by Kennedy Fox
“Smile for the camera, sweetheart,” he purrs, snapping photos of me. “Oh, speaking of, I never showed you the pictures my brother sent me of you.”
Just when I think it can’t get any worse, it does. Dalton walks over to me, grabs my hair and jerks my head back, forcing me to look. After scrolling through his photos, he turns the screen around for me to see. What I see on his phone are intimate pictures I took for Weston. Along with pictures Weston took of me when I didn’t know. I’m disgusted by it all but keep my mouth shut because what can I fucking say?
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t jerk off to your picture a handful of times. That ass, Sophie. I might need to have a little taste before I end you,” he says, adjusting his noticeable erection.
“You might as well kill me now then,” I say, holding back the urge to vomit all over him. “You fucking disgust me!”
Dalton shakes his head. “No. No. No. I’ve got a list of things to do to you first. Cut off your fingers, one by one. Shave your head so I can have that gorgeous dark hair as a keepsake. Can’t forget knocking your teeth out. Can’t risk anyone identifying you. No ID means no way to link it back to me. But I’ve decided to add fucking you to my list too. My dick is fucking hard and needs relief, Sophie darling. You’re probably wet for me, aren’t you? My cock will ruin that cunt in no time, and then I’ll jerk my cum all over those perky tits.”
I start dry heaving when his hand slips into his pants, and he touches himself. My head is pounding so fucking hard, and every time I suck in a breath, pain radiates through me.
“Fuck you.” I spit out blood. I’m done with begging. It does no good with him anyway.
“Keep it up, and I’ll cut your goddamn tongue out too.” He inches closer and slides the knife down my cheek, then puts the cool blade against my lips. “After I make you suck me off, of course. Should we start now? Send your boy toy a video?”
While I’m more afraid than I’ve ever been in my life, I can’t show it. Mentally, I begin building a wall between reality and where I wish I was right now—with Mason. I picture us on the couch, watching our Netflix shows, and laughing together. I take myself out of the nightmare I’m currently living and force myself inside my fantasy.
My eyes flutter closed as he continues rattling off the horrible things he’ll do to me all the while pulling at me, touching my chest, and sliding his fingers down my stomach. I remain still, feeling numb, no longer giving him the power to control my emotions.
I think about Mason. He’s already had to find one girlfriend dead, and I know how it ruined him. It destroys me to know what this will do to him, and I can only hope he’ll be okay and can move on one day. Maddie and Lennon come to mind and Allie Cat. I’ll miss my niece growing up, miss Lennon getting married and holding Hunter’s and her baby. The realization that I won’t be around is almost too much to handle, but the quicker I come to terms with it, the quicker I will be at peace before he ends it all for good.
Dalton won’t make it easy for me. He wants revenge for his brother’s death and sending Mason pictures is just the start. He won’t let me out of here alive, that much is obvious.
Chapter Four
Mason
“Driving around isn’t doing us any good,” Hunter says from the back seat of the truck. “They could literally be anywhere.”
Liam agrees, and I stay busy scrolling through the text messages Dalton has sent over the past hour. Learning Sophie wasn’t at Weston’s nearly ripped my heart from my chest. I hoped he’d be there and make it easy for us to save her, but obviously, I underestimated him. I’m not sure what the hell to do now or where to even start. I feel so fucking hopeless, but I refuse to give up. Knowing what he’s done and what he’s doing now, I can’t risk calling my dad or the cops. He’s smarter than any of us thought, and I think about how he must’ve orchestrated attending the grief meetings with the intention of befriending Sophie. My thoughts wander to how he found her, and then I remember she went to Weston’s funeral, but Sophie didn’t even know he had a brother. But if Weston told Dalton, he could’ve sent him pictures or details of their relationship, for all she knows. He probably started stalking her that same weekend.
Being sweet and compassionate, she allowed him into her life without a second thought. I grit my teeth, growing angrier with every passing second, and swallow down the lump lodged in my throat.
“We should go to the house and try to figure out what the fuck to do next,” Liam suggests, but I’m so lost in my head that I don’t reply. I’m angry and in shock that this is really happening. I keep hoping I’ll wake up from this fucking nightmare. I’d do anything to switch places with her right now, anything to take away the pain I know she’s enduring.
When we pull into the driveway of the house, Hunter’s phone rings. “It’s Lennon,” he says, forcing a smile as he answers.
“Hey, baby. What’s going on?” he greets, putting her on speakerphone.
I hear Lennon on the other line, not suspecting a thing, not knowing how much danger her sister is in, until she asks about Sophie. Hunter grows quiet, and Lennon immediately calls him on it. Next thing I know, Hunter’s telling her not to come over while explaining what’s going on. Lennon is as hysterical as I feel.
“I’m calling the cops.” Her words ring out.
“No!” Hunter grows more serious. “If you call the cops, you’re only putting her in more danger. We’re looking for her now. We’re going to find her, and if we don’t soon, then we’ll get the authorities involved.”
Liam gets out of the truck, and I follow him inside as Hunter lingers outside, trying to calm her down.
“You need to call Jerad,” Liam tells me as he paces around the living room, brushing a frustrated hand through his hair. “See if he has any other information or what can be done. We’re losing time.”
I nod and do what he says. Jerad instantly answers the phone.
“Did you find her?” he asks.
“No,” I say, deflated. “Not yet. Do you have any more information?”
“Nothing other than the cell phone location,” he tells me, but I can hear him typing away on his computer.
“He keeps sending me pictures of her bruised and beaten, and it’s destroying me. We went to Weston’s house since it was close to that tower, but all I found was her cell and a note from him. Dalton cloned her phone so I’d get texts from her number, but the location took us to where the original phone was.”
The line is silent.
“Jerad?”
“I don’t think you’re dealing with an amateur psycho here. He’s smarter than we think if he’s cloning phones and shit. That’s high-level kidnapping shit. This isn’t a game. You need to get the cops involved before something bad happens, Mason.”
I let out a deep breath, and Hunter walks in, angry as fuck. Not good.
“I can’t. He’s already threatened her life if any report is made, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s tracking those things or has a police scanner. Hell, he probably knows I’m talking to you. Fuck, Jerad. I think he’ll do it. I think he’ll kill her the second there’s a missing person report or anything involving Sophie being taken.”
“I’ll call some guys and see what we can do without an official public alert. The police need to be looking for his car to make sure he’s not crossing state lines,” Jerad explains. “If I find out something, I’ll call you.”
I shove my phone into my pocket, and just like that, we’re back to where we started.
“Sorry,” Hunter says, shrugging. “I couldn’t lie to her. Lennon knows when I am anyway. But she said if we don’t find her in an hour, she’s calling the cops. She doesn’t give a shit what any of us say or think,” he tells me before looking at Liam.
“Fan-fuckin’-tastic.” Liam deadpans. “That’s the last thing we need.”
Hunter releases a breath. “When it comes to her sister, she doesn’t care. I asked her not to call Maddie because we don’t need two hysterical Corri
gan sisters.”
I nod, agreeing. Thankfully, Maddie is safe at home and doesn’t suspect a thing. It needs to stay that way.
“What do we really know about this guy?” Liam asks. “Do we know where he works? Where he’s actually from? Would he have taken her out of the city? Jesus fuck. She could be anywhere.”
Liam’s panicking is making me even more edgy because he’s right. He took her somewhere between them dropping off Maddie before their meeting to when he first texted two hours later. He could’ve driven her out to the middle of nowhere for all we know. “Everything I know is probably lies anyway, so all we have confirmed is what Jerad’s told us. He was living in LA before Weston died,” I explain, clamping my hands behind my head as I try to think of more. “It’s a five-hour drive, so he didn’t take her there.”
“And what do we know about Weston? Besides the obvious.” Hunter interrupts my frantic thoughts.
I rack my brain for the small pieces Sophie’s shared. “Late twenties. Had a record. Born and raised in Sacramento. They have a sister who lives in Tulsa.” I’m growing more frustrated. “This is doing us no good. We’re wasting time.”
“Do you want me to put a hit out on him?” Liam asks.
Hunter and I both turn and look at him, and I’m not sure if he’s being serious or not. When I narrow my eyes, he eventually cracks a smile, but considering his job, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows the people to do just that. He probably has friends in low places with some shady contacts, so I don’t ask any questions. He rolls his eyes, then finally tells us he’s joking, but I’m not convinced.
I’m at a loss, so much so that I’m almost tempted to call my father and get him involved. As much as it fucking pains me to need his help, maybe he can do something. Maybe he can call out a search without it being put into the system. He is friends with the chief of police after all. If we can’t find her in the next hour, I’m going to do what I have to do, as much as I don’t want to. But I have no options left.
“What are you thinking?” Liam is so observant and notices even the slightest change in my moods.
“I’m gonna call my dad.”
Hunter immediately shakes his head. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Considering his father’s in politics as well, he knows how critical the situation will get if I do this.
“What other choices do we have? He has connections that Jerad doesn’t, and I’m out of ideas,” I nervously admit. I’m more desperate than I’ve ever been in my entire life. I’ll do whatever it takes to save her. If all I have to do is take my father’s berating and swallow my pride to find Sophie, then it’s more than worth it.
“He won’t be quiet. Searching for her won’t be swept under the rug. Your father will try to act like the hero and save your ass and the day, like he typically does. It’s a bad fucking idea,” Hunter disagrees. “And you know it.”
I let out a frustrated huff and run my fingers through my hair. Time’s running out. Every minute she’s with him is one fucking minute too long. At this point, maybe we should just drive around town and search every neighborhood, back alley, and warehouse until we find his car. I pace around the living room, trying to figure out where the hell he could’ve taken her. There’s no way they left Sacramento, not considering the amount of time it took for him to send me the first pictures of Sophie. They have to be in the city.
When I’m close to giving up all hope, Dalton sends another photo of my sweet Sophie, and I nearly hurl when I see she looks even worse than before. However, this time it’s not a closeup picture. I can see more of what’s behind her and notice a sculpture I’ve seen dozens of times before. Recognition flashes across my face.
“Holy. Shit.” I breathe out as relief floods through me.
“What is it?” Liam asks.
I take my phone to him and show off the picture. “Sophie,” he says, defeated, but then I tell him to look closer. Pinching the screen, he zooms into the background.
“Holy fuck!” Liam slams his hand on my back. “Is that what I think it is?”
At this point, Hunter comes over and looks at the picture too.
“What the hell is that?” He narrows his eyes on the screen.
For the first time all night, I feel hopeful.
“That’s a goddamn black dildo sculpture, and it just saved the fucking day,” I say.
“What does that even mean?” Hunter asks, thoroughly confused.
“It means we know exactly where the fuck she is,” Liam tells him, taking the gun out of his pants and chambering a round. Now that we know where she is, we have to go get her as quickly as possible.
“Dude, where?” he asks, and I can see he’s growing anxious like the rest of us.
“That motherfucker is right across the street. Kilan has been trying to sell the house for the past few months and has all these weird-ass sculptures inside. It’s shaped like a giant dick with a mushroom head. I’ve only seen that big dildo-looking sculpture once in my life, and it was in that house. It can’t be a coincidence. He’s probably been spying on us from there for weeks.”
Hunter’s eyes widen. “Seriously? She’s that close?”
“Yes, and we can’t waste any more time. Dalton probably has no idea the mistake he just made, and we need to take advantage now,” Liam instructs, grabbing another gun from his duffle bag. He tries to hand it to me, but I refuse it before he tucks it into the back of his pants, and we walk out of the back door. Now, he’s double loaded.
I crack my knuckles, ready to beat in Dalton’s face until he’s unrecognizable.
I’m coming, Sophie. I’m on my way, baby. Just hold on a little longer.
“We need to go through the back in case he’s watching the front of the house. Mason, keep messaging him so he’s occupied,” Liam tells us as we follow him. He leads us across our neighbors’ backyards until we’re six houses down. We come around the side of a house, and then Liam crosses the street.
“Shit,” he whispers under his breath. “The fences.”
“Let’s go to the next block and cut through the yard that’s connected to Kilan’s backyard. We’ll need a solid plan, though.” I’m worried as hell that this is all going to backfire, and I know they can hear it in my voice by the expressions on their faces.
I pull out my phone and text Dalton with hopes to do nothing more than amuse and distract him. He seems to eat up the fact that I’m worried as fuck about Sophie. Having power over me and being able to control the situation is something his brother loved to do, too. It’s what ultimately resulted in his death, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Dalton ends up the same way.
Mason: You don’t have to do this. Let her go and take me instead. I’m the one you have the real problem with anyway. She didn’t do anything.
Dalton: That’s where you’re wrong. Now which should I cut off first? Her fingers or toes?
Mason: If you let her go, you get me. Isn’t that what you wanted all along anyway? Or better yet, we can forget that any of this happened and all walk away.
Dalton: Too late. I’m having way too much fun with her…and you.
Mason: You’re going to end up like your brother if you don’t give her back…in one fucking piece.
Dalton: None of this would’ve happened if you weren’t a killer.
I want to argue with him. I want to tell him it wasn’t my fucking gun. I wasn’t the one looking for a fight by pulling the trigger, but he wouldn’t believe me anyway. He wants nothing but to seek his revenge, and he went after the only person who means anything to me—Sophie.
He sends another text that has me seeing red.
Dalton: Just remember, her blood will be on YOUR hands. You’ll never find her, not on time at least.
We jog down the street, and I see Dalton’s car parked on the next block.
“Fuck,” I say. “It’s his car. What’s the plan?”
Liam responds by taking his gun from the back of his waistband, and without warning, he
pulls the trigger and shoots out two of the tires, and that’s when I realize he has a silencer on the end. My eyes widen in shock. Liam doesn’t play.
“You can’t be too fucking careful.” He smirks. “Now, he’s really not going anywhere.”
We rush toward the house where Dalton has Sophie, and I’m relieved to see there isn’t a fence even though I’d scale it in a heartbeat if I had to. As we stand in the shadows of the tall bushes, I notice all the curtains are drawn, but it’s more than obvious the lights are on inside.
“You’re sure she’s in there?” Hunter asks, keeping his voice low.
“There’s no doubt about it. Never seen a dick like that in my life,” Liam replies.
“So what are we doing? We can’t just rush inside. He could kill her as soon as he hears us,” I say.
As if he heard me, Dalton sends a picture of all the weapons he has. Knives of all different sizes are on the countertop along with a gun, duct tape, and rope.
Fucking hell. He’s even worse than Weston.
Dalton: Maybe I’ll alternate fingers and toes until they’re all gone. But I’m wondering how she should die. Should I let her just bleed out…slow and painful?
Dalton: Oh wait, I know. Gunshot. The same way you killed my brother. But it’s sure been fun using all my little toys on her. Should I send you a video?
The next incoming text is a picture of a gag in Sophie’s mouth with tears running down her cheeks.