I do. The creep who cornered me in a bathroom and felt me up. The man who was later found to be a major player in a human trafficking ring. Good. I’m glad they took him out.
Zoey lets out a whimpers from Emily’s tight grip. Charlie glares at her and shouts at her to shut up, spittle flying from his mouth.
“Charlie, she’s a little girl. Look at her. She’s terrified. She doesn’t have to be here. I’ll leave with you. I promise.”
He chuckles and shakes his head.
“No, darling. Sweet Emily here is going to be taking Zoey away. Turns out it was easy getting your attention. Emily showed me how.”
I close my eyes, tears leaking out. I pray to any god who has heart. I’d willingly give up my life it meant Zoey got to live hers with her father.
“Let me talk to her, please? She’ll cry all night if I don’t talk to her.”
“Absolutely not. The time for games is over. Emily, kindly get your bitch and get the fuck out.”
“I did what I had to do,” she warns me. Zoey’s tears are what do me in. She’s angry. She’s passionate. And it’s against her mother who leans heavily on her prejudices.
Derek’s pained face flits in my watery vision. This will kill him. He’ll lose both of us and it’s all my fault.
I watch helplessly as she drags Zoey along and leaves through the back door. A pained sob escapes me when the realization comes along that paralyzes me and brings me to my knees. I’ll never see her again. She shouts my name, begging me to help her. And I want to. I want to, so damn badly.
44
ZOEY
When I was little and my parents were still married, I used to stay up and listen to them fight. Sometimes they would fight about me, most of the time, they’d fight about absolutely nothing. But when I listen to Miss Aria and Dad fight, something is different.
Dad begs her to stay.
That never happened with mom. Most times, he’d beg her to leave and never come back.
He promises to protect her, to watch over and be a family with us. But why is she crying so hard? Why doesn’t she want to stay with us?
On my nightstand, my phone lights up with mom’s name. I don’t want to talk to her. All she’ll do is ask me to tell her about Miss Aria and I don’t want to do that. I have no interest in being my mother’s spy.
I flip the flashlight on my phone and pull out my tattered copy of The Chronicles of Narnia and pick up where I left off.
The loud voices have lessened, and moments ago, their bedroom door closed, and their bed creaked as I’m sure, sleep took them.
My hands and fingers tingle while I listen to the quiet air around me. This farm is the picture of peace. Nothing happens here. And when something does, it’s taken care of immediately. I have nothing to worry about—not with my dad and uncles around.
My eyes start drooping two hours later. I dogear my page and set the book on my nightstand. The alarm is disabled, and the front door opens.
My dad is a smoker. He tries to hide it when I’m around, but he doesn’t think I know he sneaks off to smoke behind the house.
The front door opens and shuts again, and different footsteps pad across the hardwood floors. The doorknob jiggles and the door swings open. The hairs on the back of my neck stick straight up. I draw the covers up to my chin, until the moonlight illuminates a face I’ve never seen before.
I open my mouth to scream, but his hand claps over my mouth.
“Keep your mouth shut,” he hisses. “I will kill you and your father; do you understand me?”
I nod quickly.
The moon illuminates a sliver of his appearance. He has long, and greasy blonde hair. High cheekbones that boast of royalty, and blue eyes that promise pain if I don’t listen.
And…he’s dirty. Like he hasn’t taken a shower in months. The stench of body odor and stale breath fills my room.
He yanks me out of bed and shoves me forward. It won’t take long for my uncles to figure out what’s going on. It’s the only reason I’m not panicking. But my heart races in my chest as I try to come up with some sort of exit plan.
I’m thrown into the back seat of a four-door car. He jumps into the front seat and speeds off the property.
“Panicking is more dangerous than anything you’ll ever encounter,” Dad’s voice rings in my ear.
My jaw tingles with pins and needles and tears blur my vision.
What are five things you can see?
It’s my dad’s voice in my head, helping me find my footing even though he’s not here.
“The road, the headlights, the trees, the seats, the man in front.”
“Shut up!” the man shouts loud enough to make my ears ring.
What are four things you can touch?
“The seats, my sweatpants, my face, the door handle…”
Suddenly, my eyes dart to the door handle. I move to grasp it, then the thwump of the locks shatter that illusion.
“You’re not getting out of this,” he snaps. “Stay quiet. Stop talking. Stop trying to escape.”
I swallow the lump of tears and lean my head back.
What are three things you can hear?
“The gravel crunching underneath the tires, the man’s breathing, the air conditioning.”
The car comes to a screeching halt, launching me into the back of the passenger seat. My nose crunches and a little bit of blood trickles out.
“Last warning, kid. You say one more word and I will take you out of the car right now and end your life.”
Tears once more fill my eyes, but I nod. If I listen, I might be able to get out of here alive.
What are two things you can smell?
I smell my blood, and the man.
I know I’m not really talking to my dad, but this is helping. When we get out of the car next, I can think of what I’ll do.
What’s one thing you can taste?
Blood trickling from my nose and into my mouth.
I rest my forehead against the cool glass of the window. Dad is coming for me. Uncle Nate will come for me.
Panicking is dangerous. Panicking gets us killed.
His phone rings and he answers it on speaker.
“Dodge,” he answers harshly.
“What the fuck are you doing?” a woman shouts. “You had one job, and that was to take care of McKenzie.”
“You have your prerogative, I have mine. The child is mine and I’m not leaving without it.”
Does he mean me?
“Honestly, this is why you never give a man a job a woman can do better. How do you expect to get out of this, Dodge? Olson has already sounded the alarm with the FBI that she’s missing.”
“We had a deal,” he hisses. “I’ll take care of Aria, but I’m not leaving without my child. And you’re going to ensure I get out of here alive.”
The woman scoffs. “Don’t fuck this up, Dodge. I don’t need you as much as you need me. Kill Aria McKenzie and get out.”
The line goes dead, and I meet his gaze through the rearview mirror.
“She wasn’t going to be a good mother,” he sneers.
He’s wrong. Miss Aria may not be my real mom, but she’s the best one I have.
We pull into the shelter and park. Aria’s car is parked a few spots away. My door is yanked open, and Mr. Dodge grabs me by the hair at the crown of my head and pulls me out. I try to fight him off, but his grip is too tight.
Another set of headlights illuminate the parking lot and mom’s car pulls in next to ours. He shoves me forward and punches in a password to the keypad on the wall next to the double doors. The doors demagnetize and he swings it open with mom following behind us.
The hallways are creepy this late at night. I’ve been here only once and that was with Dad and Miss Aria.
“Mom?” I ask shakily.
“Keep moving,” he snaps.
“Listen to him, Zoey. We’ll be out of this soon.”
We head to the back of the building, where we’ll f
ind the annex building where the cafeteria is.
Mr. Dodge kicks open the doors to the cafeteria and forces me to the ground.
“Okay, I did what you asked. Give me my kid and let me go,” Mom says shakily.
“Not yet. You did good. When Aria walks in here, you can leave.”
“Mom, what are you doing?”
Mom’s wild gaze focuses on me and she crosses her arms over her chest. “We’re going to California.”
“No!” I shout. “I’m not going with you!”
Mr. Dodge points his gun in my direction and smirks.
“Quiet! I’ve already told you too many times to shut the fuck up!”
I purse my lips shut and let the tears escape my eyes.
“Stop yelling at her!” Mom snaps.
“Listen here.” His beefy hand wraps around mom’s throat. She doesn’t scream. She doesn’t do anything except stare at him angrily. “I told you I’d get you custody of your kid and I did that. You let me live in your basement, and I’m grateful, but make no mistake, if you so much as defy me one more time, I will end your and your child’s life right here right now. You’re of no use to me anymore.”
Mom swallows.
Is this her boyfriend? The one in California we were to move in with?
I keep my mouth shut. It’s the only way I’m going to survive.
But when Miss Aria walks through the doors and rushes over to me, I can’t stop crying.
She came for me.
“I’m sorry, Zo. I’m so, so sorry.” She hugs me tight.
“Don’t let her take me!” I plead, but it comes out a jumbled mess.
“Up, Buttercup,” Mr. Dodge demands.
Miss Aria gets up with a purpose, standing in front of me for my own protection.
“You said if I came, you’d leave her alone.”
He was watching me?
“I lied,” he replies simply, his evil smirk making my stomach churn like I’m going to puke. “I had to make sure you came one way or another. Your friend here tells me she’s fighting for sole custody, is that right?” he asks mom.
Mom approaches us, but Miss Aria stands her ground. She won’t let me leave without a fight.
Mr. Dodge storms towards us and fists her hair in his hand, yanking her out of the way. Mom grasps my arm tightly and forces me to stand up. I wince in pain and cry for Miss Aria.
“Don’t do this, Emily. You’ll break his heart. You’ll break hers.”
“I’m not going through months of red tape when I already know what the outcome will be.” Mom turns to me and smiles creepily. Evilly, like Mr. Dodge. “He’s not a part of our life now, babe. It’s just you and me from here on out.”
“I don’t want that!” When is she going to understand I don’t want to be with her? Does she even care?
“All you had to do, Buttercup, was follow the rules. Now look who you’ve brought into this. You sold my secrets like they didn’t affect you.”
“They don’t affect me, Charlie. They affect you. I wanted to go home, and you wouldn’t let me!”
I fight mom’s hold as they argue. Mom’s hand smack’s my butt and I whimper. Miss Aria begs to talk to me, but Mr. Dodge refuses.
This is it. I’m never going to see her again. I’m never going to see Dad or Uncle Nate ever again. My sob brings everyone’s attention to me.
“Emily, kindly get your bitch and get the fuck out.”
Mom pushes me forward. “I did what I had to do,” she says softly to Miss Aria before we’re leaving through the double doors.
When we get outside, I squirm until mom grabs me by the shoulders just outside our car. She crouches down so we’re eye to eye.
“Zoey, that’s enough.”
“I don’t care!” I scream.
She smacks me across the face and my cheek heats from the sting of her hand.
“Your name is Caitlyn now. Got it? We’re going to be happy in California. We’re going to live our life.” She wrenches the back door open and pushes me inside.
She hops into the driver’s seat and locks the doors. Dad’s truck passes us, but they don’t see us. I sob and pray he knows I love him. That I didn’t do this on purpose.
Mom makes a phone call, and from the screen of the radio, I only see the name as Banks.
“Don’t call me from your cell phone!” the female voice hisses.
I remember this voice. It’s from Mr. Dodge’s car!
“You owe me. He’s unhinged, got it? I’ve held up my end of the deal. He has Aria.”
With a sigh, the woman groans in frustration. “You are to meet me at the Gas-n-Go in Kingsport, Tennessee. I’ll get you your cash and then you disappear forever. If you so much as call me again, I will sell your sorry self to my buyers.”
Mom says something else that’s too low for me to make out.
If we’re meeting at a gas station, maybe I can sneak off. Maybe she’ll be too distracted she won’t even notice me get out of the car.
Panicking is more dangerous than anything you might encounter…
Keep quiet. Keep my head down. Get to safety.
That’s always been the golden rule.
45
DEREK
I’m going to be fucking sick. My girlfriend and my daughter are gone in the same night while I slept in my bed. Why wasn’t I alerted? Why didn’t I stay up and make sure she wouldn’t try to pull the wool over my eyes?
Nate calls in his other agents. It’ll take forever for them to get here, and I’m not fucking risking it. I arm myself with a Glock and race to my truck, Tanner and Joey hot on my tail.
“Breathe, Bubba. You’re no good to them dead,” Joey instructs.
We’re armed with our radios. Nate’s voice comes over the airwaves, yelling at us to stay put. Absolutely fucking not. I’m getting my girls and I’m bringing them home.
“How the fuck did he get Zoey?” I demand.
“I don’t know,” Tanner mutters, working furiously on his laptop, trying to pull up the footage. “He got to Zoey after Aria left. How did the alarm not sound? Unless Aria didn’t arm the system back up…”
I. Don’t. Know!
I press the gas pedal all the way down. If I garner police attention, I don’t fucking care. As long as we get as many people to surround the building so he can’t escape. And then I’m going to kill him personally.
When we get into town, I can barely keep my cool. Tanner instructs she’s at the Shelter. As long as she’s in town, I can help her. I turn on to Western, and park like an asshole, taking at least three spots.
“Hawthorn!” Nate’s voice screams over the radio.
“Bubba, you can’t go after Emily. She’s aided and abetted a known felon. We’ll find her. Come back home,” Logan pleads.
Police lights scream behind us and Joey takes the walkie out of my grasp.
“All hands on deck,” Delgado announces quietly. “We’re tracking the GPS on Emily’s car. I’ll personally go after her.”
It’s at this moment I realize I’m leaving the fate of my daughter in my brother’s hands.
“Acknowledge,” Delgado demands.
“Bubba,” Joey says gently.
“Zoey’s kidnapped and I’m not going after her.”
“Emily’s the FBI’s problem right now. She kidnapped her while aiding Dodge. She’s not getting out of that. You trust Henry. Henry will take care of her,” Joey assures me.
My anger leeches through my fingers to the point where I feel my pulse pounding in my ears. I’m stuck in between a rock and a hard place. I can’t be in two places at once. If I stay here for Aria, I risk losing Zoey forever. If I leave Aria, I’ll sure as hell get Zoey back, but it’ll be short lived because I would choke the life out of her mother.
“Listen to me,” Logan’s voice appears on the walkie. “I know what you’re thinking. If you go after Zoey, you know you won’t get her back.” He knows me too well. He doesn’t have to be in this truck with me to know my fists are
clenching and murderous thoughts of my ex-wife are racing through my head.
In a fit of rage, I shout and bang the steering wheel repeatedly, and then the radio, cracking the LCD screen. Tanner and Joey watch on with hard exteriors. Gone are the brothers. Here are the Marines. Somebody has to be the tough one—and right now, it’s not me.
“Henry,” I bark hoarsely into the radio.
“I’m here, Bubba. Talk to me.”
“You get my girl, okay? You make sure she’s okay.” I swallow the lump in my throat while tears escape my eyes. I hope Zo will forgive me. “You get Emily and lock her up for the rest of her life, you hear me?”
“I’ll get our girl, Bubba. I promise. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
I’m grateful, truly I am. If it was anyone else, I don’t know what I would’ve done.
The tap of the butt of a flashlight knocks on my window. Chief Parker glares at me and shouts to get out of the car.
As I do that, more vehicles with blue and red lights scream into the parking lot. Nate’s the first one out, barking orders at everyone. Logan stays on his tail while the perimeter is set. When Nate’s eyes settle on me, he races forward and glares intently at Chief Parker, showing his FBI ID.
“I need everyone you got, Chief. I need people on the roof. I need people at every window—"
“Agent Olson, I don’t know what you think you’re doing—"
“The man in that building is on the FBI’s most wanted list. He escaped FBI custody and has my star witness hostage inside. Chief, you can have all the credit if that’s what gets you off, but I’m telling you, if Aria McKenzie isn’t brought out of that building alive, I will personally tear this town apart.”
Chief Parker stares at Nate dumbfounded.
“So again,” Nate seethes, “I need every exit of that godforsaken building covered. I need men at every window. I need men on the roof. And for fuck’s sake, I need a laptop with internet connection and a way to get a hold of Dodge inside.”
Chief Parker flounders for a moment, trying to decide which is his best option. He turns around and starts barking out orders to his men while Nate quietly sets up camp near my truck.
Make Me Dream (The Sage Creek Series Book 1) Page 33
