We ran until I couldn’t breathe anymore. I followed him like a tiny child. I had no idea where we were. My surroundings were blurred from fear and anxiety. I couldn’t get her face out of my mind.
“Ryan, I can’t ... I can’t run anymore.” I said in a breathy whisper. I stopped and bent over, bracing my hands on my knees. He was coming at me by the time I looked up and did not say a word. He grabbed me by the back of my arm, an attempt to support me so I could keep going. I knew by the look on his face, he was as horrified about leaving her as I was.
After two more dark allies, I started to recognize things. It was a relief to know we were almost back to the apartment. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think this part of town would somehow give me comfort.
The building we stayed in was as dirty on the outside as it was on the inside. We rushed into the entry way and crossed paths with the woman I’d seen out my window last night. Our eyes met for the briefest of seconds before she looked down.
I continued to follow Ryan up several flights of stairs and down the long hallway leading to our door.
I sat on the bed watching him lock the multiple locks. “I wouldn’t feel safe even if this entire room was steel,” I whispered. Although I knew he heard me, he did not respond.
When he finished, he fell into the kitchen chair and put his head in his hands. We sat in this little room and let our fears and insecurities drown us. The more I tried to calm myself the more I could feel the panic rising.
Ryan’s breathing started getting faster and faster, and I knew he was also struggling with these monsters and wondering why in the hell we’d left her there. I went to him, hoping to find the right words to speak. Before I could say anything he turned and buried his face in my stomach, holding me as tight as he could and cried. I caressed his hair and whispered, “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out.”
He squeezed me tighter and I knew I was the only thing he had left to hold on to. Being together was the only thing that made sense right now. I was Ryan’s hold on reality in the middle of all this insanity – the one thing he was counting on. Finally, if only in a small way, I was saving him.
>CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR<
Morning came in with a flood of light – the type of sunshine that made you believe it carried warmth, but it was only an illusion. I pulled the blanket up and moved closer to Ryan. He was not awake yet and it was comforting to be lying with him. His rhythmic breathing was just what I needed to keep me in a calm place where nothing can hurt you except your own mind.
It was only seconds until the memories of the night came flooding back. I opened my mind to the harsh realities of this situation quickly consumed me … The burden of fear coming back in full force.
I glanced at Ryan. Somehow it calmed my nerves to know he was relaxed and dreaming. I hoped his dreams were good, because the nightmare would begin as soon as he opened his eyes. I carefully slid myself out of the bed without disturbing him. Fueled by a strong desire to keep things as normal as possible, I went into the bathroom and quickly showered, brushed my teeth and made a mental list of things to do. I would: wake Ryan, make something to eat while he was showering, get a hold of my mom and let her know things were okay with me – I paused for a second, wondering what had happened to my phone.
The emotions rushed me all at once. I grabbed the edge of the sink and a shooting pain rushed through my head and chest; my throat constricted and burned.
“Katie,” I whispered to myself, covering my mouth with one hand trying to keep the sob inside. I closed my eyes and whispered her name over and over again. I hoped somehow she was able to feel me and knew I was coming. She only needed to hold on for a little longer.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My fear suddenly switched to anger. I thought about Quinn and the things he was doing to Katie. I decided in that moment, I would kill Quinn. I didn’t know how or when, but I would take his life for what he’d done. My list was now complete – the most important being, get Katie and kill Quinn.
My every intention was to wake Ryan so we could start working on my list. But when I opened the door and my eyes fell on his sleeping face, time stopped. He looked so peaceful, like a sleeping child. Kneeling beside the bed, I let my eyes roam over his perfect features. I tried to fight the desire to touch him, but couldn’t resist. I used the back of my fingers to brush his cheek.
Stretching, he took a deep breath in and his eyes fluttered. He looked rested and smiled at first, but as he focused in on my face, there was something else in his eyes. I understood – it was sadness.
“Are you all right?” I asked as I rubbed his cheek again.
“No, I’m not.” His voice was raspy and soft. “I need you to know I would never let anyone hurt you. I would never just leave you like I left Katie last night.” Tears filled his eyes. “I didn’t want to leave her; I just didn’t know what to do. She told us to leave.” He covered both eyes with the palms of his hands.
“I know. We need to focus on getting her here tonight.” I gently pulled back on his arms and he dropped them.
“Right?”
He nodded and wiped a tear away. “Get up and shower and I will make some breakfast.”
He followed my orders and went into the bathroom. I was shaking as I walked toward the kitchen and opened the fridge.
Ryan had already told me he needed to check in at the house today. He had not been there at all yesterday and people would be wondering where he was. Even though he and Cale were not on the best of terms, he said he thought they believed him when he told them he hadn’t found me. So he needed to keep up that act.
“Ryan,” he looked up from the food he hadn’t touched. “We have to get the police involved. We can’t do this on our own.”
“No. We have to be very careful, Jenna. This is a dangerous situation and we have to be smart.” He stood up and grabbed his sweatshirt, pulling it on over his head. “The Brothers aren’t looking for you to talk this out, Jen. They know everyone in this town and if you think they don’t have a friend or two on the police force, then you are just naive.”
“But don’t you think they could help us?”
“We need to have the whole picture so the police are forced into action.” His voice was stern – there was no way I was going to change his mind.
“I need to get you and Katie away from here, and then I will deal with The Brotherhood.”
He walked over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. “Please promise me you won’t leave the apartment until I come back to get you.”
I was silent.
“Jenna ...”
“I promise.”
~~~
His words rolled around in my head over and over as I paced the apartment. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me, especially after seeing Katie. He was right; I had no idea what I was up against. But still, I felt like he knew a part of the story I didn’t.
I needed to find out who had put me in that basement room and why they were doing what they were to Katie. None of this was making any sense to me. Why us? What was the purpose of all of it? What do they have to gain?
That basement held all the answers, I was sure of it. There had to be some clues to all of this. I couldn’t figure out how to find the answer without the protection of the police. I just couldn’t see this ending well without them.
If Katie and I went to them, told them everything that happened, how could they not go and look around? How could they ignore it?
I made up my mind. Tonight we would go get Katie, and tomorrow after Ryan left, Katie and I would go to the police ourselves. Guilt coursed through my body immediately for thinking about going against Ryan’s wishes. He was trying to keep both Katie and me safe, but I had to take some responsibility in it too. I wasn’t going to just sit here and wait for them to find me.
I needed to connect with the outside world. Maybe I could find some horrible soap opera or talk show to dive into and shut off my brain for a bit. Just some back
ground noise to help me drown out these constant thoughts running through my head would be helpful.
A scream rose up from the alley. I glanced out in time to see the alley dog chasing someone. It was a big dog, a German Shepherd, I thought. That guy must be an idiot to provoke it. I stared mindlessly out the window, watching the action.
“Police have the area blocked off,” I heard faintly in the background. I watched the dog as he backed the man up against the dumpster. I shook my head, knowing the dumpster was the wrong place to try and hide.
“…in hopes of finding the girl’s roommate.”
The man held up his hands in front of him, looking all around for help.
I glanced at the screen and looked away again, before it hit me. The picture was a shot of the front of my dorm building. All other noise left the world and I dropped to my knees.
“Once again, University officials are not commenting on the apparent death of this student, or the name of her missing roommate. Local police are telling us the roommate has not been named a suspect but they would like to talk to this person, to find out if she has any information that could help solve this brutal crime.”
I grabbed my head as the word “No” spilled over and over from my lips. She was dead – he’d killed her. I fell to the floor in a ball as shockwaves hit my body. My lungs deflated and refused oxygen. The world dissolved and I lost control of my actions. Somehow though, I made it to my feet. I threw open the door and stumbled down the hallway, weaving between the stair railing and the wall.
The pain in my chest was crippling and I didn’t know what to do with it. I clawed at my face and neck, trying to let everything out.
I ran down the steps and out of the building, letting the sunshine hit me in the face. I stood there silently screaming, waiting for someone to rescue me; no one came.
The pain of losing her pounded in my head. My heart screamed her name. Mindlessly I wandered around – I was destroyed. I wanted to die with her, I begged for it.
I turned the corner and started down the alley, running my hand along the bricks of the building to keep my balance. No real thoughts formed in my head, only scattered words: “apparent death”, “brutal crime”, “suspect”.
My legs shook and I knew they weren’t going to carry me much further. The shaking made its way up my torso, attacking me violently, taking over every inch of my body until I had nothing left. I leaned one hand against the building and emptied my stomach over and over.
The world spun uncontrollably as I crashed to the ground next to the garbage dumpster. The cement was cold, wet and unforgiving. The burn of scraped skin on my forehead registered for a split second, followed by the warmth of blood. It wasn’t enough to make me move.
I decided this is where I would give up, so I closed my eyes and dreamed of death.
>CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE<
“Hey…hey, are you okay?”
Everything was blurry; I blinked as the outline of a woman came into view. Her face seemed familiar. I squinted against the pain in my head. She stood the alley’s width away, obviously uncomfortable talking to me.
“I said, are you okay?”
Using every bit of energy I could, I pushed myself to a sitting position, but the spinning started again. I tried to steady it by closing my eyes and putting my face in my hands.
“Whoever did this to you must’ve been pretty pissed.” I slowly looked up at her again, my vision blotted with white spots.
Her eyes darted to something over my shoulder. “He hasn’t left your side.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see the alley dog sitting there. It was the same dog that had chased a man down this alley earlier. He looked even bigger up close than he did from my window.
“I’ve seen that dog in this alley, but didn’t realize he belonged to someone.” My head hurt so badly, I couldn’t even tell her he wasn’t mine, I just stared at her. She was nervous but continued. “I was going to try to shake you awake, but your friend made it very clear I was to get no closer to you than this. He is very protective – probably smart to have in a neighborhood like this.”
I tried to swallow, but choked on the dryness in my throat. I coughed a few times and my chest felt like it would explode.
“How long have I been out here?”
“Well, I first noticed you when I looked out my window an hour ago. I thought you were dead.” I cringed at her relaxed view of death. She talked about it as if it was as simple as asking me what I wanted for dinner.
“About fifteen minutes ago I heard Cujo going crazy. I looked out and some scumbag was trying to get close to you. Of course, your security guard here was not about to let that happen so after he scared the guy off , I decided I would come down here and try to wake you up. The longer you lay here, the better chance someone sees you and calls the cops. When the cops come, they make all sorts of trouble. The last thing I need is a bunch of cops hanging around asking questions.”
I must’ve looked confused because finally she said, “Bad for business, you know?” She attempted a smile, but the action seemed unfamiliar to her. “Anyway, let’s get you up and see if you can walk.”
She took a step toward me and the dog lunged. I could see the hair standing up on his back and heard the low warning growl. I don’t know why, but I reached out and put one hand on his back. He steadied his stance, so I leaned on him as I got myself to my feet. I gave him a quick scratch behind his ears.
As soon as I stood up, I could feel the strength coming back to my legs, but I wasn’t ready to walk yet. I stood for a second, looking around. The alley was framed in by tall buildings on either side. I looked up and found my window. The one I was looking out this morning … when I heard the news about Katie.
“I can help you back to your room.” She said from a few feet behind me. I knew she didn’t want to get any closer to me because of the dog. “I just live down the hall from you.”
I turned to look at her. “You do? I’ve never seen you before. I mean, I’ve seen you standing on the corner but …” I almost felt ashamed that I didn’t know she lived in the same building – but it’s not like I was out looking for friends.
“It's okay, but a word of advice … when you live in a neighborhood like this, it’s very important to know exactly who your neighbors are. Then go about your business like you have no idea who your neighbors are.” I nodded my head at her – I knew what she meant. From the window I had guessed her to be middle-aged, but now that I was closer to her, she looked much younger.
“And don’t trust anyone … ever,” she added.
“Not even you?”
“Not even me,” she said flatly.
We walked down the alley and turned the corner to go into our building. There was no foyer or happy manager to greet you. The mixed smell of garbage and mold hit me and was strangely comforting. It was like when you open the front door to your own home and the aroma of your life hits you. This had quickly become the essence of my life – and how fitting it was.
The stairway stood open in the middle of the building, any floor could look down and see straight to the bottom. We headed up the steps to the third floor. My companion never left my side, staying right in step with me.
“What’s your dog’s name?” she asked.
“Actually, it’s not my dog,” I said as I reached down and touched his back.
“Well he is now. You should call him Killer.”
We continued up the steps in silence.
“His name is Angel,” I whispered. Katie’s face flashed in my mind. The way she looked when I first met her. Her beautiful smile, her laugh that made you laugh, even if you didn’t want to. My heart grew heavy, as I remembered the last time I saw her. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, trying to remove the memory.
We walked down the third floor hallway and as we passed a door she whispered, “This is my room. My name is Becky, by the way.”
“Jen ...” She shook her head to silence me.
L
eaning toward me she whispered. “It’s best if people don’t know you’re in the hallways, it’s safer that way … always whisper.”
I wanted to thank her for helping me. To tell her she didn’t have to stand on that damn corner every night. There was more to life than that. But what did I know, my best friend was dead, I was on the run, and I had no idea what I was going to do. I started rubbing my forehead, trying to remove all of the hopeless thoughts. I sucked in air quickly when my hand ran over dried blood.
Then I heard Angel. The growl was deep, low, and quiet, not meant to scare something away, but to gain our attention. He stood at my door, his back end dropped a bit, ready to spring at whatever was going to come out.
Becky grabbed my arm, “We gotta go.” I pulled my arm away and took a step toward my door. “If you’re that stupid fine, but I’m not waiting to see what that has dog all fired up.” She put her key quietly in the lock. She was right, I needed to hide; someone was in my apartment.
“Hurry, please hurry.” I whispered right into her ear “They’re here to kill me.” Just as those words passed my lips, the key turned and the door was open.
“Angel!” I spit out, quickly he returned to my side.
I pressed both hands up against the door, straining my eyes to see through the peep hole. Becky paced back and forth behind me. She mumbled to herself. “I knew I shouldn’t have gone down there. What was I thinking? I know better than this.”
“SHHH,” I said as I waved my hand behind me.
“Someone wants to kill you? And I’m with you, which makes me as good as dead.”
I couldn’t take my eyes away from the hallway. I needed to see who was looking for me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up when I realized; it wasn’t who was looking for me, it was who had found me.
“Do you have any weapons?” I asked, still with my face pressed against the door.
Chasing Jenna Page 17