Southern Heart

by Madison, Natasha

  "Where did she go?" The panic in me makes my whole body shake as the back door creaks open again, and we all look over to see if, by some miracle, it’s her. But it’s only Kallie and Jacob. Their faces are showing the worry in them. "Where did she go?" I ask her again.

  The tears start to flow down her grandmother's face as she wrings her hands. "She forgot my plate. I told her that I didn’t need it." I’m already one foot out the door when everyone’s phone starts going off.

  I stop in my tracks, knowing that dread is coming. I stop in my tracks with this fear that rolls into me. I stop in my tracks with the rage that is so big I don’t know how to rein it in. Ethan is the first one to talk. His voice is low. "Alarm was triggered at Chelsea’s."

  Chapter 30

  Chelsea

  I slam the door shut behind me as I make my way over to my grandmother’s truck. I know I should tell someone I’m leaving, but it’ll be ten minutes at max, fifteen.

  I pull out of the driveway just as four other trucks start to park. I raise my hand to say hello to them as I drive by. As I make my way back over to my house, I take in the quiet of the roads. Sunday is usually quiet in general. Everyone is usually with family, or most of them are stopping by my grandparents’ house.

  The sound of crunching rocks fills the truck as I pull into the driveway. Turning off the truck, I open the truck door. The soft breeze blows my hair back when I step out of the truck in my driveway. The sun is shining strong now, and I take a second to look up and feel the heat on my face.

  I walk toward my front door when a movement to my side makes me jump. My heart speeds up, and I put my hand to my chest. Stopping to look at the trees moving just a touch, three birds come flying out as they chase each other. I laugh, shaking my head. "Smooth," I say, walking up the four steps to the front door.

  Unlocking the door with the key, I turn the handle, and the cold air gushes out right away. I close the door behind me and toss the keys on the table at the front door. I rush to the kitchen, looking on the island where I put the crystal plate. The island is empty with only a cup on it. The sound of dripping makes me look at the sink to see the faucet dripping. I walk over and turn it off. My eyes go to the picture frame of my grandmother and me. It’s tilted to one side, and one of the bottom edges is off the ledge. My hand reaches out to fix it. I look down and see one of my dish towels is on the floor right next to my feet. Bending down, I grab the towel, folding it and putting it on the counter.

  I look around now and spot the plate on the kitchen table. "That’s strange," I say to myself and then turn to look into the living room. Shaking my head, I walk around the island, and my foot hits one of the stools sticking out. I push it back into place and walk to the bedroom.

  I don’t know why I’m expecting it to be trashed, and when I walk in and see everything is exactly where I left everything, I shake my head and kick myself for being so paranoid. "Idiot," I say to myself, going to grab the plate on the table. I stop when one of the shades catches my eye.

  The white fabric moves from the air-conditioning vent blowing under it. That isn’t what catches my eye. It’s the brown spot I focus on.

  Placing the plate back down on the island, I start making my way over to it. I pick up the sheer fabric in my hand and see that the brown spot looks like a dirty fingerprint. I rub it between my fingers and look out, seeing fingerprints on the white shades. I turn my head now to look out into the house as my eyes go right and left. I turn back around now, my hand coming up to trace the fingerprints I see on the shades.

  I turn now, my head screaming at me to get the fuck out of here. I reach in my back pocket to get my phone out and come up empty. "Fuck," I say as I rush over to the counter and grab the plate in my hand. Turning, I rush to the front door, pulling it open and stopping in my tracks. As the blood drains from my body, I feel my head spinning as it catches up to what is happening right now.

  I gasp the minute I spot him, and the plate in my hand falls at my feet, shattering all around me. "This is going to be fun." His beady blue eyes shine with happiness and evil all at the same time. His hands reach up, and I see the dirt on them, and I blink. Everything feels like it is happening in slow motion. The only thing I can hear is my inner voice screaming at me to run.

  I turn to bolt away from him, but my foot slips on the broken glass, and I fall on my knees. My hands come out instinctively to break my fall. Looking down and trying to focus on my hands, I feel the burning now and turn them over to see I cut my right hand open. My heartbeat echoes in my ears as the sound of my breathing is suddenly the only thing I hear over his menacing laughter. "Where do you think you’re going?" he asks as I push myself up and try to run away from him. I don’t get more than one step away from him before he grabs my bicep so hard in his hand, I yell out in pain.

  He pulls me back to him to get a better grip on me, bending to whisper in my ear, "Now is that any way to say hello to the father of the man you fucked this morning?" The bile now starts to rise up my throat as he yanks my arm back even more.

  His front is pressed into my back as he squeezes my arm so hard, I cry out in pain. "I have to say…" His breath floats over on my cheek. "I’m going to have fun with you." I close my eyes and try to rip my arm out of his hand. I must catch him off guard because my arm falls free from his grasp. I take two steps before his arm goes around my waist, and he picks me up. My feet are no longer touching the floor as I struggle in his arm now, squirming to get away from him. My hands grasp his one arm as I try to push him off me.

  My survival skills kick in when I lean my head forward just a touch and then whip it back as hard as I can. The back of my head hits his nose first and then the sound of our heads hitting together fills the room. He groans, his arm fallling from around my waist, and I stumble forward, falling again. My head spins with pain, and I blink, seeing spots in front of me, but push on through. I get up and fall again, this time falling on my wrist so hard I can feel something inside snap.

  I close my eyes for one second, but it proves to be too long when I feel his hand in my hair. He grips it in his fist and pulls back so hard, the burning starts, and I yell out again.

  With my hair in his fist, he turns me around. When he is in front of me, I turn my head, and I kick out with all my might, missing him. He laughs snidely, pulling me even closer to him. He looks down at me. His eyes now roam over my face. He leans in even closer, and I try to back away from him, but with his tight grip in my hair, I don’t move. "I’m going to take my fuckin’ time with you." His hot, sour breath hits my face, causing my stomach to turn over. "When I’m done with you…" He smiles now, almost as if he won. It fills his whole face. "They won’t even be able to piece you together."

  "He’ll find me." I find the words in my throat. "He’ll find me, and then he’ll kill you."

  He throws his head back and laughs, lowering his guard one more time, giving me a chance to strike him without him seeing. I move my foot back and come up, kicking him in his balls. This time, I don’t miss him. His hand opens, and he bends down to put his hand over his balls. I turn to sprint to the back door. My hands fumble with the lock, slipping from the blood dripping from the middle of my hand. "Come on, come on, come on," I cry out when I finally hear the click of the lock, then I slide the door open and yell, "Mayson!" I don’t know why I yell. I know he can’t possibly hear me. I’m about to take one step out the door when I hear a loud pop. "What the…?" I say, looking over my shoulder and seeing him standing there with a black gun in his hand aimed right at me.

  I feel the heat run through me, and then the burning sets in. My legs give out on me, and I fall on them.

  My head falls forward as I look down at the same place where we sit in the morning when we watch the sunrise. For the past three weeks, he’s smiled more. He’s looked up and seen the beauty in it. I gave him that, I think to myself as I feel water pouring down over my hand. I look down, seeing the drops of blood now running down my arm. "Mayson," I say his name a
gain, this time in a whisper right before the darkness comes and takes me.

  Chapter 31

  Mayson

  My feet stick to the floor like glue when I hear the words over again. "Alarm was triggered." I look around the room, seeing all the men on their phone as the room starts to spin around me. I open my mouth once, but it feels so fucking heavy. I blink now once, twice, three times.

  "This can’t be happening," I mumble. "This isn’t happening." My chest fills with a pain that I’ve never had before. My hand comes up to put pressure on it, hoping the pain goes away, but it doesn’t. Instead, it just gets stronger and stronger.

  "Mayson." I hear someone call my name, and I look over to see Ethan. "Let’s go." I close my eyes and open them again. His hand goes to my shoulder. "I need you to hear my words." I look at him. "He might have Chelsea." I feel my soul detaching from my body.

  "I’ll kill him,” I say three words. "If he touches a hair on her head, I’m going to kill him," I say, hearing commotion behind me.

  "We have to get to her." I take a step, and rage fills my body as I run down the front steps and get into the truck with Ethan. I don’t have a chance to close the door before he spins the truck and takes off. "Glove box," he says, and I open it to find a set of keys. "Under the seat."

  I lean down and reach under the seat, grabbing the metal box. "There are two in there," he says, and my hand shakes while I slide the key into the lock and turn right. I pull open the lid and take out the two black Glocks. "They are both loaded," Ethan says as we race toward Chelsea's house.

  We pull up in the driveway, and my hand is already on the handle, and I look over at him. "Take care of her,” I say, knowing that only one of us will be walking out of that house, and it’s going to be me, but I’ll be in handcuffs for killing my father.

  I get out and run toward the front door when I hear Ethan right behind me. I stop at the front door and see that it is slightly open. The door is moving with the wind now. "Ready?" He nods his head. He kicks open the door, and both of us stay back against the wall in case shots are fired at us.

  Ethan holds up his hands with three fingers as he silently counts down, and when he gets to zero, I’m the first one in the house. Crunching sounds under my boots, and I look down to see shattered glass all over the place. I’m about to take one more step when my eyes fall onto the sight of smeared blood. I bend now as Ethan walks past me into the house. My hand reaches out and touches it, but the blood is already dry. "He isn’t here," I hear and look up now, seeing Ethan huffing and puffing. He must have secured the house while I was on my knees. I walk into the kitchen, my eyes going all over the place.

  I hear truck doors open and then close, and when I look back, all the men are here. Jacob rushes in with a gun in his hand, followed by Casey and Beau. "It’s clear," Ethan says, and I look when I see movement outside, and I hold up my gun.

  "It’s Quinn and Asher," Casey says as I see them secure the outside.

  I look to the side, and I see her shoe in the middle of the kitchen. I walk over and pick it up. "He took her."

  Casey now has his phone out. "I want all the feeds from Chelsea’s house on the screen in two minutes." He looks at me. "We need to go."

  My heart is lodged in my throat, and an overwhelming sense of guilt rips through me as I put my head back. "Oh my god," I hear from the side and look over at Quinn, who walks into the house. "There is a pool of blood."

  I’m moving even before my brain registers what he just said. He steps back out, and I look down at the spot where we sit every single day.

  The pool of blood is now shining in the sun, I hear voices all around me, but I can’t hear anything. The only thing I can see is the redness of her blood. "We need to go."

  "I’ll stay here," Asher says. "In case."

  "He’s not coming back here." I turn, looking at the men. Beau’s face is filled with the same fear I have on mine.

  Casey’s phone rings in his hand, and he answers it now. "Casey," the man on the phone says.

  "What do you have for me?" he says, putting his phone in the middle of the island.

  "Nothing," he says. "I’m looking at the feed right now, and no one is home," he says, and I look up at his shocked face. "There has been no movement in the house since they both left three hours ago."

  "I’m standing in the middle of the fucking kitchen right fucking now. Don’t tell me that there is no movement in the fucking house!” he roars out.

  "Casey," he says his name calmly. "I’m telling you that there is nothing on my screens."

  "Then I’m telling you to fucking find out where the stream went," he says between his clenched teeth. "I got an alarm notice on my phone."

  I hear the clicking of the keys in the background and wait. "Casey, there is nothing at my end. The last movement I have was at eleven fifty-six, and that is them shutting the front door."

  Casey grabs his phone and opens up the alerts. "I’m sending you what I got exactly five minutes ago." My hands open and close. Has it been only five minutes?

  "Someone fucked with the feed," I say, looking at him. "He had someone help him from inside."

  "I would watch what you say right about now,” Jacob warns me, and I shake my head.

  "Watch what I say?" I roar out. "She was supposed to be protected."

  "Mayson," Ethan says my name low. "We are all on the same side."

  "What time did you get the notice?" I look over at Casey.

  "Seven minutes ago," he says to me, and I walk to the front of the hall and lean down to touch the blood.

  "Things don’t make sense,” I say. "The blood on the floor is dry. It takes longer than seven minutes for this to dry." I walk back to the outside and look down at the blood. "In seven minutes, it would be dry but not seeped in this much." I look over at Jacob, who comes over and checks it out.

  "He’s right," Jacob says. "There is no way this would be this dry in seven minutes."

  "So what the fuck are you saying right now?" Beau says, his voice rising. "All I know is that my daughter is somewhere, and we don’t fucking know where."

  "He must have triggered the alarm," Ethan says, shaking his head, and I walk back into the house, going to the front door, and I see it now.

  "He cut the wires," I say, holding it up in my hand.

  "Where the fuck is the truck?" Quinn now says. "She came here in Grandma’s truck."

  "He probably took it," I say, and now Jacob gets his phone out.

  "I put a GPS tracking system in it last year," he says and then talks into the phone. "I need a location for my mother-in-law’s truck."

  I close my eyes and then look back down at my hand that is shaking uncontrollably. "Are you going to be okay?" Quinn looks over at me, and then he asks Ethan.

  "It’s the adrenaline in his body," he says. "He’ll be fine."

  Even though he says it, I know that this isn’t true. I won’t be fine. I will never ever be the same. I brought this here to her. I made this happen. I put her in all of this danger. I knew I should have walked away. Knew I should have fought her every step of the way, but for once, I felt this happiness I had never known. For once, I felt like a normal person, but I should have known that this shit doesn’t happen to me. It’s not written in the sky for me. No matter how many fucking sunrises I look at, they will all be the same.

  "Something isn’t right," I say, looking around. The white curtain moves, and I walk over to it. I spot the fingerprint right away. "He was here." I shake my head. "How long was he here for before we even knew?”

  "It’s like he was waiting for her," Ethan says, and I turn to look at them.

  "He was waiting for me," I say, looking at the men, "and instead, he got her."

  "We are going to find her," Beau says, and I have to wonder if he is convincing me of this or himself.

  I look over at Ethan, who is thinking the same thing I’m thinking. Both of us are wondering how much torture he is going to inflict on her. I can’t close my e
yes without seeing her blood. "Don’t do it." Ethan comes now to stand beside me. "Don’t let your mind go there."

  "If I wasn’t here, he wouldn’t have her," I say what all of the men are thinking. Jacob’s phone rings, and I look over at him.

  "They found the truck," he says. “It’s about a mile from here.”

  We rush out of the house, everyone getting into the cars that they drove here in. My stomach flips and flops as my heart speeds up so fast it sounds like horses galloping beside me. The burning creeps up in the back of my neck. "I can’t live without her," I finally say, the pain in my chest now coming back again. "She is everything."

  "We are going to fucking find her," Ethan says. "Or we are going to die trying."

  "When we find her,” I look over at him, "I want you to take her away." He looks at me. "I want you to leave me with him." I make a list in my head now about all the things I’m going to do to him. The torture I am going to inflict on him fills my body. Shooting him will be too easy. No, not for my father. He deserves to be in hell before I finally put him there.

  "She won’t leave you," Ethan reminds me. "Not after all this."

  I see the truck in front of us pull into a deserted road. The sound of the rocks are hitting the truck as we speed there. Tree branches slap at the windows, and we finally come to a clearing, and I see the truck there in the middle of nowhere.

  I don’t wait for the truck to stop before I’m jumping out of the truck and running to the truck that sits idle in the middle of the woods. "Chelsea!” I scream her name, opening the door and seeing that it’s empty.

  Jacob and Casey now come over with flashlights, and all we see is blood in the back seat. "Fuck!" I roar out.

  I look up at the sky while the phone rings from the truck. I jump forward as I find Chelsea’s phone. An unknown number flashes on the screen. I press the green button and bring the phone to my ear. "Do I have your attention yet?"