by Diane Capri
I was pulled into her eyes. They were the only free thing about her. She looked straight at the camera in pleading agony. That was what got to me.
Hunching over, I broke down in sobs. I didn’t want to imagine what she was going through at that very moment. I knew what was happening, but I didn’t want to believe it was possible. That in this world, a smart, feisty, lovable girl like Angela could be ravaged like this. That she could know such pain and agony in her short life.
Anger overwhelmed me. I covered my face with my hands and screamed. The sound pierced the night.
Then, panting, I closed my eyes. All that I’d been hiding, the part of me I’d wanted to destroy—I brought out. It was time to let the darkness out and use what I had kept buried. I had to help Angela, had to stop Hank and his brother once and for all.
I looked at the stopwatch on my phone. Two more hours until she’d be dead.
I stood up and started pacing, taking huge breaths. I thought through every detail, piecing them together like a puzzle.
I was fairly certain she was at the same location where I’d been taken when I was kidnapped. First, because the house was being renovated. And second, because I had seen the same weird green carpet lint that was at her feet.
If she was there, that meant she was only twenty miles from my house. At the most. I’d been drugged, taken there, and put back in my room in less than two hours.
I had to find all the houses that were being renovated in my area. That would take forever.
But I had someone to call. After dialing, I paced impatiently until he answered.
“Hello?” Rick said.
“Did you do as I asked?”
“Yes.”
“Are you home?” I asked.
“Yes. Wha—”
“You work in real estate. Don’t large companies pay to move people into town for jobs? I know Micron does it all the time.”
“Yeah, most of the bigger companies that hire out of state contract with relocation services. Why?”
“I’ve got a hunch. See if you can find out what service Williams, Inc. uses. I hope one of the houses they use is the one they took me to.”
“That’s a long shot, but I think you’re right—they’d have houses and apartments set up for new hires for temporary housing. Let me call a guy. Doug works for a service in town and I’ve done a few deals with him for Williams, Inc. I’m betting they use him, as there are only two services like that in town.”
“Let’s just hope he’s up.” It was late, and I prayed that Doug kept his phone on.
Ten minutes later, Rick texted me an address. Delaware Avenue. Number 1123. It was eight blocks from my house and was owned by the relocation service, but only used by Williams, Inc. He said Doug was a little drunk but gave him access to their database after Rick explained what was going on.
A few seconds later, my phone lit up. It was Mandy.
“Sarah, I’m gonna go out to look—both of us are. Rick found eight more homes in a twenty-minute driving radius of your house—there’s no way you can do this alone.”
My gut balled up. What if Mandy found the right house first? What if she got hurt? “No, Mandy, I need you and Rick to stay home. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you guys got hurt, or worse.”
“I wasn’t asking, Sarah. We’re already out. Rick has a shotgun and he called the police with all the addresses. I’ll text you three addresses and Rick and I will take the rest. I’m on my bike and not in the mood to argue.”
I swore under my breath and hung up. Seconds later, a text came through with three more addresses. That made four I had to search.
Hold on, Angela. I’m coming for you.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE to begin, so I started with the first address I got from Rick. I punched it into my GPS and hit the gas. I couldn’t care less if I got pulled over. Tonight, I was the hunter.
I had four different addresses and not enough time. I prayed that I’d be the one to find the right house and not Rick or Mandy. Why in the world would he let her go alone? Rick could be a bonehead at times, and he should know better.
Memories of my father flooded my mind, and the look in his eyes when he knew I’d betrayed him. It was the worst moment in my life, but at the time, I felt nothing. Now, after so many painful years in a counselor’s office, I learned to control the evil lurking just under the surface.
Pressing the gas pedal down harder, I blew through a red light, thankful there was no one else on the road. I was gone now, not driving, not thinking, just letting my gut and the rage control me. It was the only way to win this game, and I was going to win.
You wanted to break me? Well, congratulations, you broke me. And you are going to regret it.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
WHEN I TURNED AT Delaware Avenue, I flipped my lights off. There were no streetlights, so I could keep to the shadows. Drawing next to the curb, I parked. I would hoof it from here.
Number 1123 was second from the last home—I could tell from the blue Dumpster sitting in its yard, filled with beams and junk from the renovation. It was two stories and didn’t have any lights on. I spied one on the porch that might have a security sensor and decided to go in from the back.
I’d have the element of surprise, but I’d need more than that. I took my gun from my purse. It fit comfortably in my hands. Sliding out the clip, I checked it and made sure it was full. And then I put ten more bullets in my pocket and tossed the box of shells on the front seat. Unless there was an army in the house, that should do the trick.
I drew in a breath. This was it. I could either wait for the police or go on alone. If I went in, did I have what it took to finish the job?
I glanced at my phone. It blinked the time, constantly growing shorter. 14:01. 14:00. 13:59. 13:58. I snapped the clip in the gun and released the safety. Angela’s face was in my mind. I couldn’t wait another second.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
AS I CREPT AROUND the block, guided by moonlight, old, buried memories threatened to surface and I didn’t want to think about them right now. But it’s funny how the mind works. Like a trigger board, one thing touches another and sends a signal, and memories once forgotten flood the circuits.
I peeked over the nose-high back fence. There were no outside lights at the back of the house—only a concrete porch and cracked sliding door. There were no cars parked in the front driveway and I wondered if I was even at the right house.
But then, through the window, I saw a shadowy form go from one room to the other. It moved quickly through the darkness, not even turning on a light.
That was when I started to sweat.
Forcing down the fear, I harnessed the anger inside me. I had to do what I had to do. I pushed on the wooden gate and it opened with a dull creak. I tiptoed across the lawn and to the door.
Before I lost my nerve and threw up on the grass, I grasped the handle and shoved the sliding door sideways. It gave way. It either had a bum lock or I was really strong.
I smelled it before my eyes adjusted to the light.
Blood.
Hang on, Angela.
I moved forward slowly with my gun down to the right, holding on to it with both hands. I was shaking, and adrenaline coursed through me.
There was a gutted kitchen to my right, with broken cabinets and holes where appliances used to be. I could see a formal dining room behind it. There was a door in front of me, which I figured led to the basement. And there was a media room to my left, with wires and cords still sticking out from the wall. I went toward the basement door and pushed it open. The stairs leading down were dark, but a little light came from the bottom, giving me hope. This had to be the right house.
I made myself breathe. In and out. I couldn’t even hear my footsteps. Before I turned the corner, I tensed up.
I hesitated, and then rushed through with my gun raised.
That was when I saw her. Tied with her hands behind her back to a w
ooden support post and her head down. Under her feet was a pool of blood.
I lowered my gun and ran to her.
“Angela … are you—”
At my voice, her eyes flew open. She cried and mumbled into her gag. Instant tears swelled in her eyes. I grabbed her to me, emotions roiling so strong I could barely handle them. “It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry now, everything’s going to be okay,” I crooned.
Gently pulling her face up, I reached to undo her duct-taped mouth. Suddenly, her gaze landed on something behind me. Her eyes widened and she gave a muffled scream.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. Like a shadow, he rose from the corner, where he’d been watching. I gasped and turned, raising my gun. But he came at me fast. His eyes glowed in the wan light.
There was no time to fire off a shot. He batted at the gun with his fist. After years of training, my response was instinctual. I blocked the blow and countered with one of my own. I braced my elbow and struck him in the knee joint.
With a cry, he doubled over. I charged up with my shoulder, hitting him square in the mouth. I felt a tooth break into my skin. But then he raised a fist and struck me across the cheek, throwing me off balance.
I landed on my side.
“You’re both going to die now,” he said.
Not today. I grunted as I shifted my weight and brought the gun up to his face. “Goodbye,” I said, and then squeezed the trigger.
Either my aim was off, or he moved quicker than bullets. He flew out the door before I could fire again. The gunshot resounded through the room. I tasted gunpowder in my mouth. Full of anger, I shot again at the door.
Then I turned to Angela. Her body had gone limp and her eyes were closed. Bile rose in my throat. “No,” I groaned.
Dropping the gun, I lifted her head up with both hands and tugged the duct tape off her mouth. Putting two fingers to her neck, I checked for a pulse and then listened for breath.
“Come on,” I whispered. “Come on.”
If she didn’t make it, I didn’t know if I would.
But then I felt it. Her throat pulsed to life. It was weak, but still there.
“Hang on, Angela!” I said as I unwrapped the tape from her hands and then laid her on her back. Once I started talking, I couldn’t stop. “You’ve got lots more medals to win. I’ve never told the other girls this, but you’re way better than either of them. You’re something special.” I tugged at the tape on her legs, but it wasn’t coming off. “You’ve got a big life to lead, and you have to take Cassandra and Jessie with you. They love you so much, and so does your mama. You have to start treating her better, you hear me?” I finally made a tear in the tape and ripped it off.
My hands were covered in blood. Where was it coming from? I searched her body for the wound and found it on her lower ribcage. A big cut from a knife, and it was oozing blood and water.
I pulled my shirt off and pressed it to the wound.
“You stay with me, Angela girl.” I took out my phone to dial 9-1-1. “I’m gonna get us some help.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
“MISS—MISS, WE CAN take it from here.” A paramedic took my arm and pulled me away from Angela. I stumbled back and Detective Monroe grabbed me.
They’d come with a full SWAT team. Without a sound. All I saw were flashlights glowing on the end of big guns before they surrounded me. If Detective Monroe hadn’t been there, I’d have been handcuffed and accused.
I watched as the medics worked on Angela to stabilize her, and they soon had her in the back of the ambulance and on her way to the hospital. “Where are they taking her?” I asked a medic standing by the pool of blood.
“St. Luke’s. She’s lost a lot of blood. We gave her something to stop the bleeding.” He looked gravely at the blood and then back at me. “She wouldn’t have survived much longer. Good thing you came when you did.”
“You mean the wound wasn’t new?” I whispered. Detective Monroe leaned in to listen.
“No, it looked to be a few hours old.” He wiped his hands with a disinfectant cloth and then handed me a clean one.
A few hours old. That was probably around the time Mandy and Rick called the police.
I shuddered. The Williams’ knew every one of our moves.
“Thanks.” My head was spinning and I sat down on a wooden sawhorse. Forensics teams were appearing, and Detective Ross was telling them where to go and what to do. It was just a flurry of words and noises.
She was alive, I found her, and if I’d been even fifteen minutes later, she’d be dead. I was so angry that I had to force myself to think about my surroundings so I wouldn’t fly into a fit of rage. He used me, was playing me, and I felt like a puppet on a string.
Detective Monroe finished a phone call and then turned to me. “The hospital said they’ve stabilized her. They think her attacker gave her a blood thinner so she’d bleed out faster.”
I curled my lip. “It was Hank Williams, not just some attacker.”
Detective Monroe put his hands on his hips and sighed. I braced myself for the inevitable scolding.
“Sarah, what you did was ginormously stupid.”
I didn’t think “ginormously” was a word, but I wasn’t going to mention it to him.
“But…” he hesitated, and his mouth twitched through his frown, “but you did good. You saved her life.”
I hugged myself, hunching over, suddenly feeling cold all over.
“Hey!” he said. I looked up quickly. He had a sober look in his eye. “Don’t you ever do that again, you hear me?”
My whole body felt like mush, and weariness enveloped me. “I hope I never have to,” I said.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
“DO YOU HAVE ANY idea where he might go?” Detective Ross asked me. We were at the police station, and they were filing the report and taking my statement.
“You mean Hank, or Glen? No idea,” I said. “But once you find him, there’ll be enough evidence on him to put him away for a long time. You should find more in that creepy basement. I know I made him bleed when I hit him. And I think he lost a tooth.”
Detective Ross nodded and jotted the note down.
I was ready to be done. My nerves were raw and the fluorescent lights made my eyes hurt.
Taking another sip of water, I pulled the blanket they’d given me closer around my shoulders. At least they’d given me a comfy office chair instead of one of those crappy plastic chairs they usually offered.
We were in Detective Monroe’s office, and had been there for the last hour as I’d relayed my story.
“Anything else you want to tell us?” Detective Ross asked. His face stilled. He’d been looking at me all night as if I was hiding something, but I wasn’t. Except for the fact that I’d gone into the house ready to shoot Williams.
“Just that ... just that I’m thankful you—” I looked at Monroe, “—told me to go see Solomon and learn how to use a gun.”
I suddenly wished I could tell Solomon about all of this. Wished it so badly it surprised me. I’d just met him, but already he seemed like a significant part of my life. Or ... he might be, one day.
Monroe nodded. “It worked out, didn’t it?” Ross frowned, but turned away.
“Can I go home now?” I asked in a tired voice.
“Yes.” Ross stacked his papers. “I think you can. If we need anything else, we’ll call you. And we know where to find you.”
Even though it came from a policeman, the words were disconcerting. I wish it wasn’t so easy to find me. I stood up to go and when I got to the door, something came to me. I looked at my hand—the numbers were still there from when I’d written Hannah’s license plate down.
I should tell the police, tell them I thought Hannah was involved, and that she might lead them to Hank.
“Yes?” Monroe asked, noticing I was still there.
I closed my mouth, thinking hard. In an instant, a plan filled my head, so big and fleshed out it must’ve been there
all along.
“Nothing,” I said with a weak smile. “Have a good night, gentlemen.”
And then I walked down the hall, away from all the desks and paperwork and laws. It was time to venture out on my own. I’d seen what the law had done to Hank the last time they’d tried him. I couldn’t trust it again.
He’d broken me. I was about as low as anyone could be.
But now I was rising, a new person. And he was going to have to deal with a Sarah Steele he’d never seen before.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
I PASSED OUT FOR a few hours, but real sleep wouldn’t come. Angela was going to make it. I’d gone to see her and brought her a burger and fries. Hospital food was the worst and I knew she would appreciate it. Hitting the gym, I spent most of my time pounding my body on the stair climber. I needed to clear my head, and that did it for me.
That evening I waited outside Hannah’s downtown apartment. Thanks to Rick and his handy friend Doug, I got her address. Seemed her apartment was also owned by Williams, Inc.
I was parked by the main elevators, so I had a clear view of anyone coming or going. An hour came and went, and around six I saw Hannah and her tight face appear. A black Town Car pulled up, and the driver got out and opened the door for her. I started my engine and backed out. I was going to follow her; it was all I could think to do.
She might lead me to Hank.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
I STAYED A FEW cars back from the Town Car as we drove toward the foothills. We took a few more turns and I pulled over into the driveway of a home that had a For Sale sign in the yard. These homes were huge and expensive and most were for sale. This was a dead-end street, so I parked and waited.