Landmine

Chapter 10

"Nancy!"

Nancy looked up at the sound of Ned's voice. He pushed his way through the small crowd of officers that were standing in front of the door and made his way over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing her into a fierce hug.

Nancy nodded against him. "I'm fine," she muttered. "How did you know something happened?"

"Hannah just called me and told me, so I hurried over," Ned explained. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I haven't been able to do anything for the past couple of hours," Nancy said. "The police have been questioning me nonstop and, besides, I didn't want to worry you. It was nothing."

Ned finally released her and examined her up and down, noticing the scrapes on her knees. "Those cuts would say otherwise."

Nancy shook her head, not really wanting to get into an argument. "They're minor. They'll heal in no time."

Before Ned could say anything else, B.D. Hawkins pushed through the officers and came over to them.

"Sorry it took me so long to get here, Nancy. I was working a robbery across town," he said as way of apology.

"You didn't have to come, B.D. It was just an attack—a minor attack, at that," Nancy said.

"I don't care what kind of attack it was, " B.D. said firmly, taking a seat on the ottoman. "I'm here now so let me do my job."

"Fine," Nancy said, sighing. "Go ahead and ask the same questions that I've answered at least ten times already."

B.D. ignored her comment. "What happened?"

"I got home around eleven-thirty—" she began.

B.D. interrupted her. "Where were you?"

Nancy shot him a look. "Does that really matter?"

"Just answer the question," he said.

"I was on a date with Ned," she said, annoyed. "Would you like to know what seat I sat in at the movie theater?"

B.D. bit back a response. "Just continue," he said, tightly.

"Anyway, Ned dropped me off around eleven-thirty. My car was sitting out on the street so I decided to put it back in the garage. After I pulled it in, I was about to go inside when someone came up behind me and attacked me," Nancy explained quickly.

"Did you see who it was?" B.D. asked.

"It was dark and the guy was wearing a ski mask," Nancy answered.

"You didn't think to turn on a light?" B.D. asked.

Nancy didn't miss the condescending tone in his voice. "I've lived here all my life. I think I know the way around my own garage without having to turn on a light. And besides, it wasn't like I was anticipating on being attacked."

"You can stop being short with me at any time, Nancy. I'm only trying to help you," B.D. said, becoming frustrated with her attitude.

Nancy let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, B.D. I'm just tired of everything. I'm tired of all these constant questions. I'm tired of being a constant target. I'm tired of being terrorized by a crazed lunatic. I just want it all to stop."

B.D. got up from the ottoman and sat down beside her on the sofa. "I'm sorry that these things keep happening to you, Nancy," he said, rubbing her back. "I know you're under a tremendous amount of stress and we haven't exactly been helping to alleviate that lately. But I promise one of your problems will go away soon."

B.D. looked at Carson. "We're going to make sure that Shepard never sees the outside of a jail cell for the rest of his miserable life," he said with conviction.

Nancy gave him a small smile. "That's just an empty promise, B.D. I seem to be getting a lot of those lately."

B.D. shrugged his shoulders. "An empty promise is better than no promise at all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

What the hell was I thinking? Dean Sayers thought to himself as he rushed into his darkened apartment. He leaned against the door and slowly sank to the floor. Am I seriously that crazy?

Obviously so, a faint voice said. You could have killed that woman tonight!

"But I didn't," he whispered to himself. "I stopped myself before it could get that far."

No, she stopped you before you could do that, the voice berated him. If she didn't scream when she did you would have killed her!

That thought made his breath catch in his throat. He almost became a killer tonight! He had almost become a cold-blooded monster just like Dom!

Why did I listen to him? Dean thought wildly. Why did I agree to do this and throw away my future?

Because he made you feel powerful, the voice said. He made you think you were capable of doing anything. He wanted to make you feel like a god. He didn't care what the end result was. He just wanted to bring you down to his level.

Dean shook his head and stood up. "No!" he said firmly. "I won't let him do that to me! I will not become him!"

A faint siren in the distance caused him to freeze momentarily. But he quickly shrugged it off. He didn't care about that anymore. He had something else he needed to do.

He wouldn't let Dom take control of him anymore. And he knew just how to stop that from going any further.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lieutenant, there's someone here to see you," Officer Jon Brooks said, poking his head in the door.

B.D. looked up from the mounds of paperwork that he had been working on, slightly frustrated. While he was glad for the promotion months back, no one had warned him about the amount of paperwork he would be required to do. It had been piling up for days, and this was his first opportunity to begin to tackle it. "Can't you handle it?"

The young officer shook his head. "You'll want to handle this one yourself."

"This better be good, Brooks," B.D. grumbled. He closed the folder he had been working on and pushed it back. "Send them in."

Officer Brooks dashed out of the office and returned thirty seconds later with a young man that looked vaguely familiar to him. The young man sat down in the chair in front of B.D.'s desk as Brooks ducked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

"Can I help you, Mr.…?"

"Dean Sayers, sir," he said.

"Sayers," B.D. said thoughtfully. "Didn't we just release you?"

Dean nodded. "Yes sir."

B.D. chuckled. "Don't tell me you've gotten into trouble already."

Dean looked down at his lap and didn't say anything.

B.D.'s smile quickly evaporated. "What have you done, Mr. Sayers?"

"Before I tell you that, I want to make a deal," he said, looking up at B.D.

"I don't typically make deals with criminals," B.D. said, leaning back in his seat.

"You'll want to make one with me," Dean said.

B.D. studied him for a moment. "What would make you any different from any other common criminal that comes in here wanting to make a deal. Tell you what, how about you tell me what you did, and we'll see if I want to make a deal or not."

Dean hesitated. He didn't want to incriminate himself if there wasn't something for him at the other end. But he also didn't want Dom to win anymore. He started to wring his hands together and looked down at his lap. "I know who was behind the attack of Nancy Drew."

B.D. sat up instantly, his curiosity certainly piqued. "Who?"

Dean looked up at B.D. again. "It was Dominic Shepard."

B.D. scoffed. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Dean vehemently shook his head. "No, sir. I'm telling you the truth.

"Mr. Sayers, I'm not sure if you realize this or not, but Dominic Shepard is securely locked in a jail cell. Now unless he is the reincarnation of Houdini, it would be impossible for him to have attacked Miss Drew."

"I know that he's in jail," Dean said, quickly. "He didn't attack her directly. But he orchestrated it."

"And how do you know this? Do you have proof?" B.D. asked.

Dean shook his head. "Not exactly."

B.D. got up from his desk and walked over to the door. "I think you've wasted enough of my time, Mr. Sayers."

"I did it!" Dean blurted out.

B.D. took his hand off the door and turned around to look at Dean. "Say that again."

"I attacked her, but Shepard orchestrated it," Dean explained quickly.

"And how did you speak to him?" B.D. asked, eyes narrowed.

"I was in the jail cell beside him. It was as if he knew my weakness. He kept saying I could prove myself; I could prove to everyone that I wasn't weak," Dean said.

"By attacking a woman that you didn't even know?" B.D. asked.

"I didn't think about it. I actually believed everything that he was telling me. He was the one saying the things that I've wanted to hear for so long," Dean said. "He was allowing me to believe in myself."

"Did he offer you any money?" B.D. asked.

Dean shook his head.

"So you volunteered to attack a woman for a man who is an accused murderer just because he said the right words to you?" B.D. asked incredulously.

Dean held up a hand. "Look, I know what I did was wrong—"

B.D. cut in. "You're damn right it is!"

"And I'm sorry that I did it," Dean said sincerely. "I never wanted to hurt her. It was a mistake and I realize that now."

"It's a little too late for that now," B.D. said, crossing his beefy arms across his chest. "You're looking at an assault charge, if not attempted murder."

"That's why I want to work out a deal," Dean said, frantically. "I'll do anything that I need to do. I'm willing to testify against him, if that's what it takes. He told me he's wanting to work an insanity plea, but I have to tell you, the things he told me, he's never going get it."

B.D. considered Dean for a moment. He then walked over and took a seat behind his desk. He pulled out a tape recorder and smiled at Dean. "Tell me everything you know so I can nail that bastard to a wall, once and for all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Okay, a lot of you were upset that I have Nancy and Ned back together, but I have to assure you that there is a reson for it. It was something that needed to happen! That being said, thank you for all of your reviews and I am so glad that you are enjoying this story. I hope to have more of Dom in the next chapter because I know how much you love him!

As always, let me know what you think!