“I know,” I sighed. Go to the library in town. We’ll check the land records. Maybe that’ll get us somewhere.”
Madison drove into town as though his life depended on it, or I guess like our girls’ lives depended on it, which it did. We pulled up to the library maybe ten minutes later and Madison and I were out of the truck before he even put the truck in park.
I pointed at Margie behind the desk as we came barrelin’ in. “Land maps down in the basement still, Margie?”
“Yes, love.” She replied as she pushed her glasses back up on her round face and pointed towards the stairs.
Of course neither Madison or myself knew exactly where to look, but we decided to split up and cover more ground. I was halfway through the eastern part of the town’s deeds when I hear Madison shout my name.
“Comin’.” I rounded the corner and almost ran right into Madison. He clutched onto the large book in his hands and walked right past me and over to the table in the far corner of the vast room.
“Look, man.” His finger landed on a tiny dot on the map of the town, and I’m surprised he didn’t break his finger with how hard he pushed down. “It’s the old slaughter house right on the edge of town. I don’t even remember the last time it was in use. It’s gotta be the place, no?”
My eyes sat there starin’ a hole through the damn book as I tried to comprehend what Madison had just said to me.
“You hear me? Let’s go!”
Deep down I was freakin’ the fuck out. If this was the place, lord knows what the monster, or monsters, had been puttin’ our pregnant girls through. Of course on the outside I was keepin’ my cool as best I could. Madison on the other hand? Well, let’s just say that he may very well need a new steerin’ wheel after this whole ordeal.
We were only about 15 minutes away from the place when I was forced to bring up one extremely important detail that we hadn’t yet worked out.
“Um...are we just gonna barge in there with zero weapons?”
Madison looked over at me with a heated look in his eyes that I remember so vividly only seein’ two other times in the entire time I’ve known him, and that look never ended in a positive way.
Madison’s jaw tensed as he spoke, “I don’t fuckin’ know, Glenn. What the hell are we supposed to do?”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “What about the shotgun on the ranch?”
“Holy shit, man! It’s actually behind the back seat. Good thinkin’, bro. I guess it’s a good thing I’ve been usin’ my truck for work these days.”
I clambered into the back seat as we neared the long windin’ dirt road that led to the old slaughterhouse. I was pullin’ out the shotgun when Madison slammed on the brakes, causin’ me to go flyin’ backward toward the front seat, my back slammin’ into the back of the arm rest. I let out a loud howl as my back cracked hard against the leather covered metal piece inside it.
“SON OF A BITCH!” I cocked my head to the side tryin’ to see what caused Madison to injure me. “What the fu-“ My mouth fell wide open as I took in the sight before me.
Kole was draggin’ his blood-covered body across the field in our direction. My first thought was to run him the fuck over, but my second thought, the more rational one, quickly jumped down out of the truck, shotgun in hand, and made my way over to him. As I approached him, I saw the actual damage that led to him lookin’ like he was just murdered. His left arm was hangin’ literally by a string (of muscle). It looked like someone hacked it to pieces. He also had gnarly deep-seated gashes to his back and his face, and I couldn’t help but be extremely proud of our girls for causin’ this much damage. And then it hit me. I bent over, my hand grabbin’ a large handful of his hair as I pulled his head up so he was lookin’ at me.
“Where the fuck are they?”
When he didn’t answer me, I tugged on his hair harder. Blood splattered against my damp skin as he sputtered somethin’ unintelligible, which only fueled my rage further. If he didn’t answer me in the next two seconds I would make what they did to him look like child’s play. I gave his head another tug, but all that came out of his mouth was garbled words and an obscene amount of blood.
“I’m not sure he’s goin’ to be answerin’ anything anytime soon, man.” Madison’s voice cut through my rage, causing my head to instantly snap up in his direction.
“Are you serious right now, Madison? How is it that I’m the only one tryin’ to get shit done and find our girls?”
He slowly closed the distance between us, bendin’ down to look me directly in the eyes, “You better watch what you fuckin’ say to me, Glenn. You ever question me again, and I’ll make you look worse than this piece of shit right here?” He kicked his boot towards the guys face and I visibly tensed at his threat.
“I’m sorry, man. I’m just so fuckin’ worried.”
Without sayin’ another world, Madison squatted down so he was now face to face with the dickhead in my grasp. “I’m not gonna kill ya, because that would be too nice for you, but I’m not above torturin’ ya for the information we need. So I’m gonna count to ten, and if I don’t hear an answer I like come out of your mouth, I’m gonna tie ya up behind the truck and start a very long process of literally pullin’ the information outta ya. Got me?” Madison’s voice was so level and precise. If I were this dude, I would’ve answered him immediately.
Dead man still couldn’t speak, but he pointed with his somewhat good hand in the direction of the slaughterhouse. My fingers released the death grip I had on his hair, his head collidin’ with the dirt ground. I glanced up at Madison silently askin’ him what we should do with him.
“Throw him in the back of the truck. It’s not like he’ll be escapin’ anytime soon.”
We both nodded in agreement as I scooped the guy up, tossin’ him in the bed of the truck, and then Madison hopped in the driver’s seat. Dirt spun all around us as Madison floored it in the direction of the old slaughterhouse. Of course we had no idea if the girls were still there, but we had to at least check. Knowin’ our girls, they hightailed it outta there after manglin’ this dude half to death.
Before Madison could even stop the truck, I jumped out and ran as fast as my legs would allow. I could feel Madison right behind me as I entered the vast open space. My eyes instantly went to the two metal chairs tipped over in the middle of the room, and my heart instantly sank. My head swung back and forth as we started searchin’ for the girls. “CAMI? CCCAAAAMMMIIII? KAYLA? ANYBODY?” Madison and my voices echoed off of every wall in the place as we frantically started runnin’ throughout the place.
“KAYLA, WHERE ARE YOU?” If I didn’t know any better I would think that Madison was on the verge of cryin’, just as I was, but we both knew we had to keep our composure if we were ever goin’ to find them.
I was runnin’ up into the room where the grinder is, and stopped mid stride when I noticed blood splattered all over the goddamn place. When I looked to my right, I could see that Madison was reacting the same way. “This has to be where they attacked him.” I let out a breathless pant. “What the fuck happened here, man?”
Madison shrugged as he entered into the room further away from where I was standing. I stood back and watched him as he surveyed the room. Usually I’d be right there with him, but my feet are literally stuck in place. My heart dropped into my stomach as I tried to fight down the bile creepin’ up my throat.
“This is a lot of fuckin’ blood.” His muffled voice caught me off guard as I was lost in my own horrific thoughts.
“Do you think any of it is theirs?” I croaked out.
He looked up at me with pleadin’ eyes, “God I hope not.”
“Where the fuck did they go?”
“Fight or flight.” He responded coolly. “Looks like they did both.” Just when I thought he wouldn't break, he did. “MOTHER FUCKING SON OF A BITCH! WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO?” Madison was shoutin’ at the top of his lungs and throwin’ anything and everything that he could get his hands on.
While Madison continued to throw shit around, I slowly made my way into a back as I followed the trail of blood someone left behind. I felt defeated and as though we were never goin’ to find them, when I suddenly caught movement from the corner of my eye. Without makin’ too much noise, I made my way over to a large oak desk sittin’ in the middle of the room. I didn’t have a weapon to defend myself with, so I held my fists up, ready to lay a motherfucker out if need be. When I rounded the corner, I ran into a pair of bloody feet, bloody feet that are attached to the lifeless form of Kayla, layin’ on the ground.
“NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!” Cami’s voice was loud and thunderous as she lunged at me with a machete in her hand.
My hands flew up to my face as I quickly went into self-preservation mode. “Cami, it’s me.” When her face finally came into view, I noticed that her eyes were closed, and she was still comin’ at me. “CAMI, STOP! IT’S GLENN!” As I braced for impact, I could hear a loud tinging sound as the machete fell to the floor, just before throwin’ herself in my arms.
“Glenn, oh my god. It’s really you.”
She was sobbin’ uncontrollably as I pulled her deep into my chest. I quickly turned my head to the side towards the open office door. “MADISON GET IN HERE! THEY’RE IN HERE!” My arms pulled Cami tighter to me as I waited for Madison to get to us. As much as I wanted to hug her and never let her go, it suddenly dawned on me that Kayla was still layin’ unmovin’ on the floor beneath us. My lips pressed tightly against Cami’s head before I pulled her back, inspecting her for any injuries. “Baby, are you okay?” All she could do was shake her head. “Okay, how long has Kayla been out?”
“I...I...do...don’t...kn...know.” Her voice was shaking, and I couldn’t help but need to hold her, comfort her in any way I could.”
“Okay, come here.” I wrapped one of my arms around her as I bent down and checked Kayla’s neck for a pulse. I was just about to shout for Madison again, but he suddenly appeared at my side.
“Holy shit, what the fuck. Is she alive?” I could tell Madison was about to lose it as he bent down, pullin’ Kayla into his arms and onto his lap.
“She has a pulse. I’m gonna run out to the truck and grab my cell. I’ll call 9-1-1.” I slipped my arm from around Cami’s shoulder, and placed both of my hands on her shoulders as I looked her in the eye. “Stay here with Madison. Do you understand?” She quickly nodded her head, and then she took a seat next to Madison.
A few minutes later and I was back by my wife’s side, prayin’ the ambulance wouldn’t take too long to show up. My heart literally started breakin’ for Madison as I watched him cradle Kayla in his arms, wishin’ and prayin’ that she would make it through this.
“What happened, Cam?” Madison’s voice is barely above a whisper as he looks up at us with unshod tears in his eyes.
“He knocked her out, and then...he put her on the grinding table...” Cami began sobbin’ as she clung to me with every fiber of her being. “I don’t know why she isn’t waking up. When he finally left, I drug her in here, just in case...” her voice trailed off and I instantly knew that she was blamin’ herself.
“It’s not your fault, Cami. You know that right?” I brushed my fingers gently down her back as I tried to calm her cryin’.
“Kayla, baby, please come back to me. This can’t be the end. Our story isn’t over yet. I need you, Kayla. Mia needs you.” His voice trailed off as tears began to spill over and down his cheeks. “I can’t do this life without you, KJ. Please baby, fight for me. Be the strong fighter I know you are. Please.”
I glanced down at Cami before movin’ over to my best friend, wrappin’ him up in the tightest embrace possible. “We’re gonna get her back. I promise. This isn’t how she’s supposed to go.” I didn’t expect Madison to reciprocate my hug, but I was pleasantly surprised when he did. I just needed him to know that we were goin’ to get through this...together. We’re family, and there isn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for my pseudo brother.
Chapter 37
Cami
Seven thousand, one hundred and fifty two, the number of dingy linoleum squares that my bare feet have paced back and forth on, in the musty smelling waiting room. Seven thousand, two hundred and one, two, three...the number of seconds we’ve been waiting since the doctor last came out to speak to us. Nine...the number of people currently waiting with bated breath. One hundred and twenty-two...the number of times I’ve passed the nurses desk while pacing around in this god forsaken place. One...the number of best friends I have in this world that I would do absolutely anything and everything for.
Five seconds...that’s exactly how long it has been since my loving, yet annoying husband, has asked how I’m doing, for the four hundredth time. I understood, deep down, I really did understand why he was concerned and being overly cautious, but I swear if he asked me one more damn time, I was going to have to rip his testicles from his gorgeous body, because in all honesty, it wasn’t me I was worried about at this given moment.
After Glenn made the call to 9-1-1, we still ended up waiting for a good thirty minutes before anybody showed up, but when they showed up, they showed up. There were two fire trucks, two ambulances, and at least a dozen cops that swarmed the building. Lucky for them, Madison and Glenn had already detained the guy who did this to us. I know how contrite it sounded, but I was happy when I saw the mangled asshole in the back of the truck, bound at the wrists and feet. Well, the best he could be bound. I actually hadn’t realized just how much damage I’d actually done to him, until I was looking directly at the aftermath.
I swear I wasn’t trying to kill him, although that was most definitely his intent, but once I started hacking at him, I just couldn’t stop. It was as though I saw red, and nothing else mattered at that moment, but saving mine and Kayla’s lives, and the lives of our unborn babies. But even now, I felt beyond sick at what I’d done. Never in a million years did I imagine having to fight for my life by possibly ending another’s.
When Glenn and Madison showed up at the slaughterhouse, I wanted more than anything to run to them, tell them we were ok, and to take us home. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Kayla still hadn’t woken up by then, and I wasn’t even sure that the guy I attacked was the only one involved. It took everything in me not to completely break down as I held my best friend’s lifeless body in my arms.
Regardless of the fact that I knew deep down that I did what was absolutely necessary in our situation, I still blamed myself for, well...everything. If I would’ve just listened to Glenn and stayed at Kayla’s house with her, we wouldn’t even be here right now. But of course, my selfishness got in the way, like it always does, and now here we sat in the hospital waiting room, holding our breath as we wait for any sort of news on how Kayla was doing.
One hundred and fifty, that’s how many times Madison has asked the nurse at the desk if she had any new information she could give us. When he turned back around, head hanging in defeat and complete hopelessness, my heart broke into a million and one pieces for him. After everything that those two have had to go through and dealt with, it seemed completely unfair that they were having to go through something of this magnitude, yet again.
I glanced around the room at all the loving and adoring people that were all here for Kayla and myself. Our “family” had doubled in size, and it was a sight that warmed my heart to its very core. Kayla’s grandparents sat in the far corner of the small white room on a tiny loveseat, holding hands and comforting one another as Madison’s Grams looked at them with a sadness in her eyes, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because she longed for her dead husband, Madison’s grandfather. On another small couch sat Bryce and Brandon. They were playing some incessant game with a deck of cards they found, but even lookin
g at them now, they looked just as sad as the rest of us, and they were actually being quiet...a far cry from how they usually behave.
Joey and Diem came straight from the airport to the hospital when Glenn called Jo to let him know what happened, or at least the gist of what happened. Glenn had been filling them in on everything the minute Jo walked through the automatic glass doors. Joey was never one for heartfelt emotions, but after Glenn finished telling him the story of all this madness, I swear I saw tears begin to roll down his cheeks. Although he was in a committed relationship with Diem, Kayla’s half-sister, I could tell that he still pined for Kayla. I mean who could blame the guy, Kayla was gorgeous.
Diem sat right next to Jo, her arm looped through his, her slender fingers rubbing circles along the back of his hand as he continued to speak with Glenn. Her blonde hair shimmered under the glow of the fluorescent lights as her head fell back while she let out a boisterous laugh at something Joey said, and suddenly I felt a pang of jealousy. She got the “Green” that was more attentive, and all I wanted right now was for my husband to force me to his chest, wrap me up in his strong capable arms, and tell me that everything was going to be okay.
Wishful thinking!
I was halfway through my millionth time of pacing, when I felt a hand clasp down on my shoulder, causing me to jump. When I turned I saw Joey’s face, and I lost it. His huge comforting arms wrapped tightly around me, pulling me into a warm and comforting embrace. My shaking arms snaked around his back, holding onto him for strength, as I let every emotion I was feeling come pouring out of me.
“She’s gonna be ok, sis. I can feel it in my bones.” His voice was soothing and familiar, and as much as I wish it were my husband, I was ok with it being my brother. “Come sit down.” He whispered under his breath. I simply nodded into his shoulder and let him lead me over to the uncomfortable vomit colored chairs.
This Family of Ours (Raine #6) Page 19