by Hamel, B. B.
I smile to myself as I keep going. I’m about halfway down when I hear someone on the steps above me.
“Hello?” I call out. “I’m sorry, I’m pretty slow, but you can go around me.”
Silence. I wait a long beat. “Hello?” I ask again.
I hear the steps creak.
“Uh, hi, sorry. I know this is weird. I’m just a little slow.”
Another creak. My heart starts to beat faster.
I move. I take another step, another. I limp down and the steps curve away. I start to panic a little as I hear another creak above me, getting closer and closer.
Hands grab my arms. I scream and whip my head around. I catch a glimpse of a face before something black is shoved over my head from behind me. The hood is rough and I scream, struggling, as the hands grab me tighter.
This isn’t like the first time. These hands are strong and intense. I feel myself lifted, thrown over a shoulder. I fight and kick but it’s like hitting a brick wall.
I’m carried downstairs. I hear whispering. I think one of the voices is female, but I can’t be sure. I’m carried down a hall until I’m thrown into a room. I land on a couch and start to thrash before groaning as my leg bangs into something hard.
“Get her off the floor,” the female voice says. “She’s pathetic.”
I groan as I’m dragged up onto the couch again. I feel the hands grab my wrists and wrap something around them, nice and tight.
“Well now. That’s better.” The female sounds like she’s smiling. “Take off that hood. Let’s chat.”
The hood is ripped off my head. I blink for a second and stare at Collin and Hannah.
She smiles at me. “Hello, darling.”
“What… what are you doing?” I look down at the rope tying my wrists. “What are you doing? Untie me, what the fuck?”
“Calm down,” Collin says. “It’s okay. Just calm down.”
“No, I can’t, untie me.” I start to thrash and Collin holds me down, looking back at Hannah for support. I kick and try to slam my head against him, but he just ignores me.
“Stop that,” Hannah snaps at me. “Have some dignity, for Christ’s sake. It’s pathetic, you flopping like a fish.”
I slow and stop, breathing hard. I glare at her, eyes wild, fear ripping through me. “What are you doing?”
“That’s better.” Collin lets me go. “Really, you’re okay. Just calm down.”
I just ignore him. Clearly, he’s not the brains here.
That’s Hannah. She stares at me, her eyes clear and level. There’s a little smile on her lips again.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Here’s the thing, dear. My brother and me, we, ah, we don’t exactly get along with mommy and daddy anymore. Do we, brother?”
“Mom and Dad think we’re lazy, spoiled, and entitled,” he says like he’s reciting a list.
“That’s right, darling, good. Mommy and Daddy haven’t given us money in a long time. But we have very expensive tastes, don’t we?”
“We really do.” Collin grins and rubs the back of his head.
“So here’s the deal, my dear.” Hannah looks at me with a sideways smile. “We need money. And you’re worth a million. So I figure, we’ll sell you back to your daddy and make out like bandits.”
“We’re splitting it,” Collin says.
“That’s right, splitting it right down the middle.” Hannah grins at me.
“No,” I groan. “Why?”
“I just told you, dear. Aren’t you listening?” Hannah sits in a chair across from me. “You don’t know what it’s like, living in their shadow.”
“Who?”
“Them.” She snarls the word and makes a face. “The five chosen ones. The good cousins. The special ones. All because their father is the head of the family. It disgusts me. They’re not worth the time.”
“You mean… Brent and his siblings?”
“Of course she does, silly,” Collin says and sits next to his sister. “I hate those pricks. They used to pick on me, did you know that? Especially Lora. She was awful.”
“But… she’s younger than you.”
He makes a face. “Exactly why it was so bad.”
“Don’t worry, darling.” Hannah ruffles his hair. “You’ll get revenge soon enough. We get this money and you can buy whatever you like with it. Right, darling?”
“Right,” he says, nodding.
“So listen.” Hannah crosses her legs and cocks her head. “I want you to know it’s nothing personal. I mean, you seem perfectly fine and everything. I don’t have a vendetta, you know. I just want to get paid and you’re the biggest score in this filthy house.”
“Brent won’t let you do this.”
“Of course he won’t. That’s why I’m not going to let him find out. He’s too busy prowling the grounds right now to notice.”
“What about… my security?” I frown at them. “I have security. They’ll notice.”
She waves that away. “I sent them off. Told them the big head bitch needed them elsewhere.” She cackles. “There are perks to having the last name Lofthouse, you see. Even if we are the black sheep of the family.”
“But…” I work my jaw. “Please. I can give you money.”
“No, you can’t.” Hannah sighs. “Listen, dear. I only took the hood off because I felt bad. I’m not a monster, you see. I have feelings. I can empathize with your situation. Your daddy wants you and he’s a big, bad man. But you’re worth so much money. So I suppose I can’t help myself.”
“If you’re not a bad person, you won’t send me to him. That man… he wants to sell me. That’s all I am to him.”
She shrugs a little. “What can I do, dear? I can’t do a thing. You’re going back and I’m getting paid.”
“Wait. Please—”
Collin stands up. “We really are sorry. Just so you know.”
I stare at him like he’s insane. He smiles at me and brings the hood back over.
“Wait, no, please—”
He shoves it over my head.
“Sorry,” he says.
Blackness descends.
“Now, this is the hard part,” Hannah says. “We need to get you out of here. So you can either play along, like a good little pet, or Collin here will smash your head. Hopefully you won’t die, but one never knows. Your father didn’t say he needed you alive.”
“No,” I groan. “He needs me alive. I can’t do anything for him if I’m dead.”
“Sorry,” Collin says again, his voice close.
“I’ll play nice,” I say quickly, heart racing. “I’ll be good. Just please. Don’t hurt me.”
“Good pet. Collin, darling?”
I feel him grab me and lift me again. I can’t see a thing as we walk, my body jostling. I don’t scream out as we move through hallways. I hear doors open and shut. I hear footsteps on the stairs, I hear voices down a hall. I want to scream but I’m so afraid big, dumb Collin will smash my head and kill me by mistake. The hood over my face makes everything instantly more horrifying and I can’t bring myself to scream.
Another door opens and I can smell fresh air.
“Almost there, dear,” Hannah says. “Doing so good. So proud of you, dear.”
We bounce down a rough path and reach something. Collin stops and I hear a car door open.
“In you go,” he says and gently shoves me into the back seat. My leg bashes against the door and I gasp in pain. “Shit. Sorry.”
I moan as he shoves me over and slides in next to me. He slams the door shut and I hear someone climb into the front.
“Ready, darling?” Hannah asks.
“Yes. Let’s get this over with.”
The engine starts and the car pulls away from Lofthouse Manor.
20
Brent
“What do you mean, you fucking lost her?”
I stare at the stone-faced security guys, my jaw hanging open. Patricks glances at Johnson, who just nods
.
“We lost her, sir. She was in her room. We were asked to attend to another matter, and when we returned, she was gone.”
“Asked by whom?”
“Your mother, sir.”
I stare at the two idiots for a long moment. I rub my temple then let out a breath. “Did she come to you directly?”
Johnson hesitates. “No, sir.”
“Okay. Let me rephrase my question. Who physically came to you and asked you to leave your post?”
“Your cousin, sir. Hannah. And her brother Collin.”
I turn away, shaking with rage. Hannah, too-fucking-smart Hannah.
Of course it was her.
“You’re dismissed,” I growl.
“Sir,” Patricks speaks up. I glance back and Johnson is giving him a dirty look but the man speaks anyway. “I saw them leave, sir. In a car, heading into town.”
“You fucking… saw them?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
He hesitates. “No, sir. I wasn’t sure they had taken Amber. I didn’t know it was relevant.”
“You two really fucked up,” I say. “You realize that, right?”
“Yes, sir.” Patricks takes a step toward me. “I can help you, sir. Please, we can—”
“No,” I say.
“We can track the car.”
That gets my attention.
“Patricks,” Johnson hisses.
“What do you mean, you can track the car?”
“Everyone has a tracking device on their car,” Patricks says. “Your mother ordered it years ago. Whenever a member of the family is in town, we have a tracking device on their vehicle. She wants to know where you all are at all times.”
The implication hits me like cold water. I want to say that’s absurd, my mother would never do that, but no, that’s exactly something she’d do.
She’s controlling. She’s manipulative. And that makes a fucking ton of sense, looking back. I haven’t spent much time here around the house in years, but back when I did, she’d always seem to know when I was coming home late. She’s be awake and ready for me, almost as if she knew where I was and when I’d get back.
“I’ll deal with that mindfuck later,” I say, rubbing my temples. “Just show me how to track them.”
Patricks nods and step aside. Johnson makes a disgusted face. “I won’t be a part of this,” he says.
“What, you don’t want to fix your fuck-up?”
He looks away. “We were told to keep the system a secret.”
“The system,” I sneer. “Right now, it’s the only thing that can easily get Amber back. So you’re either with us or against us.”
He takes a step away. “I don’t want to lose this job,” he says.
“I think it’s too late for that.”
He clenches his jaw. “If I help, will you… keep me on?”
“What, you’re not going to give me some sob story about a sick mother or something?”
“No,” he says. “I’m not. I just need the job.”
“Fine. If we get her back before midnight tonight, you can keep your job. Otherwise, you’re fucked.”
He nods once. “Fine.”
They lead me away, down a few side hallways, and over toward my parents’ room. We end up on the winding, twisting stairway that leads into my mother’s studio.
“Of course,” I say as we step inside. “Of course it’s here.”
They ignore me. Patricks walks over to a group of paintings and moves them aside. Behind them is a little number panel I’ve never seen before. He types in some numbers then steps back.
Slowly, a small platform rises from the floor. The boards fold back and reveal a computer screen. Patricks begins to touch it once it’s high enough and no longer rising. The thing turns on and populates with a satellite map of the area.
“Every dot is a car,” he says. “Most of them are on the property. But one…” He trails off and moves the map. The dot is stopped on the far side of town. “One is right here.” He taps the dot and a little screen pops up with an image of Hannah’s car.
“That’s it,” I say.
“I don’t know if they’re still there, but the car is.”
“What do you know about Hannah and Collin? Do they have a place in town?”
“I’m not sure,” he admits. “She’s good about evading us. Quiet about it, too.”
I smirk at him. “Doesn’t take much with you two, does it?”
He glares back at me. “We’re trying here.”
I look away and feel bad for half a second. But then I remember Amber was taken by members of my own family, and these two clowns let it happen. So I don’t feel too guilty.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Patricks taps a few buttons and pulls out his phone. He takes a picture of the location then leads the way back out. Johnson follows, looking miserable, but joining in at least.
There’s a large garage on the far side of the mansion. I push open the door and step inside. The two security guys walk over to the lockbox that holds the keys and open it up. Johnson walks over and points at a nondescript black sedan. “We’ll take that.”
I nod and grab the keys from him. He doesn’t argue. I get into the driver’s seat and Johnson sits shotgun. Patricks gets into the back.
“Okay, they’re across town,” he says. “They’re parked at Madison and Main.”
I start the engine and pull out. I drive fast, the tires kicking up stones. Johnson gives me a look but I just ignore him.
Time is a problem here. I don’t know how long those two are going to stay wherever they are right now. I need to get there fast if I’m going to be able to get Amber back.
The gate pulls back and I fly out onto the street. The tires scream as I turn and drive into town. “Slow down,” Johnson says. “You’ll get pulled over. Can’t get there in time if you’re stopped by a cop.”
“They’ll let me go.”
“Sure, but it’ll still take longer.”
I clench my jaw but he’s right. I slow down to a more reasonable pace, but I’m still going fast. My heart’s hammering in my chest.
I can’t believe this happened again.
I thought I was being careful. I posted guards, I made sure they’d stay with her. But I shouldn’t have left. I was stupid to walk away. I thought she was safe with the security, at least on the grounds, but now I can’t control anything.
Fucking hell. Hannah and Collin, those stupid fucks. I don’t know what kind of trouble they got themselves into that they need to kidnap my fucking girl, but they’re going to pay for this.
I make it to Madison and Main and spot the car. Patricks points. “Right there.”
I nod and pull over. I park and get out with Johnson and Patricks right on my tail.
“Hold on,” Johnson says. “We don’t know where they are. They could be—”
I just ignore him. I walk to the car and peer inside. It’s empty, but there’s a black hood on the floor.
My heart leaps. I’m so angry I can barely breathe.
The car is parked in front of a laundromat. There’s a grocery store next to that and an athletic running company at the end. There are apartments up above the shops, and I have a strange feeling that she’s up there in one of those.
“You two stay here,” I say.
“Wait, we can’t just—” Johnson starts.
I look at him. “If you’re so desperate to keep your job, you’d better shut the fuck up and do what I tell you to do.
He clenches his jaw but nods. I stare at him a beat longer then turn to the building.
“Watch the car,” I say. “Don’t linger right here, though. Get out of sight. If they try to leave, stop them.”
“What are you going to do?” Patricks asks.
“I’m heading inside.”
Without waiting for a response, I walk up the front steps and open the main door.
Fortunately, this
is a small town, and small towns aren’t too worried about security. I walk right up the steps and into the apartment section of the building.
There are more than a few places. I look at the hallways and consider. If I were them, where would I want to hide out?
I go to the top floor. There are fewer apartments here, so they must be larger. I start at the first door and knock.
An older woman answers. “Yes?”
“Hi, ma’am. I’m looking for my cousins, Hannah and Collin. The girl looks like--”
“They live down there,” she says, pointing at the end of the hall. “Door on the right.”
I blink. “Wow. Okay, thanks.”
“The girl’s rude. And the boy’s too loud. They’re the only young people in this whole building.”
“You described them perfectly.” I nod at her. “Thanks, ma’am.”
“No problem, hon.”
She shuts the door and I hear the bolt click shut. I smile to myself and walk to the end of the hall. I knock on the door she indicated but I move to the side. I don’t want them to see my face and panic without opening the door.
I hear footsteps and whispered voices. Nothing happens. I keep waiting until I hear the steps recede.
I knock again.
The footsteps come back. This time, I distinctly hear Hannah’s voice.
“No, dummy, don’t open.”
“But it could be a package.”
“Are you expecting anything?”
The lock clicks open. The door creaks.
“No, but—”
I come around the corner and punch him in the nose so hard his head whips back. Hannah screams as Collin’s nose crunches. She stumbles away and turns to run, but I grab her wrist and fling her against the wall. She grunts as I kick Collin in the ribs for good measure.
I slam the door shut.
“Where is she?”
Hannah looks up at me with pure loathing. “Go to hell,” she says. “You and your whole damned family. You can all go to—”
I whip my fist at her but stop inches from her face. She groans in fear and flinches back.
“Where is she?” I ask quietly.
“Back bedroom.”
I walk away. I wasn’t going to hit her. I’m not a monster, after all. I don’t beat on women, even when they fucking deserve it.
