Dangerous Beauty (O'Connor Brothers Book 4)

by Rhonda Brewer

  What was she supposed to do? She slipped her hands into the loop, and he yanked it tight. Painfully tight. When he closed the trunk, Emily breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t kill her. At least not yet.

  Emily managed to get herself onto her back, but she still didn’t have enough room to slam her hands against her legs. It was supposed to break the ties. She hoped for once the internet was right. As soon as she had a chance she was going to try. She’d looked for the trunk release, but that was a bust. He must have ripped it out.

  The brakes squealed, and the car came to a stop. The engine shut off and she heard the car door open. Emily held her breath as she heard his feet crunch against the ground. It sounded like loose gravel. Where the hell was she? She was tempted to bring up her feet and kick him in the face as soon as he opened the trunk but he would probably have that gun, and she didn’t want to die.

  When the trunk opened, and she tried to lift her head to see where they were. He pushed her back and grabbed something behind her head. She relaxed when he pulled back but then he put something over her head, and she felt like she was going to suffocate.

  He dragged her out of the trunk, and since he struggled with her, she knew he wasn’t strong enough to lift her. That could be useful. When she had her footing, he gripped her arm and pulled her forward. Emily tripped a couple of times, once accidentally and twice on purpose to gauge his reaction. It wasn’t a good one. He poked her in the head with the gun and grunted.

  The next time she tripped was because he didn’t warn her there was a step. This ass was going to get such a throat punch when she got the chance.

  “You could’ve warned me to lift my feet, you dickhead,” Emily grumbled as he pulled her up from the step.

  Again, he poked her with the gun but harder. She really needed to control what she said. It bothered her that he still hadn’t spoken because she was sure she recognized the cologne he was wearing. She couldn’t remember the name of it, but it was familiar.

  She heard the click of a lock and then the creak of a door opening. She was pushed inside, and then the door was closed. He grabbed her arm and tugged her forward again. The floor had carpet because it was soft as she walked across it.

  “Are you going to speak? What do you want?” He grunted but chuckled a little too.

  “Okay, I’m sure some girls like the caveman routine, but I’m not a fan,” Emily complained.

  Another door opened, and Emily made a step forward. This time he stopped her and stepped in front of her. He took her hands with one of his and pulled her foot forward. Emily felt the step and realized he was taking her down a flight of stairs.

  “Seriously, can you just take this thing off my head, I’ll go down the stairs myself.” Emily hoped he was going to leave her alone so she could get the zip ties off. He didn’t answer. Just kept helping her down the ten steps.

  When they were at the bottom of the stairs, he walked her about fourteen steps and eased her down onto what seemed like a bed. Fuck. If this guy tried anything, gun or not, she’d fight like hell to get away.

  He removed the bag from her head, and she blinked several times to adjust to the light. He still wore the mask, but she could see his eyes now. They looked familiar.

  “Who are you?” He didn’t say a word. He reached up and grabbed the top of the ski mask.

  “Oh, my God.” Emily gasped when she saw his face. “How can it be you?”

  “Hi, Nora.” He smiled, and for the first time since she met him, it appeared sadistic. “I knew I’d have you back in my life and soon we’ll do everything we had planned before your brother-in-law ruined everything. They thought they’d hide you from me forever. I knew the second I saw you that they lied. Now, they will never keep us apart again.”

  “I’m not Nora, I’m Emily, and you’re insane.” Emily probably shouldn’t have said the last part because his hand connected with her cheek with a stinging slap.

  “Don’t backtalk me.” He growled. “I’m not going to put up with that. Just ask them.”

  Emily turned to where he pointed, and all the air whooshed out of her lungs. In the corner of the room were four people laying on the floor. They looked dead, and what was worse, she knew them.

  Chapter 27

  “Don’t fucking yell at me,” Sandy shouted probably because he kept screaming at her to hurry and get her friend on video conference. “I can’t do anything if he doesn’t answer.”

  “Kiddo, you must have some way to get him right away.” Keith lowered his voice when baby Alexander made a little cry from the bassinet.

  “All I can tell you is I text him then conference him. He usually….” Before she finished a man’s face popped up on her screen.

  “Sorry, it took so long to answer.” The kid said. He looked no more than sixteen years old, but he worked for the R.C.M.P in Ontario.

  “It’s okay, Lyon. The guy has abducted someone, and we need this A.S.A.P.” Sandy said.

  “Look, kid. Have you got this done?” Keith didn’t have time for introductions.

  “I’m guessing this is your very mannerly boss.” Lyon was clicking on keys as he spoke.

  “Yes, Keith this is Lyon Tu.” Sandy glared at Keith.

  “I promise when you turn nineteen I’ll buy you a drink but right now I need to know if you got the picture done.” Keith pushed.

  “You would be about four years late on that since I’m 23 but to answer your question, I’ve just emailed it to Sandy. Good luck.” He disappeared from the screen, and Sandy brought up her email.

  The picture seemed to take an eternity to open but when it finally did it was as if someone punched Keith in the gut.

  “I was wrong.” He growled. “How the fuck did I not see this?”

  “You know who it is?” Sandy didn’t seem to recognize the man on the screen.

  “Yes, but he’d be the last person I’d suspect.” Keith pulled out his phone.

  “Who is it?” Sandy handed Keith the printout of the picture.

  “Alfred fucking Palmer.” Kurt’s growl was deeper and more frightening then Keith had ever heard it.

  Without a word, he disappeared from the doorway, and Keith ran after him. Kurt was in the car before Keith got to the bottom of the front steps and he’d barely jumped in the car when Kurt peeled out of Ian and Sandy’s driveway.

  “How do you know him?” Keith asked.

  “I knew him in school, but he was older than us. He kind of disappeared after high school for a while and then about twenty-five years ago I ran into him in town. I never liked him, but I’d heard last year he had a stroke.” Kurt took the turn onto the road out of Hopedale.

  “He looks pretty good for someone who had a stroke.” Keith held onto the bar over the door. Kurt didn’t seem to be worried about the speed limit as he hit one-hundred and forty kilometers.

  “I’ve heard things like that can make someone snap, but I never liked the fucker. He always looked down on your dad and me because fadder was a fisherman. The funny thing was we were more well off than he was.”

  “Where did the name Wooly come from?” Keith asked.

  “Who knows? Do you know how to use that radio?” Kurt motioned to the radio on his dash.

  “Yeah.” Keith grabbed the hand mic from the dash.

  “Get as many units out to the Palmers. I don’t think he’s there, but it’s a start.” Something told Keith that there was history between Alfred Palmer and his uncle, but right now the only thing Keith wanted was to find Emily.

  Hang on we’re coming for you, Em.

  Chapter 28

  Emily gasped at the four bodies. He’d killed his family. The man had completely lost his mind. She couldn’t let him take her anywhere, but if she fought him, she’d probably be next.

  “Now, Nora I need to go tie up some loose ends, and I’ll be back. Don’t worry, Honey. I’ll be back by morning.” He bent to kiss her, and she pulled back.

  “Acting so innocent.” He grabbed her face in his hand.
“It’s okay. I know what you like to do.” Emily pressed her lips together as he forced his lips against her.

  He pushed her back on the bed and turned. How she didn’t throw up when his mouth touched her was a miracle, but she didn’t have time for that shit. Emily listened for the car to start. She had to make sure he was gone before she got the hell out of there.

  A few minutes later she heard the tires spin on the gravel and she jumped up off the bed. She lifted her bound hands over her head and brought them down across her hips. Nothing.

  “Fuck,” She glanced around the room and tried to keep from looking at the bodies. There had to be something to cut her free. There was nothing but a bed and a couple of bottles of water on the table. Oh, and the four bodies in the corner.

  Again, she raised her arms over her head and after a quick prayer brought them down across her hips again with all the strength she had. The plastic snapped.

  “Yes.” Emily gasped with relief. Keith would be so proud of her.

  The first thing she did was run up the steps and try the door at the top. It was locked which she expected, but it was worth a try. She ran back down and looked around the room for a window. Nothing.

  As Emily made her way around the room knocking on the wall to see if there was something under the wood she heard a soft moan. Her head snapped to where the bodies were hunched over. She heard it again and sighed. They weren’t dead.

  Emily ran to where Mitchell was curled on his side. He groaned, and she helped him sit up. His face was black and blue, and his wrists were bound the same way hers had. The only difference, it was cut deep into his skin.

  She didn’t know how she was going to break Mitchell out of his binding, but she needed to check the others first. She crawled over to where Judy lay face down on the floor.

  “They’re all dead.” Mitchell sounded like a frog.

  Emily jumped up to grab one of the bottles of water. From the cracked lips and his voice, Mitchell probably hadn’t had anything to drink in a while. She ran back to Mitchell and put the bottle to his mouth.

  “Drink slow,” Emily said. She didn’t know if it was right or not but she didn’t want him to choke. He sipped greedily every time she tipped the bottle.

  “Emily, you need to get out of here.” He lifted his hand to push the bottle away.

  “I realize that but the door is locked, and I don’t see any other way out.” Emily scanned the room again.

  “He’s going to kill me.” Mitchell seemed to be in shock. He was so calm.

  “Why are you still alive?” Not that she wasn’t relieved her friend hadn’t been slaughtered by his father.

  “He wants me to suffer.” Mitchell winced as he tried to sit up straighter.

  “Why?” Emily helped him prop up against the wall.

  “He knows I’m gay.” Mitchell scoffed.

  He was quiet for a moment and glanced over where his mother, sister, and his sister’s fiancé were laying. Dead. How she wasn’t completely losing her mind at that moment, she had no idea.

  “He killed mom first,” Mitchell whispered. “Said she was keeping him from being with the one woman he wanted.”

  “Nora,” Emily sighed.

  “I don’t know what happened to him. He had that stroke last year, and suddenly he’s a crazy man. I didn’t even know he knew your aunt. Hell, I didn’t even know you had one.” Mitchell pointed to the bottle of water and Emily helped him hold it to his lips.

  “It’s a long story but Aunt Nora died in a motorcycle accident, and your dad was driving it,” Emily explained.

  “Dad? Rode a motorcycle?” Mitchell looked as shocked as she was.

  “Look, we need to get out of here. Do you even know where we are?” Emily put her arm around his shoulder and tried to help him stand.

  “It’s the old caretaker’s house on the back of the estate. It’s been abandoned for years. I think we’re in the storage cellar.” Mitchell pushed himself with her help to his feet.

  “That means there are no windows.” Emily groaned. She knew in the old houses around SummerBrook that the storage cellars were built to store food during the winter months and there was only one entrance. There were still a few of them standing around the town.

  Mitchell staggered a little but managed to stay upright. That was progress. She helped him over to the bed, and he sat on the edge. She knelt in front of him and examined his wrists. She could probably break the zip ties, but it was probably going to hurt him and cut his wrists even more.

  “I need to get these off. You wouldn’t have a boy scout knife in your pocket, would you?” Emily gave him a weak smile.

  “You know I was never a boy scout.” Mitchell groaned when she tried to twist the plastic around to see if she could bite through. She was probably going to break a tooth, but she didn’t have a choice. When she bent to put her teeth on the ties, he pulled away.

  “What are you doing?” He asked.

  “They need to come off, and I’ve got nothing to cut it with. I’m going to bite through it.” Emily reached for his hands.

  “Have you ever tried to bite through one of these things?” He asked.

  “Sure, Mitchell. I tie myself up with them all the time just so I can bite through them.” She didn’t mean to be sarcastic, but she was frustrated.

  “Fine but at least wipe off the blood.” He sighed.

  She grabbed the other bottle of water and prepared to pour it over his hands. It would probably sting like hell because it looked red and raw. She started to pour a little water over his wrists slowly. He winced. She didn’t want to see her friend in pain, but it was the only way.

  “I’m so sorry. I know this hurts but can you pull your hands apart as much as you can so I can get a good hold on the plastic.” Emily held up his hands, and he pulled them apart as much as he could. Not that it helped, but at least she wasn’t going to bite his wrist.

  After several minutes and lots of unladylike words, she managed to nip through the ties. Mitchell took off his shirt, and she cleaned his wrists as much as they could. She ripped the shirt and tied it around his wrists.

  “Now what?” He asked.

  “We find a way out of here.” Emily tried to sound confident, but she had no idea what to do next.

  Keith, I need you.

  Chapter 29

  Keith had jumped out of Kurt’s car before it stopped. He winced as he hit the ground running. This wasn’t what the doctor meant by taking it easy. The house was already surrounded by police, but nobody had entered the house. Keith started to run for the entrance, but one of the officers stopped him.

  “What the fuck? I need to get in there.” Keith tried to sidestep, but his uncle bellowed at him.

  “Sorry, that guy says he has the house rigged to explode.” The officer said.

  “Fuck, no.” What if Emily was inside? Where the hell was his family?

  “Keith, over here.” He glanced behind to see a line of men a few feet back. He didn’t doubt they’d be there because they were always there for each other. Keith hurried to where they were stood like some sort of amazing wall of strength. His brothers both blood and not.

  “What do you want to do?” Nick handed him a Kevlar vest.

  “They won’t let us inside.” Keith shrugged into the vest.

  “Whatever you want, bro.” James held out Keith’s weapon.

  “I don’t believe she’s in there.” Mike scanned the treeline around them.

  “This is a pretty big estate.” Truck said.

  “Maybe Sandy can get some sort of aerial view?” Ian was already calling her.

  “Tell her to start from the outside and move inwards toward the house.” Smash had his laptop on top of the car. “I’ll do from the house out.”

  “Guys, thanks for being here.” Keith was so full of emotion that he wasn’t sure how he was keeping the tears back.

  “You don’t need to thank us, bro.” Aaron held up his fist. “We always got your back.”

&n
bsp; “You were there for us, Keith.” John grabbed Keith’s shoulder. “Now it’s our turn to be there for you.”

  “The Superintendent up there says Alf has been streaming live from the attic.” Kurt jogged up to where Keith stood surrounded by everyone.

  “Hey, I see something here.” Smash waved for Keith to come closer.

  “West corner of the property line?” Ian had the phone to his ear.

  “Yeah,” Smash confirmed.

  “Is that a house?” James leaned in closer.

  “It’s about four kilometers that way.” Smash pointed to his left.

  Nobody said another word. They all ran to their trucks and headed in the direction of the little structure. Keith prayed it was where he’d find Emily and prayed harder that she wasn’t hurt or worse.

  Please, Grandda, keep her safe.

  The paths to the place were rough, and they bounced over huge dips in the road. It was killing his ribs and chest, but he didn’t give a fuck. He glanced at his uncle and Keith finally figured out where he got his teeth clenching. Kurt was about to crack off every one of his teeth.

  “There it is.” Kurt slammed on the brakes, and the rear of the car spun in a half circle.

  “Jesus, Uncle Kurt.” Keith held onto the dash to keep from sliding on top of his uncle.

  “You, okay?” Kurt asked as they jumped out of his car.

  “Yeah,” Kurt took off in a run. “Emily, are you here?” He shouted.

  “Keith, be careful,” John yelled from behind him. “You don’t know what’s in there.”

  Keith continued to call Emily’s name as he did a slow circle around the crumbling house. Kurt and his brothers were doing the same but she wasn’t answering, and he had a knot in his gut. He couldn’t be too late. He knew she was still alive. He felt it.

  “We really should wait for the bomb squad to go in there first.” James sighed but like everyone else he was slowly easing his way closer to the house.