Gene continued to give me updates as I pushed the edges of the speed limit. "I'm approaching Bear Tavern Road," I said even as the distant flash of emergency lights in my rear-view mirror caught my attention. For me to be able to see them already, Shaw and his men must be flying.
"Ram advises that Pfeiffer just made a left onto a dirt lane leading into a heavily wooded area," Gene said.
"North or South of me?" I asked.
"South," Gene replied. "They're still South."
I made the left onto Bear Tavern road and tried to slow down enough so as not to squeal the tires or throw Casey against the door. "You're gonna have to guide me in," I said to Gene.
"According to your tracker you're about a quarter mile away," he replied.
"How's Detective Shaw gonna know where to turn?" Casey asked.
Good question.
"We granted Shaw access to Ram's tracking info," Gene replied answering her question. "Les, slow down. You've got about fifty feet, and it will be on your right."
"Right there," Casey pointed to what appeared to be a dirt road up and to my right.
My heart was pounding as I made the turn, then slowed the vehicle as I began to follow the road into the woods. Ram's truck was just past the bend, and he was out of the vehicle pulling his gear from the back. I stopped a few feet away from him, put my SUV in park then turned to look at Casey. "I want you to stay here and keep the doors locked."
She nodded. "Okay."
I opened the door, stepped out then turned back to pull the lockbox from under the driver's seat. I grabbed the spare Ruger from inside. It wasn't the weapon Casey had been training on, but it was better than her not being armed at all. I handed the gun to her. "Just in case."
Her eyes widened for a second before she reached for the Ruger and placed it on her lap. She'd seen the pictures of Pfeiffer we'd posted in our war room, so she knew what he looked like. "If he comes after you, don't be afraid to take him out," I said.
Again, she nodded. "Please be careful."
"I will. I love you," I replied.
"I love you too," she said.
I closed the door, went to the back of the vehicle, and suited up. Shaw and his men pulled up in three separate vehicles just as I finished. They exited their vehicles ready for a firefight. "Where's Pfeiffer?" he asked as he walked toward me.
I motioned to Ram. "You'll have to ask Ram. He got here before me."
Ram walked up to us. "They went into a cinder block garage just up this way." He motioned behind him.
"Are you sure it's Madalyn?" Shaw asked.
Ram nodded. "Positive. I was able to get a good look at her when he pulled her from the car and dragged her into the garage."
"She was still alive?" Shaw asked. My stomach knotted at his question. Even the suggestion that we weren't in time to save her made me ill.
"Yes," Ram replied.
"Does Pfeiffer know you tracked him here?"
Ram shook his head. "I kept my distance."
"Okay." Shaw motioned to his men. "I'll take point. My men will spread out around the building." He pointed to the rifle Ram was holding. "You prepared to use that if necessary?"
Ram arched a brow at him as if to ask, are you stupid?
Shaw nodded. "Hopefully, he'll realize the best course of action is to give up. If he doesn't then you'll be free to take the shot."
"Noted," Ram said.
"Spread out," Shaw said to his men then motioned to me. "Santos, you're with me."
I took one last glance at where Casey remained in the vehicle. My instincts were screaming at me to stay with her, but the promise I made to her won out and I jogged to catch up with Shaw.
The building came into view. It was a faded white cinderblock with a few dirty windows and a back door. We made our way around to the front where we found two garage doors and another entry door. The lights were on inside the building, and I could make out the muffled sound of a woman sobbing. Maddie's crying hit me hard, but there was also a bit of relief at the knowledge that she was still alive.
Shaw motioned to me to be ready, then pounded on the door. "New Jersey State Police. Open the door."
A heavy thud came from inside as if someone had upturned a piece of furniture. It was followed by the distinct sounds of a struggle and a woman's scream. Shaw took a step back and kicked at the door. It vibrated but didn't give. He repeated the process a second time. By the time he was ready to try a third kick, two members of his team were running toward us with a battering ram. We took a step back and then ran to the door, stopped then swung the ram. It only took one hit for the door to give way, coming off the hinges and crashing to the ground.
We rushed forward into the garage-turned shack, only to find it empty and the back door standing wide open. It was at that moment that Shaw realized their mistake. The two men who were supposed to be watching the back door were the same ones who came to the front door with the battering ram. "What the Fuck?" Shaw looked from one of his men to the other. "Neither of you thought to get someone to cover the door before you left it?"
Panic cut through me at the realization that Pfeiffer was missing, and Casey was alone in the car. I left Shaw bitching at his guys and raced out of the building, heading back toward the vehicles. The snapping of branches and crunching of underbrush told me someone was moving through the woods to my left. Since I didn't know if it was Shaw's men, Pfeiffer, or Madalyn, I continued toward the vehicle.
I'd just rounded the bend back to where we'd parked when my heart stopped. There, backlit by the headlights of Rangeman's vehicle headed up the drive was Casey. She was out of the vehicle, standing with Madalyn behind her and the Ruger I gave her pointed toward Pfeiffer. It reminded me of when Stephanie held the gun on Blackmore's goon while protecting Casey.
Unlike Blackmore's goon, Pfeiffer continued to advance on her. The last thing I wanted was for her to have to pull that trigger. She shouldn't have to live with that black mark on her soul. I lifted my gun to take the shot, only to realize that the angle would put Casey and Maddie in the danger zone. Fuck!
I'd just started forward when a shot rang out. Casey and Madalyn both screamed as Pfeiffer jerked to the side and then crumbled to the ground. I took off at a run toward her as Ranger and Tank raced up from the other direction.
She was still holding the gun in front of her. When Maddie screamed at the sight of Tank and Ranger approaching, Casey spun and pointed the gun at them. They both skidded to a stop.
"No, Casey," I called as I came up behind her. "Precious. I'm behind you," I said as I reached around her and pried the Ruger from her shaking hands. She let out a ragged sob, then turned to face me. I pulled her into a hug as she cried on my shoulder.
Ranger continued forward and took the weapon from my hands as Tank made his way over to check out Pfeiffer. I looked down at where Maddie sat in the passenger seat. She was bruised, bleeding, and appeared to be in shock, but she was very much alive.
"I'm so proud of you, Precious," I whispered against Casey's hair. "You did what you needed to protect your friend."
"I-is he dead?" she asked.
"I think so," I replied. "I'm sorry you had to do that."
She shook her head as she pulled back. "I didn't shoot him."
My brow knit. "You didn't?"
She shook her head again. If she didn't shoot Pfeiffer, then who did? I glanced around and spotted Ram in the distance. He was sitting on the ground with his rifle across his lap, his knees bent, with his arms folded over the top and his head down. Bobby crouched next to him on one side while Binky was on the other. I vaguely wondered when in the hell they'd arrived before my thoughts quickly shifted back to my partner.
Once again, he'd been forced into a position of taking a life. While Pfeiffer might have deserved his fate, that didn't mean the situation was any easier for Ram to handle. Casey placed a hand on my shoulder. "Go check on him."
I looked back at her. "But you need me."
"He needs you more right now. Just send Robert over to look at Maddie."
I gave her a quick kiss then jogged over to where Ram was sitting. Shaw was now there talking with him as I approached. I caught Bobby's attention and nodded toward my vehicle. He took my signal and headed that way. I moved into the spot Bobby vacated and crouched next to Ram. "Mission accomplished," I said.
He gave me a small smile. "Is Maddie okay?"
"She will be," I replied. "Thanks to you."
"And Casey," he added. "She pulled a Stephanie."
"I know." I grinned. "All that training paid off."
"I'm glad I was able to keep her from having to take the shot," he said even as his expression blanked and his eyes took on a faraway look. "She shouldn't have to live with that guilt hanging over her." There was pain in his voice now and I knew the guilt was swamping him instead.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Neither should you."
"It's not like I haven't killed before," he said. "What's another black mark on my soul?"
"Pfeiffer was evil," I reminded him. "You saved Maddie's life, possibly Casey's life, and who knows who might have been next on his hit list." I of all people know that taking a life is never easy. Even when the world is better off.
"You're right," Ram said with a sigh. "I know you're right. It still doesn't make the situation any easier."
"I know."
He sighed, then motioned toward Casey. "Go take care of your woman."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine, eventually," he said. The tone in his voice didn't reassure me, but there wasn't much more I could do for him right now. Protocol mandated that someone stay with him for the first twenty-four hours after a shooting. Then he'd be required to see Doctor Cochran and take some time off to decompress. Knowing everything else going on in his life, I imagine that he'll be taking a leave of absence now so he can go home to be with his dying mother. My only concern was whether he'd return.
"I'm staying with him," Binkie said. I nodded, then squeezed Ram's shoulder before I turned and headed back to Casey and Maddie. By the time I got back to them, Maddie was now wrapped in one of the thermal blankets we keep in our vehicles and was holding a bottle of Gatorade that I'm sure Bobby gave her. From the looks of the bandages now covering her neck and cheek, it appeared that Bobby had also already looked her over.
She was talking with Detective Shaw when I walked up and slid an arm around Casey's waist. Almost immediately, she melted back into me. "You, okay?" I whispered.
Casey nodded. "I am now."
"When we get back to Rangeman, I'm going to want Bobby to check you over." She started to protest, but I cut her off. "It's not just you I have to worry about now," I whispered. "I want to make sure the stress of this situation hasn't caused any problems."
She let out a sigh and conceded. "Fine." Good. I'm so glad she's not as difficult as Beautiful when it comes to her health. At this point, I turned my attention to the conversation taking place between Maddie and Shaw.
"When you pounded on the door, it distracted him," she said. "It gave me the chance to use some self-defense moves I learned, and I was able to escape. I didn't know where I was going when I started running. I just knew I needed to get away. Then I saw Casey and the next thing I knew she was holding a gun on that man." She reached over and took Casey's hand in hers. "Thank you for protecting me."
"I'm glad I was able to," Casey replied.
"Madalyn," Shaw began. "We've been looking for you for two months. Where have you been?"
"After I left the rehab center, I went to Michigan to visit some distant family and just get away from the situation for a while. I just got back last week and had come into Trenton today to have lunch with a friend."
"Why did you come back to Trenton at all," Shaw questioned. "From the information we'd been able to gather, you don't have any family here anymore. You only have the house in Ewing."
"The house in Ewing was my Grandparent's," she replied. "When they died, they left it to me and my cousin. When Blackmore kidnapped me, my cousin stayed in the house and took care of it."
"So," Shaw continued. "If you don't mind me asking, did you come back to Trenton just for the house?"
She shrugged. "It is part mine. Plus, before I was kidnapped, I had a good job here and I have friends here. It made sense to come back and try to put my life back together. Besides, if I gave up my life here simply because of what Blackmore did to me, then I let him win." She looked from Shaw around the group at the rest of us. "I just didn't expect to get caught up in another situation."
"That situation is officially over," Shaw said. "We can fill you in on how it got to this point, but going forward, you don't have to worry."
Movement to my right caught my attention and I glanced over to see Binkie walking with Ram towards his vehicle down the drive. Binkie lifted his chin in a motion that said, I'm taking him back to Rangeman. That was probably for the best. Forcing him to stay where he'd have to face Pfeiffer's body wouldn't be good for Ram's mental health. If anyone else wanted to talk to him, they could do it at Haywood.
Ranger stepped up next to me. "Is Casey okay?"
"I think so," I said as she turned her head to look at my cousin.
"I'm fine," she replied. "Just a little shaken up."
"Well," Ranger began. "You did good. We're all proud of you."
A smile lit up her face. "Thank you, Carlos."
"Ranger," he corrected. "You're going to be family. I think at this point you can call me Ranger if you want."
"Thank you, Ranger," she said. "That means a lot."
"What happened to Woody and Junior?" I asked.
"When Gene said you and Shaw's team were already here with Ram, I called them off and sent them back to patrol."
"And Morelli?"
Ranger grinned. "Shaw told him to stay in Trenton."
I'm sure that pissed him off.
"What happens to me now?" Maddie asked.
"We'll take you to the hospital to get checked out," Bobby said.
"Then you'll come back to Rangeman, with me," Casey added. She turned and looked at me. "She can stay with us for a couple of days, right? I mean we have so much to catch up on and she might feel better being somewhere safe for a bit. We have a spare bedroom now. Please tell me you don't mind."
I grinned, then cupped her face in my hands, leaned in, and planted a kiss on her lips, stopping her rambling. No way would I deny my love much-needed time with her friend. "Maddie is welcome to stay as long as she needs."
