Josh
“Shit, wait a minute Matt.”
The bracelet on my wrist was going crazy.
“What the fuck, why is Carrie out of the jurisdiction?”
Just then my phone rang.
“Something’s off, I followed her out of town a little ways and she stopped for no reason, I stayed back like you said so she wouldn’t know I was there, but someone came from the woods and they just took off, then this other car pulled up, by the time I got to where her truck was I saw a strip of nails in the way, looks like she was set up.”
My heart stopped cold.
Chapter 35
Josh
I ran for my car as Matt yelled questions at me.
“Someone took Carrie.” That’s all I could get out past the lump in my throat.
He leapt into the car beside me as I revved the engine.
“James what’s going on?” I barked into the phone.
“This guy is shitting all over himself, I can’t get anything out of him, we’re gonna need a search party out here, these woods are too dark and I don’t have the man power needed for a job like this with me, you need the law on this one boss, this shit doesn’t look good.
“Matt call the Captain, tell him someone took Carissa out on the old country road and they’re headed into the woods.”
I pressed the middle of the crest on my wrist, still moving but I had a lock on her, as long as she was moving she was alive.
Matt called the Captain and then mom and dad.
I shut down my emotions, later I’ll let shit out; right now I can only focus.
By the time we reached her abandoned truck the Captain and a couple of his deputies were pulling up.
James had Rodney Dyson pushed up against his car.
I walked over ready to kill his ass, but he obviously wasn’t the one who took her.
“What the fuck Dyson, where is she?”
“I don’t know man, I swear, that crazy bitch Patti set this up.....” that’s all I heard before I punched him in the face. Later, I’ll deal with him later.
I looked at Matt; he was already on the phone trying to call her.
I knew enough to piece together some of what had happened but not how or why.
The strip of nails across the roadway said all I needed to know, but if Rodney didn’t have her like they’d planned, who the fuck did?
I didn’t have time to find out, the readout still showed her in motion about a couple hundred yards ahead.
“Captain let’s go.”
“Where are we going, where did he take her?”
I showed him my bracelet, “Carrie has one like this, there’s a chip inside, that green light is her, I can find her anywhere in the world, right now they have a half an hour head start, he’s moving fast, there’re in the middle, of the woods to the northeast, what’s there?”
Captain ran back to his truck and got out a map of the area.
We used the flood lights from their police issue cars to see as he spread it out on the hood of his truck.
A few more cars pulled up and mom and dad were there suddenly.
“Joshua, Michael I’ve called in a favor, we’ll have two copters in the air in ten minutes.”
“Thanks dad, I’m going in.”
“Wait son, don’t you go getting lost now too.”
“She’s not lost, James saw someone take her.”
“James?”
“Later dad, I’ll explain everything later.”
I started into the woods with the Captain and a few of his men behind me, every few seconds I checked my wrist, nothing scared me more than when she was still.
My heart fucking froze and my limbs threatened to lock on me.
“Move, move, move.”
“The old hunters lodge Joshua, that’s where they’re taking her, got to be.”
I checked the coordinates on my bracelet, I knew exactly where she was but knowing was no longer the issue, getting to her before she was hurt was.
I ran full out through the trees and shrubbery with my brother hot on my tail.
Pretty soon the area was flooded with light as the copters flew overhead.
Pulling out my phone I called my dad.
“Tell them to head to the lodge, that’s where they are they’ve stopped, get someone in there NOW.”
One of the copters veered off shortly and went in the direction of the lodge.
I needed to stop to catch my breath but I can’t, the stitch in my side was nothing compared to the fear in my heart.
“Stop where you are, hands in the air.”
The sound came from above, I kept going as the alarm on my bracelet went off she was near.
Thank God.
Matt broke through the clearing before I did; there was a ring of light around a lone figure that was looking around as if for somewhere to run.
I glimpsed at him long enough to see who he was but kept going into the ramshackle building that looked like It was about to topple over. “Carrie,......fuck fuck fuck.....”
I fell to my knees beside her, she wasn’t moving.
Chapter 36
Josh
At first I thought she was dead she was so still, my heart couldn’t take anymore, if she was gone, then I’d just go with her.
My head was overrun with these crazy thoughts as I tried to get my shit together. There was lots of activity going on outside but I tried to shut them out.
On my knees beside her, I finally got up the courage to check her over, there was no blood, no bruising nothing, she just wasn’t moving.
Putting my head to her chest, I felt and heard the steady beating of her heart.
“Thank God, thank you, thank you, thank you.”
I rocked back and forth with her in my arms not sure what to do next, it was as though every intelligent thought fled my head, I couldn’t see past her, making sure she was safe.
There was literally nothing in me, nothing, I couldn’t even form a thought it seemed like, but I had things to do, maybe that’s what my brain was shying away from.
I checked her all over until I caught the faint scent of something around her mouth and nose, the bastard had drugged her, but did he have time to do anything else?
I was almost afraid to look, her sweater and jeans were not torn, her pants were still buttoned and zipped, and it didn’t look like he’d had time to do anything more than drop her before the copter arrived.
“Come on baby, wake up now, you’re scaring me, please.......” I kissed her before pulling her back into my chest and rocking. She was a limp doll in my arms.
Captain came flying through the door just as I was getting up from the filthy mattress on the floor.
There was blood and other matter on the walls and floors of the old hut that I noticed for the first time, my blood ran cold as I realized what this meant. This was no coincidence, either Patti’s little stunt had gone way wrong, or he had been part of it, either way they were all fucked.
The little humiliation I’d had planned for her was nothing compared to what I was about to unleash on her now.
I will destroy that bitch if it takes everything I have.
“What....... how......?”
Captain bent at the waist and held his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
“She’s fine, he drugged her, you might want to get your men in here, and I think you’ve found your rapist.”
His head came up and he looked around before getting his communicator out.
He only had time to brush back her hair as I passed him and his men entered.
I took her outside to my dad who had set up a field triage of sorts.
Thank God that wouldn’t be needed.
There were more people milling around, Matt and mom were watching me as I approached.
“Give her here son.”
It was hard letting her go, even to my father, my heart was still beating triple time, the adrenaline was leaving my body, and I started to get the shak
es.
Dad took her and checked her pulse and other vital signs as she made waking noises, I kept her hand in mine, blocking out everything around me.
She looked pale as fuck and there were tear tracks on her cheek.
They pissed me the fuck off.
The anger came back full force, overshadowing everything else.
Then I looked around and saw him, and......
“Hold him....don’t let him through.....” That sounded like dad.
There were hands grabbing at me, voices calling to me, it all seemed to be going in slow motion, voices coming from a distance, as I mowed my way through them to get to my prey.
It felt like I had the strength of ten men when I fell on the fuck that’d touched my girl.
He cowered with his knees drawn up to his chest while deputies tried to get me off of him.
“Joshua...... son you have to stop, come on she’s waking up.”
Dad yelled after me but I couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop until he was done.
“I told you what would happen if you came near her again you fuck.”
I heard the breaking of bones as I broke his fucking nose and jaw, this motherfucker had to die, that was the only thought in my head.
Was she afraid before the drug took her over, how much fear had she known, I will never know, it was heart breaking, it was one of the reasons I wanted his blood on my hands.
Piece of shit wept for his mother as I rained blows on his body, the Captain was finally able to get me off of him as it seemed his men weren’t too into the task.
I was doing what they couldn’t; she was their colleague’s daughter after all.
When I came to my senses, deputies were going in and out of the lodge, crime scene tape had been set up around the perimeter, they were calling in forensics and crime scene techs, and somebody was calling for the dogs to be brought in.
“I found one.” Somebody yelled from beyond the lodge.
I knew what that meant...she would’ve died here; if I hadn’t followed my gut and placed the tracker on her she would’ve been lost.
I looked over to where dad was helping her to sit up, her hand going to her head.
Falling back against the grass, I looked up at the stars as I tried to gather my thoughts.
Off to the side where the asshole was still whimpering like a bitch, I heard the Captain.....
“Travis Thorpe you’re under arrest for the kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment of.......
Chapter 37
Josh
“Joshua.......”
I heard her calling for me from where she sat with my father, for some reason I couldn’t go to her right away, I didn’t feel calm enough to be around her.
I wasn’t mad at my lamb in anyway, it’s just that the thought of what could’ve happened to her here tonight, was making me mental.
“Joshua.......”
“Coming baby.” Suck it up Steele; she needs you, that’s all that matters right now, you can deal with the rest later.
I rolled to my feet and walked towards her, my heart for some reason deciding to go crazy again.
I was running before I reached half way, she tried to get up, but poor thing she was still too weak.
Falling to my knees beside her in the damp grass, I held her as tight as I’d ever held her before, I wanted to absorb her into my skin, to wrap her in something soft and strong and keep her safe for always.
We were seventeen years old and already we’d lived a lifetime, how the fuck was I going to keep her safe, how could I protect her from all the darkness in the world?
Her body shook with tears as I held her in my arms.
“Ssh, ssh, it’s okay now, I’ve got you.”
“Travis......”
“I know baby, he’s gone now he can’t hurt you anymore.”
I made soothing noises as she calmed down again.
“Why were you out there baby?”
“I got a text from you telling me to meet you.....”
“Text, I didn’t send you any text.”
“It was your number I’m sure, I’m not lying I swear....”
“Babe, I believe you, I’m not blaming you I’m just trying to figure out what happened, I want to know how he knew you were there, did he say anything to you, was anyone else there?”
Before she could answer one of her father’s deputies interrupted.
“We need to ask you some questions Carrie, sorry.....”
“She needs to be checked out....”
“It’s okay Joshua; I want to answer his questions.”
“She’s going to the hospital to get checked out, you can question her there, or her father can do it later.”
“Fair enough, let’s go.”
I guess that meant no more answers for me for now but things were lining up already. I knew now how they got her out.
“I’ll be right behind the ambu.....”
“No don’t leave me....”
She grabbed onto my shirt so tight I was almost pulled off balance.
Pure terror shone in her eyes, my guts twisted and the anger came back full force.
E fucking nough of this shit, this is what happens when you let your guard down, when you tried doing shit the politically correct way, when you tried to be what people expected you to be.
Fuck this shit.
I picked her up and walked away from the deputy and towards Matt and mom.
“You found her yet?”
Matt held up his phone to show me he’d still been trying to reach Patti with no success.
“Change of plans bro, forget everything we talked about, this shit......no way.”
There were too many ears around but I knew he understood every word I was saying. Mom pleaded with me with her eyes not to do anything stupid.
Too late for that, stupid or not, shit was about to get ugly.
“Where’s Dyson?”
“They took him in for questioning I think.”
“James?”
“Looking.” He held up his phone again telling me without words that James was on the hunt for Patti.
“We’re headed to the hospital.”
The Captain had already sent the murdering rapist to the station, staying back I’m sure because his only child was still here, I’m sure he had a lot to do, what with other precincts wanting a piece of Travis since he’d attacked women in other areas as well, but he was still here.
I headed in his general direction to let him know we were leaving, there was an old dirt track that led to the lodge area, but my jeep was still parked out on the side of the road.
“We need a ride out of here Captain, she needs to get looked at and......”
“She can go in the ambulance; I’ll have someone follow in your Rover.”
“That’s okay Matt can do it.” I hadn’t even noticed the ambulance.
I beckoned to Matt and told him the news when he came over, throwing him the keys.
Carrie was way too quiet and I needed to get her taken care of before I could leave, I wanted this shit taken care of before the night was done.
In the ambulance I literally had to lay down next to her, she clung on like a spider monkey, arms and legs wrapped around me.
I could think of only one way to soothe her, so with the burning anger pushed to the side for the moment, I sang her a love song as I wrapped her as tightly as possible in my arms until she started to settle.
The whole time my mind was working, there were two options open for Patti, death, or prison.
One would be extremely satisfying for me; the other would destroy her little by little.
There was no question which I would choose.
Carrie hiccupped in my arms; tears freely falling as the weight of what she’d endured came crashing down on her.
“It’s okay baby, I’ve got you, I’ve always got you.”
Chapter 38
Josh
There was still a lot of shit to be done, I needed to be in t
en places at once, but there was only one place I could be.
Carrie was still a little groggy when we finally made it to the hospital where she’d been checked over to make sure she hadn’t been raped.
I stayed by her side throughout the whole ordeal while fighting the need to scream and punch the fuck out of something every time she flinched.
Who wasn’t at the hospital was at the station, my father and brother were looking after my interest there.
There was a shit load of law-enforcement from a few of the surrounding towns because word had gotten out that they might’ve caught the rapist.
Only time will tell if he was our guy but it was certainly looking that way what with bodies being found at the site.
One of the deputies was waiting to question Carrie as soon as she was lucid enough.
I just wanted to know how the fuck they got my phone to send her a text message.
I knew something fishy had happened, it never once entered my mind that she had deliberately disobeyed me.
Rodney’s words about a set up played over and over in my head.
Fucking Patti, I knew that bitch had been up to something, now I just had to fit the pieces of the puzzle together.
I pulled my phone out and called Matt.
“Where is Patti?”
“I can’t reach her she’s not answering her phone and her family doesn’t know where she is.
This is fucked up, Rodney says she planned the whole thing but something went wrong, I don’t know what to believe but I do know she’s behind this mess somehow.”
“I’m on it.”
I hung up with him and called James.
“I need you to find Patti, you have her info right?”
“I’m on it.”
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do to her or them; all I could see was Carrie. She’d been prodded and poked a fuck of a lot in the last few weeks and I wasn’t too sure how much more she could stand, she’d already passed her breaking point and this shit might just set her back. Fuck if I’d let that happen.
Passion Page 14
