Private Affair(93)
“And going over to Larson’s place got his ass killed,” Shane added.
“Probably he thought he was on a wild-goose chase, and he wasn’t being careful,” Max said.
“Probably,” Jack agreed. “I called it in anonymously. The cops know about the bodies by now, but they won’t know I was there.”
Max looked from him to the man on the ground. “And then there’s this poor bastard. When are they going to miss him, and what’s going to happen when they do?”
“We’d better get on with it,” Shane said.
“Yeah.” Max turned toward the cabin. “The interior is empty, but it’s not very secure. I’m betting Masters is under the cabin with Olivia. There’s a tunnel with an underground room at the end. A good place to hold someone. And there’s only one way in or out.” He swallowed hard. “And going down there could get Olivia killed.”
Shane told Jack about their blasting plans.
“Risky,” he concluded.
“We can’t just stand around talking,” Max said as he moved quietly toward the back of the building. He could see the spot where he and Olivia had climbed inside. They’d put the siding back into place. Now it was pulled away again, with no attempt to disguise the fact that someone had gone inside.
Max stepped back. The others followed, and they spoke in whispers.
“I’m going in,” he said.
“What about the explosives?” Shane asked.
“They could be risky. Suppose he panics and kills her?” Max said.
Shane winced.
“They may be our last resort. But I’m going to see if I can get down there without his knowing it—and try to hear what’s going on.”
“How?” Jack asked.
He wanted to tell them to stop asking questions, but maybe they were giving him time to think.
“If I were Olivia, I’d be trying to hold his attention. Because she knows I’m coming,” he added, praying that it was true. And praying that she was alive and conscious and able to deal with Masters.
“We’re coming with you,” Jack said.
Max shook his head. “The tunnel’s too small for that. It’s a one-man operation. Stay out here.” He thought for a moment. “If I think we need the explosives, I’ll phone.”
“And if you’re disabled?”
“If you haven’t heard from me in half an hour, go ahead with the explosives. And if the cops come, you can tell them you didn’t kill the guard.”
Jack snorted. “Why should they believe us?”
“Yeah, well it could start out like that night when Masters came to the farm. But your guns haven’t been fired. And if they had, the bullet wouldn’t match.”
“But we’d have to do a lot of fast talking.”
“Which will give me time to get in there and get Olivia out,” he said, still praying he could do it.
***
A little smile flickered on Olivia’s lips as she watched Troy’s face. It was a real smile, celebrating her success. When she’d first awakened, he’d looked at her with evil intent. Then he’d bragged about his kills. Now she knew his thoughts were swinging toward the sexual. Apparently what she’d said made sense to him.
She finished unbuttoning her shirt, then moved her shoulders, shrugging the garment back. With her hands bound, she couldn’t reach around to unhook her bra, but she could tug it up so that it rode above her breasts. They weren’t large, but the band of the bra thrust them invitingly toward Troy. Her nipples were rigid, not because this was turning her on, but because it was cold in this underground room. Although the cold helped her play her part, she was sure the man watching her with such lust wouldn’t know the difference.
***
As quietly as he could, Max crawled inside the cabin. With the windows boarded up, the interior was dark, and he didn’t dare use a flashlight, lest the light show in the underground room and give him away. If he had ever needed to be steady, it was now, he thought as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.
When he could see a little, he inched forward, stopping when the toe of one running shoe hit open air. The trapdoor to the tunnel was open, a big clue that Masters was down there with Olivia and had left it open for ventilation.
Max stretched out on the ground, leaning over the opening and listening. He didn’t hear voices, but he thought maybe he heard rustling from down the tunnel. Or was that what he wanted to hear?
***
Olivia saw her breasts attracted Troy’s riveted gaze. She saw his breath catch as she swiped a finger across her nipple and accompanied the provocative gesture with a small, moaning sound as though she were making herself hot.