by K. C. Lynn
My dread grows stronger when I see all the cop cars lining the street. I jump out of the truck before Jaxson comes to a stop and I can hear Ruthie’s sobs as I race into the house. “Ruthie!” I yell, heading toward the stairs.
“Hey, wait, who are you?” A cop attempts to stop me, but I throw him off and send him flying into the kitchen.
I continue up the stairs, only caring about getting to Ruthie, and reach her room quickly. “Ruthie!” I call again, forcing my way through the many bodies crowding the small space. I push through an opening and am met with the most heartbreaking sight—my girl huddled in a corner, her face pale with fear and her body trembling with sobs.
She stops crying when she sees me, and her eyes widen in disbelief. “Tade?” she asks with a whisper, as if she’s not sure I’m really here.
I bend down and open my arms, “Yeah, kid, it’s me, come here.”
She crawls toward me quickly; I don’t miss the fact that one of my shirts is engulfing her tiny form. I meet her halfway, scooping her up then cup her face, forcing her to look at me. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head before burying it in my neck and cries hysterically. I hold her close, trying to calm her, when Cooper touches my shoulder. “We need her to talk, man. We don’t know anything. I’ve been going off assumption and what I heard in the background on the phone.”
I nod then force her to look at me again, “Ruthie, baby, I need you to tell me what happened.”
She hiccups and tries to swallow down her tears, “Me and Faif was wayin’ in bed when we hweard someone twyin’ to get in de house. She hid me in de cwoset and told me to tawl Mr. Shewiff. She made me pwomise dat no matter what, I wouldn’t tum out, so I didn’t, but…I tould hewe her scweaming.” She starts sobbing again. “It was my daddy and Spite. I heawd dem and dey was huwting her.”
My breathing turns heavy and I grind my teeth against the violence threatening to consume me, the familiar darkness rising inside of me.
Another sob draws my attention to the left and I see both Katelyn and Faith’s mom crying, their heads buried in her dad’s chest as he holds them, and strangely, when I look at him, I don’t feel anything—no anger toward him. But maybe that’s because all of it is geared toward the motherfuckers who took her.
The old man glares at me, his eyes glassy with tears but rage hardening his expression. I know what he’s thinking. That it’s my fault and he’s right, it would have never happened if I had been here. He storms past me and heads into the room across the hall, Faith’s room. I briefly register that it’s fucking destroyed.
“Did they say where they were taking her? Ruthie?” Cooper asks her calmly.
She shakes her head, “No, I touldn’t tell what dey was sayin’, I tould just heaw deir voices.”
Cooper looks at me, “I heard a little in the background while I was on the phone with her. I could tell it was Dennison, but not much else. I already had cops search his place and Spike’s, there is no one there.”
“Have you looked into other properties he owns?” My head snaps to Sawyer at his question and, for the first time, I pay attention to who is all here. Grace stands next to him, and Julia next to Jaxson, both the girls crying as hard as Katelyn.
Cooper shakes his head. “Not yet, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t. The guy is dirt poor, he can’t even afford what he has, and Spike isn’t much better off. But I’ll check into it anyway and make sure.”
I fade out of the conversation; my gaze focusing on the old man in the room across the hall when I see him answer his cell phone. Something in his expression has me moving forward. Cooper notices and follows behind me.
The old man holds up his hand, motioning for us to be quiet, as we enter the room. “I can do that. I can get you that amount no problem, just let me talk to my granddaughter so I know she’s okay.” My heart stalls in my chest as I wait to see if Faith comes on the phone. I get the overwhelming urge to rip the fucking thing from him. “If you don’t let me talk to her, how do I know she’s alive?”
Suddenly, an agonized scream comes from the receiver, loud enough for us all to hear, and the painful sound of it has fire erupting inside of me. I cover Ruthie’s ear and bury her head in my chest, but know I wasn’t quick enough.
“No, stop, that’s enough. I get the point and I’ll get you the money, just don’t hurt them.” There’s a brief pause before he says, “Yes, I understand.” He hangs up and looks at Cooper. “He’s giving me twenty-four hours to get him three million dollars. He has Christopher too.” I close my eyes and try to breathe through the guilt constricting my chest, thinking about my last encounter with the kid.
“Jesus christ, do you have that much?” Sawyer asks.
“Yes, it’s not a problem for me to get, but we all know I’m not giving him a goddamn penny.”
Cooper nods, “Did he say where he wants the drop?”
He shakes his head. “He said he would call me back an hour before to tell me where. He obviously said no cops too, the bastard is an amateur, it’s as if he was quoting shit from a movie. He obviously checked into my background, for him to know how much money I have, but he’s clearly stupid since he doesn’t know who he’s fucking with. And I’m telling you right now, Sheriff, you better find him soon or I will, and when I get a hold of him, I’m going to blow the motherfucker away.”
He can get in line, because if anyone is killing these pieces of shit, it’s me.
“Dad, just take it easy. We have to let the sheriff do his job and have faith that it will work out.” My gaze snaps to Joshua’s wavering voice, and I see his green eyes brimmed with unshed tears before he turns to Cooper. “What is your plan? We wait for the phone call?”
“We aren’t waiting twenty-four hours to find them,” I reply, speaking up now. I look at Sawyer and Jaxson and they both nod, letting me know they get me.
I glance at Katelyn briefly before lifting Ruthie higher to look at me, “I need to go, baby.” Her arms tighten around my neck and her lip quivers as tears spill down her small cheeks. “Everything will be okay. I’m going to go get them back but I need you to be strong and stay here with Katelyn and the others, okay?”
She nods but a small sob falls from her and it rips my fucking heart to shreds. “Be tarefwul, big guy.”
I kiss her forehead. “Always.”
I pass her off to Katelyn’s waiting arms then head out of the room, feeling Jaxson and Sawyer follow close behind. I’m quickly ripped back and thrown into the wall by an enraged Cooper, “You’re not fucking going anywhere without me. You got it? If you do, I swear to God I will lock up all of your asses.”
I take deep breaths, trying to keep my darkness from unleashing on the wrong person. “Then I guess you better keep up and prepare yourself, Sheriff. Because I have only one goal, and that’s getting them back alive at any cost.”
“Don’t you pull that Sheriff bullshit with me!” he seethes, getting into my face. “I’m your goddamn friend and their lives mean just as much to me as they do you. But this isn’t fucking Iraq, this is my goddamn town and my rules. You assholes may have what it takes to kill these bastards, but you do not have the same resources I do for finding them. So I’m warning you now, Walker, you toe the fucking line or else…”
I grab him and slam him up against the wall. “Fuck you! I don’t follow anyone’s rules when it comes to my woman and kids. You fucking hear me?”
“Goddamit, Walker, get off of him,” Jaxson yells. I let him and Sawyer pull me back but I keep my glare trained on Cooper.
“Listen, both of you assholes need to rein it in. We’re wasting time,” Evans shouts, logically. “Cooper is right, we need him and his resources, but you,” he points at Cooper, “need to back the fuck off him. We all fucking know what kind of rules you would follow if this was Kayla.”
We continue to glare at each other, our breaths rapid with fury. Thankfully, he gives in first, “I know a place where they both go to drink. It’s a biker ba
r just off the interstate, some of who they hang with will be there and they will probably know something. I know one guy in particular who’s close with Spike.”
I let out a relieved breath, glad that I have a place to start since it would have taken us time to find that out. I look over at Jaxson. “We’ll stop at your place first and load up, that way if we have a place to go we don’t backtrack and waste time.”
He nods just as Cooper interrupts again, “You don’t need to fucking load up! I am armed.”
“You cannot fucking expect us to go into this unarmed.”
We stand off again before he shakes his head. “Fine, but goddamn it, don’t be stupid and make me regret letting you in on this. I could have left your ass at home, sulking in your fucking apartment. Remember that, Walker.”
I nod, knowing he’s right, and pray that I can keep that promise. But if they have hurt her in anyway, it all goes out the fucking window.
CHAPTER 34
Faith
I brace myself as they pull me from the backseat of the car, my head pounding from the blow they just delivered to me while talking to my papa. I hit the ground hard and bite back the fresh wave of pain that slices through me, but can’t stop from crying out when Floyd reefs me up by my hair, the sting in my scalp making my eyes water.
I stumble toward a run-down, abandoned cabin with my hands cuffed in front of me, the too tight metal biting into my wrists painfully. I take in my surroundings, trying to figure out which way we will need to go if we can manage to get out of this.
“Take a good look around, bitch, and whatever you’re thinking you can forget it,” Floyd says, calling me out. “There is nothing around here for miles. I could make you scream like a fucking pig being gutted and no one would hear you.”
I try not to let the fear I’m feeling from his vile description show in my expression. I pray that all he wants is money, and that he doesn’t plan to hurt Christopher and me. I swallow thickly at the thought of Christopher, praying he is in there and okay.
I stumble through the door and blink against the soft light of the lamp they turn on, fighting against the wave of dizziness it brings.
“Lock her up with him,” Floyd orders Spike, shoving me against him.
He follows the command but I don’t miss the glare he sends Floyd’s way. He walks me through the house, leading me into the kitchen, then out the back door and outside again. It’s pitch black and we walk quite a ways from the cabin. I try to take in all I can but unfortunately I can’t see much; I don’t even see the small wooden shack until it’s almost right in front of us.
“Please don’t do this,” I try pleading with him. “Please, if you help us get out of here, my papa will pay you double what Floyd is asking.”
He grunts, not believing me and slaps me in the back of the head, making me get the overwhelming urge to throw up. “Shut up, bitch. I am not that fucking dumb.”
I think about trying again but then decide against it, knowing I can’t handle any more blows to my head. I watch him lift three heavy metal levers then unlock a small padlock with a key before swinging the door open. A disgusting smell overwhelms my senses, making my eyes water and has me gagging.
“Hey, kid, I brought you a friend.”
A small lantern in the top right corner gives off a faint glow in the dark, dank space, but it’s enough for me to see the shadow of a boy huddled in the corner with his head down and arms wrapped around his knees.
“Christopher?” I sob in relief and rush toward him. I hear the door slam and the bolts lock into place as I drop down beside him. “Are you okay?” I notice his body shaking then hear him sniffle, and realize he isn’t answering me because he’s crying. “Oh no, Christopher. Look at me, are you really hurt?” I ask fearfully.
He shakes his head and I hear him mumble something but I can’t make out what he’s saying. I lean in closer but still can’t understand him. “I can’t hear you. Please look at me, you’re scaring me.”
He lifts his face and I suck in a sharp, painful breath at the battered mess. Anger rushes through me that they did this to him, but it quickly fades when I see his heartbroken expression. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him cry, and he looks absolutely devastated.
“He fucking killed her,” he chokes out roughly.
My heart stops in fear, wondering who on earth he’s talking about. “What? Who?”
“My mom!” he replies on an agonized sob.
I shake my head, not understanding why he thinks this. “How do you know?”
His twisted expression watches me for a moment, uncertain as to whether or not to tell me, then he points across the small space to the opposite corner. It’s dark and difficult to see, but I manage to make out what resembles a pile of sticks.
“It’s human bones, Faith.”
A small scream rips from my throat just before I slap a hand over my mouth. I quickly look away and desperately try to swallow the bile rising in my throat. At the sound of Christopher’s pain, I pull myself together and slip my cuffed wrists over his head until my arms are wrapped around him. I bury my face close to his, trying to offer him as much comfort as I can. “It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.”
He shakes his head. “This entire time I thought she left us. I couldn’t understand how she could just leave us with him, but she didn’t.”
“Are you sure it’s her?”
“Yes. Her ring was beside it, and I heard him tell Spike he caught her trying to take Ruthie and me. She was going to take us with her.” He sobs harder, completely breaking my heart.
“I’m so sorry, Christopher. So, so sorry,” I choke out through my own tears. “I promise we will get through this. I’ll help you.” I don’t say any more, and for the next few minutes I just hold him, trying to bring him any comfort I can.
When he’s a little calmer he sits up and looks at me. “Are you okay? Where’s Ruthie? They said they were going to grab both of you.”
His questions trigger many of my own but I decide to answer his first. “She’s okay.” At least I hope she is. I push that awful thought away and focus on the now. “I hid her just before your father broke in, and thankfully they didn’t find her. She was calling Cooper when your father broke in. I heard the sirens just as I blacked out, or at least I think I did. How did they get you?” I ask softly, brushing his hair out of his battered face.
He grinds his teeth, “They followed me from the gym. I got into a fight with Cade, and was so angry when I left that I didn’t notice them. I turned down a back alley a couple blocks away and started kicking the shit out of a dumpster in a fit of rage. They drove down, blocking my way out, and took me in broad fucking daylight. I managed a few shots on them, but then my dad hit me with the butt of his gun and knocked me out.”
My heart breaks knowing how scared he must have been. “Do you know where we are?”
“Yeah, this cabin belonged to my mother, it was her parents’. I have only been here a few times. I didn’t think we owned it anymore, but now I know why it was kept a secret.” He shakes his head in disgust.
Knowing that Floyd Dennison is capable of murder, I realize we are in even more danger than I originally thought. “Okay, listen. They have asked my papa for ransom money and I have no doubt, Christopher, that we have a lot of people looking for us. But we have to try getting ourselves out of here too, in case it takes them a while to find us.”
He nods. “After I came to, and realized what he did to my mother, I tried breaking through the door, but they heard me and came in. I tried to overpower them and that’s why I look like this now, but I’ve started working over in this corner.” He slides over and shoves his hand underneath a board. “The bottom wood is wet and pretty rotted. We just need a big enough space to slide underneath.”
“Yes, this might be our only option. If we can make something big enough to get under, do you know anywhere that is close enough to run to?”
“Not that I can remember.”
&nbs
p; I let out a breath, “Okay, well this is our only option and it will be better than staying here. So we make a space big enough to escape and run into the woods to hide. We do whatever it takes until someone finds us, and I have no doubt that many people are looking for us.”
“Yeah, well, let’s just hope Cade is one of them, because we know that guy gets good results in the end.”
My heart falters at the mention of his name and it takes a minute for me to find my voice. “Yeah, Christopher, I know he will be the first in line looking for us.” Which is true—no matter what has happened between us and how he’s feeling, I know he loves Christopher, and I do believe he cares a lot about me.
“I wish my last words to him weren’t telling him to go fuck himself.”
I give him a sad smile and think about our last encounter too. “He knows you care about him, and he cares a lot about you and Ruthie too.” And I sure hope he knows I love him, that even after everything that happened I still love him, more than anything else in this world.
*
Cade
We pull up to the dirty run-down bar just off I-90, that is loaded with at least thirty different bikes, and there is a couple going at it on one of them right out in the fucking open. I try to rein in the violence coursing through me, but the longer this is taking the hotter my rage builds.
Sawyer whistles. “I have a feeling this is not going to go smoothly, so tell us who we are dealing with here, Coop. Are we dealing with wannabe assholes like Wild Hogs? Or are we dealing with serious assholes like Sons of Anarchy?”
We all look over at him wondering if he’s serious. “What? It’s actually a pretty good show and those assholes are seriously badass, they will fucking kill you just for sneezing too goddamn loud. I just want to make sure if that’s what I’m dealing with then I’m prepared to be the one doing the killing.”
“No one is killing any one,” Cooper replies. “These guys are mostly into the drug scene, they are low on the totem pole. There is one guy in particular who hangs around a lot with Spike and Dennison that might know something, but I am sure he won’t talk easily.”
