“What?”
“When I got back home, the living room was all torn up. The lamp was knocked over, and the back-door window was smashed”
“Mom? Is she okay?” I asked in a sheer panic.
“She’s not here. What the hell is going on?”
“He has her. She has to be the one Miles was talking about. Dad, listen to me. I don’t care where you go, just keep my son safe. It’s Harper. He tried to kidnap Paxton this morning and used Miles to do so. He grabbed mom to use as leverage to get to me.”
“Oh hell! Where is Jake? I thought he was protecting you?”
“They got to him, and I’m on my way to help him. Dad, take care of my son. I promise you that I will bring mom back to us. I swear it on my life.”
“Okay, be careful, son.”
“I will.”
The fucker was out cold when my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. An unknown number. I connected the call and immediately knew who was at the end of it.
“Harper, I swear if you hurt one hair on my mother’s head, I will fucking end you.”
“So many threats, but don’t forget I’m the one that is holding her fate in my hands. If you would have only told me about our grandson, all of this could have been avoided. But you took him from us and prevented his family from ever knowing him. He’s my grandson, you good for nothing faggot! Now, you will deliver him to me, or your mother is dead.”
“I’m his family! You evil motherfucker!” I shouted.
“Say goodbye to your mother.”
I heard her scream out not to listen to him, and then a shot rang out, with the phone going silent.
“No!!!” I shouted.
I was numb and didn’t know what to do. But Jake would. I had to get to him. I dragged Miles’ unconscious body from the car and lifted him inside of my trunk. I kept a small toolbox in there and was thankful that I had tie-wraps with me. I secured his hands and feet and shoved a rag in his mouth. I reached for the toolbox and placed it in my backseat. “Fuck you, Miles and Harper.” I slammed the trunk closed and sped off to help Jake. “Don’t worry, mama. I’m coming for you. Just hang on until I get there. Jake will know what to do.”
I never drove so fast in my life racing to get to Jake, meanwhile hitting every bump so the fucker in the trunk would feel it for days. Mom has to be alright, she just has to. I kept making myself believe as I drove like a maniac to the YMCA.
I parked my car out of the way in case Miles woke up and started making noise. I sprinted across the parking lot and saw the party in full swing. The kids looked like they were having fun. This place was huge, and I didn’t know where to begin looking for the storage closet Jake could be in.
I checked all the offices and the closets, and still no sign of Jake. I was beginning to feel sick, but I knew I had to keep myself in check.
“He’s here somewhere. You will find him,” I said aloud, not realizing a few of the boys were coming in, including Sebastian.
“Hi, Mr. Knight! Where’s Paxton?” he asked.
“Hey there,” I said as happily as I could manage. “He wasn’t feeling too hot this morning, so he stayed home with his grandpa.”
“Why are you here then?”
“I was looking for Coach Mercer. You don’t happen to know where he is, do you?”
“I saw him this morning. We needed more equipment, and he was going downstairs to the basement to bring it out to us, but then Coach Miles brought it instead.”
“Hey, you! What’s up? We missed you today,” Lily said as she greeted me.
“Yeah, me too. Paxton was looking forward to today, but something has come up. Listen, Lily, I have to run now, but I’ll talk to you later.”
“Everything okay?” she called out to my retreating back.
“No, but they will be soon.”
The fewer people that knew what was going on, the better. I ran back to Jake’s office, where I remembered seeing a hook that held extra sets of keys. I searched the rows of keys, and then I found a set that was labeled “Basement.” I let out a breath and hoped this was the right one.
I took the stairs two at a time and searched the basement until I found a locked door. I banged on it and called out for Jake. “Jake, are you in there? I’m coming, baby! Hold on for me.” I tried all the keys until the last one finally worked.
“Jake!” I called again and again until I saw him slumped over in the corner. “Jake, wake up! Please wake up!” I began to undo his restraints, and then he blinked his eyes open and tried to lunge at me.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” he shouted, not knowing it was me.
I grabbed him by his shoulders and made him see me. He had dried blood all down the sides of his face, and the bump on his head was visible.
“Open your eyes! It’s me! Devan.”
“Devan?” he questioned. “You came to my rescue? That’s my job.”
“Yes, it’s me. Thank god, I found you. Looks like you lost a lot of blood. Can you stand?”
“Yeah, just get me out of these ropes, and help me. I’ve been down here for hours, and my legs are numb. That door is solid steel. No matter how much I screamed and kicked for help, no one came for me.”
“I did, baby, and there was no way I wasn’t going to find you. I love you,” I said, leaning down to take his mouth.
He kissed me back and then leaned on me for support.
“I love you too. I’m so happy you’re safe. What about Paxton? Where is he?”
“He’s safe too. He’s with my father. It’s a long story. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Miles, it was Miles that locked me down here. I never saw him coming, Devan. I’m so sorry.”
“Listen to me. You don’t have anything to be sorry for. My son is safe, and I have Miles tied up in my trunk. Can you make it?”
“Yes, I just need a second.”
I helped Jake up from the floor and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He weighed a freaking ton, and it was no easy task walking with him. But once he was able to gather his bearings, he moved along with me. I got him up the stairs and took a look around for anyone that may be inside.
“Okay, the coast is clear. Let’s get you out to my car.”
“My head is fucking killing me. I feel sick.” As he said it, he threw up all over the place, making him even more unsteady on his feet.
“Jake, you’re in no shape to help me here. You need a hospital.”
“No! It’s probably just a concussion. I’ve had them before. Just get me to my office, so I can grab my bag.”
“Jake, there’s something you don’t know.”
“Believe me, I’ve had a lot of time piecing it all together. Just get me to my office.”
“Jake, will you listen to me? He has my mother.”
“Who has your mom?”
“Harper. He grabbed her this morning at home. My father had already left, and if it wasn’t for him showing up when he did, Miles would have grabbed Paxton too.”
“Oh fuck! Dammit! This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s Harper’s fault. He’s become detached from reality. All I know is that he has my mother and is making me believe that he’s killed her. But he doesn’t have the balls for that. He’s just using her to get to me and Paxton.”
“Help me, Devan. I need my bag.”
I helped him up and down to where he needed to be. I closed the door behind us while he got what he needed from the office. The party was still going, and all the campers were still out on the field.
“Jake, we need to leave before any of the boys come back,” I said and then turned around to see Jake arming himself with a bulletproof vest and enough guns and ammunition to blow a building up.
“What the fuck, Jake?”
“Exactly. Let’s go. I have a score to settle with Miles, and then Harper is next.”
We made it outside and down to where I parked my car. I quickly opened the trunk to check on Miles, and his eyes widened at the sight of Jake.
“Foxtrot, I need satellite imagery on a roadside motel located on Highway Six. Check the traffic cams in the area and anything and everything that leads from the highway to the motel. Once you have the info, send it to me on my phone. And make it quick.”
“Jake, your head is still bleeding.”
“I’m fine, Devan. I’ll use one of my shirts to stop the bleeding and then make a temporary head wrap.”
“Boy Scout?”
“Yeah, amongst other things. Pull over there. Let me clean up and take care of my head, and then I’ll have a chat with our passenger.”
“Jake, I was so scared. I was desperate to reach you, and I told Paxton to wait for me, and then he left with Miles. Once I saw Miles’s arm around him, all I felt was the rage. Another minute longer, and he would have taken him right out from under my nose.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t. And there would be no way he would have gotten far. I know he got the jump on me once, but that’s his one free pass. Let’s go talk to him.”
Devan clicked open the trunk, and I hauled Miles out by his neck. His hands and legs were secured. I removed the rag from his mouth and then he began to cough. Gripping his pressure points just right to make him fight for air, I demanded answers from him.
“Who the hell are you? Are you a bounty hunter? Investigator? Did Harper hire you to kidnap Paxton?”
I loosened my hold on him, and then he coughed to get some air. He looked around to see where we were, and then I said, “Don’t even think about it. You won’t make it two steps before a bullet hits your brain. And Miles, I never fucking miss.”
“Okay, okay, what the hell do you want from me?” he screamed.
“For starters, the truth. How did Harper get to you?”
“Look, I was just messing around with you earlier. I wasn’t really going to kill you, and I would never hurt a kid. I was merely asked to bring him to his grandfather.”
“And…? Hitting me over the head and locking me in a storage closet was part of it?”
I shoved him back against the open trunk and then aimed my gun at him. “Remember what I told you earlier about not being able to run and hide from me? Are you scared? Because if you’re not, you damn well should be.”
“I’m sorry, okay? I needed the money, and when ten thousand dollars shows up on your doorstep, you don’t say no to that. I wasn’t going to hurt the kid. I swear it!”
“Yeah, tell it to the cops.”
“Jake, please, I can’t do jail time. I’ll lose my job.”
“Yeah? Well, it’s better than the alternative, because I want nothing more than to fucking end you for believing you could touch Paxton and get away with it. We’re done here.”
I shoved him back into the trunk and then turned to face Devan.
“I’m sorry, babe. I know this is a lot to take in,” I said as I gestured to the gear I was wearing. “The cops have been dispatched, and they have been briefed on the situation. Let’s go get your mom.”
“What about Miles? He’s just going to stay in my trunk?”
“He will be taken care of as soon as my guy gets here. There he is now.”
“Who?”
“Foxtrot. A former SEAL and one of the best men I’ve been honored to serve with and call a friend. He’s big and loud, but a teddy bear inside.”
I took my longtime friend in a forceful but welcomed hug as I said, “I had a feeling I’d be seeing you. Guess you couldn’t help yourself, right?”
“I was in the area. So, Jake, you have something for me?”
“Yeah, he’s in the trunk. What about what I asked for?”
“Here you go.” He handed me his laptop, and I scanned all the traffic cam footage and then the area of the hotel.
“She’s in there,” Foxtrot said.
“Yes, I can see that. Devan, your mom is fine. Here, look for yourself.” I pulled him in close to me, and once he saw the proof for himself, he breathed out a sigh of relief.
Foxtrot said, “Jake, this is an easy grab. We can get him out with no issue at all.”
“I know, but I can’t risk Devan’s mom getting hurt. The warning shot he fired off was just to scare Devan. I can’t have him doing something for real to prove his point. Take care of Miles for me, wait for the cops to pick him up, and then meet me over at the motel. I’m going to get in position. Once I decide what I’m going to do, I will let you know.”
“Okay, good luck to you. Be careful, Merc.”
“Always, Foxtrot. Thanks, buddy.”
Once we reached the motel, I parked my truck far enough where it wouldn’t be seen by Harper. I scanned the footage again just to make sure all the points of entry were covered and Mrs. Knight wouldn’t be at risk of being collateral damage.
He was no match for me. He was a very troubled man hiding behind his sins, but at this point, he had nothing to lose. My team in Seattle checked in after Ruth Harper frantically phoned the office looking for me. She said her husband left after they got into a heated argument, and all that he said was he was going to make everything right. If his version of making things right included kidnapping Paxton and hurting Devan, then he was truly delusional in his thinking, because I would never allow that to happen.
“How’s your head? Are you okay?” Devan asked.
“Yeah, just a scratch. I’m fine.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“It is. A bump on the head is not going to keep me down. Only a bullet would have done that, and Miles was too spineless for that. He was all talk. My biggest obstacle was being locked in the closet against that steel door. Everything else I could handle. Shit, if I had the right materials to make an explosive device, I would have been out of there a hell of a lot sooner, but you found me first.”
“Shit! Are you serious right now?”
“SEAL, remember? I’m trained in many areas.”
“Will you ever tell me about it?”
“Someday, but for now, let’s get your mom to safety and Harper in cuffs.” I handed Miles’s phone over to Devan.
“Here. Call him.”
“And say what?”
“Just keep him on the phone long enough so I can get his location inside the hotel room. I need to be sure before I go in full force with my gun.” I watched my beautiful man dial the phone with shaky fingers before I reached for his hand to calm him.
“Babe, look at me.” He did with no hesitation. “Trust me to keep her safe. I promise in the next sixty seconds you are going to be reunited with your mom, and then this nightmare will be over.”
“I trust you. Go get her.”
“Okay. Call him.”
He answered on the third ring. His voice was erratic. I could hear the apprehension in his tone. There was real fear in his voice, and I prayed my mom wasn’t hurt.
“Where’s my grandson? I told you to bring him to me,” he shouted.
“And I told you that I would never allow one hair on his head to ever be touched by you! Now be smart, Harper, and let my mother go. You have nowhere to run, nor hide. You are surrounded, and if you don’t come out on your own, then you will force us to come in for you. And I promise that you don’t want that to happen.”
“Yeah, try it, and your mother will be dead for real this time. I will show you that I’m not bluffing.”
I looked over to Jake, and he gestured for me to keep Harper talking while he worked on his laptop.
“Harper, Harper, are you still there?” I asked.
“Why are you doing this? Tobias, what has gotten into you?” I heard my mother say. Thank god, she was okay.
“Make him bring the boy to me, or I will shoot you dead, Lainey.”
“No!” I screamed into the phone.
Then Jake lowered my phone and showed me what he was looking at on his screen. My mom was secured to a chair in the corn
er of the motel room, and he was standing in front of the window.
Jake whispered to me to keep talking as he got out of the truck and forced his way inside. Before I could even blink, it was over. Jake had Harper disarmed and secured.
I followed in after him and rushed to my mother, who was crying but not hurt. It was just smoke and mirrors to get me here. Her wrists were covered in abrasions from the rough rope he used on her, but other than that, she was fine. Sirens were blaring in the background as the police made their way inside. Guns were aimed at us until Jake showed them his credentials, and we were cleared as being no threats to them.
Statements were taken from the three of us, and then my mom was administered medical care for her wrists. I wanted her to go to the hospital, but she refused. All she wanted was to go home to see my dad and Paxton. I asked Jake if I could have a few minutes alone with Harper before the police took him into custody. He didn’t want to leave my side, but I assured him that I was okay, thanks to him. He smiled and delivered one hell of a silent promise with a wink to be continued later when we could be alone.
“Fucking faggots you are!” Harper screamed. “It makes me sick that you are raising my grandson. You’ll burn for this, you wait and see. You, your lover, and my good for nothing daughter.”
At that defining moment, I had a choice to make, just like the one I made all those years ago when I decided to leave the life I had and begin a new one with my son. My son with Carrie. What are words anyway? Especially when they come from a contemptible human being, so filled with hate and disgust that it’s the only thing he can see. His words mean nothing to me. They don’t define me. I look at my life and what I have and how I will have so much more now that Jake has committed himself to me. And then I look at him…what does he have left? Absolutely nothing but years of regret that he will have plenty of time to think about while he is sitting in a cold, dark cell.
But of course, I wasn’t going to be completely silent and decided to leave him with a parting gift. Not a punch to his jaw or stomach where he would feel it for days, but something more that he will never have. I pulled out my wallet and reached for a picture that I always carried with me. It was a miniature size photo of the moment Carrie held our son, with my arms around them both, and we were smiling at the nurse who took our photo. It was the happiest moment of my life, and now it would be the sword that sliced his heart into a million pieces and gut him all the way down to his soul.
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