Oh Jesus. Please, no.
My stomach is gripped with a painful wave of nausea.
Why did he do this to me?
How the hell did this happen?
How am I going to tell Kyle?
He’s going to kill whoever did this to me.
I violently throw my phone against the wall with a shriek, and run to the bathroom. I fall to my knees in front of the toilet and lose everything I’ve eaten today. Wave after wave of vomit leaves me while I hug the cold porcelain. I sob and wish I could rid my mind of the video I just watched. I wish I could purge my body of his touch. I’m not sure there’s anything that will ever make this better; not even Kyle.
How will I ever get past this?
How will we?
Chapter Fourteen
Kyle
The missing person case I’ve been working on this week threw up some red flags for me. After spending the past four days working to locate the client’s long-lost sister, he sent me a message saying she returned safely home; after missing for three years. My Spidey sense is tingling like mad. It’s too much of a coincidence for me; a little too pat and dry to believe. I spent this whole week working on locating her and I never came up with any leads. The client paid me cash up front. There’s no balance to be settled and other than taking the time to investigate him, no way for me to check if he’s who he claimed to be. I’m curious to know what his possible motive for wasting my time could be.
I’m working from home today. I’ve lined up the next sixty days’ worth of work and I feel like I’m being productive. It’s a nice change from the last couple of months. All the time I spent in the hospital and at rehab wore on my nerves and made me feel useless. I’m finally getting back into the groove of my normal work routine, and being with Janny. Everything’s getting back on track; life is good. I smile and think about my beautiful girl. I wonder what she’s doing at this moment. I stretch my neck from side to side to loosen the tight muscles working on my computer gives me. I pull up my email account and look through all the new ones I’ve received. Most of them are things that can wait for now. I answer the few that are time sensitive and when I’m about to log off I notice a new one. Even though the email address is unfamiliar to me I assume it’s someone inquiring about our services and open it. There’s only a link and a short message.
Thought you might like to see this…
I hesitate, unsure if I should be clicking on this link. I hear Lana, the new tech specialist we hired, cautioning me about malware and other viruses I could infect my computer with by clicking random links. Lana may kick my ass, but the curiosity has bitten me too hard to ignore. I click the link. I wait for an image to appear and when it does I wish I could reverse time. What the fuck? I wish I would have listened to that voice in the back of my head telling me it was a bad idea. Now I can never forget the image I’m seeing on my screen. Janny is naked from the waist down, legs spread wide. I watch in horror as a male hand caresses her pussy, before the angle shifts and that same hand wraps around his dick. I watch as he pumps his hand up and down, roughly handling himself. My heart pounds so hard in my chest I can hear the beat of my blood in my ears. My hands clench the armrests on my chair so tight I hear the plastic creak in protest. I’m going to kill this motherfucker. When I figure out who this is I’m going to rip him to fucking shreds.
Watching this is making me violently angry and absolutely disgusted, but not knowing how it ends might be worse. No matter how painful the pressure in my chest is, I have to find the strength to watch the rest. Is it physically possible for your heart to open in fissures and yet still beat?
The sound of his fast-paced breathing has me gulping in mouthfuls of air to calm myself. If I wasn’t already sitting I would be on my knees by now. My hands fist; I grind my teeth so hard my molars cracking from the pressure. I never take my eyes off her image on the screen. Watching this stalker come on her panties has me jumping up from my chair. My blood is practically boiling; I’ve never been this enraged in my life. If he was here in front of me right now I’d snap his neck without a second thought and never feel an ounce of regret or remorse.
I learned a long time ago I could do questionable things – things most people would balk at. This is the way it is if you choose to work in law enforcement. I do what I must do to survive, and if it means beating the shit out of someone or even put a bullet in them to protect someone I love, you can bet I’m not going to fucking hesitate.
When the screen goes black I punch a hole in my office wall.
I immediately try Janny’s number, but she doesn’t answer. My heart pounds with panic while I fear for her safety. Did this fucker harm her? Did he take her? My mind is assailed with memories of what happened when she was kidnapped.
“Janny, are you okay?”
“I love you,” she cried. “I love you and I thought I’d never get the chance to tell you.”
Goddammit. I rake my shaking hand through my hair, knowing without a doubt this is one of those pivotal moments in my life that will change everything.
* * *
I jump in my black Charger seconds later and I’m on the highway almost immediately.
Fuck. She still won’t answer her phone. The drive is spent making myself crazy with visions of worst-case scenarios. I’ve seen some horrible things working in law enforcement and I know the atrocities people are capable of.
I arrive in New York a few hours later. I didn’t even take the time to pack a bag and sped the entire way there. My stomach is a turbulent mess on the ride up to her floor and the short distance between the elevator and her apartment has me feeling like I’m walking in slow motion. I stand in front of her door and brace myself for what’s coming. I’ve faced down men with guns, been shot in the head, and right now either of those things seems like a better option than the worry of not knowing where she is.
I knock on her door. “Janny, open up!” I yell.
When she opens the door, I breathe a sigh of relief. Her eyes are bloodshot and rimmed with red like she’s been crying. When I open my mouth to speak she throws herself at me, clinging to my neck. Her sobs shake her tiny frame from head to toe. Even though I’m angry with whoever did this to her, I want to give her as much comfort as I can.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” I ask, my arms wrapped tightly around her. I walk her backwards, giving me enough room to kick the door shut. My face drops, I bury my nose in her hair and inhale the familiar floral scent of her shampoo. Her long, silky blonde tresses are soft against my face. Thank God, she’s okay. The thought of losing her has the pressure in my chest increasing like a leather belt is being tightened notch after notch; strangling my heart. Painfully squeezing the life out of it as it narrows inch by inch. When will it reach its breaking point?
“Janny, baby.” My voice sounds hoarse. “You need to tell me what’s wrong.”
“Someone sent me a video.” When she pauses, I cut her off.
“I know, baby. They sent it to me also.” Jesus. I pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger, rubbing her back with my other hand. How will I ever get that image of him standing over her unconscious body out of my mind?
I take a step back from her and hold her upper arms with my hands. “Do you have any idea who could have done this?”
“No,” she whispers gripping onto my arms. “Who would do this to me?” she cries.
I run a hand over the top of her head and then move it down to caress the side of her face.
She chews nervously on her bottom lip and stares in my eyes. I can see so much turmoil in the cerulean blue and I wish I could make it all disappear; snap my fingers and magically erase the last twenty-four hours. But I can’t. What’s done is done, and now it’s time to deal with the reality of the situation.
“I’m going to find the motherfucker who did this to you and make him regret it.”
“I know,” she says.” Her eyes fill with tears. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I just got
you back.”
“Janny, I’ll be fine, baby. Don’t you realize by now, I’m immortal. I survived a gunshot to the head.” She smiles. “I’m not going anywhere. Everything I’ve ever wanted is right here.” I cup her face with my hands and softly brush my lips against hers.
“I love you, Kyle. I know you’re going to do what you want and not listen to me, but promise me you’ll be careful.” She wraps her arms around my waist. “I can’t survive losing you. I need you too much.”
My hands rub up and down her back while my eyes look over the city skyline. I wonder where in that concrete jungle I’ll find the bastard who did this? It makes me feel better to think he’ll be seeing me soon.
“I need a drink,” she says, stepping back from my arms.
I push my hands into my pockets, stare out the window at the darkening sky and wish my parents were still alive. I could really use some fatherly advice right now. My dad was always good at calming me down and helping me to see the bigger picture. I smile when I think about my mom and how she used to love to bake. I’m not sure a piece of her vanilla cake smothered in homemade frosting would make all this pain go away, but it couldn’t fucking hurt.
“I’m sorry he sent it to you,” Janny says, handing me a bottle of Heineken. “I can’t believe you saw a video of what happened.” She tucks her hair behind her ear and looks at the sky. “It was bad enough just thinking of telling you, but now that I know you’ve seen it.” She shakes her head, “it’s so much worse.” She walks over to the couch and sinks down. Even in her sadness, she moves gracefully. Her hands are clenched together in her lap.
“Tell me what happened.” I walk over and take a seat on the black leather next to her.
She lowers her hands. “I don’t remember much. Zack and I grabbed a couple pizzas last night and came back here to eat. I was missing you and thought the company would be nice. We talked for a while and then he left. The rest is a blur until I woke up this morning.” She pauses for a moment, her eyes lowered. I pull her into my lap and hold her close to my chest. She was sexually assaulted. My mind is racing. I keep thinking about all the things I’m going to do to this bastard when I figure out who he is. My fingers twitch when I imagine squeezing his neck tighter and tighter until his eyes bulge with the combination of lack of oxygen and fear. He’s not going to get away with this.
Janny finally fell asleep wrapped in my arms but I’m still wide awake. I can’t shut my brain off and the more I try, the worse it seems to be. So, for now, I’m counting all the ways I’m going to torture this guy. I told Janny to let me take care of it, and after some persuading, she agreed. I’m not letting the police handle this. I need to dole out a special beat down, just for him. This fucker is going to regret even breathing the same air as her.
* * *
She’s restless in her sleep. I hold her in my arms and soothe her when whimpers fall from her lips. This is how she was after the Martelli brothers kidnapped her. I hate that all of this is going to set her back and she’s going to be dealing with anxiety all over again. My fingers ache with the need to inflict some damage on this dude. Thoughts of what I’m going to do to him consume me, keeping me awake for hours. I need to calm down, figure out who he is and deliver the beating of his life. I should resist the urge for immediate retribution. I’m not usually one for knee-jerk reactions and this situation demands a well thought out plan. He’ll get his. All in good time.
I’m almost asleep when I hear it. Someone is at the front door of the apartment. The sound is so faint I almost convince myself I’ve imagined it but I know better than to second guess my instincts. I carefully slide Janny off my chest and rise out of bed without making a sound. I dress quickly and slip my sneakers on my bare feet before creeping out of the bedroom.
Within seconds I’m standing beside the front door while I wait for the knob to turn. Normally I’d stand behind it to avoid giving the person entering a direct line of sight, but tonight things are different. Standing behind it would only increase the odds of the door being slammed shut during the initial moments of the confrontation. That would keep us inside, closer to the bedroom. From this angle, I can surprise him. I’m pretty sure this is the same bastard on the video and my best chance of keeping him away from Janny is to get him out of the apartment as quickly as possible.
I concentrate on the absolute silence in the room and listen for a hint of anyone else on the other side of the steel. One person is bad enough but two people would present a much bigger problem. The adrenaline of knowing what’s coming is pumping through my veins. I exhale slowly and ready myself for what will happen next.
There’s a moment of sudden quiet outside the door before the knob turns quickly, and it swings open. The glint of a knife reflects the light from out in the hallway. I immediately rush forward striking him in the chest and chin with the palm heels of my hands, sending him three steps backwards out of the apartment.
Motherfucker. It’s Zack; why didn’t I suspect him? He must have heard me waiting on the opposite side of the door. Maybe I was breathing too loud or maybe he caught sight of a shadow under it as I moved into position. Either way, he’s ready, and swings the knife across my midsection as he stumbles out into the hall. I feel the blade slice along the surface of my stomach, but can’t stop. Securing the weapon is my main concern, as years of training kicks into overdrive.
Zack’s momentarily off balance so I keep moving forward, striking his chest and face again and sending him further back into the hallway. Before he can recover I quickly secure the hand holding the knife with both of mine, wrapping my left arm under his as I spin back around and snap his wrist inward, forcing the knife out of his grasp and onto the floor. He’s still playing catch up when I kick the knife across the hall with my heel and then immediately snap my leg forward, sweeping the inside of his right leg out and dropping him face first to the carpet. He reacts in an instant and rolls aside before I can stomp a heel onto the side of his face.
He’s up and on his feet just as fast as I’d put him down and we’re moving slowly in a tight circle, each searching for an opening. He’s favoring his wrist and I can see by the look in his eyes that most of his confidence is gone now. His plan to approach sleeping victims and face no resistance is no longer an option. He lunges forward, attempting a double leg takedown in desperation, as I slide back and sprawl out of reach, dropping an elbow straight down into the base of his neck. He’s disoriented, on all fours, and screams when I stomp on one of his ankles, turning it sideways and doing some real damage.
I’m kicking him a second time directly in the face, as he lays on his side holding his ankle, when Janny suddenly appears at the door. She looks shocked to see what’s happening, but quickly recognizes Zack. Her reaction is immediate and I have to jump in between them to stop her from joining the fight.
“Goddamn it, Janny. Get inside, lock the door and call the police.” I yell at her while I carry her back inside. She struggles to get free and launch herself over my shoulder to get to him.
I drop her down inside the door and suddenly see that her eyes are wide open staring directly behind me. “Kyle.” She screams out but it’s too late.
Zack has noticed my distraction and is taking full advantage. He lowers his shoulder and dives forward, spearing me in the small of my back and slamming me into the wall beside the door.
By the time I recover he’s in the doorway, gripping Janny’s hair in one hand and his knife in the other. He’s barely able to stand on his injured ankle and Janny is giving him all he can handle, as she struggles to free herself by scratching at his eyes and taking away chunks of flesh in the process. I’m through with this asshole and everything he’s done to her.
As he raises the knife overhead to swing down at Janny, I step in and force her free by grabbing his injured wrist. She falls free onto the floor as I use the momentum of his swing to bury the knife in his stomach up to the hilt. He staggers back to the top of the stairwell trying to speak, while looking d
own at the knife and running his fingers over the handle. Blood starts to run out of the corner of his mouth as he stares at me in disbelief. I walk straight over and kick him in the chest, sending him tumbling down the flight of stairs. He stops with his body contorted in an unnatural position on the landing below.
I wait and watch for movement. There is none.
Janny slumps against my weary body with a sob. I wrap my arms around her and try to calm my breathing down, but the adrenaline is still there – still racing through my veins. I’m not a religious guy by any means, but I find myself sending up a silent prayer to the big guy upstairs, thankful we’re both okay.
“Is he dead?” she asks. Her voice is muffled against my blood-splattered chest. Her thin arms cling to me like she’s never going to let me go, and I never want her to.
“Yeah. I don’t think anyone can survive a knife wound like that to the abdomen.”
Three hours later, after answering too many questions from the police and being checked out by an EMT, Janny and I are finally back inside her apartment. By the time the police arrived Zack was gone, but if the large pool of blood on the landing is any indication, he won’t be alive for long.
Once we’re back in the apartment I strip my jeans off and throw them in the trash. They’re covered with stains from Zack’s blood. The cut on my stomach is deep enough to leave a scar and will always be a reminder of how precious each day I have with Janny is.
Why does life keep testing us? Aren’t we grateful enough for the love we share?
I look forward to the day when we can just enjoy being together and settle into the monotony of being a couple. Boring sounds pretty fucking good right now.
We both take quick showers and I throw on a t-shirt and basketball shorts I had left here last weekend. Janny sits on the couch staring straight ahead, lost in her thoughts. I take the space next to her and place my hand on her thigh. “What are you thinking about, baby?”
The Complete Quake Series Page 20