Iris Johansen - Bonnie

Let him go.

Eve ran toward Joe. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” Joe was rolling over and lifting the boy off him. “But Ben’s not. Why the hell did he-” He carefully laid the kid on the ground, his gaze on the blood on the boy’s shirt. “Shit.”

“Who is he?” Eve whispered as she fell to her knees beside them. The boy was pale, and that horrible wound…

“Ben Hudson. He told me where to find you.” He was opening the boy’s shirt and examining the wound. “Dammit, I shouldn’t have brought him.”

“Is he going to die?”

“I don’t know.” He took out his handkerchief and folded it. “I don’t have any idea about his internal injuries. All I can do is try to stop the blood.”

“I’ll do it.” She took the handkerchief and pressed it above the wound. “You call 911 for medical help, then go after Danner.”

“I should-”

“No.” She didn’t lift her eyes from the wound. “Stop Danner. It has to end, Joe. He’s like a wounded animal who will keep striking out and killing until he’s put away. He can’t do anything else.”

“No.” The boy had opened his eyes and was staring up at her. “He didn’t mean to-”

“I know,” she said quietly. “But it happened, and it will keep on happening. There’s no telling when he’ll decide that one of us is one of his demons. He’s not sane, Ben. He almost killed me two times before today. And Joe almost died just now.”

“Don’t kill… Ted. He has to know- Fresh start.”

“What?”

The boy’s eyes were closing. “Beginning. He has to know that it can begin…”

He was unconscious.

Joe was rising to his feet. “If I’m going to catch up with Danner, I have to go. You’re sure you want me to leave you?”

No, she desperately wanted to go with him, but she couldn’t leave this young boy who had saved him. She nodded. “Go.”

“Father Barnabas was just behind me. I’ll send him to-”

She stiffened. “The priest? No.”

“He’s okay, Eve. Trust him.” He was running toward the trail. “I’ll explain later.”

She stopped him as he started down the trail. “Bonnie’s death was an accident, Joe. Danner didn’t mean to do it.”

“And what does that mean? How do you feel? What am I supposed to do? Kill him? Have him thrown into prison?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how I feel. I’m still angry. I’m still cheated. I want revenge for her death. And it’s all mixed up with the horrible feeling that everything went terribly wrong, and anything I do will just make it more terrible.” She met his gaze. “It’s your call, Joe. I won’t tell you to hold your hand when it might put you in danger. I just had to tell you.”

He nodded curtly, then vanished down the path.

She moved the pad on Ben’s chest. The pad was soaked with blood. Was the flow easing? It was hard to tell.

“You… want to go with him.” Ben’s eyes were open again. “You’re afraid for him.”

“Yes, shouldn’t I be? Your friend, Danner, tried to kill him.”

“I… think he’ll be all right.”

“I don’t want to think. I want to know.”

“I can’t tell… you that.”

“Stop talking, it’s not good for you. Worry about yourself, not Joe.”

He was silent a moment. “You think I… may die.”

Yes, she did. He seemed very close. “You’ll be fine. Don’t be afraid. Just hold on.”

“I’m not afraid. I was once. But she showed me that it would only be a new start with nothing to hold me back… and beautiful.”

Her grasp tightened on his hand. “‘She’?”

His gaze was on her face. “She looks like you. Sometimes I can’t see her, only hear her. But when I see her, she looks like you.”

“Does she?” she asked unevenly. “Well, I think she would want you to hold on, just as I do.”

He nodded and closed his eyes. “I just wanted to tell you so that you wouldn’t feel bad. You looked so sad…”

“Eve!”

Her gaze flew to the trail to see Father Barnabas coming up the path.

“How is he?” The priest was frowning as he came toward her. “Joe passed me on the trail and told me what had happened and asked me to come and help you.” He knelt beside Ben. “He said he’d called 911, and they’ll contact the ranger station.” He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Help’s on the way, Ben.”

Ben nodded but didn’t answer.

It’s a new start… and beautiful.

But she didn’t want any new starts happening for this boy who had saved Joe’s life. And she’d be damned if she’d let Joe wander off into the great beyond either.

“Hold the compress,” she told the priest as she got to her feet. “I’m going after Joe.” She looked down at Ben. “And you hold on and don’t go anywhere. She may think it’s okay, but I don’t. And I’m sure Bonnie didn’t mean it like that. We all have to stick together around here.” Her glance shifted to the priest. “You take care of him. Don’t you let him die. I want prayers and rosaries and anything else you may think will help.” She turned and strode toward the trail. “Do your job.”

DANNER!

Catherine had only caught a brief glimpse of the man streaking down the twisting path toward the bottom of the canyon, but she’d recognized him. She had not seen that shock of silver hair at the bayou, but he moved with that same lithe alacrity that had so surprised her.

She tensed. It would take her five to ten minutes to intercept him, and there was a possibility she might lose him. Call Gallo.

She dialed quickly. “I’ve spotted Danner. He’s alone. Where the hell is Eve?”

“I don’t know. We lost them after he started climbing the west wall of the canyon. Joe and I split up to search.”

Catherine muttered a curse. “That’s not good. I have to find out where he left her.” She didn’t want to think of the question of how he’d left Eve.

Dead. Alive. Wounded.

“Where are you, Gallo?”

“Still on a path on the canyon wall.”

“Then you’re no help. Danner’s headed for the bottom of the canyon.”

“Wait for me. I’ll be there.”

“No time. I’m not letting him leave the canyon without telling me where he left Eve. If she’s unconscious, it could take us days to find her.”

“Wait for me.” The phone crashed in her ear as he hung up.

Screw it. The time was over for waiting and also for working as a team with Gallo. If she could lever herself from that overhanging oak tree down to the next level of the path, she would make up a good deal of the distance. She slipped her phone in her jacket pocket and started down the trail toward the oak tree.

RUN.

Don’t slip on this damn sandy shale, Danner told himself.

One false step would throw him off the path and into the canyon over a hundred feet below.

But he couldn’t see for the tears running down his cheeks.

He had killed Ben. Why had the boy come after him? He hadn’t wanted to harm him. He had been closer to Ben than he had been to anyone since the time he’d spent with John when he was growing up. He had wanted to protect him and take care of him. To keep all the demons away from him.

Dead. Dead like the little girl. He had killed him as he had Bonnie.

No!

It was the demon, Black, who had killed Bonnie.

He wouldn’t have killed the little girl.

But he had done it. If he could kill Ben, then he could kill Bonnie.

“Stop where you are, Danner.”

A woman had come out of the brush at the side of the trail, a gun in her hand. Long, straight, dark hair, slightly tilted dark eyes, framed in long lashes. He knew that face. Catherine Ling, who had been with John at the bayou.