Serve & Protect

by Kayla Carson

  My head was throbbing. I instinctively started to reach for the source of the pain, but I couldn't move my hands. Opening my eyes, I tried to blink the blurriness away. My vision returned to me slowly, and I started to try and take in my surroundings. I had no idea where I was, but it appeared to be a basement of some kind. My ankles were zip tied together, and my hands were zip tied around a support pole. I tried to stand, but my head pounded in protest.

  I rested my forehead against the cool steel of the pole, and took a deep breath. The last thing that I remembered was Ben pointing a gun at me. I thought for sure he was going to kill me. But, why didn't he? There was no way that he was letting me go. I knew what he'd done. I knew that he killed our father. I tried to stay as quiet as I could, hoping to hear a voice, or a noise. Any indication that I wasn't alone.

  I had to assume that I was in the basement of Ben's old complex. Meaning, I was still only twenty minutes from the station. When I didn't show up for work, Noah would come. He'd find me. But.. Ben said that my phone wouldn't work in his car, and that's where it was. He must have used some kind of signal jammer. I glanced around the room again. There was a tool box in the corner, and a couple of gas cans on the floor. A dozen metal shelves lined the back wall, but I couldn't see what was on them.

  The sound of a door opening made me jump, and from where I sat, a crack of light shone brightly in my eyes. I squinted, as someone made their way down the stairs in front of me. “Morning, sis.” Ben said cheerfully. “How are you feeling?”

  “Ben?” I asked, my eyes adjusting once again. “Where- where am I? What happened?”

  He took a deep breath, before sitting down on the dirty floor directly in front of me. He had a water bottle in his hand, and he unscrewed the top before bringing it to my lips. “Here.” He smiled. I took a few greedy drinks, before he pulled it away from me. “Not so fast. Slow sips, that bump on your head's pretty gnarly.”

  “It hurts.” I whispered.

  “I know. I'm sorry about that.”

  “Why are you doing this, Ben?”

  “Do you think I want to?” He asked, anger suddenly rising in his voice. “You wouldn't stop, Haylee! You kept pushing! And now.. you know too much.”

  “You're my brother.” I said softly, as a tear fell down my cheek. “If I had known... I would have done anything. I would have-”

  “You would have what? Told dad to find me? He wanted nothing to do with me, Haylee! I was the bastard child of a woman he tossed away like trash the minute she was no longer useful. We're nothing alike.”

  “Why did you find me then? Why insert yourself into my life? Why help me find my mom, if you don't care about me?” I shouted, the tears still falling from my eyes.

  “I don't fucking know!” He yelled, tossing the water bottle against the wall. “I wanted to hate you! But then.. I got to know you. I realized you were nothing like him. I had a plan, Haylee! I came back to this God forsaken town to get my revenge. To make someone pay for the life that I'd been forced to live. To make you pay!”

  “I was a child! I didn't even know my dad was having an affair until a few weeks ago!”

  “Our father was a piece of shit! You only knew the man he wanted you to know!” He roared with anger, before softening his voice. “He hit her.”

  “What?” I whispered. “What are you-”

  “My mom! He fucking hit her, Haylee! Why do you think she told him that I died? It was to protect me. Everything she did was to protect me, including changing her name.”

  “But.. he found out.”

  “That's where the picture comes in. The one of you holding me. My mom took it. I have the same photo tucked away somewhere. The only image I'd ever seen of my sister. Of you. Why do you think your mom really left without you? If he was hitting mine.. he was probably doing the same to yours.”

  “No.” I said adamantly. “She would have taken me with her.”

  He laughed, running his hands through his hair. “You really don't get it do you? You can't just run away from a man like our father. He was a fucking cop for Christ's sake! There's no way in hell he would have let you go, and your mother knew that.”

  “You don't know anything about my mother. She's a selfish bitch, who never gave a damn about me!”

  “If that's true then why did she have someone watching you?”

  “How do you-”

  “How do I know about that?” He asked, with a grin. “I overheard chief Craig on the phone. It's amazing what you can hear when no one knows you're listening. It seems he's been in contact with your mother for quite some time now.”

  “I don't believe you.”

  “Why would I lie? What have I got to lose at this point?” He laughed. “For a cop, your instincts are really shitty.”

  I couldn't even bother to insult him back, because I was beginning to agree with him. How could I have let so many things go unnoticed for so many years. My mom, and the chief? My dad's affair? Noah's statement? It was like everyone that I trusted had betrayed me in some way and now the only thing I was left with was this empty feeling inside.

  “Are you going to kill me?” I asked with defeat.

  “Not yet.” He said, turning to leave.

  “Wait!” I called after him, successfully stopping him. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  “I'm not an idiot.” He said, and then he made his way back up the stairs, locking the door behind him.

  In a normal hostage situation, I would wait for the right opportunity. I would either try and escape, or wait for backup. But this wasn't a normal hostage situation. This was my brother who blamed me for everything. He had no one else to take his pain out on, because he'd already killed the one person who he needed to confront and I was the next best thing. I also knew that backup wasn't coming. No one knew that I was missing, so I had no other choice. I had to run. I had to fight. And I had to take down my brother.

  There was no way of knowing if Ben was still in the building, but time wasn't on my side. I started to move my arms up, and down as fast as I could, rubbing the zip tie on the pole I was tied to. I was hoping the friction would break the ties, and after a few minutes of sawing away, it worked. I rubbed my wrists, wincing as my fingers brushed over the bruises left by the ties.

  Not wasting any time, I pulled the shoelace from one of my boots, and used it to break the tie around my ankles. I was dizzy when I stood, so I used the pole to get my bearings. After a few minutes I decided I had to try to move. I walked as quietly as I could towards the tool box I'd spotted earlier, in search of anything I could use as a weapon. Of course it was empty. I shook the gas cans as well, also empty. “Fuck!” I whisper yelled, scanning the rest of the room frantically.

  He had a gun, and I had a fucking shoelace. I had to find something else. An equalizer. I just needed to subdue him long enough to make a run for it. I checked the windows, noting that every single one was covered in steel bars. The only way to leave the basement was through the locked door. The only thing I could do was find a weapon, sit, and wait for him to come back. My search intensified then, not knowing how much time I actually had.

  Finally in a dark corner in the very back of the basement I found a two by four. It wasn't much, but with enough force, it would have to work. I made my way towards the bottom of the stairs then, holding the two by four in my hands like a baseball bat, and then... I waited.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I don't know how long I was standing at the bottom of the stairs, but my arms were getting tired, and my legs were getting weak. My head was still throbbing, and now that my hands were free, I knew that I was bleeding. I was just about to sit down, when I heard the familiar sound of a key in a door. My adrenaline was pumping then. This was it. My only shot. I stood with my two by four at the ready, and the instant I saw his face, I swung as hard as I could hitting him directly in the forehead.

  “Fuck!” He yelled, as he fell back onto the stairs clutching his head.

  Keeping a tight grip o
n my weapon, I made a mad dash up the stairs. I had just about reached the door, when I felt his hand on my ankle. I screamed, and used my free foot to kick him in his nose. I watched as he tumbled back down the stairs, and I let the two by four fall from my hands. I crawled up the last two stairs and pulled myself to my feet with the door handle. I stole one last glance behind me, seeing that Ben was making his way to his feet, before I ran as fast as I could towards the exit.

  It was dark because all of the windows were boarded up, but I vaguely remembered where we came in yesterday. When I reached the door, it was jammed shut. I pushed, and pulled, throwing all of my weight into it but it wasn't budging. “No!” I cried out, as I heard staggered footsteps. He was coming, and he was almost up the stairs. I took a step back then, and as hard as I could I kicked the door, again, and again until it finally sprung open.

  I didn't bother looking behind me this time. The minute my feet hit dirt I made a beeline for Ben's car. It was still parked exactly where he'd left it, and I prayed that my purse was still inside. I made it to the driver's side, but the lock was engaged. I looked around, and with no sign of Ben I decided to try and break the window. I found a large rock a few feet away, and snatched it up. I was just about to throw it through one of the windows when the sound of a gunshot stopped me dead in my tracks.

  I could feel the bullet whiz by me. It was only inches away from my head, and lodged into the tree beside me. I gasped, as I searched frantically for the shooter spotting Ben ten yards away. I knew that he missed me on purpose. I ducked down behind the car, tossing the rock through the back window. Staying on my knees I reached over the broken glass, trying to unlock the door. “Shit.” I said to myself, remembering that the locks disappeared into the doors.

  I stood slowly, using the car for cover, and watched in horror, as Ben stumbled closer, and closer to where I stood. I knew that my gun was in my purse, and the only way to get to it was to climb through the back window. Without thinking, I dove through it, cutting my stomach in the process. I groaned, as I dug through my purse finding my gun, and my phone. I shoved my phone into my pocket, and cocked my gun.. checking the chamber. Thank God he didn't check my bag.

  Another gun shot rang out then, and I jumped as the glass from the opposite window exploded around me. I tried to use my arms to shield my face, but I could feel the shards enter my skin, and I cried out. I was on my back, sprawled on the backseat, my gun drawn , facing Ben as he approached. He'd already taken two shots at me, and I couldn't wait for him to fire off a third. As soon as I had him in my sight, I pulled the trigger multiple times. Afraid that I would miss. Afraid that my aim was off because of my blurred vision.

  I heard him groan, before dropping to the ground, and as slowly as I could I crawled towards the window he'd shot out to look through it. He was lying on the ground, gun abandoned just a foot away, holding his hands on his chest. I scrambled out of the back window, falling onto the ground with a loud thud, and crawled my way towards him.

  I grabbed his gun, and tossed it somewhere behind us, putting my own in the back of my waist band before moving his hands from his chest, and replacing them with my own. “Just.. let me die.” He breathed out.

  His voice was low, and wheezy, and I couldn't keep my tears at bay as I pressed down onto his wounds with all the strength I had in me. I could hear sirens in the distance. Someone must have reported hearing the shots fired. A sudden wave of relief washed over me, and I gave Ben a soft smile. “Do you hear that?” I asked. “Help is on the way.”

  “Why?” He whispered.

  “Because I took an oath. To serve, and protect.. and right now, I need to protect you.”

  “I- I tried to kill you.” He choked, and a trickle of blood fell from his lips.

  “Shh.” I said. “Don't talk, don't move.” He closed his eyes, and I shook him a bit. “Hey!” I yelled. “Stay awake.”

  His eyes shot open, and he nodded slightly. “I- I'm sorry. P- please forgive me.” He stammered.

  Before I had the chance to respond a slew of squad cars and an EMS rolled up with sirens blaring, and lights flashing. “Over here!” I yelled. “He's losing a lot of blood!”

  It was like an out of body experience. I could feel the paramedics remove my hands, and replace them with their own. I watched as they used gauze to try and stop the bleeding. They hooked him up to a machine then, and I watched as they shocked him again, and again trying to find a sinus rhythm. I watched them load him onto a gurney, and then into the back of the ambulance. I could faintly here voices. People asking me questions, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I was in shock.

  I felt hands on me. Inspecting me. I winced when someone placed gauze on my head wound, and wrapped it. I felt my shirt being lifted, and then I was being laid back onto a gurney of my own. The ambulance ride was quiet, despite the paramedics continuing to talk to me. I had no words. I had nothing to say. The only thought that kept racing through my mind was that I shot my brother. I shot him in the exact spot that he shot our father, and now he was probably going to die the same way.

  Most people would probably say that he deserved it. That after taking someone's life, he deserved to lose his own. But I wasn't most people. I couldn't help but think that if I had known about him sooner, things could have been different. Regardless of how our dad felt about him, he would have been my brother. I could've saved him. Instead, I probably killed him.

  “Sugar? Can you hear me baby?” Noah's soft voice asks breaking through the fog that has surrounded me.

  “Noah?” I whispered, as I tried to open my eyes.

  “Shh. It's alright Sugar, you don't have to open your eyes. You're in the hospital, and you're safe.”

  “Ben?” I asked.

  “He's still in surgery.”

  I forced my eyes open, needing to see Noah's face. “He- he killed him, Noah.”

  “I know, baby.”

  A soft knock on the door, had me wincing in pain again. “Ms. James?”

  “Steele.” I gritted out, reaching for Noah's hand. “Mrs. Steele.”

  “I apologize.” The doctor said warmly. “You were very lucky today. We managed to remove the glass shards from your body, and stitch the wound on your stomach, but I'm afraid you've got a pretty severe concussion.”

  “Can you tell me about Ben? Uh, Mr. Cross?” I asked, finding my voice.

  “I'm afraid I can only release information to immediate family.”

  “He's my brother.”

  I watched as the doctor's eyes widened, before nodding slightly. “His surgery went well, and he's in recovery now.”

  “Thank God.” I breathed out.

  “You'll need to stay over night for observation, but I see no reason that you can't go home tomorrow.”

  “And work?”

  He laughed. “Bed rest. Three weeks. As I said, you got extremely lucky that the blow to your head was only a concussion. It could have been much worse.

  “Thank you, doctor.” Noah said, standing to shake his hand. “I'll be sure to take good care of her.”

  “That's what I like to hear. Please don't hesitate to call my office if you have any questions before, or after discharge.” He said, before leaving us alone again.

  Noah climbed into bed beside me then, the same way that I did with him two years earlier. Pulling me into his arms he whispered. “I thought I lost you today.”

  “I was so scared, Noah. I can't believe I was so wrong, about so many things.”

  “You can't blame yourself for any of this.” He said, kissing my temple. “How could you have known?”

  “I'm a police officer. I'm trained to read people. To recognize lies. But Ben had me questioning you, and myself.. but not him. I felt safe with him. Look where that got me.”

  “He manipulated you, Hales. He fooled everyone at the station. Even Chief Craig didn't suspect him of anything. You weren't the only one who was blinded.”

  “I couldn't let him die.” I whispered. “He kille
d my dad, but I couldn't kill him. He wanted revenge. He would have killed me, so why couldn't I have done the same?”

  “Because. You Haylee Steele, are not a monster. You have the biggest heart that I've ever seen, and I am so damn proud to call you my wife.” He said, kissing my temple once again.

  Chapter Thirty

  I spent the next three weeks on bed rest, with Noah. After confronting the chief about him being the one reporting back my mother, he 'suspended' Noah with pay for the duration of my recovery time. It was the least he could do for lying to me for my entire life. I tried reaching out to my mother multiple times to ask her about Ben's allegations of abuse, but of course she never got back to me. Not that I was surprised.

  Ben was being held in police custody, awaiting a full psychological evaluation. Of course everyone wanted to see him tried for my dad's murder, but it wasn't that simple. If I was being honest, I was glad that he would be able to receive some kind of help. It was clear that whatever he'd gone through as a child, had really effected him as an adult. Noah, however disagreed with my thoughts, but was there for me never the less. Supporting me, and loving me. Just as he always did.

  I was given a clean bill of health, but I wasn't ready to return to work just yet. Yeah, I was itching to get back to the gun range, but I was itching to do something else a bit more. The cat was out of the bag, and everyone now knew that Noah, and I got secretly married. His mom was a little upset, but she understood. Luckily we were able to get the deposit money back from the chapel, and the other vendors. I wasn't able to return my 'dress' though. Luckily, I had the perfect place in mind where I could still get some use out of it.

  I checked, and double checked our bags. Making sure that I had everything we'd need for the three hour flight to Jamaica. Noah had no idea, and I was waiting rather impatiently for him to get back from the grocery store. I may have sent him on a little shopping trip to distract him. I had him off buying travel size everything, but he's a man and probably wouldn't put two and two together, plus he was the one who usually did the surprising.