"Okay," I whispered with a nodded.
"We're going to move fast. Just stay next to me, and keep quiet."
"Got it."
Without another word, Scott stepped out of the alley with swift purposeful strides, and I hurried along after him. We fell in step next to each other and quickly reached the abandoned building and hurried along until we came to the rusty old gate Scott had described. Fortunately, the nearby street light was out, so even if anyone had been around to notice us, they wouldn't be able to see much of what we were up to.
We continued along the fence until we came to a small hole in the chain link that looked like it had been cut by someone recently. I suddenly suspected that someone was Scott. It also made me wonder if he was responsible for the broken street light too. He held the fencing aside so I could squeeze through without it catching on my clothes or cutting me, then crawled through himself as I stood to one side and looked up at the decrepit old building.
Even in the moonlight, I could see how run-down the place was with crumbling brick and lots of shattered windows. The place looked like a case of tetanus waiting to happen. I could only imagine what the interior looked like. I shuddered at the thought of my baby being in there. What kind of father brought his little girl into a place like this? A piece of shit bastard like Ray, that's who. He didn't deserve the title. He didn't deserve my Violet. Anger boiled up inside me, bolstering my courage. After today, I'd do everything in my power to make sure that man never came anywhere near her again.
Scott touched my arm, capturing my attention, and we hurried across the open swath of cracked and uneven pavement that stretched out in front of the building. He led me to the side of the structure, and we followed it along until we came to a stop at a corner. I peered around it to see a loading dock of some sort with closed garage doors, and a single door that I could see was hanging partly open with dim light escaping through the narrow gap. Yup, Ray was waiting for me alright. Fear shivered through me as I pressed my back to the rough brick wall. I squeezed my eyes shut and fought the urge to run away in a panic as I gasped in a few breaths.
"Easy," Scott whispered close to my ear. "Keep your eye on the prize."
I nodded jerkily in reply as I fought to calm down. Right. Violet. This was for my little girl.
"I've got your back, Ella." Scott squeezed my hand briefly. "Don't worry."
I nodded again, sucked in one more fortifying breath, then pushed off the wall and hurried around the corner before I could second-guess the wisdom of what we were doing. I moved straight for the door and slowly pushed it open to reveal the eerie light of a white glow stick pooling in a circle on the floor in front of me. I stepped inside and looked over to see several more glow sticks stretching off to the right illuminating a trail further into the interior. The floor tiles were curling up on the edges, and refuse and detritus were scattered all over the place. The small portions of wall that were visible in the low light were covered in graffiti and filth. The place was disgusting and scary as hell. I really didn't want to be here, and just stood there seemingly glued to the floor.
Slight movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I glanced over to see a dark shape stealthily slipping into the building, then disappear into the darkness beside me. Scott. I breathed a sigh of relief. His presence helped me to shake off the fear. I had to be the mother my baby needed me to be. I had to save her.
I started picking my way carefully across the filthy floor toward the second glow stick. I followed along past a third, a fourth, and then a fifth, and found myself standing at the bottom of stairwell leading up. I could see another glow stick on the landing above. Well, I guess that was where I had to go, I just hoped I didn't fall through the stairs on the way up.
I took a careful step onto the first tread and found it solid under my foot. I continued upward slowly, tensing every time my full weight came to rest on each step and happy to find they were fairly quiet to walk on too. I made it past the landing and up to the second floor safely, then started up toward another glow stick on the next landing above. I made it there unscathed, and paused to look up toward the third floor. Brighter light was shining in from the open door up there, and flooding into the stairwell. Alright, it looked like I was almost there, almost into the clutches of my bastard husband again. The sudden urge to flee hit me, but I fought it and forced myself to move forward.
Halfway up, I was watching my feet as I carefully picked my way over a broken tread when the light coming down from above abruptly dimmed. I glanced up to see the dark outline of a man standing at the top of the steps above me. I startled with a gasp and barely kept myself from tumbling backwards down the stairs.
"Hello, my darling wife," came Ray's deep rumble, setting my nerves on edge in an instant. "I thought you would never arrive," he added in a sarcastic tone.
I stilled as the familiar fear and tension Ray always made me feel when I was around him immediately came over me. He looked terrifying and larger than life with the featureless silhouette of his tall frame and broad shoulders filling up the stairwell above me. It looked like a scene out of a horror flick.
"Get your ass up here," he demanded in a low growl, then disappeared back through the doorway like he had every expectation that I'd obey. Why wouldn't he? I always had before.
My God, I didn't want to, but I immediately followed him. I had to keep him occupied so Calder stood a chance of getting Violet away from him, but this was the last time I'd ever dance to this man's tune again. I was done, and after today it would be a thing of the past.
I stepped out onto the third floor to find that it wasn't any better than the first. The immediate area was lit up by a circle of battery-powered lanterns with Ray standing in the middle of them. I walked hesitantly toward him as I took a closer look at his appearance. The sight of him made me pause and gape at him. He was dressed in ratty and dirty old clothes, and his beard and mustache were shaggy and unkempt. I must have been too shocked during that video chat last night to notice. He looked like shit, like a homeless person, but considering where we were, I guess that was the point if this was where he was hiding out.
He spread his arms wide. "Welcome to home sweet home," he said with a sneering maniacal grin that made my pulse race and set my nerves on edge.
"Where's Violet?" I asked quaveringly, hating the weakness in my tone even as I knew it would work in my favor.
"Oh, don't you worry about her," he replied stonily as his face hardened into a dark scowl. "My little girl is fine. You'll see her soon enough, but first we need to discuss some things."
Discuss? Yeah, right. More like he'd talk, and I'd only be allowed to listen.
"Okay," I said, my tone and demeanor demure and placating. I needed to keep Ray talking as long as I could, and I'd do and say anything required to keep him going.
"Tonight, you and Violet will be coming with me," he said sternly. "You will do so willingly and without complaint." He eyed me sharply. "And if not, then you will never see her again, and I can't be held responsible for what could happen to you, or your brother and his family. Do you understand?" he asked fiercely, his dark-green eyes glittering menacingly.
Holy fuck. Ray had never threatened my family before. He was insane, certifiably deranged and out of his mind. I'd never been more terrified of this man. I realized now that he was never going to let me go, never. Even if we somehow managed to get away this time, he'd keep coming after me, after Violet. I'd never be free. I stood there paralyzed and speechless by that revelation as the world felt like it was suddenly closing in on me, feeling more trapped and helpless than I ever had before.
The next thing I knew Ray came rushing toward me. He gripped my shoulders in a bruising grip as his fingers dug into my arms. "Do you understand, you stupid fucking whore?!" he snarled out as he shook me so viciously that it rattled my teeth and made my neck hurt. "Answer me, bitch," he growled in my face. "Now."
"I...I..." I stuttered out, my brain blank and misfirin
g in fear. I knew I should grab the pepper spray out of my pocket and use it, but the message wouldn't reach my body.
My unsatisfactory reply enraged Ray, and he pulled his right hand away and swung it back to slap me. I knew Scott wasn't going to be able to step in fast enough to stop him from hitting me. I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut, anticipating the impact and the pain that was sure to follow.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from somewhere behind Ray, and the blow never landed. Instead, Ray swore as he let me go. I stumbled for balance as I watched him whirl and take off in the direction the sound came from. Shit. No, no, no. It was too soon. Calder needed more time. I had to stop him. Desperate, terrified, and without a thought to my own safety, I hurried after Ray.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
____________________
Calder
I was barely a yard out of sight down the alley from Ella and Scott before I was inundated by emotions that I didn't want, and old memories I'd just as soon forget. I remembered skulking around this neighborhood, hounded by desperation and the sheer physical pain of withdrawal as I sought out my next high. I remembered the shame of not being able to fight the cravings, and the worry that I wouldn't find another fix before the withdrawal symptoms became debilitating. I remembered the fear and uncertainty of being homeless, directionless, and alone. I'd been a mere ghost of a human being, drifting through the world in and out of a drug-addled haze that could never fill the painful emptiness in my heart. I don't know how I lived through it and managed to get clean.
I kept my head down as I walked, trying to calm my emotions and staring at my shoes as I hurried along inexorably toward my destination. I was begging to get mugged, but was too unsettled inside to care. I jerked to a halt when I finally turned the corner of the old warehouse I was circling, and looked up at the moonlit brick building that I used to call home. Well, fuck. It was a shithole, a fucking nightmare. I didn't remember it ever looking this bad, but when all I cared about was getting high I hadn't noticed. I guess anything was better than sleeping on a street corner out in the open when you were homeless, but fuck me, it looked awful.
I stared up at the massive wall of crumbling brick and filthy broken windows that hid an interior that I knew was even worse. I shuddered at the thought of sweet little Violet being inside this place at the mercy of her asshole father. I had to get her out of there. I had to get her away from him no matter the cost to myself. That bastard didn't deserve her. She should have been mine all along, so I was taking her, and as long as there was breath in my body, I'd make sure he never touched her again. I'd take care of her like she deserved.
Those thoughts were an incentive enough to get me moving. I didn't have much time, and I couldn't afford to be sidetracked by the memory of my pathetic past or the emotions it engendered. I had a future now with Ella and Violet, and nothing would keep me from it. I surged forward and hurried quietly down the disintegrating and weed infested alley along the back of the abandoned five-story factory.
Near the back corner of the building was a section that jutted out from the first floor that was only one-story high. I knew there was a small roofed area up there that ran under a line of windows on the second floor. I also knew one of them had a broken lock. Well, at least it had been the last time I was here, but the place certainly didn't look like anyone had bothered to maintain it since then, let alone fix a window latch.
There was a large window in front of me that was recessed with a good-sized brick sill. It would make too much noise to break the glass to get in, besides that fact that I didn't know if I could find a safe path up to the third floor if I did. Instead, I climbed up onto the sill, then carefully stood and reached up to pull myself onto the roof above with a little effort. I didn't remember it being this easy in the past, but I had a lot more muscle on my frame than the scrawny kid I'd been back then. I stood slowly and walked carefully over to the nearby windows, hoping with each step that the roof didn't collapse under my weight.
I reached the fourth window and was relieved to find that it slid open fairly quietly and with just a small amount of force when I lifted the sash. I climbed through before I could second guess my determination, my feet crunching on debris as I stood. I immediately closed the window behind me, then turned to take in my surroundings. It was dark as hell, and eerily quiet. I pulled my phone out and opened the flashlight app, so I could take a look around.
I was in a small empty room that must have once been an office of some kind. The filthy hardwood floor was covered in bits of plaster that had crumbled off the walls, and other nasty things I didn't want to try to identify. A musty smell filled my nostrils. I glanced at the corner next to me and saw a pile of dirty and ratty blankets lying in the same spot where I used to sleep with a few used needles littered around it. Shit. Apparently, I wasn't the only addict to call this room home. I stared at the needles as memories of laying there and shooting up hit me hard. I could almost smell the acrid scent of the heroin bubbling in a spoon. I could practically feel the jab of the needle in my skin just before I lost myself to the rush that followed and slumped into oblivion on my sorry excuse for a bed.
What the fuck.
I recoiled from the blankets, wanting nothing to do with them, and staggered away as the light from my phone whirling wildly around the room. I bumped into the opposite wall and leaned against it, sucking in harsh breaths as I desperately fought down the rising craving, and the panic that followed.
I clamped my eyes closed and pictured Ella and Violet. I thought about them coming to live with me, and then marrying Ella and having a child with her, a brother or a sister for Violet. I thought about having a real family for the first time in my life. Those things held more power than any drug, power that was infused with love and hope. I latched onto that and held on tight until the craving and the panic began to subside. I'd fought my way free of that old life, free from the pain, and I'd come out the other side stronger. And now that I wasn't alone anymore, that knowledge made me stronger still. I wouldn't let my past rule me.
Calmer now, I pushed off the wall and crossed to the room's door. It hung partly open and askew with one of its hinges broken. I squeezed through carefully and emerged steadfast and determined to get this done. The only memories coming back to me now were useful ones as I moved through the familiar building with confidence. I stuck to the path that I remembered, my careful footsteps crunching softly as I moved along the perimeter of the building, avoiding the center where I knew the floor was weakest.
Eventually, I came to an old conveyor belt that was about four feet wide and rose up to the third floor. I could see dim light filtering down from the floor above, so I turned off the flashlight on my phone and tucked it back in my pocket as I approached. The last thing I wanted to do was announce my presence to Voss before I could get Violet out of here. I climbed up onto the conveyor belt and was glad it didn't start moving or collapse under me all together considering how rusty the metal was. The rubber belt had decent traction despite its poor condition and the dirt and plaster all over it. Within moments, I was peeking my head up onto the next floor.
There was light coming from across the large open room in the opposite corner, diagonal to my position, from what looked like a bunch of battery-operated lanterns. Dim eerie light radiated out from them in a wide circle amid the round support pillars spread evenly throughout the space. I looked straight ahead and could see more light spilling from an open doorway into what was probably another office. I could hear some low mumbled voices, but I couldn't make any of it out. I needed to get closer.
I crept slowly off the conveyor and over to a nearby pillar, making as little noise as possible, and froze behind it to listen. The unintelligible voices continued, so I figured it was safe enough to get closer. I moved from one pillar to the next, staying in the shadows as much as I could, until I was hiding behind one only a few yards from the open room. Now I could hear everything.
"Pumpkin," said a low ma
sculine voice in a fake saccharine tone that didn't do much to hide the underlying irritation. "You need to stop whining now."
"But Daddy," replied Violet's wavering voice that sounded much younger than her ten years. "It's really gross in here, and I'm scared. I want Mommy, and I wanna go home."
She started sobbing softly on that last word. Violet was such a strong and resilient child, and hearing her so upset and afraid broke my heart. I longed to hold her and comfort her like she so obviously needed. That's not what her father gave her.
"Stop fucking crying, or I'll give you a goddamn reason to cry," Ray snarled out at her, any pretense of sweetness now gone from his voice. "It's all you've been doing all fucking day."
Violet's sobs merely intensified at his cruel words. A moment later, Ray made a disgusted noise, and then I heard footsteps approaching. Shit. I pressed myself against the pillar and held my breath as Ray passed so damn close to my hiding spot that I could clearly hear him grumble out, "Just as fucking pathetic as her whore of a mother," under his breath as he walked by. What a bastard. I trembled as I fought the sudden urge to rush after him right now and pummel his face in.
As he moved further away, I risked a peek in his direction. He was walking through the circle of lanterns toward an open door that I knew led to a stairway. He came to a stop in the doorway, and stood there looking down into the darkened stairwell, waiting for what I assumed was Ella. Here was my chance to get to Violet.
I held my breath and moved swiftly and as quietly as I could toward the room where I could still hear Violet crying softly. I kept an eye on Ray the whole time, but he never once looked my way. The arrogant bastard thought he was alone and had the advantage here. I couldn't wait to prove him wrong.
I slipped into the room and stilled in horrified disgust. I looked around the filthy little space lit by a lone battery-powered lantern sitting next to some empty beer bottles on an old wooden crate near the door. The only other thing resembling furniture in the room was an old stained mattress pushed up against the far wall amid piles of what looked like dirty clothes and God knew what else.
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