Torn Away (The Torn Series Book 1)

by Vincent Morrone

  Cole did recognize the woman.

  “You! You pretended to be nice! You said you were sorry! You’re a liar!”

  Diana looked almost amused. Her eyebrows went up and she smiled. “Cole, sweetie, I was sorry for what happened to your mom.” She managed to force her smile into a phony frown as she approached Cole. She knelt on one knee and tried to look sympathetic. “I hated it when your mom was killed, but she wouldn’t listen to me. Really, it’s not my fault what happened. It’s hers. I tried to help her.”

  Cole lunged forward, but all he managed was to fall out of the chair. Rose tried to tell him to calm down, but he wouldn’t listen.

  “You’re a liar!”

  “I’m not lying,” Diana insisted, looking down at Cole. “I tried to help her fix her pathetic life. I wanted to help her become strong. To not be scared to walk down the street. She thought Edward was going to come back here, but she was safe. As long as she stayed in town, Edward wouldn’t come to Ember Falls. But she couldn’t just deal with life. She wanted your uncle back in town. The moment she decided to start asking questions, she signed her own death warrant.”

  As Cole screamed at her to shut up, Diana rose and looked to the man who came in with her. “Wilson, get him back in the chair. Now.”

  Cole continued to struggle as Wilson reached down with one hand and lifted him into the chair. Too furious to be afraid, Cole kicked his leg.

  “Ow!” Wilson smacked Cole’s face hard, much harder than Harrington had. Then he put his huge hand on Cole’s throat and started to slowly squeeze.

  Cole’s eyes bulged as Wilson slowly increased the pressure on his neck. Rose screamed for the man to leave him alone as Cole’s air supply was cut off. His vision blurred and there were three of everything.

  “Enough,” Diana said.

  Wilson sighed and let go. Cole gasped for breath. His chest was on fire as he gulped down air. He looked into Wilson’s eyes. This man was different than Harrington. The other man would hurt Cole if he had to. Wilson wanted to. With downturned lips and a sneer towards Diana, Wilson was disappointed to have to stop.

  “I’m the one who slit your mom’s throat,” Wilson said. His tone so casual he might have been bragging about his golf swing. “Then I jabbed the knife into her chest. She knew she was dead. It was fun to watch.”

  “Wilson!” Diana barked. “Get away. You’ll get your chance.”

  Wilson scowled and reluctantly backed off.

  Harrington paced behind him, still chugging straight from the bottle. He was sweating and refusing to look at what happened.

  He started for the door, but Diana stepped in front of him. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

  Harrington jutted his chin towards the door. “Right out back. You don’t need me in here. You’ve got Wilson. Besides,” He looked towards Cole. “I’ve got to pee.”

  He tried to go around her, but Diana put a hand on his chest. “You’re not going anywhere. Put that bottle down and knock it off.”

  “I don’t want to see this,” Harrington said as he tried to push by Diana.

  “Too bad.” She grabbed the bottle out of Harrington’s hand and put it on a nearby table. “You knew what would happen when you grabbed him. It’s not like we can let him go.”

  Harrington clenched his fists. “I’m not psycho boy there.” He pointed towards Wilson. “Ever since he killed the kid’s mother, he’s been itching to do it again. He talked about doing them all the other night, how he could have taken his time and done it slow. You should have heard the perverted things he wanted to do.”

  Diana rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You don’t think he told me? Who do you think told him not to?” Her eyes slid towards Wilson. “And if the idiot hadn’t left his damn cell in his car, I could have warned him to get out of the house, which is why we’re here.”

  Wilson shrugged. “If you let me do things my way, I’d have taken care of that fuck Duncan myself.”

  Diana sighed before moving back towards Cole. She was pleased to see the fight in his eyes replaced with fear. Wilson had a way of doing that.

  “Now, Cole,” she said in a gentle voice. “I just need you to help me out. Your Mom was asking some questions and poking around. She told me she had something interesting and had it safe. Where is it?”

  Cole shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looked at Harrington who looked scared now.

  Diana smiled. “I believe you honey, I do. But she had something. I want you to think. It could be a little thing, one of those tiny plastic things you stick in a computer. Or maybe a few pages of papers. Anything. Did she give you something? A flash drive? A box or book?”

  Cole kept saying no. He was crying again. They were going to kill him if Uncle Drew didn’t get here soon.

  Diana frowned. “Oh, sweetie, I wish I could just believe that, but it’s too important. You’ve got to tell me, or something bad will happen.”

  Cole racked his brain, but there was nothing that he could remember. The fact was, his mom hadn’t giving him anything since they got home. She didn’t even have a computer or a cell phone. She’d used Lilly’s to send Uncle Drew that email.

  “I don’t know,” he whined.

  With a sigh of disappointment, Diana stood up straight. “Cole, I want to give you every chance to think about it. So while you do,” She stepped back and moved towards Harrington. “Wilson’s going to show you what he plans to do to you if you don’t remember.”

  Wilson smiled and stepped forward. “’Bout time.”

  “But I really don’t know,” Cole cried.

  Diana shrugged. “You may be right, but we have to be sure.” She looked to Wilson. “Move him so he can see the woman. Then have your fun.”

  Grinning, Wilson reached into a leather sheath on his belt and pulled out a knife with a four and a half inch blade. He went behind Cole and shifted his chair so he was looking right at Rose, then leaned into Cole’s ear. “Let’s see how loud the old lady can scream, kid.”

  Rose’s eyes widened in terror. She was going to be tortured in front of Cole. Her heart banged in her chest and she prayed for a heart attack to come and end it all quickly.

  Diana’s cell beeped. Pulling it out, she examined the screen.

  “You can’t get a signal in here with those cheap things,” Harrington said.

  “It’s a text you idiot,” Diana said as she opened the flip case. “They take less bandwidth.” She opened the text app and her eyes scanned the message. Her mouth opened and her eyes narrowed. “Shit!”

  Wilson put the hand with the knife on Cole’s shoulder. “What’s the matter?”

  Diane shoved the phone in her back pocket and started for the door. “Someone’s coming! Grab them! Now!”

  Seizing Cole, he pulled him off the chair and threw him over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes, not bothering to be gentle. “Deal with the old hag,” he told Harrington.

  They both quickly followed. Wilson moving effortlessly with Cole and Harrington struggling with Rose. Within seconds they were outside and Wilson caught up with Diana. Both Wilson and Diana headed to a red Nissan parked close to the woods while Harrington pushed and shoved Rose towards his brown Buick.

  Rose knew she had to get away now, but she was afraid to move with Harrington’s gun pressed to her head. She thought maybe she’d have a shot when he unlocked the door. He couldn’t keep one hand on her and the gun in his other hand while he did so.

  Harrington stopped short at the sound of a car moving against the dirt road. Ollie’s SUV skidded to a stop and the doors swung open.

  Harrington looked over his shoulder and yelled out. “They’re here!”

  Chapter 23

  Promises Kept

  “Stay in the car, Ashley!” Drew barked out the order just as Ollie swung the car behind the small cabin. Drew had his Beretta ready. Harrington held onto a white faced and shaking Rose. About twenty feet away, Wilson and the woman they’d heard o
n the link raced towards their car.

  Nestled into a small nook of tall trees, there was only one path for a car to get to and from the rear of the small cabin. With a sharp turn at the wheel, Ollie blocked the only possible escape route for their two vehicles. It also exposed the side of the car both he and Drew were on to direct gun fire, but it protected Ashley.

  “Sam, you and Ollie handle Harrington and Nana,” Drew said as he opened his door. “I’ve got Cole.”

  Seatbelts were unbuckled and everyone quickly exited the car. “Get back in the car, Ash!” Drew ordered again, right before he banked left.

  “Not gonna happen,” Ashley replied under her breathe. She dashed to the right, and followed her brother.

  Sam and Ollie moved as a unit towards Nana and Harrington. Both hands steadily on her Glock, Sam stayed on Harrington’s non-gun side. “Get your hands off my grandmother, Harrington!”

  The detective tightened his grip, as if Rose were his lifeline. His face an ugly shade of purple, and sweat pouring out of him.

  “You and you’re partner back away!” He turned towards Ollie, then Sam, and then back again. “You let me get into my car and get away. I’ll let her go down the road.”

  Sam shook her head. “Not going to happen.”

  Harrington shoved the gun into the back of Rose’s neck. Sam winced as Nana cried out in terror, but didn’t falter. Her gun stayed aimed at Harrington’s chest. She knew she couldn’t let the detective leave with her grandmother.

  “You’ve got no chance, Harrington,” Sam said. Despite feeling shaken to the bone, Sam’s voice was steady and sure. “It’s over.”

  “Bullshit,” Harrington yelled, spit flying from his moth as he shouted. “I’m going to run and you’ll never see me again.”

  Sam needed Harrington’s focus on her, so she took a sharp step forward. “You’re out of options. The moment you pull that trigger, you die. We’ve got back up on the way. Not cops. Men with semi-automatic weapons. They’ll be here within minutes. They’ll have snipers who can take you out at twenty feet.”

  Sam really had no idea how many people the General was bringing, or when they’d get here, but she knew it sounded good. Harrington had known about Drew working for McAlister Securities, so why not use it.

  It was working. Harrington was totally focused on her. Tunnel vision had kicked in.

  “Once they get here,” Sam continued. “They’ll take you down if you give them a shot. All they need is a small opening and boom. You’re a big fucking target hiding behind a little old lady. You won’t even know you’re dead. You’re only chance of surviving this is to let Nana go and surrender.”

  “No! No! No!” Harrington shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried to deny the reality around him. “I ain’t going to jail. They won’t let me survive in there. I’ve got to get out of here.”

  He was losing it, so Sam kept pushing. “You may not even last that long. Look at you, you fat fuck. You’re soaked with sweat. You’re shaking. Your face looks like a plum. You’re going to drop dead of a coronary any second now. Drop your weapon and let her go. Because I promise you, if you hurt her, I will shoot you in your fucking balls.”

  “No!” Harrington’s eyes snapped open. He raised his gun towards Sam and fired.

  The moment the barrel of Harrington’s weapon wasn’t pointed at Rose, Ollie came in from the other side, grabbing Sam’s grandmother and pulled her to the side. Ollie quickly shielded Rose with his body.

  Sam stepped to the side as soon as the gun moved towards her. Harrington’s shot went wild, hitting the rearview mirror on the driver’s side of Ollie’s car. Before the detective could take aim again, Sam opened fire, putting a solid four rounds in his chest.

  Harrington stumbled back several feet, the gun slipping out of his hand. His mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as his eyes darted back and forth, searching for an answer as to what happened to him.

  His knees buckled and he went down. With one final death heave, William Harrington went still forever.

  Satisfied he was no longer a threat, Sam raced over to her grandmother. She wept in Ollie’s arms and trembled when Sam took her. “It’s over. It’s okay, you’re safe now, Nana.” Sam looked around. “Where’s Drew?”

  Drew couldn’t shoot without the risk of hitting Cole, who was twisting and turning, trying to get away, calling out for help whenever he could catch his breath. His little hands were still bound together, but Cole was determined not to make it easy for Wilson, hitting his kidnapper with his fists whenever he could.

  Diana and Wilson darted into the woods.

  Cole was slowing them down, but Wilson wouldn’t just drop him. He knew the boy was his trump card. Drew was slowly eroding the considerable lead Wilson started with.

  Each time Drew heard Cole yell, it tore a hole in Drew’s heart. He wanted to call out to him, but he didn’t want to clue Wilson in on how close he was. He needed a few more feet. Just get a little bit closer.

  “He—help!”

  Cole tried to pick his head up. He knew Uncle Drew was coming. That’s why they were running. He balled his hands into fists and slammed them down on the small of Wilson’s back. The man was solid and it hurt Cole’s hands, but he did it again, and again.

  “Knock it off you little shit!” Wilson lost his balance for just a moment, but quickly recovered. “I swear I’m going rip your head off when—”

  Cole hit him one last time, hard enough to cause Wilson to lose his footing for a moment, slowing for only a few seconds.

  It was all the time Drew needed.

  Leaping through the air, Drew slammed into Wilson’s legs, taking both him and Cole down. All three of them rolled down the hill until they came to a stop.

  Both men started to smash their fists into each other, struggling for their weapons. Wilson pulled his gun out, but Drew kicked it away.

  Immediately, they both started to struggle for Drew’s Berretta. It went off, the bullet hitting a nearby tree. Legs, arms, and even heads struck out in powerful blows.

  Cole scrambled away, screaming when someone grabbed him by his hair. Diana pulled him to his feet. “You stupid, little—”

  “Get away from him, bitch!”

  Ashley’s fist slammed full force into her face. Diana stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. Ashley grabbed Cole, pulling him away.

  Wilson and Drew crashed into each other. Somehow, Drew’s gun was gone, but Wilson managed to pull out his knife.

  All for the better, as far as Wilson was concerned. He wanted to see the blade sink into Duncan’s flesh. “Hey, kid,” Wilson called over his shoulder. “Want to see what I did to your mom?” With a bloody smile, he surged forward.

  With Cole’s scream ringing in his ears, Drew moved with lightning speed. Each blow was like a sledgehammer. Bones cracked and blood poured.

  Wilson was like an animal, injured and desperate to kill. “I’m going to gut you and your family!” Wilson rushed forward, aiming for Drew’s heart.

  In one liquid motion, Drew grabbed the hand that held the knife used to kill his sister, twisted around and brought it sharply up.

  Wilson’s mouth filled with blood as the blade, still in his own hands, ripped into his heart. He gazed down at his chest and laughed at the sight of it.

  Giving the blade one brutal twist, Drew let Wilson fall to the blood stained grass and went to his nephew.

  Cole pulled away from Ashley and crashed into Drew’s chest. “You came for me! You came for me! You promised you’d come and you came!”

  Drew dropped to his knees in front of Cole and pulled him into an embrace. “I’ll always keep my promises to you.”

  Sam rushed into the woods, gun drawn, searching for the others. Ollie and the General were by her side, flanked by members of Ember Falls PD and McAlister Security, dressed in black and carrying semi-automatic weapons.

  Sam’s heart had gone to her throat when she’d heard the gun shot. Who had taken that bullet? Was
she about to find poor Cole dead? Or Drew?

  She knew they couldn’t have gotten far. It all happened so fast. Harrington’s body was still warm on the ground when backup arrived and the shot rang out.

  With her heart pounding, Sam realized how completely terrified she was that something might have happened to Drew. How the hell had she managed to fall in love with him so quickly?

  “There!” Ollie pointed ahead, through a small bank of trees. Three people were huddled together under a tree. Sam paused a moment.

  Drew and Ashley were side by side, comforting Cole as Drew used a knife to free the boy’s hands. If it was strange to see Ashley in tears and being tender to not only Cole, but also the brother she was normally snarling at, it was even stranger to see Cole cling to each of them. The boy was clearly shaken, and who could blame him? But he was safe.

  Sam started to smile, but in her heart she ached. She could only imagine that now, Ashley herself would want to leave Ember Falls. From her violent childhood, to her sister’s murder to today, this town held one cruel memory after another.

  Could Sam leave her own grandmother to go with them, even if Drew asked? God, she’d want to, but how could she leave her grandmother alone after today. It was too much. She didn’t want to lose either of them.

  Somehow, she’d have to find a way to have them all. It was as simple as that.

  Sam spotted Wilson. His ripped shirt was completely covered in dark red stains and there was a very long blade protruding from his chest. They’d have to check him for signs of life, but there was no chance he’d survive that sort of injury.

  Sam worked with Wilson, seen him almost every day since she started at EFPD. He’d seemed okay until she’d politely declined his invitation for a date, then he had shown how much of an asshole he was. Still, for months after that, she kept telling himself that even if he were an asshole, he was still a good cop. Now, looking at him, her only regret in his dying was the missed chance to question him. They were still left with a puzzle.