The side panel of the white van opened up and another man stepped out, this one larger than the others put together. He took a moment to straighten his jacket before reaching into the vehicle.
Roughly, he yanked a young, teen girl out into the morning air. She was crying hysterically, terrified she was about to be killed. A tiny, wisp of a thing, with long, blonde, hair— dirty and unkempt, wearing filthy clothes and sporting a black eye and swollen lip.
Something about her reminded Drew of his sister, Kelli, when she was thirteen, or perhaps he just had Kelli on his mind. Either way, it took every ounce of restraint not to act on his urge to attack these bastards.
The girl’s name was Jenifer Ward. Drew had wanted to know who he was risking life for. She had just celebrated her thirteenth birthday not three weeks ago. Her friends called her Jen, and she was a big fan of pop music, romantic comedies, and books with sad endings. She had a dog named Ralph, and a bunny named Whiskers. Her parents were John and Elizabeth Ward, and she had two younger brother, Jake and James— both eight.
It was Drew’s responsibility to make sure this girl got home to see them again.
Her parents were rich. Not stupid, stinking, filthy rich, but rich enough the kidnappers knew they’d be able to raise a million dollars, which they had. They relied on the General and his team to use that million to get their daughter back.
The huge, tank of a man dragged Jen to Samson, who grabbed her by the hair. “Give us the money, and we’ll give you the girl.”
Drew smiled and shook his head. “Isn’t it a shame in today’s day and age, you just can’t feel comfortable trusting anyone. Including kidnappers. You bring the girl to the half way mark. I’ll meet you there with the money.”
Samson tilted his head. “How do I know you won’t try something?”
“You don’t,” Drew said with a shrug. “Why would I? It’s not my money. It belongs to her parents. They made it clear all they care about is getting their daughter back, alive and unhurt. I’ve got no reason to try anything. You do.”
The fact was, Drew hadn’t talked to the parents. He had no idea how they felt about parting with the money. The General hadn’t said anything, one way or another, but the line sounded good. At least, Drew hoped it did.
Samson let go of Jen’s hair, snapped his fingers and handed the girl off to the ‘Tank’. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her forward. Jen winced in pain. When she started to trip, he pulled her back up roughly. She was lucky he didn’t dislocate her shoulder.
Drew wanted to demolish him, but that wouldn’t be smart and he needed to be smart. Get Jen out; that was his job. These sons of bitches would get theirs. The General would see to that.
Drew stepped forward, briefcase in hand, and went to get a scared, young girl. The ‘Tank’ held out his hand for the briefcase. Drew held it out and reached for the girl. The moment his fingers grasped the handle, he shoved Jen straight into Drew’s arms.
Too easy.
Quickly, Drew put his arm around the girl and guided her back to the SUV. He kept his eyes on the men with the guns as he closed the distance to his car in seconds. “Come on, Jen. I’m taking you home.”
“I’m afraid I can’t have that,” Samson said. With another snap of his fingers, all the men had guns trained on them.
Jen started to weep as Drew shoved her behind him. She shook and buried her face on his back, sobbing, convinced she was about to die. “You’ve got what you came for. I just want to bring the girl home to her family.”
Samson shook his head and grinned, pulling the shades off of his face for the first time. “No, no, no. I’m afraid she’s seen our faces. So have you. Really, despite your earlier warning, you are far too trusting.”
Drew sent Samson his most wicked grin. “No. I’m not.”
As the smile faded from Samson’s face, the briefcase exploded, scattering the one million dollars, now on fire, billowing through the air. The briefcase itself launched straight up and only when it started to fall did the arm detach— the rest of the ‘Tanks’ body blown in various directions.
Before Samson or his thugs could register the fact their million dollars had gone boom, shots rang out. ‘Pony Tails’ head exploded, followed by one of the men behind him. Bodies started to hit the ground as Drew grabbed Jen and ran her to the back of the car. He’d almost got to the end when something smashed into him from behind.
Jen screamed louder as someone grabbed her.
Samson.
His shades gone, eyes narrow and wild; like an uncaged animal, Samson raised his gun. Drew kicked him square in the chest, making him stumble back and drop the gun to the ground, which Drew promptly kicked away.
Stumbling back a few feet, Samson reached to the small of his back and pulled out a long hunting knife. Brandishing the blade, he grinned as he lunged forward.
In a lightning fast motion, Drew lashed out grabbing Samson’s arm. He turned and twisted it sharply. A savage snap mixed with a cry of pain. Drew shifted his weight, smashing his elbow into Samson’s face and breaking his nose before turning to face him.
Seizing Samson, Drew launched him forward through the driver’s side window of the SUV. Drew repeated the same move, obliterating the backseat window and Samson’s face.
Jen peeked out from the corner of the car. Once again, Drew saw his sister in Jen’s face, and his father in Samson’s.
Drew’s fists pummeled the face, trying to erase it from existence. All measure of control gone. Blood gushed out of Samson’s nose and mouth. Bones cracked as Drew pounded out his fury.
Drew never heard the General yelling in his ear, or the cars racing up behind him. He would have kept going if someone’s hand hadn’t grabbed his arm.
“That’s enough, Marine.”
Drew stopped, shocked at the General holding his arm, his eyes grim and concerned.
“He’s out and you’re not doing anything but scaring the girl.” The General nodded toward Jen who stared at him with eyes wide with fear.
With an incredible amount of effort, Drew released Samson, who toppled to the ground in a bloody heap. He moved towards Jen, who backed away from him, as she was whisked into the back of a SUV matching the one Drew smashed up using Samson as a battering ram.
“Let’s go,” the General said. “Now.”
The General herded Drew into the back of a black Humvee. Without word, he held a medical kit and bottle of water. He opened the water and handed it to Drew before going to work on his bloody knuckles.
“Drink,” the General said. “Or, I’ll pour it down your throat.”
Drew drank nearly the entire bottle at once.
“Why’d you lose control?”
“Bastard deserved it and more. She was terrified down to the bone, and he was going to kill her even after he had his money.”
The General paused a moment. “Yes, he was, but that girl didn’t deserve to witness you erasing his face.” He waited a moment, and went back to tending to Drew’s hands. “This have to do with your sister?”
Drew closed his eyes and nodded. “We were all targets for our father growing up. I tried to protect them, but I was useless in prison. By the time I got out, they’d left him. I thought they were safe. I thought all this time they simply didn’t want anything to do with me. Believed I’d…” Drew finished the rest of the water.
“I know what you were accused of,” the General said. “I never believed it. If I had, you wouldn’t be here. Neither did my grandson.”
Drew winced. Matthew McAlister. Another person he was supposed to protect.
“I fucked up, and because of it, my sister ended up with some asshole just as bad if not worse than our father.”
The General finished with Drew’s hands. “We all fuck up in life. Nothing you can do about the past. Just don’t keep doing it. Now, I asked you earlier today and you never answered me. You going to go see your sister?”
Going back to Ember Falls was more terrifying than the shootout he’
d just survived, but Drew didn’t hesitate. “Yes, sir. I think I have some vacation left.”
The General nodded. “Son, I don’t think you’ve ever taken a vacation. As soon as we wrap up the legal details from today, consider yourself on leave.”
The car pulled to a stop and they got out in the parking lot of the small hotel they’d set up for the op. Drew exited the Humvee just in time to see the parents come out. The husband held his wife as they scanned the cars, looking for their daughter.
With the help of another of the General’s agents, Jen slid out of the third SUV. Her parent’s eyes filled with tears. They both called her name and they raced to her.
Jen did the same, calling out for mommy and daddy like she had probably done when she was a little girl and awakened from a nightmare. They collided in an embrace filled with love.
Drew watched them. The girl would have plenty of nightmares ahead of her, but she’d be okay.
Slowly, he and the General walked over. The family didn’t notice them at first. When they did, the mother launched herself at the General and hugged him.
“Thank you for getting our baby back.”
The General smiled. “Our pleasure,” he said as the father shook his hand. “I’m afraid things didn’t go smoothly. We had to sacrifice the money.”
Drew watched their reactions, or rather lack thereof. Their smiles never faltered an inch. The money was a non-issue with them. They had their daughter back. Nothing else mattered.
There were a lot of questions to be answered by the local police. It took a little time for Drew to extract himself and head back to the hotel room. He needed a shower, a cigarette, and a stiff drink.
Before heading into the bathroom, Drew opened his sister’s email again. He scanned it quickly, pulling out the important details. She’d never gotten his letters until she’d returned to Ember Falls. Ashley was still angry, but Kelli was confident she’d come around. Kelli’s mention of her ex was brief, but telling. She never came out and said he’d hit her, but her meaning was clear.
‘He was far more of a monster than Dad ever was.’
Finally, Drew’s eyes found the picture of his nephew— Cole. There was no joy in his eyes. It was as if Drew stared into a mirror of his past.
Whatever Cole’s life had been up until now, it was over. Kelli said as much, and Drew swore he’d do whatever was needed to help his sister keep that promise. It was time he stepped up.
Drew hit reply on the email and began to type a response. Moments later, he erased it and started again, and again. When he finally managed to finish, Drew quickly hit send before he had a chance to rethink it too much.
There. It was done. He’d included his cell phone, so Kelli could call him if she wanted. The thought of his sister’s voice made Drew grin as he headed into the bathroom.
As Drew stripped down and climbed into the tiny shower, he realized there was something else stirring within him—joy.
He was an uncle. Wasn’t that a kick?
After the shower, Drew dressed and grabbed his phone to see if anyone in the group was up for a drink. He had a voicemail and though he didn’t recognize the number, the area code he knew— Ember Falls.
Hitting the speaker button, Drew dialed his voicemail access number, keyed in his password, and smiled as he waited to hear his sister’s voice.
“Drew? This is Lilly. I don’t know if you remember me from high school.” Drew did. Who could forget her? Little Lilly— small but mighty. She was like an unofficial Duncan. “I’m sorry. Drew something happened to Kelli. They found her today. She’s dead. I’m so sorry. I know she emailed you. She talked to me about it. Please give me a call. I’m so sorry.”
She rattled off a number, but Drew didn’t hear it. Instead, he fumbled with the phone and replayed the message. He heard wrong. There was no way Kelli could be dead. Not his sister. Not her.
This had to be a joke. A cruel, sadistic joke, or a mistake. A horrible mistake.
But it wasn’t. He remembered Lilly. She wasn’t just a beautiful girl; she was smart and kind and would never make this kind of mistake or do anything this cruel. Which meant there was only one possibility.
Kelli, one of the two siblings he’d shared a womb with for seven and a half months and a house with for nearly eighteen years, was dead.
Chapter 2
Cell Phones Can’t Swim
Paul McAlister was a man who trusted his instincts. From the first time he met Drew Duncan, his grandson’s buddy while he visited them on base, he decided he’d liked him. More so because he learned Drew saved his grandson’s life, at great personal risk, on three separate occasions. From the first time the General had shaken hands with him, he thought about having Drew come to work for him when his tour was over. Drew didn’t strike him as a career Marine. Again, instinct told him Drew hadn’t quite found his place in the world.
He’d done his homework. The General had resources and used them. Drew came from a rough family situation. His mother died when Drew and his sisters were young. The father was a cop in the small town of Ember Falls. He was also a drunk and although there was no official report to confirm, the General read between the lines.
The General recognized the signs in Drew. The anger beneath the surface and the self-loathing behind his eyes. He knew what someone looked like when they grew up as someone’s personal punching bag, since he’d seen that same look as a teenager whenever he’d looked in the mirror.
Because they both came from ugliness, he understood Drew Duncan from that first handshake. The General always been able to read him before Drew said a word. That’s how the General knew his best man was scared shitless about going to his hometown. That’s how he knew Drew was going back to Ember Falls and not coming back before Drew came to the conclusion himself.
And that’s why he understood the grief in Drew’s eyes when he found him pounding on his door.
“I need to borrow a car.”
“What happened?”
Drew’s jaw tightened, his fists clenched and his eyes closed against tears. “I just got a message. My sister’s dead. I don’t know anything more than that. I need to get to the airport and get home.”
The General reached out, placed his left hand on the young man’s shoulder, reached into his jacket pocket with his right hand, and pulled out his cell.
“Get the plane ready for immediate take off, I’ll be there in twenty minutes. We’re going to Ember Falls, New York. Make it happen.”
Drew trembled and filled with gratitude.
“Go get your things. Meet me out front in five minutes.”
Drew nodded and did as he was ordered.
In less than a half hour, they were air born. Drew wanted to talk to his sister Ashley, but he didn’t have her cell number. That fact alone was humiliating. How had he let this happen? How had he left his sisters to fend for themselves? He sat there, staring at his phone as if it would suddenly ring.
The General slid Drew a glass of brandy. “Drink it.”
Drew downed the contents. “I don’t have… Ashley, my other sister. We haven’t spoken since…”
“Do you have that other girl’s number? Lilly?”
Drew looked up, nodded.
“Call it.”
Drew looked back down at his phone.
“Call it, now,” the General ordered. There was no softness in his voice, just authority and command.
It snapped Drew out of his trance. He dialed Lilly’s number and waited.
“Hello? Drew?”
“Yeah.” Drew forced himself to breathe. “What the hell happened? Please tell me it’s a mistake. Please.”
The silence on the other end was all the answer he needed.
“What happened? Was it an accident? It wasn’t, was it?”
“No.” Lilly said. The anguish in her voice made it clear she’d been crying. “She was killed. We don’t know much right now.”
Drew’s face flushed with anger. He wanted to pound somethi
ng or someone.
He gritted his teeth. “Is that bastard in jail?”
Lilly sighed. “It’s not that simple. The police don’t know who did it.”
“How hard is it to guess? Kelli wrote to me. A long, detailed email about what happened to her. Where is he? Where is the son of a bitch?”
“He’s in jail,” Lilly said. “On assault charges, but not on Kelli, or at least not only on her. He’s been there for a few weeks. He didn’t do this. Couldn’t have.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Lilly gave a weary sigh. “I know, but it’s true.”
Drew rubbed his hand over his face, pressed his thumb into his left temple and blew out a breath. “Where’s Ashley? Is she… how is she doing? And Cole?”
“Ashley is devastated,” Lilly said. “She just got her sister back. She’s in a fury right now, but she’s trying to calm down. Cole is…”
Lilly’s voice cracked and Drew pictured her with tears pouring down her face.
“He hasn’t said anything since we told him,” Lilly said. “He won’t talk, he won’t eat. Drew, what did Kelli tell you in her email?”
The email had been a flurry of emotions for Drew. Hope he could have a relationship with his sister. Joy he had a nephew. Anger at what Kelli had been through.
Now the hope had been murdered along with Kelli and any joy was drowned out by the anger which now overwhelmed him.
“She told me how her ex hurt her,” Drew finally said. “How he kept her from leaving him. She didn’t go into details, but there was a lot of self-blaming in there. Kelli always did that. Blamed herself when something bad happened.
“I was going to come,” Drew continued. “I’d just gotten her message earlier. I’ve been busy and I hadn’t checked my personal emails in a few days, but once I did, I was going to take vacation. Come see her. Meet Cole. God, Lilly, if I hadn’t been too busy, if I’d called her, maybe I could have…”
“Don’t go there, Drew,” Lilly said. She always had a quiet authority in her voice. “She talked to me about emailing you. She’d been trying to get up the nerve to hit send. She told me when she finally did. It was the same night she disappeared. Even if you’d gotten the email then and jumped on a plane five minutes later, it wouldn’t have made any difference.”
Torn Away (The Torn Series Book 1) Page 2
