by B. B. Reid
I couldn’t let her leave, but a part of me wished I hadn’t taken it that far.
Maybe I should let her go.
The longer I was around her, the more dangerous to her I became, but the selfish part of me that was most dominant just couldn’t let go.
* * * * *
I pulled into the driveway of Lake’s childhood home. Dash’s R8 was already parked on the street so I went to the door and rung the bell. I didn’t expect Dash to be the one to answer the door, but as soon as I stepped inside, I knew why.
“Just tell me where you are, honey. We’re worried about you… Yes, I know your boyfriend is an inconsiderate asshole, but remember why you love him… you don’t mean that.”
I listened closely to the one-sided conversation, but when it appeared to be going nowhere, I silently indicated for the phone.
“Lake?” I spoke into the phone.
She huffed and asked, “Yes?”
“Keiran is being released in about two hours.” I hung up the phone and handed it back to her aunt.
“Why did you do that? We may not get her to answer again.”
“She’ll come,” Dash answered.
Carissa folded her arms and regarded us with skepticism. “Lake is perfectly capable of making her own decisions. While I like Keiran a lot, he does not and should not have that kind of power over her.”
“Then clearly you’ve never been in love.”
Less than an hour later, Lake slammed through the front door, rolled her eyes, and marched upstairs. Carissa followed her upstairs after recovering from the surprise of how fast her niece returned.
It was a wonder she was even surprised given the kind of man her husband is. Years ago, I got the impression that he wasn’t someone to be fucked with. He happened to be one of the best private investigators in the world and one who could no doubt find Kennedy. Unfortunately, shortly before Kennedy was taken Jackson went off grid in some third world country on a case.
“Where’s my sister?” Dash asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
“My uncle’s place.”
“So what did you guys do last night?” I cut my eyes to see him regarding me with narrowed eyes.
“Is that any of your business?”
“Someone had to make her their business since you haven’t been concerned for the last four years.”
“What the fuck do you want from me? An apology letter?”
“I want you to man the fuck up and realize we aren’t kids anymore. My sister doesn’t deserve to bear the brunt of your grudge, and if you even think of hurting her again, I will kill you, motherfucker.”
“Well, then I suggest you kill me now because whether I leave or stay, she will get hurt. It was a mistake bringing me back here, so if you want to blame someone blame the person who started all of this.”
“You’re not making it any better. Why can’t you see that?”
I laughed despite the seriousness of our conversation. “Because I don’t want to make it better. I have no intentions of doing so. I came to collect. So, as I said before—kill me or stay out of my way.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Fifteen years ago
KEENAN
MY DAD HAD just come home with a strange boy who was around my age. At first, I was excited about having someone to play with, but as soon as my dad left us alone, the boy he called Keiran disappeared.
I searched all over the house until the only place left was the basement where I wasn’t allowed to go. My mom had said it was dangerous, but she hadn’t been home for a while, and I doubt my dad would notice. He never noticed me.
Slowly, I ventured down the dark stairs. When I made it all the way down, I realized the basement was cold and creepy.
I looked left and right but couldn’t see anything for the lack of light. Since I’d never been allowed to come down here, I didn’t know where the light switch was.
“Why are you following me?”
The voice seemed ghostly filtering through the dark. How did he know I was here?
“Where are you?” Slowly, I ventured deeper into the dark in the direction his voice came from.
“What do you want?”
“Don’t be afraid,” I said softly. To be honest, he made me afraid.
His laugh was unusual and not at all friendly. It was scary like he was, and I got the feeling that being down here alone with him was dangerous.
When he finally finished laughing, he said, “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Neither should you,” I countered. “We aren’t allowed down here.”
“Says who?”
“My dad. We’ll get in trouble.”
“Will he kill me?”
“What? No! Why do you think that?”
“Because I’ll kill him if he tries to hurt me.”
“He won’t. Please don’t kill him.” I wanted to run away, but I stayed because I wanted to know more. The sound of his voice became louder as I got closer.
“Why do you care?”
“Because he’s my dad. Don’t you have a dad?” I frowned because he acted weird. Kids weren’t supposed to talk about killing.
“Yes, but he isn’t nice. Is your dad nice?”
“He can be, but he’s busy a lot, so I don’t ever really see him. I never have anyone to talk to or play with either, so I was wondering…”
“I don’t know how to play.”
“But you’re a kid. Kids always know how to play.”
“I’m not a kid. I’m a slave.”
“What’s a slave?” I felt foolish talking to the dark, but it was better than not having anyone to talk to at all.
“I don’t really know, but I always have to do what I’m told or they’ll kill me.”
“Who?”
“The trainers.”
“They sound like bad people.”
“They are.”
“Are you bad?”
“Yes. You should stay away from me.”
“Maybe all you need is a friend.”
Suddenly, he was right in front of me. The frown on his face was scary, and before I could run away, he pushed me down.
“Don’t you get it? I’m bad. Bad people don’t play.”
* * * * *
Dash and I drove separate cars to the local jail. John and Mr. Chambers were already there waiting. Shortly after arriving, Keiran walked through the doors and practically ran down the steps. After so many times being locked away, I had become familiar with what happens next. Keiran would be in more of a pissy mood than normal after being locked away like an animal.
“Come here,” he said to Lake as soon as his foot touched the pavement. He completely ignored the rest of us and marched over to where she stood. Even after four years of being together, his obsession with her was as strong as when he hated her. Maybe even stronger.
She resisted his attention for only as long as it took him to become pissed. In no time at all, he had her locked in his possessive embrace as he devoured her face.
“All right, you two. Get a room. We still have my granddaughter to find,” Mr. Chambers chastised. The reminder that Kennedy was still missing seemed to snap Keiran out of it.
“No more bullshitting around,” Keiran barked. “We find her tonight, and no one fucking eats or sleeps until we do.”
Ten minutes later, we were all gathered in the living room of my childhood home, minus John who said he had somewhere to be (a.k.a. Mitch). I had found Sheldon some old shorts and a shirt to wear from my preteen days. Everyone lifted a brow at her attire, but wisely, no one said a word.
After about another hour of Keiran’s grilling, we had all grown impatient. “The ransom note didn’t give us much to go on, and we’ve searched everywhere. Do you know something we don’t?”
“If we searched everywhere, Kennedy would have been found. What’s the deal with the house in Camden?”
“It was a dead end, but we’ve been keeping surveillance on it. Nothing’s popped up on the radar.”
“Q, when do you have to go back?”
“I’m good for another week.”
“Jesse, how safe are we hacking these satellites?”
“As long as I continue to jump between satellites, I can be in and out before anyone can pick up I was ever there.”
Keiran had begun to pace back and forth, and when the silence stretched too long, I interrupted. “What are you thinking?”
“There’s one place we haven’t looked.”
“Where?” we all collectively shouted.
“Four years ago, John told me the story of how he met our mother. Mitch kept her prisoner in a house no one knew about until John found them. I don’t know how he found them, and he also never told me where it was… Where did he say he was going again?” Keiran asked as he pulled out his phone.
“He didn’t,” Q answered before cutting his eyes toward me.
Fuck. There was no way Q could know where he had gone, but I knew he suspected something. The look he gave me confirmed it.
I had promised John I wouldn’t tell Keiran where Mitch was but was a secret built from the need for revenge really worth my daughter’s life? I had just made my decision when Keiran started to speak into the phone.
Keiran hung up a short time later with a tense expression.
“What did he say?” Sheldon asked. Her hands shook and her chest heaved up and down. I took in her body and once again noticed how thin she had become in such a short time. It was something I noticed last night, but my head was too clouded with lust to look into it further. Thinking back, I hadn’t seen her eat or drink so much as a bottle of water since waking up in the hospital a week ago.
“He said he was on his way.”
That explained the frustration he wore on his face. I pulled my vibrating phone from my jeans and read the message that lit up the screen: Don’t say anything.
It was a text from John. I considered ignoring it, but what would it mean for Kennedy if I did? Would John keep the information secret if I spilled his? What would it mean for Kennedy if I didn’t tell?
“How long until he’s here?” I hadn’t realized I was staring hard down at my phone until Sheldon’s voice snapped me back to the present.
“He said a few hours.”
I jumped to my feet and looked around the room at all the tired faces. It was evident that each person in this room had hardly slept since Kennedy was taken. The love that clearly surrounded her was something I had not seen at her age. For as long as I could remember, I had only been given isolation.
“Well, I’m going to go help your mother with the volunteers,” Mr. Chambers announced. “Dash, are you coming?”
“No, I think I’m going to stick around in case something comes up.”
The way he looked at me told me the real reason he chose to stick around. He didn’t trust me, and I gave him every reason not to. In some way, I also think he was hoping I’d change my mind. That was Dash. He was always the positive one.
“Be careful, Dash. Just remember what’s at stake. Empires don’t run themselves.”
“Dad, my niece—your granddaughter is what’s at stake. I’ll do whatever it takes,” he responded coldly.
Given the conversation between Sheldon and her mother at the hospital, I wasn’t surprised at his reaction. However, Keiran was completely oblivious and currently looked on the verge of murdering him where he stood. Mr. Chambers wisely stormed out without a response.
“What the fuck was that?” Keiran asked as soon as the door closed.
“Leave it alone,” Dash gritted.
They seemed to have some sort of staring contest and neither was willing to give in.
“Baby,” Lake called. She stood to lay a hand on his chest and started to rub in a soothing motion that defined how adept she’d become at abating his anger. “I’m really tired, and I know you must be, too. What do you say we get something to eat and relax while we wait for John?”
Her attention seemed to work when Keiran and Dash backed off each other. I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. The dynamic duo had never been at odds with each other until now. Ruining Keiran’s friendship with the only person who had been brave enough to stick by him all these years would have been the cherry on the top.
Lake led Keiran upstairs by the hand, and Dash left shortly after receiving a phone call. The tense look on his face only deepened so I knew the phone call couldn’t have been a good one.
“What do you say we get something to eat?” I asked Sheldon once we were left alone.
“I’m not hungry.”
“I can see your bones, so hungry or not, you’re eating.” I retrieved her clothes and ordered her to shower and dress.
* * * * *
I took Sheldon to a restaurant just outside the city that was known for their pancakes. I hadn’t realized all the little things I gave up when I left.
“I don’t see why we had to come out to eat,” Sheldon griped as we took our seats. We were seated immediately due to the late hour for breakfast. “I’m sure there is plenty of food in your kitchen.”
“I wanted to make sure you ate since you can’t take care of yourself, and it’s not my kitchen.”
“I can take care of myself. Anyway, why should I eat when I don’t even know if my daughter has eaten in a week?”
“So, starving yourself is going to bring her back? You can’t punish yourself.”
“No, I can’t, but only because you’ve been doing a good enough job of it for me.”
“Did you honestly think I would make this easy on you?”
“No. I’ve learned not to expect anything good when it comes to you. You wrecked me, Keenan. In more ways than one.”
The waiter came for our orders before I could respond. To Sheldon’s annoyance, not only did I order for her, but I also ordered an entire platter of breakfast all of which I knew she would never be able to consume.
“I can speak for myself, and I can’t eat all that.”
“Too bad because you aren’t getting up from this table until you do.” I smiled wide for good measure, which only served to piss her off more.
“You’re feeling incredibly sure of your power today.”
“Last night, I had my cock buried deep in your ass while you screamed for more… why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because it was a mistake that won’t be happening again.”
“It will happen again as often as I want it. It can happen now, right over this table if you don’t eat your food. My daughter is going to need her mother in good shape when she comes home. She doesn’t deserve to see you like this.”
That seemed to shut her up, forcing us into an uncomfortable silence. The waiter came with our food and we ate silently. I happened to look up from my food in time to catch her wipe a tear away.
“Does it bother you this much?”
My question seemed to break down the floodgates. “I need her back. I feel helpless because I don’t know where to look, and I don’t even know why she was taken from me, but what I do know is that she is with strangers who don’t know how to take care of her. What if she has a seizure?”
“She’ll make it through this.”
“How do you know that? You don’t even know her.”
“Because I know her mother. She’s grown into an incredibly strong woman who can fight.” I lifted her chin and forced her gaze on me. “And she’ll continue to fight because she knows that’s all she can do.”
“Why are you being so nice to me? Don’t you hate me?”
“I owe it to the daughter I’ve never met to keep her mother in one piece,” I said dismissively. I didn’t like the hopeful way she watched me. We weren’t living a fairytale anymore, and it was time she remembered that.
“You should fix yourself up. Crying made you look like shit.”
I managed to shock her into a stunned silence before a scowl transformed her features. She angrily pushed back her chair and stormed off to the back of the restaurant.
When she was out of sight, I took some of the food from her plate and rearranged it to make it look full. I didn’t know where my need to look out for her came from, but I had to be careful.
Sheldon was easy to fall for.
And if I didn’t tread carefully, she could very well own me all over again. After breakfast, she managed to convince me to take her to her apartment for a change of clothes. I had just taken a seat when the sound of glass shattering broke the silence.
I ran the short distance to her bedroom where I assumed she had disappeared.
There she stood in the center, holding a note. The paper I instantly recognized as similar to the ransom note we’d found rattled unsteadily in her bleeding hand. Glass shards from the broken mirror littered the floor around her feet.
Wordlessly, I plucked the note from her hand and guided her to sit on the bed. Her gaze was locked straight ahead as she sat frozen.
Mentally, I braced myself for what had sparked such a violent reaction. After unfolding the paper, I silently read the next clue to my daughter’s disappearance.
ARE YOU WILLING TO KILL?
* * * * *
Thirty minutes later, I had Keiran, Lake, Dash, and Q seated around her small living room. I handed the note to Keiran who silently read it before handing it to Dash.
“This doesn’t make any sense. Who could want my sister to kill and why? She’s not a killer.”
“No. But Keiran is.” Everyone turned to Q who now held the note.
“What?”
He held up the paper. “It’s addressed to him.”
I took the paper from his hand and sure enough, written in bold letters on the back was his name. “The first ransom wasn’t addressed.”
“Keiran?” Sheldon had emerged from her bedroom. She still looked as if she’d seen a ghost but appeared steadier on her feet. “Why would they take my daughter if this is about you?”
“Whoever wrote this note knows about my past. It has to be someone I know.”