by A. K. Evans
As I paced the room and waited for Trent to pull up the footage, I thought about Ekko’s message. She said she made a mistake. I hoped it meant she wanted to try again. I needed to hear her voice again, so I held the phone to my ear and replayed the message hoping that it wasn’t going to be the last time I ever heard her voice.
“I’ve got it,” Trent shouted from behind one of his computer screens.
I raced over to the other side of his desk and saw it happen. Ekko walked out of the library, pulled out her phone, and called me. She was speaking until he came up behind her, grabbed the phone out of her hand, and pulled her over to his SUV. When he got in the car, he got in on the passenger side, which meant he wasn’t working alone.
As much as I wanted to focus on just my girl because I hadn’t seen her in so long, I couldn’t. She needed me to find her before something even worse happened. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop replaying that scene in my head.
“Can we zoom in on the plate?” Levi asked, though it came out like an order.
Trent zoomed in and got us the full plate number. Then, he pulled up another database on another computer screen. He put the plate number in and instantly pulled up the owner information. The SUV was registered to a man named Johnathan Samuels.
Pierce walked back in the room and stated, “Locke and De Luca are working on pulling up all the cases that have anyone with the name George associated with them. Do we have any additional information? Have you checked out the footage?”
“We have a plate number for the SUV she was taken away in. It’s registered to a Johnathan Samuels,” Levi shared. “Let’s scan our records for that name as well.”
Pierce nodded and walked out of the room.
“What about the homes near yours?” Trent asked. “Were any of them owned by a George or even someone with the name Samuels.”
I couldn’t think. My mind was so consumed with worry for Ekko. I’d never, in all my years as a private investigator, experienced the inability to react and respond in high-stakes situations. Thankfully, Levi and Trent must have realized it because Levi came over to me and ordered, “Sit down.”
I sat.
“Breathe and think, Dom. Michaels and I can go through all of the homeowner information you’ve already researched, but that’s going to waste time. We need to get to Ekko, so you need to breathe and focus. Homeowners. George. Johnathan. Samuels. Do any of those names ring a bell?”
I took in two breaths and tried to recall the research. After a few minutes, I blurted, “Samuels. There was a Samuels. William and Maria, though.”
“Great. Trent, search the county public records for homeowners on Dom’s street. See if you can pull them up,” Levi instructed. “Is there anything else you can remember about them, Dom?”
“Fuck,” I bit out. “There were so many I went through. Everyone was either elderly couples or young families. I can’t remember anything right now, Levi.”
“Alright, I’m grabbing your files and giving these names to the boys. Sit tight and just keep breathing, Dom.”
Levi walked out, and I sat there with my elbows on my thighs, my hands clasped tight against my forehead. I was trying to think, but all I could remember is the video of Ekko being manhandled and tossed into the SUV. She was a fighter, but she was so small. This guy, George, had already overpowered her. If there was a second guy, perhaps Johnathan Samuels, she’d stand no chance.
“We’re going to find her,” Trent insisted.
“We have to. This can’t be her story. Nothing but constant disappointments. She probably thinks there’s nobody looking for her.”
Trent continued working at his computer, but retorted, “I’m sure she believes you’re doing everything you can to find her.”
I stood and began pacing again. “Fuck, Michaels. She thinks I didn’t answer the phone on purpose. She actually believes that she doesn’t deserve the opportunity to talk to me. Ekko’s going to assume the worst in this situation. And if she does, what reason will she have to fight?”
Trent glanced up and looked at me, but had no reply. He understood what I was saying. If someone constantly felt like they were fighting an uphill battle, with very little progress, it was safe to assume that when things got really bad, many people would find it easier to simply give up instead of hope.
He looked back at his screen and said, “William and Maria are a young couple with two children, both boys. William’s father is Jonathan Samuels.”
“Okay. So how do these people relate to me and how did Ekko know this guy George?”
“I’m not sure, but their house has the perfect view of yours. My guess is that your photo puzzle picture was taken from inside that house.”
At that moment, Levi walked back in with Pierce, Holden, and Lorenzo. The looks on their faces were enough to tell me they had figured it out.
And whatever it was that they figured out, one thing was for sure.
It wasn’t good.
“What?” I asked as I braced myself for the worst news possible.
Pierce spoke two words. “Jennifer Samuels.”
When I stood there struggling to make a connection, Lorenzo helped me out by clarifying, “Jenny Sam.”
It instantly clicked, and my blood went cold.
“You look so much like her.”
I had no idea what was happening. I sat in the back of an SUV while we drove for what felt like hours. The clock on the dash indicated; however, that it had only been just over one. The biggest reason for the long drive was that we were driving slow because of the storm. It had started snowing and the roads were already covered with at least half an inch of snow. During the drive, I decided it was in my best interests to remain quiet. One man, who I now knew was called John, had a gun. He didn’t seem to be even remotely bothered by using it, so I wasn’t going to do anything to make it worse for myself. I needed to be smart.
It was dark outside, making it difficult to see exactly where we were, but I did my best to try and remember my surroundings. The only problem with this was that we reached a point where there was nothing to see. I had been taken deep into the woods up a mountain to a small cabin. I began to worry that even if I managed to get away from John and George, I’d have nowhere to go. Between the remote location and the storm, my options were limited.
We arrived at the cabin and I was ushered out of the car and inside.
There was almost nothing inside and the place wasn’t much warmer inside than it was outside. I found myself longing to be back in the car, if only for the warmth.
“Who?” I asked.
“Jenny,” he stated nonchalantly as though I knew who she was. “I’ll never forget the first time I saw you at the diner. It was like I was seeing her.”
“Who’s Jenny?” I pressed. I figured it was better for me if I kept him talking.
“She was my daughter,” George seethed as he stepped closer to me.
“George!” John called.
George stopped advancing and took a minute to collect himself. Once he calmed himself down, he looked at me with the slightest hint of remorse in his face. “I could have been content with just visiting you at the diner and then at the library. It didn’t have to come to this.”
“Why am I here, George? Is it because I look like Jenny?”
He shook his head. “He was going to take you away, too. I couldn’t let him do that.”
“Who?”
“Your boyfriend,” he answered. “He’s responsible for the death of my daughter.”
I gasped.
Dom killed George’s daughter?
“And now he needs to know what it feels like when the person you love is taken away from you,” George went on.
Maybe my break up with Dom would help me out of this situation. “George, I’m no longer with Dom. We haven’t been together for the last three weeks.”
George was surprised by this news. “He left you?”
I shook my head and answered, “No. I left him.”
“
Why?”
I didn’t know why I was telling him any of this. I couldn’t even understand my own mental strength at the moment. I’d been used to being in bad situations, but this was another level of crazy. It was like something else had taken over inside me. In a way, I guess I believed that if George was talking to me, he couldn’t hurt me.
“It just wasn’t going to work out between us. I didn’t want to prolong the inevitable.”
“So the breakup wasn’t his idea?” George confirmed.
I shook my head.
“Does he want to be with you?”
“Yes.”
George’s expression changed. He was grinning, but it wasn’t one that made me feel good. That look on his face changed everything and made an already bad predicament feel far worse. “That wasn’t the correct answer, Ekko. If he still wants to be with you, then he’s got something to lose. I need to make sure he knows what that feels like.”
Damn it.
I didn’t know how I was going to get myself out of this.
Unfortunately, it didn’t matter because George looked to John and advised, “It’s getting worse out there. We should head down and get what we need before the roads become impassable.”
John moved to the door and George followed. I started following behind them, thinking if they were going somewhere to get whatever they needed, I’d be exposed to people. As was my luck, though, George made it to the door, turned around, and explained, “You’ll be staying here. We’ll be back to deal with you.”
He pulled the door closed before I could get through. I heard them doing something with the lock and, despite trying with all my might, couldn’t get the door opened. They’d locked me in from the outside.
Turning around, I scanned the cabin. There was a couch, a small table with a couple chairs, a few cabinets on the wall, and a fireplace on the far wall opposite the door. There were no windows and only two small kerosene lamps lit the space. There was one door on the other side of the space. I walked to the door and found it was a small bathroom. It wasn’t the nicest, but I wasn’t exactly in a position to be picky.
After taking care of business, I decided I needed a plan. I had no idea how long I’d be there by myself, but I knew that I’d be ready whenever George and John got back. The fireplace had several large logs in it. I walked over and found one that was large enough to do some damage, but small enough for me to handle. I figured with the element of surprise, I could take at least one of them out. If I was lucky, which was almost never the case for me, I’d be able to disorient both of them long enough to get in the car and get down the mountain.
With the log by my side, I walked over to the cabinets hoping to find something to start a fire with. The cold had already settled around me. Thankfully, I had my jacket on still, but without any heat in this place, I couldn’t imagine anyone would survive very long. Opening the cabinets, I found they were mostly bare. One cabinet had a container of pretzels in it.
I was hungry and prepared for attack when George and John returned, so I pulled a handful of pretzels out and ate.
If I were anyone else, I might have gone stir crazy. The silver lining of all those years of neglect from my mother was now evident. I could stand to be by myself with virtually nothing and I wouldn’t lose my mind. It was easy, and almost relaxing, for me to be alone with my thoughts. So I sat there, eating pretzels, and listened for the sound of the SUV climbing back up the mountain. As I did that, I allowed my thoughts to drift to Dom and distracted myself from the fact that my entire body was shivering and I was exhausted.
I had no idea how long it had been when I finally heard the car outside, but I knew it had to have been at least two hours. I stood behind the door with the log in my hand, ready to attack.
Their voices were just outside the door and the sound of someone fumbling with the lock told me I only had a few more seconds left.
The door opened, and John walked in first. He never saw me as I swung the log at his head with all my might. Just as I had hoped, he dropped to the ground. I pulled back and tried to swing again at George, but he reached out and knocked the log out of my hands. I went after it, but he came after me. Losing my footing as he grabbed me, I fell on my side, my shoulder taking the brunt of the fall. I rolled to my back, pulled my legs back, and kicked George. He stumbled backward, knocking over and breaking the kerosene lamp.
With George down, I ignored the pain in my shoulder and used my good arm to push myself up off the floor. I needed to get out of the cabin and into that car.
Unfortunately, John’s body was blocking the door and I still had to pass George. I managed to get by George and just as I was about to step over John, my body was jerked backward. George had grabbed me by the collar of my jacket and spun me around, sending me flying across the room.
“You lied!” he roared. “We got a call from John’s son that your so-called ex-boyfriend and a bunch of his friends showed up at his house.”
I gasped.
Dom was looking for me.
He knew I was in trouble.
I choked back a sob.
George advanced on me, backing me up toward the far wall.
“So now there’s been a change of plans. I know he’s going to find you here. Unfortunately for you, by the time he gets here all he’ll know is that you died a slow, painful death. You’re suffering will end relatively quickly. His will go on…just like mine has for the last seven years.”
After speaking those words, George backhanded me so hard my head flew back and hit the wall. I fell to the floor instantly. I was so disoriented, but I knew I couldn’t close my eyes and sleep. I had to get out before it was too late. Every time I tried to open my eyes or lift my head, I was dizzy.
Breathe, Ekko. Just breathe. Dom is coming for you. Just breathe and get out.
Slowly, and using the wall for support, I rose to a seated position. I gradually opened my eyes. John was no longer in the doorway and the smell of kerosene was overpowering the cabin. I realized why as soon as the flash caught my attention from the side of the room. Not even a second later, George ran out of the cabin.
Fire.
I was not going to burn.
As quickly as I could, I stood. I took about two seconds to make sure I was steady on my feet and I ran to the door.
Relief swept through me as I yanked on the handle and the door opened. The SUV was nowhere in sight, and I couldn’t see much of anything. I just knew I needed to head down the mountain, so I started walking.
The snow was falling so hard and the wind was whipping around me. After pulling my hood up to cover my head, I slid my scarf up to cover my mouth and nose. My eyes and forehead were the only exposed parts of my body after I shoved my ungloved hands in my pockets.
Since the mountain was so steep, the descent down the mountain was done at a fast pace. I wasn’t trying to run, but momentum was carrying me quickly. I trudged on, pushing myself to keep going. I didn’t know if I’d make it, but I knew I had to try.
Life couldn’t be this cruel. I’d been kidnapped and nearly burned alive, but I fought back to save myself as I’d done throughout my whole life. Surviving this trek down the mountain would just be one more thing I’d need to conquer.
Just over five hours had passed since Ekko was taken. I had never felt more helpless in my entire life.
After the guys told me how this case was connected to me, my stomach sank. Jennifer Samuels died tragically in the crossfire of a drug bust. She got involved with the wrong people, got hooked on drugs, moved in with her boyfriend who was a dealer, and ultimately paid the price. George was her father; Johnathan was her uncle.
The guys and I made calls to the rest of the Cunningham Security team members and they paid a visit to the home George and Johnathan shared. There were no signs of them and no indication that they’d even been there. While the residence the brothers shared was being checked out, I hopped in my truck with Trent and Pierce as Levi followed behind me with Lorenzo and Holden.
We left the office and made the trip to William’s house. William was Johnathan’s son and the second he saw us, it was evident that he already knew why we were stopping by. Even still, his loyalty remained with his father and he played stupid.
My only concern was getting Ekko safe, so the second the guys noticed me getting agitated, they took over the situation. Trent worked from the road searching for any properties that any member of the Samuels family owned. Realizing we weren’t going to get anywhere, I stormed off toward the truck, frustrated. Halfway between the house and the truck, Trent put his window down and yelled, “Let’s go boys. I think I’ve found them!”
I took off running and the guys were right behind me. We piled in the trucks as Trent entered the location into the GPS.
“Where are we headed?” I asked as we started driving.
“There’s a piece of property forty-seven miles from here. It’s a ton of acreage. There isn’t a house on the property, but there is a small cabin pretty high up on the mountain,” Trent explained.
“Are you sure this is it?”
“No, but we’ve got nothing else yet. I’ll keep searching.”
While Pierce called one of the guys in Levi’s truck to update them, I pushed the pedal to the floor and drove much faster than was reasonable or safe considering the state of the roads in the storm. I didn’t care, though. I needed to find her.
When we finally got off the exit that put us on the road ten miles from where the cabin was supposed to be located, I saw them.
“That’s them. That’s the SUV they took her in,” I shouted.
I made a U-turn and followed them. Glancing up in my rearview, I saw that Levi was right behind us. I sped up. There was no way I was letting that vehicle out of my sight.
Once we were close, whoever was driving the car must have realized that we were behind them and drove faster.
“Careful, Dom,” Pierce warned. “If they lose control with her in that car…”
He’d just barely gotten those words out when the SUV skidded and began fishtailing from one side of the road to the other. I backed off, hoping that would help them regain control of the vehicle. If Ekko got hurt, I’d never forgive myself.