by Chloe Lang
“That’s the fire I remember. Come now. Alone. I know you’re at the southwest corner of the park, correct?”
“How can you know that?”
“I have my resources. You have exactly two minutes to get here. You better start running now before someone gets hurt.”
The line went dead.
She jumped up and bolted off the playing field.
“What are you doing, Carrie?” Ethel shouted after her. “You’ll be disqualified.”
“Ethel, call 9-1-1,” she yelled back. “Jena’s house. Now.”
* * * *
Josh read the message on Matt’s device.
“Brock and Cooper connected the dots on Carrie’s list of churches,” Sean said. “They have the current alias he’s using. He met with Trollinger in Denver last week and has been in a hotel over in Money for the last few days.”
Money, Colorado, was less than a twenty-minute drive away. A primal desire to protect Carrie exploded inside Josh. “We’ve got to find her. Now.”
“Since we can’t drive because the streets are blocked off, let’s split up,” Matt said. “We’ll make more ground. Sean and I will take West Street. You two go down East.”
Sean was typing away on his device. “I’ve notified the rest of Shannon’s Elite to be on the lookout for Willie and Carrie. Hopefully he’s still in Money and not Destiny.”
“Let’s go.” Without another word, Jacob began running to town.
With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Josh ran beside him, praying they would find Carrie still playing paintball—safe.
* * * *
Carrie ran through the front door.
“We’re all in here, my darlin’.” Willie’s pleasant tone sickened her. He was a monster. “In the kitchen.”
She raced to the room where Janet had just cooked her breakfast this morning. It seemed like a lifetime ago. The first thing she saw was the dear woman lying on the floor, her body sprawled out on the tile, unmoving.
Willie stood by the sink with a horrific smile plastered across his face. He had a gun holstered to his side.
Running, then kneeling down beside Janet, she screamed, “What have you done to her, you bastard?” Her head was reeling and the smoke in her mind thickened, choking the very life out of her.
“I didn’t shoot her, Carrie. Just punched her in the face.”
She checked for Janet’s pulse and found it.
In a rage, she jumped up and bolted to him, pounding on his chest. “Where’s Kimmie?”
Willie slapped her across the face so hard she fell backward to the floor.
“You son of a bitch, where is she?”
Willie stood over her, smiling. “Kimmie is upstairs playing. You shouldn’t be so upset, Carrie. Everything will be just fine. I’ll get my money and you and I can leave this hellhole town.”
“I would never go anywhere with you.”
“Oh yes you will go, if you love that little girl.”
* * * *
Jacob looked in every direction for Carrie but still couldn’t find her. His gut tightened. She is supposed to be here playing the game.
“There’s Ethel,” Josh said, running beside him. “Maybe she’s seen Carrie.”
“This is an emergency.” Ethel looked up from her cell as they stepped next to her. “Boys, Carrie is in trouble. She told me to call 9-1-1 and ran to Jena’s house. I have the sheriff on the phone. Go. Run.”
* * * *
Still on the floor with Willie bent over her, Carrie heard Kimmie upstairs singing to her music playing loudly on her stereo. Thank God, she can’t hear what is going on.
I brought my monster to the steps of this house, the home of the only family I’ve ever known.
She would make sure Willie left Destiny, the place where she’d found true love with Josh and Jacob. It broke her heart to think she would never see them again, but she had no other choice. Leaving with Willie now was the only way to make sure Kimmie was safe.
“I’ll go with you,” she said, staring into his evil eyes and praying he would leave without harming Kimmie. “Let’s go now. You and me.”
“That’s my girl.” Willie pressed his knee into her chest, making it difficult to breathe. “First things first. Where’s my money?”
“It’s not here.” The truth. “I put it in a safe place back in Texas.” A lie.
He slapped her across the face again, and the smoke thickened in her mind. “Lies, you little slut. Tell me where my money is now if you value your life.” The instant he reached for his gun, she kicked him with all her might in the groin.
He groaned and doubled over on top of her, pinning her to the floor with his weight.
I need to get to Kimmie. I need to get her away to safety.
With every ounce of strength left inside her, she tried to wiggle out from under him, clawing at his face with her fingernails. The smoke was so thick it choked every thought that came across in her mind.
“Fucking bitch!” He wrapped his fingers around her neck and began squeezing until she could no longer breathe. “I want my money, whore. I want it now. Give it to me. It’s mine.”
Trying to fight him off, she remembered telling Ethel to call 9-1-1. Someone must be coming. Kimmie must be safe.
She realized her life was slipping away. Willie continued choking her, but his screams seemed distant, fading with each second that passed.
She closed her eyes, and all she could see was the smoke. The damn smoke. It had haunted her year after year, crushing all her hopes and dreams. Through the smoke, she heard Josh and Jacob’s voices. They loved her, and she loved them.
The smoke vanished and images of Josh and Jacob floated in front of her.
* * * *
Hearing Willie ranting, Josh bolted into the kitchen with Jacob. When he saw the fucker on top of Carrie choking her, an all-consuming fury blasted out of him. No thinking. Just raw, primal action. He and Jacob charged, knocking Willie off of Carrie and flattening the bastard to the ground.
Willie pulled out a gun, but Jacob was able to wrestle it away from the motherfucker.
Josh pounded his fists into the bastard’s face, again and again, until Willie’s head fell back against the tiles with a loud thud, the asshole’s eyes swollen shut and his breathing shallow.
Vibrating with pure rage, it took all Josh’s willpower to stop from killing the man.
“You got him?” Jacob asked, his face tight and his eyes dark.
“Yes. Check on Carrie.” He kept hold of Willie just in case the bastard regained consciousness and glanced back at Carrie. He spotted Jena’s mother lying on the floor across the room. The only thing his eyes had focused on was Carrie when he’d run into the kitchen. Clearly, Carrie wasn’t the only one Willie had harmed.
“Carrie’s breathing, Josh. The color in her face is returning. She’s opening her eyes.”
Thank God. “Check on Jena’s mom.”
Jacob moved quickly to the fallen woman. “Janet is breathing but has a big gash on her forehead. She and Carrie both need medical attention now.” Jacob brought out his cell, but before he could make a call, Sheriff Wolfe and Doc Ryder came in with their guns drawn. Doc also carried his medical bag. Josh recalled Ethel had called 9-1-1. That was the reason the sheriff and Doc had come so quickly. More would be arriving soon.
“Any other intruders?” the sheriff asked, tossing over a pair of handcuffs.
“Don’t know, but I don’t think so.” Josh rolled the unconscious bastard over on his stomach and clamped the sheriff’s bracelets around his wrists.
Matt, Sean, and Jena rushed in with their guns out also.
“Where’s my daughter?” Jena asked frantically. “Where’s Kimmie?”
“Upstairs,” Jacob answered. “I can hear her singing, can you?”
Jena didn’t respond, but she, Matt, and Sean shot up the stairs.
Easton Black and Jaris Simmons came in with their guns out also, followed by Paris, Doc’s wife and a
physician herself. Paris wore paintball gear but held a Glock instead of a play weapon. Everyone in Destiny carried guns. It was the norm here, especially since the war with Trollinger’s brother had begun.
Black and Sheriff Wolfe left to check out the rest of the house for any other intruders. Doc took Carrie’s blood pressure and listened to her heartbeat through his stethoscope while Paris did the same with Janet.
“Carrie is okay,” Doc said. “Pressure is fine and so is her pulse.”
“Janet’s pressure and pulse are normal, too,” Paris said. “But she needs stitches and she also has a concussion.”
“We need to get both of these women back to the hospital for further care,” Doc said.
Willie stirred and began cursing. “Fuck you, assholes. This isn’t the end. Cindy Trollinger will see to it.”
Jaris bent down next to Josh.
“Simmons?” Willie spat. “You’re a dead man. Enjoy today because it won’t be long before you have a bullet planted between your eyes.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Josh punched Willie in the face again. It wasn’t what a good guy did, but he didn’t feel like being good right now. “You’re lucky I don’t slit your throat for hurting Carrie, motherfucker. Be smart and keep quiet.”
The asshole nodded and shut up.
“Go to Carrie, Josh,” Jaris said. “I got this bastard. He’s not going anywhere.”
Josh knelt down beside Carrie. She was coming to.
Jacob was on the other side of her, holding her hand. “We nearly lost her, Josh.”
“But we didn’t,” he said as relief replaced the intense rage inside him. “Carrie’s okay. Doc said so.”
“What’s going on, Josh?” Carrie’s voice was raspy and her throat was red where Willie’s hands had been. Her eyes were completely open now. “Why are all these people here?”
“Just relax.” He could tell she was a little confused. “What’s the last thing you remember, sweetheart?”
“Paintball, I think. Didn’t I shoot Ethel?”
Chapter Twenty
Jacob held the door for Katy, Carrie’s nurse, who was bringing her back from the X-ray room. Josh adjusted Carrie’s pillow as Katy helped her into the hospital bed.
“Doc will be here shortly,” Katy said. “If you need anything, Carrie, just use the buzzer.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Katy left.
He and Josh stood on opposite sides of the bed, taking Carrie’s hands.
“Tell me again, what happened after I shot Ethel?” The panic in her tone hadn’t gone away.
He and Josh recounted all the events to her one more time. He believed she kept asking to hear it again in the hopes it would jog her memory. But so far, it hadn’t.
“You’re completely safe, angel,” he said, touching her on the cheek. “Willie is in jail.”
“Are you sure Kimmie is okay?”
“She’s fine. She has no idea about what happened.”
“Good,” Carrie said. “And what about Janet?”
He squeezed her hand. “Janet is fine. She got stitched up and Doc and Paris are going to keep her overnight for observation since she did suffer a concussion.”
“What a relief.” She sighed. “Why can’t I remember any of it?”
He saw her eyes well up.
“I’m just no good for you,” she blurted out, and the tears streamed down her face. “I’m a broken mess. What if I keep losing memories? What happens when I can’t remember how much you mean to me? What then? You deserve someone better, someone who is whole. Not me. My heart is ripping apart. I want you both so very much. I love you, but I know that I’m wrong for you. I have to let you go. I need to leave Destiny before I cause more pain.”
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Jacob pulled her into his chest, holding her tight. “It’s going to be okay, Carrie.”
“No,” she said. “It can’t be.”
Josh put his arms around both of them. “Sweetheart, it’s the three of us now. You’re not alone anymore. You’ll never be alone again.”
“No more talk about you leaving,” he said, remembering how Josh had helped him through his darkest hours. Together, he and Josh would do the same for her. “We will fight this together.”
“But what if—”
“Shh.” He placed his finger to her lips. “Do you trust me and Josh?”
“With all my heart.”
“Then believe us when we say everything is going to be okay.”
“I want to believe you, but I still feel so confused. I’m the reason Willie came to Destiny. What if he’d hurt Kimmie?”
“He didn’t, angel. She’s safe. Jena’s mom is safe. And you’re safe. Willie will pay for all his crimes. He’s going to prison for the rest of his life.”
“Even so, Jacob, I still don’t understand why I can’t remember something so horrible.”
“That’s why we’re here, to figure out why. And I’m sure we will.”
As if on cue, Doc entered the room with Sam O’Leary. “How’s my patient doing?”
Carrie sat up in the bed. “Better. I think my voice is almost back to normal.”
“By tomorrow your vocal cords should be completely healed,” Doc said. “I asked Sam to join me to discuss your memory loss, Carrie.”
“That’s what I was just discussing with Josh and Jacob,” she said. “There’s something terribly wrong with me.”
Sam moved to the side of the bed and leaned forward, smiling, reminding Jacob of the first time he’d met the man. Sam had the kindest face he’d ever seen.
“Carrie,” Sam said. “Doc Ryder’s tests have shown there is nothing medically wrong with you.”
She sighed. “Then it’s official. I’m must be crazy.”
“Absolutely not, young lady. And you and I can get to the bottom of this if you will let me help you.”
She turned to him and Josh. “Do you really believe he can help me?”
Josh kissed her on the cheek. “Yes, sweetheart. I know he can.”
“Sam helped me out of my darkness, Carrie,” he said, taking her hand. She’d survived so much. She would survive this, too. “He will help you.”
Carrie took a deep breath and looked right into Sam’s eyes. “Okay. When?”
“Doc, when are you releasing her?” Sam asked.
“Right now. She’s free to go home, but I do want her taking it easy for a few days.”
“Good,” Sam said. “Carrie, I will see you in my office first thing tomorrow morning at nine.”
“I’ll be there.”
Doc and Sam left.
“I’m proud of you, angel,” Jacob said. She was strong, much stronger than she realized.
“I’m proud of you, too,” Josh added. “Very proud. I can’t even imagine how difficult this is for you.”
“I’m a little scared to go see Sam,” she admitted. “I’m not sure what he might uncover, but I want to stop running away from my demons. I want the three of us to have a chance for a future.”
“It’s more than a chance, sweetheart,” Josh said. “It’s a fact.”
Jacob nodded, completely of the same mind. “No more talk about you leaving, understand?”
“Yes, Masters. I love you and I do understand.”
* * * *
Carrie leaned back on Sam’s sofa. “What am I supposed to do exactly? How does therapy work?”
Sam sat in the chair next to the sofa. “Carrie, you don’t have to be nervous. Just consider me an old grandpa listening to his granddaughter.”
She grinned. “Is that ethical in your profession?”
He laughed. “I’m semi-retired. I do things my own way. Or should I say, ‘the Destiny way.’ One thing I can tell you for certain is if you trust me and are honest with me, together we will find your path. Tell me about your past.”
She took a deep breath and began recounting every detail she could recall to Sam. It didn’t take long, since she had
so many gaps. She told him about Willie beating her, about the nightmares of smoke. She confessed being unable to recall what her parents looked like, and so many other things she’d lost. Mrs. Kearns was the only person from all the churches Willie had conned that she could remember.
“So you had no memory loss from the time you escaped Willie until yesterday?”
“That’s true.”
“Carrie, I believe that your predator is the one who triggered all your memory loss,” Sam said. “That night he beat you after you told him about your nightmare was the first incident of memory loss. It was nearly a week later before your memory returned. The next time he whipped your back with his belt because you cried in front of him. That’s the thread in your past that sticks out to me. But I believe your mind began blocking out the worst of his cruelty toward you. I’m sure he beat you many more times than you can remember. Have you ever heard of post-traumatic stress disorder?”
“PTSD? Yes. I thought that had to do with how some soldiers dealt with the horrors of the battlefield.”
“That’s true, but you faced your own horrors, your own battlefield. And you were just a child when your war began.” Sam brought out a pocket watch, which hung from a chain.
“Don’t tell me you plan on hypnotizing me?”
“I’d like to try if you are willing, but I’m not going to use my watch, Carrie.” Sam smiled. “That’s mainly done in the movies. I just wanted to check the time.”
She laughed, feeling a little nervous. “I’ve never been hypnotized before.”
“And you might not be today either. We’ll just give it a try and see how it goes. If we succeed, you will remember everything about this session. There’s nothing to worry about, Carrie. Even hypnotized, you cannot be made to do anything that you don’t want to do.”
Sam dimmed the lights.
She shifted on the sofa, getting into a more comfortable position.
“Just relax. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. In and out. Nice and slow. Imagine the waves of the ocean coming in and going out. Nice and slow. The color of the sand darkening as the water covers the tiny particles and then lightening as the sun warms the beach. Breathe in as the waves come in. And breathe out as the waves go out. Feel the sun on your face and the warm water around your body. You are very relaxed.”
