Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Box Set

by Willow Rose

  “You’re bluffing. You do this. You mess with people’s minds. You’re the mad cult leader.”

  He sighed.

  “That might be, but I would never do any of those things. I’m not a violent person. I believe in higher enlightenment. I believe you and I can reach a higher level of understanding ourselves, not by violence, but by reaching inside ourselves and stripping ourselves from our former nature. I believe in the releasing powers of the sexual act. Of submitting yourself to another human being, one who has obtained greater enlightenment than you.”

  I stared at him, unable to speak.

  “B-but that can’t be,” I said. “If you’re not behind this, then who is? And where is my daughter? No, it has to be you. You’re just trying to trick me. Unless… Oh, dear Lord.”

  Could it be? No, it can’t be… could it?

  A huge piece of the puzzle suddenly fell into place, and I stared at Christopher Daniels, then placed the gun to his head. “We’re leaving, and you’re coming with us.”

  “That might be a little difficult,” Ryan said and glared out the window. “The place is surrounded by cops and reporters.”

  “I might have a solution for that,” I said and gave Christopher Daniels elevator eyes.

  Chapter 94

  “Get out.”

  Matt did as he was told and got out of the patrol car. Carter grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up toward the condominium. Matt’s hands were cuffed in front of him as he was being led to the scene. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, only that it had to do with Eva Rae, and that terrified him.

  “Your little lady has kidnapped someone and taken him into this building,” Carter said as they walked up toward the many parked police cruisers and the group of officers waiting for them. Their nervous eyes were lingering on him. None of these officers would hesitate to shoot Eva Rae if they got the chance. That’s how dangerous they believed she was. It was written all over their faces.

  “What is this place?” Matt asked and looked up at the tall building. “Why did she choose this place?”

  Carter sighed. “Her little friend, Christopher Daniels, is hiding from the press in one of the top condos. My guess is she came to pay him a visit. Maybe make sure he didn’t talk to us and rat her out. Maybe she came to kill him. Who knows? The lady has gone nuts. Who knows what her next move is? But today, it ends. Today, we’re taking her in, and you’re going to help.”

  “There really isn’t much I can do,” Matt said, exhausted. He had been so worried about Eva Rae all night while pacing in his cell. He had seen the blood on the stairwell of the hotel and knew she was hurt. Now, she was apparently trapped inside of that building and, by the looks of it, there was no way out. All exits were blocked by heavily armed cops. A Hostage Rescue Team had just arrived, and a SWAT team was on the way.

  “The thing is,” Carter said. “Our boss is really keen on getting her alive, so we need to at least try our best to do so. But you need to work with us here, Miller. You are her last resort. Either you talk her out of the building, with none of her hostages getting hurt, or we go in and take her down. It’s up to you how this ends. Either way, we’re getting her today. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  He did. But he just wasn’t very sure that Eva Rae would listen to anything he had to say. When it came to getting her daughter back, she would stop at nothing. When it came down to choosing between Matt and her children, Matt knew he was her last priority. That was just the way she was wired.

  “Now, the HRT is trying to establish contact and, as soon as they do, I need you to start talking to her. I’ll give you one shot at getting her out of that building alive. If it doesn’t work, then that’s too bad. SWAT will go in on my orders.”

  Matt swallowed hard, then nodded to let Carter know he understood. He prepared himself for what he would say when an officer suddenly yelled.

  “Someone is coming out!”

  All the officers on the scene turned, guns pointing at the front door just as someone approached it. It was a man. He was wearing loose white clothes and walked with his head bowed.

  “It’s Christopher Daniels,” Carter said. “Careful! He might be armed.”

  All the officers surrounding the building left their posts and ran to assist. Daniels walked out the sliding doors, then knelt on the ground, placing his hands behind his neck. Carter let go of Matt and ran to Daniels, along with the rest of the police force. They were yelling at the guy to stay down, not to move a muscle. As they slowly dared to come close enough, the man lifted his head and looked up at them. He spoke, his voice shivering.

  “Don’t shoot. Please, don’t shoot me.”

  “It’s not him,” Carter yelled. “This is not Christopher Daniels.”

  Just as he realized this, Carter turned around. He then ran to the back of the building, yelling: “It’s a diversion. It’s a diversion!”

  But he got there too late. As he reached the side of the building, the gate leading to the underground garage opened, and a Jaguar roared out, so close to Carter that he had to throw himself to the side not to get hit.

  “STOP!” Carter yelled, then lifted his gun. Matt watched, holding his breath.

  Step on it, Eva Rae. Floor that thing and get out of here!

  Carter fired a shot at the car, but it was already too far away, and he missed. Soon, the black Jaguar was on the street, disappearing between the palm trees.

  “That son of a gun!”

  Carter cursed loudly, then stomped his foot like a child. He rushed to Matt and placed the gun to his head.

  “Where are they going?”

  Matt shrugged.

  Carter gave Matt an angry look, then turned to address his officers.

  “I’m not letting her get away. Not today, people. Track that Jaguar down. Get a chopper in the air if need be. She’s not getting away this time. Not today, people. Do you hear me? Not today!”

  Chapter 95

  The fork swirled through the air, spiraling down toward the bag underneath Olivia’s shirt. But just as it was supposed to poke the bag like you’d pierce a microwavable bag of beans, Olivia turned her hand, and it missed.

  Olivia couldn’t breathe. She stared down at the fork in her hand. The children in front of her were still chatting, holding the hands of their parents, the restaurant still buzzing with happy voices.

  I can’t do it. I simply can’t do it.

  Olivia lifted her gaze, and she stared at the tall man with the sunglasses leaning against the door. He mouthed something that looked like a threat, his nostrils flaring aggressively. His hand on the gun in his pants moved, and she knew it was her last chance.

  “Do it now,” his lips said. “Or your family will die too. Not just you.”

  Olivia felt a ripple of fear rush through her body, and she could barely hold the fork between her fingers anymore. Her torso was shaking, her lips quivering, and soon she could no longer hold her tears back. They rolled down her cheeks as she — hands trembling — lifted the fork once again.

  Just do it, Olivia. You’ll die, no matter what. Poke a hole in the bag, take in a deep breath, and it’ll be all over. The gas will make you pass out, and you won’t feel death coming. Soon, you won’t feel anything anymore.

  Olivia took in a deep breath to steady her hand between sobs. The man behind her noticed her struggle.

  “Say, are you okay?” he asked and put a hand on her shoulder.

  That made her lose it completely. Olivia bent forward, crying.

  “Hey… hey, are you okay?” the man continued nervously.

  Olivia was sobbing now and didn’t even see the tall man as he pulled out the gun and sprang forward.

  “I… I can’t do it,” Olivia said and dropped the fork on the floor.

  It’s all over now.

  The tall man approached her, and now she saw the gun. She readied herself for what was about to become her fate and decided to embrace it. It was out of her hands now. At least she wouldn�
�t take anyone else with her when she went down. At least the kids in the line in front of her were safe.

  Olivia stepped out of the line and staggered toward the tall man, who now held the gun up toward her. Seeing this made panic erupt in the restaurant, and it swept rapidly through the crowd. Someone screamed.

  “GUN! He’s got a gun!”

  The tall man stood in front of her, blocking her way, gun pointed at her. Olivia stopped moving. She stared at the gun pointed at her, then closed her eyes, blocking out the world. Meanwhile, people ran for the exits, screaming. Olivia barely noticed them anymore. She was ready for this.

  She was no longer afraid.

  When the gun went off, she thought about her family and how she hoped they all knew how much she loved them.

  Chapter 96

  I wasn’t breathing. Everything inside of me had stopped. I stood in the middle of the restaurant at the Bayside Hotel, my gun clenched between my hands.

  In front of me, a tall man in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses had his back turned to me. He was facing my daughter, gun lifted in his hand and pointed at her. On his back, the flamingoes on his shirt were being colored red as the blood gushed from his wound, where I had shot him.

  He spurted, then tried to turn and see what had hit him, but he never made it that far. Instead — halfway turned — he dropped the gun from his hand and fell to the floor with a thud.

  The restaurant had been emptied, and people had run outside. It was just us left.

  Me and my daughter.

  She still had her eyes closed, but soon opened them and blinked.

  “M-mom?” Her voice grew shrill and loud as she repeated it, realizing I was truly there.

  “Mom? Mo-om?”

  I could hardly breathe, let alone speak, so instead of replying, I simply ran to her and grabbed her in my arms. I sobbed loudly as I felt her body close to mine. Our bodies shook violently as we held each other, crying. I kissed her face, stroked her hair, looked into her eyes, and still couldn’t believe she was really there, that I had finally found her.

  “H-how?” she finally said. “How did you know where I was?”

  I sniffled and wiped my cheek with my arm. “I didn’t. I came for someone else. I saw you and then the guy who was running for you, pointing his gun at you. I can’t believe it’s really you. I’m never letting you out of my sight again; you hear me?”

  She chuckled, relieved. “Please, don’t.”

  I felt something on her stomach and lifted her shirt to have a look. Olivia grew serious as I saw the bag attached to her. It was strapped around her waist. My heart stopped as I saw the green liquid inside of it.

  “Careful,” she whispered.

  I turned and looked around us. Other bags just like it were placed on the floors. The green liquid was already leaking out.

  “We need to get out of here,” I said.

  Christopher Daniels was standing behind me and helped me get the bag off of Olivia and leave it on the ground. We walked fast toward the exit of the restaurant, staying clear of the other bags. Luckily, the restaurant was in a big room, and we hadn’t been close to any of the leaking bags. With some luck, we hadn’t been exposed.

  As we left the restaurant and closed the doors, I grabbed a couple of bottled waters, and we flushed our eyes with it, just in case. Outside, behind the sliding doors, we could hear sirens. The area was probably blocked off by now while the police tried to talk to the many people that had run outside. It would take a while for them to get the SWAT team ready, especially if they knew that gas had been released. They’d need to get hazmat suits. That bought us a little time.

  “So, what do we do now?” Christopher Daniels asked.

  I looked around me, then walked to the front desk in the lobby. I tapped on the computer and found the number I was looking for.

  “The penthouse, of course. I should have guessed that. Now, how do we gain access to that?”

  The doors opened, and a young bellboy came rushing out. He looked confused and probably had no idea what was going on. I smiled and lifted my gun.

  “Hello there, young friend. You sure are a sight for sore eyes. How about we take a little ride in the elevator?”

  Chapter 97

  The bellboy used his keycard to get the elevator to the penthouse floor. As soon as it dinged and opened, we stepped out and let the boy go down again. The elevator opened straight into the penthouse apartment and, seconds later, we were standing in the living room of the owner of the hotel.

  Jack Wellington was a big man, despite his seventy years of age. In his raging eyes, you could tell he wasn’t someone who was used to being defied. And that was exactly what I was doing right now — defying him. I was standing in his living room, interrupting what seemed like a family brunch.

  The man rose to his feet when he saw us. I had asked Christopher to stay behind me with Olivia.

  “What in the…?”

  His voice was hoarse and furious. I felt intimidated as he approached me with wrathful steps.

  “Who are you people, and what are you doing in my home?” He paused when seeing me properly. “Wait. You’re that woman. The one they’re all searching for.”

  All eyes in the room were on me now. Jack Wellington’s fell on Christopher behind me.

  “And you… you… what are you doing here?” he spat. “You have some nerve to come here after all you’ve done to my family.”

  “I’m calling security,” a small nervous-looking woman, who I could only assume was his wife, said. I remembered having seen pictures of both of them in magazines before, dressed for premieres or gallery openings.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” I said and lifted the gun to stop her.

  Mrs. Wellington put the phone down.

  “What do you want?” Jack Wellington asked, addressed to Christopher. “More of my money? Huh? You haven’t taken enough?”

  Christopher shook his head. “I have never asked your daughter for any money. She came to me because she wanted my help; she was unhappy with her life, and I tried to help her, but… it went wrong.”

  “You’re darn right it went wrong,” Jack Wellington said.

  “I might have done a lot of things wrong, but I never asked for a penny from your daughter.”

  “You’re lying,” Jack Wellington said. “I know your type. You’re an embezzler; that’s all you are. A maniac who thinks he can use our money to pay for his terrorist acts. But it’s over, buddy. You’re not getting one cent more from us.”

  “Christopher Daniels wasn’t the man behind the attacks,” I said. I turned my head and looked at Helen Wellington, sitting on a couch, her purse clutched between her hands. I turned the gun toward her.

  “She was.”

  Mrs. Wellington huffed. Mr. Wellington grumbled. “Oh, you people are insane.”

  Christopher stepped forward. “Tell them, Helen. Clear your conscience and free your soul.”

  “Will you listen to him?” Jack Wellington snorted. “Trying to blame my daughter… for what? A terrorist attack? Will you look at her? She can barely even tie her own shoes.”

  Helen stood to her feet, her purse still in her hand, her eyes blazing.

  “That’s right, Daddy Dearest. I never could do anything, could I? But guess what? They’re right. I did do something. Something no one would ever think I was capable of, least of all you. I killed all those people. In the Metrorail, in the church, at the school, and now here at your beloved hotel. I. Killed. Them. All.”

  Chapter 98

  “I’d do it all over again any day if I got the chance, Daddy Dear.”

  Helen stared at her father, who, for once in his life, had become speechless. “There. I finally have your attention, don’t I?”

  Helen turned to look at me. “How on Earth did you know?”

  “It struck me when I read an interview about you in the New York Times,” I said. “After your arrest, you told your story to every media outlet who would listen, didn’t you? Yo
u spoke about NYX and said they had forced you to carry the gas into the school. You told the reporter in detail how they chose you among the members and that you had to go in with a bunch of trafficked girls that Christopher had bought online and that were dispensable. You spoke about NYX like you came straight from the house, but I never saw you there. And then there was something else that made me suspect you. I couldn’t figure out why you were so open with the police and the press about the cult and what had been going on when every other member who was arrested stayed silent. But now I know why. You wanted them to go down. You wanted NYX to take the blame for the attacks. I wondered about these things while still thinking that Christopher was behind the attacks. It wasn’t until I spoke to Christopher and asked about this that I fully understood what was going on. He told me what you had been through — about your past. And once he did, it all suddenly made sense.”

  “He was on the train, wasn’t he?” Christopher said and stepped forward toward Helen. “Brian? Your ex-husband? He took the Metrorail every day to one of the courthouses where he worked, always getting out at Government Center.”

  “You wanted him hurt for what he did to you because he left you,” I said. “He abandoned you when he realized you couldn’t have children. And then he married someone else and had a family, leaving you all alone.”

  “You’re right. I won’t deny it,” Helen said. “Daddy always thought I couldn’t do anything, but I did this. Under the username the Iron Fist, I bought the girls in a chatroom on the Dark Web,” she said. “I hired a guy to do it for me, someone who knew the Dark Web very well. It was so easy; you wouldn’t believe it. A few others that had decided to leave NYX and I planned this together. We gathered a group of girls and kept them at my family’s farm outside of town that my dad had put me in charge of, thinking I couldn’t mess things up too badly all the way out there. He blamed me for the divorce, thinking I had ruined my marriage just like everything else. I used the girls at the chicken factory at night, breaking them until they obeyed my every word, making them my soldiers. No one would miss these girls who had already been trafficked across the country, some of them across half of the world, and they most certainly could never be traced back to me once their bodies showed up at the scene of the attacks. They were the perfect little soldiers.”