With her arms free, she carefully picked at the tape covering her mouth.
“Pa always said it was best to just rip it right off,” the tall boy said, then stepped around to untie her back.
Yeah, but she feared taking her lips right off with it.
“We saw the man carry a body in here. I guess it was you.”
Kelly couldn’t tell if the boy was glad or disappointed. A body. That’s what the dark one said when they came in the door. He’d not spoken another word since. She finally managed to remove the duct tape. She pressed her fingers to her lips to sooth them.
“Can you stand up?” This boy must be the oldest.
“Yes. I think so.” She tried and stumbled. He grabbed her, one hand on her arm and the other around her waist. “Are you hurt?”
“Look at her face.” The dark one looked mad. Or perhaps he stayed mad at the world.
“Do you hurt any place else?”
She took a deep breath, searching for pain elsewhere in her body. “I’m okay. Can we please leave?”
“You bet.”
The boys helped her down the stairs, and when they reached the bottom, another young man stepped in front of her.
“Where’d you get her?”
“She’s the body,” the somber boy said.
What was it with bodies?
“Yeah. She’s a girl.”
Well, that was new.
“Of course she’s a girl.” One of the older boys nudged the young one. “We thought we’d find a man.”
“We thought we’d find a body.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. There would be time to learn everything after they got away. “Are there any more of you?”
“This is us. All of us,” the newest member boasted.
“See anything, Billy?” He must be the leader of the young gang.
“Nope. He ain’t back.”
“Then let’s get her out of here.”
The boys took care, each trying to help her. Once she got her footing, she hurried, running along with them.
“We got a ways to go. You gonna make it?”
She nodded to the tall boy, and they hurried on. Buildings and houses loomed ahead. Lights burned in a few and she wondered if these boys were taking her to one of them. They stayed off the road, and as they neared the town, she spotted a few vehicles parked along the street. The sound of an engine purred in the distance.
“This way. Quick.” The oldest led them down an alley where she could see nothing but darkness in front of her. He held onto her arm, guiding her every step of the way.
Funny how she trusted the teenager and his cohorts. She hoped he was leading her to safety and not her doom.
~ ~ ~
Craig couldn’t believe some kids had found Kelly. He was ready to go out of his mind when his phone lit up with an unknown number. Anxious to grab at any straw, he’d answered with a bellow, hoping it would be her. When he heard the voice on the other end, he’d almost hung up. Once he realized the phone call concerned Kelly, he demanded to speak to her. She wasn’t available, which made him suspicious. He swallowed his anger and listened with care. But the kid had been distrustful too, and tested Craig to make sure he had the right person.
Once they decided to trust each other, the boy said he and his friends found Kelly in a deserted house. Craig relayed the conversation to Dennis and the two rushed out of the apartment like the building was on fire.
The kid swore Kelly was okay, but Craig needed to see for himself.
“This is the street,” Dennis said as he turned the corner.
“Where are these kids? And where the hell are the street lights? You can’t see a damn thing.” His frustration and fear for Kelly was making him crazy.
Dennis coasted the car over to the curb and shut off the engine. “Give your eyes a minute to adjust to the dark. I imagine you won’t need to find these kids. They will find you.”
“I’m not going to sit here and wait.” Craig thrust open the door and crawled out. This wasn’t the best neighborhood. A few houses had dim lights glimmering, so he assumed people were about their normal evening routine. A tall building across the street had an alley. He guessed that would be the place to look.
“Hey,” he called to Dennis in a whisper. “Over there.” Craig pointed to the alley.
“You go that way, I'll go this way.” Dennis said quietly and indicated a sidewalk leading around the building. Just as they were about to split up, he heard a scuffle.
“Hey, you.”
Craig froze in his tracks.
“Don’t just stand there. Over here.”
He and Dennis looked at each other, then hurried to the corner where the voice had come from. Either this was a short man or he’d found one of the boys. Craig stood six two, this kid came up to his shoulder. He guessed him to be about fourteen. The boy had his hands in his pockets, making Craig well aware he should be on his guard in case the kid had a weapon.
“What’s your name?” the kid asked.
“Craig. Are you the one who called?”
“What do you mean called?”
“Don’t play games—” he started, in a temper, but Dennis stepped forward.
“Look, I appreciate you being careful, but we’re worried for our girl. My name is Dennis and Kelly is my best friend. She was attacked tonight by her ex-boyfriend. He’s tall, has blond hair—”
“Yeah, I know,” the kid interrupted. “I saw him. Come on.” The kid spun around and headed down the dark alley.
Craig started to ask where they were going, but kept his mouth shut. He just needed to find Kelly. They walked to the end, turned right and then left. The kid stopped, looked in several directions, as if wanting to make sure they weren’t followed. Then he raised an arm and banged a series of raps on the door. Three short. Pause. Two, then two more. Obviously a signal.
A heavy grinding sounded loud in the dark night, then the metal door opened. Two boys, shorter, and younger than the one who brought them here. Christ. They were babies.
Dennis stepped in first. Craig followed, his eyes and ears alert, hoping they weren’t walking into a trap. The only sound was the sliding metal door closing behind them.
The tall boy strode across the cement floor with sure strides, as if he had a demon on his ass. Again, he and Dennis glanced at each other, wondering what the hell they’d gotten themselves into. They followed him in silence. The tall boy raised a heavy curtain and stepped to the side. A glow of light glimmered within the doorway. Craig had no choice but to walk through.
“Craig!”
He jerked his head at the voice. Kelly ran to him, and he half stumbled, in a rush to reach her. She slammed into his chest. He’d never felt so relieved in his life.
“Kelly.” He cradled her in his arms, his hands clenching around her shuddering back. He wished he could knead the shaking from her limbs, the terror from her mind. “Shush. Baby. I’m here. I’ve got you.” He glanced down to his love, her sobs ripping at his soul. Hate for the man who did this to her infected every nerve in his body.
Craig savored the feel of Kelly in his arms. The horror of her abduction had nearly undone him. He couldn’t convey his relief at finding her. He didn’t want to think about what could have happened. He tightened his hold.
“Craig.” Kelly lifted a hand to his face. Her red eyes slashed at his soul.
“Sweetheart. Are you hurt?”
“My jaw hurts. Other than that, I think I’m okay.” The shaking in her limbs made her voice shaky as well.
Anger blasted him again. The bastard had dared to hit her. His chest squeezed, needing air.
“Don’t look so scared. I’m okay. Mad as hell, but I’m okay.”
“You are not okay.” He t
ouched one finger to her swelling cheek, skirting the area where her skin was beginning to turn purple. “He struck you.”
“Yes, he—” She gasped and jerked in his arms. “There was another woman.”
“We found her. A little bruised, like you, but she’ll be fine.”
“Thank God,” Kelly expressed on a sigh. “She tried to help me.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He brushed her lips with a tender caress, needing her closeness. He needed to feel her, reassure himself that Kelly was safe. He’d been gone, but he’d never leave her again.
Dennis coughed before the kiss could turn passionate. Craig raised his head, conveying with his eyes how much he loved her.
“Kel?” Dennis stood there, his distress evident, laced with relief. She hugged him, then stepped back, her expression also one of worry.
“I’m sorry. Donna tried to help me.”
“Don’t worry about her. She has a knot on the side of her head. She’s at the hospital, but they don’t expect to keep her overnight. I’ll head there once I know you’re safe.”
Craig heard snickering in the background. He studied the room. A couch behind Kelly, the one she’d been on when he entered, and several chairs were scattered about. What appeared to be a refrigerator sat in one corner. He wondered if it was plugged in. A few shelves and a cabinet stood over to his left. Books, CDs, and DVDs were strewn on a table to his right. He noted a few sleeping bags and blankets that made him wonder if the kids slept here.
He faced the tall boy. “What’s your name?”
“Don’t tell ‘em, Robby.”
If Craig wasn’t so wired, he would probably laugh.
“Dumb runt. You just told him my name.”
“I ain’t no runt.” As soon as the words were out of the runt’s mouth, his eyes grew as big as saucers, the second sentence just registering. He slapped a hand over his mouth.
“Too late, Runt.” The tall boy hoisted back his shoulders. “Name’s Robby.”
Craig held out his hand. “It is my pleasure, Robby.”
The boy hesitated for several moments before he finally grasped the hand, giving it a mighty shake.
“You have my deepest gratitude. How many of you are there?”
“There’s me. Jimmy,” Robby pointed to a boy sitting on the couch. “Runt,” he pointed to the boy who’d spoken, and the kid immediately screwed his face up into a stubborn pout. “Billy,” a boy about thirteen or fourteen held up a can of cola as Robby pointed to him. “And Dirk.” Dirk scowled like he carried the weight of the world on his young shoulders. The boys in this group looked like they needed each other, probably took care of each other, too. Did they have parents? A riddle for another day.
“Tell me where you found her.”
“We can show you.” Jimmy sprang from the couch, excitement in his voice.
“Will you tell us what happened first?” Dennis asked. “How did you find Kelly?”
Kelly slid one arm around Craig’s waist and he clutched her to his side. He wanted to hold her in his arms forever. He couldn’t touch her enough, hold her tightly enough. He desperately wanted to lose himself in her softness. For now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.
“We were just hanging around. There’s this house that’s been empty for a long time now. We saw this car pull up in front, and this guy get out.”
“He looked suspicious.” Runt said.
“Yeah, he was looking up and down the street just like the bad guys in the movies,” Jimmy added.
“He couldn’t see us,” Robby added. “Don’t have no street lights and the house was dark.”
“Where were you?” Dennis asked.
“Across the street in the field. Sometimes we find stuff there.”
“Anyway, when the man walked around the car and looked up and down the street, we watched him.” Billy spoke from his spot on the couch. “Good thing, too. He opened the trunk and hauled out a body.”
“I told you it was a body. Nobody wanted to believe me.” The one called Runt crossed his arms over his chest and rolled out his bottom lip.
“I paid attention to you.” Robby tried to sooth the younger boy.
“The others didn’t.”
“We wanted to believe it was a body,” Billy explained. “That made the adventure exciting. We didn’t think we’d be lucky enough to see a real body.”
Craig knew the kid didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Bored boys needed excitement. They’d found it tonight. He tugged Kelly closer, glad she was alive. Dennis encouraged the boys on with their story.
“Was it a real body?”
“It was her.” Dirk pointed to Kelly, a glower on his dirty face.
The kid could talk, after all.
“He had her rolled up in a blanket and tossed over his shoulder,” Robby continued. “We’d never seen anything like that before. It was fishy.”
“Yeah. Suspicious.” Runt had more than likely found a new word and liked using it.
“So, we snuck around the house and peeked in the windows in case the guy was up to no good.”
“Yeah. He could ‘a been a murderer or something.”
“Do you boys realize how dangerous that could have been?”
At Robby’s frown, Kelly squeezed Craig’s side. He glanced down to her troubled face.
“Don’t call them boys,” she whispered. Seeing his mistake, he thought to pacify the youngsters.
“I’m sure you’re all capable of taking care of yourselves, but no man, young or old, can stop a bullet. You must take care before approaching any suspicious character.” He’d glanced to Runt when he’d said the word suspicious. Runt rewarded him by nodding his head vigorously.
“We waited till he left.”
“Robby won’t let us do nothing if he thinks we’re gonna get in trouble,” Billy said, defending his friend. Robby must be the leader of this bunch.
“He left,” Dennis repeated. “Then what?”
“We had to wait a long time,” Robby continued with the story. As soon as he left, we sneaked inside. Billy stayed on the lookout. Found her tied to a chair in a room upstairs.”
“And you helped her to escape.”
Robby shrugged his shoulders.
Thank God. He shuddered at the thought of her life resting in the hands of these young boys. Good boys who’d evidently had a tough time.
“You saved my life,” Kelly said with a smile. “All of you.”
“Weren’t nothing.” Robby shrugged, playing down the seriousness of the situation.
“It was a huge deal.” Kelly stepped forward and dropped a kiss on Robby’s cheek. A flush flooded the boy’s face.
Billy and Jimmy guffawed, Dirk kept the untrusting scowl, but the runt looked like he would cry if he didn’t get one too. Kelly noticed. She kissed the kid on his forehead and gave him a big hug. He looked like he’d just won all the toys in a giant toy store.
When she glanced at the other boys, they scrambled around to get away. Another day, he might laugh. At the moment, he thirsted for blood.
“Can you show me this house?” Craig asked Robby.
“Sure.”
“Let’s go,” cried Jimmy. He and the others rushed to the doorway.
Robby waited for Craig, Kelly, and Dennis before following.
Chapter 24
Craig had never been so torn in his life. He wanted to kill Robert. He refused to let Kelly out of his sight. How was he supposed to handle the conflict of the two?
He tried sending her home. Between his desire to hold her and her insistence on coming with them, he had no choice but to bring her along. The group of misfits resembled a cloak and dagger operation. Three adults and five kids, on a mission heading for danger.
&
nbsp; If Robert was as insane as his actions, who knew what they were getting into? Craig wondered if he’d lost his mind, dragging his love with him to face a man he wanted to kill. Encouraging a band of innocents in this unreasonable plan to find Kelly’s attacker.
Retribution drove him now. Robert had dared to harm Kelly. Craig would make sure it never happened again.
“Craig. What are you going to do?” Kelly’s voice drew him from his dark thoughts. He squeezed her hand and tugged her to him.
“Keep you safe.”
“What are you planning to do to Robert?”
“Are you worried about Robert?”
“No, I’m worried about you,” she said, as her soft palm cupped the side of his face. He placed a kiss in the center.
“I can take care of myself.”
“I’m not doubting that. I don’t want you to go to jail.”
He gave a slight chuckle. “Don’t you think he deserves a good beating?” Before she could say anything, he silenced her with his fingers on her lips. “Do you have any idea how I felt when I found that woman in your bedroom?” Agony stabbed him, fresh as it had speared him then. “Blood on her face, and her telling me he took you? After he hit you with his fists?” Without realizing it, his voice had risen. The small group had stopped, and the kids were listening. He tried to control his breathing.
“We’ll talk later. Right now, I need to take care of him. Make sure he never touches you again.”
She gave a nod and he released her. Robby spun on his heel and started walking again. The trek was short, maybe a mile to the edge of town. Craig wished they’d brought a flashlight when one of the boys pulled one from his pocket.
“It’s really dark out here, but we don’t want to be seen, so I’ll just use this so we don’t fall in a hole.”
“I got one, too,” Runt said. “We won’t fall in no hole if we watch where we’re going.”
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