by Amber Lacie
“Sounds like it. One thing at a time––yes, I found her sister. She’s a school teacher in Pennsylvania. She’s married with two kids. Looks like she has a good life there for herself.”
“Thank the fucks for that. We need to get Piper to her.”
“Whoa, slow down. Did you hear anything I just said? She’s got kids. We can’t just drop Piper off there. What if Ox finds out? Then you not only put Piper in danger, you endanger the lives of everyone in that house. That ain’t fair to them.”
“Damn it, I’m asking for help here. Why can’t you just do that?”
“Look, we can protect her. There’s witness protection. We can take care of it. Now, let’s focus on Jim for a second. What am I looking at here?”
“He made a deal for ten years, but you know as well as I do, that doesn’t mean shit to Tate. He will end Jim’s life if he doesn’t come through. I can’t let him give his life for mine.”
My uncle stared at me, his mouth pressed into a hard line. Just then, the waitress approached, bringing over two mugs and a pot of coffee to fill them with. An awkward silence surrounded us as we watched her pour the coffee and walk away. I could tell by his lack of conversation that Aaron was trying to figure out his next move.
“We have enough for a warrant, but he’s got connections, kid. There’s no guarantee he would even see a court date, let alone a conviction. Without witnesses and solid proof of the ring he’s running, I’m not sure how much I can do.”
The gears in my mind cranked, trying to figure out a way to pull someone forward, someone who would easily be a rat. “I won’t put Piper in that position, but what about Roscoe or Brendan? Who fucking knows what they would do to her if they caught her?”
“Those are great suggestions. The thing is, we don’t have a lock on them. Brendan took off after Momence, and Roscoe is who the fuck knows where.”
I swirled the coffee in my mug. “They have to be connected. How could they both fall off the map like that?” The real question is, who would be willing to protect them? Who would hide them? Sudden realization struck. “My father. I bet a solid hundred he knows exactly where they are.”
“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but just how do you expect me to get that kind of information from him. Money can buy a lot, Ben. Politicians, government officials, police––they can all be easily swayed with a dollar sign. We’re on the paper trail. We’ve almost got him. Give me today. Tomorrow I’ll work on moving you guys somewhere safe. I just need the evidence to back up my theories.”
“And if we don’t have that kind of time?”
He let out a deep breath and dropped a ten on the table. “Just pray that we do. I’ll be in touch.”
My jaw went slack as I watched him walk out of the café, leaving me helpless. All I wanted was for Jim and Piper to be safe. Neither of them would even be in trouble if it weren’t for me. It was time to come up with a new plan.
I should have gone straight home. I should have taken her with me. I should have done a lot of things. Instead, I took the long way home to clear my head. And in doing so, I put everything on the line. If I had only known they were coming, I would have been there waiting for them. Regrettably, I wasn’t, and my world was destroyed in a single moment.
When I finally arrived home, I parked my bike in the lot as I always did. What wasn’t normal were the people gathered on the sidewalk. As I went to enter, someone yelled to me, but I ignored their warning. In my gut, I knew something was wrong, but my mind was in denial. The air around me was still around me I made my way into the building. Picking up my pace, everything moved in slow motion as I climbed the stairs to the apartment. My senses were on full alert and every noise caught my attention. As I turned the corner of the stairs, the red emergency exit light burned into my brain. Bounding down the dull gray hallway, I approached my apartment, only to find the broken door rocking slowly on its hinges. The loud creaking echoed in my mind as I slowly stepped inside. What awaited me was a scene that no one could have prepared for.
Inside the kitchen, a bloody handprint was smeared across the cabinets. There was a knife lying on the floor, furniture was over-turned, and broken glass scattered the floor where dishes had fallen to their deaths. Bile rose in my throat as I raced down the hallway toward our bedroom where Piper was supposed to be waiting for me. In my mind I pictured her sleeping peacefully, surrounded by a pile of white pillows, with the sheet loosely clinging to her hip. One bare leg would be on the outside and her hair would be spread out like a wildfire of brunette, consuming her pillow. There, sleeping sounding in our bed, her sweet pale skin would be waiting for my touch.
Everything was all as I had imagined––until I blinked. In a split second, reality came rushing back in like a tidal wave, washing away my daydream. Pillows were lying on the floor, the sheets were pulled hastily to one side, and Piper was nowhere to be found. As I stepped inside, I could see a tear in the mattress with the brown handle to a silver blade sticking up like a flag, marking its territory. Scattered breaths left my lips as I leaned forward pulling the knife from the bed. Beneath it, I found a ripped sheet of paper.
It ends now, son.
Bold, red letters stained the paper. My eyes quickly flashed to the bedside table where Piper kept her puzzles. On top, laid a red marker with a puzzle underneath it. She must have been in the middle of solving one and didn’t hear them. She didn’t even have time to hide.
Frantically, I searched for clues on where he may have taken her. I tore our bedroom apart and was headed back down the hallway when I heard a muffled sound in the bathroom. Hoping it was Piper, I quickly swung open the door, only to find Jim lying awkwardly on his side in the tub. His long legs were bent up uncomfortably with his feet hanging off to one side. Duct tape covered his mouth and eyes and his hands were bound behind his back. He was supposed to protect her. I trusted him.
Rage consumed me. In that instant, I didn’t care that he was hurt. I didn’t care that someone had tossed him in there like a used ragdoll. I didn’t care that they had left the water on at a trickle letting it slowly drip over his face. I. Did. Not. Give. One. Fuck. The only thing that mattered was Piper, and she was gone.
I dragged him up by his shoulders until he was sitting straight up in the tub. A dark energy rolled under my skin and I could no longer contain my rage. I laid into him, fist after fist, punch after punch, until my hand was smeared with blood from splitting open his flesh. His head rolled back and when the whimpers quit, I slowed my actions. Kicking his ass wasn’t helping me find Piper, and the longer I waited the farther away she got.
“Fuck!” The scream of pure, unadulterated rage tore through my chest and echoed around me as I turned to grab a towel to wipe off my knuckles. “Jim, so help me fucking god, she better be alive. Your fucking life depends on it.”
Retrieving my phone from my pocket I quickly dialed my uncle’s number as I walked back into the kitchen, leaving Jim to think about his mistake. When Aaron answered, I yelled with a sense of urgency, “They have Piper! Get here fucking now.”
“Whoa, slow down, Ben. Who has her?”
“Does it fucking matter? Just get here,” I shouted before disconnecting the call. Anger boiling just below the surface, I paced back and forth before grabbing a bottle of whiskey from underneath the sink and heading back towards Jim with the knife from the mattress firmly in my grasp. I stared down at the man I had put my trust in, trust that was clearly misplaced. Slowly moving the blade to his mouth, I cut a slit in the tape, allowing him to speak.
“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry,” he muttered.
“You’re going to be more than sorry if I don’t get her back in one piece. You are going to be fucking dead. You hear me? Fucking dead.”
“I know, man, I know.”
“I’m cutting you loose. Don’t make me regret this. Aaron is on his way.” Leaning down, I cut the bloodstained rope around his wrists without saying another word. I stood in silence, watching him pull the tape f
rom his mouth and then his eyes.
“Fuck. That hurts.”
“Good. Now get the fuck up.”
Jim stared up at me with blood smeared across his face and hands, his large body completely filling the tub. Most of it was fresh, but I did notice a few cuts on his arms and hands that I knew I hadn’t made. Tossing him a towel so that he could clean himself up, I walked out leaving him to fend for himself. I was still pissed. I should have been mad at myself for once again putting my needs before anyone else’s, but I wasn’t there yet. Denial was a stage my mind was very fond of.
By the time Jim had washed his face loud sirens and flashing lights had surrounded the building. Moments later, three policemen stormed into the apartment with guns raised yelling at us to drop to our knees and put our hands where they could see them. After cuffing Jim, they slapped a pair of cuffs on me. The knee in my back was a little unnecessary, but I didn’t fight them. Propping us both up in a sitting position against the wall in the hallway, they left two men guarding us while the other searched the rooms. He wasn’t going to find anything. She was long gone, and it was all my fault.
Hearing a slight commotion downstairs, I looked up just in time to see my Uncle Aaron, followed by a few other agents, rounding the corner of the stairwell, walking towards us. Thank the fuck. As was to be expected, he walked straight past us and into the apartment with his badge in the air. The police weren’t thrilled, but they quickly exited the room as more suits with rubber gloves made their way up the stairs.
By the time someone finally took the cuffs off of us Aaron was already in the kitchen with at least three other agents, taking pictures. Their approach to everything was so cold and distant. Piper wasn’t a case number, she was a fucking person, she was missing, and I knew exactly who took her. Of course, I didn’t tell them that. Nah, I was going to handle my father on my own. Who the fuck does he think he is? Coming into my house and taking my girl had officially signed his death warrant. Fuck Tate! I am going to watch him bleed by my hand.
“Look, I know this isn’t how you want to do things, but this is the best way,” Aaron said, walking over to where I was standing in the doorway, watching the suits finish whatever it was they were doing.
“This is a waste of my time. It’s a waste of her time. It’s been hours already. Fuck, more than half the day is already gone. It’s going to be night soon, and who the fuck knows where they could be by now.”
“You’re losing focus, Benjamin. Keep in mind that you’re the one who took her. She should have been with us from the beginning.”
I snorted at his reply. Fuck him. He doesn’t know her like I do. I knew every curve of her body, every detail of her face, I know how she sleeps, her favorite snacks, and her love of reality television. I know her. To me, she isn’t just a face. She’s my everything.
“Roll your eyes all you want, but I’m right, and deep down you know it. Walk with me.” Aaron clasped my shoulder and walked out into the hallway. He nodded to a few suits lingering and they stepped into the apartment to give us some space, taking Jim with them for questioning. “Out here, in this hall, I’m just your uncle. Now, tell me what you know. What are you hiding?”
“What makes you think I’m hiding anything?”
“Because as much as you’d like to think you’re not, you are your father’s son.”
He had me there. My father had instilled in me one of his best traits––never show your full hand of cards. Always keep a few hidden in your pocket. “You know as much as I do.”
Aaron stood staring at me, scrutinizing my features for some kind of tell revealing my lie. He had forgotten I was a professional liar. I wasn’t going to give myself away so easily. Once he was satisfied, he gave me a nod of his head. “I know you have something up your sleeve that you’re not telling me. Here.” He handed me a small folded piece of yellow notebook paper. “If you need me, call that number. No questions will be asked, and I’ll be there in full force. I can’t help you if you won’t tell me who took her, but I can offer you protection. If you get into any kind of trouble, you call me first.”
“What makes you think I’m going to get into trouble?”
“You’re going to go after her, aren’t you? Which means, this ain’t over yet. I don’t know how deep and twisted this is going to get, but first things first––you need your girl back. I know you, I also know there’s no way for me to stop you from doing anything insanely asinine. You’re the only family I have left, Benny. I don’t want to bury you. One more thing.” He pulled a set of keys from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “It’s kind of hard to save the damsel without a proper steed.”
“What are these?”
“Keys to my Prius.”
“Since when do knights ride in on a fucking Prius?”
“Since they get great gas mileage. I parked in the back. Do me a favor…try not to wreck it. I’m still paying on it.” Tossing me the keys, he added, “One more thing…as far as I’m concerned this conversation never happened. There is a good chance I’ll try to stop you—”
“Nothing will stop me.”
“I know, but sometimes it helps to keep up appearances.” He gave a lopsided smile and stepped back into the apartment switching places with Jim, who was standing on the other side of the threshold, trying his best to listen in on our little exchange. His face was swollen and bruised. His bottom lip was split in two separate places, a deep gash ran along his right brow, and his nose was twisted with cotton sticking out of his nostrils. He winced as he stuck out his tongue, probing one of the cuts. “Shit fucking hurts.”
“It should. I want to know everything that happened. Everything you saw and heard, but not here. You and I are leaving.”
“You think they’re just going to let us go?”
“Yeah, I do. I’m not giving them a fucking choice. Besides, we’ve got a Prius now?”
Jim ran his large hand across the back of his neck. “How the fuck am I supposed to fit in that?”
“Pull your knees to your chest, big guy. Tate is going to be waiting for us. You know it and I know it. We might as well show up in something he wouldn’t recognize. Maybe it will buy us a little bit of time.”
“Tell me, Captain Prius, if he’s got a guy, and ya’ know he does since he doesn’t do anything half assed, how are we supposed to just walk out of here?”
Fuck him and his Captain Prius comment. He’s lucky I didn’t break his nose a second time. “You and I are going out the back.”
“You going to tell me this crazy plan of yours?”
My face hardened as I looked over at him. “You don’t get to question me. Ever. Just get in the fucking the car. Don’t make me say it again.” I quickly stepped back into my apartment, completely ignoring everyone around me, and grabbed the duffle bag from the closet by the front door that I had made up for emergencies. It had everything in it that I would need to end this. Aaron and the suits could take their time finding Piper, it didn’t matter to me, I was going to finish what I should have long before they showed up.
“Ben. Ben, just wait a God damn minute! You can’t just go running off like some fucking superhero. Let us find her.” Aaron took a step towards me. I knew what he was doing.
“Don’t worry, Agent Bryson. I won’t get in your way, but I’m taking Jim with me.”
“Where are you going?”
The corner of my mouth turned up as I walked out, ignoring him, and leaving the agents to deal with the mess behind me. We both knew where I was headed, but it needed to look like I was going against him. It was a silent understanding between us.
Jim was already leaning against the white car as I stepped out the back entrance. Tossing him the keys, I dropped my bag in the back and slid into the front seat. “Tell me everything you saw.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just get in the goddamn fucking car! You know where we’re going, but first I want to know what the fuck happened in there.”
I watched Jim t
ry to push the seat back as far as possible. Wiggling his way into the seat, he still hit his head on the frame, giving me just a glimmer of joy in the dark sea of anger swirling around me. “Benny, think about this––is it smart to just go charging in like that?”
“I don’t have any other choice. He did this to get to me. He knows I’ll come for her.”
Jim sighed. “That’s what worries me. It’s a trap.”
“Can you stop trying to talk me out of it? Fuck!” I shouted in exasperation. “Do you think I don’t know this? He’s my fucking father. I know exactly who the fuck he is, which means I also know what he’s capable of doing to her. I need her to be safe, Jim. I can’t live in a world where she’s not.”
Jim sat stoically beside me. His large hands grasped the steering wheel as he aimlessly stared ahead. “I thought it was you at first. They had a key. They just walked right in. I was half out of it. I couldn’t figure out why you wouldn’t answer me when I asked if you were done fucking around for the day.”
They had a key? How is that even possible?
“I turned around to look at you and there was Roscoe, standing in the kitchen with a knife. I wasn’t about to let him walk out of there, so I ran across the living room, jumped onto the couch, knocking it over, and dove for him. He dodged me and ended up cutting my wrist. When I got to my feet, I grabbed him and slammed him against the cabinets. My hands were around his neck when I heard Piper scream. That’s when I realized it wasn’t just him in the apartment. I dropped him to the floor and ran to your room, but before I could open the door something hit me in the back of the head. I could feel myself being dragged. The next thing I knew, I couldn’t see, I couldn’t speak, and water was dripping onto my head.”
“He left a note for me.”