“Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?”
A smile spreads over my face at the thought of getting out for a while. “I’d like that.”
“Great. I’ll make reservations for seven.”
“I’ll miss you until then,” I whisper, feeling the warmth from falling in love with Julian spread through my body.
“Miss you too,” he replies.
I cut the call and open my laptop, so I can start with the next paper.
I’m researching a topic when my phone vibrates again. Not recognizing the number, I let it go to voicemail.
Just as I get back into reading an article, my phone beeps. Frowning, I pick it up and first finish reading the paragraph before I unlock my phone. Seeing that it’s a message, I click on it and then stare at a photo of Julian. He’s wearing the same grey suit from this morning and standing at a desk while reading a document.
Confused, I look at the number that sent me the photo.
Strange, I don’t recognize the sender.
My phone begins to ring again and seeing it’s the same number that sent me the photo, I answer, “Hello?”
“Hello.” There’s a moment's pause. “I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?”
“Excuse me?” I frown and pulling the phone away from my ear, I look at the number again before I ask, “Who’s this?”
“Ahh… you’re hurting my feelings, little girl.”
Realization dawns on me, and it blazes through me like a wildfire.
No.
I move to get up so I can call Hayden and Max, but then he says, “If you tell anyone, your boyfriend dies.”
I instantly freeze, my body tense as I wait to hear what he wants.
“Come to CRC Holdings.”
“And then?” I ask as my heart begins to beat faster.
“Then, we can spend some time together.” His voice sounds so normal, it’s hard to process that I’m talking to a killer. “Come to me, and I won’t kill your boyfriend. If you call the police, he dies. If you bring anyone along with you, he dies. Tick tock, little girl. His time is running out.”
The line cuts out, and instantly my phone beeps again with another photo of Julian talking to a woman.
Fear bubbles up in my chest, making it feel like I’m being suffocated.
Photos pop up on my phone, one after the other.
Knowing I have to hurry, I grab a piece of paper and write a note for Hayden and Max.
Henry Little threatened Julian’s life. I’ve gone to CRC Holdings. Please come.
Checking my watch, I add the time, and then I dart out of the front door while Hayden and Max are still busy in the study.
Rushing out of the hotel, I hail a cab and give the driver CRC’s address. I know Hayden and Max will be right behind me because they will check on me soon, and seeing I’m gone, they’ll find the note.
They have to.
My heart’s beating out of my chest as the cab takes me closer to CRC.
There are guards there. I’ll cause a scene, and Henry will be arrested.
For a moment, I close my eyes, my skin coming alive with pins and needles.
Today this madness ends, and I take back my life.
As we near CRC, my eyes dart around the area for any sign of the janitor.
I ask the cab to stop across the road from the office, and after settling the fee, I climb out. I keep glancing around me, feeling a sense of reasonable safety because I’m surrounded by people.
There are empty vehicles lining the street, and there’s an officer standing on the corner, busy issuing a ticket to a delivery van.
My phone beeps, and I quickly pull it out of my pocket.
Come inside, little girl.
Shoving the device back into my pocket, my eyes dart to the building. The windows are all darkened, and I can’t see inside.
Slowly, I begin to cross the street. My eyes dart to the officer, and I feel a sense of panic as he walks further down the block.
Crap.
Taking a deep breath to calm my frail nerves, I turn my eyes back to the building in front of me.
I’ve just stepped onto the sidewalk when someone bumps into me. Something presses against my arm, and it instantly feels like a swarm of bees is trying to crawl through my skin.
Fear drags me under as I begin to lose control of my body, and I’m shoved inside a van.
Chapter 31
Julian
My phone begins to ring, and I pause as I glance at the screen. Seeing Hayden’s name, I push my chair back. “Excuse me. There’s an emergency.”
I walk out of the boardroom as I answer my phone, “What’s wrong?”
“Jamie left the suite. Is she with you?”
“No, I’m in a meeting. What’s going on?”
“Little made contact with her and threatened to kill you, so she snuck out without telling us first. We’re pulling up to CRC.”
“What?”
My breaths slow down as the world warps around me.
“Julian? Are you listening?”
This is not happening.
Not again.
“I’m on my way down. Meet me out front.”
The shock begins to lift, and adrenaline begins to pulse through my body. Darting forward, I run for the elevator and slam the button a couple of times before the doors slide open.
Horror fills every corner of my soul, and it feels like the walls are closing in on me. I begin to breathe faster, and as the doors open, I run out of the elevator into the lobby. Seeing Hayden and Max outside the entrance looking around for Jamie, I head toward them.
Hayden spots me first, and as I reach him, I ask, “Any sign of her?”
The worried look on Hayden’s face is answer enough for me.
Desperately, I glance around, and when there’s no sign of her, I say, “Preston can trace Jamie’s phone. We need to leave now.”
Max takes hold of my arm as he begins to walk away from the building with Hayden right behind us. “Call Preston and get him to do the trace. Don’t try to phone Jamie. You’ll only give away the fact that she has her phone on her, if he doesn’t already know, and we’ll lose the only way to find her.”
I yank out my phone and make the call as I climb into the back of Hayden’s SUV, putting the call on speakerphone so Hayden and Max can hear.
“Preston Culpepper speaking.”
“It’s Julian. Can you trace Jamie’s phone and tell us where she is.”
“Yes, Sir.” I hear him shuffle something around. “What’s her number?”
I ramble it off as Hayden steers the SUV in the direction the van sped off in.
A minute later, Preston says, “The signal is heading northwest on CA 150 W toward Black Mountain Fire Rd.”
Thank God, her phone is still working and with her.
“Send me the location and keep me updated every minute,” I order.
The moment the call cuts, Max says, “Hand me the bag from the back.”
It’s heavy when I pick it up, but I pass it to the front between the two seats. “Hayden says you know how to fire a gun.”
It doesn’t sound like a question, but I answer anyway, “Yes.”
“Good. Just point this thing away from Hayden and me, and we’ll be good.” He hands me a colt, and the metal feels heavy and foreign in my hand.
Staring down at the weapon, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll kill Henry Little first chance I get.
My phone beeps with the new location, and I quickly update Hayden.
“The road leads past Trinity Academy. It’s mountain terrain,” Max says, having pulled up a map on his phone.
Placing the gun next to me on the seat, I shrug out of my jacket and roll up the sleeves of my dress shirt. Removing my tie, I toss it to the side and unbutton the top two buttons, hoping to breathe easier, but it doesn’t help.
Taking hold of the gun again, I close my eyes and pray we’re not too late.
Chapter 32
Jamie
“It’s time, little girl. It’s time.”
The words pour hot lava through my veins. For what feels like the hundredth time, I glance around the empty van, but I’m only surrounded by the white panels.
“There we go,” Henry says, his voice calm as he climbs into the back.
I turn my head, and the moment I lay eyes on him, my heartbeat speeds up, and my mind repels at being face to face with a killer.
I’m too scared to move, but I know I have to do something. My right hand is cuffed to the gate, separating the cab from the back of the van.
It happened so fast. Henry tazed, and cuffed me within seconds.
I push my body closer to the gate and away from him, keeping my eyes trained on Henry.
“Finally, we get to be alone.”
The shock of what’s happening is still vibrating through me, numbing my emotions.
Henry casually moves closer to me, and I instantly react by kicking at him.
“Now, now, I’m not going to kill you yet. I just want your phone,” he tsks.
Keep calm.
Think.
Okay, don’t antagonize him.
He moves slowly again, holding one hand up in the air while pulling my phone from my pocket with the other.
“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I watch as he takes my phone apart, crushing the sim card under his heel. “Don’t want any visitors, now do we?”
A song plays softly from the cab, and it only increases the eeriness of being at the mercy of this man who seems utterly normal.
“Why did you listen to me?” he asks. “Why did you come to me? Now you’re never going to get away.”
Holy shit.
“I have people looking for me.” Why I chose to say that of all things and not demand that he lets me go, I don’t know.
It’s because I know Julian, Hayden, and Max won’t stop looking. They found me before. They will find me again. I have to believe that.
Ignoring my words, his smile widens for a moment. “You shouldn’t have come.” Letting out a sigh, he continues, “Why did you do such a stupid thing? You shouldn’t have come.”
I frown at the words, realizing he’s placing the blame on me.
Is he trying to ease his conscience?
Does he even have one?
“Why me?” I ask, needing to know why he’s intent on taking my life.
“You smiled at me,” he chuckles. There’s a caring look on his face as if we’re old friends. “You have a pretty face, and you smiled. How was I supposed to not react?”
My eyes lock on his, and I expected them to be vacant, or at least, to show some sign of insanity, but they are brown and just… normal.
When he moves again, I cower back against the gate, but instead of lunging at me, he makes himself comfortable, leaning back against the side panel. He folds his hands together on his lap and tilting his head, he again smiles at me.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.”
Clearing my throat, I hate that my voice is trembling as I ask, “What?”
“It was supposed to look like suicide, but your friends just couldn’t leave well enough alone.”
Is he referring to the night he cut my wrist?
I clear my throat and lifting my eyes from his hands, I bring them to his face. “Henry…”
“Mhhh… say my name again,” he interrupts me.
Uhm… okay?
“H-Henry,” I stammer as dread causes my throat to close. My breaths speed up until my mouth is bone dry. “What are you going to do to me?”
He takes a deep breath and first lets it out. Glancing at the panel opposite him, he thinks for a moment.
That’s a good sign, right? Maybe he hasn’t planned this through, and I have a chance of convincing him to let me go?
Before I can open my mouth to reason with him, he begins to talk, “The first time it happened… ah… I was twenty-three. Pretty, but not particularly pretty. Brown hair.” He tilts his head, his expression as if the memory is a fond one as he glances at my hair. “Passed out on the floor of the living room. It just happened that the girl was there when I felt it coming on. I closed the damper to the fireplace.”
Wanting to keep him talking so I can buy myself more time, I ask, “Henry, what do you mean by you felt it coming on?”
Pulling up one leg, he positions himself into a more comfortable pose. He lowers his head and glances sideways at me, resting his forearm on his knee.
“Well, it’s hard to describe…” he clears his throat, “…to put into words. It’s not like I blacked out…” Swallowing, he glances at me, “…or felt like I was possessed.” He clears his throat again, his mouth slightly arching higher. “I remember every moment in detail.” He lifts his other hand to his face and rubs his pointer finger over his left eyebrow. “What they looked like, what they wore, how they smelled.” Lifting his head, his eyes lock on me for a fraction of a second. “I get to keep them forever that way. Just like we’ll always be together.”
Everything about him is so casual, it’s unnerving. It feels like he’s trying to distract me with his movements.
“Them? How many victims have there been, Henry?”
He looks annoyed for a moment. “A couple… fifteen… no, seventeen.”
The breath stalls in my throat.
He’s murdered so many people, and knowing this, kills the tiny seed of hope I’ve been nurturing in my chest.
He must see the horror on my face because his smile falters. “I mean, the thing is…” He seems to recover as the tension eases from his features, leaving him looking charismatic again, “what is your passion? You know? If you get to do the one thing you love most in this world.” His gaze lingers on me for longer this time. “You’re so present in the moment…” he lightly shakes his head, a chuckle escaping, “it’s as if… you’re in control of everything.”
My breaths become short puffs, each one laced with dread, and I feel my defenses rearing to life. “How would you feel if someone killed one of your loved ones?”
“Oh…” he smirks, “I certainly wouldn’t appreciate it.”
“But…but,” I stammer, “You murder innocent people. You take them from their families. How can you do that to another person?”
“Oh… I have an answer for that.” He sits up straighter, excitement flashing across his face. “It’s been smacked up inside my head a time or two. You know? I’ve thought hard about that.” His tongue darts out to wet his lips. “But there’s this sensation of watching the life drain away from someone. You can almost taste the air changing.”
Absolutely horrified and repelled by what he’s saying, I ask, “Don’t you regret it? Don’t you feel some sort of… remorse for what you have done?”
“Well, the first time…” he tilts his head, thinking. “I can still see it in slow motion.” His lips curve up. “The morning after I was shocked,” he nods as he looks directly into my eyes, “I felt awful,” dropping his eyes, he wets his lips again, “but after that, it became more routine. You know? The rush faded.”
I never take my eyes away from him, and with every word leaving his mouth, with every gesture – it makes it clear this man has no feelings.
He’s mimicking the expression and actions he knows will put me at ease.
Realizing that all the talking in the world isn’t going to stop him from killing me, it makes shivers race over my body as I begin to tremble uncontrollably.
He's so observant of my reactions and feelings that his facial expression changes to being guarded, as I’m overcome with angst and desperation.
“Well…” he clears his throat and shifts his body into a crouching position. Giving me a tender smile, he continues, “I suppose it’s time.”
I push myself back against the gate, and it makes him slowly inch closer. The moment he’s close enough, I begin to kick out at him, and it has him holding up his hands. “Don’t panic. It will be quick.”
He lunges at me, and it tears a desperate scream from me. His body towers over mine, and I see a flash of pain on his face as I manage to knee him where it hurts most.
Anger darkens his face until it shows the real monster hiding behind the façade.
“You could’ve gone peacefully like the others.”
He uses more strength, which is by far greater than my own, and wraps his hands around my neck. Trying to defend myself, the cuffs cut into my right wrist when I yank on them.
“Just go peacefully.”
“No!” The word sounds garbled, and I first try to pry his hands away with mine, but when that doesn’t help ease his grip on my neck, I begin to hit and scratch his face. During our struggle, I manage to claw at his right eye, and it has him drawing back.
He first presses a hand to his face and checks for blood, then hisses, “Now look what you’ve done.”
He raises his arm, and I take the chance to kick him in the gut. The windshield up front suddenly explodes, and I watch as Henry falls back. He writhes for a second then pulling himself into a crawling position, he struggles to the rear of the van, and away from me.
My mind races to catch up with what’s happening, leaving me feeling drained and dizzy.
My breaths continue to race over my dry lips as an intense distraught feeling swamps me.
Chapter 33
Julian
My heart is beating out of my chest as I stalk closer to the rear of the van while Hayden moves to the front. I hear glass shatter and realize Max must’ve taken a shot. Yanking the door open, I zero in on Little, where he’s crawling toward me.
Scanning over him, and seeing that he’s unarmed, I reach inside and grabbing hold of his collar, I drag him out of the van. He stumbles, and before he can regain his balance, I shove him down to the ground.
“Don’t fucking move,” I shout as I keep the gun trained on him. I dare a glance inside the van and check for Jamie. “Are you okay, Jamie?” I call out, turning my gaze back to Little.
“Yes.”
Hayden comes up behind Little and keeping his gun pointed at the scum, he checks inside the van as well, then he looks at me.
Julian (Trinity Academy Book 4) Page 15
