Damaged (14 page)

“Makes things easier sometimes. I’m sure you remember that,” he said, before slamming the doors closed, shrouding them in darkness.

Cradling her Sarah’s head in her lap, Monica tapped her cheek with her palm. “Sarah? Wake up, sweetie,” she urged, her voice breaking as she choked on the tears. “I need you to look at me. Wake up, Sarah. Please.” Sarah moaned slightly, but didn’t move.

The vehicle started with a throaty roar and lurched forward as they took off. Pressing her forehead to Sara
h’s, Monica cried. She had no clue where they were going. Glancing around the back of the van, Monica looked for something—anything that could be used as a weapon, but there was nothing. Dan knew better than to give her the tools she would need to keep them safe. Caressing Sarah’s pale face, Monica closed her eyes and tried to remain calm. She needed to think. She had no idea what would happen to Jack. And she had little doubt that this time…she wouldn’t make it out alive.

Chapter Fifteen

Seth checked his watch and drummed his fingers on the table. Monica had been gone for fifteen minutes. Shit, women took a long time in the bathroom, but this was ridiculous. Starting to become concerned, he left the ballroom, headed for the restrooms.
She probably just got caught up chatting with her newfound friends. Relax, man
. Walking down the dark hallway, his attention was pulled to the ladies room as Symone and Officer Monroe’s wife walked out, chattering away. Sure that Monica would be following right behind, he waited…but she never emerged.

“Hey, have you guys seen Monica? Is she still in the bathroom?” He could hear the uncertainty in his own voice, and it made him want to cringe.

Evan’s date flipped her hair over her shoulder, and smiled brightly. “Hey Seth! Yeah, she was down here when we came to the bathroom. She was here in the hallway, talking to some guy.”

His blood felt like it turned to ice in his veins. “What guy?”

Symone shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think he was with the party. He was dressed in street clothes. Older guy, maybe…fifty?” she said, looking to the other woman for confirmation. “She didn’t come back to the ballroom?”

“No.” Seth turned on his heel and ran for the ballroom, grabbing Evan as soon as he laid eyes on him.
“Monica’s gone.”
Evan’s face turned savage. “What do you mean she’s gone? Where would she have went?”

“I don’t fucking know,” he growled. “
Symone said she saw her in the hall talking to a man—an older man. It’s Dan, Evan…he’s got her.”

Evan cursed and ran his hand over his head. “I’ll let everyone know. We’ll get her back, man. You can count on it.”

All he could do was nod. Emotions ripped through him, flaying him open. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he saw a glimmer of hope, but when he looked at the screen, it was his home number on the caller ID. “Hello?” he stated, loosening his tie. Already the room was tense as his fellow officers began to rally for the search.

Jack’s panicked voice filled the earpiece. “Seth! She’s gone! Sara
h’s gone! I can’t find her anywhere!”

“FUCK!” his growled curse rang out in the vast room, echoing off the walls
and nabbing the attention of everyone within earshot. “Jack, listen to me. I need you to lock yourself in my bedroom. There’s a gun in the bedside table. Normally I’d never recommend this, but you could be in a lot of danger. Hide in the closet with the gun, and don’t open the door for anyone. I don’t care who they say they are. Do you hear me?”

“Y-yes, I understand,” Jack stammered. In the background, Seth heard the bedroom door shut and then the slide of the bedside table’s drawer. “Seth, I’ve never used a gun…I don’t know what to do.”

Seth closed his eyes, and took a deep breath as he started moving toward the exit. “It’s loaded, so do
not
point it at yourself for
any
reason. We’re going to go on the hopes that you don’t have to use it, okay? But,
if
it becomes
necessary, you aim for the center of the chest and squeeze the trigger. You’ll be all right, bud. I know you can do this. Keep the phone with you, and I’ll get to you as soon as possible.”

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Seth removed his tux coat as he approached his car and yanked his shirt open, sending the buttons flying. Tossing the scraps
to the floor, Seth grabbed his police t-shirt from the back seat, and pulled it on. Evan was right behind him, checking his weapon. He had already changed into a t-shirt as well. “Do we have any idea what direction they were headed?”

Seth
shook his head, pure rage boiling in his blood. “I have a pretty good idea. Were you able to find anything out from security?”

“
All we have to go on is the description of a green van that was parked in the back lot. The parking attendants reported that they didn’t put it there, and that it had shown up sometime after nine p.m.,” Evan said through clenched teeth.

He
was going to fucking kill Dan. Seth was going to kill him, and after he was dead, he’d put an extra bullet in his head just for posterity.

As they pulled out onto the highway, Seth’s whole body was on alert. His muscles were taut and his heart pounded in his chest. He was ready to fight, and he had no intention of losing.
The police radio was buzzing with activity as officers relayed information on locations, destinations, and witnesses, but Seth had a gut feeling that he knew where they were headed. Turning off the highway, the car fishtailed when they hit gravel, headed toward his farm. Evan didn’t question it. He sat in the passenger seat, looking pissed off as he strapped his bulletproof police vest on over his broad chest.

“When we get there, I’ll take the back d
oor of the house. You check the outbuildings. There’s no way he’s going to take off without Jack, so I’m certain he’ll be there. He knows that the best way to hurt Monica is through the kids.” Seth tightened his grip on the steering wheel, making the leather creak under the pressure. “God, I just hope we’re not too late.”

“We’re gonna get them out, man. Just keep your head. We can’t afford to fuck up,” Evan stated.

Keeping calm was hardly an option. About a quarter mile from the driveway, Seth killed the headlights and parked the car. The house was dark in the distance, ominous. The van was nowhere in sight, but as he stared up at the darkened windows, he knew Dan was on the property. He could feel it. “If it comes to taking him out, I pull the trigger, got it?” Seth spat, pushing the car door open.

“No problem,” Evan affir
med, exiting the vehicle and cocking his shotgun with one hand. “Let’s do this.”

With a final nod, t
hey split up, moving silently toward the house, not wanting to tip Dan off that they were approaching. The fear that Dan would panic and take his hostages out sat like a lead weight in Seth’s gut. Stealth missions in tux pants and dress shoes weren’t part of their training, but nothing was going to stop him from getting to Monica and the kids. Seth watched as Evan headed toward the machine shed, moving in and out of the shadows. The man was like a ghost, slipping away into the darkness. Fuck, he was going to owe Evan big time for this.

Seth’s footsteps on the back stairs were careful, calculated. He knew just where to step to avoid creaking, using his knowledge of his home to affect the best approach. The farm was quiet. Eerily quiet, making the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. The air felt thick, suffocating. His heartbeat thundered in his own ears and sweat trickled down his spine.

It was now or never. Grasping his gun, he pressed his back against the side of the house and took a deep breath. The doorknob was cold in the palm of his hand as he twisted it slowly, cursing under his breath when he found it unlocked. Whether it had been left unlocked after they’d left for the ball, or if Dan had managed to pick the lock, he didn’t know. Either way, it wasn’t a good sign.

His stomach twisted as he pushed the door open, little by little to avoid noise, until he was able to slip inside and push it back shut. Standing there in his kitchen, Seth listened, cocking his head to the side for any signs of movement. Overhead, footsteps traveled slowly, from one end of the hallway to the other.
What he heard next made his blood run cold.

“Jaaaaack! Jackie boooy!” He was taunting Jack, drawing his words out in a sing-song tone. Seth stayed to the shadows, following the walls until he reached the base of the stairs. “Jack, come out, come out wherever you are!”

All he could do was pray that Jack had his gun in the closet with him. One by one, step by excruciating step, Seth ascended the stairs. Breathing through his nose, he held his gun at the ready, thankful for the carpet runner that padded his cautious footsteps. Halfway up he stopped, listening once more. A door slammed open in the direction of his bedroom. Seth ground his molars together, trying to stay calm, but the sound of glass shattering had him struggling to remain still.

“I know you’re in here, boy. This will be much easier if you just give it up and quit hiding like a fucking coward,” Dan
hissed. Fear sliced through Seth’s guts as a door was thrown open, and Jack’s pained howl sounded, echoing through the house. That got him moving up the stairs again.
Stay calm, Jack. You can do this. I’m on my way
. Seth stopped dead in his tracks as he passed the spare bedroom where Sarah had been sleeping. There on the floor lay Monica and Sarah. They were bound at the wrists and ankles and gagged. Monica’s eyes went wide with a whimper when she caught sight of him, but he put his finger to his lips and shook his head. His attention snapped back toward the commotion at the end of the hall as Dan’s voice boomed through the space.

“There you are, you worthless little fuck,” Dan growled. There was another crash, and Jack groaned in pain.
Fuck
!

“Where are Monica and Sarah?” Jack asked, his breathing sounding labored.

“Dead,” Dan barked back.

Seth stopped and braced himself against the wall in the hallway for
a moment. Rage like he’d never felt before was like a red hot ember eating him alive from within.

“Fucking liar,” Jack hissed.

A gun cocked. “Well when you join them, you can tell them I was right. Your father never did teach you how to be a man. Figure you’d end up being a fucking sissy,” Dan chuckled.

A single shot rang out…and time stood still. Seth sprinted for the bedroom, but it felt like his legs were trapped in sludge.
Sickness washed over him as he reached the doorway, prepared to find Jack dead, but what he saw when he stopped, heaving to catch his breath, was not what he expected.

Jack stood in the corner of the room
, shaking violently, with the gun clutched in his hands. Across the room, Dan lay on the floor, with a bullet hole in the dead center of his chest. Blood pooled around his body in a macabre pattern and his glazed eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling.

Wide eyed, Jack
turned his gaze to Seth and shook his head. “He killed them. Monica and Sarah are dead.” His voice broke on a sob and tears soaked his pale face. “So I shot him. He killed my fucking sisters!”

Seth entered the room and stuffed his gun into the back of his pants. A pang of sadness coursed through him. “Jack, listen to me,” he said softly, holding his hand out. “
Monica and Sarah are fine. They’re alive. Hand me the gun. It’s going to be fine, bud. You did what you had to do. If you hadn’t, he would have killed you.”

Jack laid
the gun in his hand, turned and fell to his knees, heaving uncontrollably before emptying the contents of his stomach on the floor. “I’m sorry,” he gasped between gags. “I didn’t mean to throw up…I’m sorry. Please don’t tell anyone.”

Seth knew just how he felt. The first time he made a kill while on duty, he’d been sick for days afterward. “It’s all right, bud. It happens
. No one needs to know. Let’s go outside and get you some air.” Fuck, he needed air. The room reeked of death already, and he needed to get to Monica to make sure she was okay.

“Seth? You up here? I heard a gunshot,” Evan shouted up the stairs
, followed by the sound of a shotgun cocking. “Backup just got here, and the place is surrounded…damn.” Evan stopped in his tracks as he entered the room and got an eyeful of the dead body lying on the floor. “You got the fucker, huh? Nice job, man.”

Seth glanced at Jack and nodded. “Yeah, I did. I shot him.” Jack’s expression turned somber and some of the color came back to his face. “Evan, take Jack outside and get the EMTs up here. The girls are alive, but Sarah looks like she’s been drugged.”

“Sure thing. Let’s go, kid,” Evan said, clapping Jack on the shoulder. Seth could hear Evan giving Jack a pep talk on the way down the stairs as he made his way back to the bedroom.

Relief like he’d never known before washed over
him in waves when he walked in and cut through the ropes holding Monica and Sarah captive. Sarah was awake, but groggy. She was alive though, and that was all that mattered.

Monica pulled the gag from her mouth and sobbed as she threw herself into his arms. “Seth, oh God.”

“I’m here, baby. It’s all over. Just breathe,” he soothed, rubbing her back. She was shaking, but stayed stoic.

“Is Jack okay?” she
asked, pulling away to wipe the tears from her honey-gold eyes.

Seth nodded and stood to grab the blanket off the
bed to cover Sarah with. “Jack is fine. He’s outside and eager to see you,” he said, sweeping his gaze over her.

“And…” she asked, letting her question linger.

Seth shook his head. “It’s over. Let’s leave it at that. Are you hurt at all?”

She was still wearing her gown, though it was now filthy and ripped in several places. Her makeup was ruined and her hair was a mess, but she shook her head. “I’m not hurt.
I think he gave Sarah something, though,” she said softly, running her hand over Sarah’s head. Sarah responded with a weak moan, her eyelids fluttering.

Commotion brought their attention to the doorway as EMT personal poured into the room with their bags and medical kits. Moving out of the way, Seth pulled Monica into his arms, holding her so tight she probably couldn’t breathe. Fuck
, it felt good to have her against him again.