“Scales,” he said simply.
She immediately understood and realized they weighed everyone going in and out of the room, so they knew if anyone took anything of weight, like wads of cash for instance.
Pulling out a box, the manager handed it to her, and she stilled, panic starting to fill her belly. It was a fingerprint mechanism and she couldn’t remember which one she had used. She looked up at the manager who was watching her expectantly, then to Mason who nodded. Using her thumb, she pressed on the pad and waited, feeling sweat begin to slide down her neck when it beeped.
“It’s been a while. I probably used a different finger.” She looked at the manager and then Mason who looked calm and assured.
“Take your time, Sydney. What finger do you use to unlock your phone?”
“Index.” She gave a laugh of embarrassment.
Mason gave her an encouraging look when she unlocked the box. “There we go.” The manager stepped out of the room to give them some privacy.
Sydney glanced at Mason with relief. “Thank you.”
Lifting the lid and flicking through the papers she saw all she needed to. Inside was evidence of the life insurance policy, and as she searched through the papers, she saw handwritten notes from her mother and father that she had dismissed, unable to read them due to the pain.
Her dad had written other details he had heard his brother say while he was on the phone, and thought no one was listening. It indicated possible bank accounts, bank names, partial names and numbers that would lead the team where the money was hidden. Because of her father and his sacrifice, Raymond had literally hung himself and given her all the evidence they needed. He’d never considered that his brother had kept an account and that his niece would find it. He thought that he was safe, smart but now they had everything they needed for Raymond Rutherford to be tried for terrorism.
“Wow, jackpot.” Mason’s grin was wide as he continued reading the bits and pieces of paper. “Now let’s get out of here and get you back to Kingsley before he has my balls.”
They waited a few moments before the manager appeared and were halfway back to the central part of the bank when Mason suddenly went stock still and pressed his finger to his ear where he had the comms. Sydney felt her back go ramrod straight as his eyes met hers. What she saw made her heart stop because they contained shock and grief and apology. Everything stopped at that moment because she knew—she knew—that something had happened to Kingsley.
Mason gave her no time to ask questions. She felt his hand on her back and he made sure his body blocked hers as he moved her toward the back exit at a run as shouts could be heard from the behind them.
“Move.” Mason pushed for the exit as a man in a mask stepped out in front of them with a gun.
“Give me the girl.”
Fear sparked a path through her she recognized the voice and she froze for a split second.
Mason as he threw himself in front of Sydney and fought the attacker. “Fuck you.”
Sydney stood frozen not knowing what to do to help. Two gunshots sounded and both men slumped to the ground in front of her. “No,” she screamed as she fell to her knees beside Mason.
“I’m okay, let’s get out of here.” He staggered to his feet and pulled her to the door.
“But you’re bleeding.”
“It’s just a scratch, keep going.”
The alleyway he led her to was similar to the one where she had first met Kingsley. Shane grabbed her hand and shoved her into the back of the van before dragging a now heavily bleeding Mason in behind him and hitting the accelerator.
Shane twisted to look at them over his shoulder as he drove at break-neck speed. “Put pressure on the wound, or he’s going to bleed out.”
That had Sydney snapping out of the fog that had surrounded her brain. She looked down and saw that Mason was bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to his stomach. Kneeling, she ripped off her shirt leaving her in just a bra and applied pressure to the injury.
Mason was pale and waxy but still managed to joke. “God, if this doesn’t kill me, Kingsley will when he finds out I’ve seen you half-naked.”
Sydney offered him a half-hearted smile as tears fell down her cheeks and Mason winced in pain as his eyes began to close. “Stay with me, Mason,” she demanded as she felt herself losing him.
“Gonna be okay,” he reassured her, patting her hand, which was covered in his blood.
“What happened to Kingsley?” she asked wanting to know and distract him at the same time.
His voice was sad and full of regret. “Rutherford took him.”
Sydney felt the contents of her stomach fill her throat as she swallowed again and again.
Mason’s voice was weak when he spoke again. “Failed you.”
Her tone turned fierce. “Don’t you dare say that. Nobody failed anyone, and we will get you better and get Kingsley back. So stop that shit.”
“Can see why he loves you.” He chuckled and then coughed.
The van stopped, and the doors opened as doctors and nurses swarmed in. Sydney moved out of the way and watched as they took Mason in on a trolley with a nurse astride him giving him CPR and cried.
25
Hospitals were filled with smells that made her sick to her stomach, taunting bad memories to come back to the surface. Sitting in the waiting room, Sydney looked at the dried blood on her hands and arms. Mason’s blood. So much blood, she was scared to close her eyes and see it again pouring from his wound.
Was that also Kingsley’s fate? To be shot and die as blood dripped from him? Alone?
It was pure torture to imagine him that way.
The whole team had barged in the hospital at an amazing speed, and Shane had commandeered a private room so they could be together. Cleo had arrived soon after, pale as a ghost but holding on. Sydney had insisted on staying as close as she could to Mason and to be the first one told any news as soon as the surgeon was finished with him. James and Mercy had remained with her even bringing her a clean t-shirt to cover herself after she had sacrificed her top to help Mason.
Alex had come and taken all the papers Sydney had retrieved from the security box and had disappeared quickly. Malco sat beside her in silence, stoic as ever, but it was his utter calm that made the waiting bearable.
“Kingsley is a strong man. We’ll find him.”
Sydney turned to him, icy certainty deep in her belly. “You know my uncle won’t let him go until he gets what he wants. And he’s not a patient man.”
Sydney looked around the room. Most of the team were back at Alliance looking for Kingsley. They’d whispered around her, but she’d heard anyway. They’d tried to track Kingsley’s cell phone but to no avail. They were looking into cameras around the bank to see if they could identify anyone or any cars but so far had found nothing.
Raymond didn’t want Kingsley to be found. She had to act because sitting in this chair was making her insane. The images that flashed through her brain of Kingsley beaten and wounded were almost too much to endure.
Raymond wanted to make sure that whatever she had found ended with her. It would have been an insult to her intelligence to believe she didn’t know he planned to use her husband as leverage.
Her husband. Those two words meant so much. In an incredibly small amount of time, Sydney had crossed paths with a fantastic human being that had accepted all of her—scars, traumas, and quirks—and loved her. Till death do us part. Those were the words they’d never officially exchanged but were nonetheless real.
She’d also overheard the team discussing the fact that her uncle hadn’t contacted them demanding to speak to her or asking for money in exchange for Kingsley. It baffled the team, but not Sydney. He believed her smart enough to connect the dots by herself and remember something important—his phone number.
The trouble was that the team would never agree to use her as bait. They would try some elaborate plan to save them both when in reality, the chances of that h
appening were slim and the time they needed to gather everyone would take too long.
“Malco, can I borrow your phone for a minute?”
Without hesitation, he reached in his pocket and handed her his cell phone in a thick rubber casing.
She smiled in thanks. “Do you want a coffee? I was going to get one.”
He shook his head with a wan smile. “Go get one. We’re planning to get some food brought in soon, so avoid the cafeteria. Unless you want me to go with you?”
That was the opposite of what she wanted. “Don’t worry, I’ll just go as far as the coffee machine and come back.”
Hoping everyone would remain where they were, Sydney went to the coffee machine a few feet away from the waiting room and dialed a number she had always wanted to forget.
“Yes?” Her uncle’s voice made her want to hurl, but she had to keep her calm so Kingsley could live.
“Uncle.”
Immediately, she could hear the smile in his voice. “Ah, my sweet niece. I had hoped to hear from you.”
“Cut to the chase. What do you want?”
“Why in such a hurry, my darling? Is that worry for your husband I hear in your voice? Rest assured he is still well and alive. For now at least. Whether he continues to breathe depends entirely on you.”
“What do you want?”
“Sydney, you know very well what I want. You, of course. But after that little stunt you pulled at the bank earlier, maybe you’re too late.”
“What do you mean?”
He waited for a beat with his usual taste for drama. “Those papers you left with. Do you still have them?”
Panic at what he’d asked almost made her lose it, but thoughts of Kingsley kept her voice steady. “Yes. After all that’s happened, I haven’t had time to look at them. Why?”
“Not asking questions might be better for now. Troy will meet you at the main entrance of the hospital in five minutes. Bring the files and most importantly, don’t tell your friends. If you obey me, there’s still a chance your husband will survive.”
The line went dead, and Sydney reminded herself to breathe. Looking around, she didn’t see any of the team, and decided to act.
Putting the phone on silent, she shed the thick casing and tucked it inside her bra as she took the stairs toward the entrance. Passing by a nurse’s station and without breaking stride, she grabbed a file from the counter and offered a prayer to whoever was listening for her to be strong and keep Kingsley alive.
As soon as she stepped outside, a gray sedan appeared and stopped in front of her. When she opened the door, she recognized Troy’s slimy smile.
“Get in, baby. You’re in for a fun ride.”
Ignoring his sarcasm, she got in, clutching the file on her lap.
Troy drove away, whistling a tune, and as they reached a red light, he turned and sprayed something on her face. Sydney wanted to scream, but she couldn’t move, and her body was pulled into frightening darkness.
“You fucking bitch!” Pain exploded in her cheek as she fell from a chair to the floor from the force of the blow.
Disoriented, Sydney felt cold and tried to get her bearings as she pushed herself up from the concrete floor. Where am I? Where is Kingsley?
Her focus was blurred, but with a few blinks, she saw shoes in front of her.
Someone grabbed her hair and pulled her with up such force, she screamed in pain. Only then did she realize Troy was holding her upright in front of her uncle. She had never seen her uncle so furious—it changed his features, making him look older and feral.
He slapped her again, and pain shot through her body.
He grabbed her chin, his face so close, she could smell his foul breath. “You stupid little girl, to think I loved you. You’re no better than your whore of a mother,” he said pacing in front of her.
What is that supposed to mean?
“My mother was beautiful and kind and you killed her,” she spat the ugliness and pain creeping up on her.
Raymond stopped and turned to her, his voice taking on a sinister air. “Your mother loved me. She dated me first and I loved her. I would have given her the world but then after a few months of us dating, she met your father on a visit home.”
Sydney tried to reconcile the information not wanting it to be true but knowing in her heart it was. “Was that why you raped me? To punish her?” she asked, the words almost choking her.
“I loved her. He took her from me, so I took you both from him. I took your innocence the way your father took hers. She was mine and he took her from me.” The tone of his voice changed then and became almost wistful. “You look so much like her.” He stepped forward and stroked the bruise that was forming on her face. Sydney tried to repress the shiver of distaste and failed. He saw it and his eyes locked on her face.
“Why did you kill her if you loved her?”
“When she and your father fell on hard times, I allowed her to work for me. My housekeeper had just retired and I needed someone to keep my house so I offered her the job.”
“My mother wouldn’t have worked for you, she hated you.” Sydney spat the truth at him uncaring of her own safety.
Raymond clenched his fists trying to control his temper. “She would if her home was about to be repossessed. Your father never knew how much I hated him, so when he needed money, I lent it to him. I bought the rest of the home loan from the bank. Your mother knew this so she worked as my little cleaner.” Sydney could see the glee at his sense of power dripping from him. “She must have found some of my papers or overheard me on the phone. I was always a little distracted when she was around,” he said with a leer that made Sydney feel sick.
“Why kill her?”
“She became a liability. She had to go.”
He said it like it was an inconvenience, not the life-altering event it had been for her. Her parents were both dead because of this man and Sydney was determined the man she loved would not follow. She had to be smart now.
“Where are the papers?”
“Do you think I would bring them to you just like that? I’m not that stupid. They are safely hidden until I know Kingsley is safe.”
Raymond roared, his demeanor changing again like he was two different men. She could see now just how insane her uncle was as his cracks became bigger. He nodded at his right-hand man and Troy pushed her against the wall before he punched her in the gut. For the longest moment, she couldn’t draw air, causing dots to dance before her eyes.
Falling to her knees, she slowly fought to inhale and looked up at the two men. “Free him, and you can have the papers.”
“You’re in no position to be giving me ultimatums.”
Before she could react, she was pulled up by her arm. A door opened, and she saw Kingsley, bloody and battered but alive, tied to a chain in the middle of an empty room.
His head lifted when they entered, and his entire body tensed at seeing her. “Syd!”
Before she could answer, Raymond, pulled a gun and pointed it at his head. “Don’t play with me, niece. You have more to lose than I do. Where are the papers?”
Her eyes locked with Kingsley, both trying to convey everything that couldn’t be said out loud. “Let him leave and I’ll tell you.”
“No!” Kingsley’s entire body thrashed against the chair, but nothing budged.
Forcing herself to look away from the love of her life, she turned to her uncle. “Let him go, and you can have the papers.” It was an empty promise that would get her killed, but she didn’t have a choice.
The smirk her uncle gave her made her shiver.
Troy laughed behind her. “I fear your husband can’t leave for the time being. He’s a little bit on the clock.”
Sydney turned against to Kingsley, and the box under his chair with wires coming out from it. Her body moved before she realized, but Troy grabbed her hair again to hold her back.
Her uncle chuckled as he kneeled beside Kingsley. A few lights went on before shutting
down again.
“We tried beating the answers out of your dear husband, but he’s a tight-lipped bastard. But I wonder, Sydney, does he know what happened between us all those years ago? How I made you a woman? Do you remember it, Sydney? How it felt? The pain, your screams? How Troy held you down while I took you?”
Tears began streaming down her face, and all she could do was close her eyes as memories assailed her. She could feel the bile rising in her throat knowing that Kingsley could hear her uncle’s sick words, knowing what a shock it would have been for him to hear it that way if she hadn’t had the courage to tell him like she had.
“As beating your dear husband didn’t work, we thought that a little time-constrained incentive might work better. You have five minutes until this bomb goes off and tears him into shreds. Five minutes to decide if those papers are worth more than his life. Bang on the door once you’ve made a decision. You either hand over the documents or stay with him until the end. But either way, I win. I’ll find those papers no matter what and kill anyone from Alliance that stands in my way.” And with one last look, her uncle and his henchman closed the door on them, the click of the lock sealing their fate.
Sydney bolted toward Kingsley, but he shook his head. “Don’t touch me. I’m not sure what type of bomb it is. Find a way out of here. Check the door, try to take it down!”
Still, Sydney remained there and shook her head. “I’m not leaving you here to die, Kingsley Knight. Do you hear me?”
“I won’t let you sacrifice your life for me!”
They needed help, so she took Malco’s phone from her bra. From the number of messages she saw, it seemed that the team had discovered her escape pretty quickly. As she opened the screen, there was an incoming call. “Hello?”
Someone cursed in Spanish. “Sydney, it’s Malco. Where are you? We’re trying to track you through my phone, but we can’t get a clear signal. Are you in a basement or surrounded by concrete?”
“I don’t have time much time. Kingsley is attached to a bomb that’s going to blow in less than five minutes. I need help.”
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 148
