He shrugged. “Both things can be true.”
She squirmed as he carved another line down her other cheek, the lower half of her face now slicked entirely with blood. The coppery taste of it in her mouth was like old pennies in her cheeks and the pain made her eyes water. But Spenser bit her tongue, determined to keep from crying out and giving him the satisfaction.
“Scream for me, Spenser,” he said.
“Go fu—”
The sharp crack of his hand meeting her cheek rang in her ears. Spenser winced and sucked in a breath as the furrow he’d cut into her skin was set ablaze. Her eyes watered and she bit her tongue hard enough to draw fresh blood, but Spenser held firm, refusing to give in and give him what he wanted.
“Watch your mouth,” he growled dangerously. “I don’t like foul language. It’s crass and frankly, it’s beneath you, Spenser.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” she said through gritted teeth.
As she racked her brain, trying to figure a way out of this mess, Ricci flashed her a dark smile and ran the tip of his blade lightly down her throat, moving down across her chest, to her stomach where he looked into her eyes as he traced small circles. Her heart raced and iron bands of fear locked themselves around her chest, making it difficult to breathe, as her mind flashed back to photos of his suspected victims, flayed and completely disemboweled.
She swallowed hard as a low chuckle passed his lips. Ricci leaned forward and sunk the tip of his blade into her oblique, drawing a sharp hiss from her. She grunted and tried to keep from crying out as he slid the knife into her side slowly, inch by agonizing inch. Spenser’s blood spilled around the hilt of the knife, gushing down her skin in waves. Knowing he was something of an expert in anatomy, he was careful to avoid hitting anything vital. It was how he prolonged the suffering of his victims. The pain was monstrous and intense and if she didn’t get out of this soon and get some help, she was going to bleed out.
Spenser tried desperately to push away the pain. She tried to shut it out or somehow mentally dull it. But nothing was working. Her body was on fire, and she finally couldn’t choke it back anymore. Spenser threw her head back and let out a scream of pure agony. Ricci’s eyes lit up like he was caught in the most rapturous sensation he’d ever had. His eyes glittered and he seemed to savor every second and every note of her shrieking like the finest wine. The pain drew tears from her eyes and Spenser silently cursed herself for her weakness.
Spenser hissed as he withdrew the knife and he hovered above her for a long moment, eyes closed, no doubt replaying her scream in his mind again and again. All the while, Spenser’s blood continued to seep from her body. She was starting to grow lightheaded, and her vision wavered from both the loss of blood and the pain that gripped her.
Spenser looked to the sky, saying a silent word of deliverance. She’d tried to hold it back and not give him what he wanted, but she hadn’t been able to bite off her shriek of pain. He’d won. All that was left for Spenser to do was to be strong and die as well as she possibly could.
Ricci opened his eyes and smiled. “Thank you. That was… glorious.”
Spenser’s eyes remained on the sky for another moment but as she lowered her gaze, she saw something over Ricci’s shoulder that put a darkly amused smirk on her face. He cocked his head and looked at her, perplexed, as she giggled.
“What has you laughing?” he asked.
“You may kill me, but at least the FBI will finally be able to make a case on you stick.”
“What are you talking about?”
She lifted her chin, gesturing to the tall pole behind him. Ricci turned and looked, his body tightening when he spotted the camera that had been mounted high up on a pole. She’d had completely forgotten that Ryker had installed cameras around the cabins on his property the first time she’d been attacked by a lunatic who showed up to kill her. She’d protested at the time, telling him they weren’t necessary. But she was suddenly glad he hadn’t listened and put them up, anyway.
“Make sure you smile for the cameras, jackass,” she said.
It was, as far as Spenser knew, the first time Ricci had ever been caught on camera. It seemed ironic it happened when he wasn’t officially working for the cartel he used to slaughter people for anymore. He looked back at the camera again, seemingly not sure what to do. It was unfamiliar territory for a man whose anonymity and near invisibility had been his calling card for years.
Racked with pain and bleeding out, Spenser knew she had an opportunity. He was distracted. But she had to act—and she had to act now. Pushing through the pain, she gritted her teeth and with all the force she could muster, she drove her foot forward. The heel of her boot connected with Ricci’s groin and the breath exploded from his mouth with a loud, “oomph,” as he shuffled back several steps. He doubled over, clutching his injured crotch and pure adrenaline flooded Spenser’s veins as she jumped to her feet.
Ricci looked up at her, his face a mask of twisted rage. He let out a loud growl and gripped his knife even tighter as he started forward. Using her good hand, Spenser grabbed her Glock and yanked it out of her holster, quickly bringing it to bear.
“Stop!” she screamed.
“I’m going to kill you!”
As he closed in, brandishing his blade, with her hand shaking wildly, Spenser squeezed off one shot. Then a second. And a third. Ricci’s body jerked as the rounds punched through his flesh, the first bullet putting a hole in his thigh, the second through his shoulder, and the third through his oblique—almost the same spot where he’d stuck his knife into her. Ricci fell to his knees as blood poured from his wounds, a scream of rage blended with agony bursting from his mouth.
Her hand trembling and her head spinning harder, Spenser somehow managed to keep the Glock trained on Ricci. The temptation to pull the trigger one last time and end him once and for all was overwhelming. The world would be a better place without him.
“Do it,” he said. “Pull the trigger. End this, Spenser.”
The roar of an engine rang in her ears a moment before bright headlights splashed across the front of the cabin. Ryker’s truck came to a sudden stop in a cloud of dust and debris. He jumped out and looked at her with wide eyes as he put a hand up.
“Spenser, put the gun down,” he said. “I’ve already called for help. Just put the gun down.”
Tears streamed down her face, and she shook her head. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“He’s not worth it. You’ve got him,” Ryker said and pointed to the camera. “We’ve got him on tape. And you’ve already put three rounds into him. He’s not going anywhere. Amanda is on her way. Let her finish this the right way.”
“Do it, Spenser. End me,” Ricci said.
“Shut up!” Ryker shouted. “Spenser, think about what you’re doing. This isn’t you.”
She grimaced as a flash of pain tore through her. She was losing a lot of blood and was growing more lightheaded by the second. She was running out of time to rid the world of a monster and avenge her husband. All it would take was a couple more pounds of pressure on the trigger.
“Spenser, please, don’t do it. If you pull that trigger, they’re going to send you away,” Ryker said. “Please. Don’t leave me. I need you.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Ricci said. “Do it. End this. Because if you don’t, I swear to you that I will never stop coming for you. Ever. I will make it my life’s mission to—”
The crack of the vicious backhand from Ryker echoed through the darkness around them. Ricci’s head snapped backward as he tumbled into the dirt and lay on his back, staring up at the sky. Blood seeped from his wounds as an anguished groan drifted from his mouth. Ryker stepped closer to her and held his hand out, a pleading light in his eyes.
“Spenser,” Ryker said gently. “Give me the gun and let’s get you patched up. Just give me the gun and stay with me. Please.”
Spenser’s gaze drifted from the prone figure of Alex Ricci to the gun in her trembling hand, to Ryker. She kept hearing Ryker’s words, “don’t leave me,” and “I need you,” ringing in her head and she closed her eyes as the warmth and love in his words wrapped themselves around her. They filled her heart, making it swell. Moving slowly, she opened her eyes again and handed her Glock over to him just as her legs gave out. Ryker muttered a curse as he took the gun and still managed to catch her, keeping her from falling into the dirt.
Ryker sat down in the dirt and gently laid Spenser’s head in his lap. With the Glock in one hand, trained on Ricci, he stroked her hair with the other. Her vision wavered and the pain that had burned so intensely just a moment ago seemed to be fading.
