Pulled Back Again

by Danielle Bannister

  “He shot himself,” I say, recalling how he died.

  “In the head. Maybe that’s how Hawk and Seth are connected. They’ve both lost their minds—one in the literal sense and one in the figurative sense.”

  I consider her suggestion and nod slowly.

  “Which means we better hurry.”

  With renewed purpose, we both pick up our pace. After checking the last few houses along the left edge and coming up short, we merge over to the other side of the campus.

  My feet tingle as we cross over the grassy hills separating the two sides of the campus. We’re getting close.

  “This way!” I say, breaking into a run. This was the feeling I’d been waiting for, the “pull” to lead me straight to her.

  Just up ahead, a singular frat house is tucked under a line of willow trees. I stop.

  “What’s wrong?” Kari asks, coming up beside me.

  “Can you smell that?” I whisper. I’m suddenly terrified that my voice might give us away.

  Kari looks at me funny, but then smells the air a few times.

  “Actually, it kinda smells like Curl Up and Dye.”

  I turn and give her a confused look.

  “My hair salon. You don’t think I crawl out of bed looking this gorgeous, do you?” She gives me a wink.

  Hair salon... Dye...

  “So why would there be the smell of hair dye in an abandoned campus?” I say slowly.

  I reach around my back and pull out my pistol and unlock the safety.

  “Stay here,” I tell Kari.

  She adjusts her purse and throws her hands onto her hips. “No way in hell.”

  The look of determination on her face tells me this could be a large battle, and we don’t have time to waste.

  “Fine, then, stay behind me and keep quiet.”

  As we creep forward, all my senses are on high alert. Each hair on my body is at attention. The smell of the dye wafts strong with the breeze. The frat house is covered with heavy shadows from the early afternoon sun. The arms of the willow trees almost appear to be hugging the house, cocooning it in a chilly darkness. It’s the perfect spot to hide. Just the sort of spot Hawk would snag if he were hunting.

  As we’re about to move past an overgrown line of shrubs just behind the house, I hear a noise. I yank Kari to the ground behind them and raise my fingers to my lips. She does as told and sinks to the ground without hesitation. She’s heard the noise too. Her breathing is labored, and I pray it doesn’t give us away. Listening over the thundering of my heart, we stay frozen to our spots.

  The sound of a door slamming shut rockets across the campus. Three metallic clicks of locks follow after. Holding my breath, I strain to hear what seems to be only one pair of footfalls crunching along the gravel.

  The stride is heavy and long, so I know instantly it’s Hawk. Rage bubbles inside of me. I have to fight the urge to spring up from where I’m hiding to take him down, but I wait. I can’t risk Jada’s safety. I need to make sure she’s okay before I hurt Hawk. I’ll need him alive if she’s not in the house.

  The thought of her not being there makes my stomach lurch. If he’s laid a finger on her...

  I hold my breath to see if a second pair of footprints follow, but there seems to be only his. His feet travel quickly. He’s in a hurry. For what? I’m about to risk a peek around the shrub when his footsteps suddenly stop. For a solid minute, he doesn’t move. I glance at Kari out of the corner of my eye. Her face is locked in fear.

  Has he found us? My finger inches silently toward the trigger. If he has discovered us, he’ll get the full force of my anger aimed straight at the base of his skull.

  Just as I’m about to jump out, the steps begin again. My fingers press firmer on Kari’s shoulder as a drip of sweat runs down my face.

  Breathlessly, we listen as the sound of a car door opens and closes. It’s followed immediately by an engine roaring to life.

  “That’s my car,” Kari curses quietly beside me.

  We sit in silence as the car backs its way out of the drive and tears off down the main drag, burning rubber.

  As if on cue, we both let out the collective breath we’ve been holding. After making sure the sound of the car dies off, I signal Kari that it’s safe to move. Tucking the pistol back in my pants, I stand up.

  “Let’s go.”

  The second we’re clear of the bushes, I see the faded deep-blue sign:

  ΤΚΦ

  Tears of relief sting my eyes.

  “You found her,” Kari whispers.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tobias

  Within seconds, we’re at the front of the house. I am prepared to bust down the door like a human battering ram, but I have the foresight to know he wouldn’t have left it unlocked.

  The first thing I notice is there are black smudges on the chipped brass-painted door handle and two new-looking deadbolts installed above that.

  “Jada! Jada! Are you in there?”

  I press my head to the door to listen for her. Nothing comes.

  To the right of the door there is a window. I rush over to it, picking up a large rock, ready to smash in the thing. My hand stops mid-throw as I notice metal bars have been fashioned across the frame, also new. A quick scan of the house confirms all the windows are barred. I can’t even peek inside; he’s blacked out all of the windows as well.

  That bastard has thought of everything!

  I scream her name again as Kari clenches her hands together in fear in a way that seems to say, Are we too late?

  I go back to the door and shout her name again, trying to drown out all sound but hers.

  “Tobias?” The tiniest voice reaches my ears from behind the door, the sound of an angel.

  My heart thunders upon hearing her voice. “Jada? Baby! Are you okay? Let me in!”

  I can hear her sobbing in relief and it’s killing me not to be able to pull her into my arms.

  “I can’t!” she wails. “He’s got me tied up! Tobias, you have to hurry! He’s going after Janelle!”

  I almost drop to my knees, hearing that blow. I whip around to Kari.

  “Call Ms. Skillings. Tell her to bring Janelle to the police station. Now! Get her out of that building!”

  Kari scrambles to pull out her e-port as I start thrusting myself at the door. All I end up doing is hurting my shoulder.

  I reach for the gun. Locks aren’t going to stop me.

  “Jada,” I yell at the door. “Are you anywhere near the front door?”

  “No. I can’t reach it, Tobias. Go save Janelle!”

  I click the hammer back on the pistol.

  “Jada, Janelle is safe. I’ve got a gun and I’m going to blow the locks off. Are you far enough away?”

  “I think so,” comes her weak reply.

  Swallowing, I aim the gun straight at the bottom lock, close my eyes, and fire. The sound of the shell discharging is deafening amidst the empty campus.

  When I open my eyes, I discover I missed. By a long shot. In my head, I can hear Hawk mocking my bad aim.

  I fire off another round, this time keeping my eyes open, but I still miss. Aggravated, I fire two more shots and still don’t come close to hitting my target.

  Kari grabs the gun from my hands just as I’m about to try again. “You are a pathetic shot.”

  Pushing me aside, she pulls back the hammer. She points the pistol at the door, squinting slightly, and fires off three rapid shots. The door creaks open at once.

  I stare back at her, dazed.

  “I know my way around a gun.” She shrugs.

  “Apparently.” She hands me the gun with its one remaining shot, and I tuck it into the back of my pants. “Ms. Skillings is taking her to the police. She’ll be safe.”

  “Thank you.”

  Now I just need to get Jada the hell out of here before Hawk comes back.

  When I kick the door open with my foot, I’m not prepared for what I see.

  Jada is sitting s
lumped over in a kitchen chair. Her hands and feet have been bound. She has large white bandages running along her wrists that have caked over with blood. My stomach rolls. What has he done to her?

  And her hair... her once-beautiful hair lies in mounds at her feet.

  A wave of fury like I’ve never felt before consumes me. She looks so broken, so weak, worse than she did that night in the hospital when she tried to kill herself. Murderous thoughts run through my mind. That bastard will pay dearly for what he’s done to her.

  Unable to wait a second longer, I fly over to her side and embrace her shaking body. Her sobs fill my head. Warm tears land on my shoulder and I curse Hawk’s name.

  “Shhh, baby. It’s okay. I’m gonna get you out of this.”

  “Tobias,” she cries. “I never thought I would see you again!”

  We cry together in our awkward embrace before I pull away to look her in the eye.

  “Are you hurt?” I ask, inventorying her body. Paying close attention to the bandages along her wrists. “What did he do to you?”

  “I’m okay. Just get me out of this, please. We need to get Janelle.”

  I nod and look over at Kari.

  “Can you find something to get her out of this?”

  “Under the couch,” Jada cries. “He threw a pair of scissors there.”

  Kari rushes over to the couch and moves it away from the wall. Bending over, she picks up the scissors from their hiding spot and hands them to me. As quickly and as carefully as I can, I cut away the ties around her wrists. The last thing I want to do is hurt her further in my haste to free her. Once the plastic is off her hands, I inspect the damage they made. I carefully pull off the bandages, afraid of what I’ll see. Her scars have been sliced open from the ties imprisoning her.

  As soon as I release her hands, Jada pulls me into an embrace and sobs hard enough for both of us. The touch of her skin against mine feels so powerful. It’s hot, electric burn fills my spirit. I can breathe fully.

  “Janelle is fine,” Kari says, taking the scissors from me to work on Jada’s feet. “Ms. Skillings is bringing her to the police as we speak. All Hawk will find when he gets there is an empty apartment.”

  “That’s good to know,” a dark voice says from behind me.

  Hawk.

  I spin around and reach for my gun, but before I can pull it out, he grabs Kari and holds a sharp blade against her throat. I recognize the style of the knife at once. The tip of it is hooked for organ removal, while the underbelly is honed and lethal. It’s a gutting knife.

  “Easy now, Tobs. You and I both know what a terrible shot you are. Wouldn’t want you killing your friend here instead of me, would you?”

  Jada shrinks behind me, clutching onto my sides. Her entire body is trembling.

  “Let her go, Hawk,” I say, raising my hands slowly into the air. I have to get his knife away from Kari’s neck before I make a move. I have to distract him somehow.

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Hawk taunts. “Six rounds to open one door? I’m offended. Did you learn nothing in our hunting lessons together?”

  Six rounds? How did he know how many rounds I used?

  “It wasn’t very smart of you to make such a racket before I even left the campus. Even if I didn’t have impeccable hearing, which I do, a deaf man could have heard your pathetic attempt to shoot a door down.”

  My teeth grind together in frustration. He’s right. That was stupid of me. Of course he would have heard the shots and turned around. Now he’s got the upper hand, and he knows it.

  “Tell you what,” Hawk says. “Since I’m such a nice guy, I’ll trade. Jada for Kari.” He presses the knife deeper into Kari’s neck, causing her to gasp.

  “Don’t do it,” Kari squeaks out.

  My fists clench. The gentle squeeze across my waist from Jada reminds me to stay human and not be irrational.

  “And then what? You take my daughter away from me too? No way,” I spit.

  Hawk laughs. “We both know she’s not really your daughter, now don’t we? It’s my blood that runs through her veins, not yours. And I’ll do whatever I want with what is mine.”

  Every muscle in my body clenches with hatred for the lunatic standing in front of me. No way in hell is that monster going to lay a finger on Janelle.

  I’m about to make my move for the gun when Jada beats me to it and makes a move of her own.

  Jada

  “Stop it!” I shout, stepping out from behind Tobias. “Hawk, if I go with you now, will you promise to leave Janelle alone?”

  “What? No!” Tobias screams at me, yanking me back to his chest.

  My eyes flick over to Hawk, who appears to be contemplating my proposal.

  “Think about it, Hawk.” I continue, making the words up as I go. “Bringing Janelle along will only make your plan to disappear even harder. Having her with us would slow us down, and deep down you know it. And now that the police have her, it will be even harder.”

  Hawks eyes pinch together, but his hands grip the knife tighter. He’s gonna go for the trade.

  “Jada, what are you doing?” Tobias hisses in my ear. The hurt in his eyes is so strong that I can’t bear to look at him anymore. He has to understand. If I could ensure that Janelle was safe, then nothing else mattered. I could take anything Hawk dished out if I knew my baby was with Tobias.

  Seeing the determination on my face, Hawk smiles.

  “Deal,” Hawk says.

  “What? No! No deal. I don’t agree to this! Jada, what are you saying?” He shakes my arms to get me to look at him, but I just close my eyes. I can’t. If I do, my resolve will waiver. I have to do this. I just have to.

  “Take care of our daughter,” I whisper at the floor. The knots in my throat are so tight that I know I won’t be able to say another word without breaking down into a puddle of mush.

  “If we’re doing this,” Hawk says, “we’re doing this my way.” He tightens his grip on Kari, who has stopped whimpering and is now just staring dead ahead. “The first thing you need to do is get rid of your gun, Tobs.”

  Beside me, I feel Tobias stiffen with rage. This is the worst situation I ever could have put him in; he has to choose between our little girl and me. He needs to know, in the end, it’s the only choice we have.

  “Drop the gun, Tobs, or I’ll kill the old broad, you, and still get Jada.” He sinks the knife into Kari’s throat. A small trickle of blood escapes her neck. The look on his face tells me he knows exactly how much pressure to put on her vein before it kills her.

  Kari gasps against the incision. My eyes flit to Kari, and I catch her give Tobias a small nod.

  “Put it on the floor, gently.”

  I can feel the heat of Tobias’s anger as it rolls off his body in waves, but he does as he’s told and lowers the gun to the ground.

  “Now kick it over here.”

  Tobias hesitates but then kicks the weapon across the room with remarkable control. The sound of metal sliding against the worn floorboards causes my skin to gooseflesh. It comes to a stop perfectly, just inches from Hawk’s feet.

  “Good boy,” Hawk taunts.

  Without taking his grip from Kari or his eyes off of Tobias, Hawk kicks the gun backward toward the door—out of anyone’s reach.

  “Now, on the count of three, we’ll make the switch. And don’t think I won’t gut the first thing I can get my hands on if you try something funny.” His eyes lock with Tobias’s in understanding.

  “Jada,” Tobias whispers. The ache in his voice almost crushes me. Pinching my eyes closed, I steel my nerves for what I’m about to do. I’ll have to leave with Hawk, willingly, and never look back. Not even once. My heart would break into a million pieces if I saw Tobias right now.

  I can feel my insides already protesting against my decision as every fiber of my being seems to try to pull me backward, toward Tobias. This is going to be the most physically and mentally challenging thing I’ve ever had to do. But there is no other alternative. I
have to do this. I have to do this for my daughter. One day, Tobias will understand. One day, he’ll know this was the only choice I could have made.

  “One...” The sound of Hawk’s countdown shakes me back into the present. “Two...”

  I hold my breath and send out into the universe the only thought I have left: I love you, Tobias. Forever and always.

  Hawk shoves Kari forward a bit in preparation of the switch. Kari’s eyes are downcast. Her shoulders are hunched as though she has given up.

  “Three.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tobias

  “Three.” The word bounces around in my head like a bad dream. This can’t be happening. I can’t have gone through all of this to lose her now.

  Instinctively, my hand juts out to reach for Jada as her feet inch toward Hawk, but he thwarts my attempt to hold on to her.

  “Ah, ah, ah. Let her go, Tobs. I don’t want to kill this woman, but I will if you don’t get your hands off my girl.”

  My blood boils, letting him talk to me this way, but he still holds Kari’s life in his hands. Kari won’t even look at me. It’s as though she knows something I don’t.

  It takes every bit of strength I have in me, but I pry my fingers from Jada’s arm, silently whispering my good-byes to her.

  The world moves in slow motion as she slips out of my grasp and walks forward. Hawk, looking smug, slowly lowers the knife from Kari’s throat by a fraction of an inch.

  Jada takes another cautious step toward Hawk, which prompts him to release some of the pressure he has on Kari’s hair.

  My heart thunders in my chest. I watch helplessly as Jada takes another step forward. She’s within Hawk’s grasp now, inches from being taken away from me forever.

  That’s when the sound of a gun firing and Jada screaming makes us all jump out of our skin.

  In front of my eyes, Hawk sinks to his knees. A look of shock is etched across his crazed face. Blood comes pouring out of the side of his neck. Gurgling sounds escape his lips as he grasps at the chunk that is now missing from his throat. His eyes bulge out of his head, looking for the source of the shot.

  Hovering over him, Kari aims what looks like a BB gun at him.