“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” My heart breaks for Tanya.
“Of course you didn’t. You were all about yourself. You didn’t see how losing the baby fucked with my head. And you didn’t give a rat’s ass our baby died. Then you stopped paying attention to me. You worked all the time. And when you came home, you slept on the couch. Then I saw it after you drank yourself to sleep. The picture of you and that slut. We were still married, and you had a picture of her in your wallet.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I move a little to my left.
“We were good together, Spencer. Why couldn’t you see that?”
“Tanya, please give me the gun and tell us where Sabrina is.”
A cynical laugh echoes the room. Tanya then aims the gun at Booker, and he stops moving. “Maybe I’ll shoot him,” she says, her eyes still locked on mine. “This way, you can suffer like I did when you left me.”
This is not going to end well. She’s fucking batshit crazy. If Tanya pulls that trigger, these men will shoot her, and I can’t have that happen.
“Is that what you want? You want me to suffer? Then point the gun at me,” I demand with my hands rising higher in the air. “Shoot me. Kill me.”
“No. You need to stay alive. I want you to know how it feels when your heart bleeds. You need to know how it feels when you lose everything.” She breathes in. “The baby. My marriage to you. It was everything to me. And now, it’s your turn.”
I need to keep her talking.
“Tanya. You’re right, and I am deeply sorry. Forgive me. Why don’t you put the gun down so we can go home and talk about this? Let me make this right.” I’m grasping at straws, but I need to keep her focused on me and not on her trigger finger.
Tanya’s face softens. “You do?”
“Yes. I do. I love you, Tanya,” I lie, hoping she believes me.
“That’s all I wanted to hear you say, Spencer. I love you too.”
“Let’s go home.”
“Home,” she says softly.
I stretch my hand toward her. “Please give me the gun, baby . . . and tell this man where Sabrina is.”
Tanya’s eyes go wide. “Sabrina,” she says through gritted teeth as she moves from aiming at Booker and places the gun back under her chin. Before any of us can move, she pulls the trigger.
“No!” I scream and rush to Tanya’s side. Blood pools on the wooden floor as my chest heaves. “Son of a bitch!”
“How are you doing?” Booker asks as I watch a black body bag pass me and get loaded into the back of the ambulance.
“How am I doing?” I stifle a laugh. “My ex-wife just shot herself and we haven’t found Sabrina.”
The sun is beginning to peek over the hillside, lighting up the horror around us. Several local law enforcement vehicles paint the path to the abandoned house. Tyco researched the house. It was the place Tanya grew up and where her mother also committed suicide. How did I not know this about her life?
I made a call to Melinda to inform her about Tanya and asked why she never told me how sick Tanya was. Melinda made a promise to her cousin. Apparently, Tanya wanted me to want her back, not out of pity, but because I loved her. But I never truly loved Tanya, and Melinda knew this.
Booker opens his mouth to say something, but before he does, Hawk calls out from behind us. We rush to him and his palm is holding another charm. It’s a rainbow. “There are drag marks on the dirt heading that way,” Hawk says.
“She must have buried Sabrina,” Booker says. “That explains why Tanya’s hands were dirty.”
Booker, Hawk, Stone, Jasper, and I survey the dirt around us. The sun is high above us and I am sweating under all this gear—the bulletproof vest, my shirt, and jacket.
We have recovered five charms so far. The first one was the sun where she was abducted. The second, the unicorn in the car. The third is the rainbow, and the fourth and fifth were the two S’s.
I hurry to a sparkle that catches my eye. The moon. This may really work. There is only one charm left, and I pray that one will bring her back to me.
“Over here! Another one!” Hawk calls out ahead of me.
I rush to him, anxious to see what he’s found. The heart with the word family engraved on it. I look around and it appears there are no more traces of Sabrina being dragged.
“Spread out,” I tell them and the officers helping us. “Sabrina is here. Look for any fresh or disturbed dirt.”
We fan our feet across the dirt, probing the ground for any signs of where Sabrina is buried. God only knows how long she’s been underground and if she’s run out of oxygen.
“Here!” Booker pounds his foot on the soil, and it sounds hollow.
We get down on all fours and dig with our hands. Rocks scrape and cut my skin, but I don’t give a fuck. All I want to do is get her out of there.
Hawk, Stone, and Jasper conjure up a shovel from their packs and scoop up the dirt.
“Sabrina!” I call out to her. “We’re here, baby. Can you hear us?”
Nothing. I’m running on fumes as I keep digging. She can’t be . . . no, I refuse to say it.
“Sabrina!” Booker calls out this time.
Again, nothing and my heart aches.
We finally hit something metal and push the dirt off it. It’s a refrigerator door. We dig more, removing the remaining dirt, and I grab the handle to open it quickly.
The sight of her immediately staggers me, and the stabbing pain in my chest intensifies. Sabrina looks worse than I imagined. Not only did Tanya stuff Sabrina in a fucking icebox, but she also beat her. Sabrina’s face is bruised, dried blood coming from her nose, and cuts on her dry lips.
Booker, Stone, and I step back as Hawk and Jasper reach in, gently lifting her out. Once on the surface, Hawk checks for a pulse on her neck then presses his ear to her chest. With the shake of his head, I refuse to believe she’s gone.
“No! No, no, no!” I spit out as I fall to my knees. I need to bring her back. “I’m not letting her die,” I scream as I push Hawk and Jasper away from her lifeless body.
“We don’t know how long she’s been without oxygen,” Jasper says.
“I don’t give a fuck!” I snap. “I did not come all this way to find her and give up.”
With my two fingers beneath her chin, I angle Sabrina’s head back to open her airway. My mouth meets hers, making a tight seal with my lips. I blow in two strong breaths, and then my palms apply the compressions to her chest.
One-one-thousand. Two-one-thousand. Three-one-thousand . . . I count until I hit thirty compressions as the audience of officers, Booker, and his men watch.
“Come on, baby. Breathe,” I say aloud.
I blow in her mouth and repeat the cycle, applying compressions to her chest.
The world around me blurs, and it’s like I have tunnel vision. I may not see Booker, but I hear him in the background calling for the medic.
“Don’t leave me, Sabrina,” I beg. “Lily and I need you!”
Another two breaths fill her lungs as I watch her chest rise—another set of compressions.
“Hayes,” Jasper says somewhere to my left. “It may be too late.”
“Shut the fuck up!” I yell. “I’m not giving up!”
I have no concept of time and what CPR round I am performing. Two more breaths. Another round of compressions.
Over and over and over again.
“Let me take over, Hayes,” Stone says, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“Fuck off!” I yank my shoulder out of Stone’s grip. “No one is going to touch her.”
Beads of sweat drip and fall onto her grime soaked shirt as I keep pumping her heart. Nothing and no one is going to make me stop.
Sabrina told me once I was her sun and I brighten her day. But it’s the other way around. She’s my sun and so is Lily. The death of her parents brought that little girl to us. The death of Sabrina’s grandmother brought us together to be a family. I refuse to believe Sabrina’s k
idnapping will be the end of us. So I can’t stop fighting.
I press my lips over hers and breathe into her mouth, hoping this is the one that will bring her back.
Thoughts of her beautiful face run through my head.
The life we’ve shared.
Our childhood and all the dares.
The good and the bad.
The laughter and the fights.
I remember how miserable I was without her and how she completes my world.
As if God answers my prayers, a sputter of coughs comes from Sabrina as she gasps for the air her lungs desperately need. Sabrina slowly opens her lids, our eyes lock, and she begins to cry uncontrollably. I cradle her in my arms and kiss her head.
“You’re okay, baby. I’m here,” I console her and the breath I was holding whooshes out. “You’re safe and I got you.”
Sabrina
The faint beeping sounds wake me, and I peel open my heavy eyelids. I squint as the bright lights above hit my eyes and I focus on the room around me. The white bedsheet covers me as pain radiates throughout my body, and I recall the nightmare of what happened to me. But once I see him, I know I’m safe.
I don’t make a sound as I watch him for a moment, flipping through a sports magazine. The front cover shows the Austin A’s winning the World Series. Then his blue eyes meet mine and he drops the magazine on the table.
“Hey, beautiful,” Spencer says, taking my hand and pressing his lips to my skin.
I lick my chapped lips. “How long have I been out?” I ask groggily, trying to sit up.
“About ten hours.” Spencer pours water into a small paper cup. “Here, drink this slowly.”
I take a short sip and the water soothes my dry throat. “Where’s Lily?”
“She’s with my parents in the cafeteria. Let me call them.” He stands, pulling his phone out of his pocket, but I stop him by holding his wrist.
“Not yet,” I tell him. “I just want this moment with you, Spencer.”
He leans his head close to my face and presses his lips on mine. The feel of his skin causes my heart to race.
“Okay, just us,” he says. Spencer sits back down, his gaze locking onto mine. “Do you remember what happened?”
“I remember everything.” I nod as fear coats my skin. “I remember being tied up and there was no way I could get out of the straps around my wrists and ankles. I remember waking up in the trunk of a moving car. I don’t know how long I was knocked out, but I pretended to be unconscious when the car finally came to a stop. My deadweight was my saving grace. That’s when I felt another prick of a needle and the trunk of the car closed, and then everything went black again.”
“And when you woke up?” Spencer prompts.
“I was being dragged. I felt the dirt and rocks against my shoes. I knew my ending was near, and I was going to die. The only thing I did not know was who took me.”
“You never saw the abductor's face?” Spencer questions.
“No.” I shake my head. “Playing unconscious was what I did the whole time. Was it the man in the park with the gun?”
“No. Actually, that man was a PI watching a cheating husband.”
“Then who took me?” I ask.
“It was Tanya,” he says.
“Tanya?” Now I’m confused. “Why?”
Spencer explains what happened after their divorce and how losing their baby put her in a deep state of depression. As a mother, I feel for Tanya. But as a human being, she was evil. I wonder how she conned her way out of the psychiatric ward, convincing her doctors she was finally better.
“She had a gun, and thankfully she didn’t use it on you.”
“I was afraid I wasn’t going to see Lily or you again. All I could do was pray that you would find me somehow.”
Spencer’s thumb wipes the wetness from my cheeks. “Well, I thank God we found you.”
“What happened to Tanya?” I shouldn’t care, but I need to know.
“She’s dead.”
“Did you kill her?”
“No. She turned the gun on herself.”
My hand flies to my chest. “Spencer, I’m so sorry.”
“Tanya was sick, and the loss of the baby and end to our marriage set her off. There was nothing I could do to save her,” he says softly. “She had the gun pointed at Booker—”
“Booker? He was with you?”
“And Hawk, Stone, and Jasper.” He takes in a deep breath. “But the one that figured it out and what you were doing was Tyco.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“That was genius what you did with the charms,” he muses.
“Charms?” I angle my head as I crease my brows.
“The breadcrumbs you left us.”
“Breadcrumbs? What are you talking about?”
“The charms from your bracelet led us to you. That’s how we found your exact location.” Spencer retrieves his jacket hanging on the chair and takes out the bracelet from the pocket. “You left a trail and the last one found was the heart.”
I stare at the charms dangling from the bracelet. I can’t believe I’m going to say this. “Spence, I didn’t remove the charms.”
“Are you sure?” Spencer drags his fingers through his hair as confusion paints his face.
“Yes. The way my wrists were tied behind my back, there was no way I could have taken them off.” I pause as I assess his expression. “Do you think some cosmic force, like Lily’s unicorn, strategically placed those charms so you could find me?”
“Like your parents or your grandmother?” Spencer asks disbelievingly.
I can’t hold back the smile widening on my face.
“Sabrina Allesandra Kent,” he scolds. “Are you fucking with me?”
I cover my mouth as I giggle. “Oh my god. That was classic.”
“If you weren’t in this hospital bed, I’d kick your ass,” he says, narrowing his eyes at me.
“I’m next in line.” Booker’s voice booms in the space and the smile on my face grows when I see Tyco, Hawk, Stone, and Jasper trailing behind him. “You gave us quite the scare, Kent.”
“You’re here! All of you are here,” I say excitedly.
“Of course we are, Gretel,” Tyco says.
I laugh. “Oh, is that my callsign now?”
“You bet your ass it is!” Jasper says.
“You know Hansel and Gretel left breadcrumbs, but the birds ate them, leaving them lost in the woods,” Hawk announces. He’s known to spew out random facts. Not only is he the size of a bear, he’s loving like one too. “How are you feeling, Shrimp?”
“Good. All things considered.” I let out a breath as my heart swells seeing these men I call my brothers. “I’m just so happy you found my charms.”
“You’re a fucking genius,” Stone says, kissing the top of my head.
“I learned from the best,” I say. “Speaking of the best, did you tell Rocky about me?”
“Yes, and as soon as she can tear herself away from playing personal assistant with that boxer, she’ll be on the first flight out to see you,” Booker answers.
The door flies open and in rolls my baby girl in a wheelchair, being pushed by Spencer’s parents. “Mommy! You’re awake!” Lily bellows and Spencer picks up our daughter and places her on the bed next to me.
I wrap my arms around her, and tears stream down my face as I pepper kisses on her cheeks. “Hi, baby girl.”
“Are you okay now?” she asks.
“I’m better than okay, now that you are here with me,” I tell her, and I kiss her again.
Callie walks in. “I should kick your ass for getting kidnapped, you bi—”
“Callie! Language,” I scold her.
Lily laughs. “It’s okay, Mommy. I made a cuss jar while you were sleeping, and every time I hear a bad word, that person owes me a dollar.”
“With the sailor mouths on these men,” Stone says, then looks over at Callie, “and women, it will fill up pretty quickly. S
oon Lily will have more than enough to pay for her college.”
“Look what Uncle Tyco got me from the vending machine.” Lily holds up a large bag of candy. “And I already finished my first bag.”
“Traitor,” Tyco pipes up.
“And Uncle Jasper told me a joke. Wanna hear it?” she asks.
I glance over at Jasper and smile. “Maybe later, Buttercup.”
“That’s what Daddy calls you too!”
My gaze goes to Spencer, jaw lax. “Did she just call you . . . Daddy?”
Spencer nods as he wipes the tears that fall from my eyes. “Yes.” He leans down and presses a lingering kiss on my lips.
“Ew, really?” Tyco says.
“Get a room!” Jasper bursts out.
“Technically, this is a room—”
“Shut up, Hawk!” the guys bellow in unison, while Spencer and I pull apart, laughing.
“This is my crazy family,” I say to Spencer. “You ready to deal with all of them?”
“As long as I’m with you and Lily, I’m ready for anything.”
Sabrina
“You ready to jump?” Spencer asks from the ground as a cool breeze comes over the vineyard lined hills.
“Spencer, I don’t think this is a good idea,” I say nervously.
“Do you not trust me?” Spencer raises a brow.
“I trust you, but this is different. Do you remember what happened the last time I jumped?” I remind him and would do it all over again only because it was when I realized I loved him.
“Where’s your daring side, Buttercup?”
“We’re not kids anymore.” My hand lands on my hip.
“No, but she is.” Spencer juts his chin upward and spreads out his arms. Our eyes go up to the first thick branch. “I’m ready when you are Lily-pop.”
“Daddy, you promise you’ll catch us?” Lily asks anxiously, holding Astra in her arms.
“I promise I will always catch you.” I can’t help but think there is more to Spencer’s statement than just catching Lily after she jumps.
“Ready?” he prompts.
“Ready.” Lily nods. “One. Two. Three!”
Distracted: An Everyday Heroes Novel (The Everyday Heroes World) Page 25