“NO!” I yelled. The ground roared with me as I dropped to my knees, and punched the leaf-covered earth. “You aren’t going to get away from me!” My voice echoed in the empty woods, the birds silent in the face of my anger. “You took my brother, and I will get him back.”
My anger and pain were still helping me reach further than ever before, but, unlike earlier, there was nothing to find. I sank back, hugging my knees as fear for my brother replaced the anger, and tears gathered in my eyes. My useless rage helped nothing. Sammy was still missing, and I was no closer to finding the person responsible.
TWENTY-THREE
Sam
Little aches and pains become harder to ignore when given nothing to take your mind off them. Whatever he did to me in the basement of the cabin was not yet worn off. I have bruises from struggling, but then I don’t remember anything until I woke up in this room, chained to a bed. For all I know, I could be in another state. But he had mentioned something about moving me upstairs, so I assumed I was still in the same place.
My neck was stiff, so I rubbed it with my free hand to alleviate the headache. My chained wrist I tried not to move. There was no sense in causing injury to myself by struggling against something I obviously couldn’t break.
The strangest thing about my circumstance at the moment? I was bored. Even with the threat of injury or death, being locked in an attic, with nothing to do but contemplate life, left me bored. And groggy. Whatever he did had definitely not worn off completely, and I worried there might be some kind of permanent damage.
It was dark outside. By now, Jason should be panicking about my disappearance, but I couldn’t feel him. For the first time in years, I had no mental connection to my brother’s emotions, which felt odd. What was even stranger was that it took me hours to miss the connection.
I closed my eyes against the light of the lamp standing in the corner furthest away from me. The one corner I couldn’t reach with the length of chain I was allowed. Apparently my captor didn’t want me to use the lamp to bash him over the head. Too bad. From the moment I woke in the basement in this place, bashing his head in was something I wanted to do.
I turned my thoughts away from myself, and started thinking in terms of the case. What I learned from Jason before I was grabbed, was that he assumed the killer was using a small hunting cabin, hiding somewhere in the woods with his victims. At least until he decided he was done keeping them, and killed them.
In fact, the house I was in seemed pretty large. I also heard cars driving by earlier. The activity could indicate that this was not a cabin in the woods, but a house somewhere in town. We could conceivably be near the woods, since I could hear the wind rustling through trees outside the partially open window.
Is this the place he took all his victims? Was Jason really that far off in what he thought he knew? I was rubbing my neck absently, when I was hit with a sharp pain. “Ah!” My eyes screwed together and I put both hands over my face, ignoring the twinge of pain in my chained wrist. “Jason!” I was right. He knew I was missing and was not handling it well. The pain he was feeling now eclipsed even the emotional trauma of what he went through with Trevor Mason almost three years ago. He was self-destructing, and there was nothing I could do to help. I felt my mind stretch toward his, wishing he could sense that I was okay, and that he would be too.
“I need you, big brother,” I whispered, wishing he could hear me. “Pull yourself together again. I know it’s hard, but you’re stronger than you think. You’ll find me, I know you will. Just have faith.” I could feel tears running down my cheeks at the knowledge that he was hurting so badly, just because I was too impatient to wait for a ride. Remarkably, I felt him fight the despair, and he started to build up confidence. He could be listing things he managed to accomplish, odds he beat, and the criminals who tried to take him down and failed.
Moments after his complete breakdown, he was ready. I could almost hear his voice boldly stating, “I’m coming for you little brother.”
He hadn’t been the one to save me from Trevor Mason. Not directly anyway. Mason wanted me killed only because his men had caught Jason, so he no longer needed me as bait. The men who’d been with me were the ones sent to capture Jason, so Mark Jones was sent in to watch me. Until word came that Jason had been taken, I was convinced that Jones was just another goon. Thankfully I was wrong. It turned out he was an undercover FBI agent. So Jason was unable to save me, but I knew he only left the safety of Alice’s house in order to find me.
What Jason went through was partially because I wasn’t smart enough to do as he said in order to stay hidden and safe. Erin and I were taken because we didn’t listen to Jason, and everything that happened to him was a direct result of our actions.
So his confidence now, the knowledge that he would ignore safety and rush headlong at this killer in order to find me, terrified me. Nothing scared me more than my brother being hurt yet again because I hadn’t listened to him. “I’m sorry, Jason. I should have listened to you,” I spoke softly, still monitoring Jason’s now reckless confidence. My first impression when he switched from despair to feeling more able was that he was going to use the resources available to him in order to keep looking for the man who took me. Now…? Now I knew he wouldn’t go to them. Until he exhausted himself, and convinced himself he couldn’t do it without help, he was going to keep searching.
And if I was right about the house I was in, then he was looking in the wrong place.
TWENTY-FOUR
Hunter
I left the boy alone overnight. When I went upstairs to put a couple pieces of fruit on the floor where he could reach it, he was sleeping. His free arm rested over his eyes and he was breathing evenly. I took this boy too soon after my last hunt, and didn’t feel comfortable staying at my own little cabin. Instead, because there was too much activity near my cabin, I drugged him and took him to a house in a different section of woods. I knew the people who owned this property would be gone for several months on a business venture overseas, so I had no worry that anyone would find me here.
There were no neighbors nearby to make a fuss about any noise the boy might make, or to notice the lights on. I had gone back to my cabin for the night to sleep and retrieve a few things I might need later, but got up early to get back to work on finding out more about Jason. If the boy would talk to me. All I got out of him last night were wordless grumbles as he tried to fight my taking him upstairs. He was a bit uncoordinated in his efforts, apparently still a bit wobbly after being knocked out.
I let him sleep for the moment, and returned to the main level where I left his cell phone. It had several more missed calls and messages from Jason, including a text left only a few minutes ago. I’m coming for you. A shiver ran down my spine. I told myself it was excitement and anticipation. Was it meant as a reassurance for the boy or as a threat for anyone who may have harmed him? Not knowing the man, I couldn’t be sure, but my first impression was that it was a threat.
Calling Jason was too much of a risk, because he may have gone to the police. They would try to trace any call made about the missing teenager. I would have to follow my first plan and try to locate him by hunting him. I knew his footsteps—if Jason was the mystery man—and I would be able to locate and watch him. Whatever was going to happen would happen on my terms, not his. This was my game, and I had the upper hand. The kid would give me information about Jason, and I would find him. The two would be reunited briefly before I hunted them.
Going back upstairs, I heard the boy moving around the room. He was sitting on the bed when I leaned on the doorframe casually, my arms crossed over my chest. “So. You’ll be here for a while, and I think we should get to know each other a bit.” His eyes were locked on me, and he sat stiffly on the bed. His fear showed clearly in his eyes and posture. “What’s your name?”
I could see him thinking, wondering whether any harm could come of him sharing his name, which is why I started with the seemingly harmless que
stion. Getting him to answer any question would open a dialogue, and it would be easier to get him to answer other questions in the future. My mouth quirked in amusement as he glanced down and mumbled something. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Could you repeat?”
A muscle by the side of his mouth twitched, and he forced himself to look at me. “Why should I tell you anything?” he asked defiantly.
“You don’t have to tell me anything, kid. Just trying to make this a little more entertaining. Fine. I’m Hunter.” The name always made me smile. It was the name my parents gave me, and I grew into it. Not the way they intended, I’m sure, but in a way thoroughly enjoyable to me.
The boy snorted. “Ironic. Bet you made your parents proud,” he snarled, fear diminishing from his eyes and determination taking its place. “You’ve been hunting here too long, Hunter. You’re going to get caught. I won’t be your victim.”
He shook his head, and the defiant glare faded back to fear, but some spirit remained.
“Who’s going to catch me, little boy? Your precious Jason?” I sneered.
My captive flinched so slightly that, if I hadn’t been watching for a reaction, I might not have noticed. I had no other details to use other than the phone calls Jason was making. “Is he your dad or something? He’s tried calling you about fifty times since last night.”
The boy snorted again and looked up at me sardonically. “You really think my dad would be in my phone under his first name? How many kids do you know who call their parents by name?”
Right. Stupid. Most kids don’t do that. “Fine. Brother then. But acting as a father. Not many people listed in your phone, and none of them a mom or dad. You’re orphans, right?” Another slight twitch told me I was on the right track.
“So, big brother Jason is the only parent you have, and he’s coming for you. He’ll go to the police, and search the woods. I know you saw me there a few days ago. He will be miles away from where you are. But I know where he will be looking, and I’m curious as to what it is he does.”
Still nothing from the kid. “There was a man in the woods during my most recent hunt. Someone who was acting strange, walking the trails but pausing almost every mile and stooping to the ground for a few minutes before moving on again. He was pretty close to my hunting ground, and I believe he was trying to find my prey. I also know he was near you that night after you saw me in the woods. I’ve been looking for this man. He is consuming my thoughts, and I need to know what it is about him that is drawing me to him.” The boy’s face was paling, and I smiled. I was on the right track. “I wonder, kid, if the man I’ve been looking for is your big brother.”
The brown eyes were filled with fear and he took several deep breaths, his hands clenching at his sides as he tried to settle himself. “My brother…” his voice cracked and he continued, “My brother likes to walk in the woods. It’s why we moved here. The woods are open and usually quiet, and he sometimes walks for hours while I’m in school. If you saw him wandering by your hunting ground it was a coincidence. He wasn’t looking for you.”
I sighed, my gaze dropping to the floor as I shook my head. “Sorry kid. If I wasn’t sure before, I am now. Your reaction told me everything I need to know. Your brother was looking for me, and now I know where to start looking for him.” Meeting his eyes, I said, “Thanks for the information. When I have your brother, I’ll let you say goodbye to him before the hunt.” I turned around as I spoke, closing the door behind me.
When he realized I was going to go after his brother, I expected some kind of yelling or ranting about how I should leave him alone. But all I heard was the creaking of the bed as the boy sank down. Most likely trying to disappear into the mattress once he realized he helped me get what I needed.
Jason was my mystery man.
He was coming after me.
This was going to be fun.
TWENTY-FIVE
Jason
Exhaustion threatened to drop me as I continued searching through the woods. I was still feeling echoes, but not like the power I felt… when was it? I looked at my watch, and realized I’d been in the woods for almost ten hours—for the second day in a row. And found nothing. Taking a shaky breath, I rubbed my dirt-covered hands over my face in fatigue.
Almost twenty hours of searching the woods with only a couple hours rest in the middle. At that point, I went home to go over the files for the millionth time, trying to find any piece of information that could possibly help. Since the burst of power the first evening when I felt further and deeper than ever, I found nothing.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” I muttered, sliding down a tree to sit for a few minutes. Finding him on my own might be impossible. I was searching blindly, not tapping the resources I knew were available to me, because I fell back into old habits: when bad things happen, rely only on yourself. Do whatever needs to be done to keep Sam safe.
But I didn’t do that. He was taken because I was too distracted to tell him to wait for me. It was another horrible mistake on my part that got Sam into trouble. For someone who promised to protect him, I seemed to make a lot of those mistakes.
Dragging myself back to my feet, I slowly moved out of the tangled brush, and made my way to the trail that would lead me home. I paid very little attention to my path, but as always, I knew I could follow my own echoes out of the woods. Getting lost—at least physically—is not something I worry about.
It took nearly an hour and a half to walk to the edge of the woods. It was about eight-thirty, and getting dark. Searching the woods blindly since about eight that morning did no good, and I kicked myself for not getting help sooner. Why was it so hard for me to go to people for help? Even for Sam’s sake I hadn’t been able to.
The silence of the house almost drove me to tears, but I took a deep breath and dialed a number I hadn’t used in almost two years. I needed help, and I needed someone familiar.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end of the phone was feminine and sweet. I had to take a deep breath to control the emotion I felt at hearing her for the first time in so long. “Hello? Is someone there?” Hannah’s voice had a tinge of annoyance now, and I knew I had to speak.
“Hannah?” I wanted to say more, but my voice shook and cracked, and I took another shuddering breath.
“Yes? Who is thi…?” her voice trailed off for a moment, “Jason? Is it you?”
“It’s me. Hannah… I, uh, I need help. Is Alice around?” My voice continued to shake, but it didn’t crack again.
I could hear the concern in her voice when she spoke again, “She’ll be home in a couple minutes. Jason, what’s wrong?”
“I… I lost him, Hannah.” Tears flowed freely down my cheeks as I told her. “Sammy’s gone, and I can’t find him. Hannah, I need help. Please help.”
She took some deep breaths, and I knew she was trying to hold back her own tears when she spoke again. “How? What happened? When did it happen?”
“About four o’clock yesterday afternoon. He walked home, Hannah. He called and told me he was walking home, and I knew… I knew it was a bad idea. I told him before, with a killer on the loose grabbing teenagers…” I trailed off again for a moment. “I didn’t stop him, Hannah. It’s my fault. I was distracted because of another case, and I didn’t stop him.”
“Jason…” She paused. “Have you called the police? What did they say?”
I sat on the couch and rubbed my hand over my burning eyes as I replied, “I haven’t called them yet. I was trying to track him.” There was silence on her end, and I spoke again. “Hannah, I made a mistake. I…”
“It’s okay, Jason. I understand. Going to the police, unless it’s my sister, is not your number one priority. Sam is. But you need to call them. If they are aware of this killer, they can help you.”
“I’ve been working with them. When Sam was taken, well… I kind of lost it, I guess. But they don’t know any more than I do. Even a little less because I know at least some of the places he’s been,
but I still can’t find him.”
“Alice just pulled in. What do you want us to do?”
“I need someone here who knows about me, Hannah. Your sister is good at what she does, and she knows me. Please, can you ask her to come? I… I think I need to sleep for a couple hours.”
I could almost hear the frown in her voice when she asked, “How long have you been at it?”
“From the time I realized he was missing, until now? I worked from about four-thirty until about two in the morning, and then again from about eight this morning ‘til I called you.”
“You’re right. You need to get some sleep. I’ll call you after Alice decides what to do.”
“Sure. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Everything will be okay, Jason. We’re coming.”
My reply stuck in my throat, never making it past my lips, and she hung up with a quiet ‘goodbye’ before I could get it out. After two years of refusing to call her, refusing to talk to her, she was still coming. Why? She had a life of her own. Why would she want to get mixed up in mine again? All I ever gave her was grief. My problems took over her life leading her into danger and keeping her from accomplishing her goals. Guilty feelings suddenly rose, and I regretted calling her.
When the phone rang again I startled awake, my neck stiff from my position on the couch, and I reached blindly for it. My hand grasped at the surface of the coffee table until I felt the phone at my fingertips. “Jason.” Hannah’s voice, not waiting for me to speak the first greeting. “I’m coming, but I need to know where you are.”
For a moment I was relieved, and then my guilt flooded back. “No. Hannah, you can’t come here. You have a life. I can’t take you away from it again.”
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