Chapter 9
His truck was quiet as he and Megan drove the five minutes from his parent’s home to Wyatt’s place. It was as if both were afraid to say anything because it would upset the other. Driving by the house where their friends lived would be difficult, but they had to do it.
He’d drove by the previous night, but the neighbors still weren’t home, and Aaron hadn’t gotten hold of them. With little to no sleep, Crash wanted to check again, hoping by some stroke of luck, the older couple would be home.
It took him and Megan several minutes to get out of his truck. When they finally did, Crash noticed the front door of the house ajar, and he grabbed Megan’s arm to stop her from going any further.
“Get back in the truck and call the police,” Crash ordered.
Megan didn’t resist. She quickly yanked open the door and jumped back into Crash’s truck. Crash slowly made his way up the front steps and listened for any noise inside. He gradually pushed open the door, keeping himself ready to deal with anyone who decided to escape. When nobody came out, he stepped inside and carefully looked around. He didn’t see anyone, but someone left chaos behind them.
Crash stepped over the debris scattered around the floor of the small foyer as he moved further into the house, anger built in his gut. He backed out the door and briefly walked around the house to see how the intruder got in without a key since the front door didn’t look damaged.
When he hopped over the fence in the backyard, he spotted the rear door wide open and a large footprint in the middle of it. His anger grew as he fisted his hands and turned away from the damage.
“Fucking heartless bastards,” Crash hissed through his teeth.
When he jogged around the house, he found Megan outside the truck with the phone held against her chest and tears in her eyes. Crash tugged her into his arms until she could pull herself together.
“Hey,” a woman shouted as she walked toward them from the house next door.
Crash turned to see the neighbor they’d been hoping to speak with. For his life, he couldn’t remember the woman’s name. He’d been introduced to them a few times because they were Ellie’s former foster parents, and they’d been the ones who adopted Sidney.
“I called the police when Roger and I returned from our cottage. We left yesterday morning, and as soon as I pulled into the driveway, Roger noticed the door open. He went over to see if Ellie and Wyatt were home, but he stopped when he saw the mess. Let them know we’re sorry.” The woman glanced at the house and shook her head.
“I’m afraid I have bad news.” Crash swallowed the lump in his throat. “Ellie and Wyatt were killed in a car accident yesterday.” Crash didn’t know how else to tell the woman.
She grabbed her chest and staggered back. Both he and Megan reached for the lady to keep her from falling. He probably should’ve been careful telling her about the deaths. After all, the woman was the only parent Ellie ever knew.
She clung to Crash’s arm as he walked her back to her house while Megan waited by the truck for the police to arrive. She was trembling, and tears filled her eyes.
“Those poor, sweet babies.” The woman sobbed as her husband bolted through the door.
“What’s wrong, Ethel love? Are you okay? Are you having chest pain?” Roger took his wife’s hands and scanned her from head to toe.
Ethel. Crash mentally slapped himself for forgetting her name. Then it all came back to him. Ethel and Roger Collins lived in the house for over thirty years. They helped Wyatt and Ellie find their home.
“I’m fine, dear. I got some horrible news.” She squeezed her husband’s hands.
“What is it?” Roger glanced at Crash.
“Wyatt and Ellie, they died in a car accident.” Ethel started to sob.
“Are you serious?” Roger stared at his wife and then glanced at Crash.
He always hated it when someone asked whether you were serious when given bad news. Did people joke about things so terrible? He didn’t say anything to the man; he simply nodded.
“I can’t believe this. Ellie.” Roger hugged his wife to his side.
“It was a shock, but right now, we’re trying to find the kids,” Crash explained.
“The kids…” Roger stopped when Ethel grabbed his arm.
“They weren’t in the car with Ellie and Wyatt, nor with the babysitter,” Crash interrupted.
“You talked to Sidney?” Roger asked.
“Yes, she came to the hospital.” Crash couldn’t read Roger’s expression, but Ethel looked scared.
The three of them stood in silence for several seconds. Crash was about to tell them he needed to talk to the police when the car pulled up behind his truck. He said his goodbyes and sprinted over to greet the officer.
“We need to talk to them as well,” Ethel shouted as he left.
“I appreciate you giving them any information. Thanks.” He nodded and headed back to his truck.
Crash stepped next to his sister as two police officers exited the cruiser. One was the young man he’d met at the hospital, and the other he knew well. Relief washed over Crash as Nick O’Connor walked toward him.
“I was in the area,” Nick explained as he walked closer.
He’d become close friends with Nick and knew the man was the recruit trainer, which was probably why Dillon Ray was with him.
“The neighbor said she called as well.” Crash pointed to the couple, who were in a deep discussion.
“Dillon, can you take a statement from them?” Nick asked the young officer.
“Yes, sir.”
As Dillon hurried over to the neighbors, Crash told Nick what he’d seen inside and found at the back of the house.
“We need to get in there,” Megan reminded Crash.
“We can’t go in right now.” Crash hugged her.
“The kids need their things.” Megan rested her head against his chest.
Crash didn’t bother to remind her that they needed to find the kids first, but when she looked up at him, he saw tears. He kissed the top of her head and swallowed hard.
“Look, I’ll go in with you. We’ll head to the kid’s room, get what you need, and when it’s cleared, you can come get the rest.” Nick offered.
“I’ll go in.” Crash grabbed a couple of duffle bags out of the truck.
“Okay,” Megan whispered.
When he got inside, Crash got a better look around. Whoever broke in was looking for something specific because they didn’t appear to touch any of the electronics. There was a large television in the living room, Wyatt’s gaming system, a laptop on the coffee table, and an iPad beside it.
“What the hell were they looking for?” Nick used a tissue to open the laptop.
“Clearly not electronics,” Crash muttered as he scanned the living room.
“Come on, let’s get what you need out of the bedrooms.” Nick motioned toward the stairs.
Crash carefully walked up the steps, avoiding the debris tossed down from the second floor. Nick was ahead of him, and they stopped at the top of the landing.
“The two rooms on the right are the kids. The two on the left are a guest room and the master bedroom.” Crash told Nick.
He headed down the hall to Caleb’s room with Nick behind him. When he pushed open the door, he cursed under his breath.
“What the fuck? Why would they destroy a kid’s room?” Nick shook his head.
“They didn’t take anything belonging to Caleb.” Crash dropped one of the duffle bags on Caleb’s bed.
“Take what you need.” Nick grabbed the other bag. “I’ll get whatever is in the other room.”
“You sure you know what to take?” Crash asked.
“I’m a dad, remember,” Nick reminded him and left the room.
Crash picked up all the clothes scattered around the floor. He checked the dresser drawers, but all the clothes were emptied on the floor or bed. He knew the kids had a lot of clothes because Wyatt complained about Ellie always buying new ones, but the amount around the room was ridiculous.
When he shoved as much as he could into the bags, he tossed it on his shoulder and grabbed the toy box next to the bedroom door. He prayed he wasn’t taking the kid’s things only to find out they were… Nope, he wasn’t going to let that thought enter his head. Exiting the room, he heard Nick shuffling around Mila’s bedroom.
He walked into the room and froze. Mila’s crib lay tipped over, and the floor covered with baby clothes. He locked eyes with Nick as he picked up handfuls of clothing and shoved them into the duffle bag.
“I thought my kids had too much shit, but this is nuts.” Nick shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
“It’s okay. I agree this is a lot for a kid that will grow out of it in a month or two.”
“Sometimes they grow out of it in a week,” Nick sighed.
“Why would one baby need all this?” Crash shook his head.
“Why did they beat the shit out of the crib, and why tear open the mattress.” Nick threw the bag on his shoulder and grabbed the basket filled with baby toys.
Crash wanted to look around the rest of the house, but Nick bent the rules by allowing him to enter the place before forensics went through the home.
“Let’s get out of here. I got a text saying the guys are ready to get in here, and Dillon has some news.” Nick led the way down the steps.
Dillon was standing by the front door when they stepped outside.
“Sir, I have some information.” Dillon glanced at Crash.
“You can speak freely in front of Crash, Dillon,” Nick assured the young officer.
“The couple next door said they’ll only speak with Brent Adams. They have something to tell him.” Dillon probably didn’t know Crash’s real name.
“Dillon, my name is Brent Adams,” Crash told him.
“Crash is a nickname,” Nick explained when Dillon looked confused.
“Oh, sorry, I’ve only ever heard the guys with NES referred to by their nicknames.” Dillon shrugged.
“I should go talk to them.” Crash ran down the steps.
After tossing the bags and toys into the truck, he told Megan he’d be right back and jogged back to where Ethel and Roger stood. They looked concerned as he climbed the steps to join them.
“You know I’m Brent Adams, right?” Crash asked them.
The couple glanced at each other as if they were silently communicating. Roger took a step forward with his hand out.
“Can I see something to prove that?” The man asked.
“Sure.” Crash reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.
He handed his license to Roger and waited while the man seemed to study the card. He gave it to his wife, and when she finished, she returned it to Brent.
“Wyatt said you and your family were the only people he could trust besides Roger and I.” Ethel’s voice cracked. “I know we met before, but we still need to be sure you are Brent.”
“We might have been Ellie’s foster parents once, but she was like our daughter. We love her and those kids.” Roger swallowed.
“Both of them thought a lot of you both. They talked about you all the time,” Crash assured them. “The officer said you would only talk to me.”
“Yes, because Wyatt made us promise that no matter who came here, we were only permitted to tell you.” Ethel sniffed.
“Tell me what?” Crash asked.
The couple motioned for him to come inside, and he followed, trying not to lose his patience with the couple. He wanted to know what the hell Wyatt told them that was so damn secretive. He was about to ask when Roger opened a door to a room off of the living room.
“They’re sleeping right now,” Ethel whispered.
All the air whooshed out of Crash when he saw Caleb curled up on the sofa, cuddling a teddy bear, and Mila softly snoring in a portable crib. He grabbed the door frame to steady himself. The relief of seeing the kids safe and sound was overwhelming.
“Wyatt was scared when he came here in the middle of the night. He begged us to take the kids to our cottage and not return until today. He was worried about Sidney too, but she was in class, and she’s safe where she is,” Roger began.
“He said if they didn’t return for the kids by the end of the week, we were to contact you. They gave us all your information and an envelope to give you.” Ethel grabbed a large yellow folder on the bookcase next to the door.
“Since we know they won’t be…” Roger shook his head.
Crash took the envelope and ripped it open. He found the kids’ IDs, medical cards, birth certificates, and Wyatt and Ellie’s banking information and wills inside. All this meant the couple knew they were in danger and may not return to their kids.
“Did they say anything else?” Crash asked.
“Only to keep ourselves and Sidney safe. They said everything you needed is in there.” Roger wrapped his arm around a sobbing Ethel.
Crash took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He didn’t want to wake the kids, so he asked the couple if he could leave them there until he went to talk to the police.
“But Ellie said they couldn’t go to the police.” Roger looked frantic.
“Trust me, the man outside I trust with my life,” Crash assured them as he hurried back to Nick.
Nick leaned against Crash’s truck, talking to Megan. Her shoulders relaxed when he ran toward them, and Nick stood up.
“What did they want?” Megan practically shouted.
Crash didn’t answer until he was next to them, and he didn’t speak until he was sure nobody else was nearby. Ellie and Wyatt were paranoid about something, so he didn’t want to chance that someone would overhear him.
“The kids are in there.” Crash whispered.
“What?” Megan gasped.
He explained everything and held up the envelope that Roger had handed him. With Crash’s permission, Nick went through all the contents. It took several minutes before he finally handed everything back to Crash.
“It’s as if they knew something was going to happen to them.” Megan wiped a tear from her cheek.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but I just want to get the kids and worry about everything else later.” Crash hopped in his truck.
“I thought you were going to get Caleb and Mila,” Megan said as she got beside him.
“I am,” Crash told her as he drove into the Collins’ driveway.
He had no idea what the fuck was going on. All he knew was that he had two lives depending on him and would do everything in his power to ensure the kids were safe.