Chapter 58
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
KILLIAN
Every morning I check the cameras before I even get out of bed to piss. The devices Jack planted quickly got added into the rotation. Last night they were online, but today ‘device cannot be found.’
A bolt of anxiety runs through my chest as I dial his phone number. After it rings four times, it goes to his voicemail, before I get a text alert.
Jack: He’s dead.
I jump up out of bed when my phone chimes with another text message.
Jack: We know where you are. Can you say the same about us?
“Fuck!” I yell to myself, and anyone else within earshot. Running down the hall, I bang on Knox’s door and then Carter’s.
“Get dressed and meet in the lounge.”
I keep trying to convince myself that Jack isn’t dead. As hard as I try, I can’t find a reason why they’d have his phone if he were still alive.
“Fuck,” I groan to myself as I sink down on the sofa. How the hell they got the upper hand on someone like him I don’t understand. Jack is a former marine and served two tours, facing much tougher enemies than these child abusers.
Jack is always three steps ahead, so it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever, and I fear I’ll never know how this happened. My biggest, and strangest, concern is telling Heather. I shouldn’t be dreading seeing the look of heartbreak in her eyes, but I am.
They all enter the room, Carter first, followed by Knox and Heather. I’m relieved that they’re fully dressed and ready to go.
Clearing my throat, I say, “I tried to check the cameras this morning that Jack set up, but they’ve all been disabled. Then I got these text messages from his number.”
They all take a seat on the couch, Knox next to me, with Heather in the middle of him and Carter. Immediately she places her hands under her thighs, no doubt easing Carter's mind.
I hand my phone to Knox, and he shows it to the other two. As I could’ve predicted, Heather falls apart.
Carter rubs her back and kisses her on the temple.
“If they’re gone, we will find them. There are not enough places in the entire world for them to hide from us.”
Seeing the pain in her face twists something inside of my chest. Why do I care? This woman is the enemy. I’m supposed to want her gone. Maybe it’s that damn picture that I see every time I close my eyes. I can’t stop imagining what happened to that little girl happening to Heather.
“We need to go take a look at their property, and verify that it’s vacant. I don’t know what we will find, we need to be prepared with weapons. Knox, grab your knives. Carter, get your knife and your bow.”
I glance at Heather and smirk.
“Get your crosses, Killer. If we find anyone, I know you’ll want to get your hands bloody. And my brother is right. We will find them.”
Her blue eyes connect with mine, and nearly knock the wind out of me.
“Thank you, Killian.”
Her voice is sweet and filled with sincerity I never would’ve expected. The way she stares at me with gratitude is unsettling. I don’t like it at all.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Let’s go.”
Carter gets up first.
“I’ll meet you outside.”
We don’t question him, knowing he is going to get his bow and other supplies.
After we all get up, I take a good look at Heather, and shake my head.
“Always with the purple boots.”
Her lips lift into a tiny grin as she places her hands on her hips.
“Everyone needs some color in their life, Killian. The boots say ‘while I do dark, terrible things, there’s still light there.’”
I shrug my shoulders and tease her.
“And here I thought it said ‘I’m Prince's number one fan.’”
She stares at me with pure confusion.
“Who’s Prince?”
It’s things like this that serve as a reminder of the life she has lived. Everybody knows who Prince is.
“Another story for another day, Killer.”
We walk to the garage door, and I set the alarm after they both make it outside and then join them where Carter waits.
As we start moving, I give instructions.
“Killer, you’re going to stay back while we make sure it’s safe. Carter has the bow, so if we’re surprised with a lot of people, he can take many out in under a minute. Knox and I are close-range fighters, so we’ll stay back with you.”
This is assuming we find people there. I’m hoping we do, but we won’t know anything until we get there.
We are still far away when we hear the sirens, and spot the flames. As we move closer, it becomes apparent. They are gone. Heather falls to her knees and sobs.
“They ran. And they aren’t coming back.”
Knox kneels beside her and pulls her into his arms.
“We will find them, but right now you need to go back to the house. Firefighters mean police, and if they find you at the scene of previous crimes, they will arrest you.”
“I don’t care,” she whispers, appearing to have lost her normal fight.
Carter growls, his voice rumbling through the air.
“Enough, Little Heathen. We care. Let’s go. End of fucking discussion.”