Page 82 of Sheltered by the Lawman

He pounded his fist against the steering wheel and growled. Why did he let her go with Burke in the first place? Where the hell were his honed instincts? He thought he just didn’t like Burke out of jealousy.

What would Deke do? A man who would sink this low was capable of many things. Killing anyone who could take him down. Cull had to believe that she was still alive.

His heart sank. If one hair was harmed on her head he’d search the world over to find the person who did it. Morocco certainly wouldn’t be far enough. His mind automatically filled with images of Burke dead, lying in a pool of his own blood from a gunshot wound to the head and one to the chest. There were no signs of struggle at the front door so that meant Burke willingly allowed Deke in. Had Sally hid in the bathroom? Had she been scared? Of course, she had been.

How could his friend, a man he’d known so long, sink so low? Was it for the money? Had he lost his mind when his ex-wife left him?

The drive seemed to take a lifetime and as he drove up the lane that took him to Deke’s fishing cabin, a place Cull had spent numerous vacations. His adrenaline skyrocketed. He was barely in park before he jumped out. Unsure of what Deke would do, Cull didn’t race right up to the door. His buddy—his old buddy—was smart and skilled. And a bomb expert. He worked in bomb disposal in the military and knew everything there was about explosives.

Cull stopped to look in Deke’s car and found more bloody gauze, this time they were abnormally soaked. He guessed that meant his wound wasn’t healing right. A disposable cell phone sat on the passenger seat along with a thick envelope. Cull felt the hood and it was still warm.

Pulling out his gun, he gripped it and made his way carefully up the two steps to the rickety porch and knocked on the door. “Deke, I need to speak to you.” He didn’t get a response, which didn’t surprise him. He slowly turned the knob and it opened. Cull peeked in, waiting for a bullet to whizz by his head, but it didn’t come.

“I’m in here,” Deke said from somewhere in the shadowed cabin.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust and then Cull saw the man sitting in a chair close to the unlit fireplace. It was cold inside the house and there was an eerie silence.

“I knew you’d come,” Deke said in a low voice.

“How’s the gunshot wound?” Cull stayed by the door, listening and scanning the interior of the cabin, looking for any signs of Sally.

With a shrug, Deke touched his thigh. “Hurts like a bitch. I guess my sewing skills leave a lot to be desired.”

“You could have gone to the hospital.” Taking a small step, Cull peered into the kitchenette, but it was empty.

“Yeah, and then they would have reported the gunshot wound and things would have gotten messy.”

“I think things are already messy, wouldn’t you say?” Keeping his gun aimed at Deke, Cull covered the short distance into the living room. He stopped and stood at a careful distance. Deke’s gun was sitting on the coffee table. “Push the table away from you,” he commanded.

“The gun isn’t loaded, my friend.”

“Don’t make me tell you again.” Cull didn’t want to shoot the man, because this time he’d shoot to kill.

With a tight chuckle, Deke kicked the table with his boot, overturning it and the contents scattered the floor, including the gun.

“Where is she, Deke?”

The man brought his gaze up to look at Cull. “She’s not here.”

“Now I’m sure you won’t take offense if I don’t quite believe you, will you?”

Deke’s hands rested on the arms of the chair and he wore a stoic, almost unnerving, expression. Cull’s gut was warning him that Deke was telling the truth that Sally wasn’t there, which made this situation even more unpredictable.

“We don’t have much time,” Deke said in a low, threatening tone.

There was the surprise Cull had been expecting. It took him a good five seconds to find it, but when he did, he felt his breath swoosh from his lungs. A bomb. The screen of red numbers was counting down. “Tell me that isn’t what I think it is.”

“You triggered it when you opened the door.”

“What the hell, Deke. Disable it. Don’t let things go down like this.”

The man’s laughter was raw and made the hair on Cull’s neck stand. “That won’t happen. It’s too late for that.”

Cull’s heart sunk to his boots. “Where is she, Deke? Tell me.”

Deke’s voice was toneless when he said, “Don’t you want to know why I did this, or have you already figured it out?”

“I’m guessing it was because of the money.” Cull’s eyes navigated toward the bomb.

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