Lana opened the door and flashed a bright professional smile. “Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, this is Rian MacCaren. I apologize for his appearance.”
I walked in and saw their expressions. Not much of a vote of confidence here. Winning! “Sorry, I got done fighting a mountain troll near the reservoir.”
Mrs. Grayson covered her mouth in shock. “A troll?”
I pulled my chair out and sat slowly. The Grayson’s followed me with their eyes. “Yeah, he’s dead now, but I didn’t want to take the time to clean up as Lana said this was important.”
Mr. Grayson fumbled with his phone and set it on the desk. “It’s our son, Mr. MacCaren.”
I winced at the title. It hurt worse than my ribs. Every time someone called me Mr. made me sound old. “Call me, Rian.”
“Right.” He placed his hands on my desk on each side of his phone.
Lana exited the office but left the door partially open. Her behavior worried me. What could be so bad for Lana to act like this? Some questions were rhetorical and not meant for an answer. Be careful what you ask for...
“Someone took our son.” Mr. Grayson’s hands shook.
“Call me Dan and my wife Debra, Rian. Our son hasn’t come home after leaving to get dinner earlier this evening. He wanted to celebrate as he got paid from his first job. He never came back.”
Dan held his wife close, and tears ran down her face. It wouldn’t be long before she lost it. Normally, I’d make them wait twenty-four hours as the cops do, but it would make things worse.
I leaned forward and held back a grimace. “Tell me more. I know you’re having trouble with all this, but I need to know everything. What aren’t you telling me?”
Yeah, I’m a bit forward and didn’t mince words. If their son was in danger, I needed to know more. Information was a valuable commodity in my line of work, and I couldn’t do my job without it. Dan looked at me like I spoke another language while his wife buried her head in his chest.
Dan embraced his wife and kissed her head. “A man called us and told us not to go to the cops, or he would die.”
I exhaled sharply, which hurt. “Did the kidnapper give any ransom demand? Do either of you two have any enemies?”
Debra raised and shook her head. Her eyes were red from crying and her makeup smeared. I didn’t think she cared how she looked at the moment. “After Jacob left for the restaurant, we got a text on Dan’s phone. It said, ‘is this your son’s car?’ with a picture of Jacob’s car on the side of the road. The driver’s side door was open.”
Dan shifted in his seat. “I tried to call to find out if it was a joke, but the call said the number was no longer in service. A few seconds later, Debra’s phone rang. I answered.”
He choked back a sob. I knew this was going to bad. Kidnappers are shitty people, and I knew of cases of human trafficking in this region, but usually, kidnappers never took men, and they didn’t call to brag.
I wanted to grab Dan’s hand to steady him because he shook, but I didn’t want to deal with a vision or anything else. Heightened emotions can force my unique power to kick in. “I need you to focus, Dan. Both of you. What happened next? I know this is painful, but I need to know.”
Debra responded. “It was Jacob. He was crying and asked for help.”
“After that, the kidnapper got on the line and said if we wanted to see Jacob again to not go to the cops. His life depended on it. They said they would contact us when we found you.”
I leaned back and stared at both. “Me?”
Debra nodded. “Yes, he said you’d help us find Jacob.”
The Grayson’s had hope in their eyes, but all I saw was two pawns in a trap set for me, with their son as the bait. Why else would they say no cops, but see me? But I couldn’t ignore whether or not this was a trap, Jacob needed found.
I massaged my temples. “Has anyone contacted you since you got here?”
Debra shook her head ⸻no. Dan did the same but pushed his phone toward me. “The caller told us to give you this. Why would someone take our son? Why did they want us to come to you?”
“I don’t know, but I've got a feeling we’ll find out soon enough.”
The phone rang making everyone, including me, jump. I reached over and answered it, putting it on speaker. No one responded at first, then the sound of breathing, and finally, someone with an altered voice spoke.
“Mr. and Mrs. Grayson’s, life is full of unexpected events. Consider Jacob. He went out to get dinner for his family and now finds himself held captive. So, as you see, things get complicated with the cops, and they slow the process down. The Midnight Agency is much quicker and not bogged down in red tape or other petty laws and morality.”
I leaned forward. “What do you want from me? Who are you?”
I tried to stay calm, but my voice shook a little. The sigils on my wrists flared in pain. They were a gift or a curse from my angelic father. They were like some magical warning system. I was born with them and caused my mother to put me through an exorcism to get rid of them when I was eleven years old. It’s a miracle she’s in the looney bin and not me. Not that I needed them as a warning for this, but it was good knowing my angelic blood still worked.
“Look at this as a test, Rian. If you pass the boy lives and the Graysons can go back to their happy lives. If you don’t, the boy dies and so do you. There’s more at stake here than just a young man’s life.”
An alert popped up on the phone. “For now, I leave you with this. What you do after that will decide the outcome of the next twenty-four hours.”
The caller hung up. Debra kept whispering Jacob’s name over and over. Yeah, she lost it. The alert popped up on the phone again, and I tapped the screen to open it.
Dan leaned forward. “What is it?”
I glanced at him. He looked desperate with tears running down his face. Debra wiped a tear from his eyes, and he sobbed in silence. His strength failed him. There was no need. His son was in danger and needed help. No one here thought less of him. A real man cries as it never a sign of weakness.
“It’s a link.”
I tapped the link, and it opened to a live video feed. What the fuck? Sweet Jesus, this has got to be a fucking joke! What kind of person would do this? A young man’s cries and pleas for help echoed from the phone. I stared, transfixed in horror as I watched him beat against the lid inches from his face. The man’s voice resonated from the video feed.
“You have twenty-four hours, Rian, or you’re both dead.”
Mrs. Grayson screamed, and her husband lost it as well. He held her close and tried to cover her face, but his hands shook too much. Both shook in terror as the sight of seeing their son beat at the coffin lid. I swallowed hard and tried to calm my nerves.
Lana rushed in. “Rian, is everything okay?”
I looked up at her but didn’t see her as I got lost inside my head. A cold chill washed over me, and my blood pressure dropped. Buried alive? My God, who would do such a thing?
“Rian!” Lana yelled.
Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Debra sat in silence. Her face a mix of grief and anger. Her eyes spoke of vengeance. I had a feeling she’d have no problem taking out the kidnapper if she had him in her sights. Dan stood with tears streaming down his face. He finally kneeled in front of his wife, burying his face in her lap and cried. Fuck, this is too emotional for me. Forgetting my pain and the threat against my life, I stood. It caught Debra’s attention.
Debra looked angry and grabbed my hand after I rounded the desk. “You’re going to kill him, right? He shouldn’t get away with this. Show no mercy.”
“I’ll find Jacob, and the person responsible for this.”
Chapter Three
“What will you do when you catch him?” Dan paced the floor. Debra stopped crying, but I doubted it would take much to set her off again.
“I’m not bogged down with red tape like the cops, but I’ll do whatever’s necessary. Not only to find Jacob, but I’ll m
ake sure I hold his kidnapper accountable.”
Debra gripped my hand and squeezed hard. “Don’t hold back. Bring me back my son, Rian.”
The look in her face was far from motherly. A dark side she may have never known about welled up in her soul and shone through her eyes. It seems Debra wanted blood. If I had money to place a bet, I’d say Dan did as well.
I couldn’t say I hated vigilante justice as part of my job did that, but I didn’t want the Grayson’s bloodying their hands. They may be angry and scared, but if anyone had blood on their hands, it would be me.
The law didn’t always favor the innocent and a lot of times justice never got served. The American justice system ran on private prisons and corrupt lawyers overseen by greedy politicians. Cops got shitty training, and many departments couldn’t afford to protect as many innocents as they liked.
The nature of the beast. In my line of work, the line between what was legal and was not would blur, and I’d have to make a choice. This time, the line disappeared. There was no debate on what needed to be done. Sometimes justice needed to be served and to hell with legalities.
The pleasant aroma of coffee hit my nose. Lana set a cup down in front of me. “Rian, should I contact Axle?”
Debra looked over at me. “Who’s Axle.”
I shook my head no but still wondered about whether or not to involve him. “Axle is a detective for the Fort Collins Police Department.”
“The kidnapper said no cops or Jacob dies.” Dan continued pacing.
“He’s part of the PMS division. He helps me on supernatural cases.”
Debra gasped, and Dan stopped. “You think a monster took him?”
How does one explain to innocents that monsters don’t always have fangs or walk through walls, but are human like the rest of us? It didn’t matter. Some things were best left unsaid. I turned to speak, but paused, choosing my words carefully.
“No, I don’t. I believe the person who took Jacob is human like you are. Sometimes, someone or something from the Other Side pulls their strings, but in the end, we still have a choice for good or evil.”
Dan sat down, out of breath. All that pacing got my heart rate up. “Is this case like your others?”
I drank some coffee. It tasted like liquid salvation. For a moment the world drifted away, and I wondered how such a mundane drink could harbor so much magic. Caffeine, magic for those who don’t know magic.
“No. Not unless the kidnapper is being used or works for someone else. I’d tell you not to worry, but we both know it won’t happen. I’ll find who did this as it seems my life is on the line as well.”
“What do you need us to do?” Dan got up and paced again.
Dan was clearly a mover and a shaker which at this moment, was a bad thing. I couldn’t risk letting him get involved. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d move heaven and earth for his son, but his present state would cloud his judgment. Like mine’s better...
I walked over and gripped his shoulder, stopping his pacing. “Go home and comfort your wife. Do you have a gun?”
“Rian!” Lana gasped at my question. She didn’t approve of it.
“Yes, we own a few. Do you think the kidnapper come after us?”
“No. He made his directions blunt. I won’t be able to protect you, but you must protect yourself and Debra. I don’t believe you’ll need to, but you both need rest, and I feel a gun may help. Put it under your pillow and make sure you lock your doors. Lana or I will contact you as we get information.”
Dan nodded and seemed ready to do what I asked. The chances of the kidnapper coming after them were unlikely, but Dan needed something to do. He wanted to help. I gave him someone to protect, his wife. Manipulative I know, but I couldn’t have him hindering my work.
I watched as he hugged his wife and whispered that it was time to go and let me work. She nodded and stood with his help. Lana opened my office door and escorted them out. I followed behind, the pain in my ribs reminding me how human I was.
At the main door, Debra stopped then rushed over and hugged me. I hate this shit. For once I’d like clients who don’t get mushy on me. “Thank you, Rian. Find our son and kill the bastard who did this.”
Dan pulled her back. I could only nod. A part of me hoped killing the kidnapper wouldn’t happen, but when it comes to my line of work and life, people end up dead. Not everyone wants to be saved, and justice doesn’t always get served this side of Heaven.
When Christ died, His death tore the veil asunder in the temple. Because of that, so was the one between our world and the next. The Other Side became real and manifested daily on a physical level. No longer was the spiritual able to crossover only on special nights; now they walked the earth as free as the rest of us.
It became my job to protect those that needed it. I didn’t have to but seeing it firsthand as a child pushed me to do it. People need help, and so few gave it. Monsters prowled the streets and preyed on the weak. I would do my best to send them back.
Lana closed the door as the Grayson’s left. “Be careful, Rian. For the longest time, I didn’t believe in this stuff, but lately, it got worse. We’re busier than usual. I doubted my convictions.”
I sat on the retro seventies green couch in the waiting room and tried in vain to get comfortable. “We all do at some point. It’s what makes us human, or at least some of us.”
“What’s that mean?”
Nothing like almost outing myself as the supernatural creature I am. Lana knew I was different, but not that different. “Nothing. Trying to be all philosophical and shit. I should stick to fighting bad guys. It’s easier.”
“Oh. Where do we start?”
I closed my eyes and focused. The pain is either subsiding, or I’m getting used to it. “We need the video feed traced. If we can do that, then I can at least save Jacob.”
Lana sat behind her desk and typed. “We don’t have the Grayson’s phone for that, Rian.”
I pulled Dan’s smartphone out of my back pocket. “Yes, we do. Call them tomorrow and apologize. Say something like you left it here and we can use it to trace the video feed. I’m sure they’ll be fine with that.”
“Feeling confident, Rian?”
“Aren’t I always full of myself?”
“Something like that.”
The sarcasm in her voice oozed over me. For once this evening everything was normal. We had work to do even if it scared us. I sat on the couch watching the live video feed as Lana typed away at her computer. Every so often, I’d sense her eyes on me.
She worried over the young man and me. Hell, I worried over us. The feed played live without stopping. The kidnapper showed no signs of stopping the feed. In a way, I wondered if he delighted in the torment it caused me. Did Jacob know a camera was in there with him? It didn’t look like it, but I found it hard to tell.
“Lana, get me the number to the IT Department at Colorado State University. I’m going to need their help.”
She paused and stared at me. A tear ran down from her eye and down her cheek. She suffered through the video as I watched it. Fuck, I’m such a bastard! She clicked her mouse and nodded. “Easy to do. Rian... can I ask you something?”
I turned toward her. “Yeah.”
After a brief pause from typing, she stared at the wall before meeting my eyes. “What will you do?”
I tilted my head in curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“Like, if this person catches up to you? What if you run out of time?”
That made me pause and think, but it all came down to the same thing. “I’m not going to worry about it. It’s something I can’t afford to do.”
“It’s just, I’m worried, Rian. Nothing in this is right, and I know this is a trap.”
I went to walk into my office and paused. “Oh, it is. But by who and why is the question we need to answer. Don’t worry about me and get that number for the university. Time is short.”
I closed the door behind me and leaned a
gainst it. Rian, shit has really hit the fan for you. What are you gonna do now? Can’t pray your way out of this. My side still hurt like a bitch, and I knew I had some painkillers on my desk. They would be over-the-counter, but they’ll beat having nothing at all. If the kidnapper gets a hold of me, I’ll be bent over the counter too.
I dialed Axle from my cell. This would probably be a bad idea, but I needed his help. My priest kept telling me I needed more humbleness in my life. He’d yell a few Hail Mary’s if he knew this conversation was happening.
“Rian, it’s good to hear from you. A few of my men here are pretty pissed at you about the mountain troll.”
I sighed. “This ain’t the time, Axle. I need your help, and you need to stay silent over this. A young man’s life could be forfeit if you say anything. Hell, mine could too.”
A long pause answered me. “What’s going on, Rian? Are you in trouble?”
“Yeah, but someone else is in far more trouble than me right now.”
I heard some shuffling of papers. “I can come by now if you can’t talk to me on the phone.”
“No. I’ll meet you at the firing range. I’m sorry about the troll, but this case takes precedence.”
“I understand. The usual time?”
I glanced at the clock on the wall. It said a quarter to midnight. “Yeah, seven sounds good. What are you doing at work?”
“Well, you left the boys and me a mess to clean up. A few campers heard the commotion and found the troll dead. I had a lot of damage to repair.”
“Sorry, but did none of these people ever watch a horror movie? Damn, that was a fucking stupid thing for them to do.”
“I agree, but I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yeah, later. Axle, thanks.”
I hung up and opened the video feed. Jacob no longer fought, but cried. My heart broke. I couldn’t deal with this anymore and plugged the phone in my office. “Don’t worry, buddy, I’ll find you.”
Chapter Four
I grabbed my gun and some ammo I had stashed in a drawer of my desk. The empty office echoed every sound I made. It didn’t matter as Lana left a few hours ago. I spent half the early morning contacting the university’s IT department for help and after a few checks of their credentials, enlisted their support along with the local broadband company.
Heaven's Prisoners Page 2
