She needed a break too. I planned on taking her to this new sushi place on 25th, I’d heard her tell Cam she wanted to go to. I devised a surprise plan. Cam agreed to take Lizzie out for a day of pampering while I worked on the basement. I made reservations for six at the restaurant and I needed to be finished soon so I could get my filthy ass in the shower. I ripped out the rest of the old insulation getting fiberglass all over my arms. I couldn’t stop itching. I decided to call it a day.
I headed up the back stairs and into the laundry room. I removed my work boots and coveralls. I made quick work of taking off my clothes. The fiberglass was everywhere. As I headed toward my room, I grabbed my phone off the kitchen counter. I was standing in just my boxer briefs. It would be hilarious if Liz and Cam walked in right now. I laughed aloud and decided to send Liz a quick text.
Me: Miss you cricket. I’m finished for the day. I look forward to seeing you.
She texted back immediately.
Elizabeth: Be home in ten minutes. Can’t wait to show you what I had done at the spa ;)
My mind filled with lots of dirty thoughts.
Me: Don’t tease me… see you soon. Love you.
Elizabeth: Love you too.
I was a lucky bastard.
Cam dropped me off at the house after our day-long spa date. The heated air surrounded my legs as I walked up the front steps. My long maxi skirt blew in the slight breeze. The spa was exactly what I needed. I was wrecked with everything that had gone down this week. I had an hour massage, facial and had pretty much every surface of my body scrubbed down with a sugar scrub that smelled divine. I’d picked the cinnamon and spice scented scrub. Sawyer was a huge fan of sweet smells. The whole time at the spa I fantasized about how he would react to the scent. Would he slowly breathe me in? I imagined how he would take his time. How he loved to run his fingertips lightly across the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. My face flushed at the thought. Oh dear, I needed to be with just him tonight. We needed to reconnect.
The front door shut softly behind me. I dropped my keys on the sideboard in the foyer and I called out to Sawyer. There was no answer. I walked further into the house and heard the shower running. I debated on getting in with him, but then that delicious smell I had all over me would be washed away and I couldn’t have that. I poured myself a glass of wine. The sound of Sawyer’s cell phone going off startled me. I looked down at the counter and saw he had a text from his mom. My interest was piqued. We were supposed to have breakfast with her tomorrow. I told myself a quick glance at the message wouldn’t hurt.
Sylvia: I need to see you tonight. It’s urgent.
My pulse quickened. I rubbed at the rune tattoo on my wrist. I shouldn’t have looked at his text messages. It was an invasion of his privacy. Every rational part of my brain said to walk away and hand him his phone once he was out of the shower. I wasn’t feeling rational at the moment. Another text sounded through.
Sylvia: Here’s my address. 22142 S Wickermore Lane. SLC. Please hurry. I think I have what we need. Come alone.
My hands were shaking. ‘Come alone.’ I don’t think so. I grabbed a piece of paper from the pad on the refrigerator. I scribbled out a fast note and grabbed my keys.
Sawyer,
Don’t be mad. I read your text message. I know I shouldn’t have. I also know you would have never told me about this and went on your own. Now you can meet me there. I love you with all my heart.
Always Yours,
Elizabeth
I placed his phone on top of the note. I didn’t care what the consequences were, I refused to let him do this on his own.
I pulled up to Sylvia’s house. I ignored the five text messages that Sawyer sent. I tapped out a quick ‘I’m here, stop worrying,’ and hit send. I put my phone in my purse and headed to the front door. The house was huge. It was three stories tall. I was dumbfounded by the beauty of the architecture. I was so busy looking at the surroundings that I hadn’t noticed the front door was slightly cracked open. I hesitated with my hand over the door knob as an eerie feeling washed over me. There was no way I was going to walk inside that house. I needed to call Sawyer. I turned to leave when a searing pain cracked through my head. The air around me buzzed and I felt a warm thick liquid run into my right eye before everything faded to black.
I couldn’t fucking breathe. I’d texted Elizabeth at least five times. No answer. I tried to call my mom. No answer. I have never felt so out of control. I was about forty-five minutes out from the address my mother had texted me.
Why the fuck wasn’t she picking up her phone? I looked at the text again. Something didn’t feel right. My phone lit up.
Elizabeth: I’m here, stop worrying.
This text didn’t still my thoughts at all. What the hell was she thinking? I blew through a red light. I tried to call Liz again. No answer. I slammed my fist into the dash. All my training, all the experience I had was telling me something was wrong… very wrong. I just prayed I could get there fast enough.
“Welcome back, Elizabeth,” I heard the deep male voice say. “For a minute there I thought I’d lost you, and that would have ruined everything,” the voice sounded amused. I tried to sit up, but my head started to swim. Agony scorched down my spine. I tried to open my eyes to see where the voice was coming from. The lashes of my right eye stuck together making it painful to open. I took in my surroundings with my left eye. I was in the large foyer of a house. Was this Sylvia’s place? A rough hand moved up my leg. I jerked away from the touch, my arms pulled in pain. I heard the man chuckle. Needing my full vision, I pushed through the discomfort and let the lashes rip apart.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“You made it. I was expecting Sawyer, but you showing up? Well, that was a bonus I didn’t expect,” the voice was right above me now. I started to tremble. I’d let myself walk right into a trap. “This is a nice surprise. I thought cracking your skull with the butt of my gun was the highlight of my day, but now that you’re awake… it makes everything I have planned so much better,” the man’s densely dark voice filled my veins with dread.
“Who are you?” I asked even though I knew the answer. I blinked my eyes again and saw a bulky figure above me. His fingernails dug into my arms as he scratched down the surface of my skin. I realized then that I was tied to something.
“I think you know the answer to that.”
“G-Gavin?” His face was wickedly handsome for an older man. I hated that he looked like someone you could trust. Gavin’s large frame and charming smirk probably got him whatever he wanted. His white dress shirt and tie were disheveled, the buttons loose around his neck, tie pulled slightly down, and the sleeves rolled up. His stiff posture paced the room with menacing precision.
“Oh, and she’s smart, too. Not too smart though.” He clicked his tongue. “Coming here was a bad idea for you.” He stopped in front of me again, kneeled down, his acrid breath blew in my face. His eyes were dead flat, brown with a soulless black center that made me shiver. “I figured killing his mother would set him off, but violating you, making that sweet pussy mine before I slit that pretty little throat, well that will just ruin him.” His crude words disgusted and terrified me.
He laughed again and crushed his coarse chapped lips to mine. I tried to move my face away. He roughly grabbed my cheeks.
“You’re going to suffer pain, it’s up to you just how much.” I spat in his face. He sneered before wiping away my salvia with his fingers. I watched in horror as he licked those same fingers. Closing his eyes, his nostrils flared as if he was enjoying the flavor. I startled when he abruptly stood and walked to the front window and peeked outside.
My head was pounding and tears poured from my eyes. I was tied to the banister of a large staircase. My arms above my head, I felt useless. The lights were dimly lit so I couldn’t see my surroundings very well, but I was definitely in the house I had driven too.
Sawyer!
Oh, no!
He was c
oming here.
This would be his destruction.
I was so stupid! I should have waited for him. Now I’ve killed us both.
“Now, now don’t cry,” he spoke, looming over me again. “Sylvia cried too before I killed her. Cutting through her throat… her flesh. It was like butter. She wasn’t a fighter. Not like you. I’ve always had a thing for fighters.” He knelt down again.
This time his hands ran up my thighs. I tried to kick him away, but he slapped me so hard my ears started to ring. He wound his large hand around my neck and squeezed tightly so I couldn’t breathe. Panic took over my urge to fight. I felt his other hand reach under my skirt. He ripped my underwear clear off my body. I gathered my wits and I started to kick and buck my hips. My vision blurred from the lack of oxygen. Gavin moaned before he released my throat and I gasped for air. The cool much-needed oxygen felt like fire. He leaned away from me. His cruel dark eyes pierced mine for a second before he stood and walked to the window again.
My mind spinning, I had no idea how to get myself out of this.
“He sure is taking his sweet time, isn’t he? Guess he must not care about you as much as I thought. He’s just like me you know. He just doesn’t know it yet. I created him, he’s part monster just like me.” His grin was sickening.
“He’s nothing like you,” I spat.
He calmly turned and headed toward me again. I immediately regretted speaking. He lowered his body and wrapped his hand around my throat. This time he tightened his grip bit by bit. Just as I was about to fade, he released his grip gradually. He continued this pattern for what felt like forever. His eyes glittered with arousal as he watched me struggle.
I was going to die.
He reached down and pulled out a gun from what looked like a holster attached to his side. I started to shake with pure terror. He placed the barrel under my chin. I stilled.
“That-a-girl. Compliance. It’s what I desire. Sawyer was never compliant. My fucking ex-wife, well she… she was always, so compliant. Until two years ago, when she thought she could leave me. Little did she know… I watched her. I was going to kill her ages ago, but last year your little boyfriend came back to town. Sylvia led me straight to him and you. Then she started sticking her nose in things and I couldn’t have that. She found out about Ruby.” He licked his lips. Bile rose up my throat. “Ruby was just like you…” He pushed the gun harder against my throat. “She was a fighter. We played this little game together too. At first, she liked it when I tied the rope around her neck, it increased her pleasure. Each time we were together she’d let me choke her. The whore would do anything for drug money.” Gavin pulled his rough fingers across my thighs. “You see Elizabeth, I realized I liked to watch her suffer. I liked to watch that light in her eyes dim. I liked the power I had over her. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I hadn’t meant to kill her that day. But I was drunk with how easy her life was slipping away. I just couldn’t bring myself to stop her eyes from dimming completely. Pity, she was an amazing toy.”
I felt his hand on my inner thigh “Let’s see if you taste as good as you smell.” I couldn’t stop my legs from trembling. This man was sick and twisted on more levels than I thought possible. He was going to violate me like he did with Ruby Crawford like he probably did with so many other young girls. He was going to watch my life slip away and get off on it. I closed my eyes and tried to think of Sawyer. I tried to take myself anywhere but here.
I tried Liz’s phone one more time. No answer. The lights in my mother’s house were out except for a dim light coming from the front window. I noticed as I drove past, the front door was opened just slightly. I trusted my gut, something was definitely wrong. I quickly parked the Jeep two houses down. I grabbed my Glock .45 and my tactical knife. I put the knife in my boot and moved through the shadows to my mother’s home. I slid my body against the wall at the rear of the house. I tried the sliding glass door and it was open. I brought my gun close to my chest as I squeezed through the small opening I’d made.
I was in the house. I steadied my breathing. I needed to be a ghost. At first, I didn’t hear anything. It was silent. I waited about five seconds before I progressed forward, my body hugged tightly to the wall. I made it to the kitchen. I crouched down and quickly moved toward what looked like a hallway to the main part of the house. Ducking low for cover, I made it to the hall without making any noise. My body rose to a mid-stance before moving further in. I checked all my blind spots with quick, efficient movements. That’s when I heard his voice. My body froze unwillingly at the sound. My father’s unmistakable tone throwing me straight into the hell of my childhood. I faltered.
“That-a-girl. Compliance. It’s what I desire. Sawyer was never compliant. My fucking ex-wife, well she… she was always, so compliant. Until two years ago, when she thought she could leave me. Little did she know… I watched her. I was going to kill her ages ago, but last year your little boyfriend came back to town. Sylvia led me right to him and you. Then she started sticking her nose into things and I couldn’t have that. She found out about Ruby…” he paused. “Ruby was just like you, she was a fighter. We played this little game together too. At first, she liked it when I tied the rope around her neck, it increased her pleasure. Each time we were together she’d let me choke her. The whore would do anything for drug money…”
I listened to his evil confession in a shocked state. For a split second, I didn’t know what to do. I was that submissive kid, waiting for the blow. But then that’s when I heard her voice. My light, my Elizabeth. Her scared whimper drove away any fear I had. I had to save her. There wasn’t any time for my head case bullshit. I heard Greg’s voice in my head, ‘Pull it together, Bryant!’
I wasted no time. I removed myself from the wall and went face first into the fight.
“Let’s see if you taste as good as you smell.” Gavin’s words stoked the fiery rage that was already building.
“Get your hands off of her you motherfu—”
“Sawyer!” Elizabeth’s voice sounded terrified. I pointed my gun directly between his eyes. He had no idea who he was fucking with.
“Put your gun down and step away from her now. I won’t tell you again. Now!” I cocked my weapon and yelled with a guttural boom. I saw for the first time a twitch of alarm in my father’s eyes. He deliberately stood and walked away from Liz. I hadn’t failed to recognize that he still had his gun pointed at her. I took a few seconds to assess the situation. Elizabeth was tied to the banister and her skirt was pushed way up her legs. A thick crust of blood ran down the right side of her face. Just at her hairline, a large gash cut down her forehead.
All. I. Saw. Was. Red.
I ground my teeth together with such force that I thought I could crack a molar. My father chuckled. I gathered all my control. I had to keep it together. My soldier’s mask fell into place.
“She smells so good, Sawyer. I see why you like her so much,” he mocked me.
“Shut the fuck up,” I bit out, my voice strict with control.
“Should I tell you how I touched her? How she tastes just like honey… mmm… so good.” His taunting words only stoked the embers that burned behind my calm façade.
“You’re going to die old man…” I moved closer to him with small strategic steps. “And not for what you did to me, and not for what you did to Mom. You signed your fucking death warrant when you touched Elizabeth.” I noticed he held his gun too far from his body. This take down was going to be too easy.
I looked over at Elizabeth. “It’s going to be okay sweetheart. Just breathe.” She was losing it. The terror in her blue eyes was palpable.
I reached into my pocket for my phone, never really taking hold of it, it was just a distraction. It worked, even though the gun was still pointed at Liz he looked at me instead.
“Step back, Sawyer. I won’t hesitate. I’ll shoot her. What are you doing?” he demanded.
I progressively moved even closer. “What I should’ve done a
long time ago.” In two calculated engagements, Gavin Bryant, my father, would be dead. I grabbed the wrist of his armed hand and broke the delicate bone. His gun fired right before he dropped it.
Shit!
I snapped his neck, his bone cracked with a sickening sound before the gun even hit the floor with a thud. Even with a gun in my one hand, the maneuver was too easy. It took less than fifteen seconds. My breath heavy I turned toward Liz. I kicked my father’s lifeless body away from her.
“S-Sawyer… I’ve been shot.” Her hands shook in their restraints. My control gone, as the bottom of my world, dropped out from under me.
A pool of blood seeped through her shirt around her shoulder.
“Liz!” Two steps was all it took. I grabbed my knife and cut the rope from the banister. Holding her limp body in my arms, I ripped the sleeve from her shirt. She’d been hit slightly below her shoulder. I called 911. I gave the operator the address and told her a woman had been shot. She tried to keep me on the line, but I hung up. Elizabeth was losing too much blood. My pulse beat heavy in my ears, the blood rushing through the vessels sounded like ocean waves. I was falling into shreds.
“Oh God, baby, hold on!” I tore a huge piece of fabric from her skirt. I laid her head in my lap and pressed the material into her wound to try and stop the bleeding. The bullet had exited out the back of her shoulder. The majority of the blood was gushing from there. It must have hit an artery. I was starting to panic.
“Don’t… c-c-cry sweet… heart.” Elizabeth’s face was so pale. She tried to smile but winced in pain. “I’m c-cold, Soy.”
Still Life (Forever Still #1) Page 22