Something Other than Fear

by Taylor, Kerry

  I’d told myself to keep my distance and give her time, lots of time. Only that didn’t seem to be working out. Was it my fault, was I pushing things without really realising? I didn’t know, hence feeling like a lost teenager all over again!

  I’d asked her out for the day now anyway, so we were going, but it wasn’t a date. It was simply a fun day with a close friend, wasn’t it?

  JACK

  I finally got to bed twenty-four hours after I woke up, completely exhausted and worried sick about Lucy. I’d dropped her off at Matt’s after a horrendous ordeal for her at the hospital. She’d been in pieces and it had broken my heart to have to put her through it, but I knew it was for the best for her. When I left her in her room she had been calmer and seemed ok, but who knew what was real. She had been in a pretty deep depression and suffering with flashbacks for months, all of which she had managed to hide from two doctors who saw her every damned day. I worried she was once again putting a brave face on for me. I had left two sleeping pills encouraging her to take them before bed, knowing she really needed a good night’s sleep. I just hoped she did actually take them.

  I thought about the guy at the hotel. When I’d spoken to Rob earlier, he’d said the guy disappeared early that morning and he was a ghost with a fake ID. Why so elaborate a disguise to get some sex? And why stay with her after what he’d done? He could have up and left her in the hotel room that night, but he didn’t, he laid next to her and was willing to wake up to her with the letters he had carved into her back right there. It made no sense to me. I knew Rob would find him eventually and I knew when he did, there were questions that needed to be asked.

  My head finally hit my pillow and my eyes started to drift closed instantly. Come on sleep, I so need you! And then the startling ring of my cell began!

  “Damn it!” I cursed as I fumbled on the nightstand for damn thing.

  “Reed!” I barked in annoyance.

  “Jack? It’s Emma from the lab. I’m sorry to ring so late but you said these results were urgent?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry Em. Long day. They are important. What did you find?”

  “There were traces of Rohypnol in the sample, a large dose must have been given.” Lucy’s blood test.

  “I suspected as much,”

  “That wasn’t all we found. There were also clear traces of phenobarbital and diazepam. Someone really wanted that girl unconscious.” Three different sedatives? Why would anyone do that? One of those would have knocked a tiny thing like Lucy out for hours. This guy really didn’t want her waking up.

  “Thanks for letting me know so quickly, I appreciate it. I owe you one.” I said before I hung up and hit speed dial. He answered on the second ring.

  “Rob, it’s me.”

  “How’d it go with Lucy? Was she ok?” He asked immediately.

  “No. She was crying the whole time and inconsolable, but physically she’ll heal ok. I’ll get the test results in a few days.”

  “Shit! How was she when you left her?”

  “She seemed a little better, but still upset.”

  “I called her just now. She was really upset, having bad flashbacks. I talked to her for a while and I think it settled her. She’s in a bad way Jack.”

  “I know man. She’s been through so much. She just needs time and support. More sleep and food wouldn’t hurt her either.”

  “I know. I said I’d take her out tomorrow, try and take her mind off of all of this crap.” Rob said, surprising me.

  “Like a date?” I asked with a grin.

  “No fucktard, not a date. We’re just friends.” He barked, making me laugh.

  “If you say so. Anyway, none of this was why I’m calling. I got her bloods back and I’m worried Rob.”

  “Why? What did they show?”

  “Lucy was drugged with three different sedatives. Rohypnol was used to initially knock her out and then two further sedatives were used. Whoever that guy is, he really didn’t want her waking up Rob. I’m wondering if something even more sinister happened, maybe she didn’t go straight to the hotel?”

  “Holy fuck! Don’t say shit like that Jack!”

  “I know, but why else try so hard to make sure she was out? You have to check the security cameras in that hotel Rob. We have to find out what happened!”

  “I know. I will man, but you don’t tell Lucy any more than you have to. I don’t want her any more upset than she is. We keep this between us until we know exactly what went on, agreed?”

  “Agreed.”

  “Leave it with me. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know anything.” I agreed and hung up. What the hell was going on? I was getting increasingly concerned this guy picking Lucy up in that bar hadn’t been as random as it seemed, but who would target Lucy like that? There was only one person that came to mind and she certainly wouldn’t have gone anywhere with that psycho, no matter how drunk or drugged she was. Who the hell was this guy? I was too tired to think straight. I decided to put my faith in Rob to find the answers and let my exhausted brain sleep for a few hours.

  ROB

  As soon as I had enough clear snaps Mr Weirdo, as Lucy had named him, I raced to the Hilton with my phony FBI badge. I had to get that footage.

  “Good evening. Welcome to the Hilton,” The young female receptionist greeted. Perfect, just what I needed to get what I wanted.

  “Hi there. I’m Tom Carver with the FBI. I wonder if you might be able to help me out honey?” I said in my flirtiest voice along with a very quick flash of the badge.

  “I’ll do my best.” She was eating up my flirting, good!

  “I need access to your surveillance footage from last night. I’m investigating a possible crime which may have taken place in one of your rooms.”

  “The manager’s not here until the morning now. Maybe you could come back then?”

  “I’d love to, but time is of the essence here. A young girl’s life may depend on it. I need access to the footage now honey. Please. It’s urgent.” I fluttered my eyelashes in the way that had got me everything I needed from women thus far, and finally she gave in and allowed me access to the security office. I encouraged her to leave me to it, which she did and finally I was able to start running the footage back to late the previous night, both in the lobby and right outside the room ‘Steve Cotton’ had been staying in.

  I watched the sonofabitch leave the room all dressed up at just after five pm, about the same time Matt and Jack were at work and Lucy was at that fucking bar. I fast forwarded through the footage until at just after 11pm when I saw Lucy being carried through the lobby by the same man. She was obviously unconscious and not moving at all. She was taken into the hotel room and then all was quiet until about forty minutes later when a man dressed in a dark jacket and baseball cap entered the room with his own key card.

  “You motherfuckers!” I hissed as I watched, tapping my foot, desperate to punch the ever-loving shit out of something or someone! Two of them, there had been two of them! I continued to move through the footage until finally I saw the door open at four thirty, just before Lucy had woken up. It was the guy in the black jacket, leaving, this time with the cap in his hand. I saw his face clearly then and my blood ran cold as I saw a face I had seen weeks ago, her husband, Philip Greystone. He had done this! He was in the city. I had no idea how because I had a flag raised on his passport so I would be alerted as soon as he entered the country, but there he was, and he had hurt Lucy again without her even knowing. What else did he have planned? There was no way that was all he intended to do! He had come a long way and gone to a lot of trouble to make sure no one knew he’d been with Lucy that night. It was phase one in a bigger plan, just the beginning of his sick mind games.

  “Goddamn sonofabitch!” I hissed as I stared at him on the screen. “I’m coming for you!” There was no way I’d let him near her again. He wasn’t getting to phase two, I’d make fucking sure of it!

  I copied the footage to my cell and got out of the hote
l as stealthily as I entered, avoiding all of the cameras in case any questions were asked at a later date.

  “Hi, you’re through to Jack Reed. Leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Damn it! Jack’s voicemail!

  “Jack, it’s me. I got something on the hotel surveillance footage. Call me back right away!”

  I had no choice. I was fifteen minutes from Matt’s place, and I had to know Lucy was safe there right away. I called Matt.

  “Rob, why the bloody hell are you ringing me at this time?” He answered sleepily. It was three AM, but I didn’t care.

  “Matt, where’s Lucy?”

  “Where the fuck do you think, in bed?” He snapped.

  “Go and check, now Matt. Just go!” I ordered.

  “What? Why?”

  “Matt, now man!” I barked. I heard him moving then.

  “Rob, she’s here. Fast asleep. What the hell is going on?”

  “I’m on my way over now. Don’t let her out of your sight Matt. Make sure the doors and windows are locked. Get your gun out and check it’s loaded and keep it at hand.” I was running to my car now. The panic that surged through me was so unlike me. One of my best skills was keeping my head in a crisis, but apparently all bets were off with Lucy. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. She was there, she was safe. I had to make sure she stayed that way.

  “Robert! Talk to me now!” Matt ordered in hushed tones.

  “Phil. He’s in Chicago, he’s coming for her.”

  MATT

  My blood ran cold as I heard those words, he’s coming for her. I had started to think he wouldn’t come, that he had given up and as a result I was all set to take a trip back to the UK to take care of him there. Now a middle of the night phone call told me he was coming for my baby sister.

  “I understand Rob. See you when you get here.” I said deadly calm and I hung up. I went straight to my wardrobe and pulled out the lock box I kept on the top shelf. I had a loaded Glock G19 in there and I was ready to use it if that piece of shit tried to get anywhere near Lucy. I had never seen myself with a gun. I was a peaceful sort of guy at heart, but Rob and Jack had convinced me it was a good idea to have one locked away just in case. Rob had taken me to the gun range within his training facility once a week for two years and I had become a decent shot. Once I was happy I knew how to use a handgun, I got my concealed carry permit and bought one. It had been in the lockbox ever since, always in reach, but never needed. As I checked the magazine I thanked fuck I had listened to the guys. Phil was getting a bullet between the eyes if he dared come anywhere near Lucy.

  I pulled on my jeans and a t-shirt and took my post in the chair in the corner of Lucy’s room, the Glock tucked into the small of my back where I could grab it easily but hidden from Lucy if she woke up. The last thing I wanted was to scare her.

  “Come on you Bastard, I dare you!” I whispered to the darkness.

  About ten minutes later I heard my front door open very quietly and then close and the lock click on again. I took the gun out and moved towards the lounge as silently as possible.

  “Matt, don’t fucking shoot me!” I heard Jack hiss. He and Rob could hear someone sneaking up on them from about a mile, sneaky fucking marines!

  I put the gun back at the small of my back and walked in to meet Jack.

  “Rob called you?”

  “Yeah and he was freaking the hell out. Is she ok?”

  “She’s sleeping. Her windows are all locked and I checked the entire apartment. We’re ok for now.” I explained. “Did Rob tell you how he found out Phil’s in the city?”

  “Not really. Let’s just wait until he gets here so we can get the full story.”

  “I’ll kill him Jack. If Phil comes anywhere near her I’ll shoot him right between the fucking eyes.”

  “No arguments from me. I’ll do it myself if I get the chance and so will Rob. Either way he’s a fucking dead man Matt, don’t worry. He won’t get near her.” Then there was a key in the door again and Jack and I both moved for our guns.

  “It’s just me.” Rob declared as he thundered through in a manner very unlike him. He was usually the definition of stealth and cool, but tonight he was clumsy and agitated.

  “She’s safe Rob. Calm down.” Jack said pointedly. Rob took a breath and turned to lock the front door again.

  “Right Rob, I want to know what the hell is going on, right now!” I said firmly. I’d had enough of only knowing half the story.

  “Jack, watch Lucy. Matt, you better take a seat.” Rob said with a guilty look on his face. I knew then that he had kept something from me. Jack nodded and walked off towards Lucy’s room as Rob and I took seats opposite each other in the lounge.

  “I’m really sorry man, but I haven’t been honest with you today.” Rob started. I looked at him with a small nod. I knew that much. “I did pick Lucy up this morning, but not because of a nightmare and not from here. She called me from the Hilton hotel in the city. She was upset and stranded there, and she begged me to go and get her, so I did. When I got there I found out she got picked up from a bar by some stranger last night. The guy had sat with her and bought her drinks for a while before he asked her to go to his hotel with him,” I felt the anger rising in me. Anger at what I knew was coming, anger at knowing my sister had spent another day in pain without me even knowing it and raging anger that my two best mates had clearly known about it and kept it from me! “Matt, I can see you’re mad, but Lucy made me promise not to tell anyone and she was so broken I couldn’t betray that trust.”

  “But you told Jack?”

  “I know, I had to. I’m getting to that bit. Lucy blacked out in the cab with this guy on the way to the hotel and she woke up this morning, naked in bed beside him with no memory of anything that had transpired. I wanted to go in and confront the bastard, but she was in a bad way and she begged me to take her away from there, so I did. I took her to mine and she showered, during which she discovered….well….he hurt her Matt.”

  “What? How? What did he do?” I gasped.

  “She had cuts on her back….they spelled ‘slut’.”

  “What the fuck Rob? You should have told me. You had no right to keep this from me. She’s my sister for fuck’s sake!”

  “I know, I feel so bad Matt, but I wanted Lucy to trust me. I tried to convince her you needed to know, but she was so scared she’d disappoint you. She thinks she let you down and no matter what I said I couldn’t make her see sense. Jack tried too.” Now that sounded like my sister.

  “So how does this get us to Phil being here?” I knew he couldn’t have been the guy who picked her up, she’d have recognised him instantly.

  “I knew when I saw the cuts she must have been drugged and that’s when I had to call Jack so he could check her over. Jack ran her blood and it came back with three different sedatives. We were worried then why anyone would try so hard to keep her unconscious, so I went to the hotel to check the surveillance footage. I saw the guy from the bar carrying Lucy unconscious into his room, but I saw someone else enter the room too about forty minutes later.”

  “Phil?” I cut in. He had arranged for some guy to drug my sister so he could do as he wanted with her while she was out.

  “Yeah, he was in there over four hours with her and the other guy.” Rob confirmed.

  “Jesus fucking Christ!” Anger built up inside me and I needed to kill something, anything, preferably Phil. I moved to the bathroom, the furthest room from Lucy’s and slammed my fist into the wall, smashing a tile and my hand in one move, but I didn’t care. He had taken Lucy and he had hurt her again, all while I had been sat back doing nothing! I had done nothing but let her down again and again! My parents would be ashamed of me!

  “Feel better?” Rob asked as he walked into the bathroom behind me.

  “No, not really” I replied as I flexed my bruised and cut up hand.

  “We’ll get him now Matt. He’s a dead man.”

  “Yeah.
But it’s too little too late Rob. He has hurt her over and over again and I’ve done absolutely fuck all to stop him! I’ve let her down.” I looked to Rob, who stood smiling. “What’s so fucking funny?”

  “You and Lucy. You’re so alike. You both spend so much time worrying about letting the other one down. Why can’t you just see what you have? An amazing relationship that most people would kill to have!”

  “I was supposed to take care of her Rob!”

  “And you will Matt, now. We’ll get rid of this motherfucker and then she can move forward. You can help her start again, help her put her life back together. There’s absolutely no point trying to change the past. It’s a waste of your energy and Lucy’s strength. All you can do is move forward from here.” I knew the sharp tone in his voice was because he wanted me to see sense. I also knew he was right. Me brooding and hitting walls because I’d been so useless wasn’t helping Lucy. She needed me to be there for her, and for me to be strong. Maybe if I had been there for her last night instead of working crazy hours she wouldn’t have been in that bar and none of it would have happened.

  “Wait. Why was Lucy in a bar last night?” It suddenly dawned on me that it was odd thing for her to be doing, especially alone.