Chapter 25
Katelyn
The door opens, and Sawyer is shoved inside. He stumbles, the momentum nearly taking him to the ground, but he recovers quickly. Both of his hands are bound in front of him, and he’s shirtless, but his injury has been tended to, a crisp white bandage over his side.
Which means, they want him alive…for now.
Relief rushes through me at the sight of him. Thank You, Lord!
“Easy, bud, I require a more tender touch,” he says to Leo.
“Shut up.” He shoves Sawyer down into a chair beside me, then secures his feet at the ankles with zip ties.
Sawyer glances over at me. “Come here often?”
How he’s joking right now, I have no idea, but his uplifted spirits are a good thing, right? Doesn’t that mean he feels okay? Does he know how we’re going to get out of here?
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Eh, I’ve had worse.”
Leo zip ties one wrist to the chair, then cuts the one that is binding both of his wrists together and secures his right wrist to the other side of the chair. “Don’t go anywhere,” Leo says, then throws a wink at me.
“Not planning on it.” Sawyer winks right back.
Leo snarls and mutters obscenities as he leaves the room and slams the door behind him.
Sawyer turns to me, the humor from just seconds ago leaving his face. His gaze drifts over my body as if he’s checking me for injuries. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not the one who was shot,” I reply.
“I’ll be fine.” He’s quiet for a moment, nostrils flaring. “Did they touch you—”
I shake my head, already knowing he’s about to ask whether or not they assaulted me. “I’m okay.” My gaze fills. “But I’m so sorry, Sawyer. I’m so sorry that you got dragged into this.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault. Besides, this isn’t even the first time I’ve been tied to a chair this year.
But I do need you to tell me what’s going on so I know what we’re dealing with.
” Sawyer glances around the room, then nods toward a camera mounted in the top right.
“Watch your words, though. We have an audience,” he says, tone low.
I’d noticed it earlier, too. “Earnest is my brother-in-law,” I tell him. As much as I hate to rehash this again, the time for secrets is past. If there is anything I know that can help, I’ll say it.
“Victor Marks is your ex-husband?”
“Technically, my late husband. We never officially divorced,” I tell him. “I ran and was too afraid to send him divorce papers, just in case he could use them to track me.”
“He was abusive?”
I nod. “Among other things.”
“You said late husband. He’s dead?”
“He died when Thomas was three.”
“That why big brother is after you? What does he want with Thomas?”
Tears burn in the corners of my eyes, and my stomach twists. “He has been trying to kill Thomas since Victor died.”
Sawyer’s gaze turns downright murderous. “He wants to kill the kid?”
I nod. “He blames me for Victor’s death and—”
“Because you murdered him,” Earnest announces as he pushes into the room.
“I didn’t kill him! He had a heart attack!”
“Brought on by you.” He takes off his coat and sets it aside, then rolls up his sleeves. Bradley and Leo come in behind him, though they remain near the door. “Go ahead, Katelyn, finish the story. Might as well tell your buddy here who he’s dying for.”
I don’t want to speak, though. Don’t want to relive that horrific moment.
“Go on,” Earnest orders. “Tell him how you drove my brother to complete madness. How you tortured him into his death.”
“I didn’t do that! He found me! He tracked me!” I scream, tears blurring my vision. “He could have just left us alone!”
“Breathe, Katelyn. You’re okay,” Sawyer says.
I close my eyes, drawing in breath after breath and trying to calm myself.
“I suppose the why doesn’t really matter anymore since I buried him,” Earnest snaps. “It certainly doesn’t change the outcome, does it?” He closes the distance and stops right in front of Sawyer. “Where is Thomas?” he asks me.
“Somewhere you’ll never touch him,” I growl. No matter what he does to me, I won’t tell him.
Earnest smirks, rears his fist back, and slams it into Sawyer’s face. His head whips back, and as he leans forward again, he moves his jaw from side to side.
“No! Stop!” I stare in horror as he shakes his fist. Sawyer spits some blood out, and it splatters to the tile floor.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Sawyer quips. “Maybe let muscles over there have a turn. He looks like he enjoys having a good time. Don’t ya, big guy?”
“You’ve got a big mouth,” Earnest snaps.
“I’ve been told it’s one of my best features.” Sawyer grins. “Just know that whatever damage you do to me will be done to you—tenfold when Garrison gets here.”
Earnest laughs. “You think I’m afraid of your friend? I looked him up. Guy is a counselor for kids. I think I’ll take my chances.” He turns to me. “Let’s try this again, Katelyn. Where is Thomas?”
Sawyer smiles widely, then laughs, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. “You really have no idea what you’ve done, do you?”
Earnest, almost bored, turns to Sawyer. “And what exactly have I done?”
“Do you even know who we are?” When Earnest doesn’t respond, Sawyer shifts forward in his seat, movements slowed by pain. Still, his expression remains neutral. Unbothered.
“I know you used to be in the military,” Earnest says. “Navy, right? Again, not worried.”
Sawyer laughs. “You should be.”
“And why is that? You’re no longer enlisted. My contact said your file isn’t even all that impressive.”
“It’s because it’s so impressive that you have to have the highest of clearances to even access the real records.”
Earnest glances over his shoulder. “Guy has an ego on him, doesn’t he?”
“I can fix it, boss. Just let me know,” Leo offers.
But Sawyer hasn’t shifted his gaze from Earnest. “You want to know why I’m not worried, Katelyn?
That’s because everyone on our team has their own special skill.
You know, like a team of superheroes.” His grin spreads as he glances over at me, then turns back to Earnest. “Tank can tear you apart with his bare hands. Cowboy can stop your heart before you even realize you’re at risk.
Cap?” Sawyer glances over at me, “You haven’t met him yet, but I imagine you’ll be meeting him soon.
” He looks back at Earnest, who has crossed his arms. “Cap has a gift for making people tell the truth—even when they swear they won’t.
” He leans forward now, just slightly, his eyes never straying from Earnest’s face.
“Me? I notice things. I listen. I remember. Information is power after all. Kind of like how I know your pal there has a weak knee. Left side, right?” he asks. “One hit and—” Sawyer clicks his tongue. “Boss man here has so many weak spots he’s basically a liability with a pulse.”
Earnest scoffs. “That supposed to scare me?”
Sawyer exhales on a quiet laugh. “No. Not me. After all, I’m a bit tied up at the moment. But do you want to know what your biggest mistake was?”
“I imagine you’re going to tell me.” Earnest deadpans.
“You made up your mind on who Garrison is when you have no idea.”
My stomach tightens, bile burning the back of my throat. Sawyer is here because of me. He’s going to die because of me. The idea that anyone else is going to plunge headfirst into my nightmare makes my skin crawl.
“Oooh, I’m shaking.” He turns away from Sawyer, his tone mocking. Both Leo and Bradley laugh obnoxiously in response.
“Demo is the last resort,” Sawyer says evenly as soon as the room has quieted again. “For a reason.”
He pauses, letting his words sink in. And based on Earnest’s hesitation as he reaches for the door handle? They’re doing just that.
“Demo’s specialty is destruction. Buildings. People. He will destroy everything around his target. Brick by brick, he dismantles until there is nothing left standing.”
Earnest turns back toward us, his face a bit paler than it was. Is Sawyer getting to him? “By the time he finds either of you, you’ll be dead. There will be no rescue.”
Sawyer’s smile doesn’t fade. It deepens. And somehow, his confidence builds my own. As he said, they’re a team. That means, if anyone is going to come for us, who better than a team of Navy SEALs?
That moment on the stairs with Thomas all those weeks ago swims to the front of my memory: “I heard he can kill a guy with just his pinky finger,” Thomas says, wiggling his own in demonstration. “That he and the others once went into a fully armed compound.”
Are they coming for us?
Can they survive it?
“By now, our rescue isn’t his mission anymore.”
Silence stretches. “Oh?”
“No.” Sawyer leans back in his chair. “Now it’s you.”
“Then I guess I’d better get what I can out of you before I kill you both.” He turns and looks back at Leo. “Give me your knife.”
“No. Please, let him go. You can do whatever you want to me—” I insist, that slice of relief I felt dissipating at the idea of anything happening to Sawyer.
“Oh, I plan to,” Earnest interrupts. “But first, I want to know where Thomas is. For every word out of your mouth that isn’t what I want to hear, I’m going to take out my frustrations on your overly confident friend here.
Until he’s either dead or you’ve told me what I want to know.
Either way, you should know better. I’m not a man who doesn’t get what he wants. ”
“You think you’re the first one who’s tried to get information out of me? Do your worst,” Sawyer replies. “Neither one of us is letting you lay a finger on that kid.”
The door opens, and a man I don’t recognize comes in. He leans forward and whispers something to Earnest. Something that has a chilling smile spreading across his face. He offers the knife back to Leo, then turns to me.
No, please, God no.
“Looks like we won’t be needing playtime after all. Seems dear sweet Thomas was just brought into the police station to be notified that his mother is missing. How convenient.”
“Don’t you dare touch him!” I scream as I thrash against the bindings. “Don’t touch him!” My throat burns as I fight against the hold. “Please, Earnest! Please leave him alone!”
Earnest kneels in front of me. “You’re going to be doing a lot of begging before this is over, Katelyn. Don’t wear yourself out just yet. Don’t worry, I’ll let you see your boy one last time.”
“Good luck,” Sawyer says, his tone lacking all humor now. “You’re going to need it.”
Earnest collects his jacket. “You may have your team, Navy man, but so do I. And mine doesn’t play by any rules.” Without waiting for a response, he, Bradley, and Leo leave the room.
“Mine neither,” Sawyer replies softly, then turns to me. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
“He’s going to kill him, Sawyer. He’s going to kill my son.” Tears stream down my cheeks, my heart racing. I can’t just sit here. I can’t just wait for him to march Thomas in here.
“No,” Sawyer replies. “Because Garrison won’t let him within twenty yards of Thomas. You have to trust him, okay?”
I swallow hard, panic making my pulse race.
“I need you to stay calm so we can get out of here. With them distracted and riding the high of a perceived win, this is the best chance we have. You the praying kind?”
“I am.”
“Good. Then bow your head.”
I do as he says.
“Lord, we ask that You protect Thomas. Send your angels to shield him from this danger. Please guide the team, Lord, and lead us out of here. God, we pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”
“Amen.” Peace washes over me as Sawyer’s prayer sets in.
God will protect my boy; I know He will.
And now I pray that I’ll get the chance to see him again—so long as it’s not anywhere near Earnest or this place.