One Night

Chapter 16, One Night

He heard the scream from outside as he jumped out of Kruso's small white compact. His hand was at his waist, pulling his sidearm from the holster. He flicked the safety as he ran up the steps and opened the front door.

"Kate!" he yelled as the front door crashed against the wall. He stepped inside, looking right and left, taking in everything, from the light on in the kitchen to the darkened stairs, all in a split second. There was no one, nothing, and all he could hear was his heart hammering in his chest.

"Kate, you answer me right now!" he yelled.

He heard crying. "Walker!" she called out, and damn if she didn't sound scared—no, terrified.

"Where are you, Kate?" He was walking in, his arm out, his stance all cop, ready to fire as he cleared the entry, the doorway to the kitchen. His back to the wall, looking up, he could hear Kate crying, then another voice he couldn't make out. He was almost to the stairs and flicked on the light behind him, lighting up the living room and the dining area, where the pool table was. He was pointing his gun, looking around the corner. Nothing, no one.

He stepped on the first stair and looked up to a silhouette. It was Kate, naked, with a knife to her throat and what looked like a woman behind her. He couldn't see her face. She was hiding behind Kate.

"Kate, are you okay, baby?" he called out rather sharply.

"Walker, help me," she whispered.

He could see the fear in her eyes. "Hey, put the knife down and move away from her—now!" he shouted, taking another step up carefully, his gun pointed just off to Kate's right. But whoever it was had no intention of dropping the knife, as she pressed it harder to Kate's throat. Kate gasped, and a drop of blood appeared. Her fingers scraped and clawed at the woman's wrist in panic.

"Okay, okay, just calm down!" Walker said. "Don't do anything stupid. Don't hurt her. What is it you want? Just tell me!" He was freaking out and so close to losing it. For the first time, his hand was shaking on his gun. That wasn't him, he was always the steady one, but right now the thought of watching this crazy person slit Kate's throat was making him lose the ability to function.

"Cindy, it's not going to end like this," he said. "Just put the knife down, and we'll talk. Kate isn't interested in Ryder. She's with me. She's in my house, waiting for me." He was trying to think of anything he could to reason with this crazy person. Why wasn't she answering? She just stood there. The look in Kate's eyes, the expression on her face, was trying to tell him something, but he just couldn't figure out what it was. He could hear sirens in the background, coming closer, but he feared backup would come too late.

He stared at Kate, trying to reassure her. The way she pleaded with him, those amazing hazel eyes that reflected the color of amber in their glistening tears. He didn't want to see the life drain out of them. "Cindy, this isn't the way to handle this! Let Kate go now. She's done nothing to you."

Kate gave a slight shake of her head. For a moment, he thought it was just fear, but then he realized she really was trying to say something. He stared hard at her as she opened her mouth, gasping. "Not...C—cindy," she stuttered.

"Walker, behind you," someone whispered.

He didn't look, but he could hear the officers coming in. Kruso was there too. "She's at the top of the stairs with a knife to Kate's throat," he said. He didn't dare look over to the door. He was afraid to look away, scared that Kate wouldn't be there when he looked back. "I'm going to take another step up," he said more loudly. "Who are you? Just tell me what you want, and I'll make sure you get it."

"Don't!" The woman finally spoke, and Kate shut her eyes. "She has to die. He'll just call her again. He'll sleep with her. It's what he does."

"Who does? Who are we talking about?" He moved his foot to take another step, and the wood creaked.

Then Kate elbowed her in the stomach, and the woman pushed her forward. Time froze. He saw the shock as Kate's arms flew up. She lost her footing on the first step and fell, naked. When she hit the first step, he took everything in: the woman had long hair in a ponytail. He fired his gun, missing her by an inch, splintering the wood in the wall by her head. She ducked, and Kate was rolling, trying to grab hold of a post to stop her fall. He heard another shot from upstairs as he reached Kate, and he looked up as the woman slid against the wall, down to the floor. The smear of blood stained his white wall as she fell.

"Kate, are you okay?" He was kneeling beside her, his gun in his hand, and she slid up, brushing her hair from her eyes, holding her wrist.

"Walker, I thought she was you. I heard a noise downstairs, and I came down, but it was her in the house."

He was touching her, and he glanced up the stairs to Kruso, who was beside the woman. A small branch was sticking from her short red hair, and she was breathing heavy, kicking the knife away and pulling her cuffs from her back pocket. "Shoulder wound," she said. "Call EMS."

The woman screamed as Kruso rolled her over and cuffed her hands behind her back.

"Oh my," Walker heard someone mutter behind him, and he glanced back to see MacDonald eyeing up Kate's nakedness. He didn't miss the appreciation as the man took in her breasts. They were, in fact, a work of art.

Walker slipped off his coat and put it around Kate's shoulders as he sat beside her on the step. "You scared me," he said. She was shaking as she leaned against him. There was something about having this woman in his arms that felt so right, and he realized that without her here, he would feel empty.

"Walker?" she asked. "Do you think I could get my clothes?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I'll get you some."

When he glanced up the stairs at Kruso, she was giving him the thumbs up. It was then that he noticed the tear in her jacket as she holstered her gun, her hand on her hip. "How the hell did you get up there?" he asked, taking in the short woman, who was assessing the suspect bleeding at her feet.

"I climbed the tree outside your window," she said. "You really should get a lock on there. And, jeez, get some clothes on your girlfriend."

He wasn't sure who stiffened first, him or Kate. Girlfriend? When he looked back up at Kruso, the sly bugger was leaning on the rail, grinning.