by KJ Dahlen
Chapter Four
The men waited in silence for her to continue tell her horror story.
The silence went on for a couple of minutes and then she started to speak again, “That’s when he snapped. At fifteen, he was as big as his dad and the rage inside him was off the charts. He went out to the kitchen and came back with a butcher knife.” Her words stopped for a moment as she remembered the horror of that day. “He stabbed his dad first. Four vicious stabs in his belly. Derek fell to the floor and he couldn’t move. Matt yelled at my mom, telling her she would never have that baby. That he would be his father’s only child. Then he ripped her open...” Ally Bella shuddered as her breathing came faster. Suddenly she stood up and she shook all over. “I-I can’t...” She sobbed as she remembered her mother’s face that day.
Damon stood and grasped her arms. “I know this is hard. I’m sorry about it. But we need to hear it all. Please?” He looked into her eyes, pleading with his gaze.
Alybella swallowed heavily.
Damon picked up her teacup.” Here have a sip.”
She did and handed it back, then still trembling she stepped away from him. “I will stand. I cannot sit.”
The men all nodded as they stared up at her.
She wrung her hands together and went on, “I remember my mother screaming and the blood, oh my god there was so much blood. My mother was on the floor and I ran over to him to get him off of her. She was crying and screaming and I had to try to help her. Matt got up and grabbed me by my hair. Then he told my mom she was an interloper and this is what happened to interlopers. He turned his knife on me and he slit my throat. The cut itself wasn’t deep but I think I was in shock. He threw me to the floor, turned away, and walked out of the house. But before he left, he grabbed a photo frame from the wall in the living room. Derek’s grandfather had gold buttons made up for the Moore family when the business he built up from scratch finally took off. His grandfather began a tailoring shop fifty years ago. The buttons had an M on them and he had twelve in a frame. Matt then then dropped one of the buttons down on his dad’s body and walked away.”
“How did you survive a slit throat?” Antosha asked.
Alybella looked at him. “I don’t know. The cut itself wasn’t deep but it did bleed. The cut nicked my vocal cords, so the cut affected my ability to speak and I almost bled to death before we got help. Lucky for me, a neighbor was home and after he saw Matt leave the house, he came over to see what was wrong. The police came but Derek and my mom died.”
“What happened to you?” Damon wanted to know.
“I went to live with my real dad’s brother,” she told them.
“Have you had any contact with this man Matt, since then?” James asked.
Alybella turned her head to stare at him. “Not on purpose but I think he knows I’m still alive.”
“What makes you think so?”
“Because I’ve seen him four times over the years and I know he was looking for me. Once he found the place I was living at and he broke in while I was gone. He tore the place apart. He even wrote me a message in what looked like blood on the wall.”
“What was the message?” Damon had to know.
“He told me he was coming for me and I wouldn’t survive his knife a second time.” She looked away from Damon.
Damon got to his feet and walked away from the huddle for a moment. He had to think about what she was telling them. He never expected to find her or any of this information as soon as he hit town.
At least he had a name to go with the killer. He might even have found out why his wife and son died. But until he could get his hands on the bastard, none of it helped him. Memories of living here with his wife and son were crowding into his brain and he could barely stand to be here.
He turned back to the group and said, “We can’t stay here. If Matthew knows where she is, he’ll come after her. He’s found her at least once and she’s seen him four times. One of these days, he’s going to find her and it will be too late.”
“So what are you saying here?” Antosha wanted to know.
“We have to get her to a place where he can’t find her and then we have to hunt him down and take him out. We have to neutralize him once and for all, so he can never hurt another family.” Damon growled.
“Is there such a place?” Alybella whispered. “I mean a place he’ll never find me?”
“You’ll be with us. We will keep you safe until we can find this bastard,” Damon told her.
Alybella began shaking her head. “I can’t, if he finds me with you guys, he won’t hesitate to take you out to get to me. He’ll figure he’s got nothing left to lose and he wants me dead at any cost.” She looked down at her fingers. They were entwined and red from wringing them together. “Did you know he killed his own mother?” she asked quietly.
“How do you know that?” James wanted to know.
“My uncle told me. About five years after I went to live with him. I don’t think he really wanted me there but I didn’t have a choice where I lived. My dad’s estate paid him to raise me as he died when I was four. Uncle Grant hated the fact I survived the attack that day. He always told me I should have died just like my mother. If I had died, all my dad’s money would have been his. That was the only reason I was with him and he made no attempt to hide that fact. Grant was basically a lazy man, he wanted the money but he hated the fact that he actually had to do the work to get the paycheck. As it was... if he wanted to continue to get it, he had to give me a place to live. If I went into the system, the money would go with me.” She paused then added, “Anyway, I was about eleven or twelve and Grant told me Matt found his mother and he butchered her. He wasn’t even sorry she was dead. He told me she must have known Matt wasn’t right in the head when she walked out of the church that day. Derek tried to find her after she left the church that day, but couldn’t. Plus, it took Matt six years to locate her. But he finally did.” She looked up at him. “Grant told me he took out two men she had around her too. He thought they were bodyguards but he didn’t know for sure.”
James snorted. “I’m surprised he let you stay with him then.”
Alybella felt the tears roll down her face. She thought she cried all the tears she had a long time ago. But apparently not. “He moved me to a smaller house and hired a nanny to stay with me. His told me his work took him all over the nation at times and he didn’t want me to mess up his house when he was gone. But even when he was home, I stayed in the smaller house across town. I saw him once a month for a few minutes but otherwise, I was alone.”
“The whole time?” Antosha asked.
“No, just after Matt found his mother. The nanny finally left when I was seventeen. Grant hadn’t even paid her the last three months she was there. I contacted my dad’s attorney and got payments cuts off to Grant after that. I had him send her a check and she said I didn’t have to do that but I did. Now my dad’s money comes to me every month, or rather it goes into a bank account every month. I haven’t touched it since I walked out of that little house.” She turned to look at the men. “I haven’t touched it in over eleven years but at least Grant can’t get his hands on it either.”
“Was he mad about that?” James grinned.
Alybella nodded. “He was furious. He couldn’t find me, so he went to the attorney and threatened a lawsuit but changed his mind when the attorney threatened to take him to court for abandoning his responsibilities toward me by accepting the money every month for six years after he moved me into the smaller house.”
“Where did all this start?” Damon asked.
“My dad and Derek lived in New Haven, Connecticut. My dad’s brother Grant lived in Concord, Maine.”
“And where did Matt find his mother?” James wanted to know.
“He found her in Las Vegas,” she replied.
“How have you been surviving if you’re not using your dad’s money?” Antosha asked.
Alybella shrugged. “I don’t need a
lot. I can work for my expenses. I’ve always found a job wherever I go.”
“But child, you don’t eat right.” Antosha shook his head.
Aly smiled. “I usually eat at work but I eat.”
“How often have you had to move?” Damon asked.
“That depends I guess.” She shrugged. “Usually, around every two years.” She looked around the small house. “In fact, I think it’s time I move on. I may have already been here longer than I should have been.”
“Why do you say that?” Damon frowned.
She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe I’m just getting jumpy but I have a feeling he’s closing in on me.” Shaking her head she admitted, “I haven’t seen him yet, but I have a feeling he’s out there, waiting and watching.”
Damon looked over at James then back to Alybella. “You think he’s coming here?”
Alybella nodded. “I think he’s getting close to finding me again. I can feel it. My skin is beginning to crawl at times. That always means he’s close. He may not have found me yet but he’s closing in. I think that’s why I panicked...” She stared at Damon. “In the diner. I’ve been feeling edgy. Then when I heard you both...” She sighed.
Damon growled. “Pack a bag, you’re getting out of here. If he comes here looking for you, he isn’t going to find you here alone.”
“Where do you suggest I go?” Alybella asked.
“You’ll be with us for the next few days.” Damon stared at her. “I came here to do something I couldn’t do twenty-one years ago. But now, I think I’ll stay to see if he comes back.”
Alybella shivered. She just stared at him in worry. He didn’t know what Matt could and would do to get to her. And she knew he had to kill her. He knew it and so did she.
She got up to go pack her clothes, leaving the three men behind her as she entered her bedroom.
Then she froze.
And screamed.
Chapter Five
Damon turned and rushed in the direction of the bedroom. He moved her out of the way and looked inside the bedroom. It was a complete and total mess. Her bed had been torn apart and the sheets were shredded. The pillows were ripped open and feathers were all over the room. The plants she had in there were smashed on the floor. All of her clothes were dumped on the floor and covered in bleach and urine. The smell was disgusting.
There was one small pillow that hadn’t been destroyed and it was in the middle of the bed and on that pillow was another gold button. This was Matt’s message to Alybella. Intended to set her into a panic.
It almost worked.
Damon growled. It would have sent her running. To where he had no idea, but this killer would have followed her and caught her totally unaware. He turned to look at her and found her gaze on the mess Matt had left for her to find.
Slowly, she raised her eyes to his. “I think you got your wish. I was right. He is very close. Probably watching us as we stand here.”
“I dare him to come at us now.” Damon growled.
“I have to go home and protect my wife,” Antosha said. “If he knows who owns this house he might hurt her to get to Alybella.”
Alybella turned to him and grabbed his hands. “Please don’t let him get to either of you. I think he feels he can’t be stopped anymore and he’s at his most dangerous right now.”
Damon turned to Antosha. “Don’t stay alone. Go where you know there are people around. He will come after you if you’re alone but he isn’t about to come after you in a crowd of people. Stay there until I call you to tell you its safe. You hear me?”
Antosha nodded. “I hear you. I hear you. Max. You keep this girl alive and yourself. You come to me after this is over and we’ll talk.”
Damon nodded. Then watched as the older man turned and left the little house. He turned to look at Alybella. “Well, I guess you don’t have anything left to pack.” He turned back to the bed and snatched the button from the pillow.
Alybella went to the closet and pulled a panel from the back. She grabbed the small duffle hidden there and got to her feet. “I’m ready.” She said.
“You have a to go bag?” James asked in a stunned voice.
She nodded. “I’ve had to have this ready to go at a moment’s notice. As much as I hate it, its proven handy at times like this.”
“Come on we have to find a place to stay,” Damon stated. “There isn’t a whole lot to choose from, if I remember this town correctly.”
“There a little motel?” Alybella offered. “It’s in the seedy part of town.”
“This town has a seedy part?” James asked from the doorway.
Nodding, she smiled. “Not big here but we do have that.”
“Well, right now, we have to move fast, so let’s go,” Damon urged.
James drove as Damon sat in the front.
Aly sat in the backseat. She didn’t face the front, instead she kept her head turned to the back window.
“See anything?” Damon asked her.
She shook her head. “No, not that I can s tell. I mean there’s very little traffic at all.”
They pulled up to a small motel with a flashing sign, Happy Trails Motel.
“For real?” James asked. “Happy Trails?”
Nodding, Alybella laughed. “It even has cowboy themed rooms.”
“No kidding?” James asked
Damon rolled his eyes and got out. “I’ll check us in.”
“Got your ID?” James asked with a grin.
“Yes, and I like the name Alex Wendell.”
Aly stared at him. “Yet another name?”
He shook his head and shut the car door.
When he came back, he slid into the seat and shut the door then pointed at the furthest corner of the horse shoe shaped parking lot. “Room 17.”
“One room?” Aly asked.
Turning his head to look at her as James drove across the lot, Damon replied, “We aren’t taking our eyes off of you.” he gazed directly into her gray eyes.
She blushed and looked away.
“I meant for your safety Miss Bella,” he corrected himself.
She raised her head.” It is Alybella Sloan. “
“Ok, Alybella. You have a serial killer after you. He has found you. We won’t put you in any room unprotected.”
Nodding, she said nothing.
They got out of the car.
James went around to the trunk. “We have go bags too. But I thought this was gonna be a one day trip. Now I’m glad we have clothes to last more than a day.”
Damon grabbed his bag from the trunk as well.
“Go bags for you guys too?” Alybella asked.
Damon turned to look at her. “We live out of them actually.”
“I did that a few times, when...” Her voice fell away
Damon turned to look at her. He knew this girl had been through a lot, so he didn’t know what to say to make her feel any better. What could he say? He used an actual key for the door, not a card key. When the old man handed it to him at the desk, he was astounded. He hadn’t seen an actual motel key in more than 25 years.
He turned the key and hit the light switch. Then he actually halted and let out a rare laugh as he turned to let Ally Bella pass by him into the room first.
James stepped up. “What’s so...” His voice fell away as he stared into the room. “...funny?”
The room looked like John Wayne and Roy Rogers had gotten married then decorated it as their honeymoon suite. There were paintings of horses and cowboys herding cows. The lamps were miniature saddles. The bed spread on the first bed was covered in boots and spurs, and the second bed was cover in one that had small jumping horses on it. Browns and golds ran through the room as coordinating colors. Horse shoes were custom made to fit over the light switches and even the electrical outlets.
“Well, Yee-Fucking-Haw!” James let off and then laughed.
“Yeah,” Aly spoke for the first time. “It’s so cute.”
“Cute?” Damon
stared at her then looked around at the ridiculous western themed room. “I suppose it is, if your name’s Hank and you wear a belt buckle in the shape of Texas, maybe.”
Alybella suddenly laughed out loud.
Both men turned their heads to stare at her. They hadn’t heard her laugh since they’d met her.
Damon continued to stare even after James cleared his throat.
Aly stopped laughing and turned away. “So um... I sleep in one bed, then you two in the other?”
They all three turned to stare at the beds.
“Well, hell.” James shook his head. “They’re like twin sized.
Both men looked at each other.
Aly turned from the beds and then seemed to size the men up. Both men were well over 6ft 4 wide shouldered and muscled as all get out. “Yeah, not hardly big enough for one of you really.” She smiled. “You guys must work out relentlessly to look like you do.”
The men both shrugged.
“No problem,” James said. “Damon drove the last part of our trip when we were headed here as I napped. So, I’ll take the first shift.”
Aly stared at him then at Damon. “Shift?”
“Sure,” he replied. “We will keep watch.”
Aly nodded. “Oh, so one of you will be awake all the time?”
“Each one of us,” both men answered at the same time.
She blinked. “Ok... well, I want to change into my sweats and brush my teeth. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” She headed into the bathroom, then shut the door.