She couldn’t escape death this time.
His weapon jammed.
A stunned look crossed his face. He looked down in disbelief, then let loose with a torrent of obscenities as he fumbled to clear the jam. The magazine dropped out, spilling rounds on the forest floor. Brynn spun on her heels, nearly weeping with relief, and ran.
Careful to keep the child with her, she angled through the woods toward the lookout tower, desperate to reach the police. She shoved through a patch of brambles, nearly collided with a boulder and tripped over logs and vines.
Her lungs burned. She could hardly wheeze in a fiery breath. Then she staggered into the clearing by the lookout tower, the absolute mayhem catching her off guard. Red-and-blue lights flashed in the darkness. Emergency vehicles and squad cars surrounded the tower. Cops swarmed the area in bulletproof vests and SWAT gear, shouting orders. Their radios squawked and blared.
“Help!” she cried, stumbling to a halt. She pulled the girl close to protect her and whipped around. “He’s coming! He’s got a gun!” Several officers rushed to their side.
Then Hoffman burst through the trees.
“Watch out!” she screamed, and the officers drew their guns.
But Hoffman was no longer armed. He raised his hands, causing the cops to hold their fire. He swayed for a moment, the colored lights illuminating his face, then sank to the ground. Dozens of officers raced over, shouting for medical help.
Brynn’s knees wobbled, threatening to collapse. “Are you all right, ma’am?” an officer asked her.
“I’m fine, but—”
“This woman’s bleeding!” the man shouted over the noise. “We need an EMT here!”
“No, I’m fine. But Parker...” The memory of his betrayal sliced through her, but she shoved it aside. “He’s at the cabin. That way.” She motioned toward the woods. “You have to hurry. He’s been shot!”
“We’ll find him.”
More radios crackled. Sirens rose in the night. Several officers took off running through the woods while others piled into cars. As Brynn watched in a daze, medical personnel loaded Hoffman onto a gurney, and started wheeling him her way.
But a woman in a uniform stepped into their path, causing them to stop. She was tall, middle-aged, so thin she was almost gaunt. Lieutenant Lewis, Brynn guessed, judging by the authority in her stance. The woman Parker had called for help.
“Colonel Hoffman,” she said, her voice sharp. “You’re under arrest.”
Hoffman raised his head from the gurney. His eyes met the lieutenant’s and filled with fear. He let out an anguished moan.
So he realized he wasn’t going to escape. It was about time he suffered for his crimes.
“Where are you taking him?” Lieutenant Lewis asked an EMT.
“Meritus Hospital in Washington County. They’ll probably fly him to Shock Trauma in Baltimore from there.”
“Fine.” She turned to another cop. “Read him his rights on the way.”
She turned her attention to Brynn, who was still hugging the terrified girl. “Are you all right?”
Brynn managed a nod, but the pain pulsing through her shoulder halted her breath. “Parker—”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get him.” Lieutenant Lewis signaled to the EMT. “Take these two to the hospital.” Pulling out her radio, she strode away.
Several officers surrounded the gurney, along with the ambulance personnel. Hoffman rolled his head as they pushed him past, and, without warning, his eyes met hers. And for a moment, time ground to a halt. She stared into the eyes of the man who’d abused her, a hollowed-out feeling inside. This man had terrorized her for decades. He’d stolen her innocence, done despicable, evil things to her that no child should have to endure. He’d forced her into a life on the run, a precarious existence of desperation, violence and fear—all because of his perverted needs.
Defeated, he looked away. The men closed around him, then loaded him into the waiting ambulance. Brynn eased out her breath as they put on the siren and drove away.
His reign of terror had come to an end.
And she was finally free.
Chapter 16
Exhausted, Brynn slumped in a padded armchair inside Parker’s room at the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore the following afternoon. She could hardly keep her eyes open after the grueling night she’d had. After her rescue, she’d spent hours giving statements to both the Washington County and Baltimore police, relating her story about Hoffman and his history of abuse. She’d also relayed Parker’s suspicions about Delgado, who seemed to have disappeared. Thankfully, the police had believed her. Lieutenant Lewis had agreed to bring Delgado in for questioning, assuming they could find him first.
Brynn stifled a yawn, the movement causing