your hands?"

"Oh, I have a reason, all right." And this time, it seemed as if Ryder's temper was flaring. "After I got the medical attention I needed to stay alive, one of my associates decided to splinter off and conduct some business of his own. He kidnapped me."

Mercedes and Sam exchanged glances, and he wasn't sure who had more doubts about that.

"I figured you wouldn't believe me, but you can check things out for yourself. That associate, Dustin Goolsby, should be at the Blue Ridge Bank right about now. He forced me to give him the key to a safety-deposit box that's loaded with some of my emergency funds."

Sam was about to ask Ryder why he would keep money right up the street from the sheriff's office. But there was no need. This had been another way of toying with them.

Mercedes waited until Sam gave her the nod, and she hurried out in the hall, no doubt to call one of his deputies to check the bank.

"It's hard to get good help these days," Sam continued with Ryder. "But there are holes in your story. Why would a hired-gun-turned-kidnapper leave you with a cell phone?"

"A mistake on his part. I had three phones with me, and he only found two. He missed the one I had in my boot. I managed to take it out, but I haven't had any luck getting out of the ropes he used to tie me up. Nor is Marley answering when I try to call her. That leaves you, Sheriff."

"What the hell do you want me to do? Come and rescue you?"

"Yes." Ryder let that answer hang in the air. "I popped some stitches when I was fighting with the ropes, and I'm bleeding. A lot. I considered calling 911, but I decided to go right to the source. Unless some of my other sources magically come through to help me, I'm all yours. You just have to come and get me."

A lot of thoughts went through Sam's head. None good. But first and foremost was that this was a trap.

"Where exactly should I come and get you?" Sam asked.

"I'll call you back in fifteen minutes. After you've captured Goolsby. I'll tell you. Then, Sheriff, I'll be yours for the taking."


Mercedes had no trouble hearing what Ryder had just told Sam. She had no trouble, either, believing this was another sick game. That's why she wasn't holding her breath, waiting for a report from the deputy and Tennessee Bureau agents that were on their way to the bank to locate the so-called associate that Ryder had told them about.

Judging from Sam's expression, he felt the same way. Ditto for Spencer, who was keeping watch from the kitchen window.

Sam poured himself another cup of coffee while he finished off a piece of toast that he'd started eating as soon as it'd popped up from the toaster. He didn't look overly tense, but she could see the strain in his eyes. A conversation with Ryder could do that, leaving you angry and drained at the same time.

"Eat," Sam told her again. "This could take a while."

She tried a bite of her own piece of toast that had already gotten cold, but she figured it wasn't going to sit well in her stomach. Hearing Ryder had drained her, too, along with leaving her muscles tense. Everything inside her twisted and churned, and it only got worse with each passing second.

"Maybe he'll just die," she said, causing Spencer to make a quick sound of agreement.

But even if Ryder did die, Mercedes wanted proof of it. She wanted to see his body so that she wouldn't spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder.

Even though she'd been expecting it, the sound of Sam's ringing phone still caused her to gasp. He hit answer and put it on speaker.

"This is Adam," the caller said. Adam Crawford, the Tennessee state agent that had gone to the bank. "We've got Goolsby."

No gasp this time for Mercedes. But the shock caused her to get to her feet and move closer to Sam and his phone.

"He resisted, at first," the Ranger explained. "But we caught him coming out of the vault room at the bank where they have the safety-deposit boxes. He had a large amount of cash on him."

"Did he actually confess?" Sam asked.

"He's volunteered a few things and is claiming he didn't actually kill anyone. He's asking for a plea deal. He wants immunity and in exchange, he'll tell us where he left Ryder. Said he kidnapped him and tied him up because he knew Ryder had a lot more money than he was paying him."

"It could be a trap," Mercedes blurted out.

Sam nodded, stayed quiet a moment. "Have Steven call the DA," he finally said to Crawford. "No immunity for him, but I want Goolsby offered a lighter sentence contingent on him leading us to Ryder. Let me know what the DA says."

Sam ended the call and looked at her. She figured he was going to try to console her, to reassure her that this could be exactly what they needed to put an end to the danger. But he didn't say anything. On a heavy sigh, he just pulled her into his arms. She might have taken in some of the silent comfort he was giving her if there'd been time. But he had to pull away from her when his phone rang again.

"Unknown Caller," he relayed to her when he saw his screen.

Mercedes dragged in a long breath, steeling herself up for another encounter with Ryder. But it wasn't him.

"Sheriff Evans," Marley said the moment he answered. "I just got a phone call from Ryder. He told me he was hurt and that he needed my help."

So, Ryder had managed to get in touch with her. Or maybe Marley had been in on this all along. Mercedes didn't trust Marley any more than she did Ryder.

"Did Ryder say where he was?" Sam asked.

Marley wasn't quick to answer that. "I hate him. He ruined my life, and I'm going to kill him."

"Hell," Sam spat out. "No, you're not. You're going to tell me where he is so I can arrest him."

Marley made a raw sob. "He won't stay in jail. He'll just get out and ruin other people's lives. He'll kill again. I have to stop him."

Sam cursed even more. "Where are you, Marley? And where's Ryder?" he demanded.

Again, Marley took her time answering. "He's in a hunting cabin off Davidson Road, and I'm heading there now. You can't stop me."

"Marley, wait. Don't do this," Sam snapped, but he was talking to himself because the woman had already ended the call.

Mercedes knew what Sam was going to do before he even put his phone away. "Get some of the ranch hands to come in the house so they can stay with Mercedes and you," he immediately said to Spencer.

She shook her head and was ready to beg Sam not to go, but Mercedes knew it wouldn't do any good.

"Steven and at least one of the state officers will go with me," Sam said, already heading for the door. "I won't try to take Ryder alone."

That didn't give her much consolation. "Ryder could be armed and waiting for you to show up."

Sam didn't confirm that, not with words anyway, but he knew it was a possibility. "I know where this cabin is. It's by the creek with a lot of trees around it. We can use the trees for cover while we close in on him."

She shook her head again. "He could have set explosives."

"I'll call in the bomb squad," he said, and he disarmed the security system to let in the two hands who were there to guard her. "Just stay put."

He opened his mouth, closed it and then pulled her to the other side of the foyer. Sam stared at her, and she saw in his eyes what he had been about to say. Mercedes nipped that in the bud.

"Don't you dare tell me you love me because you'd be just saying that instead of goodbye," she warned him. "I'm not saying goodbye to you."

Despite everything that was going on, he smiled at her. "All right. I don't love you."

The corner of her mouth lifted; that was as much as she could manage. "Thank you." She caught on to handfuls of his shirt, yanking him to her, and she kissed him. "Swear to me that you'll come back to me."

"I swear," Sam said, looking her straight in the eyes. "I swear."

He brushed a kiss on her cheek and headed out the door.


Sam pulled the cruiser to a stop at the end of Davidson Road and eyed the cabin that was in a small clearing just ahead. It'd been a while since he'd been in this neck of the woods, but it was just as he remembered. Lots of trees with a small creek coiling around the property. It was normally a quiet, serene place.

Not at the moment though.

Since Sam didn't trust Ryder or anyone connected to him, the bomb squad was already on the scene. He'd called them as he'd driven away from the ranch and then had gone to the sheriff's office to pick up Steven and Ranger Adams Morris.

The two men of the bomb squad had made good time getting there. They were dressed in bulky gear and were examining the grounds with equipment. They weren't Sam's men but rather were from the county and responded when the locals needed help. In this case, they'd responded quickly because they knew there could be a serial killer inside.

Mercedes knew it, too.

Her image popped into Sam's head. The stark fear on her face when he'd said his non-goodbye. There'd been nothing he could say to give her any reassurance, and that would continue. Because Sam knew Spencer would be monitoring both their cruiser radio and the bomb squad's, which meant it was highly likely that Mercedes would be hearing it, too. Sam wished he could shelter her from that, but he couldn't. However, maybe he could put a quick end to this once the area and cabin were cleared.

"No vehicle other than the bomb squad van," Steven relayed. "No sign of anyone else, either, including Marley." He handed Sam the binoculars he'd been using.

Sam zoomed in on the cabin windows. The morning sun was reflecting off the glass, making it impossible to see inside, but the sunlight gave him an ample view of the grounds.

"Either of you been inside the place?" Agent Sterling asked from the back seat. He, too, had binoculars.

"Once," Steven answered, surprising Sam. His brother shrugged. "Cal Davidson had a party here when I was in high school."

Cal was Steven's friend, and the cabin belonged to Cal's grandfather, a crotchety man who almost certainly hadn't approved of a party. But the grandfather had passed now, and the place belonged to Cal.

"The only room closed off is the bathroom," Steven explained. "But there are two small storage closets."

Ryder, if he was indeed there, could be shut up in one of those. Of course, maybe Goolsby hadn't taken the trouble to hide his captive since he'd perhaps figured he wouldn't be gone that long.

"I don't see any signs that anyone has trampled around the perimeter of the cabin," Adam added.

Neither did Sam. There was a mix of shrubs and weeds by the windows, and if someone had stepped on them, it would have shown. But he couldn't see the back of the place. Thankfully, there wasn't enough room to park a vehicle back there, but Goolsby or Ryder could have left a hired thug there to keep watch. If they'd done that though, the bomb squad would have likely flushed them out.

The minutes crawled by as the bomb squad did their job, and while Sam knew it was necessary, everything inside him was raring to go. If Ryder was in there, he wanted him.

"Hell," Steven grumbled, and Sam pulled the binoculars from his eyes to see what had gotten his brother's attention.

Marley.

She was getting out of a small blue car that was parked just up the road from them. He couldn't see a gun, but Sam had to assume that if she'd managed to get a vehicle, she had also gotten hold of a weapon.

Marley froze when she spotted them, and even though Sam couldn't get a good look at her face from the distance, he didn't think she was pleased about him being there.

Welcome to the club.

"You want me to arrest her?" Adam asked.

Sam was debating how to handle it when Marley jumped back in her car and sped off. Part of him was glad she hadn't stayed around to complicate things, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be back. In fact, as crazed sounding as the woman had been, she might just go farther up the road, park and make her way here on foot. Sam would have to keep an eye out for her.

One of the bomb squad guys gave them a thumbs-up, and a moment later Sam got a text. All clear on the outside. We're heading in now.

Good. That was Sam's cue to pull the cruiser even closer to the cabin. Close enough that he could easily watch without the binoculars. He got out, keeping behind the cruiser door. Steven did the same on the passenger's side, and Adams got out behind Sam. All of them already had their weapons drawn.

The bomb squad went on the porch, each of them peering through the windows that flanked the door. Both men shook their head, indicating they didn't see anyone inside.

Sam cursed and hoped this wasn't all a wild-goose chase.

He waited, watching and holding his breath when the squad checked the front door. They didn't go in that way though. They broke the window and took another look inside.

"There's blood on the floor," one of them relayed to Sam. "A lot of blood. It looks as if someone got dragged."

That meshed with what Ryder had said, but it didn't mean it was true. The blood could belong to another of his victims.

Thankfully, things moved a lot faster then. One of the guys went in through the window, dropping down out of sight. Several minutes later, the front door opened.

"Call an ambulance," the guy shouted to Sam. "There's a man up in the bathroom. Can't tell who he is 'cause there's blood on his face."

Sam hurried away from the cruiser and barreled onto the porch. With his gun ready, he made a beeline for the bathroom.

And he saw Ryder.

Just as the killer had said, his wrists were tied with a rope to the sink, and yes, there was blood. Not just on Ryder's face where it appeared he'd been beaten, but it was also on his shirt and on the floor. He still had his cell phone clutched in his hand.

At first Sam thought he was dead since he wasn't moving, but then Ryder's eyes fluttered open. "Sheriff, you came." Even now there was a touch of cockiness to his voice. "I trust that you caught Goolsby. And yes, he did this to me."

As much as it twisted at him, Sam checked for weapons—there were none—and he yanked open Ryder's shirt so he could try to slow down the bleeding. It was his job, but sometimes, like now, his job sucked.

"You're wasting your time, you know," Ryder said, his eyelids drifted back down, and he dragged in a thin breath. "I'm dying. Funny that it should end this way. Me in a bathroom. You, trying to save me."

Sam didn't trust himself to comment on that when all he wanted to do was finish beating Ryder to a pulp.

"Just in case there is a hereafter, I'll settle up with you," Ryder went on. "I didn't kill your father nor that deputy."

"And we're to believe you?" Steven snapped. Only then did Sam realize his brother was right behind him.

"It's the truth." With his eyes still closed, the corner of Ryder's mouth lifted into a smile. "I don't want to take credit for something I didn't do, and I didn't do either of them. In fact, they weren't even killed by the same person."

Nothing could have kept Sam quiet after hearing that. Maybe this was just another load of bull, but if Ryder was clearing his conscience, then Sam wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Who killed them, then?" Sam demanded.

Ryder opened his mouth, then grimaced. Sam heard the death rattle in the man's throat and chest. "I'm not the only monster on your turf, Sheriff," Ryder said in a ragged whisper. "Save yourself. Save Mercedes."

And the moment he'd gotten out those words, Ryder Lynn took the last breath he would ever take.