“Yeah, we’re going to play.” Brynley grabbed a pool stick, acting like she knew what she was doing. Reed was very handsy with her all night. Something definitely changed in him when she told him that she loved him. Somehow, they got through two games of pool. Brynley could tell Reed was a little frustrated. She knew that he wanted alone time with her. Brynley thought that Skylar finally got the hint, because he said that he was going to take Kendra to get some ice cream and then home.
Reed went and got both of them some lemonade and then took her to sit on his swing on the back-porch veranda. It was a very nice night. Reed held her close, and they rocked back and forth. She felt like she was in heaven. Reed tilted her chin up to look at him. “Brynley, did you truly mean it when you told me that you love me? Do you truly love me, or are you just really attracted to me?” He looked so concerned about what her answer was going to be.
She gave him a sweet smile. “I am attracted to you, Reed; but I am in love with you, too. You are the perfect man for me. I love everything about you, and I love being with you! I hate being away from you. I would be sick if you left me.”
Reed bent his head down, and before he kissed her, he replied, “I will never leave you. I am forever yours. I want you to know that I am very serious about wanting to marry you. I’m not just talking out of emotions. I don’t want to go to college without being married to you. I know we’re young, but I just know what I want, and I don’t plan on losing it.”
You couldn’t smack the grin off from her face! She wanted to be married to him before they were to go off to college, too. She was ready for the commitment. She knew that she didn’t need to date anyone else. He was going to be her future, and her heart knew it!
Another hour passed by, and then Reed took her home. Brynley was on cloud nine!
Chapter Fourteen:
Kendra wasn’t home yet. Brynley was sure Skylar was professing his love to Kendra. Brynley knew he was completely endeared to Kendra. That boy was past smitten! She was happy for Kendra; because she knew that she was in love with him already! Brynley could see the look in her eye every time that boy was around. Brynley changed into her nightgown. She cleaned her face and found her way to bed. Her aunt was working tonight. The house was very quiet. She had a restless feeling and just couldn’t get to sleep. She decided to give Reed a good night text.
Brynley: “Hey, handsome, just wanted to say goodnight. I really enjoyed myself with you, as usual. Do you have practice tomorrow?”
Reed: “No practice tomorrow. I want to spend all day with you. School starts in two days, and it’s going to be hard to spend as much time with you as I want to. Is Skylar still with Kendra? He was supposed to come back to my house, but he still isn’t here.”
Brynley: “Kendra isn’t here either. I guess they’re still together. Wait a minute, and I’ll text Kendra to see where they are.”
Brynely quickly sent Kendra a text. She sent one back. “Skylar and I got into a horrible fight! He left me at the Barboursville Park, in front of the playground. Can you please, come and get me? It’s dark, and I’m really scared.” Brynley instantly became inflamed! How could Skylar leave Kendra at a dark park all alone? She didn’t care how upset he got; you don’t do that to a girl!
“I’m getting dressed and on my way. Stay where you are, and keep your phone close. Call me if anything happens. I’ll be there soon.” Brynley jumped out of bed and threw some clothes on. She sent Reed a quick text that she had to pick Kendra up at the Barboursville Park. She told him that Skylar left her there after an argument. Brynley threw her phone on the bed to put her tennis shoes on. She went to Kendra’s room to grab her keys and ran straight to the car. She drove as fast as she could to the park, looking for Kendra. She saw a dark figure sitting on a park bench. That must have been Kendra. Brynley drove as close as she could. She beeped the horn, but Kendra didn’t move. Brynley suddenly felt so afraid. Was Kendra hurt? She knew it was her because she could see her just sitting there, motionless. She could see her hair draped over her face.
Brynley got out of the car and called out Kendra’s name, but she didn’t move. Brynley’s panic rose in her chest. She ran towards Kendra and saw that her eyes were closed. Brynley checked her pulse. Thank God she had one! Brynley tried shaking her awake, but she wouldn’t open her eyes. Brynley was going to try and drag Kendra to the car. She needed to get her to the hospital. Brynley remembered that she had left her phone on her bed and couldn’t call for help. She went to grab her arms; when all of a sudden, she was surprised with a shocking sensation on her lower back. She felt her knees buckle with the pain. A rag was placed over her nose and mouth. Brynley started to scream but found it very hard to. Everything around her began to blur and then dim. Then, there was nothing.
Reed tried to text Brynley back. He told her that Skylar would never do something like that to Kendra or any other girl, ever. He told Brynley to stay home and that he would go to the park to get her instead. Brynley didn’t text him back. He felt panicked! He was terrified that she had already left and either wasn’t checking her phone or left it. Reed jumped in his car and drove like a mad man to the park. He drove until he recognized Kendra’s car. The car door was open, and the car was still running. He didn’t see Brynley. He screamed out Brynley’s name but heard no reply. He saw a body lying on the park bench. He felt the bile rise in his throat, terrified that it was Brynley. He walked shakily to the body. He saw that it was Kendra. He shook her, but she didn’t respond. He started crying, and he immediately dialed nine-one-one. He told the dispatcher everything that had happened. She told him to remain calm and not to move or touch the body. The police and ambulance were on their way. Reed hung up his phone and tried calling Brynley’s phone again. She didn’t answer, so he tried to call Skylar. He heard Schylar’s phone ring. Reed tried to listen for the direction of the sound. He followed the sound about twenty yards away from Kendra’s body. It was Skylar’s phone, and he was lying face down in a ditch.
“Oh, sweet Jesus, Skylar! Skylar, are you ok?” Skylar didn’t reply. Reed turned him over onto his back. Reed noticed that there was blood oozing out of his stomach. Skylar had been stabbed and was bleeding profusely; he had been beaten severely, too! Reed saw a metal pipe lying next to Skylar’s body. That must have been what he was hit with. Reed took his shirt off and tried to slow the bleeding down. Tears were flowing quickly down Reed’s cheeks. What was happening? Where was Brynley? Where were the police and ambulance? Reed dragged Skylar’s body out of the ditch and the water; then, he held pressure on Skylar’s wound again. The ambulance arrived first, with the police following behind. Reed screamed for their assistance. One of the EMTs went to take care of Kendra, and the other joined Reed to take care of Skylar. It was a complete cacophony! There were lights, people screaming, cops, and EMTs asking questions. Reed was overwhelmed. He tried to retell his story to the police. He told them that Brynley was missing. He watched the EMTs and the police calling for backup.
Reed was shaking with fear, wondering where Brynley was. Was she hurt? Was she lying in a ditch somewhere, like Skylar was? He wanted to vomit! He watched Skylar and Kendra be taken away by ambulance. He kept looking around, hoping to find Brynley. The police told him that they wanted him to come to the precinct to give a statement. Reed told the officer that he wasn’t going anywhere until he found Brynley. The officer tried to calm him down. Reed felt raw anger; he was going to lose his composure! He felt like coming apart! He wanted to kill the person, that hurt his friends and took Brynley away from him! The officer asked Reed, “Son, can you think of anyone that would want to hurt your friends?” No one came to mind. Reed’s brain was numb! It was hard for him to think or hear. He could hear his heartbeat thrumming in his ears! He called his dad. His dad told him to stay put and that he was on his way. Reed told the officer that he wasn’t going anywhere until his dad came. Reed sat down on the park bench and cried. He tried calling Brynley again but only received her voice mail. He cried even harder when h
e heard her sweet voice. He was thinking about her telling him that she loved him. His body sobbed uncontrollably.
Lights beamed across his body, and Reed looked up. It was his father. His father wrapped Reed in a hug. “Tell me, son, what’s happened?” Reed told his father everything that he knew.
“Dad, she’s out there somewhere, with someone who wants to hurt her, or she’s already dead. I need to find her!” Reed’s father hugged him again.
“We’ll find her, son. Just remain calm, and let’s think. You said that she was new here; so, she didn’t know many people yet. Can you think of anyone who she did know, that may have wanted her or to hurt her?” Reed tried to calm down enough to think. The only name that he could come up with was Todd. He didn’t know Todd’s last name. He told his father and an officer about Todd and where he was from. He said to them that he had a fight with Todd over Brynley. Reed said that he had roughed Todd up some and then sent him back home to California by plane. The officer was going to check on Todd at the airport. He would find his full name, and if he flew home to California.
Reed’s father told the officer that Reed would give a statement tomorrow. He was going to take his son home. He said that his son was in shock and needed to rest. The officer relented.
The officer left, and Reed turned to his father. “I can’t go home, dad. I have to look for her. Every minute counts. God knows what this maniac is doing to her!” Reed sobbed. His father hugged him again.
“Ok, let’s look together. The police are scouring the park. Can you think of any other place to look?” Reed closed his eyes to think. It suddenly dawned on him; if it was Todd, he might be at the Crescent Hotel. He told his father, and his father immediately pulled out his phone and called the Crescent Hotel. He asked to speak with the manager. He explained that a young, blonde-haired girl had been abducted, and the police were looking for her now. He described Brynley to the manager and asked security to review their cameras to see if she had been brought to their hotel. Mr. Hinton said that he was on his way to see if they found anything. It was an agonizing drive to the hotel for Reed. Reed couldn’t get there fast enough. When they pulled into the parking lot, Reed exploded out of the car. Mr. Hinton tried to keep up with his son. When they entered the hotel, Mr. Hinton introduced himself and asked to speak to the manager.
Mr. Whitman came and shook Mr. Hinton’s hand; they knew one another as casual acquaintances. Mr. Whitman led Mr. Hinton and Reed back to their security room. When they entered, Reed saw two security guards watching the cameras. An agonizing hour later, there was nothing to assist them with finding Brynley. Reed felt exhausted and sick! He needed Brynley to be ok and in his arms. Everything was becoming a blur to him; he remembered his father walking him back to their car. He remembered walking up to his stairs and to his room. He remembered standing in front of his mirror, staring at himself. Where could she be? As he stood there staring at himself, a thought came to him. The airport! What if Todd was trying to get her back to California. Reed didn’t slow down to tell his father; he ran straight to his car and sped to the airport. Reed parked and ran inside. He looked in every place that he could. There wasn’t a lot of people there, and he didn’t see Brynley. His heart was crushed! He sobbed aloud!
Reed’s head dropped in defeat. He started sobbing again! A ticket agent came to him and asked if he was ok. Reed told her that he was looking for his girlfriend. The ticket agent asked him to describe her. Reed did; he recanted every detail of her. “I’ve seen her. She’s inebriated, and her father took her into the café. He said that she ran away from home, and he was returning her.” Reed swallowed hard. He looked towards the café. He told the agent to call the police; because the man with her was not her father. If it wasn’t Todd, who could it be? Reed walked into the café, and there she was. She was slumped over with her head lying against an older man’s shoulder; her eyes were closed. Reed’s anger was seething. He was going to kill this man; no question about it! He didn’t care what the consequences were. He was going to kill him for hurting her and his friends! Reed knew that the man had drugged Brynley; that’s why everyone thought she was drunk. Reed got closer to the table. The man’s head was bent down, looking at the menu. Reed stopped in front of the table, and the man looked up. Reed was in shock; it was Mr. Lithgow! Before the man could move, Reed smashed his fist in the man’s face, breaking the man’s nose. Reed took his fist and slammed it into the man’s throat. Mr. Lithgow turned red, fighting for air! Reed moved Brynley’s body to a safe area and then came back for Mr. Lithgow.
Reed grabbed the man and pulled him out of the booth; then, the man fell to the floor. Reed straddled the man’s body and started beating him relentlessly in the face! Blood splattered everywhere. Reed felt a sharp pain in his side. The man had taken a knife from the table and stabbed Reed in his side with it. Reed heard people screaming; people were telling him to stop, but he didn’t. He wasn’t going to stop until the man was dead! He was not taking any chances of him being able to come back after Brynley! All Reed could remember was the sound of the man choking on his blood and the blood spraying all around him. Reed could feel the blood hit him in the face as his fist smashed the man’s bones, but he didn’t stop! He didn’t stop beating the man’s face, not until he was wrestled down to the ground by the police. When Reed’s head hit the floor, he looked towards Brynley’s body. He noticed bruises on her face. She had been smacked several times. He could tell that she fought the best she could. Her eyes were still closed and slightly swollen. Police started swarming the airport; EMTs came to assess the damage. Reed watched them take Brynley away on a stretcher. Reed was handcuffed and placed in an ambulance. He didn’t care; Brynley was safe now, and that was all that mattered to him. He hoped that he killed the man.
Reed was taken to the hospital to treat his wounds; police were present for questioning. His father was there. Reed was in shock, and he couldn’t respond to anyone. He knew that he had killed a man, but he saved Brynley. That’s all his brain could process. He remembered hearing his father screaming; then, he was in an ambulance going to the hospital. Reed closed his eyes, and then, there was nothing.
When Reed woke up, he was in a recovery area. He had surgery done on his hand and his knife wound. His hand had been broken in several places, and they repaired the bones with pins. The bleeding, from the stab wound on his side, had been cleaned and sewn. The surgery took eight hours. His father was allowed back to see him. “Son, are you ok?” His father had tears in his eyes. Reed shook his head ‘yes.’
“Is Brynley, ok? Are Skylar and Kendra, ok?” That’s all Reed could focus on.
“Yes, son. Kendra and Brynley are out in the waiting area, waiting to see you. Skylar is in a room recovering from his wounds, but he’s going to be fine. You need to get better, so I can bring you home.” Reed started crying. His friends and his beautiful girlfriend were alright.
“Did I kill him?” Reed needed to know.
His father swallowed hard. “We’ll discuss this when you get to your room.” The nurse escorted Reed’s father back to the waiting area. Reed had been cleared to return to his room an hour later.
Not long after, he was transported back; Brynley, Kendra, and his father were there waiting for him. Brynley went to Reed and placed her head on his chest. She cried; Reed held her and didn’t let her go. He sobbed with joy! She was in his arms again; he wasn’t ever going to let her go again. Kendra hugged them both!
“Thank you, Reed, for saving all of us! Skylar is going to be ok. He wants to see you when you feel up to it.” Reed nodded to her.
An officer came into the room. The officer told Reed and his father that a search was done on Mr. Lithgow’s property. Four mutilated bodies, all female, were found decaying and buried in his back yard. One female was found still chained in his secret room in the basement of the home. He was a serial killer and rapist; Brynley was going to be his sixth victim. The man lived in North Carolina and had planned on taking Brynley to his home. Reed c
ould only imagine that he had planned on raping her and keeping her in the basement with the other girl. That thought made him sick! Thanks to Reed, he never made it. Brynley continued to cry, and Reed held her even tighter. Reed’s father explained to the officer that Mr. Lithgow was here on business. He was at Mr. Hinton‘s home regarding the purchase of a hospital. They were discussing the legal paperwork that was necessary to finish the sale. That was how Mr. Lithgow met Brynley; while at Mr. Hinton’s home; he spotted her among the group of Reed’s friends. His sick brain must have decided that he wanted her, and she needed to become his next victim.
He followed Skylar and Kendra to the park, thinking that Brynley may be there, too. He stunned Skylar and Kendra with a taser, rendering them unable to move; and then stabbed Skylar to subdue him from fighting. He beat Skylar with a metal pipe to finish him off. He then drugged Kendra and posed her body to look like she was waiting on Brynley to get her. He pulled Skylar’s body deeper into the dark to hide him. He drugged Skylar to keep him down until he bled to death and then rolled him into the ditch to die. He placed Kendra’s body on the park bench and text Brynley to bring her to him. He knew that Brynley would come to the bench for Kendra when she didn’t respond. He would sneak up behind her, tase her, and drug her with chlorophyll. Later, he drugged her with small doses of Fentanyl; that way, he could get her to walk. Then he would just explain that she was just drunk. No one questioned an older man, claiming to be her father; and what appeared to be a drunk daughter.
“Is he dead?” Reed wanted the answer to his question.
“Yes, son. He is dead. You won’t have to worry about him anymore. Don’t worry; no charges are going to be filed against you. You found a serial killer; that police have been looking for, for a very long time.” Reed was satisfied. He was glad; because he never wanted Brynley to worry if the man would come back for her.
Pride and Passion Page 16
