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"Whatever, we're still going. You'll say your goodbye. And just so we're clear. If you try anything, it will be the kind of goodbye that ends with you standing over two graves. You get it?"
"Yes."
"Then repeat after me. I will not try anything. I will do exactly what you tell me when you tell me, and I will be yours the rest of my life."
She nearly puked repeating those words and realized she was allowing fear to rob her of reason. That would get her killed. She needed strength. A story Riggs told her a month ago popped into her mind.
They were sitting outside on a bench under a sheltering oak, enjoying a break from the workouts with a fruit smoothie. The breeze blew the loose strands of Georgie's hair that had escaped the clasp. Riggs reached over to smooth it back behind her ear.
Georgie knew a lot about Riggs, thanks to the hours of rehab. To keep his mind off the discomfort, frustration, and loss, she asked about his life in the military, the life before he enlisted, and his family.
"My grandfather was a veteran. Robert Walker. Korean War. He was taken prisoner while trying to save two other American soldiers. The men he tried to save died in prison within two weeks. My grandfather survived and, after nine months, killed four Korean guards and escaped.
"I asked him how he endured. What made him keep going and never give up? Didn't he ever just feel like giving in?"
"Hell, no," he said. "That's when you lose, boy."
"But they could have killed you at any time. Isn't it better to cooperate and live?"
"Not in my book,” he replied There might be wiggle room in some situations, but in these, there is none. You never turn your back on your family or country, never on the men who fight beside and for you. Yes, you can be killed, but you'll die someday. No one gets out alive, Riggs, so make your life count. And if that means checking out while trying to protect people you love, a country you honor, or your honor, then so be it. But you never let them beat you. You don't cry or beg, compromise, or consider. You spit in their eye and tell them you're ready to die for what's right."
Riggs looked at Georgie. "When he said it, I didn't get it. I wanted to, but it didn't sink in because I was a kid and knew nothing of war or hate. But I learned about it, and when I did, it came back to me and made sense.
"I'd never let anything or anyone stop me from doing what I know is right, and if it saves another life and costs mine, then so be it."
She didn't doubt the veracity of his words. His military record backed it up, as did what his friends Gunner and Grady, what Naomie and Russell had to say about him. Riggs' father was right when he said that his son Riggs was the real deal—a genuine American-born hero.
Georgie agreed and loved him more after hearing the story of his grandfather. Now, that story brought her a kind of comfort she'd never experienced and a new source of strength.
She might be headed for the grave, but before she drew her last breath, she'd make sure Josh never hurt another person. She'd go with him and do what he said, for now, if just to keep Riggs and Robby safe because she knew as insane as he was, she couldn't trust he wouldn't hurt them.
All she had to do was survive long enough to get more evidence on him, and pray Riggs was the hero she believed him to be. Once she was free of Josh, she’d take what she knew and what she had in herTake Out the Trashfile, and perhaps that would be enough to have law enforcement prosecute Josh for his crimes.
ChapterNineteen
The sick feeling in her gut intensified with each step she took closer to Riggs’ room. Could she go through with this? Maybe she could just blurt out what Josh did to her and tell someone to call the police. Surely, Josh didn’t have that many spies here who would circumvent an emergency call to the police?
But what if he did? What if he had just one? That one sucker who would take that extra step and inject something into Riggs or the baby that would kill them?
She desperately wanted to find some justification for chickening out of the plan she’d hatched. The last place she wanted to be was with Josh. In her opinion, he was insane. And perhaps a serial killer.
As much as she wanted to disbelieve, their conversation on the drive to the hospital obliterated all hope of that happening. Josh was animated, cheerful, and detailed as he described the murders of three women he’d abducted.
Georgie had never known this kind of horror. How could she go with this monster? Would he do to her what he did to those other women? Was that his plan?
Despite her bravado up until now, reality smacked her in the face, and Georgie realized she had to use her time wisely and come up with an answer to some questions. First, would she willingly turn herself over to a serial killer if she knew she would not merely survive but win?
Yes. Of course. That was a no-brainer.
Then what can you do to make sure that’s a reality? What can you do that will afford you reliable protection?If only she could speak with Naomie. Together, they could figure it out.
She glanced at Josh, who was still expounding on the perfect execution of his last murder. She nodded and looked down at her hands in her lap. Josh needed to know she was too scared to defy him for fear of what might happen to Riggs or Robby.
She didn’t have to pretend about that. It did scare her. But was her fear of what he might do enough to maneuver him into a position where he’d let down his guard? She prayed so because when he did, she’d make her move.
What that move would be was a mystery. Georgie felt sick at the thought of planning someone’s demise. She was a healer. How could she plan on the best way to murder someone?
Didn’t that make her just as bad as him? She wanted to think it was a brand of justice. Vigilante, yes, but justice, nonetheless. A person who admits in detail to horrific abductions and murders does not deserve respect. A person who would take the life of an innocent child just to get his way wasn’t a person at all to her.
