***
At the Ryan estate, Detective Tucci was accompanying a forensic team that was going over Samantha Ryan’s bedroom one more time. Hall was desperate to find something that could undeniably link Samantha to the murder of her grandmother.
Tucci walked outside to have a cigarette while the forensic crew did their thing. When he saw the limo, he went over to look at it. The vehicle was gleaming, and Tucci idly wondered what it would go for at auction.
He leaned back against the limo and looked around. That was when he noticed it.
There was a treehouse over by the playground area. As he walked to it, Tucci wondered how he had missed seeing it before. He got his answer as he drew nearer and saw that a large branch had recently fallen.
Tucci took out his phone and called the leader of the forensic team. When she answered, he asked her to come and check out the treehouse as soon as possible. The woman arrived with a male assistant just minutes later, and the two of them used the ladder that was attached to the tree to climb up.
Tucci stayed on the ground. He hated heights and would have just been in the way in the cramped space.
The forensic supervisor poked her head out. She smiled down at Tucci while shaking the bag she was holding.
“Tell the DA that we just found her smoking gun.”
CHAPTER 20
Mr. White thanked Lawson for arriving so quickly.
The two of them stood back and watched the activity as a clean-up crew removed the bodies of Prophet’s serial killers. There were six in the clean-up crew, four men and two women. They didn’t talk other than to coordinate their activities, and within an hour, White’s home looked as it had before the violence occurred.
They had even painted over one wall where the cleansing of the blood spatters had left a trace, while the wood floors of the hallway gleamed. However, there was a strong odor of disinfectant.
Russo and the others had arrived in a van which had been left out on the road. They had walked towards the house by following the stream and had come upon Samantha. That van had been towed away, and would be searched for evidence of other crimes.
Lawson had entered the home first to view the aftermath of the battle. He had gazed with puzzlement at two of the dead men. All four of their arms were broken, along with multiple ribs and a pair of collarbones. One of the men’s jaw sat askew, while the other man’s skull was bashed in on one side.
“I see that they were each stabbed, but what caused these other massive injuries? It looks as if they were in a car wreck.”
“I used the small man to beat the other one to death with,” White said.
“How?”
“I lifted the man on the right up by gripping his belt and his throat and used him to hammer the other man.”
Lawson looked at the man on the right. While the man had been shorter than the other men, Lawson still guessed that he weighed nearly two-hundred pounds.
He shook his head in wonder.
“You’re phenomenal, White. Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
Jessica had left the house with Samantha and the children. The children were dropped off at her brother’s home, while she and Samantha went to the PREY house. Jessica hated to leave the children, but she felt that they would be safer with Jimmy and his wife, Reina, at least until they were certain that no more men were coming.
Jessica also needed to talk to Elena and discuss the situation. Hopefully, they could come up with a plan to stop Prophet.
White gestured at the van the bodies had been loaded into.
“What happens to them now?”
“Once identified, forensic teams will be sent to their homes to search for evidence or captives. They’ll also be processed through the FBI’s DNA database and matched up with any slain victims. I suspect a lot of cases will be closed, as well as countless future victims spared a horrible fate.”
Billy arrived just as the van with the bodies was leaving, and White cursed himself for forgetting about the planned visit.
Billy had called that morning to ask if he could visit Samantha, but the violence of the morning had erased it from White’s mind.
As Billy was getting out of his car, White spoke to Lawson.
“Have you found a new driver yet?”
“No, and God help me, I’ve even had to resort to using Jace again at times. Why do you ask?”
“The man walking our way was Brendan Ryan’s chauffeur, and he’s a friend of ours.”
White introduced Lawson to Billy, and Billy smiled as he shook his hand. When asked about his future job prospects, Billy shrugged.
“I’ll have to find another employer, and I’ll miss seeing Samantha.”
Lawson began questioning Billy about his qualifications and his past, and Mr. White was surprised to learn that Billy had been a Marine.
“Yeah, I enlisted at seventeen and got out at twenty. It wasn’t for me, but I made a lot of good friends there.”
After Samantha’s kidnapping, Brendan Ryan had paid to send Billy through a number of self-defense driving courses. Billy also had a carry permit and regularly qualified on the shooting range.
Lawson asked Billy if he was willing to go through an extensive background check. When Billy agreed, Lawson said that he would get the ball rolling on Billy’s hiring.
“You’ll be required to carry a weapon, and I do travel a lot. I’ll need you to accompany me on some trips, but not very often. Will that be a problem for you and your family, Mr. Ortiz?” Lawson said.
“No sir, but tell me Mr. Lawson, what will my compensation be?”
Lawson named a figure that was more than Billy had earned while driving for Brendan Ryan.
Billy offered his hand to Lawson.
“I’m in.”
***
At his home, Wentworth entered the attached garage through a door in the hallway. After walking down three steps, he unlocked his car with his key fob.
The car beeped, but the sound wasn’t loud enough to eclipse the crunch of broken glass. Wentworth looked over the roof of his car and noticed that the window in the garage was shattered, and sitting open.
When Thad Howard rose up on the other side of the car and pointed a gun at him, Wentworth felt his heart skip a beat. Although, at first, he didn’t recognize Howard.
Howard had dyed his hair dark and was wearing glasses, but his great height and powder white skin gave him away.
Wentworth squinted at him.
“Thad Howard?”
“It’s me.”
“Why are you pointing a gun at me?”
“I’m here for those diamonds, mate, and I’ll do anything to get them.”
“I don’t have them anymore.”
“You’re lying.”
Howard rushed around to Wentworth’s side of the car and aimed the gun at Wentworth’s face.
“Tell me where you’ve hidden the diamonds or you’ll never leave here alive.”
Wentworth’s heart raced as he stared down the barrel of the gun. He wasn’t lying. He no longer had the diamonds, the police did.
However, Wentworth knew from looking in Howard’s eyes that the man wouldn’t believe a word he said. Wentworth pushed the trunk release button on his key fob. The latch disengaged and the trunk lid popped open, causing Howard to jerk his head in that direction.
A struggle ensued, as the two men battled for control of the gun. When it was over, Wentworth lay dying on the floor of his garage.
CHAPTER 21
When Elena saw that Samantha was becoming annoyed by her staring, she apologized.
“I don’t mean to be rude, dear; I just find you fascinating.”
“I really look different to you?” Samantha asked.
“Yes, very much so, and there’s a strength, an aura of power flowing from you. It’s strong, and similar to your adoptive father’s aura, which I also see.”
“I’m not evil,” Samantha said defensively.
Elena lowered herself until
she was looking Samantha in the eye.
“You are special, and like your adoptive father, you will do great things.”
Samantha smiled.
“I want to be just like Mr. White.”
***
Michael and Summer took Samantha off to the kitchen to spend time with them, and Jessica joined Elena in her office. They sat together on a sofa and drank hot tea.
They were talking about Samantha’s adoption when Jessica told Elena about their recent discovery that Samantha hadn’t been a Ryan by blood.
“No, the Fosters told our lawyer that they had no idea who Samantha’s father really was, only that he was tall and did business with the law firm.”
Elena raised an eyebrow at that, and Jessica laughed.
“Yes, Elena, I’m aware that the description fits my husband, but I know he couldn’t be Samantha’s father.”
Elena smiled.
“I didn’t say a word, still, the child is very much like your husband in some ways. It’s why they’ve bonded so well. But getting back to Samantha’s heritage, do you intend to look into it?”
“No, that would gain us nothing and might unearth someone who would dispute our adoption of her.”
“Tell me about the babies? How did they handle viewing this morning’s violence?”
Jessica gave her head a little shake.
“Emma was very upset, but she saw little of what happened; I made certain of that by picking her up and turning her face away. However, even before the violence began, just seeing those men frightened her, and she’s not a child who fears strangers.”
Elena leaned closer.
“She may be one of the rare ones who shares my gift. How is she around Samantha?”
“Now that you mention it, she does shy away a bit from Samantha, or rather, she used to, but over time she’s grown affectionate towards her.”
“Hmm, there are signs that she may be sensitive, and if she’s like me, her father will go undetected by her as being... different. As you know, my father was a serial killer, but despite my gift, I never realized it. There aren’t enough of us to know this as a fact, but I believe it is like that with all who share my gift. Where there’s a bond of blood, it blinds us, perhaps it’s biological.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for signs that she has your gift, but I hope you’re wrong. This ‘gift’ seems more like a burden than a blessing to me.”
“It is, but I’d rather possess it than be blind like most, but tell me, how did Liam react?”
“He was calm, and... fascinated, yes, I think fascinated would describe the look I saw on his face. His father is fearless, and it’s a trait Liam might have inherited from him.”
Elena reached over and laid a hand atop of Jessica’s.
“His mother is fearless as well. While you were speaking with Michael, Samantha told me that you saved her life.”
“She said that?”
“Yes she did, and I quote, ‘Jessica shot one of the men to save me. I’m glad she’ll be my mother.’”
Jessica smiled, and then sniffled and wiped away a tear.
“Samantha’s an odd child, but I have come to love her, and she feels love for me as well.”
“You’ve taken on a great responsibility with that one, but I have faith that you won’t regret it.”
“And what about you, Elena, do you regret your choice to bring Violet into PREY?”
Elena loosed a sigh.
“I love that girl, Jessica. I blame myself for putting her in a situation where she would have to choose between helping PREY or harming her sister. I should have known better.”
“Do you think she’ll come back here?”
“I do. She’ll know that I’m disappointed in her, but I can’t imagine she would believe anyone here would harm her.”
“It still might be difficult for the others to ever trust her again,” Jessica said.
“That’s especially true of Cassandra, but time will heal that rift.”
“And what about Viola?”
Elena frowned.
“That child needs to wake up and get on the right side of this, if not, she may not live through another confrontation.”
“Prophet threatened my children. I’ll have no mercy for anyone who stands with him, nor will my husband. I’ve seldom seen him as enraged as he was this morning, and he’s eager to rip Prophet apart.”
“That reminds me of a quote from Isoroku Yamamoto. He was a Japanese admiral during World War II.”
Jessica grinned.
“I know that quote. Yamamoto said it about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He said, ‘I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.’ Yes, and my husband is that giant.”
“Prophet’s days are numbered,” Elena said.
“Oh yes,” Jessica said. “Most definitely.”
CHAPTER 22
Violet bent down to pet Stitches after the dog greeted her in Jessica’s driveway.
Jace had dropped Stitches off earlier, while Lawson was there, but had left to see Cassandra. Jessica and Samantha were still at the PREY house, but Mr. White was at home, and had been on his way to collect the mail.
He had gone on the alert when Stitches had run ahead along the winding driveway, but calmed when he heard the dog bark in a friendly manner.
White rounded a curve and saw Violet laughing as Stitches licked her face. White didn’t know who Violet was, but felt certain that she was no threat. Stitches had proven himself to be a good judge of character. This was despite the fact that White’s first interaction with the dog was as a victim of an attack by the animal.
“Hello,” White said, and when Violet straightened, he was surprised at how tall she was.
“Mr. White? Hi, my name is Violet and I’m a friend of your wife.”
“Yes, she’s mentioned you, in fact, you were the subject of conversation earlier.”
Violet lowered her eyes.
“Is your wife mad at me?”
“Violet.”
She looked up.
“Yes?”
“My wife and Dr. Colt both understand why you did what you did, and so do I.”
Violet released a breath she’d been holding.
“Good, I would hate to lose their friendship.”
White stepped past Violet and claimed the mail from the box at the foot of the driveway. He pointed towards Violet’s car.
“Why don’t you drive on in and keep me company? Jessica should be home soon.”
“I will, thank you.”
***
After spending a short time with Violet, Mr. White understood what it was about the girl that his wife liked so much. There was an innocence about Violet that shone past the quiet, but tough exterior.
White had surprised himself by offering to let Violet enter the house while he was alone. Although he was seldom plagued by unnatural desires, he was always on guard against them and tried not to place himself in certain situations.
Being alone with a young woman who was assumed to have run away could end horribly were the beast in him to emerge. He could abduct Violet and have no one suspect him, since all believed that she had gone away of her own free will.
White hated the fact that such thoughts even entered his mind. He would no more harm Violet than he would cut off his right hand. His brother, Jeffrey Mitchell, he had given in to such dark impulses and become a monster. Mr. White refused to walk that path.
To his further surprise, White found Violet to be fascinating, although she spoke very little. He was also comfortable around her in a way he rarely was with strangers.
He had settled with her inside the kitchen and they talked over coffee. Violet was shy at times, but she broke a moment of silence with a question.
“Have we met before? You seem so familiar.”
“I don’t believe we’ve ever met, but, yes, you do seem somewhat familiar to me as well. Maybe we have met before.”
Violet looked away.
“You’re very nice. The doctor is a lucky woman.”
“I’m the one who is lucky,” White said, and when he looked up at the clock on the wall, he was surprised at how late it had become. “I thought Jessica would be back by now; she must have stopped to pick up the children.”
Violet grinned.
“I love Emma and Liam. Jessica brings them by the house all the time.”
“Maybe I should let her know you’re here.”
Violet took out her phone.
“I’ll send a text.”
***
Jessica was driving home with the twins and Samantha when she heard her phone chime. When she reached a red light, she read the text, and smiled. She then called Elena by using her Bluetooth and told her that Violet was at her house.
“I’ll be back home soon. I just thought you should know that she’s safe.”
Elena had been getting into her own car when the call came in. She thanked Jessica for letting her know she’d heard from Violet, and then pulled out of her driveway.
As a horrible thought occurred to Elena, she swung her car around in a U-turn and sped towards Jessica’s home. As she drove, she dialed Violet’s number, while saying a prayer she wasn’t too late to prevent a tragedy.
***
At Jessica’s house, Violet held up her phone.
“My battery just died, but I’m pretty sure the message went through.”
White stood.
“It’s a nice day; why don’t we wait for Jessica outside?”
Violet agreed and followed behind. She was getting such a weird vibe from Jessica’s husband but couldn’t define it. He was a very handsome man whom she found attractive, but she had never chased after married men, or older men, and so she wasn’t thinking of him in romantic terms. But, there was something, something odd about him.
Once outside, Violet walked with him to look at the nearby stream, and the feeling intensified.
***
Elena was delayed in traffic when there was an accident at an intersection that caused her to make a detour.
She was frantic with worry. Violet shared her gift, and Mr. White was the most powerful predator she had ever come across.
Taken! - Bedeviled (A Taken! Novel Book 17) Page 10
