by J. A. Owenby
I held it up. “Anything else?” I asked, stalling for time.
He tossed Lola on the table and strapped her ankles and wrists down. “No. That’s all.”
I made my way over to her slowly. It was then that I saw the cuts and bruises on her breasts and stomach. One of her eyes was swollen shut. He’d beaten her badly. No wonder she hadn’t fought him. She had nothing left inside her, no strength and no will to live. She blinked at me as though she were trying to focus, then she closed her eye and groaned.
“Here.” Jack held his hand out, and I handed him the gag.
I wondered if Lola understood what was about to happen. I didn’t. Logically, I did, but I’d learned a long time ago that understanding a situation and living through it were often two completely different things.
Swallowing hard, I looked at my father. How had I ended up here next to a murderer? I wondered how many kids had a serial killer for a father. My fury rose to a boiling point, but I couldn’t act on it. Fuck you, universe!
Jack whistled while he prepared his tray. “I don’t bother cleaning the tools. It’s not like she’ll get an infection.” He laughed at his own joke.
I held my breath, counting the minutes until …
“Well.” He paused and stared at me. “This is our first of many father-daughter killings. I never imagined life could be so fun.”
“It’s strange how things turned out, isn’t it?” I squared my shoulders and tightened the hatches on my emotions. It wasn’t the time to feel anything. “Show me how it’s done.”
Jack paused, searching me for any sign that I wasn’t ready. My heart hammered against my chest.
“Excellent. I was really shaky the first time I did this, so I’m going to teach you the proper technique. Just take a step back and watch. If you have to puke, there’s the drain.” He nodded toward the opening in the floor. “It’s not uncommon to get sick during the first few skinnings, but it will get better.”
Jesus. How am I going to remain conscious? The room spun around me and I pushed my fingernails into the palms of my hands. The sharp sting of bile cleared my hazy mind and I swallowed hard.
“First, you hold the knife just so.” He gripped the handle tightly.
“Wait. The lighting sucks from this side, and I can’t see.” I leaned around the table to get a better angle.
Jack looked up at the overhead light. “I hadn’t considered how it would look from the other side. Come over here next to me, then.”
I joined him, now facing the entrance. Little beads of sweat dotted my brows. “That’s better. Maybe the moonlight filtering through the window in the door is helping.”
Jack bent over an unmoving Lola. “In order to remove the longest piece of skin, I always begin with the left side of the shoulder. Thinner pieces are easier to manage as well.” He glanced at me. “Does that make sense? I start at the top and go all the way down her arm.”
I nodded, staring at Lola.
He straightened up, his attention focusing on me. “I’m really glad you’re here, Tensley. I’ve dreamed about having you in my life for years.” He offered me a genuine smile, which sent shudders through my body.
“Me too, Dad.” I conjured up tears like I had when I was a little kid. “I’ve always wondered where I came from, and now I know. Thank you.”
He grinned, then made the first cut on Lola’s skin. Her one good eye flew open and bulged grotesquely. I steadied myself as her muffled screams filled the room. The small space began to spin, and I bit my lip, tasting the metallic blood on my tongue. I couldn’t pass out. I wouldn’t pass out.
Jack ran the knife down her arm, grinning widely. “Just like this. Watch your shoes. Eventually, the blood drips to the floor and splatters.” He continued to talk as he strategically selected the next place to cut. He leaned over Lola, focusing on his work.
One. Two. Three. I raised my arm up and plunged the scalpel into the side of his neck. A scream ripped from my throat as his blood spurted into my face.
Staggering backward, Jack knocked over the surgical tray as he tumbled to the ground, landing on his back with a thud. His terrified gaze connected with mine as he attempted to pull the scalpel from his neck.
“Goddammit, die!” I kicked him in the ribs. “Fucking die!”
Before I realized it, he grabbed my ankle and jerked me down with him. His words came out in a gurgle, but the flash of the knife he’d used on Lola caught my eye. I scrambled backward, but he wouldn’t let go of my foot, and the floor was too slick. I wasn’t able to make any traction.
The door flew open with a bang, and another scream ripped from my lips.
“FBI. Nobody move!”
In one final attempt, Jack plunged the blade down into my lower leg. White-hot pain seared through me. Then I blacked out.
25
White light blinded my vision and I bolted upright, releasing a gut-wrenching scream.
“Babe! Babe! It’s me, Layne. You’re in the hospital. You’re safe. Jesus, babe, you’re safe.”
I scanned my surroundings. My pulse was racing so fast, I thought I would have a heart attack. Finally, I connected with the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. “Layne?” My hands immediately moved to his face. “You’re alive? Did he hurt you?” I asked, the octave of my voice rising.
He gave me a sad smile. “I’m fine, Ten. I’m fine.”
“I’m not hallucinating?” I kissed him tentatively. If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up. I would rather spend an eternity in a coma, dreaming about the man I loved, than living a day without him in reality. Big tears streamed down my cheeks as he kissed me in return. “Layne. Oh my God. Layne.” I threw my arms around his neck and held on to him for dear life while I finally broke down and sobbed.
“You’re safe.” He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed my back while I cried. “He’s gone.”
I picked my head up off his shoulder. “What?”
“He bled out.”
I frowned as my memory struggled to piece everything together. Dark circles shadowed Layne’s eyes. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been gone, but it was apparent he hadn’t slept at all. He was still wearing the blue shirt he’d had on the night I was taken.
A chair scraped the tile floor and I nearly shot out of bed. I hadn’t realized Marilyn and Franklin were also in the room.
“Oh, hon, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Marilyn said, approaching me. “We were so terrified.” She grabbed me and hugged me tightly.
“Benji, Avery, Michael? Are they all okay?” I needed to know everyone was unharmed before I could settle down.
Compassion filled her eyes as she tucked my dirty blond hair behind my ear. “Everyone is safe and sound.” Her hand shook slightly as she smoothed her burgundy top. She was exhausted. “They want to see you. Benji has been out of his head with worry. I just didn’t think it would do him any good to be here until you woke up. He and Avery are at the house with Michael, waiting for me to let them know when you’re coming home. But before I do, the FBI wants to talk to you.”
Franklin cleared his throat and approached me. “I’ll be right here with you, Tensley.”
“Thank you.” I leaned back against my pillow, refusing to let go of Layne or Marilyn’s hand. A sharp pain shot up my shin, and I whimpered. “My leg. What happened?”
Concern clouded Marilyn’s expression. “Do you remember anything, Tensley? It would be a blessing if you didn’t.”
I blew out a big breath. Flashes of Jack and Lola hammered my mind. “I stabbed him in the neck.” My body trembled. “Are you positive he’s dead?”
“Yes. He won’t ever hurt you or anyone else again,” Layne said gently. “You got him in the carotid artery. Your aim was exceptional.”
I nodded, then burst into tears again. That sick son of a bitch was dead. He couldn’t ever harm or kill anyone again.
“We’ll be right here as you give the FBI and police details, honey,” Marilyn said, reassuring me that I wouldn�
�t be alone.
“Lola. Did she make it?” My brows knitted together as images of Lola’s broken body bombarded my memory.
“You saved her life, Ten. She’s in the hospital, recovering as well.” Layne rubbed my arm as he updated me on the events.
“I wonder if she’ll hate me or thank me. How will she live with the nightmares of what he did to her?” A dull thud filled my head at the thought.
“She’ll have a lot of support and help, just like you.” Marilyn leaned over and kissed my forehead. “The FBI and police are here. Are you ready to talk to them?”
I wiped the tears from my face and nodded. The faster I did, the faster I could move on. Or at least I hoped. I wasn’t just worried about Lola moving on—I wasn’t sure how I would either. My gaze landed on two men as they approached me.
“Miss Bennett, I’m Agent Tanner, and this is Detective Smith. We’d like to ask you a few questions. You’re not in any trouble at all. We just want to know what happened. It will help us in other cases like this. It’s not often a victim lives through this, much less two.”
I flinched. I never wanted to be referred to as a victim again.
“Gentleman, I’m Tensley’s attorney, Franklin Harrington.” Franklin extended his hand to each of them.
“I wasn’t a victim. I’m Jack Flannery’s daughter.” My voice sounded foreign as the words left my lips. “He wanted to train me to work alongside him. He took me to teach me.”
Marilyn gasped, and her hand flew over her mouth. Layne blinked excessively, staring at me in shock, then his fists clenched and unclenched as his body grew rigid. The horror of what I was about to share overwhelmed me. Once I spoke it out loud, it would become even more real. My stomach churned. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Marilyn grabbed the blue plastic barf bag and I closed my eyes, but it didn’t seem to help. All I wanted was to not relive the trauma.
After a minute, my nerves calmed down a little bit. “I’m okay. Thanks.”
Detective Smith spoke gently. “I can’t imagine how difficult this is for you. I’m sorry we need to dredge up the horrible experience, but if it helps us catch another killer—if it helps us understand how they think—then you’ll be saving lives. You’ve already saved women across the United States just by ending Jack Flannery’s life.”
I nodded.
“We were informed that you were his daughter when you went missing. Can you tell us what happened?” Agent Tanner asked.
I released Marilyn’s hand and rubbed my forehead. “Matthew Collier called from Barney’s and said I’d dropped my driver’s license when I was there the night before. Layne and I went to pick it up.” Every nerve ending inside me stood on end while I attempted to grasp the racing thoughts of what had happened to Layne.
“When we got there, he pulled a gun on us and tied and blindfolded Layne. There was a back door to the office. I never even knew it existed. Jack came in that way. Then he shot Matthew because he was about to kill me.” My focus drifted to my boyfriend as I recalled the last thing I’d said to him that night. I loved him. “If anything had happened …” I choked on my cries.
Layne stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. “I’m right here, babe.”
“Take your time,” Detective Smith said.
I didn’t want to take my time. I wanted it over with. Shoving all feelings and fear away, I tilted my chin in the air and made eye contact with Agent Tanner. “After he took me from Barney’s, I woke up where you found us. I tried to gain his trust and figure a way out. Eventually, he dropped his guard just a little bit because he asked me to get a gag out of his backpack. I guess he forgot he had a surgical scalpel in it. It was tucked away, so he probably didn’t even know it was there.” I shuddered. My attention traveled to Layne’s reassuring expression, then back to the detective and agent. “He began … cutting Lola. When he bent over her, I had access to his neck, and I stabbed him. He fell and took me with him. The last thing I remember is the FBI bursting through the door and a horrible pain in my lower leg. That’s it.” I blew out a breath.
“Did he talk about how he chose his victims?” Detective Smith asked.
“Yeah. He said that he identified their vulnerability, then became what they needed. Lola had just lost her best friend to cancer. She was lonely, grieving. He became the friend she needed and gained her trust. It wasn’t long before he was able to worm his way into her life and heart.”
“We’ve been tracking him across eleven states.” Agent Tanner smiled softly. “If it weren’t for you, we’d still be looking for him.”
I sat up in bed. “How? How did you find us?” We’d been in the middle of God only knew where. I doubted there was even a phone signal out there.
Layne cleared his throat. “When you told me that Jack had caught you in the restroom at Barney’s the night of the party—”
“What?” Marilyn’s eyes widened in horror. “That son of a bitch was there?”
“He wasn’t there to hurt me. Scare me, yes, but he said he wanted to meet his daughter. I couldn’t tell you guys. He said he’d kill you all if I did.” My voice cracked because I was so relieved that the nightmare was over.
“And the cute bartender let him in?” Marilyn shook her head in disbelief.
“He’s not a problem anymore,” Layne said in a low tone, the muscle in his jaw tightening as anger clouded his expression. “I knew he was trouble. I should have trusted my gut. I knew something was off about him, and it wasn’t just that he was interested in Tensley.”
I took his hand and kissed the back of it. “It’s not your fault. But how did you find us?”
“Ten, for some reason, I felt I could trust Vaughn, the bodyguard with two different-colored eyes, would be able to keep my secret and help us. The same night Jack caught you in the bathroom and you confided in me, I located Vaughn while he was on duty at Michael and Marilyn’s house. You were sound asleep when I snuck out and spoke to him. He did go to his boss, but they agreed to keep it under wraps. I guess Pierce works with the FBI sometimes and he was worried if there were additional bodyguards around, it would tip Jack off. Anyway, Sutton, Pierce’s wife and tech genius, gave Vaughn what he needed. When Avery was over, I slipped downstairs, grabbed your coat, and made a small tear in the fabric. I slipped a locator device inside the filling of your jacket. But I didn’t get to chip your shoes in time. Vaughn said the first place Jack would look was your phone, so we steered clear of it.”
“You guys put a chip in my coat?” I sank back in the bed and hid my face in my hands. Forcing back the tears, I sat up and wrapped my arms around Layne’s neck. “Thank you. You saved my life.”
“I was terrified, babe.” Layne gripped me tighter. “If you’d lost the coat, I would have never been able to forgive myself.”
“No.” I pulled away from him, and my thumb gently stroked his cheek. “You had the courage to do something. You not only saved my life but also Lola’s. Even though I killed Jack, Lola and I would have died up there. It was freezing cold, and she didn’t have any shoes or clothes. I couldn’t carry her either.”
“I love you.” Layne gave me a gentle kiss.
“I love you too.”
Marilyn let out a shaky breath. “Well, my goodness, that was a lot to take in. Agent Tanner, Detective Smith, do you have any additional questions for my daughter? If not, I think she needs some rest.”
My eyebrow arched. She’d referred to me as her daughter. She and Michael had always said I was family, but this was different. She’d stated it in public to the authorities.
“No. We can follow up later if we need anything else. Thank you for your time, Miss Bennett. I hope you have a speedy recovery.”
The room fell silent as we all watched them leave.
“I’m so sorry to just spring that on you. It just flew out of my mouth.” Marilyn grabbed a chair, took my hand again, and sat down. “Michael and I realize that you’re twenty-one, but we wanted to … Well, honey, we want to
adopt you.”
“What?” I couldn’t contain my surprise. “But I’m legal. I don’t need parents.” The moment it slipped out of my mouth, I knew it wasn’t an accurate statement. I needed them. I needed a family.
“It’s not about how old you are. You always need parents. If you agree, you’ll be in our will with Benji. We’ve been thinking about this for a while. Benji has always wanted a sister, and we all love you dearly. We already consider you our daughter, and we would love to make it official. We understand that we could do all of this without adopting you, but this way, you’d legally be recognized as our daughter, and you’d have a family. Forever.” Marilyn’s eyes misted over, and she grabbed a tissue from the box on the table next to my bed.
I was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears streamed down my cheeks. “Yes. I’d love to officially be a part of the family.”
“Oh.” Marilyn fanned her face with her hand and laughed. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day. Michael and Benji will be elated. Franklin already connected us with an attorney, so he’ll draw up all the appropriate paperwork. We’ll review everything and sign, and then it’s legal.”
I glanced at Layne, who dabbed his eyes.
“Will my last name be Parker?” I mentally sounded out Tensley Parker. I liked it a lot. Plus, it signified a new beginning.
Marilyn’s focus cut to Layne then back to me. “It’s up to you. You can take Parker, or you can hyphenate it, but I have a sneaking suspicion your name will change again soon.”
My eyes widened, and I glanced at Layne. A huge smile eased across his gorgeous face. He remained silent but placed a sweet kiss on the back of my hand.
“Excellent. This will be done up in no time. Welcome to the family.” Marilyn stood and wrapped me in a warm embrace. “We’ll have a big celebration as soon as it’s done and you’re feeling better. Does that sound okay, daughter?” Marilyn’s expression lit up with her smile.
“Thanks… Mom.” I clung to her, reveling in the fact that I finally had a mother who loved me. I had parents who would protect me, teach me, and share my life with me every step of the way.