Next to Forever: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Three

by Long, A. L.

  “It’s dark again. Oh, God, someone’s at the door. I need to hide. There’s nowhere to hide. It’s too late. He’s here. What does he want? He’s coming closer. Oh, God, please help me.”

  *****

  Rade was frantic with worry. When he got to the room and Dylan wasn’t there, he almost lost it. When he saw the cloth on the floor, he knew she had been taken. He recognized that scent. It was chloroform. Someone got to her, but how? Rade thought to himself.

  “Peter, tell me you found her,” Rade asked in desperation.

  “Sorry, sir. Whoever took her got in through the delivery entrance,” Peter began. “Nothing was reported since it was a scheduled delivery.”

  “That’s not good enough, Peter. We have to find her. Do you understand? If Michael has her, who knows what he’ll do to her?” Rade responded frantically.

  “We'll start with the delivery company; maybe he still has the truck. Hopefully they have a GPS system and we can track where he went.” Peter replied with confidence.

  “Whatever it takes, Peter, whatever it takes.”

  When Rade hung up with Peter, his mind was whirling. He had to find Dylan. Pacing the floor in Dane’s office, he didn’t know where to start looking for her. He was thankful that Peter was doing something to find her. The only thing Rade could think about was how alone she must feel. If it was Michael who took her, she must be confused as well. Rade knew he should have told her Michael was still alive. He shouldn’t have been so selfish. He knew that if he told her, she would leave him. He couldn’t lose her. He just couldn’t risk it.

  Rade needed something to calm his nerves. Walking over to Dane’s liquor cabinet, he grabbed the bottle closest to him and poured it into a glass. He didn’t care what it was. All he cared about was making the pain he had in his heart go away. Tipping the glass back, he drank the amber liquid until it was gone. Even the burn of the alcohol didn’t faze him. Pouring himself another, he walked over to the window and cried out, “Sweetness, where are you?”

  As Rade tried to calm himself so he could think rationally, Dane entered the room. Rade turned to watch him pour himself a drink. Rade knew that in some way Dane blamed himself for Dylan being taken. Rade didn’t blame anyone but Michael and his obsession with her.

  Walking over to where Rade was standing, Dane placed his hand on his shoulder and said, “I’m so sorry, Rade. I thought I had everything covered. I didn’t even think about the deliveries.”

  “I know, Dane. It’s not your fault. I’m not blaming you for this,” Rade assured him. “We just need to find her.”

  “Whatever you need, my friend, just let me know and I’ll do it,” Dane said with anguish.

  It was late by the time Rade left The Castle. He knew that he needed to go home and get some rest. He just didn’t know if he could stand being in the penthouse without Dylan. He was afraid that everything would remind him of her and her absence. So his next plan was to either spend the night at the office or at a hotel. After throwing his idea back and forth, he finally settled on a hotel.

  After driving to no particular place, Rade spotted a hotel. Pulling into the parking lot, he exited his car and headed to the lobby. It wasn’t his preferred five-star hotel, but the way he felt, he couldn’t care less. The host at the front desk greeted him with a toothless smile.

  “I need a room for one night,” Rade requested.

  “No checks, no credit cards, cash only. It will be eighty bucks for the room and an extra twenty for use of the Internet,” the man grumbled.

  Rade didn’t argue about the cost of the room. He just needed a place where he could think. Throwing a hundred on the counter, Rade was given a key to his room. Before he left the lobby, he asked, “Is there a liquor store nearby?”

  “Yeah, there’s one a couple of blocks up the street. Better hurry if you want anything. They close in fifteen minutes,” the man informed him.

  Walking the short distance to the liquor store, Rade returned to his room with a bottle of their finest scotch, which only cost Rade twenty bucks for a fifth of something he never heard of, but was assured it was the best they carried.

  This was the life, drinking cheap scotch from a plastic cup, which he would probably get charged for. At least he had one thing going for him, the room was clean.

  By the time Rade went to bed, he had consumed the entire bottle of scotch, ending up with a headache and not the numbness he was searching for. Too tired to even think, his body finally gave in.

  *****

  It had been exactly three days, six hours and twenty minutes since Dylan was taken. Rade tried everything he could to find her, but he came up with nothing. The delivery van that was taken showed up near an empty warehouse. One thing Rade knew for sure, based on the description of the man who knocked the delivery driver out and stole the van, it was Michael. He also knew that the longer Dylan was gone, the slimmer his chances were of finding her. This was tearing him apart.

  Staring out the living room window, his cell began to ring. Looking down at the screen, he saw that it was Richard. Swiping the screen he said desperately, “I’m going crazy, Richard. Please tell me you have something for me.”

  “We may have a lead. Remember the bartender from that dive bar?” Richard asked.

  “Yeah. What does she have to do with anything?” Rade asked confused.

  “Well, Mr. Stewart showed up there a couple of nights ago. Josh tried to get to him, but he slipped out the back. Anyway, the bartender shared some information with him. She said Michael was with a woman, and based on the way she was dressed, she didn’t belong there. This is what raised her curiosity. She overheard what they were talking about,” Richard explained.

  “So what did she hear?” Rade questioned.

  “She heard them talking about the old sewer plant and how it would be a great place to hide someone.” Richard began. “When Josh asked her to describe the woman, she gave a perfect description of Chloe. They must be working together. I think that as much as Michael wanted Dylan, Chloe wanted her out of the way more.”

  “You might be on to something, Richard. If they are working together, it only makes sense that she would want to help Michael. We need to get over there. Pick me up at the penthouse,” Rade requested before he hung up.

  Rade looked like hell. Taking a much needed shower, he quickly rinsed the grime off his body, three days worth. Looking in the mirror, he didn’t even recognize himself. He looked like a mountain man with his unshaven face and hollow eyes. Tossing his appearance aside, he walked out of the bathroom to his closet and got dressed. Wearing a pair of worn jeans and a t-shirt, he headed down to the parking garage to meet Richard. Even though he wasn’t a religious man, he prayed that this piece of information would lead them to Dylan.

  Rade exited the elevator just as Richard pulled up. Getting into the Yukon, Rade looked over at Richard and said, “Let’s go.”

  “Can I just say, you look like shit,” Richard admitted.

  “Yeah, well you would look like shit too, if the woman you loved was taken from you,” Rade belted out.

  Richard didn’t dare remark. He knew Rade didn’t need any more criticism. Concentrating on his driving, Richard proceeded out of the covered garage. Pulling onto the street, they began heading out of town. The old sewer plant was on the outskirts of town. Richard already contacted Peter to make sure he was in route to meet them there with his men. Richard wasn’t sure what would be waiting for them, so he wanted to make sure they were well prepared.

  Driving up a dirt road into the sewer plant, Richard and Rade scanned the area. From what they could see, there were no other vehicles around. Not seeing a vehicle didn’t mean that Dylan wasn’t being held there. Driving around the back, there was still no sign that anyone was around. Pulling his cell from his pocket, Richard dialed Peter to find out where he was.

  “Peter, where are you?” Richard asked.

  “We should be there in five. Don’t do anything until we get there,” Peter dem
anded.

  “Will do,” Richard replied.

  Just as Richard hung up with Peter, Rade opened his car door. Looking over to him, Richard asked, “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to find Dylan,” Rade said point blank.

  “Peter is going to be here in five minutes. He said to stay put. I think we should listen to him and wait before we make a move,” Richard suggested, knowing he was wasting his time.

  “We may not have five minutes,” Rade hissed as he continued to exit the SUV.

  “Then I’m going with you,” Richard acknowledged as he opened his door.

  Heading to the back of the Yukon, Richard opened the hatch and pulled out a rifle and a handgun. He didn’t have much time to prepare, given Rade’s demand to find Dylan.

  “Here, take this,” Richard demanded as he handed Rade the handgun. “You’re not going in there unarmed.”

  Rade took the gun from Richard, checking the magazine for ammo. He wanted to make sure the gun was fully loaded. Pulling back the slide, he loaded a bullet into the chamber.

  Fully armed, Rade and Richard began walking toward the building. Just as they reached the entry door, Peter and his men pulled up. Exiting the truck, Peter walked up to the two men.

  “I thought I told you to wait. There’s no way of knowing what is waiting inside,” Peter hissed quietly.

  “I couldn’t let Rade go alone,” Richard admitted.

  “Mr. Matheson, with all due respect…” Peter began.

  “Save it, Peter. You’re not here to give me orders,” Rade retorted.

  Looking at Rade’s body language, Peter knew that arguing with him was going to get him nowhere. He could only imagine what Rade was going through. Peter didn’t want to make the situation any worse than it already was.

  “You follow us in. No discussions,” Peter directed, looking right at Rade. The last thing he wanted was to for Rade to play hero and end up getting hurt.

  Rade didn’t argue with Peter. He trusted Peter would keep them safe. Walking up to the steel door, Peter pulled it open. Checking out the area for any movement, Peter signaled to the rest of the men that the area was clear. As they made their way down the long hall, Peter and his men checked the rooms for any sign of Dylan. All the rooms were clear.

  Heading down the steep staircase, Rade was beginning to panic. He had this gut feeling that Dylan wasn’t there. She may have been there at some point, but something was telling him that she was no longer there.

  Making their way down the metal stairs, Peter was listening for any kind of sound or movement. Reaching the bottom, there were only a few closed doors. The smell of the area was definitely like a sewer. Pushing open the first door, Peter saw nothing. It wasn’t until they reached the second door that Peter saw where Dylan must have been kept. Inside the room was a soiled mattress nestled in the corner of the room with a makeshift toilet consisting of a bucket and the top of a toilet seat in the other. Peter could see two bowls on the floor. One contained dirty water while the other only contained remnants of what Peter assumed was food. The whole place was disgusting. Pulling a flashlight from his waistband, Peter inspected the room further. Shining the light in the room, he noticed that something was scratched on the wall. Stepping closer, he tried to decipher the message.

  HELP ME TAKEN BY MICHAEL DOMINO SU

  Peter was trying to understand what the message meant. Walking up behind him, Rade also read the message. The only thing that made sense was that fact that Michael had taken her. The other part of the message didn’t mean anything to the men.

  After they walked through the plant for more clues, Rade was giving up hope when they came up with nothing other than the clue Dylan left on the wall. Rade was able to get a good picture of the message from the camera on his phone. Once he was back in the SUV, he googled DOMINO SU. All he could do is hope that he would get a hit. Coming up with nothing except a well-known pizza place, Rade cursed to himself. His lack of sleep and patience were taking hold. He needed to find Dylan.

  Richard felt his tension. Looking over to him, he said, “We will find her, Rade. Let me do some checking. Maybe someone will know what her message means.”

  Running his hands through his hair, Rade nodded and then turned away from Richard. Rade was completely numb as he looked out his door window. He felt the pressure on his heart as he thought about how alone and scared Dylan must be. When he found Michael, he was going to make sure he paid for what he put Dylan through.

  Reaching the penthouse, Richard dropped Rade off while he went to Peter’s and hashed out the message that was found on the wall. Nothing would make him happier than to figure out what it meant.

  Rade entered the quietness of the penthouse. This was the last place that he wanted to be. Without Dylan, the quietness was too much of a reminder of what he didn’t have. Looking at the message he took with his phone, Rade stared at it, trying to figure out what it could possibly mean. With nowhere else to go with it, he decided to contact Evan. Maybe he would be able to shed some light on the message. Evan’s experience as a freelance investigator couldn’t hurt.

  Dialing his number Rade waited for Evan to answer. “Hello,” Evan greeted Rade, surprised by his call.

  “Evan, I need your help,” Rade began. “There are some things that I haven’t told you. They pertain to Dylan. She’s been taken.”

  “What do you mean, ‘she’s been taken?’” Evan asked, confused.

  “Can we meet? I’ll tell you everything,” Rade asked.

  Hanging up with Evan, Rade decided it was best to meet him at Riley’s. Grabbing his jacket, Rade headed out of the penthouse. Rade knew he should have been honest, not only with Dylan, but also with his brother. Even though they got off on the wrong foot, they were still family. The only family Rade had.

  Driving through the city, Rade ran through his mind how he was going to explain everything to Evan. Coming up short, he decided to just tell him. Plain and simple. Once Rade reached Evan’s place, he drove around the block and turned into the alley, where he parked behind the bar. Exiting his car, Rade entered the establishment through the back door. Evan’s office was in the back of the bar, so it didn’t take long for Rade to reach him.

  The door was already open, so Rade entered Evan’s office, knocking lightly on the door. Evan looked up, showing concern on his face.

  Rising to his feet, he rounded his desk and said, “You look like hell, brother.” Walking over to his bar, he poured him a drink. “Here, looks like you could use this.”

  “Thanks,” Rade said, walking closer to Evan to accept the glass of whiskey.

  Taking a seat, Rade downed the entire contents before he began explaining. “Remember when we were looking through the security footage?” Rade paused for a response. As Evan nodded, Rade continued. “I wasn’t exactly honest with you. I was looking for something in particular. A man. Dylan was engaged. His name is Michael Stewart. He disappeared shortly before they were supposed to be married. He stole ten million dollars from one of my companies and in order for him not to get caught, he plotted his own death, only he couldn’t stay away. He’s the one who wrote Dylan that note. He was here. Your security footage showed him entering. He has her, Evan.”

  Evan sat back in his chair, swiping his hand through his hair. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “So does Dylan know this?” Evan asked concerned.

  “No, I had every intention of telling her. Once we were engaged, I was going to tell her everything,” Rade confessed.

  “Wait. What? You two are engaged?” Evan asked surprised.

  “Yeah,” Rade replied.

  “So I guess congratulations are in order. What do you need from me?” Evan asked.

  Pulling his phone from his jacket, Rade pulled up the picture he took of the message Dylan left on the wall. Handing the phone to Evan, he asked, “Do you know what this could mean?”

  As Evan stared at the message, Rade waited for an answer. “I’m not sure,” Evan began. “Let
me look into it and get back with you. Something about it… seems familiar.”

  Once Evan finished jotting down the message, Rade let his office. He wasn’t sure where to go next. One thing he knew for sure, he couldn’t go back to the penthouse. There was too much of Dylan there. Heading out of the city, there was only one other place he could go. Somewhere he was always able to find the answers he needed.

  What was normally an eight hour drive, took Rade six hours. Just like the last time he was here, his speed exceeded the allowable limit. Rade thought about the last time he visited his brother’s grave; it had been because of Dylan as well. It was the first time he thought he lost her, but by some miracle, he got her back.

  Walking up to the grave, Rade knelt in front of his brother. “Isaac, tell me what to do, brother. Help me find the answers I need to find her. I love her so much. If I ever lost her, I don’t know what I would do. How I would ever be able to live my life.”

  Lowering his head, Rade felt defeated. With anger he yelled at the top of his lungs, “Dylan, please help me find you.”

  Rade didn’t know what time it was, but the heat of the sun was warm against his face. Looking up, he realized that he had fallen asleep beside his brother’s grave. Pushing to his feet, he kissed his index finger and placed it on Isaac’s headstone.

  Rade didn’t speed on his way back home. Instead, he took his time. He was mostly lost in thought, trying to find the answers he needed. He thought for sure visiting his brother’s grave would give him the answers that he needed.

  Eight hours later he was in the parking garage at Crystal Hill Tower. Pulling into his parking spot, Rade looked over to Dylan’s Audi. He remembered the day he bought it for her and the hard time she gave him. To this day, he still hadn’t cashed any of the checks she gave him for payment. Chuckling at himself, he slid his hand along the smooth surface of the car before heading to the elevator. He had to find her.