Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
RAY
The van comes to a stop at the end of the drive. Bright beams light up the tracks and faintly touch the tree line.
Feet rooted to the earth, I grip the duffel straps tighter and never take my eyes off the van. The passenger door opens, my breath catches in my throat as I wait to see who steps forward.
Please be Tucker. Please, please, please.
As the person clears the door, my heart sinks. It isn’t Tucker. This person is too tall, too scrawny. Brianna.
She steps in front of the van, blocks one of the headlights, and maintains considerable distance. “You have the money?”
Have the drugs completely rotted her brain?
What kind of person does this to their own child? Who holds their son for ransom, inflicts enough trauma for a lifetime, suggests asking for more money, and doesn’t give a single fuck how it will impact their future?
It’s beyond me how I felt any positive or loving emotions for Brianna Werner.
When I was oblivious to her escapades, I often pictured a future with her. A beautiful house with a huge backyard, another child or two, smiles and laughter, both of us happy in our careers, growing old and gray. Watching our babies have children of their own.
For more than a year, I relished those fantasies. To me, they were real, tangible, perfect. Unfortunately, I had been a fool. An ignorant man too lost in daydreams to see reality as it unfolded.
The saddest part is I’d do it all again just to have Tucker.
I lift my arm and shake the bag. “Of course I do. Where’s Tucker?”
She takes a step closer and holds out her hand. “Give me the money.”
With a shake of my head, I snort. “You’re fucking joking, right?” I swing the duffel behind me and clutch it with both hands. “You don’t get shit until I have Tucker.”
“I don’t trust you to give me the money if I hand him over.” Her hands tremble at her sides, presumably from lack of a fix and not nerves.
“Does it look like I give a damn if you trust me?” I swing the duffel around, hold it up, and dangle it between us. “The only way you get this bag is if I have Tucker in my arms. Period.”
A curse leaves her lips as the driver’s door opens.
I squint to make out the person but see nothing with the headlights aimed my way.
They walk around the back of the van. The screech of metal scraping echoes through the balmy night air and bounces off the trees. Gravel crunches as the other person mutters something unintelligible. A beat passes before two figures come into view, and I know with absolute certainty one of them is Tucker.
Thank goodness.
But as quickly as relief floods my veins, it vanishes.
I get a better look at the man and Tucker as they sidle up to Brianna. With broad shoulders, thick muscles, and pure malice etched into his features, the man’s presence screams don’t fuck with me or I’ll kill you. He holds Tucker by the back of his shirt. In his other hand, lazily at his side, is a hunting knife.
“Here he is,” the man shouts as he thrusts Tucker forward, but not letting him go.
Tucker whimpers, and the sound shreds a piece of my soul.
“Now give me the fucking money, or I’ll take matters into my own hands.” He lifts the hand holding the knife and waves it.
My heart plummets as I look from Tucker to the man. “Don’t hurt him.” The backs of my eyes sting as my throat closes. “I’ll toss the bag if you release him.” I lift a hand in surrender. “No games, I swear.” I extend my arm and hold out the bag. “Just, please, don’t hurt him.”
Brianna nudges the man and says something I can’t hear. The man’s jaw flexes a beat before he says something back to her.
“On three, you toss the bag and I’ll let him go,” the man states.
“On three,” I repeat.
He starts counting, the moment he reaches three, I swing my arm back then forward and let the bag fly.
Tucker runs my way, slams into me, and wraps his arms around my waist. I hug him harder than any other time, bend at the waist, and whisper in his ear so only he hears.
“I love you so much, bud.” I stroke his hair. “But I need you to run for the building.”
He startles in my arms.
“Kaya, Grandma, and Papa RJ are in there. I need you to go until this is over.” I kiss his hair. “Now, bud. Please.”
As I straighten my spine, I relax my hold on Tucker. Tears spilling down his cheeks and chin wobbling, he looks up at me and nods. And then he bolts for the building.
In my periphery, the man lunges forward with the knife. Time stutters to a stop as he dives toward Tucker.
In a microsecond, I die a thousand deaths while being hit with the sudden urge to take a life.
Time speeds back up as he misses Tucker and falls to the ground. Knuckles burning, I rush forward with the intent to beat this man until he no longer breathes. But I never land a punch.
Out of nowhere, Brianna collides with him. The man tries to shove her off, but she locks her legs around his waist. They tumble in the dirt, two different metals glinting in the headlights as they roll and punch and fight for dominance.
Stepping back, I glance toward Tucker, who has paused at the top of the stairs on the platform. I jog over to him and wrap him in my arms again. Kiss his hair. “Don’t watch, bud.” I give him one last squeeze and point to where I know my family waits. “Go find Kaya, Grandma, and Papa RJ.”
“I’m scared.”
I frame his small face with my hands. “Me too, bud. It’ll be over soon. Go.”
Grunts and wails bounce off the building as I turn back and slowly make my way back down. Fists clenched at my sides, I keep my distance. The tussle between Brianna and the man slows until it stops altogether. The first sign of blood stains Brianna’s shirt and the ground.
I approach on slow feet, my eyes darting from him to her while also searching for the knife.
Who is bleeding?
Are they dead?
Will someone lunge if I get close enough?
Brianna is dead weight as she lies on top of him.
I take another step and she stirs, a gurgled groan breaking the silence. I freeze, then step back.
Brianna rolls off the man and falls to the ground beside him, the butt of his knife protruding from her stomach. My gaze darts to him and narrows as I scan his paralyzed expression.
Boots thunder over foliage, earth, and gravel as I step closer. Shouts and clicks echo through the trees as my gaze shifts to the man’s neck, where a dull piece of metal sticks out. Goose bumps erupt on my skin as a chill coils around my spine when I glimpse the man’s lifeless eyes staring skyward. With a fork jabbed into the side of his neck, a dark-red puddle encircles him on the ground. He doesn’t blink. Doesn’t move.
Is he… dead?
I am not the type to wish death upon anyone, but I will make an exception for him.
Pain shoots down my shins as my knees crack the hard earth, but I ignore the throb.
Tucker is safe.
This man will never hurt him again.
And neither will Brianna.