No Escape (No Justice Book 2)

by Sean Platt

  He didn’t want to pity Tony.

  He didn’t want a possible explanation that removed some of the man’s guilt. An explanation that made him any less of a monster.

  Jasper had come to the house to kill a demon, not a man who may have been wrong in the head.

  He moved toward Tony, gripping the machete. He’d fantasized about the kill many times in the past couple of weeks while watching the case unfold with the sheriff’s office no closer to the truth.

  He’d fantasized how he would make Tony beg in the same position as his wife.

  How he would chop through the man’s arm, then straight into his head.

  He would deliver perfect justice.

  But, as he stood over the bawling man, Jasper no longer felt like someone dispensing punishment, but rather like a criminal cleaning his own mess, not all that different from Tony.

  He wondered how the hell he’d gotten here. He thought he was doing the right thing. Delivering justice that nobody else could or would.

  But it sure the hell didn’t feel like that now.

  Fuck.

  Jasper drew a deep breath and raised the machete, staring down at Tony, angels and demons in his shoulder battling over the man’s punishment.

  The walls were closing in.

  Jasper had crossed the line between good and evil.

  But maybe it still wasn’t too late to cross back the other way.

  He hadn’t murdered anyone yet.

  He’d broken into the man’s home and assaulted him. Yes, he’d had the intention killing him, but no one could prove it. And he was wearing a mask.

  How could he murder this sobbing mess of a man now that he saw all the shades of gray that might have factored into his actions?

  This was why you had courts of law.

  He wasn’t capable of deciding. He didn’t have enough evidence, and that made him fallible.

  He thought he’d been right in coming here.

  True in his mission.

  But now he was clouded by doubt.

  He stepped back, hesitating.

  Tony lunged at him, knocking Jasper to the ground, hitting his head, hard. He felt lightheaded, darkness blurring his vision as Tony crawled on top of him.

  Tony started to choke him.

  Jasper tried pushing him off, but he was disoriented, weak. His head throbbing.

  Tony pulled of his mask with one hand and choked Jasper with the other. “Let’s see who you are.”

  His mask off, Jasper panicked, adrenaline kicking in and taking over.

  Though his vision had blurred and doubled, he brought his fist up hard into the man’s throat, sending Tony backward.

  With the man off his body, Jasper desperately felt around for the machete. His hand found the handle just as he heard Tony crawling toward him, grunting.

  Jasper raised the blade, straight into the man’s chest.

  Tony gasped, then hot blood poured from his wound onto Jasper.

  “Damn it!” he shouted, extracting himself from under the dying man, drawing the machete from Tony’s chest.

  Jasper stared down at his blood-coated shirt, his arms, his gloved hands. Then he stared down at the double images of the dying man.

  “Damn it! I was going to let you live!”

  But it was too late.

  Jasper had crossed a line that rose like a fortress wall behind him.

  * * * *

  CHAPTER 40 - JORDYN PARISH

  “Jordyn? Jordyn?”

  Bobby kept calling to her from somewhere in the darkness.

  “Jordyn!”

  She opened her eyes, and there he was.

  “Bobby, where were you?”

  “I’m right here.”

  “I don’t feel so good.”

  “What the hell did you give her?” Bobby yelled at someone she couldn’t see.

  **

  Jordyn woke up to colored lights and the pitter patter of rain.

  The place felt familiar, but nothing made sense.

  Bobby lay beside her, his eyes open and staring.

  She looked around and remembered.

  The treehouse.

  She sat up, her head swimming, hurting. Her throat was dry and screaming.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “What happened?”

  “You drank too much and passed out at Bobby’s party. I brought you here because I’d rather not be murdered by your father.”

  Something felt off, but she wasn’t sure what. Maybe because she couldn’t remember a thing. She barely remembered going to the party. She did remember asking Bobby not to leave her side, though.

  “And that’s all?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I can’t remember anything, like at all.”

  “At all?”

  “Nothing. I barely remember pulling up to the house, but it’s all a blur. What happened?”

  “I told you, you drank too much and passed out.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How long were we there? At the party?”

  “I dunno. A couple of hours? You told me to stay by your side, but I got pulled away by the guys. When I found you with Brianna and the girls, you looked like you were having a lot of fun.”

  “Me? Having fun, with them?”

  “I know. So I tried to give you an out, see if you wanted to go, but you chased me away, told me to go back to my boys, that you were fine. Brianna told me that you all were bonding.”

  “Bonding?”

  “Yeah. You were drinking some fruity shit that the other girls were tossing back. And giggling a lot.”

  “I was giggling, and you just left me there?”

  “What was I supposed to do?”

  “I dunno, maybe not leave my side?”

  Bobby sighed. “How are you?”

  “Head is pounding. I’m dizzy. And I think I might puke.”

  “Not sure you got any puke left in you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You threw up in my car.”

  “Oh, God. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. So, what do we do about your dad?”

  “Shit. Did he call me?”

  “No idea. I don’t know your password. And your phone was dead, but I’m charging it now.”

  He scooted over to the fridge, got out a bottle of water and handed it to Jordyn. “Here, drink this.”

  She unscrewed the top, took a sip, then chugged a quarter of the bottle, surprised by her thirst.

  Bobby pulled Jordyn’s phone from the charger and handed it over.

  She punched in her code and saw, to her surprise, that Dad hadn’t called.

  “He didn’t call.”

  “So, maybe he’s asleep?”

  “I dunno. He went to South Florida on business.”

  “So, you didn’t even need to be home tonight?”

  “Um, yeah, just because my dad’s not home doesn’t mean I’m going to stay out all night and party.”

  “That’s not what I meant. But, hey, maybe this is good news? When’s he due back?”

  “Not until Sunday.”

  “Sweet!” Bobby smiled, dramatically wiping at his brow.

  She wanted to smile, but something felt off, something she couldn’t identify. An anxiety under her general nausea, as though something terrible was about to happen.

  Or already had.

  Jordyn remembered something from when she woke up at Calum’s, something Bobby had yelled. “What do you mean when you asked them ‘what the hell’ did they give me?”

  One of the strings casting a glow over the tree house went out, throwing Bobby in darkness. She couldn’t see him but could tell that he was troubled by something too. “Did they drug me, Bobby?”

  “I … I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know?” Panic swelled inside her. “You mean they might have?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, I doubt it. I
think they just gave you too much alcohol.”

  “So why did you ask what they gave me?”

  “I think it’s best that you don’t think too much about it.”

  “Why?”

  Bobby said nothing.

  “What happened, Bobby?”

  “When I found you in the bed, your shirt was off, and Sammi was passed out next to you, naked.”

  “What?”

  Jordyn couldn’t remember any of it.

  She shook her head. “What the hell? What happened?”

  “I dunno. Someone said that the two of you were kissing.”

  “Who said that?”

  “Brianna.”

  “Shit. She saw us? Who else?”

  “Um … I dunno. Brianna, Calum, Bethanee, a few others.”

  “Oh my God!” Jordyn couldn’t breathe. “No, no, no.”

  She began to hyperventilate.

  Bobby crawled next to her, putting a hand on hers.

  “Breathe slow. It’s going to be okay.”

  She swiped his hand away. “No, it’s not!”

  She got up, stumbling toward the treehouse door, wanting to leave, desperate to go home, crawl under her covers, and forget the entire night.

  Bobby grabbed Jordyn before she could start climbing and pulled her back into the tree house.

  “Let go of me!” she yelled, trying to pull away.

  “You need to relax. You’re in no shape to be climbing down the tree. Just breathe.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks as Jordyn tried to remember what the hell happened, how she ended up topless in bed with Sammi. “Did … did anything happen between us?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to anyone since we left.”

  She collapsed against Bobby, crying, “I can’t remember anything. God only knows what the hell else I did.”

  “I’m sure we’ll find out.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. Everyone from school was there. Everyone.”

  “Yeah, but most of ‘em were downstairs. They all knew better than to go upstairs at Calum’s. It may be a wild house party, but they know not to fuck with his rules. Only our crew is allowed upstairs.”

  Jordyn shook her head, “Yeah, but they know. You think that Brianna or Bethanee can keep a secret?”

  “First off, it doesn’t matter. Whatever happened, you were drunk. It wasn’t you. Kids do dumb shit at parties all the time. You’re supposed to get crazy and have a little fun. I’m sure that was some of the tamest shit all night. Did you see what was happening in the pool? And as far as the Two B’s, I’ll make sure they keep their mouths shut.”

  He held her face, sweetly, meeting her eyes. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “I’m not even into girls. I like you,” she said this partly in disbelief of what happened, but also as an apology. She wondered what horrible things Bobby must be thinking. That she was some loose party girl that got the slightest bit drunk and started fucking around with whoever, boy or girl.

  “You don’t need to explain to me. I know how you feel. It’s okay. You’re not used to drinking, or whatever else they gave you.”

  “So, you think they did give me something else? Who would’ve done it? Sammi? Do you think she raped me? I trusted her.”

  The thought of someone else, even someone like Sammi, getting her wasted just to take advantage of her made Jordyn furious enough to punch something.

  “I don’t know if anyone gave you anything. Maybe you were just drunk. Do you remember who—”

  “I barely remember anything.”

  “I don’t think Sammi would get you wasted on purpose. I’ve never heard her talk shit about you, and I can’t say that about everyone. You were both a bit messed up. One thing led to another. But I don’t think it got much past kissing.”

  “How did you even know I was in there?”

  “Brianna came and got me. Said that you weren’t looking good.”

  “How long was I alone with Sammi?”

  “I don’t think it was more than a couple of minutes, honestly. I doubt anything happened.”

  “Topless?”

  “Well, hell, half the girls there had their shirts off and were in the pool. Maybe you were about to go swimming?”

  “Oh my God, I want to die.”

  “It’s going to be okay, Jordyn. I promise. I’ll find out what happened. And if Sammi did do anything to you, we’ll take care of it.”

  “What are we going to do? Call the police?”

  “It’s up to you. I think we ought to know what happened before we jump to conclusions, though, don’t you? I mean, you like Sammi, right? You don’t want to accuse her of something serious if you were both messed up and just playing around. Right?”

  Jordyn couldn’t help but feel violated, but at the same time, Bobby was right. Sammi had always been nice to her. And if they were both wasted and were only kissing, did that rise to the level of a crime?

  “I need to shower.”

  “Okay, you can use mine.”

  “No, Bobby. I want to go home.”

  * * * *

  CHAPTER 41 - MALLORY BLACK

  Mal dragged ass into the Situation Room and found a spot next to Mike in the rear as Sheriff Bell and McDaniels briefed everybody on the latest details. They couldn’t convince Sandra Brown to postpone tomorrow’s wedding, so the FBI and CCSO were putting uniformed and undercover officers at the scene. Some of these were working a security detail, with the undercover officers and FBI agents stationed within and outside the temple, including two snipers across the street, both north and south, to cover the temple’s primary entrances.

  Mal sat through the questions, asking none of her own, and her pounding head thankful that nobody asked anything of her.

  McDaniels read assignments.

  It took a while before he got to Mallory and Mike — they’d both be working undercover inside the temple, the last line of defense if nobody stopped Jeff before he got inside.

  Mal hoped they could stop him before another bloodbath.

  **

  The temple was packed with the couples’ friends and family. Despite the presence of so many deputies, everyone was lively and chatting while waiting for the service to start. Mal was most surprised by the bounty of kids.

  Mal would never let her child go anywhere near such a high profile target. Why didn’t these people leave their kids with someone for the day?

  She was sitting next to Mike in a pew near the rear, struggling with the sheer number of happy people in the room. She whispered, “I expected more fear. They know about Jeff, right?”

  “Maybe they think God will protect them.”

  Mal laughed, but Mike wasn’t smiling. “You believe that?”

  “I’m not saying I believe it, but I know from my church, that when you’re with your friends and family in a house of worship, you don’t let things like fear worry you. This is a place of love and life, celebrating the union of a man and his wife.”

  “Yeah, well an AR-15 and her ex-husband could change the mood pretty quickly.”

  “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re too cynical?”

  “Did anyone ever tell you to fuck off?” Mal smiled, getting up.

  She walked through the temple, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Working her way through the crowd, and offering crappy smiles to strangers as she pushed past them, Mal felt out of place.

  She spoke through a hidden mic and ear piece, telling the team that she didn’t see anything.

  She got confirmations of “clear” all around.

  Mal felt anxious as the ceremony started. A fish in a pond waiting for the spear, not knowing when or from where it would strike. She wished Jeff would just show up already.

  But he never did.

  The ceremony went off without so much as a backfiring car.

  Afterwards, Mal met with Gloria, Mike, and McDaniels.

  “Well, what now?” Sandra asked, approaching with Eugene in tow.


  McDaniels said, “Maybe he knew the heat would be on him.”

  “Are you saying that he’s going to wait and strike some other time? How long am I supposed to live in fear of my ex?”

  “We’ll continue to do everything we can, and we’re not going to stop until we find him.”

  “And what do we do in the meantime? Who is going to protect us?”

  The woman who wanted her wedding to go on despite the danger was worried. Maybe her initial bravery was fueled by anger, but now that reality had washed that away, she realized the true danger of her situation. Looking over your shoulder was no way to live. Mal could sympathize.

  Gloria said, “We can talk about that later. For now, we’ll still have deputies watching your house.”

  Sandra sighed. There was obviously little comfort in that answer.

  But it was all she would be getting for now.

  * * * *

  CHAPTER 42 - JORDYN PARISH

  Jordyn didn’t wake up until after one on Sunday afternoon. Both brain and body were still dragging her through hell.

  How long was I out?

  She remembered finally falling asleep around six in the evening, which would mean she’d slept nearly nineteen hours.

  Her head pounded with the worst headache of her life.

  So, this is a hangover?

  No wonder Dad is always so grumpy.

  She wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep until the sun came up.

  But at the same time, she wanted to talk to Bobby. Wanted to find out if he’d gotten any news on what had happened.

  She went to call him, but her battery was dead.

  Crap!

  She plugged in her phone, then got her laptop and went onto LiveLyfe to see if he was online.

  She was surprised to see that she had messages.

  A lot of messages.

  As in 276 of them.

  Her heart began to gallop.

  This can’t be good.

  She clicked on the upper right message icon to load the messages page.

  And she stared at the computer in disbelief.