Perfectly Loved

by Lacey Silks

  “And you never wondered why?”

  “I just thought he was a troublemaker.”

  The old man laughed, “He is, but not only that.”

  I gave him a questioning look, after which he continued. “Believe it or not, Millie’s father, the old Carlton, was even a bigger son of a bitch than Mark, but he found a way to use him.” He sat down on a three-legged chair, which wobbled as he found his balance. “I should have told him to stay away from my family, but we didn’t have much. Carlton was the one who convinced us to apply for foster care. And then his daughter ended up in our hands. To this day, I don’t think that was by chance. He taught Mark how to pick pockets, how to steal, lie, and cheat the system along with a lot of other crap I’m too old to repeat. But if you know Mark, then you can imagine the rest. I’m not saying that we’re saints, but we’re no rapists or child molesters or murderers.”

  Like Mark.

  “Where is Millie’s father now?”

  “Dead.”

  “So, that’s it. Mark’s got his revenge. Old Carlton’s is dead.”

  “It’s not that easy.” Mr. Savage lit a cigarette he removed from his pocket. “I’m surprised she hasn’t told you.” His brows scrunched. “Or, well, maybe she didn’t know. Old Carlton was a conniving man. He could brainwash anyone, and took a special interest in Mark for a reason.”

  No, no, no… I could feel where he was going with this, and my stomach twisted.

  “When I married my wife, she was pregnant already. We lied that Mark wasn’t his; but he knew the woman he raped, Mark’s mother, was carrying his child.”

  “Mark is Millie’s half-brother?”

  “And he’s been after the man who raped his mother to get revenge on the daughter who happens to be his half-sister. He learned from his own father how to be the asshole that he needed to be, and there was nothing we could have done to stop it. I’m willing to bet Mark had a hand in old Carlton’s murder as well.”

  Twisted.

  “I see that look on your face.” He puffed out gray smoke. “You had no idea, did you? I’m surprised Mark’s never mentioned this to Millie. He’s been obsessed with her for a long time.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Like I said… he came here for smokes, and left just as fast.”

  “Where do you think he could be?”

  “Wherever she is.”

  Shit!

  A familiar fear began to creep in from the bottom of my spine, climbing the vertebrae like a ladder. I should have stayed with Millie the entire time. I should have known that Savage would follow her. I’d seen it in his determined eyes, full of mistrust and hate.

  I mumbled Thanks and I’m sorry as I ran to my car. I speed-dialed Millie once more, but she didn’t pick up.

  Damn it!

  I sped along the highway, then on side roads, breaking the laws I usually enforced. I wished I had my cruiser, so that I could listen to the police over the two-way. Without it, I felt like a blind man trying to find a rainbow in the sky. Maybe she was okay. Savage didn’t know about the Bowers residence. He couldn’t have. No matter what happened tonight, I’d make sure that he never breathed again. But could I really kill Millie’s second brother?

  Fuck!

  Why did life have to be so complicated?

  That bastard didn’t deserve to be related to her. White clouds swirled behind me, and the closer I got to the mountains, the more snow fell. The thick flakes seemed determined to block my view. It should have been dark by now, but the amount of fluff falling from the sky somewhat illuminated everything. It was thick and heavy and stuck to the windows like glue.

  In my mind, I knew I should have eased my foot off the pedal, but I couldn’t. That is, until I came to that fork in the road and remembered how Millie had told me that the old house felt familiar to her. Instinct called me to drive there now, but I stayed on the road to Mrs. Bowers’ instead.

  I floored the gas pedal, cursing at myself that I hadn’t gotten Millie a gun — but with her aim, maybe it was better that she didn’t have one. As I got closer to the house, I turned off the headlights, rolled the car down the small hill on neutral, and parked at least one hundred feet away, where the bushes obscured me from view. I pulled out my gun and set it ready, pointing into the darkness. The kitchen light in Mrs. Bowers’ house was on, and Millie’s car was parked in front. I stepped out and headed toward the door. I didn’t start running until I saw the mixed footsteps and the pattern of a struggle in the fresh layer of snow.

  No!

  Drops of blood were scattered across the front steps, some sinking into the white puffs, others smudged with footsteps. I pushed the door open. With my elbows tucked to my sides and the gun tightly gripped in front, I peered in.

  The family room was empty, the couch overturned, and pieces of shattered lamps, vases, and other knick-knacks Mrs. Bowers normally kept over the mantle littered the floor. A plant lay on its side in the corner, its soil spilled over the hardwood. I pressed my back against the wall, scanning the small house, when I heard a moan from behind the kitchen counter.

  I couldn’t get there fast enough and slipped on my way. Mrs. Bowers lay on the floor. Her heavy breaths were labored. Blood dripped from above her brow and from her hand, and that’s when I realized what I slipped in.

  “Mrs. Bowers, it’s Dave.”

  The side of her mouth twitched as she tried to smile and her eyes opened. It looked like it took all of her strength to do so. My hand was on the phone in seconds as I dialed 911 and assessed her injuries.

  “Is he still here?” I whispered

  She shook her head.

  “I need an ambulance, and police.” I gave the operator the address and quickly described Savage to the officer I was patched through to.

  Mrs. Bowers coughed out blood, and I helped her to lie on her side so she wouldn’t choke. She shut her eyes in pain. I didn’t even want to know what the bastard had done to her to put her in this condition. Her hand clutched her side, right underneath the ribcage. She didn’t look good at all, but I kept that to myself.

  “Do you know where he took Millie?” I asked.

  “No.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Dave, you must find her. He’ll kill her.” She let out an exhausted breath and closed her eyes.

  “I promise I will. As soon as the ambulance gets here.” Which I knew could take too long in this weather, and Millie probably didn’t have a lot of time either.

  “Go. Now!”

  “I can’t leave you.”

  “You can, and you will. I’ve lived my life, and if it’s time to go, then it’s time to go.”

  She closed her eyes again, resting her head on her arm. I propped a pillow there and covered her cold body with a blanket.

  “Okay, I will.”

  Her eyes shot open. I couldn’t live with myself if I lost Millie.

  “Is there a shortcut to the old house? Through the forest?”

  She nodded and pointed a shaky hand to a drawer. I pulled it open. Underneath the utensils was a hand-drawn map of the Bowers property and the adjoining one as well. The shortcut through the forest was definitely quicker than taking the car — and quieter. My only obstacle was the water.

  “But the river—”

  “I’ll manage.”

  She closed her eyes again. Her breaths were more desperate and her skin paler than when I’d arrived. I dragged another blanket off the couch and covered her with that one as well.

  “I’ll get Millie, but you have to do something for me – actually for Millie.”

  “I’m not sure I can, dear.”

  “You have to. Because Millie would never forgive me if I left her grandmother to die. So you have to pull through this or that happily-ever-after is not going to happen for us, and the hell that froze over for you will thaw out.”

  Confusion filled her eyes as she tried to make sense of what I had said.

  “Millie is Molly. Or Molly is Millie. I don’t know… But I know t
hat she’s your granddaughter, Mrs. Bowers. I found out today. So if I go to find her, you promise me that you will hold on and pull through, so your granddaughter can see you alive.”

  Uncontrollable tears streaked down her cheeks, and I felt my throat shut tight. She was sobbing and kept pushing me away, mouthing Go over and over again, completely lost to all the emotions that must have been held within her for all the years she’d been praying to find her granddaughter.

  Squeezing her hand tight and kissing her on the forehead, feeling guilty, I left.

  It would probably take another good fifteen minutes before the ambulance got there. But Millie was in danger. Grateful for the signal on my cell phone, I called Justin and April to come to the hospital.

  Armed with a flashlight and the map, with the gun tucked into the holster at my chest, I headed toward the forest and the river. It took me only a few minutes to reach the broken tree where I’d sat with Millie several days ago and fallen into the cold river. Well, now that water was freezing, but this was my only chance to cross it. There was no question I’d get wet, but hopefully I could jump far enough to only dip my boots into the cold water. The snow and cold temperatures made the bark feel like ice as I climbed up and inched over to the end, the branch dipping under my weight. I stepped as far out as I could without jeopardizing a break, about three-quarters of the way toward the shore, and then lunged forward. The momentum of my bounce pushed the branch lower than I expected and I landed a foot away from the shore, knee deep in the freezing water. I crawled out of the river and ran through the snow-covered brushes and grasses, ignoring the numbness in my legs.

  Guided by instinct, I weaved through the forest and then crossed the fields. If I correctly remembered the drawing on the map, the old house wasn’t far from here. I prayed that Millie was all right. My feet felt like icicles. A faint light glowed in the distance.

  Finally.

  Behind me, sirens echoed. The ambulance had to be close to Mrs. Bowers’ house by now.

  I moved toward the house. The snow squeaked underneath my soles, making my planned ambush impossible. Were they even there? What if they weren’t? The shattered windows appeared black, as if leading into a dark hole.

  But I thought I saw light. It wasn’t until I turned at a right angle that the glow returned.

  No footsteps were visible in the snow, but the flakes were so heavy, they would have covered any trail within minutes. My feet were heavier with each step, feeling more like glaciers than flesh. It took half my energy not to concentrate on how cold they were and how stiff my wet jeans had become. The front door swung back and forth, and I stepped inside cautiously, looking for any sign of Millie.

  A loud bang pierced my ears and a bright light flashed on my right. A sensation of warmth filled my belly, and I knew I’d been shot.

  Chapter 25

  Millie

  Present time

  Dave’s body thumped to the ground. Savage lit the candle and crouched by Dave’s limp form. Blood was oozing from his belly, and I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs.

  “You bastard!” I shot off my chair and jumped onto his back, punching him over and over again in all the places my hands could reach. I clung onto him, digging my nails into his skin. Somewhere during the struggle, I found his face and stuck my fingers into his eyes. He screamed and pulled on my arm with all his strength, flipping me over his whole body and onto the floor.

  “You fucking bitch! You’re going to pay for this.”

  “Not before you die asshole.” I lunged at him again but met his fist instead. He hit me square on my jaw and I passed out again. I regained consciousness with aching pain in my face. There were now a handful of candles melting into a puddle on a kitchen counter that wouldn’t last long. What was it with Savage and candles? Wasn’t it enough that he’d burned down his own house with them?

  “Millie? Millie?” Dave’s voice drew my gaze toward him. He was tied to the chair I’d sat on earlier, his eye swollen and his body trembling. His skin was pale and his lips almost purple. And why were his pants wet?

  “I thought you were dead,” I cried.

  “It’ll take a bit more than a bullet to get rid of me.”

  “You’re losing blood.” I crawled on all fours toward him and kissed his frozen lips.

  He looked down to the red stain on his jacket and winced in pain. It must have been bad if Dave was willing to show how much he was hurting.

  “I think the bullet went out my back.”

  “Where’s Savage?” I whispered.

  “Bathroom. He wasn’t sure if you’d wake. He’ll be back soon. Can you undo these?”

  “Yes.” I tried to untie the ropes, but my fingers were too stiff. I grabbed a piece of window glass and pulled it back and forth over the knot without a care that it was slicing through my palms. If Savage didn’t kill us soon, we’d freeze to death, and I wasn’t sure Mrs. Bowers meant for us to die when her hell froze over.

  “He beat up Mrs. Bowers. He was so mean to her.” I felt the tears prickle my cheeks as I cut with persistence. “I know I’m not always that nice to her either, but he was just so mean, I couldn’t take it, and I’m afraid she’ll die and we’ll lose both her and the farm.”

  “She’s at the hospital, Millie. I sent April and Justin to see her.”

  “How was she? And please don’t lie to me.”

  “Not too good, baby. I… I had to leave her to come here. But I heard the ambulance soon after.”

  The rope was hard and nearly frozen from the cold and the glass began cutting through my fingers as well.

  “Dave, I can’t get it.”

  “Are there any knives in the kitchen?”

  “No.” I had rummaged through it enough; but then remembered that there was something else that I put there. I quickly got the gun from the cabinet and stuffed it into the back of my jeans, hoping that it wouldn’t go off and I wouldn’t shoot myself in my ass. Dave’s eyes grew wide and I pressed my fingers to my lips to stay quiet. I then went back to Dave and continued cutting the ropes when Savage walked back into the room.

  “Get the fuck away from him,” he screamed and darted my way, shaking his gun at me. Savage shoved me to the side and I slid across the bloody floor on my ass, all the way to the other side of the room.

  “If he doesn’t bleed to death, he’s going to freeze.”

  “Do I look like I give a fuck?”

  I backed away as he waved his gun toward me, until the back wall blocked my way.

  “Come on, Mark. You don’t want to kill us, do you? I’m sure there’s something else you want,” I said in a sexier voice, and from the corner of my eye saw Dave’s face twist in disapproval.

  “What can I do for you, Mark? You didn’t drag me out here to kill me, did you?”

  “I came here to make you pay for your whore mother’s mistakes.”

  I shook my head. “So, get it over with, Mark. Just do what you have to do and get it over with.”

  I drew my hands up slowly, unbuttoning my shirt until the top of my bra showed. Savage approved of the move, grasped at the junction, and tore down until the buttons clattered to the floor. He then grabbed me by my hair and dragged me upstairs. Dave screamed after us. Pain tore through his voice as he repeated my name. While I wanted to twist away and reach for the gun at my back, I couldn’t. Savage had his own barrel perfectly aligned with the back of my neck.

  I didn’t know how or when, but Savage had managed to get a mattress up here, right on top of the old rusted bed frame that remained in the room from years past. His gaze never wavered from me, denying me the chance to draw my gun. He shoved me down and shackled me to the metal bed frame. My wrists were tied above my head to the bed frame and my feet spread apart, fastened to the corner bedposts. My crotch ached from the stretch. The gun I’d stashed behind my back jutted into my spine where the nail had pierced me earlier. But the pain there was nothing compared to what I was sure was about to happen. And after that, he’d kill m
e, and he’d likely shoot Dave as well.

  Savage left for a couple of minutes and returned with the black cloth he had originally unrolled in the kitchen. I could no longer hear Dave and feared the worst.

  “What did you do?” I had no more tears, and the ripping fear consumed me.

  “Gagged him. I’ll get him up here once you’re ready. I’m sure he’d like to watch.”

  He’s sick.

  Savage removed a pair of scissors from among the items wrapped into the cloth. They curved in an odd way. He started at the bottom of my pant leg, pulling them upward. The metal blade pressed along my skin, but my legs were so cold I could barely feel its temperature. My body must have gone into preservation mode because it was shaking. My teeth clattered one against another, and I couldn’t think.

  Once Savage was done with one side, he started on the second until I was left in my panties. He then cut the shirt off me and I was bare, my undergarments barely covering me.

  “Don’t move, asshole.”

  At first I thought Dave’s voice was just a dream. And then everything happened so quickly while I was helpless. Savage jumped up on the bed near my head. I could see the scissors nearing my throat in slow motion.

  Shoot! I screamed in my mind, but couldn’t get the words out.

  It wasn’t until that last inch, almost as the blade touched my neck, that I heard Dave fire. The shot boomed in my ears repetitively. It deafened me. I saw Dave’s lips moving but couldn’t hear him as he unfastened the ropes around my ankles and my hands and then held me in his arms. Savage’s limp body lay on the floor, blood spilling from underneath him.

  “Water? Warm water?” I heard him ask, and shook my head. But it felt like my entire body was shaking. Dave removed his jacket from his shoulders and wrapped me into it, holding me close to his body. It didn’t help the trembles, but did make me feel better. He then removed his own shirt and I helped him tie it around his torso to prevent any further loss of blood. I didn’t know when he’d called for help, but the sirens sounded minutes later. I didn’t want to peel away from him.