by HELEN HARDT
Ruby shook her head. “He’s one smart and sneaky son of a bitch. But he’ll trip up sometime, and when he does, I will be there, handcuffs in hand.”
Her blue eyes burned like hot fire. I had no doubt that Ruby would be there. And I had no doubt that she would see her father behind bars at some point in the future. The near future, if the Steels and I had anything to say about it.
Chapter Four
Jonah
In the back of my mind, I had always wondered how I would react if I had to stare down the barrel of a gun.
People always said your life flashed before your eyes.
Mine didn’t.
Perhaps if I’d still had Melanie, or perhaps if I still felt needed by my family, I would’ve feared for my life.
But I didn’t.
Melanie was gone because I had betrayed her. Let her down. And Talon had Jade now. Thanks to Melanie, he was healing, and he and Jade would have a beautiful life together.
Neither of them needed me anymore.
No one needed me.
Except for…
The man in the basement.
I could not leave him here to be further abused by these two degenerates.
So I decided to bluff.
“You think I’m scared of your fucking gun? I called the police five minutes ago. They’ll be here anytime. So kill me if you want to, but the poor guy downstairs will rat you out if I’m not here. He’s gone. I let him go.” I looked to Tom. “He knows your name, Tom. I told him everything. And even if he’s too weak to talk? Larry Wade told me everything. He rolled over on you two sick fucks, and they will find you eventually.”
I knew from Talon that the third abductor had brown eyes, not blue like the masked man, but oddly, my comment got his attention. His blue eyes narrowed slightly, and I zeroed in on them.
Something sinister lurked behind those eyes. They were cold. Harsh. Unreal.
“Nice timing,” Tom said to him, his voice icy and unwavering. It was an act, though. Sweat dripped from his hairline.
“I saw his car. A beamer parked a block or so away. Big red flag. That’s why I put on the mask. What’d you do? Walk in without a mask or a gun? Without checking out your surroundings? Your overconfidence is going to get you killed. Dumb fuck.” The man in black turned to me. “What’d you say about Larry Wade?”
“Don’t listen to him,” Tom said. “Larry would never roll over. I’ve made sure of it.”
“Really?” I laughed. “How do you think I found you?” Another bluff, but one that worked.
Tom raised his eyebrows.
I turned to the man in the mask, the one with the gun, which was finally starting to fuel my fear. Hold it together, Joe.
“And you… What should I call you? You go by so many different names.”
“You’re bluffing,” the masked man said.
I stood my ground, desperately hoping I wouldn’t piss myself. “You want to take that chance? They’ll be here before you can kill me and catch the guy in the basement. So go ahead. Shoot. Then you’ll be arrested for my murder as well as for all the other vile shit you’ve done.”
“Shit.” The man turned to Tom. “I’m out of here.”
Tom tried to stand but fell back onto the sofa. “You’re going to fucking leave me here? To get caught? After all these years? All I’ve done for you?”
“Jesus fucking Christ.” He yanked Tom off the sofa. “Hop out to the car, for God’s sake. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
They left quickly.
I gulped down relief as a blue car—a Mustang—skidded across the gravel, taking Tom and the masked man with it. Nausea swelled in my throat.
I had just bluffed my way out of being shot.
Damn, I had to take a shit.
But first, I had to call the cops. For real this time. I yanked my cell phone out of my back pocket, and then I heard some scratching behind me.
I turned.
The poor man had made his way up the stairs and was on his hands and knees, falling toward me.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket and ran to him. “My God. Here.” I picked him up—he weighed no more than Melanie—and laid him on the couch. “Let me get you a glass of water.”
I ran to the kitchen, found a cup, quickly filled it, and brought it back to him. I put a pillow under him to perch his head and shoulders up. I held the cup up to his lips. “Not too much at first. Your system needs to get used to it.”
After he had taken a couple of sips, I set the cup on an end table.
“Can you tell me who you are?”
“Kahh…” His voice cracked and turned to a whisper.
“It’s okay. You’ll get your strength back, and then you’ll be able to tell me.” I ran into the bedroom and found a pair of sweatpants. I brought them back out to the man and helped him struggle into them. Now at least he didn’t have to be ashamed of his nakedness.
Unfortunately, the odor of waste had ascended with the young man. He needed a shower badly, but right now, I wasn’t sure he had the strength. I could at least get a warm cloth and wipe his face and hands for him.
“Hold tight. I’ll be right back.” I went quickly into the kitchen and soaked a dishrag in warm water. I returned and rubbed it over his face and hands.
“Can you tell me anything?”
“Kahh…” he said again.
“Yes, I’m going to call the cops.” I reached to grab my phone out of my back pocket, but the man touched my forearm. I looked into his eyes. They were greenish brown.
“Kahh-lin.”
Chapter Five
Melanie
I had a million more questions for Ruby—starting with the other names her father used, everything that Gina had told her, how she had escaped—but I wasn’t sure where to begin.
Ruby picked up the bottle of wine sitting next to us on the floor and held it up. “You mind?”
“Please, help yourself.” I held up my glass so she could top it off as well.
She took a sip of her now refilled glass. “Melanie…”
“Yeah?”
“I’d appreciate it if you…didn’t tell anyone I was here. You know, since it’s no longer technically my case and I’m off the clock.”
“Of course. Except I would like your permission to talk to my…” My what? What was Jonah to me now? Until I knew, and until I had his and Talon’s permission to discuss their situation with Ruby, I had better keep mum. “Never mind.”
“You want to talk to someone else about this?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Fair enough. But this isn’t a secret as far as I’m concerned. I’m not out to protect my father.”
I took a sip of wine. “Then there are a few people I’ll need to tell, but I don’t know when. In the meantime, do you mind talking a little bit about Gina?”
“No, I can talk about it. I’ve come to terms with what happened—well, as best as I can.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have to remember that I didn’t know Gina until I met my father. She was quite a bit younger than I was, by about eight years. And in case you’re wondering, that makes me thirty-two.” Ruby smiled. “I’m not one of those women who has problems telling people how old she is.”
“I’m not either. I’m forty, if you want to know.”
“You look great.”
I laughed. “So do you.” She truly did. Her skin was flawless. Even without makeup, she had a lovely natural blush to her complexion. Why she downplayed her looks, I didn’t know, but I had my suspicions.
“Thanks. Anyway, when I ran away, I was fifteen, and Gina was seven. It wasn’t until she found me as an adult that she told me what my father had done to her. I’ve always felt a lot of guilt about that. If I hadn’t left, he would’ve done it to me, and perhaps she would have been spared.”
Guilt. It emanated from Ruby like a black aura.
Seemed everyone I’d met lately was suffering with guilt…along with me.
“You can’t take that on your shoulders,” I said. “What your father did to Gina lies at his feet, not at yours. Not at anyone’s except his.”
“Yeah, I know all that. And I know you’re a shrink— Oh, God. I’m sorry.”
I let out a chuckle. “It’s okay. We’re all used to that.”
“Oh, good. I guess. Anyway, I know that. I’ve actually gone through a few counseling sessions through work. But it’s hard to shake, you know?”
How I did know. “Believe me, I understand. I’ve spent the better part of the last six months wondering where I went wrong with Gina. If she was suicidal, why didn’t I see something in our sessions?” I shook my head. “Guilt is enough to kill you sometimes.”
She nodded. “That’s for sure. For what it’s worth, I don’t blame you for Gina’s death.”
“Thank you. That means a lot. Her parents do, though. They filed a grievance against me with the medical board, and now they’re suing me for malpractice, as well.”
“You’re kidding me.”
I took a sip of wine. “Nope.”
Ruby shook her head. “That takes a lot of nerve.”
“Why do you say that?”
She let out a sarcastic laugh. “Because they both knew exactly what was going on with my father.”
Chapter Six
Jonah
Colin?
“Not Colin Morse?”
He nodded.
I had only seen Colin Morse, Jade’s ex-fiancé, once. One evening, and I had threatened him because he was threatening Talon. I’d been mad as hell, but I hadn’t acted on it, thank God. Colin had been a nice enough looking young man, with dirty-blond hair and brownish-green eyes. Now his head was shaved clean, he must have weighed at least thirty pounds less, and he looked thoroughly drained.
He didn’t appear to recognize me.
What had they done to him? And why?
I knew damned well what they had done, and the “why” was probably no more than because they were sick as fuck. But why Colin specifically?
He had disappeared sometime after our last meeting. His father had been looking for him for a couple of months now. Had he been here all that time?
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he croaked.
“Who brought you here?”
“Don’t know,” he said again.
“What do you remember?”
He shook his head.
“I’m sorry. Try not to talk. I’m going to call the cops now, and an ambulance for you. I know you must be hungry, but we need to get you to a hospital. You’re obviously dehydrated and malnourished.”
And physically, emotionally, and sexually abused, but I didn’t need to voice that. He knew that as well as I did. His body was battered and bruised, so he had most likely been beaten, too.
That fucking snake Tom Simpson. At least we had an eyewitness now.
Or maybe not. Tom and the other guy had probably used masks, like they always had with Talon.
Shit.
I quickly pulled my phone out and dialed 9-1-1. They answered on the first ring. I shook my head, remembering how 9-1-1 had been busy the night Melanie had called them. Shitheads. I gave the operator the lowdown, hung up, and turned back to Colin.
“It won’t be too long now,” I told him. “The ambulance will be here soon.”
I wasn’t sure if I should try to feed him. What had we done for Talon when we found him? I couldn’t quite remember. He had gone straight to the hospital as far as I knew. I had only been thirteen. Damn. How was I supposed to help this guy?
He reached up my forearm with his bony hand. “Don’t want to talk.”
“You won’t have to. Not until you’re feeling better. Right now you need to be in a hospital.”
“Haas…” He closed his eyes.
“Colin, your father has been desperate to find you. I’m going to call him, okay?”
His sunken eyes shot open. “No. Don’t.”
“Why not? He needs to know that you’re alive.”
“No!”
“All right, all right. I won’t.” I put my phone back in my pocket. The hospital would call his father anyway. I would do as he asked for now.
* * *
I followed the ambulance to the hospital. It was nearly an hour to the next city that had the facilities to care for him, but he was getting care from the paramedics, so he’d be okay.
I screeched to a halt along with the ambulance when we reached the hospital and then followed them in.
“Male, mid-twenties, dehydrated and malnourished. Multiple lacerations and contusions. Physical and sexual abuse.” The paramedics handed him off to some ER doctors.
“Let’s get an IV started,” a doctor said. “Danny, get a rape kit,” he said to an orderly.
Two police officers approached the paramedics. After they had answered their questions, the officers turned to me.
“I’m Officer Jones, and this is Officer Goldman,” one of them said. “I understand you found this man?”
“Yes, sir,” I said. “He was being held captive in a basement at this address.” I handed him the piece of paper on which I had written the address that Trevor Mills, one of the private investigators Talon had hired, had uncovered.
“Good. We’ll check it out,” Jones said. “I’m going to need your name.”
“Jonah Steel.”
“You’re one of the Steels?”
“I am.”
“So what were you doing at that address?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid that’s a really long story.”
“Well, we’ve got time.” Jones pointed to a couple of chairs in the waiting area that were secluded. “Let’s sit down, and we’ll have a long talk.”
After I had related my entire story, Jones made a few telephone calls. When he was done, he turned back to me.
“Your story checks out.”
“Of course it checks out. What? Did you think I had some hand in torturing this poor guy?”
“Well, he is your brother’s girlfriend’s ex. And your brother was arrested for beating him up.”
“For God’s sake. My brother has also paid his debt for that. And I’m not my brother.”
“Mr. Steel, I know you’re an upstanding citizen and business owner here in Colorado, but we have to check everything out.”
“Sure, sure.” I threaded my fingers through my hair. “But I was just held at gunpoint by one of the men—possibly two of the men—who kidnapped and tortured my brother twenty-five years ago, and then I found out they were doing the same thing to this poor guy. So my patience is wearing just a little thin. I’m sure you understand.”
Jones cleared his throat. “Sure. Of course.”
“Look, Colin didn’t want me to contact his father. I’m not sure why. But I do know how to get in touch with him. My brother’s girlfriend has the number. His name is Ted Morse.”
“No worries. We’ll figure out how to get in touch with him, Mr. Steel.”
“Sure. That’s your call.”
“Can you tell us anything else about the other guy? The one wearing a black ski mask?”
“Only that he had really bizarre blue eyes.”
“What do you mean ‘bizarre?’”
“They looked… I don’t know. Almost fake.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“I don’t know. I was staring down the barrel of a Glock, for God’s sake. They were just really blue.”
“All right.” Jones took a few more notes. “We’ll get in touch with you if we need more information, Mr. Steel. You’re free to go.”
Thank God.
All I wanted to do was go home. To Melanie.
But Melanie was no longer there.
Chapter Seven
Melanie
Had I just heard Ruby correctly? Gina’s parents knew?
I opened my mouth, but no words emerged.
“I see t
hat surprises you.”
“Hell, yes, I’m surprised. Right now, the two of them are blaming me for their daughter’s suicide. And quite frankly, I’m not exactly sure it was a suicide.”
Ruby nodded. “I’m not so sure either.”
My heart nearly jumped right out of my chest. Here was someone who maybe agreed with my theory? That Gina hadn’t committed suicide but had been murdered?
“Do you think her father and mother had anything to do with it? Her death, I mean.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. I didn’t know either of them very well, but they were terrible parents. They really neglected Gina. So for the short time that I was in their lives, I tried to take her under my wing, but I was still a kid myself who had just lost her mother. There were limits to what I could do.”
“Understandable,” I said.
“Her mother—my father’s sister—she was a mess. In and out of mental hospitals her whole life.”
I shot my eyes open. “What?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s been committed several times.”
“Gina never told me anything about that.”
“She might not have known. She was still pretty young when all this was happening, and I’m sure her father covered it up. Said Mommy was on a vacation or something.”
“Then how did you know?”
“My father told me. Said his sister was crazy and out of her mind and that her husband was a psycho.”
“Well, coming from another psycho, I’m not sure how much value I put into that assessment.”
Ruby took a sip of her wine. “Agreed. Gina’s dad and my dad had a weird relationship. They had this love-hate thing going. I never quite knew what to make of it.”
“Have you had any contact with Gina’s parents lately?”
“When I found out about her death, I called to offer my condolences. Neither of them were very interested in talking to me. Probably because I was a police officer. That’s my best guess, anyway.”
“But how do you know? How do you know that Gina’s parents knew your father was abusing their daughter?”