Manhunt

by Tyler Anne Snell

  She shut the door with a smile.

  * * *

  THERE WAS A KNOCK on the door. It was an annoying, continuous sound that brought Sophia out of her sleep and back into the real world. She stretched, thankful it wasn’t a clock’s ticking, and looked at the empty spot next to her. Instead of her spirits dropping at Braydon’s absence, a smile bubbled up at the memory of his presence hours before.

  She could still feel his lips on hers—their warmth, their passion. The way he had commanded her body’s attention. It had been a long while since she’d been with a man, but, somehow, with Braydon it had been more than a physical connection.

  Hunger had fused them together in a dance filled with much more than the need to momentarily escape their current situation. The way he had touched her, kissed her, held her...the way he had looked into her eyes. Sophia had felt a connection in those moments that she had never felt before—all encompassing and filled with fire.

  The knock came again, pushing the memory of a perfect, naked-bodied Braydon to the back burner. Sophia let a sigh stream from her lips.

  “Hold on,” she called, stretching one last time. A pleasant soreness radiated throughout her body as she hurried around the room, grabbing clothes from her bag and putting them on. A quick glance at her phone showed that it was almost noon. That surprised her. She didn’t think she would be able to sleep after doing nothing, thanks to Nathanial’s drug. When she was finished dressing, she looked once more at the empty spot on the bed, then opened the door.

  Cara stood in the hallway looking simply devious. She held up her hands. One held a cup of coffee and the other a chocolate muffin.

  “I was sent here to try and coax you awake,” she said.

  “Who sent you?”

  “Okay, fine, I sent myself,” she confessed. “Braydon had me at the end of the hall to give you some space, but Jordan came around and has been talking to me for almost two hours and I just can’t take it anymore.” Sophia stepped aside to let the woman into the room.

  “Jordan?”

  “Richard’s nonstop-talking assistant. He keeps whining about every little thing while the vendors and decorators set up for tonight. Also, I think he’s scared, too, and likes being around someone with a gun. I told him we had this place locked down but I guess some people are just naturally nervous. Though, I can’t say I blame him right now. I hope it’s okay that I woke you. I wasn’t sure how much sleep you got.” Sophia’s eyes widened and heat started to spread up her neck as Cara glanced at the bed. She took in the rumpled sheets and pillows and, with more horror on Sophia’s part, together they spotted a pair of wayward panties on the floor next to the foot of the bed. Cara was kind enough to pretend she didn’t see any of it and instead sat on the love seat and held out the gifts she’d brought. Sophia gladly took them and joined her on the couch, the heat from her embarrassment ebbing away as the smell of coffee invaded her senses.

  “Coffee is always appreciated where I’m concerned.” She took a sip and almost sang, it was so good. Cara let her enjoy it for a moment before bringing reality into the room with them.

  “Amanda Alcaster woke up early this morning,” she began, instantly grabbing Sophia’s attention. “Braydon already questioned her—he was adamant about being the first person to talk to her.” Sophia nodded, glad that Braydon had been the one to do it. She trusted him, a fact that didn’t surprise her anymore.

  “What did she say? Does she know where Lisa is?”

  “No, I’m afraid not, but she was able to give Braydon and Tom a new lead to track down...” She let her words trail off. There was something she didn’t want to say.

  “That’s good, right?” If the lead came from Amanda, then surely it had to be good, she thought.

  “Well, we now know why it’s been so hard to find Nathanial. According to Amanda, someone is helping him.”

  Sophia almost spit her coffee out.

  “What do you mean ‘helping him’?”

  “Amanda said they were kept in a windowless room, most likely in someone’s house, and when Nathanial was down there with them, they could still hear someone moving around in the rest of the house. Sometimes they also heard him talking to someone but they never heard the other voice clearly enough.” Sophia didn’t know which piece of information to tackle first. Nathanial was partnered up with someone, but who would agree to be part of such a sinister plan? They were kept in a windowless room. What were the conditions there? Were they tied up? Were they abused? Cara seemed to pick up on the more intimate questions and continued. “Amanda said they were tied to chairs and were given bathroom breaks and food. She said Nathanial never hurt them.”

  “Except when he decided to carve my name into her stomach,” Sophia said with anger.

  “He had already put her to sleep when he did that.” Cara sighed. “Small blessings I suppose.” Sophia marveled that cutting someone up after they were asleep was a blessing at all, but in this case, it was true.

  “So what lead did she give if she didn’t know where they were being held?”

  “We found out that Amanda had been talking to Nathanial when she was working at the gas station through Tipsy’s security tapes.” Cara’s whole demeanor changed as she started talking again—she was excited. “When we asked her about it she said that Nathanial had been talking to Amanda about buying the Dolphin Lot. He expressed interest one day and she ate it up. When her mama found out they had a big fight. She left, got a little drunk and went back home. Decided to let off some steam and walked back through the lot. She said Nathanial pulled up around then and grabbed her.”

  “That’s what Marina was talking about in the hospital,” Sophia started. “She said she loved Amanda more than that land!”

  Cara nodded.

  “He went through a lot of unnecessary trouble,” she thought aloud. Sophia had to agree.

  “Let’s hope it’s his love of theatrics that does him in.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  There were two plans underway with the same goal—take down Nathanial while saving both Hardwick sisters. However, the route to the finish line varied between two methods.

  The first plan hadn’t changed since day one. Just because Nathanial had said the only way to save Lisa was to make the trade, that didn’t stop half the police force from continuing to look for her. Unlike the first few days of the women’s disappearances, there was more confidence among the searchers. They knew about the connection between Nathanial and Amanda, knew the women had been in a house, and knew that Nathanial was not working alone. The last fact dimmed some enthusiasm but at least now they could broaden their list of suspects now that they were looking for more than just Nathanial.

  Unfortunately, no one knew where Nathanial’s car was. Amanda had only been able to say that Lisa had said it was old. Between the two of them, Nathanial hadn’t drugged Lisa immediately when he grabbed her. Captain Westin had some of his men finding regular Tipsy patrons who had been seen on the security tapes that he and Tom had gone through in hopes that they’d remember something about Nathanial’s visits with Amanda.

  The second plan, dubbed everyone’s least favorite, was built around Nathanial’s trade. No matter how much they disliked the plan, they couldn’t ignore it. Since Nathanial hadn’t ordered Sophia to come to the fund-raiser alone, the plan was changed to Braydon’s liking—instead of handing Sophia over so she could be taken away, tortured and killed, there would be a big ambush and the sisters would be saved. Until Nathanial contacted her, Sophia would attend the fund-raiser with Braydon and Cara at her side. The rest of the police force that weren’t out actively searching would dress up in their formal best and mingle as if it was going out of style. Everyone would be on alert.

  Everyone would have eyes on Sophia.

  She hoped and prayed that the first plan would work, but as the sun
went down and night fell over the once-sleepy town of Culpepper, it was time to prepare for option two.

  Sophia stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection with a mix of anxiety and appreciation. She hated to admit it, but Nathanial’s dress was beautiful.

  It was a sheath dress, fitting against her body like a glove, and falling to the tops of her knees. Thin, silk straps held it up while the bust of the dress left little to the imagination—cutting low on her chest while simultaneously pushing her breasts high enough that her cleavage could be seen from a mile away. Under different circumstances, she would have loved to attend a swanky function wearing such a garment but she couldn’t seem to get behind loving it while a crazy man waited for her. Though, again, she hated to admit that it looked and felt good against her skin. The ruby-red satin emphasized each curve of her body while the color mixed well with her complexion. On reflex alone, she applied some eyeliner and lipstick. Her hair she twirled up into a high bun. It made her feel more prepared for potential action.

  “You ready in there?” Braydon called from the other side of the door. His voice sent a thrill through her.

  “You can come in,” she called back, taking one last look at her reflection. She wondered if it would be the last time she ever saw herself, a morbid thought that she tried to tamp down quickly.

  “Wow.” Braydon stood in the doorway, with an apparent look of appreciation. She gave him a polite smile.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” she responded, walking over to him. He wore a black blazer that was opened up, showing a dark blue button-down. His slacks were also black and matched dark dress shoes. He was freshly shaved while the wild mane of hair she had grown used to in the past four days was slicked back with gel. His entire image had an effect just south of her waist, only made stronger by the memory of what was beneath each stretch of fabric that he wore.

  “I knew I’d need to step up my game if I was going to deserve the company of my date.” He grinned down at her. No matter how high her heels seemed to be, she was still under Braydon’s gaze.

  “Your date? Do I know her?” Sophia teased. It was Braydon’s turn to roll his eyes.

  “I’m sure you’ll meet her. She’s about your height, has these beautiful green eyes and is undeniably stubborn.” He bent his head so that he whispered in her ear. “She also does this little trick in bed where—” Sophia laughed and slapped his chest.

  “Okay, okay. I get it!” She took a step back while her cheeks cooled down. “Are there a lot of people here yet? I haven’t really left the room all day.” She had spent it worrying about Lisa. The night with Braydon seemed to have relieved the fear for her own life. She had cried, and done other things, until that fear had turned to determination—an even calm that left no room for second-guessing. Whatever happened tonight, she knew two things for certain: she would do anything for her sister and she would never blame anyone other than Nathanial if anything happened to Lisa.

  “A few,” he answered, “but none more beautiful than you.”

  The detective closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her. They stood there for a time. The sound of the South played outside the window—frogs and insects stringing their respective sounds together for a chorus that only outsiders seemed to notice. Sophia took a deep breath in and let it out. Braydon kissed the top of her head, sending a wave of pleasure through her. It was the last calm before the storm.

  They left the room and made their way downstairs. Sophia, Braydon and Cara walked out the front door and followed the path that led to the area of yard that had been sectioned off for the event. Valets were already standing at attention, ready to park the cars farther down the street, while caterers and Jordan, the newly appointed party planner since Lisa wasn’t there, buzzed around, making sure everything was going according to plan.

  Richard Vega knew how to throw a party; there were no two ways about it.

  Sophia’s nerves were on edge. She may have been resolute to making the trade if it came down to it, but the waiting and anticipation had her stomach in knots. She hoped no one could tell. The three of them were smiling as they rounded the house and walked into a wonderland lit up by beautiful hanging lanterns and the moon.

  The decorations were stunning, but Sophia was starting to realize not to expect anything less than extraordinary from Richard Vega. An elevated stage overlooked the party area behind the house while a mini-orchestra was seated on its beautifully stained wood. A canopy covered half the stage while gold and silver lanterns drooped from the rafters. The party area stretched far and wide with pockets of white chairs and alternating gold and silver tables. Waiters and waitresses walked around with platters filled with hors d’oeuvres while two long buffet tables draped in sheer cloth stood in the middle. Everything was white, gold or silver. It was all beautiful and yet oddly reminiscent of her senior prom.

  Men and women wearing cocktail attire were already milling around, eating finger foods and making small talk. When Braydon had said it was the event of the year, she could see he wasn’t the only person who held that as truth. Culpepper natives had more than stepped up in their dressed-for-the-best attire.

  “Glad you could make it,” Richard greeted, after catching their eye while talking to one of the waiters. A few of the attendants moved closer to him as she made her way over. Richard really was like a modern-day prince in Culpepper—everyone seemed to gravitate toward him. “I trust the walk here was pleasant?” he asked with a winning smile. The man sure worked well under pressure.

  “It was a breeze,” Sophia answered. She tried to mimic his smile.

  Richard had already been briefed about the night’s plans. All he had to do was pretend that he knew nothing about what was going on. Captain Westin had even gone as far as to tell the man not to mention any of Nathanial’s victims, including Lisa.

  “If anyone comes up to you and asks about any of them, change the subject,” he’d said to all of them. “We don’t need a bunch of civilians running around worried or trying to play cop. We’ll play ignorant until we finally get him.” It had been a hard pill to swallow for Richard, especially given the fact that most everyone would wonder why Lisa wasn’t at his side—especially at an event she had originally planned—but he had promised his lips would remain sealed.

  “I’m glad.” Richard extended his arms in a sweeping gesture. “Welcome to the seventh annual Culpepper Fund-raiser. Feel free to eat, dance and meet some wonderful people.” The second part sounded rehearsed, Sophia thought, but Richard had been the host for seven years running. It was natural to him by now. He left to mingle with a new wave of partygoers while Sophia and Cara followed Braydon to the buffet tables. Sophia’s nerves had pushed her appetite to the back burner but she didn’t mind taking a glass of champagne that was offered to her by a floating waitress.

  “You okay there, Miss Hardwick?” Braydon asked with a big smile. It was only for appearance’s sake—the concern was sewn into each word.

  “Never better,” she lied before tipping her glass back for a long drink. It was smooth and delicious.

  “Remember, you need to try and keep a low profile here,” Braydon reminded her for the umpteenth time. It was his protective side coming out. A part of him didn’t want Nathanial to see her, but that was the whole reason she was there in the first place.

  “Don’t worry,” she said in what she hoped was an even voice. “Just wanted to get my feet a little wet is all.”

  Cara smiled and said, “I like the way you think.” She grabbed a glass and the two clinked them together.

  “Women,” Braydon mumbled.

  By the time eight o’clock rolled around, the party was in full swing. Being the outsider she was, Sophia didn’t recognize anyone minus a few cops, and they made sure to mingle away from the three of them. Braydon, however, was a different story. Every time he seemed to tu
rn around there was someone ready to congratulate him on the promotion or talk football scores or share a few pieces of gossip with him. Sophia’s favorite local who stopped to chat was an elderly woman named Ms. Perry. She had her flirt turned on high and occasionally would reach up to pinch Braydon’s cheeks after he said something that she deemed adorable.

  “I’m about to make my speech,” Richard said after Perry hobbled off to find another glass of champagne. “But first, can I have a moment alone with Sophia?” He directed the question to Braydon. It annoyed her immensely yet felt flattering in a way, as if Richard was asking her man if he could have the next dance.

  “Stay inside the party and in my sight line,” Braydon said after a thoughtful pause, clearly weighing the pros and cons. It didn’t offend Richard in the least. He agreed and the two of them walked as far back from the party as Braydon would be comfortable with.

  Sophia looked expectantly at the man her sister loved. He was handsome in his suit but she found herself comparing him to the detective like she had the first day she’d met both men. They each were dressed right for the occasion but Sophia thought they looked worlds apart. Richard was the authentic businessman—dressed to make money and attract clients. He looked handsome but not necessarily mouthwatering good-looking. Braydon on the other hand was reminiscent of a Bond character—suave and sexy with an overpowering sense of confidence. His suit let the world know he was ready to party but equally ready for any action that might come his way. She knew his gun was at his side beneath his blazer—also ready for a potential fray.

  “How are you holding up?” Richard asked when they were out of hearing distance from the closest group of partiers.

  “Honestly? I hate this, but I’m trying to stay hopeful. What about you?”

  “It’s been hell,” he admitted. “I’ve been asked where Lisa is a dozen times. I keep coming up with more lies and excuses to field each question.” He rubbed at his eyes. He suddenly looked years older than his thirty-four. “I just want her home.” Sophia couldn’t help it—she wrapped Richard into a quick embrace.