“I may be reaching here, but what are the odds that they killed these women together?” Mitch asked.
“Pretty fucking good.” Agent Merkoff chimed in.
“What are the odds that younger brother Kenneth abducted these women for his brother as some form of controlling him and keeping him happy? You know, helping him to fulfill whatever fantasies the doctors at that hospital uncovered about Nathan,” Tiegen said to them.
“Holy fucking shit, you could be on to something, Tiegen,” Kevin said. “Look at these files on the abuse done to the victims prior to their deaths. It’s obvious that they were sexually assaulted, and evidence proves that it was done violently and repeatedly, plus they were beaten, strangled to death, and even stabbed and strangled. Were the parents killed the same way?” Tiegen looked toward Kevin at the computer.
Kevin tapped more on the keyboard and pulled up the other folder again. He filtered through the information.
“Yes, both were severely beaten, stabbed numerous times, and strangled.”
“Jesus. It’s both of them working together. Kenneth gets the women, Nathan has his ways with them and fulfills his fantasy, his actions five years ago as he killed both parents, and then Kenneth disposes of the bodies. My God, we have to find them.” Tiegen looked at his watch. “We’re moving onto sixteen hours that she has been missing. The first twenty-four are key. We all know that. Someone has to know where this fucker lives. Someone.”
“What about the businessmen he works with? Or perhaps a name other than his last name? Like property brought by Kenneth Mason? Maybe a vacation home or rental?” Mitch asked.
“Wait, let me see how Nathan was registered and what name Kenneth used to take him out of the hospital. I’m not finding anything listed under the name Mason except the penthouse in the city and NYPD already confirmed no one is there.”
“Wouldn’t they match and both be Mason because they’re brothers?” Tiegen asked Kevin.
“I don’t think I saw the name Mason.” He typed away and then he looked at all the files. “No, they are both listed under Mason. What other name would he or could he use?”
“A trillion different names. Fuck,” Tiegen said.
“What about a family name? Sometimes people have to use their mother’s maiden name for things?” Mitch asked.
“Yeah, that’s true. Can we get the mother’s maiden name?” Tiegen asked as he gripped the chair.
Kevin typed away, and the minutes passed. Mitch looked at his watch. Three forty-five a.m. His eyes burned, and his belly ached. He didn’t want to think about what the bodies looked like and about how Nathan had killed both his parents. He was sick, twisted, and mentally ill, and apparently Kenneth was no better. He thought about his friends. Big Guns, Caleb, and Jay Bird were frantic with worry. They were still right outside. Their friends and family in the community had all come to the park, the last location where Sonya had been seen, and they’d brought coffee, food, drinks, anything the detectives and the agents would need to stay focused.
“Hey, that thumb drive Mia gave you with all the pictures from the crime scene was a huge help. I don’t know if you saw her, but she’s outside helping the search party then went out looking for more clues,” Tiegen told him.
“She’s a really nice woman. Ready to help the community too.”
Tiegen smiled.
“Got it. Holy fucking shit. I got the name and everything associated with that name within New York State. I can expand out if necessary.” The agent continued typing.
“Elizabeth and Bernie Mastorini. Typing in Mastorini on local utility companies, real estate, anything that attaches this name to it.” He continued typing. Mitch felt as though he was on the edge of his seat.
“Holy crap. I got it. A house bought four years ago by Kenneth Mastorini. Located at 22 Miller Way off Mountainside Drive. That’s where the fucker is. Look at this shit. Ten fucking acres of woods surrounding it. The driveway is huge, long and narrow, probably over a minute from the road to the edge of the house.”
“This has to be it. We have to assume it is and that they’re keeping Sonya hostage there,” Tiegen said to them.
“We need to prepare a raid. Making contact prior cannot be an option. They could kill her and go out in a blaze of glory,” the other agent added.
They were all giving their input and coming up with a plan.
“Her men are SWAT. They know this area and grew up in these woods. So have the rest of us. I say we let them do their thing. They’re not going to go in there gung ho. They want their woman alive. We grab our men and others we know who can handle this. We have at least two dozen men, including Tiegen and I, who can assist,” Tiegen said to the agents.
The agents seemed unsure as they looked toward Big Guns and the others from Team Venom. They wanted control of the situation, but then Tiegen took two of them to the side, and the decision was made. The initial team would be made up of Team Venom, Tiegen, Mitch, and three other men from the community that Mitch knew were retired Special Forces and capable of assisting.
“Let’s go talk to Jay Bird and the others. I don’t want to take too long planning this raid. We need to move in now. Time is running out. I can feel it,” Tiegen said, and Mitch agreed.
* * * *
“Holy shit. Right around the mountain on the other side of the lake? Holy crap.” Jay Bird ran his fingers through his hair.
Team Venom stood around Big Guns, Caleb and Jay Bird. None of them had left their sides, and it was appreciated.
“The feds are letting us lead the way to get in there first to rescue her?” Niko asked Tiegen.
“We got their approval, and they will have their team on the backs of our heels. Can you get all the equipment we need and also get in touch with Damien, Elwood, and Toro Vancouver?” Tiegen asked Niko.
“They can be here in ten minutes,” Miles said, holding the phone to his ear. He gave a yes into the phone.
“Okay, this is how it’s going down. We aren’t a hundred percent sure that they’re even in there, but it’s our best lead yet. There are things you need to know because, as SWAT, it’s your right to know the complete situation you’re running into. These men are not exactly psychologically stable,” Tiegen said.
“Men? There’s more than this guy Kenneth?” Jay Bird asked.
“Yes, his brother. Let us explain.”
As Tiegen explained all about the brothers and how Nathan had killed his parents and then Kenneth had gotten the charges lessened with an insanity case and so on, the men looked angrier and angrier and also grim. There was a great possibility that they could raid the place and find Sonya dead. They could be too late. He glanced at his watch again. Four forty-five.
“The sun is going to be rising soon, and I think we need to get in there and use the darkness as part of our cover,” Miles said.
“Damien and the other will be here any minute. Their place isn’t far from where we’re headed.” Miles got a message on his cell phone.
“They’re going to meet us there to save time. Let’s grab our gear and move,” Miles said.
Niko gave the orders, and they all moved out to vehicles. Mitch looked at Tiegen, and as they passed the tables where people in the community were helping, he caught Mia’s eye.
“Good luck,” she whispered, and he nodded a thank-you and headed out.
“Looks like you made a friend,” Tiegen teased.
“I think you did too,” he told his brother, who looked back. They both saw Mia watching them, and she nodded to Tiegen.
“Holy crap. I think you’re right. I say if we get through this with a happy ending, we ask her out and then we tell Murdock about her.”
“Why would we wait to tell Murdock?”
“Because one look at those baby blues of hers and that body and he’ll be knocking us out of the way.”
Mitch gave a small chuckle as they got into the SUV with the feds.
“Maybe she’ll be interested in all three of us.”
With that, Tiegen got serious and looked out of the window. His brother talked a big talk, but he was really a bit insecure and didn’t trust women. Maybe Mia would be the difference and the woman they needed to bring the three of them close again like they used to be, he thought. He took a few breaths and said a few prayers that Sonya was alive and they could capture two killers and bring justice to the victims’ families once and for all.
* * * *
Niko looked at Miles. “Do you think they’ll handle it according to protocol? I mean I’m not even sure how the rest of us can get through this. We all know Sonya. Suzette and the others are so upset, and we’ve been trying to console them and help our buddies,” he whispered to him.
“I think that they’re going to do an even better job because they know her life depends on them being professional and waiting for the opportunity. We have Damien, Elwood, and Toro. Maybe we have them take lead.”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s hope that the guys accept it.”
Niko cleared his throat as they got out of the SUV and all gathered their gear. Sure enough, Damien, Elwood, and Toro arrived, dressed in black, carrying their weapons and even night vision goggles.
“So what do we have?” Damien asked after they all shook hands and Niko introduced them to the agents.
“Okay, we are going to have to be as quiet as we possibly can be. It should take us approximately ten minutes to get over the ridge and through the woods without being detected, unless he has some kind of security system in place to alert him. We won’t know until we head in,” Niko said to the group.
“Fuck, you think this guy would have that set up?” Beats asked Niko.
“He‘s fucking crazy but not stupid,” Niko said. “He’s evaded capture for years, has aided his brother in killing these women, and has helped or maybe even gotten rid of the bodies himself. We have to assume he’s prepared. He has evaded detection and purchased this home and property through his mother’s maiden name. He’s smart and ruthless, which makes him dangerous.”
“Plus his brother Nathan is not dealing with a full deck, and we believe that he’s the one that beat those women and killed them. It’s been more than seventeen hours since Sonya has gone missing,” Miles said.
“Jesus,” Elwood whispered.
“Exactly. Big Guns, Jay Bird, Caleb, Damien, Elwood, and Toro will take lead.”
“What? Why? That’s our woman in there,” Jay Bird stated aloud.
“Exactly. Technically the three of you should be removed from this raid, but we’re trusting that you will put your training and responsibility first over emotion. Having Elwood, Damien, and Toro lead ensures that you have a buffer in case whatever we walk into is too much for you to handle emotionally.”
Jay Bird stared at him straight-faced.
“We know our jobs. We know if we allow our emotions to lead us that we could fuck up and Sonya could get killed if she’s still alive. Our team members could also get hurt or killed. We understand. If you want us to take the back, we will.”
Niko looked at the team.
“Hell no they’re not taking the back. They can do this. We trust them, and if this was any one of us in their position, they would back us up too and take lead,” Beats said.
“Agreed?” Niko asked all of them.
“Agreed,” they all said in unison.
“Okay. Then let’s do this. Swiftly, quietly, and professionally. Let’s all go home alive tonight in one piece,” Niko said.
“Except for the two dickheads in there,” Elwood said, and they all chuckled.
“I mean, if necessary, take the shot to kill them. I mean it,” he added, and they chuckled a little louder as if not believing his sarcastic response. They were all on edge and wanted to save Sonya and stop this man or men from hurting anyone else.
“Okay, radios and mics on channel two. Let’s do this,” Niko said, and they all prepared to head up the hill and through the woods to hopefully save Sonya’s life.
* * * *
“You’re so beautiful. I don’t want to make you bleed anymore or damage your skin. Why can’t you listen? Why don’t you accept Kenneth and me? He cares about us. He would do anything for you,” Nathan said to Sonya as he caressed her cheeks and ran his fingers along her body.
She ached everywhere. The pain was so bad she couldn’t even cry anymore, only moan.
She wanted to die. She didn’t want to feel his strikes. He went from one object to another, trying to make her say things to him and accept his proposal of marriage.
His hands trailed over her breasts then down her belly. She was so badly bruised that his touch felt like burns to her skin. Her arms ached from being tied above her head for hours, or was it days? She didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. She was never going to see her lovers or her friends ever again, and that was what hurt the most.
Why had she been so stupid? Why was it she trusted so easily and had accepted Kenneth’s trick of having a girlfriend and of wanting to take pictures in the woods? She should have followed her gut. How many times had she heard the stories or the information police gave to women about trusting your gut and your instincts? Hell, she was the lover to three men who knew all about that and about self-defense. That hadn’t even helped her much, not when her attacker had a syringe of drugs.
She actually wished for drugs now. For something to take away the pain and what was yet to come.
She gasped as his hand made contact with her face again. He punched her. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her so hard she thought her brain shook too.
“Please,” she begged.
“Why are you not listening to me? Kenneth is good. Kenneth loves you already. Accept us as your men. I need him too, Sonya. He will make sure I don’t kill you.”
She was so scared. He was sick, and she knew immediately that something was terribly wrong with his brain. His dark hair and dark eyes reminded her of the devil. They had a lost look in them, like a shadow of evil.
She’d heard the things he said as he struck her. I killed my parents, but it was an accident. Sometimes I get so angry and want something so badly I lose control. Kenneth helps me. He took care of the lawyers and he got the charges dropped. I had to live in a hospital. I didn’t like it.
He went on and on for hours, and she tried to think, to remember things that she could use to stop him. Maybe if she talked to him he would stop and not hurt her anymore. Plus, what he said sounded like Kenneth had kind of used him in a lot of ways or manipulated Nathan into believing that he could protect him.
“He’s lying to you,” she whispered, her lips swollen and sore. Her mouth, neck, and shoulders were so bruised that even whispering hurt.
“No. He’s good.”
“No. He’s using you.” She cringed as she tried moving her legs. She felt the charley horses move through her muscles, and even that didn’t hurt as badly as the constant ache. He skin was split over her belly. He could kill her. Why hadn’t he yet? All she could think was because he seriously thought she was going to be his wife.
He started to rock back and forth. She looked around, her eyes rolling to the left and then the right. Where was Kenneth?
“Yes. He’ll blame you when the police come looking. He’ll say you took me.”
“He didn’t with the others. He helped me get rid of them. He always takes care of me.”
The others? Oh God, he has killed other women? Shit, think, Sonya. Think.
“Others?” she asked, feeling tears fill her eyes.
His eyes popped open, and he moved his palm along her belly to her hip, and she cried out. She was in such pain. He leaned over and pressed his lips to the skin on her belly.
“They don’t matter. Don’t be jealous. It’s you, me, and Kenneth forever now. I won’t kill you. He’ll make sure.” He licked the dried blood from the cuts on her belly. She felt the sizzling pain and flinched, clenching her eyes closed.
Her voice shook something terrible. “You’re lying.”
He shot his head up to look at her. “No. I’m not.”
“You are. You probably told the other women the same thing. Did Kenneth promise them, too, that you would keep them alive and then you didn’t?”
“No. No, they didn’t matter. You do because Kenneth wants you to. I see it in his eyes.”
“But I don’t want him,” she whispered. Tears rolled from her cheeks.
“Shhh, no, no, don’t cry no more.” He climbed up into the bed and over her body.
She gasped and shook with fear. Oh God, she was saying the wrong things and making him want her more, instead of backing up. Oh God, help me please.
She couldn’t believe how big he was and how scary with all the tattoos and muscles, yet he sounded and acted like a child.
“I am the one that said I would share you.”
She shook her head.
“You don’t want me to share you?”
She shook her head again.
He smiled softly and traced her lips with his thick, hard finger, causing more aches and pains. She wanted to die, just die and not feel any more pain or any more of his touch.
“You’re so sweet. You only want me and not Kenneth?” he asked, and he pumped his hips against her crotch. She wanted to puke.
“What?” Kenneth asked as he approached.
She jumped, and her heart raced triple time. Where had he come from? How the hell hadn’t she heard his approach?
“Nathan?”
Nathan gave her a wink.
“We’re good, Kenneth,” Nathan whispered.
“No, I don’t think we are. She’s trying to manipulate you. You need to train her, or she can’t stay here.”
Nathan turned around to look at Kenneth, his weight nearly making her lose her ability to breathe even the little bit she was. He was so heavy. He could crush her if he wanted to.
“Please, Nathan. You’re too heavy.” She moaned.
“I keep her. You don’t tell me I can or can’t,” Nathan said.
Crossroads 3: Gut Instinct (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 12