His voice is sickening, like a love-struck geek. Wait, it can’t be.
That fucker is in love with her.
Surely not….
“I’m here, let Sumner go. She isn’t the one you want, I am. Let. Her. Go.” she pointedly shouts at him.
There is anger in her voice; the upset girl I left over with the others is gone. The girl who has replaced her is stronger, more determined and so god damned fucking angry. Wisely, Stephen chose to hang back. There was no point him and the others hovering around up here as well, it will on provoke the situation. I hope Sherlyn knows what she is doing.
Chapter Three
Sherlyn
Could this day get any worse? It was bad enough that we all had to uproot our lives and relocate because of this evil son of a bitch, but now he has involved Sumner in his sick game. I have to get her out of this… and alive. I can’t let anything happen to her, why should she suffer for my father’s mistakes. I won’t deny at first, seeing her captured like that threw me. I was in a state of shock that I couldn’t shake. It wasn’t until Sean told us to wait by the charter plane that I started to snap out of it. I begged Stephen to let me go, to help her, but he just argued against it with me. I became angry, so angry that I broke free of his hold and pretty much ran to where Anthony and the others were talking to Vincent. I heard that boy of mine calling out behind me, but I couldn’t stop. I am the only one who will be able to free her and they need to let me try. I would not let them take no for an answer.
“Now, now sweetness, it’s going to take more than you just telling me to let her go for that to happen,” he drawls.
Poor Sumner, every time he speaks, he spits saliva over her. It’s disgusting to see. I would hate to know what that feels like for her. I try to comfort her with my gaze, but her head has dropped and she is sobbing continuously. He will pay for this; I will make sure of it.
“I’m going to need more from you than just words darling,” he continues.
“What is it you want Vincent?” My tone picks up a notch, highlighting my anger, but he doesn’t budge. He just pulls my best friend in closer.
“Isn’t it obvious?” and yes, it appears so.
He wants me…
“I will do as you ask, but Sumner goes free, or no deal.” I finally concede, walking over to stand directly in front of him and Sumner.
It’s not like I want to do this, but I need an angle, something for Hawke and Anthony to work with. If I can get him to release her, maybe they can get a shot at him. There is no way I plan to let him do the horrid things he has done to those other girls, to me.
“You want her” he sneers, making me look up at him, “come get her.”
Just as I do, I watch in horror as he pulls her head up by her hair, and slides his knife across her throat.
Everything that happens after that, streams past me in slow motion.
Within seconds, my best friend drops to the ground in front of me and Vincent grasps my arm tightly, pulling me backward toward one of the airport doors. From the quick glance I got, it looked like one of those boarding corridor doors that you exit to get onto the tarmac. With my limited knowledge of airports, I’d say it was reserved for the smaller charter planes. None of that matters, though because my sick demented friend is dragging me ineptly through the door and down the corridor. I have no idea where this corridor ends or where he intends to take me. All I can think of is my poor, beautiful friend with her throat slit, laying on the concrete floor.
Oh my god, what about Stephen, he will be going insane right now, and all because I have royally messed up. He will be fighting them to get to me. What have I done? My stupidity has led to me being captured, something every one of those men out there, was trying to avoid. Maybe one day, if I ever get out of this alive, I will listen.
Stephen
“What the Fuck!” I scream as Sherlyn is dragged through one of the airport doors.
What the fuck just happened. Dropping everything I was holding, I sprint toward my girl, but before I can get there, some guy pulls me back in a black suit.
“Let me go, dude, I need to get to her. Leave me the fuck alone.” I yell at him to no avail.
All of it, my screaming, and fighting is pointless because this dude isn’t budging at all. With him still gripping my arm, I watch as Hawke, Sean, and Anthony, plus half a dozen black suits run through the same door Sherlyn just disappeared in. That fucker gets to go, why can’t I? I think as Sean follows his father.
Releasing me, the suit heads over to the ones hovering over Sumner’s body. I can’t believe what I just witnessed. Looking around I see Sophie being comforted by her mother and Ben, and the others making their way toward me. When all this shit was going down, never did I think anything like this would happen and especially not to Sumner. I believed that they would get her away from him before he could do her any harm and then fucking Sherlyn had to put herself in harm’s way. What the hell was she thinking?
As the boys stand beside me, we watch as the agents work on our friend while they wait for medical assistance. It’s too hard to tell if she is still alive, fuck I hope she is. I can’t imagine the impact this will have on our girls, especially Sherlyn, when they find her, if she dies. And, Tatum, let’s not forget him. I don’t care what that boy tells people, he loves that girl, and always has. He can spiel that bullshit of his that they are casual, but we can see straight through him. I hope for his and our girl’s sakes, that she pulls through.
The sight of that guy slitting Sumner’s throat was like something out of a movie. It took me a moment to realize what had happened, and by the time I did, Sherlyn was being dragged toward the building. It wasn’t until she dropped that the shock set in, and then it took a little longer for me to register what was happening to my girl.
“Fuck,” Luke mutters next to me.
I don’t move, I can’t. If he can do that to a perfect stranger, or the other stuff we were told about, imagine what he will do to Sherlyn. They better fucking find her.
The sound of the ambulance, screaming down the runway jolts me from my daydream. There has to be something we can do instead of standing around watching, but they won’t let us chase after Sherlyn, or help Sumner. What the fuck do they expect us to do?
In resignation, we make our way back to Sophie and Ben, to wait for someone to tell us something. Soph is distraught, fuck we all are, but there is nothing we can do besides wait.
There is nothing but silence while we wait, none of us saying a word. What’s there to say anyway, all I want to do is find my girl, but none of those fuckers over there will allow it. We stay this way until one of the suits working on Sumner comes our way.
“Mrs. Valentine,” he greets.
“How is she Lloyd?” she asks in return.
“Alive, but in a serious condition. They are taking her to the nearest hospital now; someone will phone Anthony once she arrives.”
Nodding at him, Sarah dismisses him and returns to her daughter to comfort her, letting Lloyd return to the others gathering around the ambulance.
When will someone tell us what the fuck is going on with Sherlyn? Waiting here is killing me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sean
“Block every exit, I don’t want this bastard getting away,” my father yells into his phone.
He is furious when he ends his call, forcing me to follow behind as we slowly continue down the corridor. Out of the three of us, I am the only one without a weapon.
“I want every inch of this airport covered, Hawke. Every fucking inch, do you hear me? He continues to yell, only this time in Hawke’s direction.
Without saying a word Hawke, slows, trailing behind me, pulling his phone out of his pocket. I don’t hear what he says, or whom he is speaking to because I’m too highly strung. My current focus is on my father ahead, and the thought of what we are going to find when we reach them. If we reach them.
“Done.” Hawke’s voice echoes behind me.
>
My father doesn’t reply, he just continues down the passage in silence, slowing as he approaches each exit. I don’t know if I am frightened because I don’t have a weapon, or of what we are going to find when we finally track Vincent, and Sherlyn down. There is no hope of him escaping the airport at all, so the challenge now is finding where he’s holed up before he can do any harm to Sherlyn. Images of the torture those other girls were subjected to comes to mind, as I listen to my father and Hawke yell out “Clear” with each room they check along the corridor. I need to block these images out so that I can do what I need to do, to ensure her safety.
Lagging behind even further, my job is to keep an ear out, and listen for anything suspicious that my father and Hawke may have missed. I’ve been ordered not to engage, only alert them. What the hell do they think I can do anyway, my father wouldn’t allow me to carry a weapon. If it all goes to hell, I will have one shoved in my hands in a heartbeat, but for now, I’m reconnaissance.
Distracted by my own thoughts, I nearly miss the muffled squeak that escapes from behind the door I have just passed. Backtracking, I stop directly in front of it, signaling to Hawke to hold up when he turns. I watch as he, and my father approach, and then as he places a Glock 19 pistol in my hand. My father nods toward the door and we stand back to try to listen for any other indication that Vincent has Sherlyn trapped in that room.
More faint gargling noises filter through and then the final confirmation – Vincent’s hideous laugh over the silence, giving us all the justification we need to enter. How the fuck did we miss this room, I’m sure my father cleared it? How did he manage to hide the two of them in there without my father seeing them? Quietly turning the handle, Hawke slowly pushes on the door so as not to alert Vincent of our arrival.
The room itself, once you have entered inside is pitch black, which could explain how my father didn’t see them during his initial inspection. First impressions of the room would indicate nothing unusual, well until you continue toward the back of the room where the window is located. When you look to the left of that window, there is a door hidden behind some boxes. As we creep closer, every one of us with our weapons lifted, pointed directly at the door, I can feel the fear of the reality of our situation suddenly creeping through my skin.
That hideous cackle we caught prior to entering the room is louder now, stopping me in my tracks, sending my nerves into high alert. Under normal circumstances – when it didn’t involve someone I loved, I would be calm, unnerved and ready to pounce. This is so much more real than anything else I have experienced since joining my father’s team, even more so than what happened to me a few months ago. Even though Sophie and I were in danger, the whole situation was controlled to some extent. There is nothing about what we are about to do that is controlled and the thought of what we are about to find scares the living shit out of me.
Hawke leads the way, making the first movements toward the door, gently turning the handle, pulling it toward himself quickly. His gun is aimed high, ready to shoot if Vincent were to strike. As he makes his way into the room, my father pushes me behind him. Although it pisses me off, I have no doubt that it is to shelter me from what we may see. Following them both through the door, my curiosity is peaking to know exactly what this room is used for, and where it leads.
“Ah this is so much better than I expected sweetness; your body is more delectable than any of the others.”
We all hear as his sadistic voice echoes out into the silence. He gets no response, which worries me, but maybe she is just gagged and I can’t help but wonder, what the fuck is he doing to her? As I try to push through to get to them, my father stops me, giving me a stern look, warning me to stay put.
“I have been waiting for this moment, child, for many years. I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally get you alone.”
Everything in me just wants to barge past both my dad and Hawke, so I can fight my way toward her. If I do that, I know my rash decision could jeopardize her life. Still creeping, Hawke edges his way even closer to where they are located, hidden behind a table. There will be no mercy for the man, and I just hope he hasn’t had enough time to do any real damage to the beautiful girl he kidnapped. Standing back near my father my hands clench into fists by my side and I am forced to watch, as he quietly walks up behind our target. Lifting his pistol, Hawke fires and embeds a bullet into the back of Vincent’s head. He never stood a chance, he neither saw nor heard Hawke approach, allowing him the advantage.
Our mission was complete; our only concern now was Sherlyn.
“Take the boy outside,” was all I heard Hawke say, as my father lead me back out into the corridor.
Chapter Four
Stephen
We have been waiting on this fucking tarmac, beside the charter plane, for too god damned long, and it’s grating on my, already, highly strung nerves. I have been constantly pacing up and down the strip, following that stupid yellow line, much to the annoyance of the others. Honestly, I don’t give a flying fuck what any of them think, as my thoughts are only with my beautiful girl. She is fucking trapped in that building somewhere, kidnapped by a psychotic lunatic, and there is nothing I can do to help her. Surely, for the love of God, they have the place surrounded by now. What is taking them so fucking long?
On the left of me, Ben has been the dutiful boyfriend spending the whole time we have been stuck out here, comforting Sophie. There was a time when that boy swore that it would be a cold day in hell before any girl ever tied him down. Yet, here he is, with the love of his life, firmly secured in his embrace. It’s funny how much has changed in the space of a few months. Sophie though, that girl is a wreck, her mother only fairing slightly better. Kyle and Luke are wisely keeping their distance, talking amongst themselves, but the worried looks on their faces show their concern.
“Nevan,” Kyle calls.
Looking up from the ground, he has me wondering why he is using my nickname. Turning around I watch as Sean and Anthony make their way toward us. Sean’s face is white, I mean ghostly white, as if something is terribly wrong. Fuck! Something is wrong. I can feel it. I knew I should have gone with them, should never have let them hold me back. Before I can control it, the words I know he is expecting to hear spew out of my mouth.
“Did you find her?”
Ignoring my outburst, Anthony gathers everyone together, and once we are all in front of him, he starts.
“Yes we did find her, but the news is not good.”
I have no doubt my face just instantly paled; I can already feel the blood draining from it.
No, no, no please god, please no…
“We found them, but not before Vincent had a chance to hurt her. She is in a pretty bad way, I won’t lie, but she is alive. The EMTs are with her now, she will be in route to the same hospital as her friend very soon.”
She is alive … that’s all I really took out of what he said. She is badly hurt, but she is alive, and right now that’s all, that fucking matters.
“And him?” I absently voice.
“Dead,” a solemn Sean replies. With my gaze already back on the ground, I glance up once more to find the look on his face is blank. It is fixated on something in the distance. There is no expression on his face whatsoever. The tone in his voice reflecting that and it makes me wonder if he actually saw her.
“Good.”
Nodding, he moves away, over toward his mother and sister, to comfort them.
“Okay, as much as I would like to see everyone here be relocated back to the hotel, I know that’s not going to happen.”
Anthony addresses us once more. Fucking oath, I’m not going back to the hotel.
“So, let’s all head back to the SUV’s and our drivers will escort you all to whatever hospital the girls have been transported to.”
“We will talk more there.”
Without a word, we follow. Luke hangs back, keeping me company as we make our way toward the vehicles, to go find my dream girl.
/>
“She will fight this, dude. Just have faith.” he consoles. “I know dude. It’s just how much more does she need to suffer?”
The look he gives me in return, says it all, no words need to be exchanged.
At the hospital, we are all shoved into a tiny little waiting area, barely big enough to accommodate a small family, let alone the mass we have acquired. Since arriving a couple of hours ago, Tatum, and Sumner’s parents have also joined us. Thankfully, according to the doctor who has just come past, Sumner is going to be fine, the blade missing her artery.
Thank God
He was telling us that although it’s more of a superficial wound, it’s going to scar. I’m sure I am not the only one with the thought - at least she is alive. We don’t know much else because she is still sedated in recovery. Her parents were told that as soon as she wakes they would move her to a room and come and get them.
As for Sherlyn, we are still waiting on news. From what Anthony told us, only he and Hawke saw Sherlyn after her attacker was killed. He made Sean wait in the corridor with another agent. He wouldn’t give us any details, only saying that Vincent had done more damage than they thought he would, in the limited time that he had with her. I can’t help but wonder what he did to her, but in a way, I’m glad, because it will only fuel my anger more. With Vincent Salvatore dead, I now have no one to release that anger upon. “I’m sorry dude,” a bare whisper emanates from next to me. When I take notice of who has spoken to me, I’m surprised to find Sean seated beside me. “
What are you sorry for, man, you didn’t harm her.” I reassure him, although for what reason, I am still unsure.
“I couldn’t find him in time, if only…”
Man, he was really beating himself up over this.
Sins of the Father (California Dreaming Book 2) Page 23
