27. Life And Death
Life And Death
Jamie
T he tall, wrought-iron gates of the Pure Shine compound come into view.
There’s a security booth on one side, and we’re challenged the second our car stops by the main gate.
As expected, we’re refused entry.
I must admit I was mad at Keene when he insisted on going to the sheriff’s station instead of going to look for Bex straight away, but he was right.
We had a hunch that we would find our girl here; but the sheriff was able to get campus security to view the footage from the CCTV cameras on Greek Row and to confirm that the black SUV that took Bex was registered to the Pure Shine talent agency.
This is the address on the registration, and judging by the level of security, I’m sure we’re in the right place.
It took us almost two hours before we got on the road, and added to the three hours and some change between Star Cove and Bridgeport, my girl has been missing for over five hours.
Just the thought that she might have been hurt makes me clench my fists, ready to leap out of Connor’s car and beat the crap of the security guard who’s denying us access inside the compound.
But I force myself to stay put. Keene was also right that taking Ares Hunter with us was the right move.
Sheriff Pullin was getting in touch with the Bridgeport P.D. to make sure that reinforcements were kept nearby in case the situation escalated.
“I’m a police officer.” Ares shows his badge to the private security guard. “We have reason to believe that an employee of Star Cove College was forcibly removed from a residence on campus and brought here. I need to speak to your boss.”
The security guard doesn’t budge. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to come back with a warrant. Without it, I’ll have to ask you to leave. This is private property, and access is reserved to residents and employees only.”
Ares insists. “The warrant is on its way, but it would be a show of goodwill to allow us to speak to Doctor Byron Harper.”
I brace myself for another refusal, but a call comes through to the guard’s radio.
After listening to whatever is being said into his earpiece, the guard nods.
“Doctor Harper will receive you as a gesture of goodwill. Drive through the gate, and stop by the big circular flower bed right at the beginning of the driveway to the main house.”
Ares drives through the gate, proceeding slowly toward the mansion that’s visible in the distance at the end of a long road.
“I’m surprised they’re letting us come in.” Connor says.
“Me too.” Keene agrees. “This is fishy. If they’re letting us in, do you think it’s possible that Bex has been taken somewhere else?”
Ares nods. “It’s a possibility. Let’s see what they say.
Sheriff Pullin and the Bridgeport P.D. are waiting to hear from us.
They have a SWAT team nearby ready to assist. Guys, I can only imagine how worried you are right now.
But you have to promise me to let me do most of the talking and to keep your tempers in check. Can you do that?”
I bark out a laugh, but there’s no mirth in it. “Are you for fucking real? The woman I love is being held here against her will. To save Bex, I would burn this whole place down. I would burn down the whole fucking world with myself in it.”
“Me too.” Keene says. “They better not have hurt a hair on Bex’s head.”
Connor nods, his jaw tight with tension. “I love Bex more than I’ve ever loved anyone. If something happened to her, I don’t know what I would do. I’m with you, guys.”
Ares puts Connor’s car in park as we come into view of the round flowerbed the security guard mentioned.
“I’m not arguing with how you feel for Bex.
I actually understand, because there’s someone I feel the same way about.
But letting the situation escalate could put Bex in more danger.
If she isn’t here, we need to look for any clues we can find.
And we won’t get any of those clues by antagonizing her father. ”
Just the thought of her father makes me want to resort to violence. “That’s assuming that her father is here and that he’s going to grace us with his presence. Maybe we should have taken Luke with us.”
Ares disagrees. “Luke is better off back on campus. I know he wanted to be here, but I’m glad he understood that his presence in itself would have made the situation escalate.
Guys, there’s someone coming toward us.” He opens the car door, looking at us before stepping out.
“Remember what I said. Stay calm. The SWAT team is nearby.”
I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach; just like on the ice when I know that someone isn’t gonna go after the puck but he’s coming for me.
“How nearby can they be? The Bridgeport campus is ten minutes away, and this compound is surrounded by nothing but trees and vegetation to keep it hidden.”
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The trees might protect the compound’s privacy, but they’ll provide cover. And a tree is a perfect post for a sniper.”
Connor is surprised. “Snipers? Isn’t that overkill if we’re hoping to keep things peaceful?”
“It isn’t overkill.” Keene explains. “In these situations, you hope for the best but plan for the worst. We have no way of knowing what kind of welcome we’re going to get. People might be armed and ready to defend themselves.”
“Guys.” Ares bites out. “I think that’s Byron Harper. Bex is with him.”
As we get out of the car, the two figures that have been walking toward us come into better view.
Ares is right. One is a tall, middle-aged man, and he has his arm wrapped around Bex’s waist.
They aren’t coming from the main house but from a small cluster of one-story buildings on one side of it.
Bex is still in the black dress she had on at the gala; the one I bought her. Her shoes, however, are gone, and she’s walking barefoot on the stone bricks of her father’s huge driveway.
My eyes skim over her, checking that she’s still in one piece. Fury makes my blood burn in my veins when I see angry, red marks on her neck and face that are starting to turn darker.
I clench my fists, fighting the urge to lunge at her father and rip his throat out.
They stop about five paces away from us, and I notice how tight her father is holding her against him. That immediately tells me that she’s under duress. Not that I had any doubts about it.
When I try to meet her gaze, Bex looks away, staring at the red polish on the one foot that’s visible thanks to the slit on one side of her dress. The other one is covered because without her heels, the dress is too long for her and the bottom part is pooling by her feet.
“Good night, gentlemen.” Her father greets us. “Or shall I say good morning?”
It’s still dark, but the sky is taking that gray hue that precedes dawn.
Keene
“Good morning, Doctor Harper. We’re here to pick up Bex,” Ares states calmly.
Her father pretends to be confused. I have to give it to him; he’s a good actor.
“Pick her up? Why?”
Ares’s voice remains calm, devoid of emotion. “You might not be aware of it, Doctor Harper, but Bex didn’t leave Star Cove campus of her own free will. We’re here to bring her home.”
Not aware of it, my ass. But yeah, for the sake of de-escalation, I guess we’ll let this one slide.
“Rebecca,” her father says, sounding surprised. “Is that so? What are these young men talking about? This isn’t what you told me when Kevin brought you back here. Would you mind setting the facts straight for these young men, so they can be on their way back to where they came from?”
Something is wrong.
I mean, fuck, after the way Bex was kidnapped, that’s more than obvious. But something else is going on, because Bex doesn’t look at us when she speaks and her voice sounds strange. Flat, defeated, robotic.
“My dad is right. I asked Kev to come and pick me up. I want to stay here. My dad and I have had our differences in the past, but tonight we had a chance to talk and resolve our issues. I want to move back in with my family. Thank you for coming, but you can go back to Star Cove without me.”
What the fuck? I look at Ares and I know by the tick in his jaw that he saw the way her father gave her a subtle little shove before she spoke.
For some reason, Bex is being forced to feed us this bullshit.
With a nod to Ares, I take over.
“Are you sure?”
She still won’t look at me. “Positive. I asked Kev to come and pick me up. I want to be with him. That’s why I ran away two months ago.
I realized that I was in love with Kev the night before I was supposed to marry Kurt.
But he and I have been in touch all this time, and he loves me too, so we’re going to be together.
Thank you for your concern for me, but I’m happy here. ”
Before I can think about something to say, Jamie intervenes.
“Really? Is that why we saw him carrying you out of the house like a sack of potatoes?”
Her words might say something, but her voice cracks in a way that tells me all I need to know.
“We knew you’d try to stop me from leaving, and I couldn’t run in those heels. So I asked him to carry me.”
“You were in love with him? You asked him to come to get you?” Connor’s voice is as incredulous as we all feel. “So what about us, Bex?”
She finally lifts her gaze to look at us. Her eyes are full of unshed tears when she makes one last-ditch attempt to drive us away. “I just wanted to make him jealous, and it worked.”
Bullshit. Bex isn’t a cheater. Even if for some crazy reason what she’s saying were the truth, she would have never been with us the way she has if she were in love with someone else.
I look at Ares again for guidance.
De-escalation might be about to fly out the door. Unless we challenge what she’s saying, we need to turn around and leave. I’m not prepared to do that, and I don’t have to ask Con and Jamie to know that they’re on my same page.