“James is going to drop by your house and see if Darren is there,” Trunk assured the women.
A little over an hour later, Darren hadn’t returned, and James informed them he wasn’t home. Trunk was worried. Since the attacker told Abbie he stabbed her for payback, maybe Darren was in trouble too.
“Ben, where is my dad?” Abbie whispered as her mother stared out the window with Abbie’s phone to her ear.
“I wish I knew.” Trunk sat next to her and pulled her into his arms.
“If anything happens to him…” Abbie pressed her lips together, and tears filled her eyes.
“Don’t think like that, Abs.” Trunk kissed her temple.
Abbie fell asleep a short time later, and Claire curled up in a chair, texting her husband. Darren didn’t respond, and Trunk could see she was ready to burst into tears. He pulled out his phone, stepped outside the room, and tapped the number of the one person he knew could find Darren’s phone. Hopefully, it would tell them where to find the man.
“Hey, Trunk. How’s Abbie?” Sandy asked.
“She’s doing okay, but I need you to do something for me,” Trunk said.
“Sure, what do you need?”
“Can you track Darren’s phone and get a location? He left here a few hours ago, and he’s not responding to calls or texts, and he wasn’t at his house. Nobody knows where he is,” Trunk explained.
“James already got me on it. I’m tracking the GPS on Darren’s truck, too,” Sandy said.
“Have you found anything?” Trunk knew if anyone could find Darren, Sandy would.
“He’s stopped on a small road in Calvert,” Sandy informed him.
“Did you tell James?” Trunk asked.
“Yes, he’s going after him. James said the cottage Abbie told him about is on that road.”
“How would he know where the cabin is?” Trunk knew Darren left before Abbie had the address.
“Hell if I know. Maybe Abbie told him,” Sandy suggested.
“Maybe. Call me if you hear anything.” He ended the call before Sandy could respond.
When Trunk returned to the room, Abbie was still sleeping, but Claire stood next to the window, seemingly lost in her own world. Trunk stepped next to her, but she didn’t notice.
“Claire, did Abbie give Darren the address of that cottage?” Trunk whispered so he wouldn’t wake Abbie.
“No. She was waiting for your brother to come back with her phone.” Claire didn’t look at him.
“Why would Darren go to Calvert?” Trunk asked.
“Calvert?” Claire’s head snapped up, and she stared wide-eyed at Trunk.
“Sandy tracked his phone and GPS. It shows he’s near the cottage,” Trunk explained.
Claire’s forehead furrowed, and her eyes darted back and forth as if she wanted to remember something. After a few seconds, she grabbed Trunk’s arm.
“Abbie said she saw a sign with the name Sweeney on it, right?” Claire whispered.
“Yeah.” Trunk nodded.
“Oh, God.” Claire choked out.
“Claire, what’s wrong?” Trunk held her arm as she eased down in the chair.
“He wouldn’t,” Claire murmured.
“Claire, talk to me.” Trunk grabbed Claire’s shoulders and gave her a gentle shake.
She looked up at him, and all Trunk could see was pure terror. She glanced over toward Abbie and put her finger to her lips as she dragged Trunk out of the room. She didn’t speak again until they were halfway down the corridor.
“Claire, what’s wrong? You looked terrified.” Trunk ducked down so he could look into Claire’s eyes.
For a moment, she didn’t speak but when she lifted her head to look at him, she had tears in her eyes. The sight made Trunk’s gut clench.
“Darren is going to kill him,” Claire croaked.
Chapter 22
Abbie woke to a quiet room and quickly realized she was alone. She threw back the covers and eased out of bed. Before she attempted to find anyone, Abbie steadied herself on her feet, then she made her way to the door.
Abbie scuffed out of the room, holding the back of her gown to prevent her ass from hanging out. She saw Hulk across from the door with his back braced against the wall. He looked up from his phone when he heard her.
“Hey, I don’t think you’re supposed to be out of bed.” Hulk pushed off the wall.
“Where are Ben and my parents?” Abbie asked.
Hulk didn’t say anything as he placed his arm around her shoulders and tried to guide her back to the bed. Abbie ducked under his arm and glared at him. He wasn’t going to brush her question off like it was nothing.
“Hulk, I am not some fragile piece of glass that will break. Where is everyone?” Abbie shouted.
“I’ll tell you after you’re back in there.” Hulk pointed toward bed.
“Don’t piss me off.” Abbie poked him in the chest.
“Trunk and your mom are down the hall. I guess they didn’t want to wake you.” Hulk motioned to the bed again.
“Where’s my father?” Abbie asked.
“I don’t know.” Hulk again waved his hand in the direction of the empty bed.
“I’m going to put you in that bed if you don’t give me some answers,” Abbie snapped.
“Jesus, you’re worse than Sandy.” Hulk shook his head. “I’ll get Trunk, but you need to get back in there.”
Abbie glared at the handsome man but decided to get back in bed since she felt slightly dizzy. There was also the fact her ass was not exactly covered by the gown.
“Turn around,” Abbie told Hulk.
He did as she asked and Abbie crawled back into the bed. When she pulled the blanket over herself, she gave him the okay to turn around.
“I’ll be right back,” Hulk said in a gruff tone. “Do not get out of that bed again.”
Abbie rolled her eyes as the large man hurried out of the room. She rested her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes. How could she be so tired when she’d woke up no more than fifteen minutes earlier?
“Why are you causing trouble?” Trunk walked into the room and sat next to her.
“I thought everyone abandoned me,” Abbie grumbled.
“You were sleeping, and we didn’t want to wake you.” Trunk glanced at his phone for the third time.
“Okay, spill it.” Abbie sighed.
“Spill what?” Trunk wouldn’t look at her.
“I swear I’m going to throw you out the window if you don’t tell me. Where are my parents?” Abbie was starting to panic.
“Your mom is out in the hallway talking to an officer James sent here, and your dad is…” Trunk pressed his lips together.
“Ben, is my dad okay?” Abbie’s stomach clenched.
“As far as I know, he’s fine.” Trunk stopped.
“Ben, please tell me.” Abbie swallowed the lump in her throat.
Trunk took her hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. She didn’t know if she wanted to hear anything he was about to say because she had a feeling her life was about to fall apart.
“It seems that when you said the name Sweeney and talked about a cottage, something triggered a memory with your father. He left to go to the cottage to confront Chad or whatever his name is,” Trunk explained.
“I don’t understand. I’ve never heard of anyone named Sweeney.” Abbie shook her head.
“It has to do with something that happened before your mother and father were married,” Trunk told her.
“So, this has nothing to do with me, and what happened?” Abbie couldn’t figure out what was going on.
“James thinks your attack was an act of revenge against your father, and it’s all linked to the man you knew as Chad,” Trunk explained.
Abbie couldn’t get her head to wrap around all that vague information. She knew her dad ran with a rough crowd in his younger years, but when he met Abbie’s mother, he made a change in his life.
“Where’s my dad?”
Abbie asked.
“James is gone to meet him.” Trunk was worried, she could tell by his eyes.
“What are you not telling me?” Abbie combed her fingers through his beard.
“Everything is…” Trunk began but stopped when she tugged on his beard.
“Please stop treating me like I’m going to fall to pieces.” Abbie narrowed her eyes.
Nothing he could tell her would be worse than the thoughts running around her head. She never saw her father lose his shit unless her mother or Abbie were in danger. It didn’t happen often, but her dad was protective, and if he believed Chad was responsible for Abbie’s attack, he’d act without thinking.
“Shit, he’ll kill Chad or whatever the fuck his name is.” Abbie squirmed to get out of the bed.
“You and your mother think a lot alike, but you need to stay in that bed. James will handle it.” Trunk tucked the blankets around her.
When her mother returned, Abbie knew she had been crying. It didn’t make Abbie feel any better, and her heart pounded in her chest. There was no way she could handle something happening to her dad.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Abbie sat up straight.
“Nothing, honey.” Her mother smiled.
“Mom, you’ve been crying, and you look like you’re about to jump out of your skin. What’s going on?” Abbie was getting pissed off.
“I’m going to go check in with James.” Trunk stood up
He kissed Abbie’s lips and told her he’d be back. He put her phone in her hand and smiled. Trunk said if she needed him for anything to call. When he left the room, Abbie turned to her mother and held out her hand.
“Mom, please tell me what’s going on,” Abbie begged.
Her mother joined their hands and sat on the bed next to Abbie. She didn’t know why but she had a feeling her mother was about to tell her something she hadn’t revealed to many people.
“Honey, it’s a long story. It happened before you and your sister were born.” Her mother squeezed Abbie’s hands.
“I’m not going anywhere until tomorrow. I’ve got lots of time for stories.” Abbie smiled.
“Your dad loves you so much.” Her mother sighed.
“I know, Mom. Tell me what’s going on,” Abbie pushed.
Her mom walked to the window and wrapped her arms around herself. She was silent for a long time but after a deep intake of breath, Abbie’s mother began to speak.
“I had two friends in high school, Sharon and Lydia. We were like sisters. A lot like you, Billie, and Dana.” Her mother turned to look at Abbie.
“I guess you must have drifted apart,” Abbie interjected because she’d never met or even heard of the women.
“In my last year of high school, Lydia was dating a guy who everyone said was bad news. He was handsome, and a lot of the girls in our class were infatuated with him.” Her mother turned to the window.
“Bad boys are always sexier.” Abbie chuckled.
“Sometimes. Lydia had a brother who was older than us. He used to tag along with us, and he asked me out a bunch of times. I kept refusing to go out with him because he was Lydia’s brother and well, to be honest, a little odd. I told Lydia about it, and she warned him to leave me alone.” Her mother sighed.
“Did he?” Abbie asked.
“For a while, but after we graduated high school, a group of our friends got together and went camping. A couple of classmates’ families had cottages close to where we were camping, and we’d go back and forth between the cabins.” Her mother stopped and ran her hands up and down her arms.
“Isn’t that the same weekend you and Dad started dating?” Abbie remembered the story of how her parents got together.
Her mother sat in the chair next to Abbie’s bed and covered her face with her hands. Abbie had seen her mother at her worst when Laurie died, but she’d never seen her unsure. It made Abbie uneasy.
“We didn’t start dating that weekend, but we became close. We didn’t tell you everything. The second night we were camping, I was outside feeling slightly tipsy. Gary showed up at the cottage and saw me alone on the back porch. He…he…” Her mother pressed her lips together.
“Mom, did he assault you?” Abbie sat up.
“He pushed me down on the floor of the deck and got on top of me. I was screaming, and… his hands were everywhere, and he was so big…” Her mother was crying.
“Mom, you don’t need to tell me everything. You were raped, and it’s got to be extremely traumatic.” Abbie ripped off the covers and got out of bed to comfort her mother.
“He didn’t rape me.” Her mother pulled back.
“But you just said…” Abbie was confused.
“A guy who was there with us heard me and stopped him, but he beat Gary. If Lydia hadn’t stopped him, he would have killed Gary.” Her mother blew out a breath. “Lydia and a friend of hers were hysterical and blamed me. Lydia’s boyfriend was the boy who beat Gary, and he took my side. She was heartbroken.”
“Was Gary or the guy charged?” Abbie asked.
“I pressed charges against Gary, and the police arrested him after he got out of the hospital. Lydia never spoke to me again, and she spread a lot of bad things about her boyfriend and me. She also turned Sharon against me.” Her mother sniffed, and Abbie grabbed the box of tissues from next to her bed.
“Was Dad Lydia’s boyfriend?” Abbie knew the answer.
“Yes. He got in a lot of trouble for the beating. We didn’t meet again for a couple of years. People always referred to him as Hammer, but he didn’t get the nickname because he nailed a lot of girls. They called him Hammer because of the night he beat up Gary. People said it looked like he was swinging a hammer when he punched Gary.” Her mother sniffed.
“Okay, but, Mom, what does any of this have to do with me, and what happened?” Abbie asked.
“I didn’t tell you Gary’s and Lydia’s last name.” Her mother cupped Abbie’s cheek.
“No,” Abbie said.
“Their last name was Sweeney, and they had a cottage in Calvert called Sweeney’s Hideaway.” Her mother pressed her lips together.
“What?” Abbie gasped.
“The house you were in belonged to Lydia and Gary’s family.” Her mother whispered as she lifted her eyes to meet Abbie’s.
“What are you saying?” Abbie asked.
“I think Chad is Gary’s son and they targeted you because you’re our daughter.” Her mother looked terrified.
“Why Gary’s son? He might be Lydia’s son.” Abbie shrugged.
“I suppose that’s possible too.” Her mother sighed.
“Couldn’t we contact her?” Abbie asked.
“She killed herself about a year ago. She couldn’t live with her guilt anymore. It was her fault Gary attacked me. Apparently, he’d been molesting her, and he promised to stop if she could make it possible for him to be alone with me.” Tears streamed down her mother’s cheeks.
“How do you know that?” Abbie asked.
“I got a message on Facebook from her last year. She told me everything and wanted me to forgive her. The next day there was a post from Sharon saying Lydia had killed herself.” Her mother sobbed.
“I’m sorry, Mom.” Abbie hugged her mother and didn’t even care that her ass was hanging out of her gown.
Abbie tried to get her head around her mother’s story. It was hard to understand how someone could hold a grudge for so long. Abbie found it hard to believe Chad was part of something so cruel, but if he wasn’t, it would be a huge coincidence. A frightening thought hit her. If someone hadn’t found her in the parking lot after the attacker stabbed her, she could have died.
“Who found me in the parking lot?” Abbie asked her mother.
“Chad told us someone leaving the restaurant found you,” her mother said as she wiped her face with the tissue.
Was it possible that Chad put the drugs in her coffee pods? They were at her house before they left for the restaurant. He could have done it
that night, or while she was in the hospital. Why would he have her attacked and have her coffee drugged?
Chapter 23
Trunk left a message for Abbie with Hulk. He wanted her to know he would return later that evening because he was heading to Calvert to meet James. Besides, she needed to have a conversation with her mother, and hopefully, between both women, they could think of something that would help.
James and Darren stood on the side of the road leading to the cottage. Chris and Trunk drove to Calvert together, but before they exited the truck, Trunk’s phone buzzed. Their mother’s number popped up on the screen, and he handed the phone to Chris.
“Here, fill Mom in. I want to find out what James has to say.” Trunk tossed the phone to his brother and jumped out of the vehicle.
James and Darren were with two officers Trunk knew from Hopedale. They turned as he got out of the truck, and he could tell by Darren’s expression how much pain he felt because of what happened to Abbie.
“Trunk,” James greeted him.
“James. Why are we all standing here?” Trunk asked.
“Waiting for a warrant so we can search the cottage,” James explained.
“I got your warrant right here. My size twelve boot,” Darren grumbled.
“Darren, we can’t let you do that. If you want to get the guy responsible for this, you need to let us do our job,” James told Abbie’s father.
Trunk could tell Darren didn’t like what James said. Neither did Trunk, but he knew if he ignored James, it would end up with him behind bars. The man might be a friend, but he wasn’t going to let Trunk screw up the chance of arresting someone capable of trying to kill Abbie.
“Have you gone close to the house?” Trunk asked.
“Cory walked by, but there aren’t any vehicles visible, and all the curtains are closed,” James told him.
Cory Fleming was Aaron O’Connor’s best friend and both men had gone through the police academy together. The other man, Rick Avery, Trunk didn’t know as well, but if he was at the scene, James obviously trusted the guy.
“Ben.” Chris ran up next to Trunk.
“Is Mom okay?” Trunk asked.
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