by Dana R. Lynn
He sneered at her and said something. His sneer widened when she didn’t answer. And with her hands bound, Lizzy couldn’t tell her what he said.
Jerking his head again, he indicated that she needed to walk into the house. She did as she was told, her hope of being seen by a neighbor weakening with every step. She couldn’t scream, either. Because there was a knife against her sister’s throat again.
Opening the back door, she stepped into her own private nightmare. The house was clean but sparsely decorated. There were no personal touches like pictures or knickknacks.
Chad had bought the place only to torment his victims. He had no plans of making it his home. The cold-blooded way he’d gone about setting everything in its place chilled her.
Finally, he pushed them to a door. She froze. And shook her head vehemently. She was no longer seeing Chad Weller in front of her. She was seeing Terry Gleason, forcing them down the stairs into the basement. Chaining them up. Strangling Jasmine.
Something inside her broke as the image took control of her mind. She backed up and turned. Not to leave and abandon her sister. But in desperation to flee from her own memory.
A movement to her side. Lizzy had fallen, or had she been pushed? Her eyes were wide as she opened her mouth. Rebecca could tell she was screaming. A warning?
Chad stood with fury vibrating in every muscle of his body. He lashed out, his large fist catching Rebecca on the side of the face. She saw that she was falling toward the counter but couldn’t move out of its way.
She was going to hit her head.
The pain lanced through her, then everything went black.
* * *
Miles wanted to call Parker, to check on Rebecca again. But he knew he couldn’t. Not a second time. Parker had given him a hard time with the last call. But he couldn’t shake the unease that had been brewing ever since he’d parted from the others.
Well, he knew what he needed to do. He needed to talk with Miss April Long and see if she could lead him to her boyfriend.
He really hoped she wasn’t involved in all this. His gut said no. Her concern over Brooke’s disappearance struck him as genuine. And the car...
He tapped his hands on the steering wheel as he remembered the car driving by the Coles’ house. Something had stopped the driver from shooting at them. April had walked outside to talk with them. And the driver had gone past.
Maybe Chad hadn’t realized she’d be there? It was pretty bold for him to attack at the girl’s home. But then, he had to have been feeling the cage closing in around him. Had to have known that his window of opportunity to fulfill his evil plan was closing.
Which was what scared Miles. The man was now acting out of desperation. Which meant he would be willing to take any opportunity to kill his victims.
Miles saw April’s road and pulled in, quickly finding her house and parking. He radioed in that he had arrived at his destination. He got out of the car and strode up the path to the door, double time. He didn’t have any time to waste.
Knocking briskly on the door, he blinked as the door swung in. It hadn’t been shut. He called for backup, then drew his weapon and stepped inside. From where he stood, the place was a mess.
Someone had left in a hurry. Or had been taken. Things were overturned, as if there had been a struggle, and there was blood on the floor.
Dialing the chief’s number, he gave him a rundown. When the chief gave him permission to proceed with caution, he stepped carefully inside, hoping he wouldn’t find a body.
He didn’t. He did find a suitcase, half-packed in a haphazard fashion and abandoned, open, on the bed.
She’d been leaving. Running away, from the look of it.
And she’d been caught before she could finish.
Voices outside. Backup had arrived.
The scene was processed, pictures taken. There was a picture taken at a wedding. Brooke, Ashley and April all smiling, arms around each other. Brooke was in the center. It was heartbreaking, the joy on all three young faces.
And a man with revenge on his mind had deliberately set out to use one of them to get to the other two—and two others, as well. They needed to find Brooke and April fast.
He was heading back to the station to do the paperwork when Parker texted. Weller attacked. I’m shot, ambulance on the way. He has girls.
Miles stopped breathing. No! How had this happened? If anything happened to Rebecca...
What could he do? He arrived at the station, ran into Chief Kennedy’s office and showed him the text, not trusting himself to speak. The chief didn’t mess around. Every available officer was brought in and a search began.
“Olsen.” It was Lieutenant Tucker.
“Sir.” He didn’t have time to chat now. He had a woman to save. Some of his struggle must have shown on his face, because Tucker’s own face softened. Which freaked him out a little.
“Miles.” And that freaked him out more. Because the lieutenant never called him by his first name at work. “I know what you’re going through. We have all seen how hard you’ve fallen for Miss Miller. And we’re behind you. We won’t leave any lead unchecked. And we’ll help you bring her back.”
Miles looked away until his eyes stopped stinging. “I appreciate it, Jace.”
And he meant it. The officer had clearly forgiven him for his past actions. And now he was offering more than support. This was friendship. And he needed it, was happy to accept it. Jace nodded and left him. Miles headed back out to his own car to begin the search. But where to begin?
His ringtone went off. It was the chief. He tapped his watch. “Olsen here.”
“Someone just called the station. They heard what sounded like screaming at the house that Terry Gleason’s family used to own. It had been sold again recently. They said the new owner is a young man who keeps to himself, so they called it in.”
“I’m on my way. Have all available officers and an ambulance meet me at that location. Tell them not to go in hot. We don’t want to lose the advantage of surprise. Who knows what he’ll do if he hears us coming.”
“Take care, Olsen. Wait for backup before you go in.”
“I’ll be careful, Chief. And if I can wait, I will.”
SEVENTEEN
Consciousness slowly returned.
With it, came pain. Rebecca forced her swollen eyelids open, blinking against the grainy texture that scratched her eyes. Was she on the floor? Yes, her cheek was resting on cold cement, and the scent of dust filled her nostrils and coated her throat.
Gingerly, she sat up. The room swayed briefly. It was dim, and cold, but there was enough light coming in from a single light bulb attached to the ceiling to get a vague impression of her surroundings. Half a dozen cement posts ran from the floor to the ceiling, each about six inches in diameter. She remembered the half-circle windows around the ceiling. Terry Gleason’s basement. The furniture was restricted to one couch against a wall and two end tables.
Memory came rushing back. Lizzy! Where was her sister? She scrabbled up on her hands and knees and tried to stand. That’s when she noticed the shackles. Her left leg was shackled, and the chain was bolted to one of the posts. Just like before. At least her hands were free this time. Or were they left this way to taunt her?
The ability to breathe was getting difficult. Fear and anxiety were clawing their way up her throat, working against her lungs, blocking out the air. She couldn’t pass out! She had to find her sister!
A movement to her left caught her eye. Someone was sitting against the wall, shackled to a post just like she was. It was Lizzy. Relief coursed through her, allowing her to breathe again. Lizzy was dazed, but she didn’t appear to have been hurt. She stared at Rebecca, and tears started to flow down her smooth cheeks.
“It’s okay, Lizzy. God knows we are here. A
nd Miles will search for us.”
“How will he find us? No one knows where we are.”
Rebecca did her best to reassure Lizzy. “It doesn’t matter. Miles has been working very hard finding answers. He won’t give up. You don’t know him like I do. He will keep looking.”
Her heart ached at the thought. Miles. Sweet Miles. He would search relentlessly until she was found. She knew that. What would happen to him if she was hurt? Would he carry that burden in his heart the way he did with his sister?
Dear Lord, help Miles find us. And help him let go of his remorse. Lord, I love him. Let me have the chance to tell him that.
Had her brother’s wedding only been this morning?
Doubt crept into her mind. The idea that Chad would buy this house had never occurred to them. How was Miles supposed to find her?
Have faith, she reminded herself. God is in control. No matter how dark or hopeless the situation, He is in control.
“Someone else is here,” Lizzy signed. “Another woman.”
Rebecca glanced around carefully. Too much movement made her head throb. She hadn’t even noticed the third woman, chained on the opposite side of the room. Even without seeing the woman’s face, she knew who it was under the curtain of short, curly blond hair. Brooke. And Brooke was obviously hurt. Her arm hung at an odd angle, and there was blood on it.
She had disappeared several days before Rebecca and Lizzy were taken. Chad seemed to be changing his pattern. Was she still alive? And why had he taken all three of them? He’d taken Ashley and Holly one at a time.
A bright light flared to life. Rebecca and Lizzy both shrank bank, blinking their eyes as the brightness struck them. It took a few minutes for her gaze to focus on the figures coming toward her. Figures?
For there were two people. One seemed to be pushing the other. Her vision cleared. She watched, heart thudding in her throat, as Chad pushed April into the room ahead of him, and shoved her down on the couch. The force of the shove caused her to fall, her ankle wrenching. Her face twisted, and she opened her mouth as if she was speaking. No. Not speaking. Crying out. Although Rebecca wasn’t sure if it was in fear or pain. Probably both. But why had Chad taken her? She wasn’t part of the original group. Nor had she been with either Brooke or Rebecca, as Lizzy had been. Something wasn’t making sense.
Chad scowled down at the weeping woman on the couch, disgust crawling across his face. When he abruptly switched his attention to Rebecca, she froze. The pure malice she encountered made her want to crawl out of her own skin. She shivered and inched away from him as far as the chain around her ankle would allow.
Until he turned and fixed that horrible gaze on Lizzy.
Hot, liquid rage burned through her chest, hazing over in her mind and burning away the fear as he kicked the young Amish girl. Pain flashed across Lizzy’s face. Her mouth opened, her cry of pain a silent dart into Rebecca’s heart. Rebecca lunged forward. That chain stopped her before she could get anywhere near the monster standing in the middle of the room. He sneered, and snarled at Lizzy. She shook her head fiercely. Until he said something else. It didn’t seem possible but Lizzy paled even more. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she signed to her sister.
“He says he will kill you if I don’t tell you what he is saying.”
He will kill us anyway, if he can. Rebecca didn’t say the words. This was hard enough without scaring her little sister even more. Please, Lord. Save us. Send Miles.
Chad continued hurling words at Lizzy, watching their effect on Rebecca as the younger girl silently, haltingly, signed them to her sister.
“He says this is all your fault. I will die, and it is your fault. You and your friends. He knows because he found where his brother had been after he died. He had been looking for him for a long time. Terry had told people that Jasmine and Ashley had been part of a group that had bullied him in high school. That was why they needed to be taught a lesson. Then at the trial, you and your friends continued to torment him. Terry went to jail, and died there. Because of you and your friends this man was denied a real reunion with the only family he had left.”
“But Holly and I were never part of the group that made fun of his brother.”
Lizzy interpreted, and got another kick from Chad.
Rebecca held in the protests gurgling up inside her. The pressure was intense. The last thing she wanted was for this man to turn his vitriol on her sister.
He continued talking.
“He says to stop lying—that he knows better than to believe anything you’d say. He says that he has been planning this for a long time. He met April, and realized that she had gone to high school with the other girls. When she mentioned her cousin Brooke, he knew she was his link to all of you. He dated April for two months before it paid off. She was invited to a wedding and brought him as her date—he met Ashley and Brooke there. He convinced April to hire someone at the store so they could spend more time together. He convinced her to hire you when...” Lizzy’s signs slowed, and then paused. Rebecca understood. She didn’t want to tell her what April had really thought about her when she’d applied for the job. It didn’t matter. She knew.
But why was he going after April now? Rebecca glanced at the woman on the couch without thinking, then whipped her eyes back to the man towering before her. He sneered again. It seemed that whatever affection he’d had for April was gone.
“She is weak,” he said, pointing to April. Lizzy’s hands trembled as she continued to sign. “I thought I had found someone I could trust. But she found out what I was doing. She tried to break it off with me, and I knew she planned on going to the police. That’s your fault, too.”
He advanced three steps toward Rebecca. Shrinking back was instinctive. “If you had died in the store like you were supposed to, she would never have known. You have cost me my brother and my girlfriend. And now, the police even have my picture broadcast on the news. You don’t deserve an easy death. None of you do. Not after all you have cost me.”
April suddenly moved, jumping up from the couch and leaping toward him, her hands curled like claws. She was no match for him. Enraged, he caught her and slammed her back against the wall, inches away from where Rebecca was chained, his hands at his former girlfriend’s throat.
He was choking her!
He was focused on April, not paying attention to Rebecca’s movements. And Rebecca was close enough to reach him now. With a strength she never knew she possessed, Rebecca hurtled herself at his unprotected back and grabbed on to him, her hands clawing and scratching at his face, at his neck.
Chad released April and swiped Rebecca from his back. April fell in a heap to the ground. All his rage was fixed on Rebecca now. He dragged her up by her hair and pressed her back against the wall. He leaned his face in close. His breath washed over her. Stomach turning, she struggled. He was too strong. His hands reached up and closed around her neck. She scratched at his hands. Remembered how she had escaped before and tried to gouge out his eyes. He dodged out of the way.
She was going to die. Her mind grew blurry. Miles. He was going to be too late.
* * *
Miles pushed his way past the broken gate blocking the path and raced up the creaky stairs to the front porch, his gun in his hand. He prayed that backup would get there fast. Somewhere inside the house, he could hear a young girl screaming. Lizzy. Which could mean that Rebecca was in dire straits even as he opened the battered door.
Lord, protect her. Shield her.
His mind wasn’t capable of stringing together more than that. So he repeated it, knowing that the God of all would understand what was in his heart.
He probably should have waited for another cruiser to arrive. That would have been the safe, responsible thing to do. Moreover, it was what his chief had directly ordered him to do, and doing otherwise could have serious conseq
uences for his career. But he couldn’t take the chance of being too late. Not when Rebecca’s life was at risk. Nothing was more important than getting to the woman he loved right now. Not even his job. If he saved her, but lost his job, he would consider himself blessed.
Crashing through the front door, he followed the screaming and noises. They were coming from below. The basement. He attempted to be cautious as he hurried down the basement stairs, trying to keep his noise to a minimum. Not that anyone would be able to hear him over Lizzy’s screaming. And another woman was groaning. Brooke?
Jumping down the last three steps, he burst in on a horrific scene. Lizzy and a blonde woman he recognized as Brooke were both chained to posts. Lizzy had pulled herself as close to Chad as she could, screaming and trying to reach him, tears pouring down her face. The woman moaning on the floor was barely recognizable as April. Her neck was bruising. As if she had been strangled.
And Rebecca!
A red haze of rage misted over his brain as he saw Chad’s long fingers around her throat. With a roar, Miles charged at him and knocked him away from the woman he loved. She toppled to the floor. Was she alive?
For a suspended moment, his heart stopped beating, and he couldn’t breathe. Until she started to move and cough. It was a weak, wheezy sound. But it meant his Rebecca was alive. He hadn’t lost her.
He’d turned his back on Chad too long. The other man charged at him, a knife in his hand. He sliced at Miles’s arm. Miles jumped back out of the way just in time.
The two men circled in the traditional fighting stance. Miles knew he couldn’t risk shooting. Not with all the women in the room.
The other man grinned, an angry leer filled with malice. He probably assumed that without his gun, Miles was weak. His face grew cocky. He maneuvered closer and closer, swinging the sharp knife in front of him. He was taunting Miles.