Fated Bliss (The Bliss Series Book 2)

by Cassie Strickland

  I blinked slowly. “What?”

  Is he mad?!

  Anger consumed me. I pointed inside the house, shouting, “My son is in there! The woman I love! Tell me what’s going on!”

  Wes wasn’t fazed by my anger, and his kind green eyes stayed steady on me. “I’m sorry, Mr. Rhodes. I know this is difficult, but this is a routine question. For me to allow you inside, I need you to tell me your whereabouts.”

  “Am I a suspect?” I breathed, stunned.

  “He’s been at the B&B with me, his parents, and Emma before we left to come here,” Brad informed him, his urgency to get inside riding him just as hard. “He was there for at least forty-five minutes, an hour tops.”

  “Good. Before that?” Wes asked, scribbling in his notepad.

  I wiped my mouth with my fist, wanting to scream at him, but I kept it together. “I’m…I’m a doctor at the clinic in town. I saw patients all morning.”

  “Good.” Wes nodded and tucked his notepad into his blazer. “That should be easy to check.” As he turned, he waved us in the house. “Follow me. When we get into the den, I’ll need you to stay clear of the kitchen. It’s a crime scene.”

  My stomach and chest wrenched viciously, and I had to swallow down bile. “Okay.”

  Every muscle trembled as we stepped into my house. I could hear voices, but I didn’t detect the ones that mattered the most. We passed the formal dining room and sitting room first. Two cops were off to the side, talking low, but everything looked as it did this morning.

  Wes stopped before we could enter the den, pointing a severe stare at us. “I need you to prepare yourself for what you’re about to see.” He met my eyes. “You said your son was here, right?”

  Was?

  Was?!

  “Wh…what? What do you mean was? He’s…he’s not here?” I questioned, about to come unglued.

  If Lincoln isn’t here, where is he?

  The detective shook his head. “We haven’t found him yet, but we’ll start canvassing the area. However, if this is an abduction, I need you to tell me what you see in there. What’s different? Is anything missing? Out of place? Keep all of that in mind as you look around. Do you understand?”

  Abduction?

  Abductions and violence happen at every minute of every day. Hell, I’d seen a lot of it during my time in the ER, but I never thought it would happen to me or someone I loved.

  “Yes. Yes, I understand,” I rasped, combing my fingers through my hair.

  Wes walked into the den and then stepped out of the way. A force collided with my chest when I caught the first glimpse of the kitchen over the bar.

  There was a bullet hole in a window and one in the microwave. Red specks covered the wall and cabinets next to Lincoln’s hallway.

  Blood spatter.

  I had to reach out and catch myself on the wall. I’d seen a lot of blood in my time, but the probability of it belonging to Lincoln or Samantha wrecked me, and my legs threatened to give out.

  Brad let out a sound resembling a hiss and pained moan, just as distressed.

  “Follow me, Mr. Rhodes,” Wes murmured, extending his hand towards the den.

  Wes made a wide arc around the bar, not wanting to contaminate the scene, and stopped in front of the couch. Brad and I joined him, taking in the destruction.

  I glanced at everything, trying to do what Wes asked. Breakfast dishes still littered the counter on the bar, some of them broken. A coffee cup was knocked over, and coffee had spilled across the granite, pooled and sticky on the floor beneath it. Two of the six barstools were lying on the floor, but my eyes kept going back to the blood. It wasn’t only on the wall – there were smears everywhere and droplets dotting the ground, all remnants of a brutal struggle.

  “I need you to do something for me,” Wes stated, breaking my focus.

  “Wh…what?” I asked, numb and in shock.

  He motioned at the walkway between the sliding glass door and the bar, the one that led to the kitchen. “Come with me.”

  I followed him as he finished the arc around the room. He stood by the sliding glass door, leaving me some room to see into the kitchen. “Can you identify this woman?”

  Brad made another sound behind me.

  I squeezed my eyes closed, preparing myself to see something that would no doubt change my life forever.

  You’ve seen a lot of death, Ben. You can do this.

  “Yes,” I whispered gruffly. “Yes, I’ll try.”

  Please, Lord, don’t let this be Samantha.

  But who else could it be?

  The thought of never seeing her beautiful face or her smile, never smelling her hair or feeling her body against mine, never hearing her voice again was debilitating.

  I can’t do this.

  But Linc needed me. He was out there somewhere, experiencing God knows what. I needed to do everything and answer every question the police asked to find him.

  With tears in my eyes, I stepped passed Wes and looked into the kitchen. Two officers were down on the floor with a woman. All you could see were her legs because they were hovering over her. Blood smeared across the floor around her, some of it in small puddles. However, it was very clear that she was on a stretcher – you could see it under her – the kind that unfolded and you had to carry.

  Holy shit!

  “She’s still alive?!” I yelled and took a step forward.

  A hand collided with my chest. “Mr. Rhodes-”

  I pushed Wes’s hand aside, my anger burning bright and volatile. “Dr. Rhodes, Detective. I have several years of experience in the ER. Why didn’t you say something sooner?!”

  “I can’t let you contaminate the scene any more than you already have, Dr. Rhodes. They have the bleeding staunched for now. A helicopter is on its way to fly her to the hospital in Asheville. There’s nothing else you can do.”

  “I can damn sure try. Samantha needs me!” I attempted to push past him, but he stopped me again.

  “Dr. Rhodes, that isn’t Samantha Raiden.”

  Brad gasped in relief.

  The same feeling rushed through me, leaving me light headed. “It’s not?” I whispered, swaying.

  “No, I’ve known Samantha for some time. I would have told both of you already if it were.”

  And he’s just telling us now?!

  “You could have led with that,” I gritted out.

  “We’ve only been here a few more minutes than you. As you can see, something very bad happened here, and your son is missing. I’m sorry I didn’t have the foresight to assure you, but we don’t have time to waste.”

  I slapped his hand away. “Let me pass. I don’t care if that isn’t Samantha; that woman needs my help.”

  Wes remained calm and collected. “Both of my men have the training and know how to take care of her. Right now, I need you to tell me if you know her. It could give us vital information that might help locate Samantha and your son. Based on this scene,” he pointed at the blood smeared across the hardwood, “I believe both of their lives are in danger.”

  I took a deep breath, attempting to calm down. “Okay.” I nodded to him. “Okay.”

  But I was far from calm.

  “Grant,” Wes called out, “can you move to the side a little?”

  The man didn’t respond, only did as asked, revealing the woman’s face.

  Air whooshed out of my chest.

  Gwen.

  It never crossed my mind that it could be Gwen. My total focus had been on Samantha and Lync that I never thought…

  Though I couldn’t see her entire body, I could see her face. Her eyes were closed, and small flecks of blood sprinkled her neck and chin. Her lip was split, and her color was horrible. She was in terrible shape.

  Why is she here?

  “You know her?” Wes asked, reading my face.

  I covered my mouth, staring at her. “What happened?”

  “Dr. Rhodes, do you know her?” he repeated.

  Slowly, I loo
ked at him and nodded. “My…my ex-wife. Her name is Gwen. Gwendolyn O’Donnell. She’s from Portland, Oregon.”

  The unmistakable sound of a helicopter approaching drifted into the house. Everyone turned and looked out the window as it started its descent into my large backyard.

  “One, two, three,” the men said and picked up the stretcher.

  Wes opened the sliding glass door for them and then stepped back. We watched as they carried Gwen across my yard and loaded her into the chopper. They ran back towards the patio, the wind whipping debris all over the place, as the helicopter took off again.

  Gwen was gone, but with her went the answers to what happened and how to find Lincoln and Samantha.

  ∞

  It felt as if a semi was sitting on my chest as Wes, Brad, and I walked out the front door.

  What happened in there?

  Where were Samantha and Lincoln?

  Why was Gwen at my house?

  The questions and terror flooded my mind, swirling and spinning.

  A car pulled up and parked next to my Bronco. Mom, Dad, and Emma spilled from it within seconds, running towards us. Adam’s truck screeched to a halt on the street. He opened the door and jogged up the driveway. Chelsea met him halfway, having walked over from their house next door.

  Mom, Dad, and Emma got to us first. “What happened? Where’s Lincoln?” Dad asked, his eyes wild, as Emma shouted, “Where’s Sam?!” She searched the yard, trying to find her.

  “Mr. Raiden, please take them aside and speak with them. I need to ask Dr. Rhodes some more questions,” Wes stated, taking control of the situation.

  I’d heard people say that when an extreme situation happened, they felt as if they were watching it play out from outside of themselves. That’s how I felt. It was as if I was hovering over everyone, witnessing everything, but I was disconnected, left adrift. I’d always thought I’d be level headed and on point, totally focused when encountering situations such as this. That was how I’d reacted in the past. Gunshot wounds, stabbings, and horrible car accidents, I’d seen the destruction tragedies left in its wake during my time in the ER, and I was in complete control.

  But this was Samantha and Lincoln.

  Samantha and Lincoln.

  The two people that meant the most to me in this world were gone, missing. The terrorizing shock of it left me stunned and unfocused. Everything felt thick, as if I was swimming through the murky sea, rocking back and forth, back and forth with the tide.

  “Dr. Rhodes?” I heard.

  I glanced at Wes, blinking slowly.

  “Dr. Rhodes?” he asked again, sounding far away.

  “Where’s Sam?!” Adam yelled as he joined us. “Ben, where’s Sam?!”

  I looked at him, blinking sluggishly again. It was strange – he was right in front of me, but he sounded as if he were miles away.

  “He’s in shock,” I thought I heard someone say, followed by, “Is he okay?”

  Something collided with my jaw and stars burst behind my eyes. I stumbled backward and landed on my ass in the yard as cries and shouts sounded from all around me, the sound coming back to me with an acute focus. Even my surroundings were crisper, clearer.

  I shook my head, rubbing my jaw, and stared up at Adam as he loomed over me and flexed his hand. “Snap out of it,” he gritted out.

  I huffed out a short breath and nodded, knowing he was right. I needed to pull my shit together and figure this out. I didn’t have time to fall apart.

  “I’m good,” I told everyone. Adam offered me a hand and helped me off the ground. I opened and closed my jaw a few times, the pain centering me. “Thanks,” I said, appreciating the hit, even though it hurt like hell. “I needed that.”

  “Dr. Rhodes, I need you to answer some of my questions,” Wes explained, motioning for me to follow him away from the group, undisturbed by what had just took place.

  “Fine. Whatever you need,” I replied, following him.

  We stopped ten feet from the crowd. Wes flipped his small notepad open again, his pen ready, and met my gaze. “I need you to tell me about your ex-wife and explain why she was in town. Can you go through your morning with Samantha and your son? Tell me everything that happened in detail. Even the smallest thing could mean something.”

  “Sure…okay,” I replied.

  I began telling him about Gwen, about her addictions, about her compulsive lying. I told him how she’d shown up yesterday and the scene she’d made. I explained my fight with Samantha last night and ended with everything that happened today. I even told him about Mom and Dad’s surprise appearance and my conversation with them.

  “Dr. Rhodes, does your ex have a key to your house?” Wes asked, the sound of him scribbling in his notepad grating.

  “No. I want nothing to do with her,” I answered.

  “So you don’t know why she was here?”

  “No.”

  “If Miss O’Donnell broke in, would Samantha need to defend herself?”

  I tugged at my hair, pulling at the roots. “I don’t own a gun, Detective Wilde. Samantha doesn’t carry one. I don’t know. I don’t know what happened,” I replied, the panic and frustration clawing at me.

  Nothing made sense.

  “Your ex could have brought one. There was a struggle in the kitchen and around the bar. They could have fought over the gun, and it went off.”

  “It’s possible, I guess.” Anything was possible now. “But where’s Samantha and Lincoln if that happened?” I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. They should be here.”

  However, I knew Samantha would defend Lincoln with her dying breath, so there was an excellent chance that she shot Gwen. But the question remained how.

  Did she flee afterward, afraid of the repercussions? Maybe she was injured and went to the clinic.

  Before I could voice this, shouts came from the back yard and the radio under Wes’s blazer squawked. “Detective Wilde, we found the kid in the forest. He’s okay.”

  Relief, pure and unadulterated, caused my knees to weaken. I didn’t give the Detective a chance to tell me to stay away – I took off running.

  I sprinted around the side of the house, my legs and arms pumping. I cleared the back patio just as a cop walked out of the trees with Lincoln. He was barefoot, wore only a pair of gym shorts, and was walking with a slight limp, but I couldn’t see wounds or anything wrong with him.

  Thank you, God!

  “Linc!” I bellowed, dashing across the yard.

  Linc’s head shot up. “Dad?” He met my gaze, his plagued with terror. “Dad?!” He started running towards me, slowly at first, and then gained speed, tears falling from his eyes. “Dad!”

  We collided in the center of the yard. I held him with all my might, wetness hitting the back of my eyes again. “Thank God,” I whispered into his hair. “Thank you, God.”

  I pulled back and clutched his face, examining him. There was bruising around his eye and cheekbone, and there was a mist of blood on his chest, but he was fine. People were talking all around us, circling us, firing rapid questions, but I didn’t care. I could only focus on Linc.

  “I’m sorry,” Linc cried, his tears falling faster. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I’m so sorry.”

  “You’re okay, Linc. You’re okay,” I whispered, trying to soothe him.

  “No!” he bellowed, hitting my chest with closed fists. “It’s my fault!”

  I hugged him again, trying to console him. “We’ll figure it out, son. You’re safe.”

  “No!” He wrenched himself away from me. “We have to find her!”

  My heart rate doubled.

  Samantha.

  “Where’s Samantha, Linc?” I questioned, my terror resurfacing. “Where can we find her? Is she in the woods?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know!”

  I took a step forward and gripped his shoulder. “Tell me what happened.”

  Lincoln shook, the fear in his eyes undoing me. “She saved me, Dad.
Sam saved me, and then he took her.”

  “Who took her, Linc?”

  “I don’t know.” Destitution rolled off of him in waves. “I don’t know who he was, but he took Sam with him. He has her because she saved me!”

  Chapter 33

  Samantha

  Thirty Minutes Earlier

  “Hello, Samantha.”

  I jumped and spun around, shocked by the unexpectedness of the voice.

  Standing next to the sliding glass door was Mr. Johnston.

  But he wasn’t alone.

  He held Gwen beside him with a firm grip around the back of her neck. There was no sign of the actress anywhere – Gwen was well and truly terrified, with tears pouring from her eyes, her nose red and snotty. There was swelling along her jaw, and her lip was busted. She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but they were ripped and dingy, and she was barefoot.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  How did they get in here?

  More importantly, why were they here, and why did it appear as if Gwen had the shit beaten out of her?

  “W…what are you doin’ here?” I asked, keeping my voice even. “Get out.”

  Mr. Johnston pushed Gwen into the kitchen by the neck. Crying out, Gwen stumbled forward and fell onto her hands and knees.

  “Mr. Johnston,” I shouted, “what are you doin’?!”

  I took a step towards Gwen, but Mr. Johnston pointed a gun at me and I froze, staring down the end of a barrel.

  The man leered at me, taking in my bare legs under my blue sundress. “Ben has good taste – I’ll give him that.”

  What?

  “I’m sorry?” I questioned, confused and utterly terrified.

  He cocked his head to the side, letting his gaze drag over me. “Seems Ben hasn’t been truthful with you, Samantha.” He snickered. “Did he not tell you who I am?”

  Ben knows this man?

  He never mentioned it. If I wasn’t terrified, I’d be pissed. However, the nasty glint in Mr. Johnston’s eyes was disturbing. Where he seemed creepy before, he was now evil.

  “No,” I whispered, swallowing hard.