by VR Baucke
Pressing his palms on the table, Matt set his sights on his son and glared.
“Firstly, Joshua, don’t think I don’t know about the shenanigans you and that dipshit Travis have been up to recently. We’ll discuss that later.”
Mickey winced. “Er, does Ma-”
“Nope,” Matt cut in, raising his hand to order silence. He then pointed his forefinger at each of us. “And she won’t, not yet anyway. This also puts me in the dog box for withholding information, so there’s mutual interest in keeping our goddamn mouths shut.”
Mickey rolled his eyes and muttered something about covering asses just as his mum came in from outside. She set an empty wine glass on the kitchen counter as she walked our way. Ev greeted us with hugs, starting with Mickey. I followed Mace and Mickey’s example of kissing her cheek and squeezing her tight. Her return smile was jaded, a stark contrast to the ones that lit up her face the last time we were here.
“Tell me what you know, son,” Matt commanded.
Mickey dutifully repeated the information he’d received from Lil. “But she keeps fuzzing in and out, so I think she’s slipping in and out of consciousness.”
Worried looks were exchanged and Mickey’s face became pained when he glanced at his mum, who was pressing a shaking hand over her mouth. Matt’s large hand landed on her shoulder and he pulled her into a side hug. A furrow marred his brow as he thought.
The amount of information we had at the minute was extremely limited, though more than what we would have if Lil and Mickey weren’t mindfully connected. We discussed various options and Matt made a couple of calls to colleagues to make sure they were on standby to jump into action if, and when, required.
Options and opinions were thrown back and forth until Mickey halted and raised a hand, signalling for us to quieten.
“She must be up north somewhere because she reckons they’ve just passed that massive tree at the T-intersection up towards our old place.”
Some of the tension slipped from Matt and Ev’s shoulders upon hearing of Lil’s general location.
“Good,” Matt gruffly barked. “Now we have a general idea on where they’re heading. Our focus area will keep shifting, however, for now, we can narrow the search area slightly.”
We pored over the map, adding little dots and times of when and where she had been in contact with Mickey. It fucking killed me that the limited information was also vague, but something was better than nothing.
Kimmie made an entrance that resembled a panicked wildebeest. Her breathless demands were silenced by Mickey’s arms when they reached for her and pulled her against him. Our eyes snagged over the top of her head. Understanding passed between the two of us. He just confirmed everything I suspected about him and Kimmie without saying a goddamn word.
Matt’s phone rang, breaking my stare with Mickey. Every call that rolled in dampened each glimmer of hope when each one ended with no further leads.
Trav arrived amidst the mayhem, eyes wide with worry and his jaw set tight. He went straight to Ev and hugged her for a long while before wedging himself between Kimmie and Mickey and pulling them both into his arms. I heard Trav mumble that Neek couldn’t make it before Mace relayed all the information to him. Trav followed Mace’s finger as it traced over the map without saying a word. This side of Trav was unsettling; gone was the prankster with jokes on tap, here was the fighter who was ready to get down to business.
~
The hours crawled by in a blur of conversation, whisky and coffee; as the minutes mounted, the helplessness multiplied, desolation intensified and frustrations escalated.
It was just going midnight when Mickey stilled. I held my breath until I felt light-headed, praying to a God that had failed so far in this life to throw me a fucking bone.
“Lil says the car drove up a long, bumpy, gravel road that was uphill. They’ve stopped inside some kind of massive empty shed or building, perhaps an aircraft hangar. He’s got her tied up and....” He jolted and staggered backwards as if he’d taken a shot at point blank.
Trav steadied him and jerked him back and forth. “What? Jesus, Mick, spill it already.”
“Oh, hell the fuck no. He took her.”
“Who?” The demand came from at least four of us.
Mickey pressed his palms on the table and raised his eyes to meet his parents before uttering a name that instantaneously froze all the fire in Hell.
“Jono.”
The time warp broke when Matt punching the table and roared, “Bastard!”
The blood drained from Ev’s face as she sunk her fingernails into Matt’s arm. Mickey looked like he was about to copy his father’s actions. Kimmie gaped at Mickey in horror, Trav was fisting his hair, and Mace was digging his fingers into my shoulder like he was a fucking Pterodactyl on crack.
Heartburn seared its way throughout my chest and rubbing my knuckles against the spot proved to be useless to ease the ache. I had no idea who Jono was or what he meant to Lil’s family, though the ominous squeeze in the pit of my stomach continued to increase.
“Can someone tell me who the fuck Jono is?” I exclaimed, not at all worried that I was in bad form by cursing in my girl’s parent’s house.
Mace turned to me and dropped his tone. “Her ex-fiancé.”
Red. It was all I saw in burning, blinding rage. I smacked a hand down on Mace’s shoulder, locking us together.
The distress on his features was confronting; what I saw in Mace’s face scared the shit out of me. The fear and terror I saw punched the wind from my lungs. He swallowed thickly and winced when my fingers dug harder into his shoulder joint. Awareness of a deep burn lacing above my collarbone cut through the haze where Mace fingertips were no doubt also creating deep-set bruises.
I broke away, running a hand through my hair and pacing the back wall of the dining room. “So, what do we do? Call the cops?”
“Son, I am the cops, and I know damn well that, legally, we can’t do shit until she’s been missing for twenty-four hours. Having said that, I’ve called in some favours and this will be handled in-house.” Matt pressed his thumb and middle finger into his eye sockets. “I’ll run the plates if you know them, Josh?”
It was tearing me up not knowing where the hell Lil was or if she was ever going to get the chance to come back to us… To me.
I halted and faced the wall, tugging hard at my hair, creating a sting to mask the agony within. A warm hand landed on my arm. Keeping my eyes closed for a moment, I exhaled slowly then looked down into wide eyes that matched Lil’s.
Ev cupped my hands in hers and squeezed gently. “Our Lil is blessed to finally have someone who loves her for who she is without trying to mould her into something she’s not.” Ev’s voice hitched as she drew a deep breath. “You love her, that much is obvious, and that makes you part of our family. It’s time to fight for her, and I have no doubt that you will move Heaven and Earth to find my baby girl.”
Her statement rang in my ears and stole the words from my mouth. I folded her hands within my own and clasped them with the gratitude I couldn’t find words for.
A throat quietly cleared behind me. Glancing up, I found five other pairs of eyes trained on us with expressions ranging from smug (Mace), to scowling (Matt), teary (Kimmie), confused (Trav) and something I couldn’t place from Mickey.
In the few beats that passed, I was hit with sudden clarity. I had a plan of attack—probably a shit one, but it was worth a shot.
Giving Ev’s hands a final squeeze, I turned back to the table and took charge. “We head north tonight. She was in the car for approximately two hours, right? So, where would that put them, roughly?”
Everyone leaned over the map and followed Matt’s finger as he pointed out the general area; it was fucking huge.
“We used to own a farm up that way, but I highly doubt he would have taken her there.”
“Plus, she would have recognised the shed if it was our old one,” Mickey added.
“The
n he hasn’t taken this route. Most likely he’s headed this way.” Mace followed a probable route with his forefinger. “My bet is that he’s heading as rural as possible.”
Matt was already scrolling through his phone for the appropriate contacts in that area to give them an update. Standing around chatting wasn’t getting us any closer—physically—to Lil, and I wanted to get on the road already. Once Matt’s call was concluded and before he could start another, I announced that we were leaving.
“Mickey, I’m with you in your truck. Mace, you follow in mine.”
I ignored the incredulous look on Matt’s face like I was undermining his authority; I was, but still. Clearly he was used to giving, not receiving orders from people who shouldn’t be giving them.
“We’ll head to your old place first, just on the off chance that he took her there. We’ll be in touch with any developments along the way, and you let us know of any new information when it comes to light. From there, we’ll play it by ear. When we get to that tree intersection, I’ll call regardless of the information status.”
The finality to my statement made it clear that I meant business and wouldn’t back down. Ev spun on her heel and left the room. Matt gave us an assertive nod after he thought over the plan. Kimmie made a move to come with us but was stopped by Mickey. He bent and spoke to her in hushed tones, and when she started to protest, he captured her chin with his thumb and forefinger. No words were exchanged, just an unwavering look between them. Once satisfied, Mickey turned to Trav.
“Mate, stay here.” Mickey tilted his head subtly towards Kimmie, and, despite his frown, Trav nodded in understanding and re-pocketed his keys.
Ev returned with an armload of blankets and water bottles. I hardly paused to thank her as I lifted them from her arms and followed Mace and Mickey out the door.
THIRTY-FOUR
LIL
I SEMI-ROUSED FOR a few moments before being lulled back to sleep by the gentle rocking motion of the car travelling along a highway.
I didn’t know how long I was out that time, but I woke again with a lurch that sent my head crashing into the inside of the boot. Curses were muttered from the front of the car.
Peeling my weighted and irritated eyelids open was a major mission, and it wasn’t until I went to rub at my eyes that I found my arms were bound behind my back.
What the...?
Oh shit; it all started coming back to me.
Jono!
That horrible excuse for a human.
My heart dropped painfully and my gasp was smothered by the tape that adhered to my lips. That was going to hurt like a bitch coming off. I went to move my legs and my pulse spiked at seeing my ankles bound with duct-tape. Panic induced a sob and, for a split second, I was thankful for the horrible tasting tape plastered across my lips. There was no way I wanted to give Jono the twisted satisfaction of hearing me distressed.
Thank goodness I was in a station wagon where I could see out of the tinted windows, and not in a sedan boot. It looked like dusk outside but that didn’t help me figure out just how much time had passed since I was abducted from my own house.
The constant throb within my skull was interrupted by zinging.
He proceeded to bombard me with a million questions that made my head spin even more.
Intense relief settled within me knowing that I was still connected to my family and that they would do all they could to find me.
The drug haze tugged at me again. I fought for the smallest moment before it devoured me without having to try.
Sometime later, I felt the car slowing, almost to a stop, then accelerate at what felt like an intersection. That had me curious. Craning my head as much as possible with my limited range of motion, I tried to see a distinguishing feature; anything to help identify where I was. The sight created a wave of both relief and apprehension; Jono was taking me rural, and we were now North of the city.
I was beginning to feel motion sick and the side of my body I was cast on ached terribly. The pounding in my head was brutal from the sedative and no doubt being roughly tossed into the boot, and my mouth held a foul taste that teased my gag reflex. This time I willed myself back into the state where I was neither awake nor asleep, but unfortunately never fully reaching either.
The miles stretched out before I was jolted fully awake by the car erratically bumping through potholes. The smooth whining sound of tyres on the open highway was gone and replaced with tinging from stones hitting the underside of the car. I knew what that meant; we had left the tar seal and were heading down a gravel side-road.
There was no doubt that Jono was heading deep into the countryside where the chances of anyone finding me were slim-to-none. The probabilities of ending up murdered in a forestry block, never to be seen again, were high. I breathed hard through my flared nostrils, willed away the panic before it snaked to the surface. I couldn’t afford to freak out right now.
Forcing myself to take hold of my sensibilities, I craned my head again in the hopes of making sense of my surroundings. From my prone viewpoint, it didn’t appear that we were surrounded by trees, so I mentally scratched off the forestry option from my list of worries.
My relief was short lived as the car climbed higher. We were going uphill, and a long way uphill.
The car eventually rocked to a stop and Jono opened the driver’s door then slammed it shut without saying a word. I strained my ears to hear something—anything—and it wasn’t long before loud rumbling met my ears. My pulse and breath quickened, knowing that I was about to be hidden away from the world. I may as well have been trapped underground with the Devil himself.
An involuntary squeak came out my nose when the car jolted over a quick bump before gliding smoothly forward. My centre of gravity tilted as Jono swung the car in a wide arc. Through the rear window I could see the high roof of the large dark building looming above us. I waited on bated breath, trying to piece together what laid in wait for me.
Jono’s shadow briefly passed by the car. It scared me being with him, though it terrified me more not knowing where he was or what he was up to. I blinked hard and pressed my forehead to the carpeted boot lining to wipe away the sheen of fear induced sweat as it sprang up.
There was a muffled pop, then a searing bright light blinded me the moment it lit the building. Slamming my eyelids shut then cracking them against the dazzle, I gasped when I saw Jono’s figure looming at the back of the vehicle. He popped the boot latch and lifted the rear door at an intentionally slow pace. I dreaded what was to come. No good was going to come from this. None whatsoever.
The leer on Jono’s face was sinister and sadistic. He had plans for me, there was no doubt about that, and it made me sick to my stomach. He wasn’t the man I once thought I knew; the man I had wanted to marry. I now saw a side of him that I would never have thought possible six years ago.
I savagely kicked at his arms with my bound legs when he reached to pull me from the car. My self-defence was promptly punished with a harsh slap to my cheek. Jono used that moment to grab my legs and drag me to the opening.
All oxygen left my body when he pulled a knife with a large curved blade and carelessly slashed the tape around my ankles. The bastard smirked at my rapid inhale of breath when the blade caught my skin.
With one hand in my hair and the other wrapped around my bicep, he roughly yanked me until my bare feet touched the cold concrete floor. I bit back a cry of pain when he lifted my bound arms high behind my back,
forcing me onto tiptoes. I knew I didn’t have a hope in Hell to fight my way out, not yet anyway. I was well and truly at his mercy.
Jono frog-marched me towards a lone chair in the far corner of this building, still without uttering a word.
Thrusting me roughly into the seat, he used more tape to secure each of my ankles to the front chair legs, flashing the knife in warning when I started kicking out at him. Standing back and admiring his work, I wished I could kick the twisted smirk off his face.
“I’m going to take the tape off your mouth. If you spit at me, bite me, or fuck me off enough by talking, there will be consequences. Understand?”
I glared hard, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of agreeing. He continued to leer as he bent forward and slowly tore the tape from my sensitive lips. Tears stung my eyes as the sting increased with each pull, ripping what felt like layers of skin off with it. I blinked rapidly to dispel the sudden moisture and grimaced against his fingers when he touched them to my lips. His breath breezed across my face as he leaned closer.
“Such a pretty mouth. Too bad the last time I saw it there wasn’t anything nice coming out of it.”
“Fuck you, Jono, you sicko. They’ll find me soon, then you’ll be sorry you set your hands on me.”
I flinched involuntarily, steeling myself for the impact when he snapped back his hand. The strike didn’t come. Instead, he traced the contours of my cheeks with his knuckles in a tender gesture that made my skin crawl.
“Lilianne, my darling,” Jono whispered, his voice now adoring like I remembered. Nausea rolled in my gut as I repressed the memories. “That’s no way to talk to your fiancé, don’t you think?”
“I’m. Not. Your. Fiancée. You’ll never be anything to me ever again. You made me love you, then discarded me to go back to the perfect little family you had hidden in Aussie. I hate every cell in your body.”
The slap came out of nowhere. The world around me swam as I fought off the dizzy spin behind my eyelids.
